CW2d distance for proximity
By configuring transmission powers for CW transmissions and utilizing backscattered signals, the method addresses the challenge of inaccurate distance determination in A-IoT devices, enhancing proximity calculation accuracy.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- QUALCOMM INC
- Filing Date
- 2024-11-09
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-15
AI Technical Summary
Existing wireless communication systems face challenges in accurately determining the distance between a receiving reader node and a backscattering device in ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) devices due to varying signal strengths at a constant distance, leading to inaccurate device-to-reader distance calculations.
Configuring transmission powers for continuous wave (CW) transmissions and utilizing backscattered CW signals to determine the CW2D distance by adjusting transmission powers based on the power of backscattered signals, enabling precise proximity determination between a receiving reader node and a backscattering device.
Enables accurate determination of device-to-reader distances by accounting for varying signal strengths, improving the precision of proximity calculations in A-IoT device communications.
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Figure CN2024131149_15052026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
CW2D DISTANCE FOR PROXIMITYTECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems, and more particularly, to a distance determination associated with an ambient internet of things (A-IoT) device.
[0002] INTRODUCTION
[0003] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasts. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources. Examples of such multiple-access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, and time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems.
[0004] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate on a municipal, national, regional, and even global level. An example telecommunication standard is 5G New Radio (NR) . 5G NR is part of a continuous mobile broadband evolution promulgated by Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to meet new requirements associated with latency, reliability, security, scalability (e.g., with Internet of Things (IoT) ) , and other requirements. 5G NR includes services associated with enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) , massive machine type communications (mMTC) , and ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) . Some aspects of 5G NR may be based on the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. There exists a need for further improvements in 5G NR technology. These improvements may also be applicable to other multi-access technologies and the telecommunication standards that employ these technologies.
[0005] BRIEF SUMMARY
[0006] The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects in order to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects. This summary neither identifies key or critical elements of all aspects nor delineates the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
[0007] In an aspect of the disclosure, a method, a computer-readable medium, and an apparatus are provided. The apparatus may be a continuous wave (CW) transmitting node (e.g., a user equipment (UE) or base station that may also be referred to as a transmitting reader node or a transmit (Tx) reader node) that may be configured to obtain a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions and transmit, based on the obtained configuration, the set of CW transmissions in association with a determination of a distance between a receiving reader node and a backscattering device.
[0008] In an aspect of the disclosure, a method, a computer-readable medium, and an apparatus are provided. The apparatus may be a receiving reader node (e.g., a UE or base station that may also be referred to as a Rx reader node) that may be configured to obtain a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions from a CW transmission node, receive, based on the configuration for the set of transmission powers, a set of backscattered CW transmissions from a backscattering device, determine, based on the configuration for the set of transmission powers and a power of one or more backscattered CW transmissions associated with the backscattering device, a distance between the receiving reader node and the backscattering device, and transmit, to one of a controller of the backscattering device, a network node, or a transmitting reader device, to a base station, or information based on the determined distance.
[0009] To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the one or more aspects may include the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative features of the one or more aspects. These features are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of various aspects may be employed.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communications system and an access network.
[0011] FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating an example of a first frame, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.
[0012] FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating an example of downlink (DL) channels within a subframe, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.
[0013] FIG. 2C is a diagram illustrating an example of a second frame, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.
[0014] FIG. 2D is a diagram illustrating an example of uplink (UL) channels within a subframe, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a base station and user equipment (UE) in an access network.
[0016] FIG. 4 illustrates a diagram of an A-IoT device that receives a CW transmission 406 from a Tx reader device and backscatters the ambient signal to a Rx reader device in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.
[0017] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating different communication paths associated with a passive backscatter device in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.
[0018] FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating a first architecture including a CW transmitting node that is separate from a receiving reader node in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.
[0019] FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating a second architecture including a CW transmitting node that is separate from a receiving reader node in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.
[0020] FIG. 6C is a diagram illustrating a third architecture including a CW transmitting node that is separate from a receiving reader node in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.
[0021] FIG. 6D is a diagram illustrating a fourth architecture including a CW transmitting node that is separate from a receiving reader node in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.
[0022] FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating aspects of a proximity determination in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.
[0023] FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating aspects of a proximity determination in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.
[0024] FIG. 8 is a first diagram illustrating sets of CW transmissions and a second diagram illustrating related sets of backscattered signals and received signals in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.
[0025] FIG. 9 is a call flow diagram illustrating a method of wireless communication in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.
[0026] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a method of wireless communication.
[0027] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a method of wireless communication.
[0028] FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a method of wireless communication.
[0029] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an example apparatus and / or network entity.
[0030] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an example network entity.DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0031] In some aspects of wireless communication related to A-IoT devices, a receiving (Rx) reader device and / or node may perform a proximity determination relating to the A-IoT devices. The proximity determination, in some aspects, may be associated with one or more of a device-to-reader (D2R) distance, a reader-to-device (R2D) distance, and / or a CW transmitter-to-device (CW2D) distance. In some aspects, the proximity determination may be based on a CW transmission from a CW transmitting node (or a Tx reader device / node) that is backscattered from an A-IoT device and received at a Rx reader device. The Rx reader device / node, in some aspects, may attempt to determine a proximity based on a strength of the backscattered CW transmission received (and measured) at the Rx reader device / node. However, as the distance between a CW transmitting node and different A-IoT devices is varied, the backscattered signal strength of the different A-IoT devices may be different for A-IoT devices at a same distance from the Rx reader device / node. Accordingly, without knowledge of a CW2D distance at the Rx reader device / node, a D2R distance calculated by the Rx reader device / node may be inaccurate.
[0032] Various aspects relate generally to procedures to determine the CW2D distance. The procedures for determining the CW2D distance, in some aspects, may be associated with indicating a transmission power of each of a set of transmissions that may be used to account for, and / or determine, the CW2D distance. Some aspects more specifically relate to several options for transmitting reference signals for a proximity determination associated with (or for determining a proximity of) one or more A-IoT devices. In some examples, a CW transmitting node may be configured to obtain a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions and transmit, based on the obtained configuration, the set of CW transmissions in association with a determination of a distance between a receiving reader node and a backscattering device. In some examples, a Rx reader node may be configured to obtain a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions from a CW transmission node, receive, based on the configuration for the set of transmission powers, a set of backscattered CW transmissions from a backscattering device, determine, based on the configuration for the set of transmission powers and a power of one or more backscattered CW transmissions associated with the backscattering device, a distance between the receiving reader node and the backscattering device, and transmit, to one of a controller of the backscattering device, a network node, or a transmitting reader device, to a base station, or information based on the determined distance.
[0033] Particular aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to realize one or more of the following potential advantages. In some examples, by configuring the set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions from a CW transmitting node, the described techniques can be used to determine one or more D2R distances (e.g., between one or more A-IoT devices and an Rx reader device) at the Rx reader device receiving the set of CW transmissions after being backscattered from the one or more A-IoT devices.
[0034] The detailed description set forth below in connection with the drawings describes various configurations and does not represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of various concepts. However, these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring such concepts.
[0035] Several aspects of telecommunication systems are presented with reference to various apparatus and methods. These apparatus and methods are described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, components, circuits, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as “elements” ) . These elements may be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.
[0036] By way of example, an element, or any portion of an element, or any combination of elements may be implemented as a “processing system” that includes one or more processors. When multiple processors are implemented, the multiple processors may perform the functions individually or in combination. Examples of processors include microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs) , central processing units (CPUs) , application processors, digital signal processors (DSPs) , reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, systems on a chip (SoC) , baseband processors, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) , programmable logic devices (PLDs) , state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functionality described throughout this disclosure. One or more processors in the processing system may execute software. Software, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise, shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, or any combination thereof.
[0037] Accordingly, in one or more example aspects, implementations, and / or use cases, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or encoded as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes computer storage media. Storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, such computer-readable media can include a random-access memory (RAM) , a read-only memory (ROM) , an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM) , optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, combinations of the types of computer-readable media, or any other medium that can be used to store computer executable code in the form of instructions or data structures that can be accessed by a computer.
[0038] While aspects, implementations, and / or use cases are described in this application by illustration to some examples, additional or different aspects, implementations and / or use cases may come about in many different arrangements and scenarios. Aspects, implementations, and / or use cases described herein may be implemented across many differing platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, and packaging arrangements. For example, aspects, implementations, and / or use cases may come about via integrated chip implementations and other non-module-component based devices (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial equipment, retail / purchasing devices, medical devices, artificial intelligence (AI) -enabled devices, etc. ) . While some examples may or may not be specifically directed to use cases or applications, a wide assortment of applicability of described examples may occur. Aspects, implementations, and / or use cases may range a spectrum from chip-level or modular components to non-modular, non-chip-level implementations and further to aggregate, distributed, or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) devices or systems incorporating one or more techniques herein. In some practical settings, devices incorporating described aspects and features may also include additional components and features for implementation and practice of claimed and described aspect. For example, transmission and reception of wireless signals necessarily includes a number of components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components including antenna, RF-chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffer, processor (s) , interleaver, adders / summers, etc. ) . Techniques described herein may be practiced in a wide variety of devices, chip-level components, systems, distributed arrangements, aggregated or disaggregated components, end-user devices, etc. of varying sizes, shapes, and constitution.
[0039] Deployment of communication systems, such as 5G NR systems, may be arranged in multiple manners with various components or constituent parts. In a 5G NR system, or network, a network node, a network entity, a mobility element of a network, a radio access network (RAN) node, a core network node, a network element, or a network equipment, such as a base station (BS) , or one or more units (or one or more components) performing base station functionality, may be implemented in an aggregated or disaggregated architecture. For example, a BS (such as a Node B (NB) , evolved NB (eNB) , NR BS, 5G NB, access point (AP) , a transmission reception point (TRP) , or a cell, etc. ) may be implemented as an aggregated base station (also known as a standalone BS or a monolithic BS) or a disaggregated base station.
[0040] An aggregated base station may be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node. A disaggregated base station may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed among two or more units (such as one or more central or centralized units (CUs) , one or more distributed units (DUs) , or one or more radio units (RUs) ) . In some aspects, a CU may be implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs may be co-located with the CU, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed throughout one or multiple other RAN nodes. The DUs may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of the CU, DU and RU can be implemented as virtual units, i.e., a virtual central unit (VCU) , a virtual distributed unit (VDU) , or a virtual radio unit (VRU) .
[0041] Base station operation or network design may consider aggregation characteristics of base station functionality. For example, disaggregated base stations may be utilized in an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open radio access network (O-RAN (such as the network configuration sponsored by the O-RAN Alliance) ) , or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN, also known as a cloud radio access network (C-RAN) ) . Disaggregation may include distributing functionality across two or more units at various physical locations, as well as distributing functionality for at least one unit virtually, which can enable flexibility in network design. The various units of the disaggregated base station, or disaggregated RAN architecture, can be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit.
[0042] FIG. 1 is a diagram 100 illustrating an example of a wireless communications system and an access network. The illustrated wireless communications system includes a disaggregated base station architecture. The disaggregated base station architecture may include one or more CUs 110 that can communicate directly with a core network 120 via a backhaul link, or indirectly with the core network 120 through one or more disaggregated base station units (such as a Near-Real Time (Near-RT) RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) 125 via an E2 link, or a Non-Real Time (Non-RT) RIC 115 associated with a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) Framework 105, or both) . A CU 110 may communicate with one or more DUs 130 via respective midhaul links, such as an F1 interface. The DUs 130 may communicate with one or more RUs 140 via respective fronthaul links. The RUs 140 may communicate with respective UEs 104 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, the UE 104 may be simultaneously served by multiple RUs 140.
[0043] Each of the units, i.e., the CUs 110, the DUs 130, the RUs 140, as well as the Near-RT RICs 125, the Non-RT RICs 115, and the SMO Framework 105, may include one or more interfaces or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or to transmit signals, data, or information (collectively, signals) via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each of the units, or an associated processor or controller providing instructions to the communication interfaces of the units, can be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via the transmission medium. For example, the units can include a wired interface configured to receive or to transmit signals over a wired transmission medium to one or more of the other units. Additionally, the units can include a wireless interface, which may include a receiver, a transmitter, or a transceiver (such as an RF transceiver) , configured to receive or to transmit signals, or both, over a wireless transmission medium to one or more of the other units.
[0044] In some aspects, the CU 110 may host one or more higher layer control functions. Such control functions can include radio resource control (RRC) , packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) , service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) , or the like. Each control function can be implemented with an interface configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by the CU 110. The CU 110 may be configured to handle user plane functionality (i.e., Central Unit –User Plane (CU-UP) ) , control plane functionality (i.e., Central Unit –Control Plane (CU-CP) ) , or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the CU 110 can be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. The CU-UP unit can communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP unit via an interface, such as an E1 interface when implemented in an O-RAN configuration. The CU 110 can be implemented to communicate with the DU 130, as necessary, for network control and signaling.
[0045] The DU 130 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions to control the operation of one or more RUs 140. In some aspects, the DU 130 may host one or more of a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and one or more high physical (PHY) layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation, demodulation, or the like) depending, at least in part, on a functional split, such as those defined by 3GPP. In some aspects, the DU 130 may further host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) can be implemented with an interface configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by the DU 130, or with the control functions hosted by the CU 110.
[0046] Lower-layer functionality can be implemented by one or more RUs 140. In some deployments, an RU 140, controlled by a DU 130, may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions, or low-PHY layer functions (such as performing fast Fourier transform (FFT) , inverse FFT (iFFT) , digital beamforming, physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, or the like) , or both, based at least in part on the functional split, such as a lower layer functional split. In such an architecture, the RU (s) 140 can be implemented to handle over the air (OTA) communication with one or more UEs 104. In some implementations, real-time and non-real-time aspects of control and user plane communication with the RU (s) 140 can be controlled by the corresponding DU 130. In some scenarios, this configuration can enable the DU (s) 130 and the CU 110 to be implemented in a cloud-based RAN architecture, such as a vRAN architecture.
[0047] The SMO Framework 105 may be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of non-virtualized and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO Framework 105 may be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements that may be managed via an operations and maintenance interface (such as an O1 interface) . For virtualized network elements, the SMO Framework 105 may be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as an open cloud (O-Cloud) 190) to perform network element life cycle management (such as to instantiate virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as an O2 interface) . Such virtualized network elements can include, but are not limited to, CUs 110, DUs 130, RUs 140 and Near-RT RICs 125. In some implementations, the SMO Framework 105 can communicate with a hardware aspect of a 4G RAN, such as an open eNB (O-eNB) 111, via an O1 interface. Additionally, in some implementations, the SMO Framework 105 can communicate directly with one or more RUs 140 via an O1 interface. The SMO Framework 105 also may include a Non-RT RIC 115 configured to support functionality of the SMO Framework 105.
[0048] The Non-RT RIC 115 may be configured to include a logical function that enables non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML) (AI / ML) workflows including model training and updates, or policy-based guidance of applications / features in the Near-RT RIC 125. The Non-RT RIC 115 may be coupled to or communicate with (such as via an A1 interface) the Near-RT RIC 125. The Near-RT RIC 125 may be configured to include a logical function that enables near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions over an interface (such as via an E2 interface) connecting one or more CUs 110, one or more DUs 130, or both, as well as an O-eNB, with the Near-RT RIC 125.
[0049] In some implementations, to generate AI / ML models to be deployed in the Near-RT RIC 125, the Non-RT RIC 115 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from external servers. Such information may be utilized by the Near-RT RIC 125 and may be received at the SMO Framework 105 or the Non-RT RIC 115 from non-network data sources or from network functions. In some examples, the Non-RT RIC 115 or the Near-RT RIC 125 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the Non-RT RIC 115 may monitor long-term trends and patterns for performance and employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions through the SMO Framework 105 (such as reconfiguration via O1) or via creation of RAN management policies (such as A1 policies) .
[0050] At least one of the CU 110, the DU 130, and the RU 140 may be referred to as a base station 102. Accordingly, a base station 102 may include one or more of the CU 110, the DU 130, and the RU 140 (each component indicated with dotted lines to signify that each component may or may not be included in the base station 102) . The base station 102 provides an access point to the core network 120 for a UE 104. The base station 102 may include macrocells (high power cellular base station) and / or small cells (low power cellular base station) . The small cells include femtocells, picocells, and microcells. A network that includes both small cell and macrocells may be known as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include Home Evolved Node Bs (eNBs) (HeNBs) , which may provide service to a restricted group known as a closed subscriber group (CSG) . The communication links between the RUs 140 and the UEs 104 may include uplink (UL) (also referred to as reverse link) transmissions from a UE 104 to an RU 140 and / or downlink (DL) (also referred to as forward link) transmissions from an RU 140 to a UE 104. The communication links may use multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication links may be through one or more carriers. The base station 102 / UEs 104 may use spectrum up to Y MHz (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 100, 400, etc. MHz) bandwidth per carrier allocated in a carrier aggregation of up to a total of Yx MHz (x component carriers) used for transmission in each direction. The carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other. Allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for DL than for UL) . The component carriers may include a primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers. A primary component carrier may be referred to as a primary cell (PCell) and a secondary component carrier may be referred to as a secondary cell (SCell) .
[0051] Certain UEs 104 may communicate with each other using device-to-device (D2D) communication link 158. The D2D communication link 158 may use the DL / UL wireless wide area network (WWAN) spectrum. The D2D communication link 158 may use one or more sidelink channels, such as a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH) , a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH) , a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) , and a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) . D2D communication may be through a variety of wireless D2D communications systems, such as for example, BluetoothTM (Bluetooth is a trademark of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) ) , Wi-FiTM (Wi-Fi is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance) based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, LTE, or NR.
[0052] The wireless communications system may further include a Wi-Fi AP 150 in communication with UEs 104 (also referred to as Wi-Fi stations (STAs) ) via communication link 154, e.g., in a 5 GHz unlicensed frequency spectrum or the like. When communicating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the UEs 104 / AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) prior to communicating in order to determine whether the channel is available.
[0053] The electromagnetic spectrum is often subdivided, based on frequency / wavelength, into various classes, bands, channels, etc. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz –7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz –52.6 GHz) . Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often referred to (interchangeably) as a “sub-6 GHz” band in various documents and articles. A similar nomenclature issue sometimes occurs with regard to FR2, which is often referred to (interchangeably) as a “millimeter wave” band in documents and articles, despite being different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz –300 GHz) which is identified by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as a “millimeter wave” band.
[0054] The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are often referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR studies have identified an operating band for these mid-band frequencies as frequency range designation FR3 (7.125 GHz –24.25 GHz) . Frequency bands falling within FR3 may inherit FR1 characteristics and / or FR2 characteristics, and thus may effectively extend features of FR1 and / or FR2 into mid-band frequencies. In addition, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operation beyond 52.6 GHz. For example, three higher operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR2-2 (52.6 GHz –71 GHz) , FR4 (71 GHz –114.25 GHz) , and FR5 (114.25 GHz –300 GHz) . Each of these higher frequency bands falls within the EHF band.
[0055] With the above aspects in mind, unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “sub-6 GHz” or the like if used herein may broadly represent frequencies that may be less than 6 GHz, may be within FR1, or may include mid-band frequencies. Further, unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “millimeter wave” or the like if used herein may broadly represent frequencies that may include mid-band frequencies, may be within FR2, FR4, FR2-2, and / or FR5, or may be within the EHF band.
[0056] The base station 102 and the UE 104 may each include a plurality of antennas, such as antenna elements, antenna panels, and / or antenna arrays to facilitate beamforming. The base station 102 may transmit a beamformed signal 182 to the UE 104 in one or more transmit directions. The UE 104 may receive the beamformed signal from the base station 102 in one or more receive directions. The UE 104 may also transmit a beamformed signal 184 to the base station 102 in one or more transmit directions. The base station 102 may receive the beamformed signal from the UE 104 in one or more receive directions. The base station 102 / UE 104 may perform beam training to determine the best receive and transmit directions for each of the base station 102 / UE 104. The transmit and receive directions for the base station 102 may or may not be the same. The transmit and receive directions for the UE 104 may or may not be the same.
[0057] The base station 102 may include and / or be referred to as a gNB, Node B, eNB, an access point, a base transceiver station, a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS) , an extended service set (ESS) , a TRP, network node, network entity, network equipment, or some other suitable terminology. The base station 102 can be implemented as an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a relay node, a sidelink node, an aggregated (monolithic) base station with a baseband unit (BBU) (including a CU and a DU) and an RU, or as a disaggregated base station including one or more of a CU, a DU, and / or an RU. The set of base stations, which may include disaggregated base stations and / or aggregated base stations, may be referred to as next generation (NG) RAN (NG-RAN) .
[0058] The core network 120 may include an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 161, a Session Management Function (SMF) 162, a User Plane Function (UPF) 163, a Unified Data Management (UDM) 164, one or more location servers 168, and other functional entities. The AMF 161 is the control node that processes the signaling between the UEs 104 and the core network 120. The AMF 161 supports registration management, connection management, mobility management, and other functions. The SMF 162 supports session management and other functions. The UPF 163 supports packet routing, packet forwarding, and other functions. The UDM 164 supports the generation of authentication and key agreement (AKA) credentials, user identification handling, access authorization, and subscription management. The one or more location servers 168 are illustrated as including a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 165 and a Location Management Function (LMF) 166. However, generally, the one or more location servers 168 may include one or more location / positioning servers, which may include one or more of the GMLC 165, the LMF 166, a position determination entity (PDE) , a serving mobile location center (SMLC) , a mobile positioning center (MPC) , or the like. The GMLC 165 and the LMF 166 support UE location services. The GMLC 165 provides an interface for clients / applications (e.g., emergency services) for accessing UE positioning information. The LMF 166 receives measurements and assistance information from the NG-RAN and the UE 104 via the AMF 161 to compute the position of the UE 104. The NG-RAN may utilize one or more positioning methods in order to determine the position of the UE 104. Positioning the UE 104 may involve signal measurements, a position estimate, and an optional velocity computation based on the measurements. The signal measurements may be made by the UE 104 and / or the base station 102 serving the UE 104. The signals measured may be based on one or more of a satellite positioning system (SPS) 170 (e.g., one or more of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) , global position system (GPS) , non-terrestrial network (NTN) , or other satellite position / location system) , LTE signals, wireless local area network (WLAN) signals, Bluetooth signals, a terrestrial beacon system (TBS) , sensor-based information (e.g., barometric pressure sensor, motion sensor) , NR enhanced cell ID (NR E-CID) methods, NR signals (e.g., multi-round trip time (Multi-RTT) , DL angle-of-departure (DL-AoD) , DL time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA) , UL time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA) , and UL angle-of-arrival (UL-AoA) positioning) , and / or other systems / signals / sensors.
[0059] Examples of UEs 104 include a cellular phone, a smart phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a laptop, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , a satellite radio, a global positioning system, a multimedia device, a video device, a digital audio player (e.g., MP3 player) , a camera, a game console, a tablet, a smart device, a wearable device, a vehicle, an electric meter, a gas pump, a large or small kitchen appliance, a healthcare device, an implant, a sensor / actuator, a display, or any other similar functioning device. Some of the UEs 104 may be referred to as IoT devices (e.g., parking meter, gas pump, toaster, vehicles, heart monitor, etc. ) . The UE 104 may also be referred to as a station, a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communications device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology. In some scenarios, the term UE may also apply to one or more companion devices such as in a device constellation arrangement. One or more of these devices may collectively access the network and / or individually access the network.
[0060] Referring again to FIG. 1, in certain aspects, the UE 104 and / or the base station 102 may have a CW2D / D2R determination component 198 that may be configured to obtain a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions and transmit, based on the obtained configuration, the set of CW transmissions in association with a determination of a distance between a receiving reader node and a backscattering device. In certain aspects, the CW2D / D2R determination component 198 may additionally, or alternatively, be configured to obtain a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions from a CW transmission node, receive, based on the configuration for the set of transmission powers, a set of backscattered CW transmissions from a backscattering device, determine, based on the configuration for the set of transmission powers and a power of one or more backscattered CW transmissions associated with the backscattering device, a distance between the receiving reader node and the backscattering device, and transmit, to one of a controller of the backscattering device, a network node, or a transmitting reader device, to a base station, or information based on the determined distance. Although the following description may be focused on 5G NR, the concepts described herein may be applicable to other similar areas, such as LTE, LTE-A, CDMA, GSM, and other wireless technologies.
[0061] FIG. 2A is a diagram 200 illustrating an example of a first subframe within a 5G NR frame structure. FIG. 2B is a diagram 230 illustrating an example of DL channels within a 5G NR subframe. FIG. 2C is a diagram 250 illustrating an example of a second subframe within a 5G NR frame structure. FIG. 2D is a diagram 280 illustrating an example of UL channels within a 5G NR subframe. The 5G NR frame structure may be frequency division duplexed (FDD) in which for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth) , subframes within the set of subcarriers are dedicated for either DL or UL, or may be time division duplexed (TDD) in which for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth) , subframes within the set of subcarriers are dedicated for both DL and UL. In the examples provided by FIGs. 2A, 2C, the 5G NR frame structure is assumed to be TDD, with subframe 4 being configured with slot format 28 (with mostly DL) , where D is DL, U is UL, and F is flexible for use between DL / UL, and subframe 3 being configured with slot format 1 (with all UL) . While subframes 3, 4 are shown with slot formats 1, 28, respectively, any particular subframe may be configured with any of the various available slot formats 0-61. Slot formats 0, 1 are all DL, UL, respectively. Other slot formats 2-61 include a mix of DL, UL, and flexible symbols. UEs are configured with the slot format (dynamically through DL control information (DCI) , or semi-statically / statically through radio resource control (RRC) signaling) through a received slot format indicator (SFI) . Note that the description infra applies also to a 5G NR frame structure that is TDD.
[0062] FIGs. 2A-2D illustrate a frame structure, and the aspects of the present disclosure may be applicable to other wireless communication technologies, which may have a different frame structure and / or different channels. A frame (10 ms) may be divided into 10 equally sized subframes (1 ms) . Each subframe may include one or more time slots. Subframes may also include mini-slots, which may include 7, 4, or 2 symbols. Each slot may include 14 or 12 symbols, depending on whether the cyclic prefix (CP) is normal or extended. For normal CP, each slot may include 14 symbols, and for extended CP, each slot may include 12 symbols. The symbols on DL may be CP orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) (CP-OFDM) symbols. The symbols on UL may be CP-OFDM symbols (for high throughput scenarios) or discrete Fourier transform (DFT) spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbols (for power limited scenarios; limited to a single stream transmission) . The number of slots within a subframe is based on the CP and the numerology. The numerology defines the subcarrier spacing (SCS) (see Table 1) . The symbol length / duration may scale with 1 / SCS.
[0063] Table 1: Numerology, SCS, and CP
[0064] For normal CP (14 symbols / slot) , different numerologies μ 0 to 4 allow for 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 slots, respectively, per subframe. For extended CP, the numerology 2 allows for 4 slots per subframe. Accordingly, for normal CP and numerology μ, there are 14 symbols / slot and 2μ slots / subframe. The subcarrier spacing may be equal to 2μ*15 kHz, where μ is the numerology 0 to 4. As such, the numerology μ=0 has a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz and the numerology μ=4 has a subcarrier spacing of 240 kHz. The symbol length / duration is inversely related to the subcarrier spacing. FIGs. 2A-2D provide an example of normal CP with 14 symbols per slot and numerology μ=2 with 4 slots per subframe. The slot duration is 0.25 ms, the subcarrier spacing is 60 kHz, and the symbol duration is approximately 16.67 μs. Within a set of frames, there may be one or more different bandwidth parts (BWPs) (see FIG. 2B) that are frequency division multiplexed. Each BWP may have a particular numerology and CP (normal or extended) .
[0065] A resource grid may be used to represent the frame structure. Each time slot includes a resource block (RB) (also referred to as physical RBs (PRBs) ) that extends 12 consecutive subcarriers. The resource grid is divided into multiple resource elements (REs) . The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.
[0066] As illustrated in FIG. 2A, some of the REs carry reference (pilot) signals (RS) for the UE. The RS may include demodulation RS (DM-RS) (indicated as R for one particular configuration, but other DM-RS configurations are possible) and channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS) for channel estimation at the UE. The RS may also include beam measurement RS (BRS) , beam refinement RS (BRRS) , and phase tracking RS (PT-RS) .
[0067] FIG. 2B illustrates an example of various DL channels within a subframe of a frame. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries DCI within one or more control channel elements (CCEs) (e.g., 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 CCEs) , each CCE including six RE groups (REGs) , each REG including 12 consecutive REs in an OFDM symbol of an RB. A PDCCH within one BWP may be referred to as a control resource set (CORESET) . A UE is configured to monitor PDCCH candidates in a PDCCH search space (e.g., common search space, UE-specific search space) during PDCCH monitoring occasions on the CORESET, where the PDCCH candidates have different DCI formats and different aggregation levels. Additional BWPs may be located at greater and / or lower frequencies across the channel bandwidth. A primary synchronization signal (PSS) may be within symbol 2 of particular subframes of a frame. The PSS is used by a UE 104 to determine subframe / symbol timing and a physical layer identity. A secondary synchronization signal (SSS) may be within symbol 4 of particular subframes of a frame. The SSS is used by a UE to determine a physical layer cell identity group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identity and the physical layer cell identity group number, the UE can determine a physical cell identifier (PCI) . Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the locations of the DM-RS. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH) , which carries a master information block (MIB) , may be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form a synchronization signal (SS) / PBCH block (also referred to as SS block (SSB) ) . The MIB provides a number of RBs in the system bandwidth and a system frame number (SFN) . The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information not transmitted through the PBCH such as system information blocks (SIBs) , and paging messages.
[0068] As illustrated in FIG. 2C, some of the REs carry DM-RS (indicated as R for one particular configuration, but other DM-RS configurations are possible) for channel estimation at the base station. The UE may transmit DM-RS for the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and DM-RS for the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) . The PUSCH DM-RS may be transmitted in the first one or two symbols of the PUSCH. The PUCCH DM-RS may be transmitted in different configurations depending on whether short or long PUCCHs are transmitted and depending on the particular PUCCH format used. The UE may transmit sounding reference signals (SRS) . The SRS may be transmitted in the last symbol of a subframe. The SRS may have a comb structure, and a UE may transmit SRS on one of the combs. The SRS may be used by a base station for channel quality estimation to enable frequency-dependent scheduling on the UL.
[0069] FIG. 2D illustrates an example of various UL channels within a subframe of a frame. The PUCCH may be located as indicated in one configuration. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI) , such as scheduling requests, a channel quality indicator (CQI) , a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) , a rank indicator (RI) , and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgment (ACK) (HARQ-ACK) feedback (i.e., one or more HARQ ACK bits indicating one or more ACK and / or negative ACK (NACK) ) . The PUSCH carries data, and may additionally be used to carry a buffer status report (BSR) , a power headroom report (PHR) , and / or UCI.
[0070] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a base station 310 in communication with a UE 350 in an access network. In the DL, Internet protocol (IP) packets may be provided to a controller / processor 375. The controller / processor 375 implements layer 3 and layer 2 functionality. Layer 3 includes a radio resource control (RRC) layer, and layer 2 includes a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a medium access control (MAC) layer. The controller / processor 375 provides RRC layer functionality associated with broadcasting of system information (e.g., MIB, SIBs) , RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release) , inter radio access technology (RAT) mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification) , and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with the transfer of upper layer packet data units (PDUs) , error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs) , re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs) , demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.
[0071] The transmit (TX) processor 316 and the receive (RX) processor 370 implement layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, which includes a physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on the transport channels, forward error correction (FEC) coding / decoding of the transport channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping onto physical channels, modulation / demodulation of physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. The TX processor 316 handles mapping to signal constellations based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) , quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK) , M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK) , M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM) ) . The coded and modulated symbols may then be split into parallel streams. Each stream may then be mapped to an OFDM subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and / or frequency domain, and then combined together using an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM stream is spatially precoded to produce multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator 374 may be used to determine the coding and modulation scheme, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimate may be derived from a reference signal and / or channel condition feedback transmitted by the UE 350. Each spatial stream may then be provided to a different antenna 320 via a separate transmitter 318Tx. Each transmitter 318Tx may modulate a radio frequency (RF) carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.
[0072] At the UE 350, each receiver 354Rx receives a signal through its respective antenna 352. Each receiver 354Rx recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to the receive (RX) processor 356. The TX processor 368 and the RX processor 356 implement layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. The RX processor 356 may perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE 350. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 350, they may be combined by the RX processor 356 into a single OFDM symbol stream. The RX processor 356 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time-domain to the frequency domain using a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) . The frequency domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, and the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation points transmitted by the base station 310. These soft decisions may be based on channel estimates computed by the channel estimator 358. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals that were originally transmitted by the base station 310 on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to the controller / processor 359, which implements layer 3 and layer 2 functionality.
[0073] The controller / processor 359 can be associated with at least one memory 360 that stores program codes and data. The at least one memory 360 may be referred to as a computer-readable medium. In the UL, the controller / processor 359 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets. The controller / processor 359 is also responsible for error detection using an ACK and / or NACK protocol to support HARQ operations.
[0074] Similar to the functionality described in connection with the DL transmission by the base station 310, the controller / processor 359 provides RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIBs) acquisition, RRC connections, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, and security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification) ; RLC layer functionality associated with the transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto TBs, demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.
[0075] Channel estimates derived by a channel estimator 358 from a reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 310 may be used by the TX processor 368 to select the appropriate coding and modulation schemes, and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the TX processor 368 may be provided to different antennas 352 via separate transmitters 354Tx. Each transmitter 354Tx may modulate an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.
[0076] The UL transmission is processed at the base station 310 in a manner similar to that described in connection with the receiver function at the UE 350. Each receiver 318Rx receives a signal through its respective antenna 320. Each receiver 318Rx recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to a RX processor 370.
[0077] The controller / processor 375 can be associated with at least one memory 376 that stores program codes and data. The at least one memory 376 may be referred to as a computer-readable medium. In the UL, the controller / processor 375 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, control signal processing to recover IP packets. The controller / processor 375 is also responsible for error detection using an ACK and / or NACK protocol to support HARQ operations.
[0078] At least one of the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the controller / processor 359 may be configured to perform aspects in connection with the CW2D / D2R determination component 198 of FIG. 1.
[0079] At least one of the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375 may be configured to perform aspects in connection with the CW2D / D2R determination component 198 of FIG. 1.
[0080] FIG. 4 illustrates a diagram 400 of an A-IoT device 404 that receives a CW transmission 406 from a Tx reader device 402 and backscatters the ambient signal to a Rx reader device 412 in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. Such an A-IoT device 404 is one example of a passive backscatter device that may obtain energy from, and backscatter, an ambient signal (e.g., the CW transmission 406) from an energy transmitter (e.g., the Tx reader device 402) . The A-IoT device 404, in some aspects, may also be described as, or include, an RFID device, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) , an RFID chip, a backscatter device, a passive backscatter device, or an IoT device. A CW transmission 406 (e.g., a CW transmission) may be used for various industrial IoT (I-IoT or IIoT) applications. For example, A-IoT devices (or RFID technology) may be used for inventory / asset management both inside and outside of warehouses, network sensors in factories, logistics devices, manufacturing settings, agricultural applications, smart homes, or other applications. A-IoT devices (or RFID technology) may also be deployed in association with cellular infrastructure for wireless applications. A-IoT devices may include a transponder (e.g., the A-IoT device 404) that emits an information-bearing signal, such as a backscattered modulated signal 408 that may be received by one of the Tx reader device 402 and / or a Rx reader device 412, upon receiving a signal from the Tx reader device 402. Additionally, or alternatively, the Tx reader device 402 may transmit the CW transmission 406 including an information signal to a passive RFID microchip (e.g., A-IoT device 404) that operates without a battery source.
[0081] In some aspects, the backscattered modulated signal 408 may be generated (or an information transmission may be performed) by antenna modulation that does not involve active RF signal generation. For example, in some aspects, a plurality of elements associated with different impedances may be incorporated into the A-IoT device 404. The A-IoT device 404 (or a passive backscatter, or backscattering, device) may tune a reflection coefficient of its antenna by switching over a given set of impedances, resulting in a varying amount of incident signal to be backscattered. For example, the A-IoT device 404 may switch between a high and / or mismatched impedance element and a matched load impedance element, where the mismatched impedance element is associated with a higher reflection coefficient, and more backscattering of the received signal, and the matched load impedance is associated with a lower reflection coefficient, and less, or effectively zero, backscattering of the received signal. More specifically, when using ASK modulation, for example, the A-IoT device 404 may switch the value of the load impedance between a very high impedance and a relatively matched load, where the impedance switching frequency may be based on the data rate. In the high impedance case, the mismatch between antenna and load impedance would reflect all of the power back to the reader, while in the matched case, most of the power from the incoming RF signal is absorbed and very little power is reflected to the reader. For example, when the antenna receives RF waves with power P, the power is transmitted from the antenna to the load, while a part of power will be reflected from the load to the antenna with the reflection coefficient The reflected power |Γ|2P is then radiated from the antenna. In some aspects, the A-IoT device 404 may be capable of amplifying the backscattered modulated signal 408 and / or including information in the backscattered modulated signal 408. While illustrated as being associated with received energy 410 and impedance elements, in some aspects, may be separate from a set of elements for receiving the received energy 410.
[0082] The A-IoT device 404, in some aspects, may be configured to operate without the battery source at a low operating expenditure (OPEX) , low maintenance cost, and / or increased lifecycle. Other types of A-IoT devices may include battery sources. For example, semi-passive RFID devices and active RFID devices may have a battery source, but may also be associated with a higher cost. If the Tx reader device 402 is able to provide enough received energy 410 to the A-IoT device 404, the A-IoT device 404 may harvest the received energy 410 to perform an operation during communication occasions or may harvest the received energy 410 to charge an associated battery. Passive A-IoT devices may harvest the received energy 410 over-the-air in order to power Tx / Rx circuitry at the A-IoT device 404. The CW transmission 406 transmitted to the A-IoT device 404 may trigger the backscattered modulated signal 408 from the A-IoT device 404. The A-IoT device 404 may absorb or reflect signals from the Tx reader device 402 based on the information to be communicated between the A-IoT device 404 and the Tx reader device 402. The A-IoT device 404 may include a decreased number of active RF components (e.g., no active RF component) in some cases.
[0083] In some aspects, the different types of A-IoT devices may be categorized differently. For example, in some aspects, a first class of A-IoT device (which may be referred to as a “Device 1” ) may be associated with a peak power consumption of ~1 μW, may have an energy storage, may be associated with an initial sampling frequency offset (SFO) up to 10X ppm, and may not be associated with DL amplification and / or UL amplification at the device. In some aspects, an UL transmission from the first class of A-IoT device may be backscattered on a carrier wave (such as a CW transmission) provided externally. A second class of A-IoT device (which may be referred to as a “Device 2a” ) may be associated with a peak power consumption of less than a few hundred μW, may have an energy storage, may be associated with an initial SFO up to 10X ppm, and may be associated with DL amplification and / or UL amplification at the device. In some aspects, an UL transmission from the second class of A-IoT device may be backscattered on a carrier wave (such as a CW transmission) provided externally. A third class of A-IoT device (which may be referred to as a “Device 2b” ) may be associated with a peak power consumption of less than a few hundred μW, may have an energy storage, may be associated with an initial SFO up to 10X ppm, and may be associated with DL amplification and / or UL amplification at the device. As opposed to the second class (or Device 2a) , in some aspects, an UL transmission from the third class of A-IoT device may be generated internally suing elements of the third class of A-IoT device.
[0084] Wireless communication techniques associated with eMBB, URLLC, machine-type communication (MTC) , etc., may be supported for passive IoT devices. Passive IoT devices are another example of a passive backscatter device, such as A-IoT device 404 in FIG. 4. In examples, the Tx reader device 402 may correspond to a base station or an entity at a base station, and the A-IoT device 404 may correspond to a UE or be in communication with the UE. However, some wireless communication techniques may not support certain types of widespread RFID technology, such as passive IoT devices used for asset management, logistics, warehousing, and manufacturing, etc. Among other examples, passive IoT devices may include timing devices such as clocks, video devices, household tools, construction tools, lighting systems, etc.
[0085] In some aspects, the wireless communication techniques may support wireless energy transfer (WET) , wireless power transfer (WPT) , and / or wireless information transfer (WIT) to incorporate passive IoT devices into wireless networks. Using a cellular infrastructure, a base station / network entity may operate as the Tx reader device 402 that transmits the CW transmission 406 to the A-IoT device 404 for communicating with the passive IoT devices (e.g., via RFID technology) . The base station / network entity may provide energy to the passive IoT devices via the CW transmission 406 and may be configured to read / write information stored at the passive IoT devices. Information-bearing signals may be reflected from the passive IoT devices to the base station / network entity, which may read the reflected signal. For instance, the base station / network entity may decode information included in the information-bearing signals (e.g., backscattered modulated signal 408) received from the passive IoT devices (e.g., A-IoT device 404) .
[0086] FIG. 5 is a diagram 500 illustrating different communication paths associated with a passive backscatter device in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. For example, in a first set of configurations, one or both of the reader device 502 (e.g., an Rx reader device and / or node, a Tx reader device and / or node a network device, base station, or UE) and a first UE 506 (e.g., a second reader device, a Tx reader device and / or node a network device, an Rx reader device and / or node, a wireless device, or assisting UE) may be a full duplex device, operating in a full duplex mode, that can transmit a control signal (or a continuous wave for energy harvesting or as a carrier for information via backscattering) over a link 532 and a link 542, respectively, and receive a data signal (e.g., a backscattered signal carrying data) over a link 531 and a link 541, respectively. In the first configuration, each of the reader device 502 and the first UE 506 may interact with the A-IoT device 504 independently or in concert, e.g., based on communication via a link 520) .
[0087] In a second set of configuration of the elements of diagram 500, the reader device 502 or the first UE 506 may operate in a half-duplex mode. In some aspects, either the reader device 502 or the first UE 506 may act as a reader device with the other device providing at least the continuous wave signal (for energy transfer / harvesting) and, in some configurations, also providing the control information. For example, in at least one configuration in the second set of configurations, at a particular time, the reader device 502 or the first UE 506 may either (1) transmit control information over the link 532 or 542, respectively, (2) transmit the continuous wave signal (e.g., for energy transfer / harvesting or as a carrier signal for backscattering) over the link 532 or 542, respectively, or (3) receive data from the A-IoT device 504 via the link 531 or 541, respectively. In the second set of configurations, for example, the data may be received at the reader device 502 (or the first UE 506) via a continuous wave transmitted by the first UE 506 (or the reader device 502) and backscattered by the A-IoT device 504 to include the data, where either the reader device 502 or the first UE 506 may transmit control information at a separate time.
[0088] In some aspects of wireless communication related to A-IoT devices, a receiving (Rx) reader device and / or node may perform a proximity determination relating to the A-IoT devices. In some aspects, if a reader receives a D2R transmission from the device in response to an R2D transmission, then the device may be determined to be near, where criteria for reception may be specified. The device may be determined to be near the reader based on measurements performed at the reader side, where specific methods and accounting for transmission power may be used. The proximity determination, in some aspects, may be associated with one or more of a device-to-reader (D2R) distance, a reader-to-device (R2D) distance, and / or a CW transmitter-to-device (CW2D) distance. In some aspects, the proximity determination may be based on a CW transmission from a CW transmitting node (or a Tx reader device / node) that is backscattered from an A-IoT device and received at a Rx reader device. The Rx reader device / node, in some aspects, may attempt to determine a proximity based on a strength of the backscattered CW transmission received (and measured) at the Rx reader device / node. However, as the distance between a CW transmitting node and different A-IoT devices is varied, the backscattered signal strength of the different A-IoT devices may be different for A-IoT devices at a same distance from the Rx reader device / node. Accordingly, without knowledge of a CW2D distance at the Rx reader device / node, a D2R distance calculated by the Rx reader device / node may be inaccurate.
[0089] FIG. 7A is a diagram 700 illustrating aspects of a proximity determination in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. Diagram 700 illustrates that a CW transmitting device 701, a first A-IoT device 703, a second A-IoT device 709, and an associated RX reader device 705. The Rx reader device 705 may attempt to determine which A-IoT devices are proximate (e.g., within a first distance of the Rx reader device 705) as indicated by the boundary 711 separating devices determined to be proximate (e.g., to be near) and devices determined to not be proximate (e.g., to be far) . However, in the configuration illustrated in diagram 700, the Rx reader device 705 may not be able to determine whether the first A-IoT device 703 and / or the second A-IoT device 709 are proximate (e.g., whether a D2R distance such as a D2R1 between the Rx reader device 705 and the first A-IoT device 703 or a D2R2 between the Rx reader device 705 and the second A-IoT device 709 is less than a threshold D2R distance) without additional information about the CW2D distance for each device (e.g., a CW2D1 distance between the CW transmitting device 701 and the first A-IoT device 703 and a CW2D2 distance between the CW transmitting device 701 and the second A-IoT device 709) and a position of the CW transmitting device 701. For example, assuming that the power of a received signal at the Rx reader device 705 is a function of a transmission power, an amplification associated with a backscattering by a backscattering device, and a length of the path traveled between a transmitting device and a receiving device, and assuming that the amplification provided at both the first A-IoT device 703 and the second A-IoT device 709 are the same, the Rx reader device 705 receiving a backscattered signal from both the first A-IoT device 703 and the second A-IoT device 709 (based on a same CW transmission) would, based on the equal path lengths (e.g., CW2D1+D2R1=CW2D2+D2R2) , receive the backscattered signals with approximately a same power even though the first A-IoT device 703 is not proximate (e.g., is beyond the boundary 711) and the second A-IoT device 709 is proximate (e.g., is within the boundary 711) .
[0090] Various aspects relate generally to procedures to determine the CW2D distance. The procedures for determining the CW2D distance, in some aspects, may be associated with indicating a transmission power of each of a set of transmissions that may be used to account for, and / or determine, the CW2D distance. Some aspects more specifically relate to several options for transmitting reference signals for a proximity determination associated with (or for determining a proximity of) one or more A-IoT devices. In some examples, a CW transmitting node may be configured to obtain a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions and transmit, based on the obtained configuration, the set of CW transmissions in association with a determination of a distance between a receiving reader node and a backscattering device. In some examples, a Rx reader node may be configured to obtain a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions from a CW transmission node, receive, based on the configuration for the set of transmission powers, a set of backscattered CW transmissions from a backscattering device, determine, based on the configuration for the set of transmission powers and a power of one or more backscattered CW transmissions associated with the backscattering device, a distance between the receiving reader node and the backscattering device, and transmit, to one of a controller of the backscattering device, a network node, or a transmitting reader device, to a base station, or information based on the determined distance.
[0091] FIG. 7B is a diagram 750 illustrating aspects of a proximity determination in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. Diagram 750 illustrates the CW transmitting device 701, a first A-IoT device 703, a second A-IoT device 709, and an associated RX reader device 705. As described above, in some aspects, the Rx reader device 705 may attempt to determine which A-IoT devices are proximate (e.g., within a first distance of the Rx reader device 705) as indicated by the boundary 711 of FIG. 7A separating devices determined to be proximate (e.g., to be near) and devices determined to not be proximate (e.g., to be far) . In order to distinguish between the first A-IoT device 703 and the second A-IoT device 709, in some aspects, the CW transmitting device 701 and the Rx reader device 705 may obtain and / or receive configuration data regarding a series, or set, of CW transmissions from the CW transmitting device 701 with varying powers. The configuration data regarding the series, or the set, of CW transmissions from the CW transmitting device 701 with varying powers may include a set of times at which the CW transmission are scheduled to be transmitted. The set of times may be associated with a set of transmission powers, that may include a first set of increasing transmission powers, a second set of decreasing transmission powers, a third set of different transmission powers that may not be strictly increasing or decreasing, or a set of dynamically indicated transmission powers. The set of transmission powers may be indicated via, or associated with a known or configured, one or more of an initial transmission power, a step size (e.g., a power ramp) between adjacent (in time) transmission powers, or a separate transmission power for each configured transmission. In some aspects, some of the parameters for determining the CW transmission power may be received dynamically, while others may be configured or known.
[0092] For example, in diagram 750, the CW transmitting node may be configured with a first transmission power P0 for a first CW transmission, with a second transmission power P1 for a second CW transmission, and with a third transmission power P2 for a third CW transmission. The first transmission power P0 may be associated with a first radius 751 (r0) , the second transmission power P1 may be associated with a second radius 753 (r1) , and the third transmission power P2 may be associated with a third radius 755 (r2) , where the first radius, the second radius, and the third radius are associated with a threshold power that can be received and backscattered by an A-IoT device to be received at the Rx reader device 705. In association with the first CW transmission, neither the first A-IoT device 703 nor the second A-IoT device 709 may backscatter (e.g., the A-IoT devices may omit, or fail to perform, a backscattering) the first CW transmission based on the first CW transmission being received with a power that is below a first threshold power associated with a backscattering and / or amplification operation. In association with the second CW transmission, the first A-IoT device 703 may backscatter (and the second A-IoT device 709 may fail to backscatter) a signal that the Rx reader device may receive (or fail to receive) , indicating that the first A-IoT device is within the second radius 753 of the CW transmitting device 701 while the second A-IoT device is not within the second radius 753 of the CW transmitting device 701. In association with the third CW transmission, both the first A-IoT device 703 and the second A-IoT device 709 may backscatter a signal that the Rx reader device may receive, indicating that both the first A-IoT device 703 and the second A-IoT device 709 are within the third radius 755 of the CW transmitting device 701 and may determine (based on receiving the backscattered second CW transmission from the first A-IoT device 703) that the second A-IoT device 709 is closer to the Rx reader device than the first A-IoT device despite being received with a same power.
[0093] In some aspects, the A-IoT devices may be configured to backscatter a first received CW transmission in a set of CW transmissions, or to include information regarding a number of CW transmissions in the set of CW transmissions previously backscattered by the A-IoT device, such that the received signal at the Rx reader device provides additional information regarding the CW2D (and the related D2R) distance. For example, in some aspects, the second CW transmission power may be received at the first A-IoT device 703 with a power above the first threshold power associated with a backscattering and / or amplification operation, but the backscattered signal may not be detected at the Rx reader device 705 based on the backscattered signal being received at (or arriving at) the Rx reader device 705 with a power that is below a second threshold power associated with detecting a backscattered signal. If the first A-IoT device 703 indicates in the backscattering of the third CW transmission that it had also backscattered the second CW transmission, but not the first CW transmission, e.g., via a counter indicating the backscattering of one previous CW transmission (or two CW transmissions including the third CW transmission) , the Rx reader device 705 may determine that the CW2D distance was between the first radius (r0) and the second radius (r1) even though it did not receive the backscattered signal and may determine that the first A-IoT device is not proximate (or near) while determining that the second A-IoT device that did not respond to the first CW transmission is proximate. While three CW transmissions and three corresponding transmission powers are illustrated, in practice there may be more or fewer configured CW transmission powers and / or CW transmission in a set of CW transmissions.
[0094] For example, a set of two CW transmissions and corresponding transmission powers may be used to identify a set of proximate A-IoT devices between a CW transmitting node and a Rx Reader node based on a known distance between the CW transmitting node and the Rx reader node and a threshold distance associated with the proximate A-IoT devices. For example, if a distance between the CW transmitting node and the Rx reader node (aCW2R distance) is known to be ‘dCW2R’ meters from the Rx reader node and a proximity threshold is ‘θD2R’ meters, the CW transmission powers for a first and second CW transmission from the CW transmitting device may be based on the CW2R distance and the proximity threshold (e.g., P0 or an associated r0 may be equal to, or based on dCW2R-θD2R and P1 or an associated r1 may be equal to, or based on dCW2R) . In some aspects, additional CW transmission powers and corresponding CW transmissions may be added for determining the proximity of A-IoT device beyond the Rx reader device.
[0095] Accordingly, the proximity determination may include a CW transmitting node that may transmit the CW transmissions with a specified transmission power for each round (where a round may be defined as a particular CW transmission and the associated backscattering and detecting operations) as specified in a transmission power pattern or configuration. The Rx reader node / device may then determine the CW2D distance and D2R distance based on the reception of a D2R signal, the transmission power pattern associated with the CW transmissions, the CW transmission node / device, and the amplification factor of the A-IoT device (from which the backscattered signal is received) . In some aspects, the amplification is relevant for the second or third class of A-IoT device (e.g., a device 2a / 2b) . The amplification, in some aspects, may be indicated by the A-IoT device or may be indicated to the Rx reader node / device by a controller of one or more A-IoT device (s) associated with the Rx reader node / device or a device in communication with the controller of the A-IoT device (s) .
[0096] In some aspects, different configuration mechanisms may be used to configure a CW node and / or Rx reader with the transmission power pattern of the CW transmissions (e.g., the transmission power pattern used by the CW node when transmitting a set of CW transmissions) . For example, the following configuration mechanisms may be used in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. In some aspects, the transmission power pattern of the CW transmissions or the CW node may be indicated by a Tx reader to a CW node / Rx reader, where, if the CW node (and the Rx reader) is an intermediate UE, the Tx reader (e.g., implemented at, or by, a base station) may indicate the transmission power pattern via DCI or RRC or MAC-CE. In some aspects, the transmission power pattern of the CW transmissions or the CW node may be indicated by the ambient-IoT controller to the CW node / Rx reader. The transmission power pattern of the CW transmissions or the CW node, in some aspects, may be indicated by the CW node to the Rx reader, where if the CW node is an intermediate UE and the Rx reader is a network node (e.g., a base station) , the CW node may indicate the transmission power pattern though UCI or PUSCH or MAC-CE.In some aspects, the transmission power pattern of the CW transmissions or the CW node may be indicated by a network (e.g., a base station) to the CW node / Rx reader (e.g., though DCI or RRC or MAC-CE when the CW node / Rx reader are intermediate UEs) . The transmission power pattern of the CW transmissions or the CW node may be indicated by the Tx reader to the CW node / Rx reader, where the Tx reader may indicate the transmission power pattern though sidelink control information (SCI) , a PSSCH, or a direct communication (PC5) -radio resource control (RRC) (PC5-RRC) link if the Tx reader, the CW node, and the Rx reader are intermediate UEs. In some aspects, the transmission power pattern of the CW transmissions or the CW node may be indicated by the CW node to the Rx reader, where, if the CW node and the Rx reader are intermediate UEs, the CW node may indicate the transmission power pattern through SCI / PSSCH or PC5-RRC. The transmission power pattern of the CW transmissions or the CW node may be indicated by the A-IoT controller to the CW node / Rx reader. For example, any of the different configuration mechanisms discussed above may be used to indicate the transmission power pattern to a CW node and an Rx reader in the architectures illustrated in FIGs. 6A, 6B, 6C, and 6D below.
[0097] FIG. 6A is a diagram 600 illustrating a first architecture including a CW transmitting node that is separate from a receiving reader node in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. Diagram 600 illustrates that a first node 601 may include a CW transmitting node (CW) (e.g., a node that transmits a transmission relating to a CW2D distance) and a Tx reader node (e.g., a node that transmits a transmission relating to a R2D distance) . A CW2D distance may be defined (and communicated) between the first node 601 and a second node of the architecture (e.g., device 603 such as an A-IoT, or backscattering, device) . Similarly, a D2R distance may be defined (and communicated) between the second node of the architecture (e.g., device 603) and a third node of the architecture (e.g., Rx reader node 605) . Diagram 600 illustrates that the first node 601, in some aspects, may provide configuration information relating to the CW transmissions (e.g., a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions) to the Rx reader node 605. While the device 603 is assumed to be an A-IoT device, the first node 601 and the Rx reader node 605, in some aspects, may be a network node (e.g., a base station) , a UE, or other device capable of transmitting a CW signal / transmission and / or receiving a backscattered CW signal / transmission.
[0098] FIG. 6B is a diagram 620 illustrating a second architecture including a CW transmitting node that is separate from a receiving reader node in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. Diagram 620 illustrates that a first node 621 may include a CW transmitting node (CW) (e.g., a node that transmits a transmission relating to a CW2D distance) and a Tx reader node (e.g., a node that transmits a transmission relating to a R2D distance) . A CW2D distance may be defined (and communicated) between the first node 621 and a second node of the architecture (e.g., device 623) . Similarly, a D2R distance may be defined (and communicated) between the second node of the architecture (e.g., device 623) and a third node of the architecture (e.g., Rx reader node 625) . Diagram 620 illustrates that an A-IoT controller 627, in some aspects, may provide configuration information 631 and / or configuration information 635 relating to the CW transmissions (e.g., a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions) to the first node 621 and the Rx reader node 625. In some aspects, the configuration information 631 and / or the configuration information 635 may be the same information, while in other aspects, the configuration information 631 may be different from the configuration information 635. While the device 623 is assumed to be an A-IoT device, the first node 621and the Rx reader node 625, in some aspects, may be a network node (e.g., a base station) , a UE, or other device capable of transmitting a CW signal / transmission and / or receiving a backscattered CW signal / transmission.
[0099] FIG. 6C is a diagram 640 illustrating a third architecture including a CW transmitting node that is separate from a receiving reader node in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. Diagram 640 illustrates that a first node 641 may include a CW transmitting node (CW) (e.g., a node that transmits a transmission relating to a CW2D distance) and a Tx reader node (e.g., a node that transmits a transmission relating to a R2D distance) . A CW2D distance may be defined (and communicated) between the first node 641 and a second node of the architecture (e.g., device 643) . Similarly, a D2R distance may be defined (and communicated) between the second node of the architecture (e.g., device 643) and a third node of the architecture (e.g., Rx reader node 645) . Diagram 640 illustrates that a network node 647 (e.g., a base station) , in some aspects, may provide configuration information 651 and / or configuration information 655 relating to the CW transmissions (e.g., a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions) to the first node 641 and the Rx reader node 645. In some aspects, the configuration information 651 and / or the configuration information 655 may be the same information, while in other aspects, the configuration information 651 may be different from the configuration information 655. While the device 643 is assumed to be an A-IoT device, the first node 641and the Rx reader node 645, in some aspects, may be a UE in communication with the network node 647, or other device capable of transmitting a CW signal / transmission and / or receiving a backscattered CW signal / transmission.
[0100] FIG. 6D is a diagram 660 illustrating a fourth architecture including a CW transmitting node that is separate from both a transmitting reader node and a receiving reader node in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. Diagram 660 illustrates that the fourth architecture may include a first node (e.g., Rx / Tx reader node 661) , a second node (e.g., device 663) and a third node (e.g., CW transmitting node 665) that is not a reader node (e.g., not a Tx reader node or an Rx reader node) . A CW2D distance may be defined (and communicated) between the CW transmitting node 665 and the second node of the architecture (e.g., device 663) . Similarly, a D2R distance may be defined (and communicated) between the second node of the architecture (e.g., device 663) and the first node of the architecture (e.g., the Rx / Tx reader node 661) while an R2D and a D2R distance may be defined (and communicated) between the first node of the architecture (e.g., the Tx reader node functionality of the Rx / Tx reader node 661 for R2D and the Rx reader node functionality of the Rx / Tx reader node 661 for D2R) and the second node of the architecture (e.g., device 663) . Diagram 660 illustrates that the CW transmitting node 665, in some aspects, may provide configuration information relating to the CW transmissions (e.g., a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions) to the Rx / Tx reader node 661 (e.g., specifically to the Rx reader node function of the Rx / Tx reader node 661) . While the device 663 is assumed to be an A-IoT device, the Rx / Tx reader node 661 and the CW transmitting node 665, in some aspects, may be a network node (e.g., a base station) , a UE, or other device capable of transmitting a CW signal / transmission and / or receiving a backscattered CW signal / transmission.
[0101] FIG. 8 is a first diagram 800 illustrating sets of CW transmissions and a second diagram 880 illustrating related sets of backscattered signals and received signals in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. A first time period 810 may be associated with a first set of CW transmissions (e.g., including CW transmission 801, CW transmission 802, CW transmission 803, and CW transmission 804) . The first set of CW transmissions may be transmitted with a first set of increasing transmission powers (e.g., P0, P1, P2, and P3, and corresponding radii r0, r1, r2, and r3) associated with a first set of increasing times for the CW transmissions. In some aspects, the increasing transmission powers may be associated with a step size (e.g., a delta step) that defines the transmission powers based on an initial power (e.g., Pi=P0+ΔP*i for i∈ [0, N-1] , where P0 is the initial transmission power, ΔP is the step size, or delta step, and N is the total number of CW transmissions) . The first time period 810 may further be associated with a first set of backscattered signals (e.g., based on a backscattering of the CW transmissions in the first set of CW transmissions by a first A-IoT device such as backscattered signal 815 based on a received CW transmission 814 corresponding to CW transmission 804) . In some aspects, the first set of backscattered signals may be based on a threshold received power for backscattering (e.g., Pthresh_BS) representing a minimum received power that may be backscattered by an A-IoT device such as the first A-IoT device, where the threshold may be implemented to avoid backscattering and / or amplifying ambient noise and / or to conserve power for backscattering signals most likely to be successfully received by a RX reader device.
[0102] For example, a received CW transmission 811 may be received with a power (e.g., where is an attenuation factor between 0 and 1 representing a path loss associated with a distance between the CW transmitting device and the first A-IoT device) that is below the threshold received power for backscattering (e.g., PBS_Rx<Pthresh_BS) and omit a backscattering (or fail to backscatter) the received CW transmission 811 at 817. Alternatively, or additionally, the received CW transmission 814 (or the received CW transmissions associated with CW transmission 802 and CW transmission 803) may be received with a power above the threshold and may be backscattered based on an amplification factor (γ, where the power associated with the backscattered signal 815, PBS, is given by PBS_Rx*γ or ) that may be common to a class of A-IoT devices or to a set of commonly configured A-IoT devices (e.g., a first A-IoT device and a second A-IoT device) associated with a same Rx reader device and / or A-IoT controller. In some aspects, the backscattering may include a modulation (or other modification) of the received CW transmission to include or encode additional information such as an identifier of the first A-IoT or a number of CW transmissions in the first set of CW transmissions previously (or currently) backscattered that may be used to determine proximity (e.g., by identifying a CW2D distance or range) at an Rx reader device. Additionally, or alternatively, the A-IoT devices may be configured to backscatter a first received CW transmission in a set of CW transmissions.
[0103] The first time period 810 may further be associated with a first set of received signals (e.g., at least received signal 816 associated with the CW transmission 804, the received CW transmission 814, and the backscattered signal 815 and having a power PRx given by or where P3 is the transmission power associated with the CW transmission 804 and is an attenuation factor representing a path loss associated with a distance between the first A-IoT device and the Rx reader device) . The first set of received signals may further include additional received signals associated with other CW transmissions in the first set of transmissions such as CW transmission 802 and CW transmission 803, but an Rx reader device receiving those additional received signals may not detect the backscattered signals based on the power being below a detection threshold (e.g., Pthresh_Rx) . For example, a received signal 818 associated with the CW transmission 802 transmitted with the transmission power P1 may be received at an Rx reader device with a power (PRx given by ) that may be below the detection threshold (Pthresh_Rx) .
[0104] A second time period 830 may be associated with a second set of CW transmissions (e.g., including CW transmission 831, CW transmission 832, CW transmission 833, and CW transmission 834) . The second time period 830 is discussed in relation to the same first A-IoT device related to the discussion of the first time period 810 above. The second set of CW transmissions may be transmitted with a second set of decreasing transmission powers (e.g., P3, P22, P1, and P0, and corresponding radii r3, r2, r1, and r0) associated with a second set of increasing times for the CW transmissions. In some aspects, the increasing transmission powers may be associated with a step size (e.g., a delta step) that defines the transmission powers based on an initial power (e.g., Pi=P0-ΔP*i, for i∈ [0, N-1] , where P0 (or P3 in the example above) is the initial transmission power, ΔP is the step size, or delta step, and N is the total number of CW transmissions) . The step size, whether increasing or decreasing transmission powers are used, in some aspects, may be defined, e.g., based on a signal strength measured in decibels (dB) with a fixed dB difference between CW transmissions, or based on a fixed increase in a CW2D distance associated with the adjacent CW transmissions in a set of CW transmissions such that ri=r0+Δr* i, where r0 is the initial CW2D threshold distance and the sign of Δr may determine if it is associated with an increasing or decreasing transmission power) . The second time period 830 may further be associated with a second set of backscattered signals (e.g., based on a backscattering of the CW transmissions in the second set of CW transmissions by the first A-IoT device such as backscattered signal 845 based on a received CW transmission 841 corresponding to CW transmission 831) . In some aspects, the first set of backscattered signals may be based on the threshold received power for backscattering (e.g., Pthresh_BS) as discussed above.
[0105] For example, a received CW transmission associated with the CW transmission 834 may be received with a power (e.g., ) that is below the threshold received power for backscattering (e.g., PBS_Rx<Pthresh_BS) and omit a backscattering (or fail to backscatter) the received CW transmission at 847. Alternatively, or additionally, the received CW transmission 834 (or the received CW transmissions associated with CW transmission 832 and CW transmission 833) may be received with a power above the threshold and may be backscattered based on the amplification factor discussed above (e.g., the power associated with the backscattered signal 845, PBS, may be given by PBS_Rx*γ or ) that may be common to a class of A-IoT devices or to a set of commonly configured A-IoT devices (e.g., a first A-IoT device and a second A-IoT device) associated with a same Rx reader device and / or A-IoT controller. In some aspects, the backscattering may include a modulation (or other modification) of the received CW transmission to include or encode additional information such as an identifier of the first A-IoT or a number of CW transmissions in the first set of CW transmissions previously (or currently) backscattered that may be used to determine proximity (e.g., by identifying a CW2D distance or range) at an Rx reader device. Additionally, or alternatively, the A-IoT devices may be configured to backscatter a first received CW transmission in a set of CW transmissions.
[0106] The second time period 830 may further be associated with a second set of received signals (e.g., at least received signal 846 associated with the CW transmission 831, the received CW transmission 841, and the backscattered signal 845 and having a power PRx given by or as described above) . The second set of received signals may further include additional received signals associated with other CW transmissions in the second set of transmissions such as CW transmission 832 and CW transmission 833, but an Rx reader device receiving those additional received signals may not detect the backscattered signals based on the power being below a detection threshold (e.g., Pthresh_Rx) . For example, a received signal associated with the CW transmission 833 transmitted with the transmission power P1 may be received at an Rx reader device with a power (PRx given by ) that may be below the detection threshold (Pthresh_Rx) .
[0107] A third time period 860 may be associated with a third set of CW transmissions (e.g., including CW transmission 861, CW transmission 862, CW transmission 863, and CW transmission 864) . The third time period 860 is discussed in relation to an additional (second) A-IoT device at a different distance from the CW transmitting node and from the Rx reader node related to the discussion of the first time period 810 above, where the second A-IoT device is configured with a same amplification factor (γ) and where the total path distance (e.g., CW2D1 from the CW transmitting node to the Rx reader node through either of the first A-IoT device or the second A-IoT device is the same as in FIGs. 7A and 7B. The third set of CW transmissions may be transmitted with a third set of transmission powers (e.g., P0, P3, P1, and P2, and corresponding radii r0, r3, r1, and r2) associated with a third set of increasing times for the CW transmissions. The third set of transmission powers may be dynamically indicated based on feedback from the Rx reader device, e.g., after receiving a set of backscattered CW transmissions, the Rx reader may determine whether the received signals provide information enabling a proximity determination for one or more backscattering devices (e.g., A-IoT devices) and request an additional CW transmission with a specific transmission power or a specific change in the transmissions power. As illustrated for the third time period 860, the requested change may be associated with one or more of a larger or smaller transmission power than a previous CW transmission. The third time period 860 may further be associated with a third set of backscattered signals (e.g., based on a backscattering of the CW transmissions in the third set of CW transmissions by the first A-IoT device such as backscattered signal 875 based on a received CW transmission corresponding to CW transmission 862) . In some aspects, the first set of backscattered signals may be based on the threshold received power for backscattering (e.g., Pthresh_BS) as discussed above.
[0108] For example, a received CW transmission 871 and a received CW transmission 873 associated with the CW transmission 861 and with the CW transmission 863, respectively, may be received with a power (e.g., or respectively, where is an attenuation factor between 0 and 1 representing a path loss associated with a distance between the CW transmitting device and the second A-IoT device and where ) that is below the threshold received power for backscattering (e.g., PBS_Rx<Pthresh_BS) and omit a backscattering (or fail to backscatter) the received CW transmission at 877 or at 878. Alternatively, or additionally, the received CW transmission associated with CW transmission 862 and CW transmission 864 may be received with a power above the threshold and may be backscattered based on the amplification factor discussed above (e.g., the power associated with the backscattered signal 875, PBS, may be given by PBS_Rx*γ or ) that may be common to a class of A-IoT devices or to a set of commonly configured A-IoT devices (e.g., a first A-IoT device and a second A-IoT device) associated with a same Rx reader device and / or A-IoT controller. In some aspects, the backscattering may include a modulation (or other modification) of the received CW transmission to include or encode additional information such as an identifier of the first A-IoT or a number of CW transmissions in the first set of CW transmissions previously (or currently) backscattered that may be used to determine proximity (e.g., by identifying a CW2D distance or range) at an Rx reader device. Additionally, or alternatively, the A-IoT devices may be configured to backscatter a first received CW transmission in a set of CW transmissions.
[0109] The third time period 860 may further be associated with a third set of received signals (e.g., at least received signal 876 associated with the CW transmission 862, the corresponding received CW transmission, and the backscattered signal 875 and having a power PRx given by or where is an attenuation factor between 0 and 1 representing a path loss associated with a distance between the second A-IoT device and the Rx reader device and where ) .In some aspects, for which the total path length is equal (e.g., CW2D1+D2R1=CW2D2+D2R2 and ) , the power of the received signal 876 based on the backscattering from the second A-IoT device may be equal (or approximately equal) to the power of the received signal 846 based on the backscattering from the first A-IoT device even though the transmission power of the backscattered signal 875 and the transmission power of the backscattered signal 845 are significantly different. The third set of received signals may further include one or more additional received signal (s) associated with other CW transmissions in the third set of transmissions such as CW transmission 864, but an Rx reader device receiving the one or more additional received signal (s) may not detect the backscattered signals based on the power being below a detection threshold (e.g., Pthresh_Rx) . For example, a received signal associated with the CW transmission 864 transmitted with the transmission power P2 may be received at an Rx reader device with a power (PRx given by ) that may be below the detection threshold (Pthresh_Rx) .
[0110] FIG. 9 is a call flow diagram 900 illustrating a method of wireless communication in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. The method is illustrated in relation to a controller 901, a CW node 902 (e.g., corresponding to one or more of the CW transmitting node 665 or the CW transmitting device 701) , a set of A-IoT devices (e.g., A-IoT device 903, A-IoT device 907, and A-IoT device 909 as examples of backscattering devices, RFICs, etc. ) , and an Rx reader node 905 (e.g., corresponding to one or more of the Rx reader node 605, the Rx reader node 625, the Rx reader node 645, or the Rx / Tx reader node 661) . In some aspects, the controller 901 may be one of a base station (e.g., as an example of a network device or network node that may include one or more components of a disaggregated base station) , a component of the CW node 902, a transmitting reader device and / or node, or an A-IoT controller associated with the set of A-IoT devices (and the CW node 902 and Rx reader node 905) . The CW node 902 and the Rx reader node 905, in some aspects, may be one of a base station or a UE (e.g., as an example of a wireless device) . The functions ascribed to any of the controller 901, the CW node 902, the set of A-IoT devices, and the Rx reader node 905, in some aspects, may be performed by one or more components of the controller 901, the CW node 902, the set of A-IoT devices, and the Rx reader node 905 (e.g., a component of a network entity, a network node, or a network device such as a single network entity / node / device or a disaggregated network entity / node / device as described above in relation to FIG. 1 or a UE or component of the UE) . Accordingly, references to “transmitting” in the description below may be understood to refer to a first component of controller 901, the CW node 902, the set of A-IoT devices, and the Rx reader node 905 outputting (or providing) an indication of the content of the transmission to be transmitted by a different component of the controller 901, the CW node 902, the set of A-IoT devices, and the Rx reader node 905. Similarly, references to “receiving” in the description below may be understood to refer to a first component of the controller 901, the CW node 902, the set of A-IoT devices, and the Rx reader node 905 receiving a transmitted signal and outputting (or providing) the received signal (or information based on the received signal) to a different component of the controller 901, the CW node 902, the set of A-IoT devices, and the Rx reader node 905.
[0111] The controller 901 may transmit, and the CW node 902 and the Rx reader node 905 may receive, a configuration 910 for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions. In some aspects, the configuration 910 may further include information regarding the location (e.g., a relative location) of the CW node 902 and the Rx reader node 905 and the amplification applied by the set of A-IoT devices. In some aspects, instead of the Rx reader node 905 receiving the configuration 910 directly from the controller 901, the CW node 902 may receive the configuration 910 and may transmit, and the Rx reader node 905 may receive, configuration 911 for the set of transmission powers associated with the set of CW transmissions. In some aspects, the controller 901 may be a component of the CW node 902 such that the transmission and reception of the configuration 910 and the configuration 911 is equivalent. In some aspects, the CW node 902 and / or the Rx reader node 905 may be a UE (or may be UEs) and the controller 901 may be a network node (that may be a transmitting reader node) , and receiving the configuration 910 (or the configuration 911) for the set of transmission powers includes receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers via one of RRC signaling, a MAC-CE, or DCI. In some aspects, the controller 901 (e.g., a transmitting, or Tx, reader device) , the CW node 902, and the Rx reader node 905 may be UEs, and receiving the configuration 910 (or the configuration 911) for the set of transmission powers may include receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers via one of sidelink control information (SCI) , a PSSCH, or a direct communication (PC5) -radio resource control (RRC) (PC5-RRC) link. In some aspects, the configuration 911 for the set of transmission powers may be transmitted to the Rx reader node 905 via one of a MAC-CE, uplink control information (UCI) , or a PUSCH.
[0112] Based on the received configuration 910 (and / or the configuration 911 received at the Rx reader node 905) , the CW node 902, at 912 may transmit the set of CW transmissions with powers P0 to PN in association with a determination of a distance between the Rx reader node 905 and the A-IoT devices in the set of A-IoT devices (e.g., one or more backscattering devices) to be performed at 916. At 914, the A-IoT devices may backscatter, or omit backscattering, the set of transmitted CW transmissions. Backscattering a particular CW transmission in the set of transmitted CW transmissions may include modulating (or otherwise introducing information to) the particular CW transmission and / or the backscattered signal indicating a number of backscattered CW transmissions (either excluding or including the CW transmission being backscattered) to provide additional information to the Rx reader node 905. In some aspects, backscattering may be performed by a particular A-IoT device (e.g., A-IoT device 903, A-IoT device 907, and / or A-IoT device 909) based on a received power PBS_Rx that is greater than a threshold power Pthresh_BS (e.g., as described in relation to FIG. 8) . Similarly, omitting backscattering may be based on the received power that is smaller than a threshold power or having previously backscattered a CW transmission in the set (or round) of CW transmissions (e.g., as described in relation to FIG. 8) . The signals backscattered by the set of A-IoT devices at 914 may be received by the Rx reader node 905. Based on the set of received backscattered signals (e.g., a set of received powers PBS0 to PBSN of the backscattered CW transmissions with known / configured transmission powers P0 to PN) , and, if included the additional information embedded, or included, in the backscattered signals relating to a number of backscattered CW transmissions, the Rx reader node 905 may, at 916 determine one or more D2R distances (e.g., perform a proximity determination) for the one or more A-IoT devices in the set of A-IoT devices.
[0113] Based on the determination at 916, the Rx reader node 905, in some aspects, may transmit, and the controller 901 may receive, feedback 918 indicating one or more transmission powers for a next CW transmission or set (round) or CW transmissions. In some aspects, the controller 901 may transmit, and the CW node 902 and the Rx reader node 905 may receive, a configuration 920 for a set of transmission powers associated with an additional set of CW transmissions. In some aspects, the configuration 920 may further include information regarding the location (e.g., a relative location) of the CW node 902 and the Rx reader node 905 and the amplification applied by the set of A-IoT devices. In some aspects, instead of the Rx reader node 905 receiving the configuration 920 directly from the controller 901, the CW node 902 may receive the configuration 920 and may transmit, and the Rx reader node 905 may receive, configuration 921 for the set of transmission powers associated with the set of CW transmissions.
[0114] Based on the received configuration 920 (and / or the configuration 921 received at the Rx reader node 905) , the CW node 902, at 922 may transmit the set of CW transmissions with powers P0 to PN (that may not be the same as the set of transmission powers used at 912) in association with a determination of a distance between the Rx reader node 905 and the A-IoTs in the set of A-IoT devices (e.g., one or more backscattering devices) to be performed at 926. At 924, the A-IoT devices may backscatter, or omit backscattering, the set of transmitted CW transmissions. Backscattering a particular CW transmission in the set of transmitted CW transmissions may include modulating (or otherwise introducing information to) the particular CW transmission and / or the backscattered signal indicating a number of backscattered CW transmissions (either excluding or including the CW transmission being backscattered) to provide additional information to the Rx reader node 905. In some aspects, backscattering may be performed by a particular A-IoT device (e.g., A-IoT device 903, A-IoT device 907, and / or A-IoT device 909) based on a received power PBS_Rx that is greater than a threshold power Pthresh_BS (e.g., as described in relation to FIG. 8) . Similarly, omitting backscattering may be based on the received power that is smaller than a threshold power or having previously backscattered a CW transmission in the set (or round) of CW transmissions (e.g., as described in relation to FIG. 8) . The signals backscattered by the set of A-IoT devices at 924 may be received by the Rx reader node 905. Based on the set of received backscattered signals (e.g., a set of received powers PBS0 to PBSN of the backscattered CW transmissions with known / configured transmission powers P0 to PN) , and, if included the additional information embedded, or included, in the backscattered signals relating to a number of backscattered CW transmissions, the Rx reader node 905 may, at 926 determine one or more D2R distances (e.g., perform a proximity determination) for the one or more A-IoT devices in the set of A-IoT devices.
[0115] While described above in relation to separate sets of CW transmissions, in some aspects, the configuration 910 may indicate an initial transmission power, the CW node 902 may, at 912, transmit one CW transmission based on the indicated and / or configured transmission power to be backscattered by the set of A-IoT devices at 914 and the Rx reader node 905 may, at 916, determine based on the backscattered signals (e.g., how many backscattered signals were received and associated received powers) one of a step size or transmission power to indicate in the feedback 918 for a next CW transmission at 922 based on the configuration 920. For example, if too many backscattered signals are received, the Rx reader node 905 may determine that the initial (or current) transmission power was too high, and the Rx reader node 905 may provide feedback indicating an updated transmission power (e.g., explicitly or via a step, or delta, from the initial / current transmission power) . Or as illustrated in Fig. 8, the initial transmission power maybe determined to be too low and through multiple rounds of feedback as illustrated in FIG. 9 the Rx reader node 905 may indicate a large increase (e.g., between CW transmission 861 and CW transmission 862) with subsequent fine tuning reflected in CW transmission 863 and CW transmission 864. Other configurations and / or methods to configure the transmission power of the CW transmissions may be used.
[0116] Accordingly, in some aspects, an (initial) configuration 910 may include (1) a first configured value for both an initial power and a power step, or delta, that may be positive or negative, (2) a fully specified set of transmission powers that may or may not be (strictly) increasing or decreasing or be associated with a common step size between transmission powers. In some aspects, the (initial) configuration 910 may include a first configured value for one of an initial power or a power step, or delta, that may be positive or negative (e.g., via RRC or a MAC-CE) , while subsequent dynamic configurations and / or indications (e.g., via a MAC-CE or DCI) may indicate the one of the initial power or the power step not included in the (initial) configuration 910 (e.g., based on feedback from the Rx reader node 905) . The configuration of the transmission power, in some aspects, may be specified dynamically (e.g., for each CW transmission or without referring to a previously (statically or semi-statically) configured transmission power) .
[0117] FIG. 10 is a flowchart 1000 of a method of wireless communication. The method may be performed by a CW node (e.g., the Tx reader device 402; the first node 601, 621, 641; the CW transmitting node 665; the CW transmitting device 701; the CW node 902) that may be a wireless device such as a UE (e.g., the UE 104, 506; the apparatus 1304) or a network node such as a base station (e.g., the base station 102; the reader device 502; the network entity 1302, 1402) . At 1002, the CW node may obtain a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions. For example, 1002 may be performed by application processor (s) 1306, cellular baseband processor (s) 1324, transceiver (s) 1322, antenna (s) 1380, CU processor (s) 1412, DU processor (s) 1432, RU processor (s) 1442, transceiver (s) 1446, antenna (s) 1480, and / or CW2D / D2R determination component 198 of FIGs. 13 or 14. In some aspects, obtaining the configuration for the set of transmission powers at 1002, may include receiving, from a controller device, the configuration for the set of transmission powers, where the controller device is at least one of a controller of the backscattering device, a network node, or a transmitting reader device. The CW transmitting node, in some aspects, may be a UE and the controller device may be one of the network node or the transmitting reader device, and receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers may include receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers via one of RRC signaling, a MAC-CE, or DCI. In some aspects, the controller device may be the transmitting reader device, where the CW transmitting node is a first UE and the transmitting reader device is a second UE, and where receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers may include receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers via one of SCI, a PSSCH, or a PC5-RRC link. For example, referring to FIGs. 6B, 6C, and 9, the first node 621 may receive the configuration information 631 from the A-IoT controller 627, the first node 641 may receive the configuration information 651, and / or the CW node 902 may receive the configuration 910 from the controller 901.
[0118] In some aspects, the set of transmission powers includes one of a first set of increasing transmission powers associated with a first set of increasing times for the CW transmissions or a second set of decreasing transmission powers associated with the second set of increasing times for the CW transmissions. One of the first set of transmission powers or the second set of transmission powers, in some aspects, may include an initial transmission power and subsequent transmission powers separated by a configured power difference, where the initial transmission power and the configured power difference are included in one or more of the configuration for the set of transmission powers, a first indication of the initial transmission power and the configured power difference, a second indication of the initial transmission power, or a third indication of the configured power difference. In some aspects, one of the first set of transmission powers or the second set of transmission powers may include consecutive transmission powers associated with different threshold distances for backscattering by the backscattering device (e.g., as illustrated in FIGs. 7A and 7B) . The set of transmission powers, in some aspects, may include an initial transmission power for a first CW transmission in the set of CW transmissions and one or more additional transmission powers for a corresponding one or more subsequent CW transmissions in the set of CW transmissions, where the initial transmission power and the one or more additional transmission powers are indicated in one or more of the configuration for the set of transmission powers, a first indication of the initial transmission power, or a set of indications corresponding to the one or more additional transmission powers.
[0119] In some aspects, the CW node may transmit the configuration for the set of transmission powers to a receiving reader node associated with the determination of the distance between the receiving reader node and the backscattering device. In some aspects, transmitting the configuration for the set of transmission powers to the receiving reader node may include transmitting the configuration for the set of transmission powers via one of a MAC-CE, UCI, or a PUSCH. For example, referring to FIGs. 6A, 6D, and 9, the first node 601 may transmit the configuration information to the Rx reader node 605, the CW transmitting node 665 may transmit the configuration information to the Rx / Tx reader node 661, and / or the CW node 902 may transmit the configuration 911 to the Rx reader node 905.
[0120] At 1006, the CW node may transmit, based on the obtained configuration, the set of CW transmissions in association with a determination of a distance between a receiving reader node and a backscattering device. For example, 1006 may be performed by application processor (s) 1306, cellular baseband processor (s) 1324, transceiver (s) 1322, antenna (s) 1380, CU processor (s) 1412, DU processor (s) 1432, RU processor (s) 1442, transceiver (s) 1446, antenna (s) 1480, and / or CW2D / D2R determination component 198 of FIGs. 13 or 14. In some aspects, the backscattering device is associated with backscattering one of a subset of the set of CW transmissions received with a power that is greater than a first threshold power (e.g., the subset including those CW transmissions received with a power that is greater than the first threshold power) or a first CW transmission in the set of CW transmissions received with a power greater than a second threshold power. Backscattering the subset of the set of CW transmissions, in some aspects, may include configuring each backscattered CW transmission with information regarding a number of CW transmissions from the set of CW transmissions previously backscattered by the backscattering device. In some aspects, transmitting the set of CW transmissions may include transmitting, for backscattering to a receiving reader node, the set of CW transmissions, where the receiving reader node is associated with one or more of the determination of the distance between the transmitting node and the backscattering device, a second determination of a second distance between the backscattering device and the receiving reader node, or a third determination of a third distance between the transmitting node and the receiving reader node. For example, referring to FIGs. 8 and 9, a CW transmitting node may transmit any of the CW transmissions 801-804, 831-834, or 861-864 based on a received configuration and / or the CW node 902 may, at 912, transmit the CW transmissions based on the configuration 910 for backscattering, at 914, from the set of A-IoT devices to the Rx reader node 905 for the Rx reader node 905 to determine, at 916, at least a distance between the Rx reader node 905 and the A-IoT devices in the set of A-IoT devices.
[0121] FIG. 11 is a flowchart 1100 of a method of wireless communication. The method may be performed by a CW node (e.g., the Tx reader device 402; the first node 601, 621, 641; the CW transmitting node 665; the CW transmitting device 701; the CW node 902) that may be a wireless device such as a UE (e.g., the UE 104, 506; the apparatus 1304) or a network node such as a base station (e.g., the base station 102; the reader device 502; the network entity 1302, 1402) . At 1102, the CW node may obtain a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions. For example, 1102 may be performed by application processor (s) 1306, cellular baseband processor (s) 1324, transceiver (s) 1322, antenna (s) 1380, CU processor (s) 1412, DU processor (s) 1432, RU processor (s) 1442, transceiver (s) 1446, antenna (s) 1480, and / or CW2D / D2R determination component 198 of FIGs. 13 or 14. In some aspects, obtaining the configuration for the set of transmission powers at 1102, may include receiving, from a controller device, the configuration for the set of transmission powers, where the controller device is at least one of a controller of the backscattering device, a network node, or a transmitting reader device. The CW transmitting node, in some aspects, may be a UE and the controller device may be one of the network node or the transmitting reader device, and receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers may include receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers via one of RRC signaling, a MAC-CE, or DCI. In some aspects, the controller device may be the transmitting reader device, where the CW transmitting node is a first UE and the transmitting reader device is a second UE, and where receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers may include receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers via one of SCI, a PSSCH, or a PC5-RRC link. For example, referring to FIGs. 6B, 6C, and 9, the first node 621 may receive the configuration information 631 from the A-IoT controller 627, the first node 641 may receive the configuration information 651 from the network node 647, and / or the CW node 902 may receive the configuration 910 from the controller 901.
[0122] In some aspects, the set of transmission powers includes one of a first set of increasing transmission powers associated with a first set of increasing times for the CW transmissions or a second set of decreasing transmission powers associated with the second set of increasing times for the CW transmissions. One of the first set of transmission powers or the second set of transmission powers, in some aspects, may include an initial transmission power and subsequent transmission powers separated by a configured power difference, where the initial transmission power and the configured power difference are included in one or more of the configuration for the set of transmission powers, a first indication of the initial transmission power and the configured power difference, a second indication of the initial transmission power, or a third indication of the configured power difference. In some aspects, one of the first set of transmission powers or the second set of transmission powers may include consecutive transmission powers associated with different threshold distances for backscattering by the backscattering device (e.g., as illustrated in FIGs. 7A and 7B) . The set of transmission powers, in some aspects, may include an initial transmission power for a first CW transmission in the set of CW transmissions and one or more additional transmission powers for a corresponding one or more subsequent CW transmissions in the set of CW transmissions, where the initial transmission power and the one or more additional transmission powers are indicated in one or more of the configuration for the set of transmission powers, a first indication of the initial transmission power, or a set of indications corresponding to the one or more additional transmission powers.
[0123] At 1104, the CW node may transmit the configuration for the set of transmission powers to a receiving reader node associated with the determination of the distance between the receiving reader node and the backscattering device. For example, 1104 may be performed by application processor (s) 1306, cellular baseband processor (s) 1324, transceiver (s) 1322, antenna (s) 1380, CU processor (s) 1412, DU processor (s) 1432, RU processor (s) 1442, transceiver (s) 1446, antenna (s) 1480, and / or CW2D / D2R determination component 198 of FIGs. 13 or 14. In some aspects, transmitting the configuration for the set of transmission powers to the receiving reader node may include transmitting the configuration for the set of transmission powers via one of a MAC-CE, UCI, or a PUSCH. For example, referring to FIGs. 6A, 6D, and 9, the first node 621 may transmit the configuration information to the Rx reader node 605, the CW transmitting node 665 may transmit the configuration information to the Rx / Tx reader node 661, and / or the CW node 902 may transmit the configuration 911 to the Rx reader node 905.
[0124] At 1106, the CW node may transmit, based on the obtained configuration, the set of CW transmissions in association with a determination of a distance between a receiving reader node and a backscattering device. For example, 1106 may be performed by application processor (s) 1306, cellular baseband processor (s) 1324, transceiver (s) 1322, antenna (s) 1380, CU processor (s) 1412, DU processor (s) 1432, RU processor (s) 1442, transceiver (s) 1446, antenna (s) 1480, and / or CW2D / D2R determination component 198 of FIGs. 13 or 14. In some aspects, the backscattering device is associated with backscattering one of a subset of the set of CW transmissions received with a power that is greater than a first threshold power (e.g., the subset including those CW transmissions received with a power that is greater than the first threshold power) or a first CW transmission in the set of CW transmissions received with a power greater than a second threshold power. Backscattering the subset of the set of CW transmissions, in some aspects, may include configuring each backscattered CW transmission with information regarding a number of CW transmissions from the set of CW transmissions previously backscattered by the backscattering device. In some aspects, transmitting the set of CW transmissions may include transmitting, for backscattering to a receiving reader node, the set of CW transmissions, where the receiving reader node is associated with one or more of the determination of the distance between the transmitting node and the backscattering device, a second determination of a second distance between the backscattering device and the receiving reader node, or a third determination of a third distance between the transmitting node and the receiving reader node. For example, referring to FIGs. 8 and 9, a CW transmitting node may transmit any of the CW transmissions 801-804, 831-834, or 861-864 based on a received configuration and / or the CW node 902 may, at 912, transmit the CW transmissions based on the configuration 910 for backscattering, at 914, from the set of A-IoT devices to the Rx reader node 905 for the Rx reader node 905 to determine, at 916, at least a distance between the Rx reader node 905 and the A-IoT devices in the set of A-IoT devices.
[0125] FIG. 12 is a flowchart 1200 of a method of wireless communication. The method may be performed by a receiving reader node (e.g., the Rx reader device 412; the Rx reader node 605, 625, 645; the Rx / Tx reader node 661; the Rx reader device 705; the Rx reader node 905) that may be a wireless device such as a UE (e.g., the UE 104, 506; the apparatus 1304) or a network node such as a base station (e.g., the base station 102; the reader device 502; the network entity 1302, 1402) . At 1202, the receiving reader node may obtain a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions from a CW transmission node. For example, 1202 may be performed by application processor (s) 1306, cellular baseband processor (s) 1324, transceiver (s) 1322, antenna (s) 1380, CU processor (s) 1412, DU processor (s) 1432, RU processor (s) 1442, transceiver (s) 1446, antenna (s) 1480, and / or CW2D / D2R determination component 198 of FIGs. 13 or 14. In some aspects, obtaining the configuration for the set of transmission powers at 1202, may include receiving, from a controller device, the configuration for the set of transmission powers, where the controller device is at least one of a controller of the backscattering device, a network node, or a transmitting reader device. The receiving reader node, in some aspects, may be a UE and the controller device may be one of the network node or the transmitting reader device, and receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers may include receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers via one of RRC signaling, a MAC-CE, or DCI. In some aspects, the controller device may be the transmitting reader device, where the receiving reader node is a first UE and the transmitting reader device is a second UE, and where receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers may include receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers via one of SCI, a PSSCH, or a PC5-RRC link. For example, referring to FIGs. 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, and 9, the Rx reader node 605 may receive the configuration information from the first node 601, the Rx reader node 625 may receive the configuration information 635 from the A-IoT controller 627, the Rx reader node 645 may receive the configuration information 655 from the network node 647, the Rx / Tx reader node 661 may receive configuration information from the CW transmitting node 665, and / or the Rx reader node 905 may receive the configuration 911 from the CW node 902 or the configuration 910 from the controller 901.
[0126] In some aspects, the set of transmission powers includes one of a first set of increasing transmission powers associated with a first set of increasing times for the CW transmissions or a second set of decreasing transmission powers associated with the second set of increasing times for the CW transmissions. One of the first set of transmission powers or the second set of transmission powers, in some aspects, may include an initial transmission power and subsequent transmission powers separated by a configured power difference, where the initial transmission power and the configured power difference are included in one or more of the configuration for the set of transmission powers, a first indication of the initial transmission power and the configured power difference, a second indication of the initial transmission power, or a third indication of the configured power difference. In some aspects, one of the first set of transmission powers or the second set of transmission powers may include consecutive transmission powers associated with different threshold distances for backscattering by the backscattering device (e.g., as illustrated in FIGs. 7A and 7B) . The set of transmission powers, in some aspects, may include an initial transmission power for a first CW transmission in the set of CW transmissions and one or more additional transmission powers for a corresponding one or more subsequent CW transmissions in the set of CW transmissions, where the initial transmission power and the one or more additional transmission powers are indicated in one or more of the configuration for the set of transmission powers, a first indication of the initial transmission power, or a set of indications corresponding to the one or more additional transmission powers.
[0127] At 1204, the receiving reader node may receive, based on the configuration for the set of transmission powers, a set of backscattered CW transmissions from a backscattering device. For example, 1204 may be performed by application processor (s) 1306, cellular baseband processor (s) 1324, transceiver (s) 1322, antenna (s) 1380, CU processor (s) 1412, DU processor (s) 1432, RU processor (s) 1442, transceiver (s) 1446, antenna (s) 1480, and / or CW2D / D2R determination component 198 of FIGs. 13 or 14. In some aspects, the backscattering device is associated with backscattering one of a subset of the set of CW transmissions received with a power that is greater than a first threshold power (e.g., the subset including those CW transmissions received with a power that is greater than the first threshold power) or a first CW transmission in the set of CW transmissions received with a power greater than a second threshold power. Backscattering the subset of the set of CW transmissions, in some aspects, may include configuring each backscattered CW transmission with information regarding a number of CW transmissions from the set of CW transmissions previously backscattered by the backscattering device. For example, referring to FIGs. 8 and 9, a CW transmitting node may transmit any of the CW transmissions 801-804, 831-834, or 861-864 based on a received configuration that may be backscattered by an A-IoT device and received at the receiving reader device as received signals 816, 846, or 876, and / or the Rx reader may receive the CW transmissions transmitted, at 912, by the CW node 902 and backscattered at 914 by the set of A-IoT devices.
[0128] At 1206, the receiving reader node may determine, based on the configuration for the set of transmission powers and a power of one or more backscattered CW transmissions associated with the backscattering device, a distance between the receiving reader node and the backscattering device. For example, 1206 may be performed by application processor (s) 1306, cellular baseband processor (s) 1324, transceiver (s) 1322, antenna (s) 1380, CU processor (s) 1412, DU processor (s) 1432, RU processor (s) 1442, transceiver (s) 1446, antenna (s) 1480, and / or CW2D / D2R determination component 198 of FIGs. 13 or 14. In some aspects, the receiving reader node may be associated with one or more of the determination of the distance between the transmitting node and the backscattering device, a second determination of a second distance between the backscattering device and the receiving reader node, or a third determination of a third distance between the transmitting node and the receiving reader node. For example, referring to FIGs. 8 and 9, a CW transmitting node may transmit any of the CW transmissions 801-804, 831-834, or 861-864 based on a received configuration that may be backscattered by an A-IoT device and received at the receiving reader device as received signals 816, 846, or 876, and / or the CW node 902 may, at 912, transmit the CW transmissions based on the configuration 910 for backscattering, at 914, from the set of A-IoT devices to the Rx reader node 905 for the Rx reader node 905 to determine, at 916, at least a distance between the Rx reader node 905 and the A-IoT devices in the set of A-IoT devices.
[0129] At 1208, the receiving reader node may transmit, to one of a controller of the backscattering device, a network node, or a transmitting reader device, to a base station, or information based on the determined distance. For example, 1208 may be performed by application processor (s) 1306, cellular baseband processor (s) 1324, transceiver (s) 1322, antenna (s) 1380, CU processor (s) 1412, DU processor (s) 1432, RU processor (s) 1442, transceiver (s) 1446, antenna (s) 1480, and / or CW2D / D2R determination component 198 of FIGs. 13 or 14. For example, referring to FIG. 9, the Rx reader node 905 may transmit feedback 918 to the controller 901.
[0130] FIG. 13 is a diagram 1300 illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an apparatus 1304. The apparatus 1304 may be a UE, a component of a UE, or may implement UE functionality. In some aspects, the apparatus 1304 may include at least one cellular baseband processor 1324 (also referred to as a modem) coupled to one or more transceivers 1322 (e.g., cellular RF transceiver) . The cellular baseband processor (s) 1324 may include at least one on-chip memory 1324'. In some aspects, the apparatus 1304 may further include one or more subscriber identity modules (SIM) cards 1320 and at least one application processor 1306 coupled to a secure digital (SD) card 1308 and a screen 1310. The application processor (s) 1306 may include on-chip memory 1306'. In some aspects, the apparatus 1304 may further include a Bluetooth module 1312, a WLAN module 1314, an SPS module 1316 (e.g., GNSS module) , one or more sensor modules 1318 (e.g., barometric pressure sensor / altimeter; motion sensor such as inertial measurement unit (IMU) , gyroscope, and / or accelerometer (s) ; light detection and ranging (LIDAR) , radio assisted detection and ranging (RADAR) , sound navigation and ranging (SONAR) , magnetometer, audio and / or other technologies used for positioning) , additional memory modules 1326, a power supply 1330, and / or a camera 1332. The Bluetooth module 1312, the WLAN module 1314, and the SPS module 1316 may include an on-chip transceiver (TRX) (or in some cases, just a receiver (RX) ) . The Bluetooth module 1312, the WLAN module 1314, and the SPS module 1316 may include their own dedicated antennas and / or utilize one or more antennas 1380 for communication. The cellular baseband processor (s) 1324 communicates through the transceiver (s) 1322 via the one or more antennas 1380 with the UE 104 and / or with an RU associated with a network entity 1302. The cellular baseband processor (s) 1324 and the application processor (s) 1306 may each include a computer-readable medium / memory 1324', 1306', respectively. The additional memory modules 1326 may also be considered a computer-readable medium / memory. Each computer-readable medium / memory 1324', 1306', 1326 may be non-transitory. The cellular baseband processor (s) 1324 and the application processor (s) 1306 are each responsible for general processing, including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable medium / memory. The software, when executed by the cellular baseband processor (s) 1324 / application processor (s) 1306, causes the cellular baseband processor (s) 1324 / application processor (s) 1306 to perform the various functions described supra. The computer-readable medium / memory may also be used for storing data that is manipulated by the cellular baseband processor (s) 1324 / application processor (s) 1306 when executing software. The cellular baseband processor (s) 1324 / application processor (s) 1306 may be a component of the UE 350 and may include the at least one memory 360 and / or at least one of the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the controller / processor 359. In one configuration, the apparatus 1304 may be at least one processor chip (modem and / or application) and include just the cellular baseband processor (s) 1324 and / or the application processor (s) 1306, and in another configuration, the apparatus 1304 may be the entire UE (e.g., see UE 350 of FIG. 3) and include the additional modules of the apparatus 1304.
[0131] As discussed supra, the CW2D / D2R determination component 198 may be configured to obtain a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions and transmit, based on the obtained configuration, the set of CW transmissions in association with a determination of a distance between a receiving reader node and a backscattering device. In some aspects, the CW2D / D2R determination component 198 may additionally, or alternatively, be configured to obtain a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions from a CW transmission node, receive, based on the configuration for the set of transmission powers, a set of backscattered CW transmissions from a backscattering device, determine, based on the configuration for the set of transmission powers and a power of one or more backscattered CW transmissions associated with the backscattering device, a distance between the receiving reader node and the backscattering device, and transmit, to one of a controller of the backscattering device, a network node, or a transmitting reader device, to a base station, or information based on the determined distance. The CW2D / D2R determination component 198 may be within the cellular baseband processor (s) 1324, the application processor (s) 1306, or both the cellular baseband processor (s) 1324 and the application processor (s) 1306. The CW2D / D2R determination component 198 may be one or more hardware components specifically configured to carry out the stated processes / algorithm, implemented by one or more processors configured to perform the stated processes / algorithm, stored within a computer-readable medium for implementation by one or more processors, or some combination thereof. When multiple processors are implemented, the multiple processors may perform the stated processes / algorithm individually or in combination. As shown, the apparatus 1304 may include a variety of components configured for various functions. In one configuration, the apparatus 1304, and in particular the cellular baseband processor (s) 1324 and / or the application processor (s) 1306, may include means for obtaining a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions. The apparatus 1304, and in particular the cellular baseband processor (s) 1324 and / or the application processor (s) 1306, may include means for transmitting, based on the obtained configuration, the set of CW transmissions in association with a determination of a distance between a receiving reader node and a backscattering device. The apparatus 1304, and in particular the cellular baseband processor (s) 1324 and / or the application processor (s) 1306, may include means for receiving, from a controller device, the configuration for the set of transmission powers. The apparatus 1304, and in particular the cellular baseband processor (s) 1324 and / or the application processor (s) 1306, may include means for receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers via one of radio resource control (RRC) signaling, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) (MAC-CE) , or downlink control information (DCI) . The apparatus 1304, and in particular the cellular baseband processor (s) 1324 and / or the application processor (s) 1306, may include means for receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers via one of sidelink control information (SCI) , a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) , or a direct communication (PC5) -radio resource control (RRC) (PC5-RRC) link. The apparatus 1304, and in particular the cellular baseband processor (s) 1324 and / or the application processor (s) 1306, may include means for transmitting the configuration for the set of transmission powers to a receiving reader node associated with the determination of the distance between the receiving reader node and the backscattering device. The apparatus 1304, and in particular the cellular baseband processor (s) 1324 and / or the application processor (s) 1306, may include means for transmitting the configuration for the set of transmission powers via one of a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) (MAC-CE) , uplink control information (UCI) , or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) . The apparatus 1304, and in particular the cellular baseband processor (s) 1324 and / or the application processor (s) 1306, may include means for transmitting the set of CW transmissions comprises transmitting, for backscattering to a receiving reader node, the set of CW transmissions. The apparatus 1304, and in particular the cellular baseband processor (s) 1324 and / or the application processor (s) 1306, may include means for obtaining a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of continuous wave (CW) transmissions from a CW transmission node. The apparatus 1304, and in particular the cellular baseband processor (s) 1324 and / or the application processor (s) 1306, may include means for receiving, based on the configuration for the set of transmission powers, a set of backscattered CW transmissions from a backscattering device. The apparatus 1304, and in particular the cellular baseband processor (s) 1324 and / or the application processor (s) 1306, may include means for determining, based on the configuration for the set of transmission powers and a power of one or more backscattered CW transmissions associated with the backscattering device, a distance between the receiving reader node and the backscattering device. The apparatus 1304, and in particular the cellular baseband processor (s) 1324 and / or the application processor (s) 1306, may include means for transmitting, to one of a controller of the backscattering device, a network node, or a transmitting reader device, to a base station, or information based on the determined distance. The apparatus 1304, and in particular the cellular baseband processor (s) 1324 and / or the application processor (s) 1306, may include means for determining one or more of a second distance between the CW transmitting node and the backscattering device or a third distance between the CW transmitting node and the receiving reader node. The apparatus 1304 may further include means for performing any of the aspects described in connection with the flowcharts in FIGs. 10-12, and / or performed by the CW node 902 or the Rx reader node 905 in the communication flow of FIG. 9. The means may be the CW2D / D2R determination component 198 of the apparatus 1304 configured to perform the functions recited by the means. As described supra, the apparatus 1304 may include the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the controller / processor 359. As such, in one configuration, the means may be the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and / or the controller / processor 359 configured to perform the functions recited by the means.
[0132] FIG. 14 is a diagram 1400 illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a network entity 1402. The network entity 1402 may be a BS, a component of a BS, or may implement BS functionality. The network entity 1402 may include at least one of a CU 1410, a DU 1430, or an RU 1440. For example, depending on the layer functionality handled by the CW2D / D2R determination component 198, the network entity 1402 may include the CU 1410; both the CU 1410 and the DU 1430; each of the CU 1410, the DU 1430, and the RU 1440; the DU 1430; both the DU 1430 and the RU 1440; or the RU 1440. The CU 1410 may include at least one CU processor 1412. The CU processor (s) 1412 may include on-chip memory 1412'. In some aspects, the CU 1410 may further include additional memory modules 1414 and a communications interface 1418. The CU 1410 communicates with the DU 1430 through a midhaul link, such as an F1 interface. The DU 1430 may include at least one DU processor 1432. The DU processor (s) 1432 may include on-chip memory 1432'. In some aspects, the DU 1430 may further include additional memory modules 1434 and a communications interface 1438. The DU 1430 communicates with the RU 1440 through a fronthaul link. The RU 1440 may include at least one RU processor 1442. The RU processor (s) 1442 may include on-chip memory 1442'. In some aspects, the RU 1440 may further include additional memory modules 1444, one or more transceivers 1446, one or more antennas 1480, and a communications interface 1448. The RU 1440 communicates with the UE 104. The on-chip memory 1412', 1432', 1442'and the additional memory modules 1414, 1434, 1444 may each be considered a computer-readable medium / memory. Each computer-readable medium / memory may be non-transitory. Each of the processors 1412, 1432, 1442 is responsible for general processing, including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable medium / memory. The software, when executed by the corresponding processor (s) causes the processor (s) to perform the various functions described supra. The computer-readable medium / memory may also be used for storing data that is manipulated by the processor (s) when executing software.
[0133] As discussed supra, the CW2D / D2R determination component 198 may be configured to obtain a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions and transmit, based on the obtained configuration, the set of CW transmissions in association with a determination of a distance between a receiving reader node and a backscattering device. In some aspects, the CW2D / D2R determination component 198 may additionally, or alternatively, be configured to obtain a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions from a CW transmission node, receive, based on the configuration for the set of transmission powers, a set of backscattered CW transmissions from a backscattering device, determine, based on the configuration for the set of transmission powers and a power of one or more backscattered CW transmissions associated with the backscattering device, a distance between the receiving reader node and the backscattering device, and transmit, to one of a controller of the backscattering device, a network node, or a transmitting reader device, to a base station, or information based on the determined distance. The CW2D / D2R determination component 198 may be within one or more processors of one or more of the CU 1410, DU 1430, and the RU 1440. The CW2D / D2R determination component 198 may be one or more hardware components specifically configured to carry out the stated processes / algorithm, implemented by one or more processors configured to perform the stated processes / algorithm, stored within a computer-readable medium for implementation by one or more processors, or some combination thereof. When multiple processors are implemented, the multiple processors may perform the stated processes / algorithm individually or in combination. The network entity 1402 may include a variety of components configured for various functions. In one configuration, the network entity 1402 may include means for obtaining a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions. The network entity 1402 may include means for transmitting, based on the obtained configuration, the set of CW transmissions in association with a determination of a distance between a receiving reader node and a backscattering device. The network entity 1402 may include means for receiving, from a controller device, the configuration for the set of transmission powers. The network entity 1402 may include means for receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers via one of radio resource control (RRC) signaling, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) (MAC-CE) , or downlink control information (DCI) . The network entity 1402 may include means for receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers via one of sidelink control information (SCI) , a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) , or a direct communication (PC5) -radio resource control (RRC) (PC5-RRC) link. The network entity 1402 may include means for transmitting the configuration for the set of transmission powers to a receiving reader node associated with the determination of the distance between the receiving reader node and the backscattering device. The network entity 1402 may include means for transmitting the configuration for the set of transmission powers via one of a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) (MAC-CE) , uplink control information (UCI) , or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) . The network entity 1402 may include means for transmitting the set of CW transmissions comprises transmitting, for backscattering to a receiving reader node, the set of CW transmissions. The network entity 1402 may include means for obtaining a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of continuous wave (CW) transmissions from a CW transmission node. The network entity 1402 may include means for receiving, based on the configuration for the set of transmission powers, a set of backscattered CW transmissions from a backscattering device. The network entity 1402 may include means for determining, based on the configuration for the set of transmission powers and a power of one or more backscattered CW transmissions associated with the backscattering device, a distance between the receiving reader node and the backscattering device. The network entity 1402 may include means for transmitting, to one of a controller of the backscattering device, a network node, or a transmitting reader device, to a base station, or information based on the determined distance. The network entity 1402 may include means for determining one or more of a second distance between the CW transmitting node and the backscattering device or a third distance between the CW transmitting node and the receiving reader node. The network entity 1402 may further include means for performing any of the aspects described in connection with the flowcharts in FIGs. 10-12, and / or performed by the CW node 902 or the Rx reader node 905 in the communication flow of FIG. 9. The means may be the CW2D / D2R determination component 198 of the network entity 1402 configured to perform the functions recited by the means. As described supra, the network entity 1402 may include the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375. As such, in one configuration, the means may be the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and / or the controller / processor 375 configured to perform the functions recited by the means.
[0134] Various aspects relate generally to procedures to determine the CW2D distance. The procedures for determining the CW2D distance, in some aspects, may be associated with indicating a transmission power of each of a set of transmissions that may be used to account for, and / or determine, the CW2D distance. Some aspects more specifically relate to several options for transmitting reference signals for a proximity determination associated with (or for determining a proximity of) one or more A-IoT devices. In some examples, a CW transmitting node may be configured to obtain a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions and transmit, based on the obtained configuration, the set of CW transmissions in association with a determination of a distance between a receiving reader node and a backscattering device. In some examples, a Rx reader node may be configured to obtain a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions from a CW transmission node, receive, based on the configuration for the set of transmission powers, a set of backscattered CW transmissions from a backscattering device, determine, based on the configuration for the set of transmission powers and a power of one or more backscattered CW transmissions associated with the backscattering device, a distance between the receiving reader node and the backscattering device, and transmit, to one of a controller of the backscattering device, a network node, or a transmitting reader device, to a base station, or information based on the determined distance.
[0135] Particular aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to realize one or more of the following potential advantages. In some examples, by configuring the set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions from a CW transmitting node, the described techniques can be used to determine one or more D2R distances (e.g., between one or more A-IoT devices and an Rx reader device) at the Rx reader device receiving the set of CW transmissions after being backscattered from the one or more A-IoT devices.
[0136] It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the processes / flowcharts disclosed is an illustration of example approaches. Based upon design preferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the processes / flowcharts may be rearranged. Further, some blocks may be combined or omitted. The accompanying method claims present elements of the various blocks in a sample order, and are not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.
[0137] The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not limited to the aspects described herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language claims. Reference to an element in the singular does not mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more. ” Terms such as “if, ” “when, ” and “while” do not imply an immediate temporal relationship or reaction. That is, these phrases, e.g., “when, ” do not imply an immediate action in response to or during the occurrence of an action, but simply imply that if a condition is met then an action will occur, but without requiring a specific or immediate time constraint for the action to occur. The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration. ” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. Combinations such as “at least one of A, B, or C, ” “one or more of A, B, or C, ” “at least one of A, B, and C, ” “one or more of A, B, and C, ” and “A, B, C, or any combination thereof” include any combination of A, B, and / or C, and may include multiples of A, multiples of B, or multiples of C. Specifically, combinations such as “at least one of A, B, or C, ” “one or more of A, B, or C, ” “at least one of A, B, and C, ” “one or more of A, B, and C, ” and “A, B, C, or any combination thereof” may be A only, B only, C only, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, where any such combinations may contain one or more member or members of A, B, or C. Sets should be interpreted as a set of elements where the elements number one or more. Accordingly, for a set of X, X would include one or more elements. When at least one processor is configured to perform a set of functions, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to perform the set of functions. Accordingly, each processor of the at least one processor may be configured to perform a particular subset of the set of functions, where the subset is the full set, a proper subset of the set, or an empty subset of the set. A processor may be referred to as processor circuitry. A memory / memory module may be referred to as memory circuitry. If a first apparatus receives data from or transmits data to a second apparatus, the data may be received / transmitted directly between the first and second apparatuses, or indirectly between the first and second apparatuses through a set of apparatuses. A device configured to “output” data, such as a transmission, signal, or message, may transmit the data, for example with a transceiver, or may send the data to a device that transmits the data. A device configured to “obtain” data, such as a transmission, signal, or message, may receive, for example with a transceiver, or may obtain the data from a device that receives the data. Information stored in a memory includes instructions and / or data. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. The words “module, ” “mechanism, ” “element, ” “device, ” and the like may not be a substitute for the word “means. ” As such, no claim element is to be construed as a means plus function unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for. ”
[0138] As used herein, the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as a reference to a closed set of information, one or more conditions, one or more factors, or the like. In other words, the phrase “based on A” (where “A” may be information, a condition, a factor, or the like) shall be construed as “based at least on A” unless specifically recited differently.
[0139] The following aspects are illustrative only and may be combined with other aspects or teachings described herein, without limitation.
[0140] Aspect 1 is a method of wireless communication at a continuous wave (CW) transmitting node, comprising: obtaining a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions; and transmitting, based on the obtained configuration, the set of CW transmissions in association with a determination of a distance between a receiving reader node and a backscattering device.
[0141] Aspect 2 is the method of aspect 1, wherein the set of transmission powers comprises one of: a first set of increasing transmission powers associated with a first set of increasing times for the CW transmissions; or a second set of decreasing transmission powers associated with the second set of increasing times for the CW transmissions.
[0142] Aspect 3 is the method of aspect 2, wherein one of the first set of transmission powers or the second set of transmission powers comprises an initial transmission power and subsequent transmission powers separated by a configured power difference, wherein the initial transmission power and the configured power difference are included in one or more of: the configuration for the set of transmission powers; a first indication of the initial transmission power and the configured power difference; a second indication of the initial transmission power; or a third indication of the configured power difference.
[0143] Aspect 4 is the method of any of aspects 2 and 3, wherein one of the first set of transmission powers or the second set of transmission powers comprises consecutive transmission powers associated with different threshold distances for backscattering by the backscattering device.
[0144] Aspect 5 is the method of any of aspects 1 to 4, wherein the set of transmission powers comprises an initial transmission power for a first CW transmission in the set of CW transmissions and one or more additional transmission powers for a corresponding one or more subsequent CW transmissions in the set of CW transmissions, wherein the initial transmission power and the one or more additional transmission powers are indicated in one or more of: the configuration for the set of transmission powers; a first indication of the initial transmission power; or a set of indications corresponding to the one or more additional transmission powers.
[0145] Aspect 6 is the method of any of aspects 1 to 5, wherein obtaining the configuration for the set of transmission powers comprises receiving, from a controller device, the configuration for the set of transmission powers, wherein the controller device is at least one of a controller of the backscattering device, a network node, or a transmitting reader device.
[0146] Aspect 7 is the method of aspect 6, wherein the CW transmitting node is a user equipment (UE) and the controller device is one of the network node or the transmitting reader device, and wherein receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers comprises receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers via one of radio resource control (RRC) signaling, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) (MAC-CE) , or downlink control information (DCI) .
[0147] Aspect 8 is the method of aspect 6, wherein the controller device is the transmitting reader device, wherein the CW transmitting node is a first user equipment (UE) and the transmitting reader device is a second UE, and wherein receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers comprises receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers via one of sidelink control information (SCI) , a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) , or a direct communication (PC5) -radio resource control (RRC) (PC5-RRC) link.
[0148] Aspect 9 is the method of any of aspects 1 to 8, further comprising: transmitting the configuration for the set of transmission powers to the receiving reader node associated with the determination of the distance between the receiving reader node and the backscattering device.
[0149] Aspect 10 is the method of aspect 9, wherein transmitting the configuration for the set of transmission powers to the receiving reader node comprises transmitting the configuration for the set of transmission powers via one of a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) (MAC-CE) , uplink control information (UCI) , or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) .
[0150] Aspect 11 is the method of any of aspects 1 to 10, wherein the backscattering device is associated with backscattering one of: a subset of the set of CW transmissions received with a first power that is greater than a first threshold power; and a first CW transmission in the set of CW transmissions received with a second power greater than a second threshold power.
[0151] Aspect 12 is the method of aspect 11, wherein the backscattering of the subset of the set of CW transmissions is associated with configuring each backscattered CW transmission with information regarding a number of CW transmissions from the set of CW transmissions previously backscattered by the backscattering device.
[0152] Aspect 13 is the method of any of aspects 1 to 12, wherein transmitting the set of CW transmissions comprises transmitting, for backscattering to the receiving reader node, the set of CW transmissions, wherein the receiving reader node is associated with one or more of: the determination of the distance between the CW transmitting node and the backscattering device; a second determination of a second distance between the backscattering device and the receiving reader node; or a third determination of a third distance between the CW transmitting node and the receiving reader node.
[0153] Aspect 14 is a method of wireless communication at a receiving reader node, comprising: obtaining a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of continuous wave (CW) transmissions from a CW transmission node; receiving, based on the configuration for the set of transmission powers, a set of backscattered CW transmissions from a backscattering device; determining, based on the configuration for the set of transmission powers and a power of one or more backscattered CW transmissions associated with the backscattering device, a distance between the receiving reader node and the backscattering device; and transmitting, to one of a controller of the backscattering device, a network node, or a transmitting reader device, to a base station, or information based on the determined distance.
[0154] Aspect 15 is the method of aspect 14, wherein the set of transmission powers comprises one of: a first set of increasing transmission powers associated with a first set of increasing times for the CW transmissions; or a second set of decreasing transmission powers associated with the second set of increasing times for the CW transmissions.
[0155] Aspect 16 is the method of aspect 15, wherein one of the first set of transmission powers or the second set of transmission powers comprises an initial transmission power and subsequent transmission powers separated by a configured power difference, wherein the initial transmission power and the configured power difference are included in one or more of: the configuration for the set of transmission powers; a first indication of the initial transmission power and the configured power difference; a second indication of the initial transmission power; or a third indication of the configured power difference.
[0156] Aspect 17 is the method of any of aspects 15 and 16, wherein one of the first set of transmission powers or the second set of transmission powers comprises consecutive transmission powers associated with different threshold distances for backscattering by the backscattering device.
[0157] Aspect 18 is the method of any of aspects 14 to 17, wherein the set of transmission powers comprises an initial transmission power for a first CW transmission in the set of CW transmissions and one or more additional transmission powers for a corresponding one or more subsequent CW transmissions in the set of CW transmissions, wherein the initial transmission power and the one or more additional transmission powers are indicated in one or more of: the configuration for the set of transmission powers; a first indication of the initial transmission power; or a set of indications corresponding to the one or more additional transmission powers.
[0158] Aspect 19 is the method of any of aspects 14 to 18, wherein obtaining the configuration for the set of transmission powers comprises receiving, from a controller device, the configuration for the set of transmission powers, wherein the controller device is at least one of a controller of the backscattering device, a network node, or a transmitting reader device.
[0159] Aspect 20 is the method of aspect 19, wherein the receiving reader node is a user equipment (UE) and the controller device is one of the network node or the transmitting reader device, and wherein receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers comprises receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers via one of radio resource control (RRC) signaling, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) (MAC-CE) , or downlink control information (DCI) .
[0160] Aspect 21 is the method of aspect 19, wherein the controller device is one of the transmitting reader device or the CW transmitting node, wherein the receiving reader node is a first user equipment (UE) and the transmitting reader device or the CW transmitting node is a second UE, and wherein receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers comprises receiving the configuration for the set of transmission powers via one of sidelink control information (SCI) , a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) , or a direct communication (PC5) -radio resource control (RRC) (PC5-RRC) link.
[0161] Aspect 22 is the method of any of aspects 14 to 21, wherein the set of backscattered CW transmissions received from the backscattering device comprises one of: a subset of the set of CW transmissions received with a power that is greater than a first threshold power; and a first CW transmission in the set of CW transmissions received with a power greater than a second threshold power.
[0162] Aspect 23 is the method of any of aspects 14 to 22, the set of backscattered CW transmissions received from the backscattering device comprises information regarding a number of CW transmissions from the set of CW transmissions previously backscattered by the backscattering device.
[0163] Aspect 24 is the method of any of aspects 14 to 23, further comprising determining one or more of: a second distance between the CW transmitting node and the backscattering device; or a third distance between the CW transmitting node and the receiving reader node.
[0164] Aspect 25 is an apparatus for wireless communication at a device including a memory and at least one processor coupled to the memory and, based at least in part on information stored in the memory, the at least one processor is configured to implement any of aspects 1 to 13.
[0165] Aspect 26 is the apparatus of aspect 25, further including a transceiver or an antenna coupled to the at least one processor.
[0166] Aspect 27 is an apparatus for wireless communication at a device including means for implementing any of aspects 1 to 13.
[0167] Aspect 28 is a computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable medium) storing computer executable code, where the code when executed by a processor causes the processor to implement any of aspects 1 to 13.
[0168] Aspect 29 is an apparatus for wireless communication at a device including a memory and at least one processor coupled to the memory and, based at least in part on information stored in the memory, the at least one processor is configured to implement any of aspects 14 to 24.
[0169] Aspect 30 is the apparatus of aspect 29, further including a transceiver or an antenna coupled to the at least one processor.
[0170] Aspect 31 is an apparatus for wireless communication at a device including means for implementing any of aspects 14 to 24.
[0171] Aspect 32 is a computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable medium) storing computer executable code, where the code when executed by a processor causes the processor to implement any of aspects 14 to 24.
Claims
1.An apparatus for wireless communication at a continuous wave (CW) transmitting node, comprising:at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and, based at least in part on stored information that is stored in the at least one memory, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to:obtain a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions; and transmit, based on the obtained configuration, the set of CW transmissions in association with a determination of a distance between a receiving reader node and a backscattering device.2.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the set of transmission powers comprises one of:a first set of increasing transmission powers associated with a first set of increasing times for the CW transmissions; or a second set of decreasing transmission powers associated with the second set of increasing times for the CW transmissions.3.The apparatus of claim 2, wherein one of the first set of transmission powers or the second set of transmission powers comprises an initial transmission power and subsequent transmission powers separated by a configured power difference, wherein the initial transmission power and the configured power difference are included in one or more of:the configuration for the set of transmission powers;a first indication of the initial transmission power and the configured power difference;a second indication of the initial transmission power; ora third indication of the configured power difference.4.The apparatus of claim 2, wherein one of the first set of transmission powers or the second set of transmission powers comprises consecutive transmission powers associated with different threshold distances for backscattering by the backscattering device.5.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the set of transmission powers comprises an initial transmission power for a first CW transmission in the set of CW transmissions and one or more additional transmission powers for a corresponding one or more subsequent CW transmissions in the set of CW transmissions, wherein the initial transmission power and the one or more additional transmission powers are indicated in one or more of:the configuration for the set of transmission powers;a first indication of the initial transmission power; ora set of indications corresponding to the one or more additional transmission powers.6.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to obtain the configuration for the set of transmission powers, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to receive, from a controller device, the configuration for the set of transmission powers, wherein the controller device is at least one of a controller of the backscattering device, a network node, or a transmitting reader device.7.The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the CW transmitting node is a user equipment (UE) and the controller device is one of the network node or the transmitting reader device, and wherein to receive the configuration for the set of transmission powers, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to receive the configuration for the set of transmission powers via one of radio resource control (RRC) signaling, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) (MAC-CE), or downlink control information (DCI).8.The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controller device is the transmitting reader device, wherein the CW transmitting node is a first user equipment (UE) and the transmitting reader device is a second UE, and wherein to receive the configuration for the set of transmission powers, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to receive the configuration for the set of transmission powers via one of sidelink control information (SCI), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), or a direct communication (PC5) -radio resource control (RRC) (PC5-RRC) link.9.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is further configured to:transmit the configuration for the set of transmission powers to the receiving reader node associated with the determination of the distance between the receiving reader node and the backscattering device.10.The apparatus of claim 9, wherein to transmit the configuration for the set of transmission powers to the receiving reader node, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to transmit the configuration for the set of transmission powers via one of a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) (MAC-CE), uplink control information (UCI), or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).11.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the backscattering device is associated with backscattering one of:a subset of the set of CW transmissions received with a first power that is greater than a first threshold power; anda first CW transmission in the set of CW transmissions received with a second power greater than a second threshold power.12.The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the backscattering of the subset of the set of CW transmissions is associated with configuring each backscattered CW transmission with information regarding a number of CW transmissions from the set of CW transmissions previously backscattered by the backscattering device.13.The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a transceiver coupled to the at least one processor, wherein to transmit the set of CW transmissions the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to transmit, for backscattering to the receiving reader node and via the transceiver, the set of CW transmissions, wherein the receiving reader node is associated with one or more of:the determination of the distance between the CW transmitting node and the backscattering device;a second determination of a second distance between the backscattering device and the receiving reader node; ora third determination of a third distance between the CW transmitting node and the receiving reader node.14.A method of wireless communication at a continuous wave (CW) transmitting node, comprising:obtaining a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions; andtransmitting, based on the obtained configuration, the set of CW transmissions in association with a determination of a distance between a receiving reader node and a backscattering device.15.The method of claim 14, wherein the set of transmission powers comprises one of:a first set of increasing transmission powers associated with a first set of increasing times for the CW transmissions; ora second set of decreasing transmission powers associated with the second set of increasing times for the CW transmissions.16.The method of claim 15, wherein one of the first set of transmission powers or the second set of transmission powers comprises an initial transmission power and subsequent transmission powers separated by a configured power difference, wherein the initial transmission power and the configured power difference are included in one or more of:the configuration for the set of transmission powers;a first indication of the initial transmission power and the configured power difference;a second indication of the initial transmission power; ora third indication of the configured power difference.17.The method of claim 14, wherein the set of transmission powers comprises an initial transmission power for a first CW transmission in the set of CW transmissions and one or more additional transmission powers for a corresponding one or more subsequent CW transmissions in the set of CW transmissions, wherein the initial transmission power and the one or more additional transmission powers are indicated in one or more of:the configuration for the set of transmission powers;a first indication of the initial transmission power; ora set of indications corresponding to the one or more additional transmission powers.18.The method of claim 14, wherein obtaining the configuration for the set of transmission powers comprises receiving, from a controller device, the configuration for the set of transmission powers, wherein the controller device is at least one of a controller of the backscattering device, a network node, or a transmitting reader device and the configuration is received via at least one of radio resource control (RRC) signaling, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) (MAC-CE), or downlink control information (DCI), sidelink control information (SCI), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), or a direct communication (PC5) -radio resource control (RRC) (PC5-RRC) link, uplink control information (UCI), or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).19.The method of claim 14, further comprising:transmitting the configuration for the set of transmission powers to the receiving reader node associated with the determination of the distance between the receiving reader node and the backscattering device.20.A computer-readable medium storing computer executable code at a continuous wave (CW) transmitting node, the code when executed by a processor causes the processor to:obtain a configuration for a set of transmission powers associated with a set of CW transmissions; andtransmit, based on the obtained configuration, the set of CW transmissions in association with a determination of a distance between a receiving reader node and a backscattering device.