Transmit power based proximity determination of ambient IoT devices

Abstract

A reader device for proximity determination of an ambient Internet of Things (A-loT) in a wireless communication network. The reader may transmit a Reader- to-Device (R2D) message from a base station or reader. The reader may receive a Device-to-Reader (D2R) message from the A-loT device in response to the R2D message. The reader may extract, from the D2R message, information about a specific transmit power used by the A-loT device for transmitting the D2R message. The reader may determine proximity of the A-loT device based on a ratio of a received power of the D2R message at the base station or reader in relation to the specific transmit power applied by the A-loT device for transmitting he D2R message.

Description

Client Ref. No. P68487WO1TRANSMIT POWER BASED PROXIMITY DETERMINATION OF AMBIENT IOT DEVICESFIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the invention relate to wireless communications, including apparatuses, systems, and methods for transmit power-based proximity determination of an Ambient Internet of Things (loT) device in a cellular communications network.DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

[0002] Ambient Internet of Things (loT) is a new device type which operates on energy harvested from the environment, such as electromagnetic, solar, thermal, or pressure sources. Ambient loT (e.g., A-loT) devices are designed to be inexpensive, small form factor, and consume very low power, positioning them in the lowest segment of loT device categories in terms of cost, complexity, and power consumption, well below Narrowband loT (NB-loT) and enhanced Machine- Type Communication (eMTC) devices.

[0003] A-loT devices eliminate the need for battery replacements, which significantly reduces maintenance efforts and associated costs. The costeffectiveness of A-loT technology enables the connection of a vast number of devices to a network, making it an attractive solution for large-scale implementations. The combination of low cost, compact size, and battery-free operation makes A-loT devices particularly well-suited for these use cases, offering a practical and efficient solution for a wide range of industries.

[0004] The key motivations behind the development of Ambient loT technology include reducing or removing the effort and cost associated with battery replacement and maintenance, enabling deployment in use cases where frequent human access is difficult or costly and allowing large numbers of devices to be connected to a network due to their low cost. Ambient loT devices are particularlyClient Ref. No. P68487WO1 well-suited for applications such as asset tracking and monitoring in supply chain scenarios, including manufacturing, shipping, and warehousing.SUMMARY

[0005] Embodiments relate to wireless communications, and more particularly to apparatuses, systems, and methods for proximity determination of an ambient Internet of Things (A-loT) in a wireless communication network in a wireless communication network, comprising: one or more processors, coupled to a memory, configured to: transmit a Reader-to-Device (R2D) message from a base station or reader. The reader may receive a Device-to-Reader (D2R) message from the A-loT device in response to the R2D message. The reader may extract, from the D2R message, information about a specific transmit power used by the A-loT device for transmitting the D2R message. The reader may determine proximity of the A-loT device based on a ratio of a received power of the D2R message at the base station or reader in relation to the specific transmit power applied by the A-loT device for transmitting he D2R message.

[0006] Other embodiments relate to proximity determination of an ambient Internet of Things (A-loT) in a wireless communication network comprising: one or more processors, coupled to a memory, configured to: receive a Reader-to-Device (R2D) message from a base station or reader; transmit a Device-to-Reader (D2R) message to the base station or reader in response to the R2D message, wherein the D2R message is transmitted at a specific transmit power, where information about the specific transmit power used for transmitting the D2R message is included in the D2R message to enable the base station or reader to determine a proximity of the A-loT device based on a ratio of a received power of the D2R message at the base station or reader in relation to the specific transmit power applied by the A-loT device for transmitting the D2R message.

[0007] Other embodiments relate to proximity determination of an ambient Internet of Things (A-loT) in a wireless communication network comprising: one or more processors, coupled to a memory, configured to: decode a command forClient Ref. No. P68487WO1 proximity determination acknowledgment in a Reader-to-Device (R2D) message received from a base station or reader; and transmit a Device-to-Reader (D2R) message to the base station or reader that includes an acknowledgment (ACK), in response to decoding the command for proximity determination.

[0008] The techniques described herein may be implemented in and / or used with a number of different types of devices, including but not limited to base stations, access points, cellular phones, tablet computers, wearable computing devices, portable media players, and any of various other computing devices.

[0009] This Summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above-described features are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following Detailed Description, Figures, and Claims.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] A better understanding of the present subject matter can be obtained when the following detailed description of various embodiments is considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0011] FIG. 1 A illustrates an example wireless communication system according to some embodiments.

[0012] FIG. 1 B illustrates an example of a base station and an access point in communication with a user equipment (UE) device, according to some embodiments.

[0013] FIG. 2 illustrates an example block diagram of a base station, according to some embodiments.

[0014] FIG. 3 illustrates an example block diagram of a server according to some embodiments.Client Ref. No. P68487WO1

[0015] FIG. 4 illustrates an example block diagram of a UE according to some embodiments.

[0016] FIG. 5 illustrates an example block diagram of cellular communication circuitry, according to some embodiments.

[0017] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a baseband processor architecture for a UE, according to some embodiments.

[0018] FIG. 7 illustrates an example block diagram of an interface of baseband circuitry according to some embodiments.

[0019] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a control plane protocol stack in accordance with some embodiments.

[0020] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a user plane protocol stack in accordance with some embodiments.

[0021] FIG. 10A illustrates an example topology of ambient internet of things (A-loT) devices communicating with a base station and a user equipment (UE).

[0022] FIG. 10B illustrates an example topology of ambient internet of things (A-loT) devices with downlink assistance.

[0023] FIG. 10C illustrates an example topology of ambient internet of things (A-loT) devices with uplink assistance.

[0024] FIG. 10D illustrates an example topology of ambient internet of things (A-loT) devices communicates bidirectionally with a user equipment (UE).

[0025] FIG. 11 illustrates an example illustration of timing diagram signaling for response-based proximity determination procedure between a Reader and a Device, according to some embodiments.

[0026] FIG. 12 illustrates an example illustration of diagram signaling for device transmit power and device response-based proximity determination procedure between a Reader and a Device, according to some embodiments.Client Ref. No. P68487WO1

[0027] FIG. 13 illustrates an example illustration of timing diagram signaling for combined response and measurement-based proximity determination procedure between a Reader and a Device, according to some embodiments.

[0028] FIG. 14 illustrates an example illustration of timing diagram signaling for proximity determination procedure involving a Base Station (BS), an Intermediate UE, and a Device, according to some embodiments.

[0029] FIG. 15 illustrates a flow chart of a method for proximity determination procedures in a wireless communication network, according to some embodiments.

[0030] FIG. 16 illustrates a flow chart of a method for proximity determination procedures, according to some embodiments.

[0031] While the features described herein may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to be limiting to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONTerms

[0032] The following is a glossary of terms used in this disclosure:

[0033] Memory Medium - Any of various types of non-transitory memory devices or storage devices. The term “memory medium” is intended to include an installation medium, e.g., a CD-ROM, floppy disks, or tape device; a computer system memory or random-access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; a non-volatile memory such as a Flash, magnetic media, e.g., a hard drive, or optical storage; registers, or other similar types of memory elements, etc. The memory medium may include other types of non-Client Ref. No. P68487WO1 transitory memory as well or combinations thereof. In addition, the memory medium may be located in a first computer system in which the programs are executed or may be located in a second different computer system which connects to the first computer system over a network, such as the Internet. In the latter instance, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term “memory medium” may include two or more memory mediums which may reside in different locations, e.g., in different computer systems that are connected over a network. The memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., embodied as computer programs) that may be executed by one or more processors.

[0034] Carrier Medium - a memory medium as described above, as well as a physical transmission medium, such as a bus, network, and / or other physical transmission medium that conveys signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals.

[0035] Programmable Hardware Element includes various hardware devices comprising multiple programmable function blocks connected via a programmable interconnect. Examples include FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), FPOAs (Field Programmable Object Arrays), and CPLDs (Complex PLDs). The programmable function blocks may range from fine grained (combinatorial logic or look up tables) to coarse grained (arithmetic logic units or processor cores). A programmable hardware element may also be referred to as "reconfigurable logic”.

[0036] Computer System (or Computer) - any of various types of computing or processing systems, including a personal computer system (PC), mainframe computer system, workstation, network appliance, Internet appliance, personal digital assistant (PDA), television system, grid computing system, or other device or combinations of devices. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.Client Ref. No. P68487WO1

[0037] User Equipment (UE) (or “UE Device”) - any of various types of computer systems devices which are mobile or portable and which performs wireless communications. Examples of UE devices include mobile telephones or smart phones (e.g., iPhone™, Android™-based phones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS™, PlayStation Portable™, Gameboy Advance™, iPhone™), laptops, wearable devices (e.g., smart watch, smart glasses), PDAs, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices, other handheld devices, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (e.g., drones), UAV controllers (UACs), and so forth. In general, the term “UE” or “UE device” can be broadly defined to encompass any electronic, computing, and / or telecommunications device (or combination of devices) which is easily transported by a user and capable of wireless communication.

[0038] Base Station - The term "Base Station" has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning, and at least includes a wireless communication station installed at a fixed location and used to communicate as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system.

[0039] Processing Element (or Processor) - refers to various elements or combinations of elements that are capable of performing a function in a device, such as a user equipment, a cellular network device, an Internet of Things (lot) reader, or an loT device such as, for example, and Ambient loT device. Processing elements may include, for example: processors and associated memory, portions or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processor cores, processor arrays, circuits such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), programmable hardware elements such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), as well any of various combinations of the above. A processor in an Ambient loT device can comprise logic elements configured to receive a signal and send data such as, for example, a data packet or numeric value in response to receiving the signal.

[0040] Channel - a medium used to convey information from a sender (transmitter) to a receiver. It should be noted that since characteristics of the term “channel” may differ according to different wireless protocols, the term “channel” asClient Ref. No. P68487WO1 used herein may be considered as being used in a manner that is consistent with the standard of the type of device with reference to which the term is used. In some standards, channel widths may be variable (e.g., depending on device capability, band conditions, etc.). For example, LTE may support scalable channel bandwidths from 1.4 MHz to 20MHz. 5G NR can support scalable channel bandwidths from 5 MHz to 100 MHz in Frequency Range 1 (FR1 ) and up to 400 MHz in FR2. In other radio access technologies, WLAN channels may be 22 MHz wide while Bluetooth channels may be 1 MHz wide. Other protocols and standards may include different definitions of channels. Furthermore, some standards may define and use multiple types of channels, e.g., different channels for uplink or downlink and / or different channels for different uses such as data, control information, etc.

[0041] Band - The term "band" has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning, and at least includes a section of spectrum (e.g., radio frequency spectrum) in which channels are used or set aside for the same purpose.

[0042] Automatically - refers to an action or operation performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or device (e.g., circuitry, programmable hardware elements, ASICs, etc.), without user input directly specifying or performing the action or operation. Thus, the term "automatically" is in contrast to an operation being manually performed or specified by the user, where the user provides input to directly perform the operation. An automatic procedure may be initiated by input provided by the user, but the subsequent actions that are performed "automatically” are not specified by the user, i.e., are not performed “manually”, where the user specifies each action to perform. For example, a user filling out an electronic form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing information, selecting check boxes, radio selections, etc.) is filling out the form manually, even though the computer system will update the form in response to the user actions. The form may be automatically filled out by the computer system where the computer system (e.g., software executing on the computer system) analyzes the fields of the form and fills in the form without any user input specifying the answers to the fields. AsClient Ref. No. P68487WO1 indicated above, the user may invoke the automatic filling of the form but is not involved in the actual filling of the form (e.g., the user is not manually specifying answers to fields but rather they are being automatically completed). The present specification provides various examples of operations being automatically performed in response to actions the user has taken.

[0043] Approximately - refers to a value that is almost correct or exact. For example, approximately may refer to a value that is within 1 to 10 percent of the exact (or desired) value. It should be noted, however, that the actual threshold value (or tolerance) may be application dependent. For example, in some embodiments, “approximately” may mean within 0.1 % of some specified or desired value, while in various other embodiments, the threshold may be, for example, 2%, 3%, 5%, and so forth, as desired or as set by the particular application.

[0044] Concurrent - refers to parallel execution or performance, where tasks, processes, or programs are performed in an at least partially overlapping manner. For example, concurrency may be implemented using “strong” or strict parallelism, where tasks are performed (at least partially) in parallel on respective computational elements, or using “weak parallelism”, where the tasks are performed in an interleaved manner, e.g., by time multiplexing of execution threads.

[0045] Legacy - The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) produces specifications that define 3GPP technologies. 3GPP specifications cover cellular telecommunications technologies, including radio access, core network and service capabilities, which provide a complete system description for mobile telecommunications. 3GPP uses a system of parallel “Releases” that provides developers with a stable platform for the implementation of features at a given point and then allows for the addition of new functionality in subsequent releases. Release 17 was released in 2022. Release 18 (Rel-18), at the time of this disclosure, is nearing release on June 22, 2024, as its specifications have been largely defined. Accordingly, implementations and concepts compatible with Rel- 18, or previous Releases, are sometimes referred to herein as “Legacy Releases.”Client Ref. No. P68487WO1One or more embodiments of the present disclosure may be adopted in future Releases, e.g., Release 19.

[0046] Various components may be described as “configured to” perform a task or tasks. In such contexts, “configured to” is a broad recitation generally meaning “having structure that” performs the task or tasks during operation. As such, the component can be configured to perform the task even when the component is not currently performing that task (e.g., a set of electrical conductors may be configured to electrically connect a module to another module, even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, “configured to” may be a broad recitation of structure generally meaning “having circuitry that” performs the task or tasks during operation. As such, the component can be configured to perform the task even when the component is not currently on. In general, the circuitry that forms the structure corresponding to “configured to” may include hardware circuits.

[0047] Various components may be described as performing a task or tasks, for convenience in the description. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase “configured to.” Reciting a component that is configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) interpretation for that component.

[0048] The example embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and the related appended drawings, wherein like elements are provided with the same reference numerals. The example embodiments relate to enhancing Secondary Cell (SCell) activation with Early Measurement Report (EMR).

[0049] The example embodiments are described with regard to communication between a reader (e.g., a base station or a UE) and a device. However, reference to a base station or a UE is merely provided for illustrative purposes. The example embodiments may be utilized with any electronic component that may establish a connection to a network and is configured with the hardware, software, and / or firmware to support communication between a reader and an A-loT device.Client Ref. No. P68487WO1Therefore, the base station or UE as described herein is used to represent any appropriate type of electronic component.

[0050] The example embodiments are also described with regard to a fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR) network that may configure a UE or BS to communicate with an A-loT device. However, reference to a 5G NR network is merely provided for illustrative purposes. The example embodiments may be utilized with any appropriate type of network.

[0051] As described the mechanisms of the illustrated embodiments provide apparatuses, systems, and methods for proximity determination of an ambient Internet of Things (A-loT) in a wireless communication network in a wireless communication network, comprising: one or more processors, coupled to a memory, configured to: transmit a Reader-to-Device (R2D) message from a base station or reader. The reader may receive a Device-to-Reader (D2R) message from the A-loT device in response to the R2D message. The reader may extract, from the D2R message, information about a specific transmit power used by the A-loT device for transmitting the D2R message. The reader may determine proximity of the A-loT device based on a ratio of a received power of the D2R message at the base station or reader in relation to the specific transmit power applied by the A-loT device for transmitting he D2R message.

[0052] Other embodiments relate to proximity determination of an ambient Internet of Things (A-loT) in a wireless communication network comprising: one or more processors, coupled to a memory, configured to: receive a Reader-to-Device (R2D) message from a base station or reader; transmit a Device-to-Reader (D2R) message to the base station or reader in response to the R2D message, wherein the D2R message is transmitted at a specific transmit power, where information about the specific transmit power used for transmitting the D2R message is included in the D2R message to enable the base station or reader to determine a proximity of the A-loT device based on a ratio of a received power of the D2RClient Ref. No. P68487WO1 message at the base station or reader in relation to the specific transmit power applied by the A-loT device for transmitting the D2R message.

[0053] Other embodiments relate to proximity determination of an ambient Internet of Things (A-loT) in a wireless communication network comprising: one or more processors, coupled to a memory, configured to: decode a command for proximity determination acknowledgment in a Reader-to-Device (R2D) message received from a base station or reader; and transmit a Device-to-Reader (D2R) message to the base station or reader that includes an acknowledgment (ACK), in response to decoding the command for proximity determination.

[0054] It should be noted that as used herein, “strong” or “strongest” in relation to the "strongest D2R signal" may refer to the Device-to-Reader (D2R) signal with the highest received power or the best signal quality at the gNB / reader. The strongest D2R signal may include a D2R signal with a highest received power level at the UE / gNB / reader, measured in dBm (decibels referenced to one milliwatt). For example, if one signal is received at -70 dBm and another at -80 dBm, the -70 dBm signal would be considered stronger. The strongest D2R signal may include a highest signal-to-noise Ratio (SNR) such that the D2R signal with the highest SNR at the UE / gNB / reader is the strongest D2R signal. SNR can be measured in decibels (dB) and compares the level of a desired signal to the level of background noise.

[0055] The strongest D2R signal may a D2R signal with the highest signal-to- Interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR). In environments with significant interference, the D2R signal with the highest SINR at the gNB / reader may be considered the strongest. SINR may be measured in dB and takes into account both noise and interference.

[0056] Thus, a strongest D2R signal may a signal that demonstrates sufficient quality and reliability to enable effective communication between devices as described herein. The strength of a signal may be determined by its ability to meet or exceed predefined performance criteria, which may include, but are not limited to, signal power, signal-to-noise ratio, error rates, and other relevant metrics. TheClient Ref. No. P68487WO1 specific thresholds for these criteria can be dynamically adjusted based on system requirements and environmental conditions to optimize overall performance of the Ambient Internet of Things (A-loT) network.

[0057] Throughout this description various information elements (lEs) are referred to by specific names. It should be understood that these names are only examples and the lEs carrying the information referred to throughout this description may be referred to by other names by various entities.FIGs. 1 A and 1 B: Communication Systems

[0058] FIG. 1 A illustrates a simplified example wireless communication system, according to some embodiments. It is noted that the system of FIG. 1 A is merely one example of a possible system, and that features of this disclosure may be implemented in any of various systems, as desired.

[0059] As shown, the example wireless communication system includes a base station 102A which communicates over a transmission medium with one or more user devices 106A, 106B, etc., through 106N. Each of the user devices may be referred to herein as a “user equipment” (UE). Thus, the user devices 106 are referred to as UEs or UE devices.

[0060] The base station (BS) 102A may be a base transceiver station (BTS) or cell site (a “cellular base station”) and may include hardware that enables wireless communication with the UEs 106A through 106N.

[0061] The communication area (or coverage area) of the base station may be referred to as a “cell.” The base station 102A and the UEs 106 may be configured to communicate over the transmission medium using any of various radio access technologies (RATs), also referred to as wireless communication technologies, or telecommunication standards, such as GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), 5G new radio (5G NR), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1 xRTT, 1 xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc. Note that if the base station 102A is implemented in the context ofClient Ref. No. P68487WO1LTE, also referred to as the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN, it may alternately be referred to as an 'eNodeB' or ‘eNB’. Note that if the base station 102A is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may alternately be referred to as ‘gNodeB’ or ‘base station’.

[0062] As shown, the base station 102A may also be equipped to communicate with a network 100 (e.g., a core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunication network such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and / or the Internet, among various possibilities). Thus, the base station 102A may facilitate communication between the user devices and / or between the user devices and the network 100. In particular, the cellular base station 102A may provide UEs 106 with various telecommunication capabilities, such as voice, SMS and / or data services.

[0063] Base station 102A and other similar base stations (such as base stations 102B...102N) operating according to the same or a different cellular communication standard may thus be provided as a network of cells, which may provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping service to UEs 106A-N and similar devices over a geographic area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0064] Thus, while base station 102A may act as a “serving cell” for UEs 106A- N as illustrated in FIG. 1A, each UE 106 may also be capable of receiving signals from (and possibly within communication range of) one or more other cells (which might be provided by base stations 102B-N and / or any other base stations), which may be referred to as “neighboring cells”. Such cells may also be capable of facilitating communication between user devices and / or between user devices and the network 100. Such cells may include “macro” cells, “micro” cells, “pico” cells, and / or cells which provide any of various other granularities of service area size. For example, base stations 102A-B illustrated in FIG. 1 A might be macro cells, while base station 102N might be a micro cell. Other configurations are also possible.Client Ref. No. P68487WO1

[0065] In some embodiments, base station 102A may be a next generation base station, e.g., a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or “base station”. In some embodiments, a base station may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to a NR core (5GC) network. In addition, a base station cell may include one or more transition and reception points (TRPs). In addition, a UE capable of operating according to 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more base stations.

[0066] Note that a UE 106 may be capable of communicating using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, the UE 106 may be configured to communicate using a wireless networking (e.g., Wi-Fi) and / or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocol (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, etc.) in addition to at least one cellular communication protocol (e.g., GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1 xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc.). The UE 106 may also or alternatively be configured to communicate using one or more global navigational satellite systems (GNSS, e.g., GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcasting standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H or DVB-H), and / or any other wireless communication protocol, if desired. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0067] FIG. 1 B illustrates user equipment 106 (e.g., one of the devices 106A through 106N) in communication with a base station 102 and an access point 112, according to some embodiments. The UE 106 may be a device with both cellular communication capability and non-cellular communication capability (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and so forth) such as a mobile phone, a hand-held device, a computer or a tablet, or virtually any type of wireless device.

[0068] The UE 106 may include a processor that is configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. The UE 106 may perform any of the method embodiments described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively, or in addition, the UE 106 may include a programmable hardware element such asClient Ref. No. P68487WO1 an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) that is configured to perform any of the method embodiments described herein, or any portion of any of the method embodiments described herein.

[0069] The UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some embodiments, the UE 106 may be configured to communicate using, for example, CDMA2000 (1 xRTT 1 1 xEV-DO I HRPD I eHRPD), LTE / LTE- Advanced, or 5G NR using a single shared radio and / or GSM, LTE, LTE-Advanced, or 5G NR using the single shared radio. The shared radio may couple to a single antenna, or may couple to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communications. In general, a radio may include any combination of a baseband processor, analog RF signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), ordigital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation as well as other digital processing). Similarly, the radio may implement one or more receive and transmit chains using the aforementioned hardware. For example, the UE 106 may share one or more parts of a receive and / or transmit chain between multiple wireless communication technologies, such as those discussed above.

[0070] In some embodiments, the UE 106 may include separate transmit and / or receive chains (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol with which it is configured to communicate. As a further possibility, the UE 106 may include one or more radios which are shared between multiple wireless communication protocols, and one or more radios which are used exclusively by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, the UE 106 might include a shared radio for communicating using either LTE or 5G NR (or LTE or IxRTTor LTE or GSM), and separate radios for communicating using each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible.FIG. 2: Block Diagram of a Base StationClient Ref. No. P68487WO1

[0071] FIG. 2 illustrates an example block diagram of a base station 102, according to some embodiments. It is noted that the base station of FIG. 2 is merely one example of a possible base station. As shown, the base station 102 may include processor(s) 204 which may execute program instructions for the base station 102. The processor(s) 204 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 240, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor(s) 204 and translate those addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 260 and read only memory (ROM) 250) or to other circuits or devices.

[0072] The base station 102 may include at least one network port 270. The network port 270 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide a plurality of devices, such as UE devices 106, access to the telephone network as described above in FIGs. 1 a, 1 b and 2.

[0073] The network port 270 (or an additional network port) may also or alternatively be configured to couple to a cellular network, e.g., a core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility related services and / or other services to a plurality of devices, such as UE devices 106. In some cases, the network port 270 may couple to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., among other UE devices serviced by the cellular service provider).

[0074] In some embodiments, base station 102 may be a next generation base station, e.g., a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or “base station”. In such embodiments, base station 102 may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to a NR core (5GC) network. A new radio core (NR core) is also called a fifth-generation core network (5GC network). In addition, base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more transition and reception points (TRPs). In addition, a UE capable of operating according to 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more base stations.

[0075] The base station 102 may include at least one antenna 234, and possibly multiple antennas. The at least one antenna 234 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UEClient Ref. No. P68487WO1 devices 106 via radio 230. The antenna 234 communicates with the radio 230 via communication chain 232. Communication chain 232 may be a receive chain, a transmit chain or both. The radio 230 may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including, but not limited to, 5G NR, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc.

[0076] The base station 102 may be configured to communicate wirelessly using multiple wireless communication standards. In some instances, the base station 102 may include multiple radios, which may enable the base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, the base station 102 may include an LTE radio for performing communication according to LTE as well as a 5G NR radio for performing communication according to 5G NR. In such a case, the base station 102 may be capable of operating as both an LTE base station and a 5G NR base station. As another possibility, the base station 102 may include a multi-mode radio which is capable of performing communications according to any of multiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.).

[0077] As described further subsequently herein, the BS 102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting implementation of features described herein. The processor 204 of the base station 102 may be configured to implement or support implementation of part or all of the methods described herein, e.g., by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, the processor 204 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof.Alternatively (or in addition) the processor 204 of the BS 102, in conjunction with one or more of the other components 230, 232, 234, 240, 250, 260, 270 may be configured to implement or support implementation of part or all of the features described herein.Client Ref. No. P68487WO1

[0078] In addition, as described herein, processor(s) 204 may be comprised of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor(s) 204. Thus, processor(s) 204 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of processor(s) 204. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor(s) 204.

[0079] Further, as described herein, radio 230 may be comprised of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in radio 230. Thus, radio 230 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of radio 230. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of radio 230.

[0080] It should be noted that a base station may be configured to operate as a 3GPP device sending and receiving 3GPP signals. In addition, the base station can be configured to operate as a reader capable of sending signaling such as, for example, a carrier wave configured to activate the A-loT and sending and receiving Internet of Things (loT) data.FIG. 3: Block Diagram of a Server

[0081] FIG. 3 illustrates an example block diagram of a server 104, according to some embodiments. It is noted that the server of FIG. 3 is merely one example of a possible server. As shown, the server 104 may include processor(s) 344 which may execute program instructions for the server 104. The processor(s) 344 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 374, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor(s) 344 and translate those addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 364 and read only memory (ROM) 354) or to other circuits or devices.Client Ref. No. P68487WO1

[0082] The server 104 may be configured to provide a plurality of devices, such as base station 102, and UE devices 106 access to network functions, e.g., as further described herein.

[0083] In some embodiments, the server 104 may be part of a radio access network, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) radio access network. In some embodiments, the server 104 may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to a NR core (5GC) network.

[0084] As described herein, the server 104 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting implementation of features described herein. The processor 344 of the server 104 may be configured to implement or support implementation of part or all of the methods described herein, e.g., by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, the processor 344 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition) the processor 344 of the server 104, in conjunction with one or more of the other components 354, 364, and / or 374 may be configured to implement or support implementation of part or all of the features described herein.

[0085] In addition, as described herein, processor(s) 344 may be comprised of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor(s) 344. Thus, processor(s) 344 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of processor(s) 344. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor(s) 344.FIG. 4: Block Diagram of a User

[0086] FIG. 4 illustrates an example simplified block diagram of a communication device 106, according to some embodiments. It is noted that theClient Ref. No. P68487WO1 block diagram of the communication device of FIG. 4 is only one example of a possible communication device. According to embodiments, communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, notebook, or portable computing device), a tablet, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a UAV controller (UAC) and / or a combination of devices, among other devices. As shown, the communication device 106 may include a set of components 400 configured to perform core functions. For example, this set of components may be implemented as a system on chip (SOO), which may include portions for various purposes. Alternatively, this set of components 400 may be implemented as separate components or groups of components for the various purposes. The set of components 400 may be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to various other circuits of the communication device 106.

[0087] For example, the communication device 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash 410), an input / output interface such as connector l / F 420 (e.g., for connecting to a computer system; dock; charging station; input devices, such as a microphone, camera, keyboard; output devices, such as speakers; etc.), the display 460, which may be integrated with or external to the communication device 106, and cellular communication circuitry 430 such as for 5G NR, LTE, GSM, etc., and short to medium range wireless communication circuitry 429 (e.g., Bluetooth™ and WLAN circuitry). In some embodiments, communication device 106 may include wired communication circuitry (not shown), such as a network interface card, e.g., for Ethernet.

[0088] The cellular communication circuitry 430 may couple (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 435 and 436 as shown. The short to medium range wireless communication circuitry 429 may also couple (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 437 and 438 as shown. Alternatively, the short to medium range wireless communication circuitry 429 may couple (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to the antennas 435 and 436 in addition to,Client Ref. No. P68487WO1 or instead of, coupling (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to the antennas 437 and 438. The short to medium range wireless communication circuitry 429 and / or cellular communication circuitry 430 may include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) configuration.

[0089] In some embodiments, as further described below, cellular communication circuitry 430 may include dedicated receive chains (including and / or coupled to, e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly, dedicated processors and / or radios) for multiple RATs (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). In addition, in some embodiments, cellular communication circuitry 430 may include a single transmit chain that may be switched between radios dedicated to specific RATs. For example, a first radio may be dedicated to a first RAT, e.g., LTE, and may be in communication with a dedicated receive chain and a transmit chain shared with an additional radio, e.g., a second radio that may be dedicated to a second RAT, e.g., 5G NR, and may be in communication with a dedicated receive chain and the shared transmit chain.

[0090] The communication device 106 may also include and / or be configured for use with one or more user interface elements. The user interface elements may include any of various elements, such as display 460 (which may be a touchscreen display), a keyboard (which may be a discrete keyboard or may be implemented as part of a touchscreen display), a mouse, a microphone and / or speakers, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and / or any of various other elements capable of providing information to a user and / or receiving or interpreting user input.

[0091] The communication device 106 may further include one or more smart cards 445 that include SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality, such as one or more UICC(s) (Universal Integrated Circuit Card(s)) cards 445. Note that the term “SIM” or “SIM entity” is intended to include any of various types of SIM implementations or SIM functionality, such as the one or more UICC(s) cards 445, one or more eUlCCs, one or more eSIMs, either removable or embedded, etc. In some embodiments, the UE 106 may include at least two SIMs. Each SIM mayClient Ref. No. P68487WO1 execute one or more SIM applications and / or otherwise implement SIM functionality. Thus, each SIM may be a single smart card that may be embedded, e.g., may be soldered onto a circuit board in the UE 106, or each SIM 410 may be implemented as a removable smart card. Thus, the SIM(s) may be one or more removable smart cards (such as UICC cards, which are sometimes referred to as “SIM cards”), and / or the SIMs 410 may be one or more embedded cards (such as embedded UICCs (elllCCs), which are sometimes referred to as “eSIMs” or “eSIM cards”). In some embodiments (such as when the SIM(s) include an elllCC), one or more of the SIM(s) may implement embedded SIM (eSIM) functionality; in such an embodiment, a single one of the SIM(s) may execute multiple SIM applications. Each of the SIMs may include components such as a processor and / or a memory; instructions for performing SIM / eSIM functionality may be stored in the memory and executed by the processor. In some embodiments, the UE 106 may include a combination of removable smart cards and fixed / non-removable smart cards (such as one or more eUlCG cards that implement eSIM functionality), as desired. For example, the UE 106 may comprise two embedded SIMs, two removable SIMs, or a combination of one embedded SIMs and one removable SIMs. Various other SIM configurations are also contemplated.

[0092] As noted above, in some embodiments, the UE 106 may include two or more SIMs. The inclusion of two or more SIMs in the UE 106 may allow the UE 106 to support two different telephone numbers and may allow the UE 106 to communicate on corresponding two or more respective networks. For example, a first SIM may support a first RAT such as LTE, and a second SIM 410 supports a second RAT such as 5G NR. Other implementations and RATs are of course possible. In some embodiments, when the UE 106 comprises two SIMs, the UE 106 may support Dual SIM Dual Active (DSDA) functionality. The DSDA functionality may allow the UE 106 to be simultaneously connected to two networks (and use two different RATs) at the same time, or to simultaneously maintain two connections supported by two different SIMs using the same or different RATs on the same or different networks. The DSDA functionality may also allow the UE 106 to simultaneously receive voice calls or data traffic on either phone number. InClient Ref. No. P68487WO1 certain embodiments the voice call may be a packet switched communication. In other words, the voice call may be received using voice over LTE (VoLTE) technology and / or voice over NR (VoNR) technology. In some embodiments, the UE 106 may support Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS) functionality. The DSDS functionality may allow either of the two SIMs in the UE 106 to be on standby waiting for a voice call and / or data connection. In DSDS, when a call / data is established on one SIM, the other SIM is no longer active. In some embodiments, DSDx functionality (either DSDA or DSDS functionality) may be implemented with a single SIM (e.g., a eUlCC) that executes multiple SIM applications for different carriers and / or RATs.

[0093] As shown, the SOC 400 may include processor(s) 402, which may execute program instructions for the communication device 106 and display circuitry 404, which may perform graphics processing and provide display signals to the display 460. The processor(s) 402 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 440, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor(s) 402 and translate those addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 406, read only memory (ROM) 450, NAND flash memory 410) and / or to other circuits or devices, such as the display circuitry 404, short to medium range wireless communication circuitry 429, cellular communication circuitry 430, connector l / F 420, and / or display 460. The MMU 440 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or set up. In some embodiments, the MMU 440 may be included as a portion of the processor(s) 402.

[0094] As described herein, the communication device 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing the above features for a communication device 106 to communicate a scheduling profile for power savings to a network. The processor 402 of the communication device 106 may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein, e.g., by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), processor 402 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).Client Ref. No. P68487WO1Alternatively (or in addition) the processor 402 of the communication device 106, in conjunction with one or more of the other components 400, 404, 406, 410, 420, 429, 430, 440, 445, 450, 460 may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein.

[0095] In addition, as described herein, processor 402 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processor 402 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of processor 402. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor(s) 402.

[0096] Further, as described herein, cellular communication circuitry 430 and short to medium range wireless communication circuitry 429 may each include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in cellular communication circuitry 430 and, similarly, one or more processing elements may be included in short to medium range wireless communication circuitry 429. Thus, cellular communication circuitry 430 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of cellular communication circuitry 430. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of cellular communication circuitry 430. Similarly, the short to medium range wireless communication circuitry 429 may include one or more ICs that are configured to perform the functions of short to medium range wireless communication circuitry 429. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of short to medium range wireless communication circuitry 429.

[0097] It should be noted that a UE may be configured to operate as a 3GPP device sending and receiving 3GPP signals. In addition, the UE can be configured to operate as a reader capable of sending signaling such as, for example, a carrier wave configured to activate the A-loT and sending and receiving Internet of Things (loT) data.Client Ref. No. P68487WO1FIG. 5: Block Diagram of Cellular Communication Circuitry

[0098] FIG. 5 illustrates an example simplified block diagram of cellular communication circuitry, according to some embodiments. It is noted that the block diagram of the cellular communication circuitry of FIG. 5 is only one example of a possible cellular communication circuit. According to embodiments, cellular communication circuitry 530, which may be cellular communication circuitry 430, may be included in a communication device, such as communication device 106 described above. As noted above, communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, notebook, or portable computing device), a tablet and / or a combination of devices, among other devices.

[0099] The cellular communication circuitry 530 may couple (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 435a-b and 436 as shown (in FIG. 4). In some embodiments, cellular communication circuitry 530 may include dedicated receive chains (including and / or coupled to, e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly, dedicated processors and / or radios) for multiple RATs (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). For example, as shown in FIG. 5, cellular communication circuitry 530 may include a modem 510 and a modem 520. Modem 510 may be configured for communications according to a first RAT, e.g., such as LTE or LTE-A, and modem 520 may be configured for communications according to a second RAT, e.g., such as 5G NR.

[0100] As shown, modem 510 may include one or more processors 512 and a memory 516 in communication with processors 512. Modem 510 may be in communication with a radio frequency (RF) front end 535. RF front end 535 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, RF front end 535 may include receive circuitry (RX) 532 and transmit circuitry (TX) 534. In some embodiments, receive circuitry 532 may be in communication with downlinkClient Ref. No. P68487WO1(DL) front end 550, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna 335a.

[0101] Similarly, modem 520 may include one or more processors 522 and a memory 526 in communication with processors 522. Modem 520 may be in communication with an RF front end 540. RF front end 540 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, RF front end 540 may include receive circuitry 542 and transmit circuitry 544. In some embodiments, receive circuitry 542 may be in communication with DL front end 560, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna 335b.

[0102] In some embodiments, a switch 570 may couple transmit circuitry 534 to uplink (UL) front end 572. In addition, switch 570 may couple transmit circuitry 544 to UL front end 572. UL front end 572 may include circuitry for transmitting radio signals via antenna 336. Thus, when cellular communication circuitry 530 receives instructions to transmit according to the first RAT (e.g., as supported via modem 510), switch 570 may be switched to a first state that allows modem 510 to transmit signals according to the first RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain that includes transmit circuitry 534 and UL front end 572). Similarly, when cellular communication circuitry 530 receives instructions to transmit according to the second RAT (e.g., as supported via modem 520), switch 570 may be switched to a second state that allows modem 520 to transmit signals according to the second RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain that includes transmit circuitry 544 and UL front end 572).

[0103] As described herein, the modem 510 may include hardware and software components for implementing the above features or for time division multiplexing UL data for NSA NR operations, as well as the various other techniques described herein. The processors 512 may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein, e.g., by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), processor 512 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or inClient Ref. No. P68487WO1 addition) the processor 512, in conjunction with one or more of the other components 530, 532, 534, 535, 550, 570, 572, 335a, 335b, and 336 may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein.

[0104] In addition, as described herein, processors 512 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processors 512 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of processors 512. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processors 512.

[0105] The processors 522 may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein, e.g., by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), processor 522 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or in addition) the processor 522, in conjunction with one or more of the other components 540, 542, 544, 550, 570, 572, 335a, 335b, and 336 may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein.

[0106] In addition, as described herein, processors 522 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processors 522 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of processors 522. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processors 522.FIG. 6: Block Diagram of a Baseband Processor Architecture for a UE

[0107] FIG. 6 illustrates example components of a device 600 in accordance with some embodiments. It is noted that the device of FIG. 6 is merely one example of a possible system, and that features of this disclosure may be implemented in any of various UEs, as desired.Client Ref. No. P68487WO1

[0108] In some embodiments, the device 600 may include application circuitry 602, baseband circuitry 604, Radio Frequency (RF) circuitry 606, front-end module (FEM) circuitry 608, one or more antennas 610, and power management circuitry (PMC) 612 coupled together at least as shown. The components of the illustrated device 600 may be included in a UE 106 or a RAN node 102A. In some embodiments, the device 600 may include less elements (e.g., a RAN node may not utilize application circuitry 602, and instead include a processor / controller to process IP data received from an EPC). In some embodiments, the device 600 may include additional elements such as, for example, memory / storage, display, camera, sensor, or input / output (I / O) interface. In other embodiments, the components described below may be included in more than one device (e.g., said circuitries may be separately included in more than one device for Cloud-RAN (C- RAN) implementations).

[0109] The application circuitry 602 may include one or more application processors. For example, the application circuitry 602 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor(s) may include any combination of general-purpose processors and dedicated processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processors may be coupled with or may include memory / storage and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the device 600. In some embodiments, processors of application circuitry 602 may process IP data packets received from an EPC.

[0110] The baseband circuitry 604 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuitry 604 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic to process baseband signals received from a receive signal path of the RF circuitry 606 and to generate baseband signals for a transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 606. Baseband processing circuity 604 may interface with the application circuitry 602 for generation and processing of the baseband signals and for controlling operations of the RF circuitry 606. For example, in some embodiments, theClient Ref. No. P68487WO1 baseband circuitry 604 may include a third generation (3G) baseband processor 604A, a fourth generation (4G) baseband processor 604B, a fifth generation (5G) baseband processor 604C, or other baseband processor(s) 604D for other existing generations, generations in development or to be developed in the future (e.g., second generation (2G), sixth generation (6G), etc.). The baseband circuitry 604 (e.g., one or more of baseband processors 604A-D) may handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuitry 606. In other embodiments, some or all of the functionality of baseband processors 604A-D may be included in modules stored in the memory 604G and executed via a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 604E. The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some embodiments, modulation / demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuitry 604 may include Fast- Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functionality. In some embodiments, encoding / decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry 604 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or Low- Density Parity Check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functionality. Embodiments of modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functionality are not limited to these examples and may include other suitable functionality in other embodiments.

[0111] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 604 may include one or more audio digital signal processor(s) (DSP) 604F. The audio DSP(s) 604F may be include elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation and may include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments. Components of the baseband circuitry may be suitably combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on a same circuit board in some embodiments. In some embodiments, some or all of the constituent components of the baseband circuitry 604 and the application circuitry 602 may be implemented together such as, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC).

[0112] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 604 may provide for communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 604 may support communication withClient Ref. No. P68487WO1 an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) or other wireless metropolitan area networks (WMAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN). Embodiments in which the baseband circuitry 604 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

[0113] RF circuitry 606 may enable communication with wireless networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, the RF circuitry 606 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate the communication with the wireless network. RF circuitry 606 may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 608 and provide baseband signals to the baseband circuitry 604. RF circuitry 606 may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided by the baseband circuitry 604 and provide RF output signals to the FEM circuitry 608 for transmission.

[0114] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of the RF circuitry 606 may include mixer circuitry 606a, amplifier circuitry 606b and filter circuitry 606c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 606 may include filter circuitry 606c and mixer circuitry 606a. RF circuitry 606 may also include synthesizer circuitry 606d for synthesizing a frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 606a of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 606a of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 608 based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry 606d. The amplifier circuitry 606b may be configured to amplify the down-converted signals and the filter circuitry 606c may be a low-pass filter (LPF) or band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signals to generate output baseband signals. Output baseband signals may be provided to the baseband circuitry 604 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signals may be zero-frequency baseband signals, although this is not a necessity. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 606a of the receive signalClient Ref. No. P68487WO1 path may comprise passive mixers, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0115] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 606a of the transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert input baseband signals based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 606d to generate RF output signals for the FEM circuitry 608. The baseband signals may be provided by the baseband circuitry 604 and may be filtered by filter circuitry 606c.

[0116] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 606a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 606a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature downconversion and upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 606a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 606a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 606a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 606a may be arranged for direct downconversion and direct upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 606a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 606a of the transmit signal path may be configured for super-heterodyne operation.

[0117] In some embodiments, the output baseband signals, and the input baseband signals may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternate embodiments, the output baseband signals, and the input baseband signals may be digital baseband signals. In these alternate embodiments, the RF circuitry 606 may include analog- to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry and the baseband circuitry 604 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuitry 606.

[0118] In some dual-mode embodiments, a separate radio IC circuitry may be provided for processing signals for each spectrum, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.Client Ref. No. P68487WO1

[0119] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 606d may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuitry 606d may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer comprising a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0120] The synthesizer circuitry 606d may be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 606a of the RF circuitry 606 based on a frequency input and a divider control input. In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 606d may be a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0121] In some embodiments, frequency input may be provided by a voltage- controlled oscillator (VCO), although that is not a necessity. Divider control input may be provided by either the baseband circuitry 604 or the applications processor 602 depending on the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, a divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a look-up table based on a channel indicated by the applications processor 602.

[0122] Synthesizer circuitry 606d of the RF circuitry 606 may include a divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the divider may be a dual modulus divider (DMD) and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by either N or N+1 (e.g., based on a carry out) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a set of cascaded, tunable, delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pump and a D-type flip-flop. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to break a VCO period up into Nd equal packets of phase, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0123] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 606d may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other embodiments,Client Ref. No. P68487WO1 the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used in conjunction with quadrature generator and divider circuitry to generate multiple signals at the carrier frequency with multiple different phases with respect to each other. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be a LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, the RF circuitry 606 may include an IQ / polar converter.

[0124] FEM circuitry 608 may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 610, amplify the received signals and provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the RF circuitry 606 for further processing. FEM circuitry 608 may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by the RF circuitry 606 for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas 610. In various embodiments, the amplification through the transmit or receive signal paths may be done solely in the RF circuitry 606, solely in the FEM 608, or in both the RF circuitry 606 and the FEM 608.

[0125] In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 608 may include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuitry may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry may include an LNA to amplify received RF signals and provide the amplified received RF signals as an output (e.g., to the RF circuitry 606). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 608 may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify input RF signals (e.g., provided by RF circuitry 606), and one or more filters to generate RF signals for subsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of the one or more antennas 610).

[0126] In some embodiments, the PMC 612 may manage power provided to the baseband circuitry 604. In particular, the PMC 612 may control power-source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-to-DC conversion. The PMC 612 may often be included when the device 600 is capable of being powered by a battery, for example, when the device is included in a UE. The PMC 612 mayClient Ref. No. P68487WO1 increase the power conversion efficiency while providing desirable implementation size and heat dissipation characteristics.

[0127] While FIG. 6 shows the PMC 612 coupled only with the baseband circuitry 604, in other embodiments the PMC 612 may be additionally or alternatively coupled with, and perform similar power management operations for, other components such as, but not limited to, application circuitry 602, RF circuitry 606, or FEM 608.

[0128] In some embodiments, the PMC 612 may control, or otherwise be part of, various power saving mechanisms of the device 600. For example, if the device 600 is in a radio resource control_Connected (RRC_Connected) state, where it is still connected to the RAN node as it expects to receive traffic shortly, then it may enter a state known as Discontinuous Reception Mode (DRX) after a period of inactivity. During this state, the device 600 may power down for brief intervals of time and thus save power.

[0129] If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, then the device 600 may transition off to an RRCJdle state, where it disconnects from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc. The device 600 goes into a very low power state and it performs paging where again it periodically wakes up to listen to the network and then powers down again. The device 600 may not receive data in this state, in order to receive data, it will transition back to RRC_Connected state.

[0130] An additional power saving mode may allow a device to be unavailable to the network for periods longer than a paging interval (ranging from seconds to a few hours). During this time, the device is totally unreachable to the network and may power down completely. Any data sent during this time incurs a large delay and it is assumed the delay is acceptable.

[0131] Processors of the application circuitry 602 and processors of the baseband circuitry 604 may be used to execute elements of one or more instances of a protocol stack. For example, processors of the baseband circuitry 604, alone or in combination, may be used execute Layer 3, Layer 2, or Layer 1 functionality,Client Ref. No. P68487WO1 while processors of the application circuitry 604 may utilize data (e.g., packet data) received from these layers and further execute Layer 4 functionality (e.g., transmission communication protocol (TCP) and user datagram protocol (UDP) layers). As referred to herein, Layer 3 (L3) may comprise a radio resource control (RRC) layer, described in further detail below. As referred to herein, Layer 2 (L2) may comprise a medium access control (MAC) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, described in further detail below. As referred to herein, Layer 1 (L1 ) may comprise a physical (PHY) layer of a UE / RAN node, described in further detail below. Accordingly, the baseband circuitry 604 can be used to encode a message for transmission between a UE and a base station, or decode a message received between a UE and a base station.FIG. 7: Block Diagram of an Interface of Baseband Circuitry

[0132] FIG. 7 illustrates example interfaces of baseband circuitry in accordance with some embodiments. It is noted that the baseband circuitry of FIG. 7 is merely one example of a possible circuitry, and that features of this disclosure may be implemented in any of various systems, as desired.

[0133] As discussed above, the baseband circuitry 604 of FIG. 6 may comprise processors 604A-604E and a memory 604G utilized by said processors. Each of the processors 604A-604E may include a memory interface, 704A-704E, respectively, to send / receive data to / from the memory 604G.

[0134] The baseband circuitry 604 may further include one or more interfaces to communicatively couple to other circuitries / devices, such as a memory interface 712 (e.g., an interface to send / receive data to / from memory external to the baseband circuitry 604), an application circuitry interface 714 (e.g., an interface to send / receive data to / from the application circuitry 602 of FIG. 6), an RF circuitry interface 716 (e.g., an interface to send / receive data to / from RF circuitry 606 of FIG. 6), a wireless hardware connectivity interface 718 (e.g., an interface to send / receive data to / from Near Field Communication (NFC) components,Client Ref. No. P68487WO1Bluetooth® components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components, and other communication components), and a power management interface 720 (e.g., an interface to send / receive power or control signals to / from the PMC 612.FIG. 8: Control Plane Protocol Stack

[0135] FIG. 8 is an illustration of a control plane protocol stack in accordance with some embodiments. In this embodiment, a control plane 800 is shown as a communications protocol stack between the UE 106a (or alternatively, the UE 106b), the RAN node 102A (or alternatively, the RAN node 102B), and the mobility management entity (MME) 621 .

[0136] The PHY layer 801 may transmit or receive information used by the MAC layer 802 over one or more air interfaces. The PHY layer 801 may further perform link adaptation or adaptive modulation and coding (AMC), power control, cell search (e.g., for initial synchronization and handover purposes), and other measurements used by higher layers, such as the RRC layer 805. The PHY layer 801 may still further perform error detection on the transport channels, forward error correction (FEC) coding / decoding of the transport channels, modulation / demodulation of physical channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping onto physical channels, and Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna processing.

[0137] The MAC layer 802 may perform mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC service data units (SDUs) from one or more logical channels onto transport blocks (TB) to be delivered to PHY via transport channels, de-multiplexing MAC SDUs to one or more logical channels from transport blocks (TB) delivered from the PHY via transport channels, multiplexing MAC SDUs onto TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), and logical channel prioritization.

[0138] The RLC layer 803 may operate in a plurality of modes of operation, including: Transparent Mode (TM), Unacknowledged Mode (UM), andClient Ref. No. P68487WO1Acknowledged Mode (AM). The RLC layer 803 may execute transfer of upper layer protocol data units (PDUs), error correction through automatic repeat request (ARQ) for AM data transfers, and concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC SDUs for UM and AM data transfers. The RLC layer 803 may also execute re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs for AM data transfers, reorder RLC data PDUs for UM and AM data transfers, detect duplicate data for UM and AM data transfers, discard RLC SDUs for UM and AM data transfers, detect protocol errors for AM data transfers, and perform RLC re-establishment.

[0139] The PDCP layer 804 may execute header compression and decompression of IP data, maintain PDCP Sequence Numbers (SNs), perform insequence delivery of upper layer PDUs at re-establishment of lower layers, eliminate duplicates of lower layer SDUs at re-establishment of lower layers for radio bearers mapped on RLC AM, cipher and decipher control plane data, perform integrity protection and integrity verification of control plane data, control timerbased discard of data, and perform security operations (e.g., ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification, etc.).

[0140] The main services and functions of the RRC layer 805 may include broadcast of system information (e.g., included in Master Information Blocks (MIBs) or System Information Blocks (SIBs) related to the non-access stratum (NAS)), broadcast of system information related to the access stratum (AS), paging, establishment, maintenance and release of an RRC connection between the UE and E-UTRAN (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), establishment, configuration, maintenance and release of point to point Radio Bearers, security functions including key management, inter radio access technology (RAT) mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting. Said MIBs and SIBs may comprise one or more information elements (lEs), which may each comprise individual data fields or data structures.

[0141] The UE 106a and the RAN node 102A may utilize a Uu interface (e.g., an LTE-Uu interface) to exchange control plane data via a protocol stackClient Ref. No. P68487WO1 comprising the PHY layer 801 , the MAC layer 802, the RLC layer 803, the PDCP layer 804, and the RRC layer 805.

[0142] The non-access stratum (NAS) protocols 806 form the highest stratum of the control plane between the UE 601 and the MME 621. The NAS protocols 806 support the mobility of the UE 601 and the session management procedures to establish and maintain IP connectivity between the UE 601 and the P-GW 623.

[0143] The S1 Application Protocol (S1 -AP) layer 815 may support the functions of the S1 interface and comprise Elementary Procedures (EPs). An EP is a unit of interaction between the RAN node 102A and the CN 100. The S1 -AP layer services may comprise two groups: UE-associated services and non-UE- associated services. These services perform functions including, but not limited to: E-UTRAN Radio Access Bearer (E-RAB) management, UE capability indication, mobility, NAS signaling transport, RAN Information Management (RIM), and configuration transfer.

[0144] The Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) layer (alternatively referred to as the SCTP / IP layer) 814 may ensure reliable delivery of signaling messages between the RAN node 102A and the MME 621 based, in part, on the IP protocol, supported by the IP layer 813. The L2 layer 812 and the L1 layer 81 1 may refer to communication links (e.g., wired or wireless) used by the RAN node and the MME to exchange information.

[0145] The RAN node 102A and the MME 621 may utilize an S1 -MME interface to exchange control plane data via a protocol stack comprising the L1 layer 81 1 , the L2 layer 812, the IP layer 813, the SCTP layer 814, and the S1 -AP layer 815.FIG. 9: User Plane Protocol Stack

[0146] FIG. 9 is an illustration of an example of a user plane protocol stack in accordance with some embodiments. In this embodiment, a user plane 900 is shown as a communications protocol stack between the UE 106A (or alternatively, the UE 106B or 106N), the RAN node 102A (or alternatively, the RAN node 102B),Client Ref. No. P68487WO1 the S-GW 622, and the P-GW 623. The user plane 900 may utilize at least some of the same protocol layers as the control plane 800. For example, the UE 601 and the RAN node 102A may utilize a Uu interface (e.g., an LTE-Uu interface) to exchange user plane data via a protocol stack comprising the PHY layer 801 , the MAC layer 802, the RLC layer 803, the PDCP layer 804.

[0147] The General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol for the user plane (GTP-U) layer 904 may be used for carrying user data within the GPRS core network and between the radio access network and the core network. The user data transported can be packets in any of IPv4, IPv6, or PPP formats, for example. The UDP and IP security (UDP / IP) layer 903 may provide checksums for data integrity, port numbers for addressing different functions at the source and destination, and encryption and authentication on the selected data flows. The RAN node 102A and the S-GW 622 may utilize an S1 -U interface to exchange user plane data via a protocol stack comprising the L1 layer 81 1 , the L2 layer 812, the UDP / IP layer 903, and the GTP-U layer 904. The S-GW 622 and the P-GW 623 may utilize an S5 / S8a interface to exchange user plane data via a protocol stack comprising the L1 layer 811 , the L2 layer 812, the UDP / IP layer 903, and the GTP- U layer 904. As discussed above with respect to FIG. 8, NAS protocols support the mobility of the UE 106 and the session management procedures to establish and maintain IP 813 connectivity between the UE 106 and the P-GW 623.FIG. 10A-10D: Various toooloaies of Ambient Internet of Thinas (A-loT) devices

[0148] Ambient Internet of Things (loT) is a device type which operates on energy harvested from the environment, such as electromagnetic, solar, thermal, or pressure sources. Ambient loT (e.g., A-loT) devices are designed to be inexpensive, small form factor, and consume very low power, positioning them in the lowest segment of loT device categories in terms of cost, complexity, and power consumption, well below Narrowband loT (NB-loT) and enhanced Machine- Type Communication (eMTC) devices.Client Ref. No. P68487WO1

[0149] A-loT devices eliminate the need for battery replacements, which significantly reduces maintenance efforts and associated costs. The costeffectiveness of A-loT technology enables the connection of a vast number of devices to a network, making it an attractive solution for large-scale implementations. The combination of low cost, compact size, and battery-free operation makes A-loT devices particularly well-suited for these use cases, offering a practical and efficient solution for a wide range of industries.

[0150] The key motivations behind the development of Ambient loT technology include reducing or removing the effort and cost associated with battery replacement and maintenance, enabling deployment in use cases where frequent human access is difficult or costly and allowing large numbers of devices to be connected to a network due to their low cost. Ambient loT devices are particularly well-suited for applications such as asset tracking and monitoring in supply chain scenarios, including manufacturing, shipping, and warehousing.

[0151] Ambient loT technology encompasses both passive backscattering devices and active devices with energy harvesting and storage capabilities. Backscattering devices communicate by modulating and reflecting incident radio frequency (RF) signals, without generating their own RF energy. This allows for extremely low power consumption but typically limits the communication range. On the other hand, active devices with energy storage can generate their own RF signals, enabling longer communication ranges and better quality of service at the cost of slightly higher power consumption.

[0152] It should be noted that energy harvesting plays a crucial role in enabling ambient loT technology, with various energy sources such as RF signals, solar, vibration, and thermal being available. However, these sources differ in terms of their availability and energy density. Although RF signals have a low energy density and require longer charging times, they can be directly controlled by a wireless network, making them a suitable choice for providing energy to ambient loT devices. The use of RF signals as an energy source significantly impacts the system design and operation of ambient loT, necessitating the 5G system toClient Ref. No. P68487WO1 provide both communication signals and energy signals to support ambient loT devices. Other energy sources can also be opportunistically harvested based on their availability, with minimal impact on the 5G system design. The energy harvesting process can be achieved through various means, such as RF-Direct Current converters, photovoltaic cells, thermoelectric devices, or piezoelectric harvesters, with the harvested energy being stored in capacitors, the size of which depends on the device type. The harvested energy may be stored in chemical storage devices such as batteries. Alternatively, the harvested energy may be stored in physical devices such as capacitors.

[0153] To achieve low power operation in ambient loT devices, backscattering with active signal generation is considered as one of the potential communication techniques. Backscattering, a technique widely used in RFID, allows a device to communicate with a network by reflecting and modulating the incident waves with the information to be transmitted from the A-loT device. The A-loT device can be powered by either the incident RF signal (e.g. a carrier signal), an additional RF signal, or from stored energy already available at the A-loT device. As the communication signal is generated without an active RF component, power consumption can be kept very low; however, the coverage (e.g. transmission distance) is typically limited due to the nature of reflection. In contrast, the active signal generation method employs traditional active RF components to generate signals, offering benefits such as improved coverage and the ability to perform more complex operations, increasing the likelihood of leveraging the existing functionality of 5G networks.

[0154] Accordingly, in the development of Ambient Internet of Things (A-loT) technology within the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), 3GPP Release 18 (R18) has defined two device topologies, with different levels of complexity. Device type 1 is defined as devices with a peak power consumption of approximately ~1 microWatt (pW), energy storage, an initial sampling frequency offset (SFO) of up to 10X ppm, and no downlink or uplink amplification. These devices' uplink transmission is backscattered on an externally provided carrier wave. Device types 2a / 2b are devices with a peak power consumption of less thanClient Ref. No. P68487WO1(<) a few hundred pW, energy storage, an initial SFO up to 10X ppm, and both downlink and / or uplink amplification. These devices' uplink transmission may be either generated internally or backscattered on an externally provided carrier wave.

[0155] It should also be noted that in some scenarios or topologies, a base station (e.g., gNB) acts as a reader and in another topology, the UE acts as a reader. In some embodiments, the UE can then, in turn, communicate with a base station. In this example, the UE can act as an assisting node to communicate between the BS and the A-loT device.

[0156] In the application layer, there are three types of traffic for A-loT devices: 1 ) Device-Terminated (DT): e.g., command use case, 2) Device Originated-DT Triggered (DO-DTT): e.g., inventory use case, and 3) Device Originated- Autonomous (DO-A): e.g., sensor use case. Independently, there are two kinds of lower layer mechanisms for uplink transmission: 1 ) backscattering on an externally provided carrier wave, and 2) internal generation by the device (supported only by high-tier device Type II).

[0157] The coverage design target for A-loT devices may be a maximum distance of 10-50 meters for indoor devices, with the exact range to be determined by the working groups (WGs). For Topologies 1 and 2, as illustrated in FIG. 10A, where a user equipment (UE) acts as an intermediate node under network control, there are no Radio Resource Control (RRC) states, mobility (i.e., no cell selection / re-selection-like function), Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ), or Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ).

[0158] For example, as depicted in FIG. 10A, in topology 1 (e.g., an indoor micro-cell / co-site), the Ambient loT device 1002 directly and bidirectionally communicates with a base station (BS) 102 communicating Ambient loT data signal. The communication between the base station 102 and the ambient loT device 1001 includes Ambient loT data and / or signaling. This topology includes the possibility that the BS 102 transmitting to the Ambient loT device 1001 is a different from the BS 102 receiving from the Ambient loT device 1001.Client Ref. No. P68487WO1

[0159] In topology 2 (e.g., O2I macro-cell), a UE 1004 functions as an intermediate node or assisting node, under network control. In one example, the intermediate node may be indoor. Here, the Ambient loT device 1002 communicates bidirectionally with an intermediate node such as, for example, the UE 1004 between the Ambient loT device 1002 and base station 102. In this topology, the intermediate node can be a relay, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, UE, repeater, etc. which is capable of Ambient loT communication. The intermediate node transfers Ambient loT data and / or signaling between the BS 102 and the Ambient loT device 1002.

[0160] Topology 3 is depicted with downlink assistance illustrated in FIG. 10B and uplink assistance illustrated in FIG. 10C. In topology 3, the Ambient loT device 1006 transmits data / signaling to a base station 102 and receives data / signaling from the assisting node such as, for example, the UE 1004. Alternatively, the Ambient loT device 1006 receives data / signaling from a base station 102 and transmits data / signaling to the assisting node 1004 such as, for example, the UE 106. In this topology, the assisting node 1004 can be a relay, IAB, UE, repeater, etc. which is capable of ambient loT.

[0161] It should be noted that the BS 102 can communicate 3GPP signals via a Uu connection with the assisting node 1004. The assisting node 1004 can then communicate Ambient loT data / signaling to the Ambient loT device 1006 and 3GPP configured uplink and downlink data to the BS 102. The Ambient loT device 1006 can communicate Ambient loT data / signaling to the BS 102 and the assisting node 1004, as shown in FIG.10B (showing downlink assistance) and 10C (showing uplink assistance).

[0162] Topology 4 is depicted in FIG. 10D where the Ambient loT device 1008 communicates bidirectionally with a UE 1004. The UE 1004 is configured to operate as a reader. In one example, a reader is configured to send and receive Ambient loT data / signaling. For example, the UE 1004 can send a carrier wave to activate the Ambient loT device 1008. The Ambient loT device 1008 can send Ambient loT data / signaling to the UE 1004 in response to receiving the carrierClient Ref. No. P68487WO1 wave. The communication between UE 1004 and the ambient loT device 1008 includes Ambient loT data and / or signaling.

[0163] It should be noted that a base station and a UE may be configured to operate as a 3GPP device sending and receiving 3GPP signals. In addition, the base station and the UE can be configured to operate as a reader capable of sending signaling such as, for example, a carrier wave configured to activate the A-loT and sending and receiving Internet of Things (loT) data,

[0164] In another aspect, proximity determination of ambient Internet of Things (loT) devices relative to a reader, which can be either a base station (BS) or an intermediate user equipment (UE), is a crucial aspect of effective loT network management. Traditional methods of proximity determination often rely on deviceside measurements, which can be problematic for low-power ambient loT devices. This creates a need for more efficient and accurate methods of determining device proximity that do not place undue burden on the loT devices themselves.

[0165] Several challenges exist in developing such methods, including how to effectively apply transmit power information from both the device and the reader, how to establish appropriate reception criteria, and how to integrate both signal reception and reader-side measurements into the proximity determination process.

[0166] To address these challenges and improve the accuracy and efficiency of proximity determination in ambient loT scenarios, the illustrated embodiments, as described herein, leverages the relationship between transmit power and received signal strength to provide a more nuanced and reliable method of determining the proximity of A-loT devices to readers or base stations.

[0167] In one example, the illustrated embodiments provide for proximity determination of an ambient Internet of Things (A-loT) in a wireless communication network in a wireless communication network. In one example, a methods, systems, and apparatus are provided and comprised of: one or more processors, coupled to a memory, configured to: transmit a Reader-to-Device (R2D) message from a base station or reader. The reader may receive a Device-to-Reader (D2R) message from the A-loT device in response to the R2D message. The reader mayClient Ref. No. P68487WO1 extract, from the D2R message, information about a specific transmit power used by the A-loT device for transmitting the D2R message. The reader may determine proximity of the A-loT device based on a ratio of a received power of the D2R message at the base station or reader in relation to the specific transmit power applied by the A-loT device for transmitting he D2R message.

[0168] In another example, the illustrated embodiments provide for proximity determination of an ambient Internet of Things (A-loT) in a wireless communication network in a wireless communication network. In one example, a methods, systems, and apparatus are provided and comprised of:: receive a Reader-to- Device (R2D) message from a base station or reader; transmit a Device-to-Reader (D2R) message to the base station or reader in response to the R2D message, wherein the D2R message is transmitted at a specific transmit power, where information about the specific transmit power used for transmitting the D2R message is included in the D2R message to enable the base station or reader to determine a proximity of the A-loT device based on a ratio of a received power of the D2R message at the base station or reader in relation to the specific transmit power applied by the A-loT device for transmitting the D2R message.

[0169] In another example, the illustrated embodiments provide for proximity determination of an ambient Internet of Things (A-loT) in a wireless communication network in a wireless communication network. In one example, a methods, systems, and apparatus are provided and comprised of:: one or more processors, coupled to a memory, configured to: decode a command for proximity determination acknowledgment in a Reader-to-Device (R2D) message received from a base station or reader; and transmit a Device-to-Reader (D2R) message to the base station or reader that includes an acknowledgment (ACK), in response to decoding the command for proximity determination.

[0170] In one example, the reader, which can be either a base station (BS) or an intermediate user equipment (UE), determines the proximity of the ambient loT device based on the ratio of two key parameters: the received power of the Device-Client Ref. No. P68487WO1 to-Reader (D2R) response at the reader, and the transmit power applied by the ambient loT device for transmitting the D2R response.

[0171] Specifically, if PD2Rrepresents the device's transmit power for D2R transmission and RSRPD2rrepresents the received signal strength of the D2R reception at the reader, then the proximity is determined by comparing the ratio in equation 1 :RSRP )rPD2Rto a pre-configured threshold. If this ratio exceeds the threshold, the device is determined to be near; otherwise, it is considered not near, where P represents power, and D2R represents device (D) to reader (R).

[0172] For certain types of devices, particularly those using backscattering without power amplification (referred to as device type 1 ), a modification to this approach is employed. Instead of using the device's transmit power (PD2R), the reader's transmit power for the Reader-to-Device (R2D) transmission (PR2D) is used in the ratio. In this case, the proximity is determined by comparing the ratio in equation 1 to the pre-configured threshold.

[0173] In another example, the proximity determination method is further refined for different device types and scenarios. For device type 2a, which uses backscattering with power amplification, the proximity determination incorporates both the reader's transmit power for Reader-to-Device (R2D) transmission (PR2D) and the power amplification gain at the device. The proximity is determined by comparing the ratio in equation 2:with a pre-configured threshold. During a contention resolution procedure, certain A-loT device types may apply a default transmit power for Device-to-Reader (D2R) transmission. This approach simplifies the proximity determination process during this specific procedure.Client Ref. No. P68487WO1

[0174] For proximity determination after the contention resolution procedure, two options are proposed. In a first option (Option 1 ), the reader indicates the transmit power and / or amplification factor to the device for D2R transmission. The reader then applies this same value or factor for proximity determination. In scenarios where an intermediate User Equipment (UE) acts as the reader, the network may configure or signal the intermediate UE with the appropriate transmit power and / or amplification factor for D2R transmission.

[0175] In a second option (Option 2), the A-loT device may independently apply a transmit power and / or amplification factor, potentially based on the power detected from the R2D reception. In this case, the A-loT device feeds back the transmit power value or amplification factor to the reader, which then uses this reported information for proximity determination.FIGS. 1 1 -12: Example illustration of timing diagram signaling for response-based proximity determination procedure

[0176] As depicted in Fig. 1 1 , the timing diagram depicts signaling that may be used in conjunction with any of the systems, methods, or devices described herein. In various embodiments, some of the signaling shown may be performed concurrently, in a different order than shown, or may be omitted. Additional signaling may also be performed as desired. As shown, this signaling may flow as follows in one example embodiment.

[0177] At 1 110, the Reader transmits a Reader-to-Device (R2D) command to the A-loT device (device). This command is specifically for proximity determination acknowledgment and includes an associated device ID.

[0178] At 1 1 12, if the A-loT device receives and correctly decodes the command, the A-loT device may prepare a proximity determination acknowledgment or simply, acknowledgment (ACK). If the Device does not correctly decode the command or doesn't receive it, the Device may not transmit any ACK.Client Ref. No. P68487WO1

[0179] At 1 120, based on successful decoding of the command, the A-loT device may transmit the ACK to the reader with a Device-to-Reader (D2R) transmission.

[0180] At 1 122, if the reader receives and successfully decodes the ACK, the read may determine that the A-loT device is at a first distance (e.g., the A-loT device is near or within a first define distance or range from the reader). In one example, “near” can be a distance of 10 meters and “very near” can be defined as a distance equal to or less than 1 meter. In another example, “near” can be a distance of a range of values such as, for example, 10 to 20 meters and “very near” can be defined as a distance within a range less than 10 meters. In another example, “near” can be a distance of a range of values such as, for example, greater than 1 meters but less than 10 meters and “very near” can be defined as a distance within a range less than 5 meters. Also, “near” and “very near” may also be defined according to an implementation standard or system setup. However, if the reader does not receive an ACK from the Device, it may determine that the Device is not within or is located beyond the first distance. It should be noted that as used herein, a first distance and a second distance may be reference and the second distance indicates closer proximity to the base station or reader than the first distance.

[0181] Based on this proximity determination (e.g., the reader determines whether the A-loT device is within a first distance or second distance such as, for example, near or very near), at 1130, the reader continues with R2D transmission as appropriate for the determined proximity (e.g., the A-loT device is within the first distance range).

[0182] FIG. 12 illustrates an example illustration of diagram signaling for device transmit power and device response-based proximity determination procedure between a Reader and a Device, according to some embodiments.Client Ref. No. P68487WO1

[0183] As depicted in Fig. 12, the timing diagram depicts signaling that may be used in conjunction with any of the systems, methods, or devices described herein. In various embodiments, some of the signaling shown may be performed concurrently, in a different order than shown, or may be omitted. Additional signaling may also be performed as desired. As shown, this signaling may flow as follows in one example embodiment. This response-based proximity determination procedure aims to determine if the Device is within a first distance ("near") using a stepwise transmit power reduction approach.

[0184] At 1210, the reader transmits a Reader-to-Device (R2D) command to the A-loT device. This command is for proximity determination acknowledgment and includes an associated A-loT device ID.

[0185] At 1212, if the A-loT device receives and correctly decodes the command, the A-loT device prepares an acknowledgment (ACK). If the A-loT device does not correctly decode the command or doesn't receive it, the Device may not transmit any ACK.

[0186] At 1220, based on successful decoding of the command, the A-loT device transmits an ACK in a Device-to-Reader (D2R) transmission using a maximum allowed and possible transmit power (PHigh) of the A-loT device.

[0187] At 1222, if the reader does not receive or decode the ACK from the A- loT device, the reader may determine the A-loT device is not within the first distance (e.g., near the reader).

[0188] At 1230, the A-loT device may transmit another ACK in a D2R transmission (e.g., a second D2R transmission), but this time using a lower power level (PLow) of the A-loT device, which represents a reduction in transmit power.

[0189] At 1232, if the reader receives and successfully decodes this lower- power ACK, the reader may determine that the A-loT device is within the first distance ("near"). However, if the reader does not receive this ACK from the A-loT device, the reader may determine that the A-loT device is not within the first distance. Based on this determination of whether the A-loT device is within the firstClient Ref. No. P68487WO1 distance, and at 1240, the reader continues with R2D transmission as appropriate for the determined proximity.

[0190] In one example, the higher power level (PHigh ) may be a maximum allowed transmit power for the given type of A-loT device, while the lower power level (PLow) may be based on the power capability of the lowest category of A-loT device. This variation in transmit powers allows for increased accuracy determination of whether the Device is within the first distance.FIGS. 13-14: Example illustration of timing diagram signaling for response-based and measurement-based proximity determination procedure

[0191] FIG. 13 illustrates an example illustration of timing diagram signaling for combined response and measurement-based proximity determination procedure between a Reader and a Device, according to some embodiments.

[0192] As depicted in FIG. 13, the timing diagram depicts signaling that may be used in conjunction with any of the systems, methods, or devices described herein. In various embodiments, some of the signaling shown may be performed concurrently, in a different order than shown, or may be omitted. Additional signaling may also be performed as desired. As shown, this signaling may flow as follows in one example embodiment. In one aspect, the response and measurement-based proximity determination procedure aims to determine if the Device is within a first distance ("near") or a second distance ("very near"), wherein the second distance indicates closer proximity to the Reader than the first distance.

[0193] At 1310, the reader (which may be a base station or UE) may transmit a Reader-to-Device (R2D) command to the A-loT device.

[0194] At 1312, if the A-loT device receives and correctly decodes the command, the A-loT device prepares an acknowledgment (ACK).

[0195] At 1320, the A-loT device transmits an ACK in a Device-to-Reader (D2R) transmission to the reader. At 1322, if the reader receives and decodes theClient Ref. No. P68487WO1ACK, the reader may determine that the A-loT device is within the first distance ("near").

[0196] At 1330, based on the determination that the A-loT device is within the first distance, the reader may transmit another R2D command to the A-loT device.

[0197] At 1340, the A-loT device transmits an R2D response that includes at least a preamble, midamble, and / or postamble back to the reader. In one example, a preamble is a known sequence at the beginning of a transmission, a midamble is a known sequence in the middle of a transmission, and a postamble is a known sequence at the end of a transmission. A transmission structure from an A-loT device may contain the following elements in sequence: preamble plus data, plus midamble plus data, plus postamble. These known sequences (preamble, midamble, and postamble) can be used by the reader for various purposes, including signal detection, synchronization, and channel estimation, which can aid in proximity determination.

[0198] At 1342, the reader performs a measurement on the received signal, focusing on the preamble, midamble, and / or postamble associated with the D2R transmission. Based on a comparison of this measurement with a pre-configured threshold, the reader determines if the A-loT device is within the second distance ("very near").

[0199] At 1350, based on the determination of whether the A-loT device is within the second distance, the reader continues with R2D transmission to the A- loT device based on determining the A-loT device is withing the second distance.

[0200] It should be noted, that in an alternative example, both the first distance ("near") and second distance ("very near") determinations may be based on a single D2R reception at the reader. In another alternative example, the first distance determination is made based on one D2R reception, and if the A-loT device is determined to be within the first distance, the second distance determination is made based on a separate D2R reception at the reader.

[0201] FIG. 14 illustrates an example illustration of timing diagram signaling for proximity determination procedure involving a Base Station (BS), an IntermediateClient Ref. No. P68487WO1UE, and a Device, according to some embodiments. This procedure aims to determine if the A-loT device is within a first distance ("near") or a second distance ("very near") to the BS or Intermediate UE, wherein the second distance indicates closer proximity than the first distance.

[0202] As depicted in FIG. 14, the timing diagram depicts signaling that may be used in conjunction with any of the systems, methods, or devices described herein. In various embodiments, some of the signaling shown may be performed concurrently, in a different order than shown, or may be omitted. Additional signaling may also be performed as desired. As shown, this signaling may flow as follows in one example embodiment.

[0203] At 1410, the base station (BS) transmits a Reader-to-Device (R2D) command to the A-loT device. At 1412, if the A-loT device receives and correctly decodes the command received from the base station, the A-loT device prepares an acknowledgment (ACK) with a Device-to-Reader (D2R) transmission, including a preamble.

[0204] At 1420, the A-loT device transmits to the base station the ACK, including the preamble. At 1422, if the base station receives and decodes the ACK and performs a measurement, the base station determines the A-loT device is within the first distance ("near"), but not within the second distance ("very near").

[0205] At 1424, based on this determination, the base station transmits a message that configures an Intermediate UE as a reader.

[0206] At 1430, the Intermediate UE, now configured as a reader, transmits an R2D command to the A-loT device.

[0207] At 1440, the A-loT device transmits an R2D response, including at least a preamble, to the Intermediate UE. At 1442, the Intermediate UE (configured as a reader) performs a measurement and based on a comparison of the measurement with a pre-configured threshold, determines if the A-loT device is within the second distance ("very near") to the Intermediate UE.Client Ref. No. P68487WO1

[0208] If the A-loT device is determined to be within the second distance of the Intermediate UE, then only that Intermediate UE may be used for further communication with the A-loT device. Otherwise, another different Intermediate UE may be used for serving that A-loT device. Thus, at 1450, the Intermediate UE continues to send R2D Transmissions to the A-loT device based on the A-loT device being determined to be within the second distance of the Intermediate UE.

[0209] In one alternative of Fig. 14, both the first distance ("near") and second distance ("very near") determinations may be made based on a single D2R reception at the reader (base station or Intermediate UE). In another alternative, the first distance determination is made based on one D2R reception, and if the A- loT device is determined to be within the first distance, the second distance determination is made based on a separate D2R reception at the reader.FIG. 15: Flow Chart for a Method of proximity determination in of an ambient Internet of Things (A-loT) device

[0210] FIG. 15 illustrates an example flow chart of a method 1500 of proximity determination of an ambient Internet of Things (A-loT) device in a wireless communication system, according to some embodiments.

[0211] The method shown in FIG. 15 may be used in conjunction with any of the systems, methods, or devices illustrated in the Figures, among other devices. In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be performed concurrently, in a different order than shown, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as desired.

[0212] In accordance with an embodiment, a method 1500, for proximity determination of an A-loT device in a wireless communication, comprises transmitting a Reader-to-Device (R2D) message from a base station or reader, as in block 1510.

[0213] The method 1500 further comprises receiving a Device-to-Reader (D2R) message fro4 the A-loT device in response to the R2D message, as in block 1520.Client Ref. No. P68487WO1

[0214] The method 1500 further comprises obtaining information about a specific transmit power used by the A-loT device for transmitting the D2R message, wherein the information is extracted from the D2R message, or based on a transmit power previously configured by the base station or reader for the A- loT device, as in block 1530.

[0215] The method 1500 further comprises determining proximity of the A-loT device based on a ratio of a received power of the D2R message at the base station or reader in relation to the specific transmit power applied by the A-loT device for transmitting he D2R message, as in block 1540.

[0216] In some embodiments, the method comprises calculating the ratio of the received power of the D2R message to the specific transmit power; and comparing the calculated ratio to a pre-configured threshold to determine the proximity of the A-loT device.

[0217] In some embodiments, the method comprises transmitting an indication of a specific transmit power or amplification factor to be used by the A-loT device for transmitting the D2R message.

[0218] In some embodiments, the method comprises receiving feedback data in the D2R message about the specific transmit power or amplification factor selected independently by the A-loT device.

[0219] In some embodiments, the method comprises providing a command for proximity determination acknowledgment in the R2D message; and determining the A-loT device is at a first distance when an acknowledgment (ACK) is received in the D2R message.

[0220] In some embodiments, the method comprises measuring a signal strength of one or more of a preamble, midamble, or postamble included in the D2R message.

[0221] In some embodiments, the method comprises determining whether the A-loT device is within a first distance or a second distance, wherein the secondClient Ref. No. P68487WO1 distance indicates closer proximity to the base station or reader than the first distance.

[0222] In some embodiments, the method comprises receiving N samples of D2R messages or N acknowledgments (ACKs) from the A-loT device, where N is a positive integer; determining a percentage of the N samples or N ACKs that satisfy a predetermined criterion; and determining the A-loT device is at the first distance when the percentage exceeds a threshold percentage. In some embodiments, instead of a single measurement or ACK-based proximity determination, the method may involve multiple samples or feedback instances. For example, the reader may receive N samples of D2R messages or N acknowledgments (ACKs) from the A-loT device. The reader may then determine what percentage of these N samples or ACKs satisfy a predetermined criterion (such as received signal strength above a certain level). The A-loT device may be determined to be at the first distance only when a certain percentage (threshold percentage) of the N samples or ACKs satisfy the criterion.

[0223] In some embodiments, the method comprises configuring an intermediate UE as a reader when the A-loT device is determined to be within the first distance but not within the second distance of the base station or reader.

[0224] In some embodiments, an apparatus, having one or more processors coupled to a memory, is disclosed that is configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to assist with performing any of the operations of the method 1500.FIG. 16: Flow Chart for a Method of proximity determination in of an ambient Internet of Things (A-loT) device

[0225] FIG. 16 illustrates an example flow chart of a method 1600 of proximity determination of an A-loT device in a wireless communication system, according to some embodiments.

[0226] The method shown in FIG. 16 may be used in conjunction with any of the systems, methods, or devices illustrated in the Figures, among other devices.Client Ref. No. P68487WO1In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be performed concurrently, in a different order than shown, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as desired.

[0227] In accordance with an embodiment, a method 1600, for proximity determination of an A-loT in a wireless communication, comprises receiving a Reader-to-Device (R2D) message from a base station or reader, as in block 1610. The method 1600 further comprises transmitting a Device-to-Reader (D2R) message to the base station or reader in response to the R2D message, where the D2R message is transmitted at a specific transmit power, wherein information about the specific transmit power used for transmitting the D2R message is included in the D2R message to enable the base station or reader to determine a proximity of the A-loT device based on a ratio of a received power of the D2R message at the base station or reader in relation to the specific transmit power applied by the A-loT device for transmitting the D2R message, as in block 1620.

[0228] In some embodiments, wherein the base station or reader is a Next Generation Node B (gNB) or an intermediate user equipment (UE).

[0229] In some embodiments, the base station or reader is a Next Generation Node B (gNB) or an intermediate user equipment (UE).

[0230] In some embodiments, the information about the specific transmit power used for the D2R message enables the base station or reader to determine a ratio of a received power of the D2R message at the base station or reader to the specific transmit power of the D2R message.

[0231] In some embodiments, the ratio enables the base station or reader to determine proximity of the A-loT device based on a comparison of the ratio with a pre-configured threshold. In some embodiments, when the A-loT device uses backscattering without power amplification, the information about the specific transmit power relates to a transmit power of the R2D message. In some embodiments, the A-loT device uses backscattering without power amplification, and the specific transmit power is based on a transmit power of the R2D message.Client Ref. No. P68487WO1

[0232] In some embodiments, the A-loT device uses backscattering without power amplification, and the specific transmit power is based on a transmit power of the R2D message. In some embodiments, the A-loT device uses backscattering with power amplification, and the specific transmit power is based on a transmit power of the R2D message and a power amplification gain at the A-loT device.

[0233] In some embodiments, the method 1600 further comprises applying a default transmit power for transmitting the D2R message during a contention resolution procedure.

[0234] In some embodiments, the method 1600 further comprises receiving, from the base station or reader, an indication of one or more of a transmit power or amplification factor to be used for transmitting the D2R message; and applying the indicated transmit power or amplification factor for transmitting the D2R message.

[0235] In some embodiments, the method 1600 further comprises applying a selected transmit power or amplification factor for transmitting the D2R message independent from data received in the R2D message, wherein feedback data is provided in the D2R message about the applied transmit power or amplification factor.

[0236] In some embodiments, an apparatus, having one or more processors coupled to a memory, is disclosed that is configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to assist with performing any of the operations of the method 1600.FIG. 17: Flow Chart for a Method of proximity determination in of an ambient Internet of Things (A-loT) device

[0237] FIG. 17 illustrates an example flow chart of a method 1600 of proximity determination of an A-loT device in a wireless communication system, according to some embodiments.

[0238] The method shown in FIG. 17 may be used in conjunction with any of the systems, methods, or devices illustrated in the Figures, among other devices.Client Ref. No. P68487WO1In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be performed concurrently, in a different order than shown, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as desired.

[0239] In accordance with an embodiment, a method 1700, for proximity determination of an A-loT device in a wireless communication, comprises decoding a command for proximity determination acknowledgment in a Reader-to- Device (R2D) message received from a base station or reader, as in block 1710.

[0240] The method further comprises transmitting a Device-to-Reader (D2R) message to the base station or reader that includes an acknowledgment (ACK), in response to decoding the command for proximity determination acknowledgment, to enable the base station or reader to determine a proximity of the A-loT device, as in block 1720.

[0241] In some embodiments, the method 1700 further comprises refraining from transmitting the D2R message to the base station or reader when the A-loT device does not receive or decode the command included in the R2D message.

[0242] In some embodiments, the method 1700 further comprises transmitting the D2R message including the ACK at a first power level in response to decoding the command; and transmitting a second D2R message including the ACK at a second power level lower than the first power level.

[0243] In some embodiments, the first power level is a maximum allowed transmit power for the A-loT device.

[0244] In some embodiments, the second power level is based on a power capability of a lowest category A-loT device. In some embodiments, the D2R message includes one or more of a preamble, midamble, or postamble to enable a signal strength measurement by the base station or reader.

[0245] In some embodiments, the D2R message enables the base station or reader to determine one or more of a first distance and a second distance of the A-loT device is relative to the base station or reader, wherein the second distance indicates closer proximity to the reader than the first distance.Client Ref. No. P68487WO1

[0246] In some embodiments, the method 1700 further comprises transmitting a second D2R message to enable the base station or reader to determine one or more of the first distance or the second distance the A-loT device is relative to the base station or reader upon a request from the base station or reader.

[0247] In some embodiments, the method 1700 further comprises receiving a second R2D message from an intermediate UE configured as a reader when the base station or reader determines the A-loT device is within the first distance; and transmitting a second D2R message to the intermediate UE in response to the second R2D message.

[0248] In some embodiments, the second D2R message enables the intermediate UE to determine one or more of the first distance and the second distance of the A-loT device relative to the intermediate UE.

[0249] In some embodiments, the method 1700 further comprises transmitting all subsequent messages to the intermediate UE based on a determination that the A-loT device is within the second distance of the intermediate UE.

[0250] In some embodiments, the method 1700 further comprises receiving a third R2D message from a different intermediate UE configured as a reader; and transmitting a third D2R message to the different intermediate UE in response to the third R2D message, when the second D2R message does not enable determination that the A-loT device is within the second distance of the intermediate UE.

[0251] In some embodiments, an apparatus, having one or more processors coupled to a memory, is disclosed that is configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to assist with performing any of the operations of the method 1700.

[0252] A computer program product, comprising computer instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, perform any of the operations described herein.

[0253] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be realized in any of various forms. For example, some embodiments may be realized as a computer-Client Ref. No. P68487WO1 implemented method, a computer readable memory medium, or a computer system. Other embodiments may be realized using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. Still other embodiments may be realized using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs.

[0254] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium may be configured so that it stores program instructions and / or data, where the program instructions, if executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method, e.g., any of the method embodiments described herein, or, any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or, any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein, or, any combination of such subsets.

[0255] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., a UE 106) may be configured to include a processor (or a set of processors) and a memory medium, where the memory medium stores program instructions, where the processor is configured to read and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, where the program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method embodiments described herein (or, any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or, any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein, or, any combination of such subsets). The device may be realized in any of various forms.

[0256] Any of the methods described herein for operating a user equipment (UE) may be the basis of a corresponding method for operating a base station, by interpreting each message / signal X received by the UE in the downlink as message / signal X transmitted by the base station, and each message / signal Y transmitted in the uplink by the UE as a message / signal Y received by the base station.

[0257] Although the embodiments above have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

Claims

Client Ref. No. P68487WO1CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:1 . A method for determining proximity of an ambient Internet of Things (A-loT) device in a wireless communication network, comprising: transmitting a Reader-to-Device (R2D) message from a base station or reader; receiving a Device-to-Reader (D2R) message from the A-loT device in response to the R2D message; obtaining information about a specific transmit power used by the A-loT device for transmitting the D2R message, wherein the information is extracted from the D2R message, or based on a transmit power previously configured by the base station or reader for the A-loT device; and determining proximity of the A-loT device based on a ratio of a received power of the D2R message at the base station or reader in relation to the specific transmit power applied by the A-loT device for transmitting he D2R message.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: calculating the ratio of the received power of the D2R message to the specific transmit power; and comparing the calculated ratio to a pre-configured threshold to determine the proximity of the A-loT device.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting an indication of a specific transmit power or amplification factor to be used by the A-loT device for transmitting the D2R message.Client Ref. No. P68487WO14. The method of claim 3, further comprising receiving feedback data in the D2R message about the specific transmit power or amplification factor selected independently by the A-loT device.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: providing a command for proximity determination acknowledgment in the R2D message; and determining the A-loT device is at a first distance when an acknowledgment (ACK) is received in the D2R message.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising measuring a signal strength of one or more of a preamble, midamble, or postamble included in the D2R message.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining whether the A- loT device is within a first distance or a second distance, wherein the second distance indicates closer proximity to the base station or reader than the first distance.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising configuring an intermediate UE as a reader when the A-loT device is determined to be within the first distance but not within the second distance of the base station or reader.

9. A method for using an ambient Internet of Things (A-loT) device for communicating in a wireless communication network, comprising: receiving a Reader-to-Device (R2D) message from a base station or reader; and transmitting a Device-to-Reader (D2R) message to the base station or reader in response to the R2D message, wherein the D2R message is transmitted at a specific transmit power, whereinClient Ref. No. P68487WO1 information about the specific transmit power used for transmitting the D2R message is included in the D2R message to enable the base station or reader to determine a proximity of the A-loT device based on a ratio of a received power of the D2R message at the base station or reader in relation to the specific transmit power applied by the A-loT device for transmitting the D2R message.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the base station or reader is a Next Generation Node B (gNB) or an intermediate user equipment (UE).11 .The method of claim 9, wherein the base station or reader is a Next Generation Node B (gNB) or an intermediate user equipment (UE).

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the information about the specific transmit power used for the D2R message enables the base station or reader to determine a ratio of a received power of the D2R message at the base station or reader to the specific transmit power of the D2R message.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the ratio enables the base station or reader to determine proximity of the A-loT device based on a comparison of the ratio with a pre-configured threshold.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein when the A-loT device uses backscattering without power amplification, the information about the specific transmit power relates to a transmit power of the R2D message.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the A-loT device uses backscattering without power amplification, and the specific transmit power is based on a transmit power of the R2D message.Client Ref. No. P68487WO116. The method of claim 9, wherein the A-loT device uses backscattering without power amplification, and the specific transmit power is based on a transmit power of the R2D message.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the A-loT device uses backscattering with power amplification, and the specific transmit power is based on a transmit power of the R2D message and a power amplification gain at the A-loT device.

18. The method of claim 9, further comprising applying a default transmit power for transmitting the D2R message during a contention resolution procedure.

19. The method of claim 9, further comprising: receiving, from the base station or reader, an indication of one or more of a transmit power or amplification factor to be used for transmitting the D2R message; and applying the indicated transmit power or amplification factor for transmitting the D2R message.

20. The method of claim 9, further comprising applying a selected transmit power or amplification factor for transmitting the D2R message independent from data received in the R2D message, wherein feedback data is provided in the D2R message about the applied transmit power or amplification factor.21 .The method of claim 9, further comprising: receiving N samples of D2R messages or N acknowledgments (ACKs) from the A-loT device;Client Ref. No. P68487WO1 determining a percentage of the N samples or N ACKs that satisfy a predetermined criterion, where N is a positive integer; and determining the A-loT device is at a first distance when the percentage exceeds a threshold percentage.

22. A method for using an ambient Internet of Things (A-loT) device for communicating in a wireless communication network, comprising: decoding a command for proximity determination acknowledgment in a Reader-to-Device (R2D) message received from a base station or reader; and transmitting a Device-to-Reader (D2R) message to the base station or reader that includes an acknowledgment (ACK), in response to decoding the command for proximity determination acknowledgment, to enable the base station or reader to determine a proximity of the A-loT device.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising refraining from transmitting the D2R message to the base station or reader when the A-loT device does not receive or decode the command included in the R2D message.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising: transmitting the D2R message including the ACK at a first power level in response to decoding the command; and transmitting a second D2R message including the ACK at a second power level lower than the first power level.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the first power level is a maximum allowed transmit power for the A-loT device.Client Ref. No. P68487WO126. The method of claim 24, wherein the second power level is based on a power capability of a lowest category A-loT device.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the D2R message includes one or more of a preamble, midamble, or postamble to enable a signal strength measurement by the base station or reader.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the D2R message enables the base station or reader to determine one or more of a first distance and a second distance of the A-loT device is relative to the base station or reader, wherein the second distance indicates closer proximity to the reader than the first distance.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising transmitting a second D2R message to enable the base station or reader to determine one or more of the first distance or the second distance the A-loT device is relative to the base station or reader upon a request from the base station or reader.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising: receiving a second R2D message from an intermediate UE configured as a reader when the base station or reader determines the A-loT device is within the first distance; and transmitting a second D2R message to the intermediate UE in response to the second R2D message.31 .The method of claim 30, wherein the second D2R message enables the intermediate UE to determine one or more of the first distance and the second distance of the A-loT device relative to the intermediate UE.Client Ref. No. P68487WO132. The method of claim 31 , further comprising transmitting all subsequent messages to the intermediate UE based on a determination that the A-loT device is within the second distance of the intermediate UE.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising: receiving a third R2D message from a different intermediate UE configured as a reader; and transmitting a third D2R message to the different intermediate UE in response to the third R2D message, when the second D2R message does not enable determination that the A-loT device is within the second distance of the intermediate UE.

34. An apparatus configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to assist with performing the methods of claim 1-33.

35. A baseband processor configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to assist with performing the methods of claim 1 -33.

36. A computer program product, comprising computer instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, perform any of the operations described herein.

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