Data segmentation for ambient IoT devices

Abstract

There is disclosed a reader comprising: means for transmitting, to an ambient IoT device, segmentation information indicating a supported segmentation of data to be transmitted by the ambient IoT device to the reader; means for receiving a random access signal from the ambient IoT device; means for receiving, a data transmission from the ambient IoT device after reception of the random access signal, wherein the data transmission comprises a data segment of the data segmented based on the segmentation information. There is also disclosed an ambient IoT device comprising: means for receiving, from a reader, segmentation information indicating a supported segmentation of data to be transmitted by the ambient IoT device to the reader; means for transmitting a random access signal to the reader, and means for performing a data transmission to the reader after transmission of the random access signal, wherein the data transmission comprises a data segment of the data segmented based on the segmentation information.

Description

[0001] DATA SEGMENTATION FOR AMBIENT IOT DEVICES

[0002] TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure is related to but not limited to communication networks as defined by the 3GPP standard, such as NR or 6G standard. The disclosure particularly relates to the communication and data transmission of ambient loT (Internet of Things) devices.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] The number of loT connections has been growing rapidly in recent years and is predicted to be hundreds of billions by 2030. With more and more devices expected to be interconnected for improving production efficiency and increasing comforts of life, it demands further reduction of size, cost, and power consumption for loT devices. An on-going study item are solutions for ambient loT and a harmonized air interface design with minimized differences (where necessary) for Ambient loT. Ambient loT can be considered a new 3GPP loT technology suitable for deployment in a 3GPP system, which relies on ultralow complexity devices with ultra-low power consumption for the very-low end loT applications. It is an aim to address use cases and scenarios that cannot otherwise be fulfilled based on existing 3GPP Low power wide area (LPWA) loT technology e.g. Narrowband loT (NB-IoT) including with reduced peak Tx power.

[0006] SUMMARY OF SOME EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0007] In the field of ambient loT devices, it is in particular challenging when larger amounts of data need to be transmitted. For instance, the current approaches and procedures do not define how to efficiently transmit larger amounts of data. Also, no approaches on how to efficiently track a transmission or re-transmit data are defined. More specifically, there is a need for ensuring data integrity, in particular in scenarios where the ambient loT device may become unavailable, such as in case of the ambient loT device running out of energy. Furthermore, there are currently no approaches for considering the specific transmission scenario, such as the number of ambient loT devices in the radio environment of the reader, when scheduling transmission.

[0008] Accordingly, certain embodiments of the present disclosure may have the technical effect of more efficiently transmitting larger amounts of data. Further, certain embodiments may have the effect of efficiently tracking a transmission or re-transmitting data. Certain embodiments may have the technical effect of ensuring data integrity, in particular in scenarios where the ambient loT device may become unavailable, such as in case of the ambient loT device running out of energy. Certain embodiments of the disclosure may have the effect of considering the specific transmission scenario, such as the number of ambient loT devices in the radio environment of the reader, when scheduling transmissions.According to a first example aspect of the disclosure there is disclosed a reader. The reader may comprise means for transmitting, to an ambient loT device, segmentation information indicating a supported segmentation of data to be transmitted by the ambient loT device to the reader. The reader may comprise means for receiving a random access signal from the ambient loT device. The reader may comprise means for receiving a data transmission from the ambient loT device after reception of the random access signal, wherein the data transmission comprises a data segment of the data segmented based on the segmentation information.

[0009] According to a second example aspect of the disclosure, there is disclosed an ambient loT device. The ambient loT device may comprise means for receiving, from a reader, segmentation information indicating a supported segmentation of data to be transmitted by the ambient loT device to the reader. The ambient loT device may comprise means for transmitting a random access signal to the reader. The ambient loT device many comprise means for performing a data transmission to the reader after transmission of the random access signal, wherein the data transmission comprises a data segment of the data segmented based on the segmentation information.

[0010] The disclosed ambient loT device may in particular be a low power device, an loT device or an Industrial loT (IIoT) device. An ambient loT device may in particular be a node from a sensor network that is capable of performing a desired action such as gathering, processing and / or communicating information with other connected nodes in a network. The ambient loT device may in particular be part of an ecosystem of a large number of objects which are connected into a wireless sensor network using self-powered sensor nodes. The ambient loT device may thus in particular be a device performing energy harvesting. The device may in particular receive an activation signal and return a response signal. The response may in particular include or be based on an identifier (ID) of the ambient loT device. The activation signal may come from an activator. The response may be received by a reader. Generally, an activator and the reader may, however, be the same device. Thus, a reader may also have the capabilities or act as an activator and vice versa.

[0011] For instance, the ambient loT device may have limited or no energy storage. For instance, the ambient loT device may use an activation signal energy to wake up and potentially also to modulate the activation signal reflection with its ID, e.g. via on-off keying (switching between full reflection (e.g. bit 1) and matched antenna load (bit 0)). The activation signal may also be used for energy harvesting. For instance, when the activation signal RF power level at the device antenna is above a certain threshold, the device may harvest energy, wake up and start modulating the reflection. As will be explained in the following, the network may be in charge of the activator and reader configuration and may keep track of the activation configuration used for specific reader reports.Accordingly, the reader can receive and detect signals from a respective ambient loT device, such as actively generated signals and / or backscattered activation signals modulated with a respective device identifier. Generally, the reader will be able to detect signals from a set or plurality of ambient loT devices.

[0012] The disclosed reader may generally be a stationary device or a mobile device. The reader may for instance be a user equipment or a terminal device. The reader may in particular be a mobile device, such as a smartphone, a tablet, a wearable, smart glasses, a smartwatch, a vehicle, a truck, a drone, an airplane, or the like.

[0013] The reader may also be a network device, which may in particular be understood to be a wireless communication station installed at a fixed or mobile location and may in particular be or comprise an entity of the radio access network of the communication system. For instance, the network device may be, comprise, or be part of a base station of a communication network of any generation (e.g. a 6gNB, gNB, eNodeB, NodeB, BTS or the like) of the 3GPP standard. Accordingly, the communication system may in particular be a cellular communication system. In an example of a 5G or 6G network, the network device may in particular be or comprise a central unit (CU) and / or a distributed unit (DU), such as a gNB-CU and / or gNB -DU.

[0014] Generally, the reader may also be considered to comprise multiple devices, such as a user equipment and a base station.

[0015] Generally, the reader may be or comprise a hardware or software component implementing a certain functionality. In an example, the network device may be an entity as defined by 3 GPP 5G or NR standard (also referred to as a gNB). Accordingly, while a network device may be understood to be implemented in or be a single device or module, a network node may also be implemented across or comprise multiple devices or modules. Multiple network device of the exemplary aspect may in particular establish a communication system or network, which may in particular be a NR or 5G system (5GS) or part thereof or any other mobile communications system defined by a past or future standard, in particular successors of the present 3 GPP standards, such as the 6G standard.

[0016] The means or functionality of any of the disclosed devices may be implemented in hardware and / or software. They may comprise one or multiple modules or units providing the respective functionality. They may for instance comprise at least one processor for executing instructions for performing the required functions, and at least one memory storing the instructions. Alternatively, they could comprise for instance circuitry that is designed to implement the required functions, for instance implemented in a chipset or a chip, like an integrated circuit. In general, the means may comprise for instance one or more processing means or processors.Thus, according to the respective exemplary aspects of the present disclosure, there is in each case also disclosed a respective device comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the respective device (e.g. the ambient loT device and the reader) at least to perform a method according to the respective aspect of the present disclosure.

[0017] Any of the above-disclosed exemplary aspects may, however, in general be performed by an apparatus, which may be a module or a component for a respective device, for example a chip. The disclosed apparatus (e.g. ambient loT device or the reader) may comprise the disclosed components, for instance means, processor, memory, and may further comprise one or more additional components.

[0018] According to the exemplary aspects of the present disclosure, there is in each case also disclosed a computer program, the computer program when executed by a processor of a respective device (e.g. the ambient loT device or the reader) causing an apparatus (e.g. the network device, the user equipment or a part thereof) to perform a method according to the respective aspect.

[0019] The instructions, for instance processor instructions, may be stored on a storage medium that is readable by a processor, in particular a transitory and / or non-transitory medium. The storage medium could for example be a disk or a memory or the like. The storage medium may be intended for taking part in the operation of a device, like an internal or external memory, for instance a Read-Only Memory (ROM) or a hard disk, or be intended for distribution of a program or library including the instructions, like an optical disc.

[0020] In the following further example embodiments of the different aspects are described. They equally pertain to the different aspects and in particular equally apply to the disclosed devices, methods, procedures and systems.

[0021] The segmentation information may indicate information on how the data to be transmitted from the ambient loT device to the reader is to be segmented. Examples information which may be comprised by the segmentation information will be provided in the following. A segmentation may be understood as dividing the data into one or more individual segments to be transmitted. The generated data segments may have the same size or the same maximum size. A data segment may also be referred to as a transport block. Accordingly, the segment size may also be referred to as transport block size. The ambient loT device may be expected to perform a segmentation of the data in a supported way or within supported limits, which may e.g. be dictated by the network, certain network functions and / or the core network. The supported segmentation may thus also be referred to as an expected segmentation.The segmentation information may be determined by the network, e.g. by a base station and / or the core network or generally a network function (which may be implemented in the base station and / or the core network). For instance, the segmentation information (in particular the maximum supported or allowed segment size) may be determined based on or taking into account information on the ambient loT devices, e.g. an available memory on the respective ambient loT device, a capacity of the respective ambient loT device and / or a type of the ambient loT device. For example, in RFID, The EPC (Electronic Product Code) itself can have different lengths (e.g., 96-bit, 128-bit, 256-bit), which may be considered for the maximum or minimum supported segment size.

[0022] In an example the supported segmentation may also depend on the radio environment of the reader and or the ambient loT device. For instance, the supported segmentation may for instance be determined based on the number of ambient loT devices in the environment (e.g. in communication distance) of the reader and / or the available bandwidth at the reader or the ambient loT device. For instance, the more ambient loT devices are in the environment of the reader, the smaller the supported segment size may be chosen. A smaller segment size may reduce the time a radio channel is occupied, which may be advantageous for a scenario of many ambient loT devices.

[0023] In an example, the segmentation information may be transmitted from the core network, e.g. an application function of the core network, to the reader and the reader may transmit the segmentation information to the ambient loT device.

[0024] The data to be transmitted by the ambient loT device to the reader may be any data, such as user data, application data or sensor data gathered by the ambient loT device.

[0025] The random access signal may be part of a random access procedure. For instance, the random access signal may be a message 1 (Msgl) of a random access (device to reader, D2R) procedure. The random access signal may be or comprise a random access preamble, e.g. physical random access channel, PRACH, preamble. The random access signal may indicate that a data transmission is desired as part of the random access procedure, for instance by using a dedicated random access preamble. The random access signal may be transmitted during a random access occasion for the ambient loT device. The ambient loT device may have been configured previously with the random access occasion, e.g. by the reader or another device.

[0026] In an example, the reader may transmit (and the ambient loT device may receive) a random access response, for instance a message 2 (Msg2) of a random access procedure. The random access response may comprise a data session ID.The data transmission may be performed for instance using a small data transmission, SDT, procedure. Thus, the data transmission may be performed during an RRC inactive state without transitioning to an RRC connected state. For instance, the data transmission may at least partially be performed as part of a message 3 (Msg3) of a random access procedure. For instance, the first data segment may be transmitted as part of a message 3. The data transmission may comprise one or more messages from the ambient loT device to the reader. Each message may comprise one or more data segments.

[0027] In an example, any of the messages (such as the data transmission) from the ambient loT device to the reader may be transmitted on the physical device-to-reader channel (PDRCH). In an example, any of the messages from the reader to the ambient loT device may be transmitted on the physical reader-to-device channel (PRDCH).

[0028] In an example, the reader may transmit (and the ambient loT device may receive) a (positive or negative) acknowledgement of the message comprising (a part of) the data transmission from the ambient loT device, for instance as part of a message 4 (Msg4) of a random access procedure.

[0029] In an example, the segmentation information may indicate a minimum supported segment size.

[0030] Additionally or alternatively, the segmentation information may indicate a maximum supported segment size. A minimum and / or maximum supported segment size may indicate that the ambient loT device is not expected or allowed to use a segment size smaller than the minimum segment size and / or to use a segment size larger than the maximum segment size. A minimum supported segment size may have the advantage of avoiding too many transmissions by the ambient loT device, since the ambient loT device may be forced to wait until it has the minimum data available for transmission. A maximum supported segment size may have the advantage of reducing the time for which a radio channel may be continuously occupied reducing collisions and allowing more devices to perform transmissions. Additionally or alternatively, the segmentation information may indicate a range of a supported segment size. A range of a supported segment size may indicate that the ambient loT device is not expected or allowed to use a segment size outside of the range of the supported segment size. Additionally or alternatively, the segmentation information may indicate a maximum supported number of data segments. This may have the advantage of avoiding too small data segments and / or transmission of too large data. As explained above, the segmentation information (and in particular the respective supported segment size and / or number of segments) may inter aha be based on the available bandwidth, the maximum available or supported memory on the ambient loT device and / or the device category.

[0031] In an example, the segmentation information may be transmitted (and received) in a paging message for paging the ambient loT device. The paging message may be prepared by the application function, the core network and / or the network. The paging message may be transmitted to the reader, which may transmit it to the ambient loT device (s).In any example, the data transmission may comprise a segment identifier. The segment identifier may be a segment sequence number. For instance, each data segment is transmitted with a respective segment identifier. For instance, a data transmission may comprise one or multiple messages and each message may comprise one or more data segments and thus one or more respective segment identifiers.

[0032] Additionally or alternatively, the data transmission may comprise an indicator indicating segmentation of the data. The indication may be a flag (e.g. a 1 -bit flag) indicating whether the data is segmented or not.

[0033] Additionally or alternatively, the data transmission may comprise a data session identifier. The data session identifier may have been transmitted from the reader to the ambient loT device previously (e.g. as part of the random access response, as described above). A data session identifier may in particular allow identifying and potentially resuming the specific data session.

[0034] Additionally or alternatively, the data transmission may comprise an indication of a last data segment of the data, e.g. an indicator (such as a 1 -bit indicator) indicating whether there are still data segments to be expected, or whether this is the last data segment of the data to be transmitted.

[0035] Additionally or alternatively, the data transmission may comprise an indication of a total or remaining number of data segments to be transmitted by the ambient loT device. For instance, the remaining number of segments may indicate the number of data segments which are still to be transmitted for completing the data transmission. Additionally or alternatively, the data transmission may comprise an indication of a maximum number of data segments, which can be transmitted by the ambient loT device e.g. due to the current energy available at the ambient loT device. Thus, while there may be a certain number of data segments to be transmitted by the ambient loT device, the device may not be able to transmit all of these data segments with the current energy available at the loT device.

[0036] Additionally or alternatively, the data transmission may comprise an indication of an energy status of the ambient loT device. For instance, the indication of the energy status may be an energy status report. For instance, the indication of the energy status may indicate a certain energy or charging level (e.g. in percent) of the ambient loT device. For instance, the indication of the energy status may indicate whether the ambient loT device is about to run out of energy (e.g. via a 1 -bit indicator). For instance, the indication of the energy status may only be included in the data transmission or a message thereof if a predetermined criterion is met. For instance, the predetermined criterion may be that the energy of the ambient loT device is below a threshold, i.e. the ambient loT device is about to run out of energy. Thus, the inclusion of the indication of the energy status in the data transmission can be interpreted by the reader that the ambient loT device is about to run out of energy.In an example, the reader may adapt or update the segmentation information based on the indication of the energy status report. For instance, the reader may adapt or update any of the minimum supported segment size, the maximum supported segment size, the range of a supported segment size and the maximum supported number of data segments. For instance, the reader may transmit the adapted or updated or segmentation information to the ambient loT device, e.g. in a message (Msg4) of the random access procedure.

[0037] In an example, the reader may comprise means for determining, based on the indication of the energy status, whether to transmit, to the ambient loT device, an acknowledgement of the data transmission when successfully receiving the data transmission or a part thereof. For instance, in case the indication of the energy status indicates that the ambient loT device is about to run out of energy (e.g. by explicitly indicating an energy status below a threshold or by being included in the data transmission), the reader may assume that an acknowledgement may not be received anymore by the ambient loT device. Thus, the reader may decide not to transmit an acknowledgement for the data transmission or a part thereof, e.g. for a data segment or a message.

[0038] This example is also disclosed as a separate aspect of the disclosure independently from the above example aspects. That is, in a further example aspect, there is also disclosed a reader comprising means for determining, based on an indication of an energy status of an ambient loT device, whether to transmit, to the ambient loT device, an acknowledgement of the data transmission when successfully receiving a data transmission or a part thereof from the ambient loT device. However, this aspect may also be combined with any aspect or embodiment disclosed herein.

[0039] In an example, the reader may comprise means for transmitting an acknowledgement for a data segment successfully received from the ambient loT device at the reader. Accordingly, the ambient loT device may comprise means for receiving, from the reader, the respective acknowledgement for a data segment successfully received at the reader. The acknowledgement may be a positive or negative acknowledgement.

[0040] In an example, the reader may comprise means for storing a segment identifier of a last successfully received data segment. The segment identifier may be stored in association with the corresponding data session identifier. For instance, the ambient loT device may run out of energy and may thus stop the data transmission prematurely, i.e. before transmitting all of the data or all data segments to be transmitted to the reader. The ambient loT device may thus harvest energy and then continue with the transmission. For this, the ambient loT device may again transmit a random access signal to re-establish the communication with the reader, as already described above with respect to the first random access procedure.For this, the reader may utilize the stored segment identifier of the last successfully received data segment. For instance, the reader may further comprise means for transmitting, to the ambient loT device, after reception of another random access signal from the ambient loT device, the segment identifier of the last successfully received data segment. Accordingly, the ambient loT device may comprise means for receiving, from the reader, and after transmitting another random access signal to the reader, a segment identifier of a last data segment successfully received at the reader. The segment identifier of the last successfully received data segment may for instance be transmitted in a random access response (e.g. Msg2) to the further random access signal. For instance, the segment identifier may be transmitted together with the data session identifier of the previous data session. Additionally or alternatively, the ambient loT device may also comprise means for storing a segment identifier of a last data segment successfully received at the reader. The segment identifier may be used by the ambient loT device to generate and prepare the subsequent data segment for transmission. Thus, in an example, the ambient loT device may comprise means for continue transmitting, to the reader, at least one data segment subsequent to the last data segment successfully received at the reader. Accordingly, the reader may comprise means for continue receiving, from the ambient loT device, at least one data segment subsequent to the last successfully received data segment. The data transmission may then generally continue as already described before.

[0041] The above example is also disclosed as a separate aspect of the disclosure independently from the above example aspects. That is, in a further example aspect, there is also disclosed a reader comprising means for storing a segment identifier of a last successfully received data segment; means for transmitting, to the ambient loT device, after reception of a random access signal from the ambient loT device, the segment identifier of the last successfully received data segment; means for continue receiving, from the ambient loT device, at least one data segment subsequent to the last successfully received data segment. Likewise, there is also disclosed an ambient loT device comprising means for storing a segment identifier of a last data segment successfully received at a reader; means for receiving, from the reader, and after transmitting a random access signal to the reader, a segment identifier of a last data segment successfully received at the reader; means for continue transmitting, to the reader, at least one data segment subsequent to the last data segment successfully received at the reader. However, these aspects may also be combined with any aspect or embodiment disclosed herein.

[0042] In an example, the reader may comprise means for determining that a last data segment of the data has been successfully received. For instance, the reader may identify that a last data segment has been received based on a total or remaining number of data segments or based on the last segment indication, as signaled previously by the ambient loT device, for instance. In an example, the reader may comprise means for transmitting received data segments to a core network and / or means for freeing a memory containing the received data segments. In particular, in case the reader determines that a last data segmentof the data has been successfully received, the reader may transmit the received data segments to a core network. The reader may further free, e.g. flush-out or reset, a memory containing the received data segments.

[0043] Additionally or alternatively, the ambient loT device may comprise means for determining that a last segment of the data has been successfully received at the reader. For instance, the ambient loT device may receive from the reader an acknowledgment for the last data segment. The ambient loT device may comprise means for freeing a memory containing data segments of the data. In particular, in case the ambient loT device determines that a last segment of the data has been successfully received at the reader, the ambient loT device may free, e.g. flush-out or reset, the memory containing the transmitted data segments.

[0044] The above example is also disclosed as a separate aspect of the disclosure independently from the above example aspects. That is, in a further example aspect, there is also disclosed a reader comprising means for determining that a last data segment of a data from an ambient loT device has been successfully received; means for transmitting received data segments to a core network; and means for freeing a memory containing the received data segments. Likewise there is also disclosed an ambient loT device comprising means for determining that a last segment of data has been successfully received at the reader; and means for freeing a memory containing data segments of the data. However, these aspects may also be combined with any aspect or embodiment disclosed herein.

[0045] In an example, the ambient loT device may comprise means for determining an amount of energy required for transmission of the data or a part thereof by the ambient loT device. Based thereon, the ambient loT device may determine a maximum number of data segments that can be transmitted by the ambient loT device with the available amount of energy. The ambient loT device may further comprise means for transmitting, to the reader, an indication of a maximum number of data segments that can be transmitted by the ambient loT device based on the determined amount of energy. Accordingly, the reader may comprise means for receiving, from the ambient loT device, an indication of a maximum number of data segments that can be transmitted by the ambient loT device, the indication being based on an amount of energy required for transmission of the data or a part thereof by the ambient loT device. The reader may further comprise means for scheduling one or more data transmissions of the ambient loT device (and potentially further ambient loT devices) based on the indication. For instance, the reader may pause a transmission from the ambient loT device in case the indication of the energy status indicates that the ambient loT device is about to run out of energy, e.g. if the energy of the ambient loT device is below a threshold.

[0046] The above example is also disclosed as a separate aspect of the disclosure independently from the above example aspects. That is, in a further example aspect, there is also disclosed an ambient loT devicecomprising means for determining an amount of energy required for transmission of data or a part thereof by the ambient loT device; and means for transmitting, to a reader, an indication of a maximum number of data segments that can be transmitted by the ambient loT device based on the determined amount of energy. Likewise there is disclosed a reader comprising means for receiving, from an ambient loT device, an indication of a maximum number of data segments that can be transmitted by the ambient loT device, the indication being based on an amount of energy required for transmission of the data or a part thereof by the ambient loT device; and means for scheduling data transmissions of the ambient loT device based on the indication. However, this aspect may also be combined with any aspect or embodiment disclosed herein.

[0047] In an example, the ambient loT device performs the data transmission if sufficient data for at least a data segment of a minimum segment size is available. The data transmission may be performed if and only if sufficient data for at least a data segment of a minimum segment size is available. As explained above, the minimum segment size may be transmitted to the ambient loT device as part of the segmentation information. The requirement of a minimum segment size may enforce the ambient loT device to wait until it has the minimum amount of data available for transmission.

[0048] The above example is also disclosed as a separate aspect of the disclosure independently from the above example aspects. That is, in a further example aspect, there is also disclosed an ambient loT device, wherein a data transmission is performed if sufficient data for at least a data segment of a minimum segment size is available. However, this aspect may also be combined with any aspect or embodiment disclosed herein.

[0049] It is to be understood that the presentation of the embodiments disclosed herein is merely by way of examples and non-limiting.

[0050] Herein, the disclosure of a method step shall also be considered as a disclosure of means for performing the respective method step. Likewise, the disclosure of means for performing a method step shall also be considered as a disclosure of the method step itself.

[0051] Other features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not drawn to scale and that they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.

[0052] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURESFigs. la,b illustrate relevant topologies for an ambient loT structure;

[0053] Fig. 2 illustrates a logical system architecture for topology 1;

[0054] Fig. 3 illustrates exemplary protocol stack for topology 1;

[0055] Fig. 4 illustrates an overall application specific procedure between A-IoT device and reader;

[0056] Fig. 5 illustrates a four-step random access;

[0057] Fig. 6 shows a signaling flow chart illustrating embodiments of the different aspects of the disclosure;

[0058] Fig. 7 shows a schematic diagram illustrating a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a reader according to the present disclosure;

[0059] Fig. 8 shows a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an ambient loT device; and

[0060] Fig. 9 shows a schematic illustration of examples of tangible and non-transitory computer- readable storage media.

[0061] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0062] The following description serves to deepen the understanding of the present disclosure and shall be understood to complement and be read together with the description of example embodiments of the present disclosure as provided in the above SUMMARY section of this specification.

[0063] Figs, la and lb illustrate relevant topologies for an ambient loT (AIoT) structure, for instance according to 3GPP Rel. 19 AIoT approaches, in which the example aspects of the present disclosure may be employed.

[0064] In Rel- 19, a study item deals with solutions for ambient loT (Internet of Things) regarding a harmonized air interface design with minimized differences (where necessary) for Ambient loT. This study targets a further assessment of Ambient loT suitable for deployment in a 3GPP system, which relies on ultra-low complexity devices with ultra-low power consumption for the very-low end loT applications. The study shall provide clear differentiation, i.e. addressing use cases and scenarios that cannot otherwise be fulfilled based on existing 3GPP LPWA loT technology e.g. NB-IoT including with reduced peak Tx power.In a topology (AIoT topology), an ambient loT device (e.g. according to the second example aspect) may be provided with a carrier wave (CW) from other node(s) either inside the topology (e.g., by an entity involved in the communication interaction with the ambient loT device, in particular activator and / or reader, e.g. a reader according to the first example aspect) or outside the topology (e.g., by an entity not involved in communication interaction with the AIoT device, neither activator nor reader). The links in a topology may be bidirectional or unidirectional. A network node and / or a UE, an assisting node, and / or an intermediate node could comprise multiple BSs or UEs, respectively. Indoor and outdoor placement of any node may be done.

[0065] Fig. la illustrates a first topology. In the first topology, an ambient loT device directly and bidirectionally communicates with a network node, base station BS. A communication between the base station and the ambient loT device includes ambient loT data and / or signaling. This topology includes the possibility that the BS transmitting to the Ambient loT device is different from the BS receiving from the Ambient loT device.

[0066] Fig. lb illustrates a second topology. In the second topology, an ambient loT device communicates bidirectionally with an intermediate node between the device and base station. In this topology, the intermediate node can be a relay, an Integrated Access / Backhaul, IAB, node, a UE, a repeater, etc. The intermediate node may be capable of ambient loT. The intermediate node may transfer at least some information and / or signals between the BS and the Ambient loT device. Activator and reader may be identical to one another or different from one another.

[0067] The ambient AT device may in particular belong to at least one of the categories 1 or 2. Such categories may, e.g., in accordance with 3GPP RANI, be defined as follows. In a category 1, a tag device may have ~1 pW peak power consumption, has an energy storage, has an initial sampling frequency offset (SFO) up to 10X ppm, does not have either DL or UL amplification in the device. The device’s UL transmission is backscattered on a carrier wave provided externally. A tag device of category 2 may be characterized as follows: < a few hundred pW peak power consumption, has energy storage, initial sampling frequency offset (SFO) up to 10X ppm, both DL and / or UL amplification in the device. The device’s UL transmission is backscattered on a carrier wave provided externally (category 2a) or generated internally by the device (category 2b).

[0068] A deployment scenario 1 (indoor-to-indoor) may use topology 1 and an indoor microcell basestation. A deployment scenario 2 (indoor-to-outdoor) may use topology 2 and an indoor UE as intermediate node under network control, and outdoor macrocell basestation.

[0069] Fig. 2 and 3 depict details of the architecture, which may be employed for the exemplary aspects disclosed herein. Fig. 2 exemplarily depicts a logical system architecture for topology 1, where thecommon reader function and A-IoT RAN node function are deployed within an A-IoT RAN. In Topology 1, the XX interface could be based on NG or a new interface carried over NG or a new interface. Fig. 3 shows an exemplary protocol stack for topology 1, assuming a SCTP -based transport. The protocol stack does not yet detail how A-IoT upper layer information is transported over XXAP. The A-IoT CN may include AMF and A-IoT related functions.

[0070] In an application specific (AS) procedure, the steps as illustrated in Fig. 4 provide an example for a communication between the reader and ambient loT devices, in which the example aspects of the disclosure may be employed.

[0071] In step A of Fig. 4 (A-IoT Paging), the reader sends a paging message to target ambient loT devices, the term “A-IoT paging message” may be equal to the “(initial) trigger message”. In step B of Fig. 4 (“D2R Data Transmission), triggered ambient loT devices transmit their device IDs to the reader. In step C 1 of Fig. 4 (“R2D Data Transmission (Optional)”), the reader may send data to the ambient loT device (e.g., a command). In step C2 (“D2R Data Transmission (Optional)), the ambient loT device may send data back to the reader (e.g., a response to the command). There may be the following three use cases: 1) Inventory-only 2) Inventory and command 3) Command-only. In case of the use case “Inventory-only” steps A and B may be used. In case of the use case “Inventory and Command” Steps A, B, Cl, and C2 may be used. In case of the use case “Command-only” Steps A, B, Cl, and C2 may be used in one option. According to another option, step A' (A-IoT Paging) may be used, in which the reader sends a paging message including the command, and step C2 (D2R Data Transmission) may be used in which the ambient loT device transmits its device ID or response to the command. For the use case of “inventory and command”, it does not imply that the A-IoT paging message includes both the inventory and command and it does not imply the inventory and command are received by the reader at the same time from upper layer.

[0072] In the following two types of RACH process are discussed for ambient loT devices, which may be used for the aspects of the present disclosure.

[0073] In the case of a contention-based random access (CBRA) procedure, an ambient loT device transmits in a random slot of a set of slots provided by the reader a device selected random-access preamble (random number) from a group of available (pre)configured preambles. There is a possibility at a given time two devices might select the same slot in time (random access occasion) as another device, causing contention which needs to be resolved. Such resolution comes either at the reader transmitting the identity of one of the devices to indicate the contention is won by said device, or no resolution meaning that both devices must attempt again.

[0074] In the case of a contention-free random-access (CFRA) procedure, reader allocates a dedicated randomaccess preamble to a device, thus removing the possibility of collisions.The example aspects of the disclosure may in particular be implemented in the following AIoT medium access.

[0075] In Fig. 5, a four-step random access (RA) based on slotted ALOHA (feedback optional) is shown. This ensures a low complexity (bitwise) contention resolution since the size of the random ID is smaller than the device ID. While a two-step random access may be a faster, resource efficient procedure, the device ID may not be known by the reader and thus not easy to echo.

[0076] From the perspective of the physical layer, at least when a response is expected from multiple devices that are intended to be identified, an A-IoT contention-based access procedure initiated by the reader is used, for which at least slotted-ALOHA based access and FDMA, may be used. The response transmitted from the device to the reader during this procedure may be transmitted on PDRCH. An R2D transmission triggering random access may determine Y time domain resource(s) for D2R transmission(s) for Msgl, where each D2R transmission for Msgl may occur in one time domain resource of the Y time domain resource(s).

[0077] For a Msg2 transmission in response to multiple Msg 1 transmissions initiated by a R2D transmission triggering random access, the following options are possible. According to a first option, a PRDCH for Msg2 transmission corresponds to an A-IoT Msgl received from one device. According to a second option, a PRDCH for a Msg2 transmission corresponds to multiple A-IoT Msg 1 received from different devices. For a Msg3 from multiple devices in response to a given set of one or multiple Msg2 transmission(s) during an access procedure, FDMA and / or TDMA of D2R transmissions are possible.

[0078] In any case, generally, Msgl is a Device to Reader (D2R) message, Msg2 is a response to the Msgl from Reader to Device(s) (R2D), and Msg3 is a response to Msg2 from Device(s) to Reader (D2R).

[0079] However, currently there is no specific signalling and procedure specified in 3GPP for the R2D and D2R to handle the transmission of data for AIoT efficiently when transmitting larger amounts of data, specifically considering situation when the device runs out of energy. Further, there is also no solution for efficiently tracking a transmission, re-transmitting data and ensuring data integrity, in particular in scenarios where the ambient loT device may become unavailable, such as in case of the ambient loT device running out of energy.

[0080] To address these drawbacks, there is disclosed an efficient procedure for segmenting data to be transmitted by the ambient loT device. The provided solutions described herein inter alia addresses the segmentation challenges in AIoT communication by introducing a mechanism for segmenting data, tracking transmission status, and resuming transmission after device energy depletion.It will become apparent from the description of the signaling flow chart 600 illustrating embodiments of the different aspects in Fig. 6, how these and other drawbacks are addressed with an efficient configuration mechanism considering the segmented data transmission. Specifically, the proposed methodology enables the data communication between the ambient loT device, reader and the AF / CN as well. One aspect of the invention is how to perform segmentation and track the segmentation while taking into account the limited capabilities and limited energy of the ambient loT devices. As illustrated below, the solution will inter alia utilize a new signaling defined over R2D and D2R.

[0081] The application function (AF), the core network (CN) and / or the network (NW) prepare a paging message, action 601, for the ambient loT device (also referred to as inventory) and send it to the reader and ambient loT device(s). The paging message contains segmentation information, which may for instance comprise a maximum and / or minimum supported size for the segments, also referred to as transport block size (TBS), and / or the maximum allowed number of segments. E.g. the reader may inform the ambient loT device about the maximum supported segment size or TBS. This information can be used by the device to determine the appropriate segment size for segmenting the data to be transmitted.

[0082] In an embodiment, the network may in particular utilize information related to the number of ambient loT devices in a coverage area of the reader, the number of active devices, the available bandwidth at the reader or the loT device, the device type, the maximum supported memory on the ambient loT device, and / or the service type to determine whether segmented transmission is allowed, and to determine a value for the maximum supported number of segments and / or the maximum / minimum segment size. This may be done during a registration process of the ambient loT device. Furthermore, to have fair trade-off between the transmissions from various devices and the number of segments per device; it is up to network to optimize the maximum allowed number of segments and / or the maximum / minimum allowed size of the segments.

[0083] The reader provides a configuration for the random access occasions for a random access process, action 602, these configurations may be provided per cell or group of ambient loT devices. The ambient loT devices can then utilize the configuration on the random access occasions provided by the reader and perform a random access procedure by transmitting a random access signal, action 603, as part of a Msgl (D2R).

[0084] The reader then transmits a random access response (Msg2) to the random access signal of Msgl (action 604). In an embodiment, the reader may also provide a session ID to the ambient loT device in order to track the communications between device and reader.For actions 605-609 it is assumed that there is enough energy available for the ambient loT device for the data transmission.

[0085] The device segments the data based on the available data in its buffer and the segmentation information, such as the maximum TB size "X" provided by the reader, action 605. For instance, the number of segments may be calculated as: Number of segments = [Max data in buffer / X],

[0086] In an embodiment, based on the action 601, the ambient loT device may pre-store all the segments in its local buffer before transferring to the reader.

[0087] In an embodiment, e.g. based on the remaining number of segments, the ambient loT device can also proactively estimate the energy for the transmission of all remaining segments N. The ambient loT device may indicate to the reader, e.g. in Msg3 (D2R), that the ambient loT device may (only) be able to transmit a certain maximum number X of segments out of all remaining segments N to be transmitted. The reader may use this information to schedule the transmission of the ambient loT devices efficiently based on their indications on the number of segments for transmission. For instance, if the energy of the ambient loT device is very low in the beginning of the transmission of the segmented data, the reader may also decide to pause such a transmission from the device, e.g. if X / N is below a certain threshold, such as « 1.

[0088] The ambient loT device prepares the data in multiple segments based on the segmentation information and in particular based on a calculated total number of segments derived from the segmentation information, action 605. A first data transmission is then performed in Msg3 (D2R), action 606. In the example, each data segment is transmitted with the segment sequence number (segment ID), (optionally) a session ID, (optionally) a last segment indication, (optionally) a flag indicating if data is transmitted in multiple segments, and (optionally) an energy status report. In an embodiment, the indication of a minimum segment size or TBS requirement (e.g. in the paging message, action 601) enforces the ambient loT device to wait until it has the minimum data available for transmission. Such a procedure can for instance save the Msg3 transmission from ambient loT device(s) and may thereby save further network resources on the device and network side.

[0089] In an embodiment, if the device includes the indication of the energy status (energy status report) in the Msg3 (D2R) as part of the segmented data, the reader may for instance interpret this as an indication that the device is about to die (energy @ 0), and it may not send any ACK / NACK (Msg 4 R2D), thereby saving extra transmission and network -resources from the reader.

[0090] The reader may then indicate in Msg4 the success of reception of the segmented data by providing ACK / NACK of Msg 3, action 607.The ambient loT device may in one embodiment store in its memory the last successful reception of the segment ID corresponding to the session ID, action 608. Additionally or alternatively, the reader will also store in its memory the last successful reception of the segment ID corresponding to the session ID, action 609.

[0091] In case that further messages are required to transmit the data segments, the data transmission may continue with scheduling and exchanging further messages, action 610, similarly to actions 606, 607.

[0092] Supposing that, after some time, the ambient loT device runs out of energy, as indicated in action 611.

[0093] After some time (e.g. once the ambient loT device is sufficiently recharged), the ambient loT device transmit another random access signal as Msgl (D2R) at another access occasion, action 612. The reader transmits a Msg2 (R2D) containing the random-access response, the session ID and the last segment ID which is received successfully from the same device, action 613. While in one embodiment, the reader informs the last successfully received segment ID to the ambient loT device with the session ID (as stored in action 609), in an alternative, the ambient loT device may also have stored the last segment ID successfully received at the reader (see action 608). This is required to re-transmit only those segmented which are not received at the reader due to the energy discharge.

[0094] The ambient loT device checks the segment ID from its locally stored segments and selects the next segment ID for data transmission corresponding to the session ID as part of the Msg3 (R2D), action 614.

[0095] The reader then responds to the ambient loT device with ACK / NACK of Msg3 in Msg4 to indicate successful reception of the segment ID corresponding to the session ID, action 615.

[0096] For example, after some time, the ambient loT device is able to successfully transmit all the data segments to the reader. The reader sends the ACK / NACK for the last segment ID, action 616.

[0097] Based on the reception of the final ACK / NACK from the reader corresponding to the last segment, the ambient loT device flushes-out the memory in order to have new fresh data, action 617.

[0098] Similarly, the reader may transmit all the received segments from the device to the AF / CN, action 618, and next, the reader can also reset the memory for new upcoming data, action 619.

[0099] The above aspects and embodiments as well as the method described in combination with Fig. 6 may in particular have the following advantages due to the following features.The reader may in particular inform the ambient loT device about the maximum segment or TBS. Before sending Msg2 (R2D), the reader informs the device about the maximum supported segment or TBS. This information is helpful for the device to determine the appropriate segment size. Regarding device segmentation, the device advantageously segments the data based on the available data in its buffer and e.g. the maximum segment or TB size provided by the reader. The ambient loT device advantageously communicates the segment count. In Msg3 (D2R), the ambient loT device informs the reader about the total number of segments. This allows the reader to anticipate the data transmission process and schedule the resources more efficiently.

[0100] The reader may advantageously track the received segments. The reader maintains a record of the last received segment from the device. This information is advantageous for resuming transmission after the device recharges. The ambient loT device can track the successful segment reception. Before the ambient loT device runs out of energy, it records the last successfully received segment index / ID through Msg4 (ACK / NACK) R2D. This ensures that the ambient loT device knows which segments have been successfully transmitted. A transmission may be resumed. After the device recharges, the reader can control the transmission of the remaining segments. It can inform the ambient loT device about the specific segment to be transmitted using Msg2 (R2D) by indicating the session ID and segment ID. The session ID is stored in the device memory from the previous communication session.

[0101] The Device can flush the memory. After receiving ACK / NACK for the final segment, the device can flush out / reset its memory for new data. The reader can flush the segments. After receiving the final ACK for the last segment, the reader can flush out all the relevant segments for the given session and forward them to the Application Function (AF).

[0102] Further, to have fair trade-off between the number of devices and number of segments per device (and additionally or alternatively other factors, such as the available bandwidth at the reader or the loT device, the device type and / or the maximum supported memory on the ambient loT device), it is up to network to optimize the segment or TB size to optimize the maximum allowed segment size. Furthermore, the network may use information related to number of devices in coverage, active devices, and service type to allow segmented transmission and value for the maximum allowed number of segmentations, which can be done in registration process of the device.

[0103] Turning now to Fig. 7, there is shown a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a reader 700 according to the present disclosure. For example, reader 700 may be one of a network node, a base station (in particular a gNB or 6gNB), a smartphone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a smart watch, a smart band, an LPWAN device, an eMTC device or a vehicle or a part thereof.Reader 700 comprises a processor 701. Processor 701 may represent a single processor or two or more processors, which are for instance at least partially coupled, for instance via a bus. Processor 701 executes a program code stored in program memory 702 (for instance program code causing reader 700 in connection with a network device or base station) to perform one or more of the embodiments of a method according to the present disclosure or parts thereof, when executed on processor 701, and interfaces with a main memory 703. Program memory 702 may also contain an operating system for processor 701. Some or all of memories 702 and 703 may also be included into processor 701.

[0104] One of or both of a main memory and a program memory of a processor (e.g. program memory 702 and main memory 703) could be fixedly connected to the processor (e.g. processor 701) or at least partially removable from the processor, for instance in the form of a memory card or stick.

[0105] A program memory (e.g. program memory 702) may for instance be a non-volatile memory. It may for instance be a FLASH memory (or a part thereof), any of a ROM, PROM, EPROM, MRAM or a FeRAM (or a part thereof) or a hard disc (or a part thereof), to name but a few examples. For example, a program memory may for instance comprise a first memory section that is fixedly installed, and a second memory section that is removable from, for instance in the form of a removable SD memory card.

[0106] A main memory (e.g. main memory 703) may for instance be a volatile memory. It may for instance be a DRAM memory, to give non-limiting example. It may for instance be used as a working memory for processor 701 when executing an operating system, an application, a program, and / or the like.

[0107] Processor 701 further controls a communication interface 704 (e.g. radio interface) configured to receive and / or transmit data and / or information and which is for example configured to communicate according to a cellular communication system like a 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G or future generation cellular communication system. For instance, communication interface 704 may be configured to transmit and / or receive radio signals from an ambient loT device, in particular as described herein. It is to be understood that any computer program code based processing required for receiving and / or evaluating radio signals may be stored in an own memory of communication interface 704 and executed by an own processor of communication interface 704 and / or it may be stored for example in memory 703 and executed for example by processor 701.

[0108] Additionally, the communication interface 704 may further comprise a BLE and / or Bluetooth radio interface including a BLE transmitter, receiver or transceiver. For example, radio interface 704 may additionally or alternatively comprise a WLAN radio interface including at least a WLAN transmitter, receiver or transceiver.The components 702 to 704 of reader 700 may for instance be connected with processor 701 by means of one or more serial and / or parallel busses.

[0109] It is to be understood that reader 700 may comprise various other components. For example, reader 700 may optionally comprise a user interface (e.g. a touch-sensitive display, a keyboard, a touchpad, a display, etc.).

[0110] Fig. 8 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a an ambient loT device 800, such as such as a sensor node). For instance, ambient loT device 800 may be configured for scheduling and / or transmitting signals to the reader, as described above.

[0111] Ambient loT device 800 comprises a processor 801. Processor 801 may represent a single processor or two or more processors, which are for instance at least partially coupled, for instance via a bus. Processor 801 executes a program code stored in program memory 802 (for instance program code causing ambient loT device 800 to perform alone or together with a reader 700 embodiments according to the present disclosure or parts thereof), and interfaces with a main memory 803.

[0112] Program memory 802 may also comprise an operating system for processor 801. Some or all of memories 802 and 803 may also be included into processor 801.

[0113] Moreover, processor 801 controls a communication interface 804 which is for example configured to communicate according to an ambient loT interface.

[0114] The components 802 to 804 of ambient loT device 800 may for instance be connected with processor 801 by means of one or more serial and / or parallel busses.

[0115] It is to be understood that reader 700 and ambient loT device 800 may comprise various other components.

[0116] Fig. 9 is a schematic illustration of examples of tangible and non-transitory computer-readable storage media according to the present disclosure that may for instance be used to implement memory 702 of Fig.

[0117] 7 or memory 802 of Fig. 8. To this end, Fig. 9 displays a flash memory 900, which may for instance be soldered or bonded to a printed circuit board, a solid-state drive 901 comprising a plurality of memory chips (e.g. Flash memory chips), a magnetic hard drive 902, a Secure Digital (SD) card 903, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) memory stick 904, an optical storage medium 905 (such as for instance a CD-ROM or DVD) and a magnetic storage medium 906.

[0118] The following embodiments are also disclosed:A reader comprising:

[0119] means for transmitting, to an ambient loT device, segmentation information indicating a supported segmentation of data to be transmitted by the ambient loT device to the reader; means for receiving a random access signal from the ambient loT device; and

[0120] means for receiving, a data transmission from the ambient loT device after reception of the random access signal, wherein the data transmission comprises a data segment of the data segmented based on the segmentation information.

[0121] The reader of embodiment 1, wherein the segmentation information indicates one or more of: a minimum supported segment size;

[0122] a maximum supported segment size;

[0123] a range of a supported segment size; or

[0124] a maximum supported number of data segments.

[0125] The reader of embodiment 1 or 2, wherein the segmentation information is transmitted in a paging message for paging the ambient loT device.

[0126] The reader of anyone of embodiments 1-3, wherein the data transmission comprises one or more of:

[0127] a data session identifier;

[0128] an indicator indicating segmentation of the data;

[0129] a segment identifier;

[0130] an indication of a last data segment of the data;

[0131] an indication of a remaining number of data segments to be transmitted by the ambient loT device; or

[0132] an indication of an energy status of the ambient loT device.

[0133] The reader of anyone of embodiments 1-4, wherein the data transmission comprises an indication of an energy status of the ambient loT device, the reader comprising:

[0134] means for determining, based on the indication of the energy status, whether to transmit, to the ambient loT device, an acknowledgement for the data transmission when successfully receiving the data transmission or a part thereof.

[0135] The reader of anyone of claims 1-5, wherein the data transmission comprises an indication of an energy status of the ambient loT device, the reader comprising:means for adjusting the segmentation information based on the indication of the energy status; and

[0136] means for transmitting, to the ambient loT device, the adjusted segmentation information.

[0137] reader of anyone of embodiments 1-6, comprising:

[0138] means for storing a segment identifier of a last successfully received data segment; means for transmitting, to the ambient loT device, after reception of another random access signal from the ambient loT device, the segment identifier of the last successfully received data segment; and

[0139] means for continue receiving, from the ambient loT device, at least one data segment subsequent to the last successfully received data segment.

[0140] reader of anyone of embodiments 1-7, comprising:

[0141] means for determining that a last data segment of the data has been successfully received; means for transmitting received data segments to a core network; and

[0142] means for freeing a memory containing the received data segments.

[0143] reader of anyone of embodiments 1-8 comprising:

[0144] means for receiving, from the ambient loT device, an indication of a maximum number of data segments that can be transmitted by the ambient loT device, the indication being based on an amount of energy required for transmission of the data or a part thereof by the ambient loT device; and

[0145] means for scheduling data transmissions of the ambient loT device based on the indication.

[0146] reader of anyone of embodiments 1-9, wherein the reader is:

[0147] a user equipment; or

[0148] a base station.

[0149] mbient loT device comprising:

[0150] means for receiving, from a reader, segmentation information indicating a supported segmentation of data to be transmitted by the ambient loT device to the reader; means for transmitting a random access signal to the reader; and

[0151] means for performing a data transmission to the reader after transmission of the random access signal, wherein the data transmission comprises a data segment of the data segmented based on the segmentation information.The ambient loT device of embodiment 11, wherein the segmentation information is received in a paging message for paging the ambient loT device.

[0152] The ambient loT device of embodiment 11 or 12, wherein the segmentation information indicates one or more of:

[0153] a minimum supported segment size;

[0154] a maximum supported segment size;

[0155] a range of a supported segment size; or

[0156] a maximum supported number of segments.

[0157] The ambient loT device of anyone of embodiments 11-13, wherein a data segment comprises one or more of:

[0158] a data session identifier;

[0159] an indicator indicating segmentation of the data;

[0160] a segment identifier;

[0161] an indication of a last data segment of the data;

[0162] an indication of a maximum number of data segments; or

[0163] an indication of an energy status of the ambient loT device.

[0164] The ambient loT device of anyone of embodiments 11-14, comprising:

[0165] means for receiving, from the reader, an acknowledgement for a data segment successfully received at the reader;

[0166] means for storing a segment identifier of a last data segment successfully received at the reader;

[0167] means for receiving, from the reader, and after transmitting another random access signal to the reader, a segment identifier of a last data segment successfully received at the reader; and means for continue transmitting, to the reader, at least one data segment subsequent to the last data segment successfully received at the reader.

[0168] The ambient loT device of anyone of embodiments 11-15, comprising:

[0169] means for determining an amount of energy required for transmission of the data or a part thereof by the ambient loT device; and

[0170] means for transmitting, to the reader, an indication of a maximum number of data segments that can be transmitted by the ambient loT device based on the determined amount of energy.

[0171] The ambient loT device of anyone of embodiments 11-16, wherein the data transmission is performed if sufficient data for at least a data segment of a minimum segment size is available.18. The ambient loT device of anyone of embodiments 11-17, comprising:

[0172] means for determining that a last segment of the data has been successfully received at the reader; and

[0173] means for freeing a memory containing data segments of the data.

[0174] 19. A method, performed by a reader, comprising:

[0175] transmitting, to an ambient loT device, segmentation information indicating a supported segmentation of data to be transmitted by the ambient loT device to the reader; receiving a random access signal from the ambient loT device; and

[0176] receiving, a data transmission from the ambient loT device after reception of the random access signal, wherein the data transmission comprises a data segment of the data segmented based on the segmentation information.

[0177] 20. A method, performed by an ambient loT device, comprising:

[0178] receiving, from a reader, segmentation information indicating a supported segmentation of data to be transmitted by the ambient loT device to the reader;

[0179] transmitting a random access signal to the reader; and

[0180] performing a data transmission to the reader after transmission of the random access signal, wherein the data transmission comprising a data segment of the data segmented based on the segmentation information.

[0181] 21. Computer program code, the computer program code when executed by a processor of an apparatus causing an apparatus to perform a method of embodiment 19 or 20.

[0182] 22. Computer storage medium comprising computer program code of embodiment 21.

[0183] Any presented connection in the described embodiments is to be understood in a way that the involved components are operationally coupled. Thus, the connections can be direct or indirect with any number or combination of intervening elements, and there may be merely a functional relationship between the components.

[0184] Further, as used in this text, the term ‘circuitry’ refers to any of the following:

[0185] (a) hardware -only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuitry)(b) combinations of circuits and software (and / or firmware), such as: (i) to a combination of processor(s) or (ii) to sections of processor(s) / software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone, to perform various functions) and

[0186] (c) to circuits, such as a microprocessor(s) or a section of a microprocessor(s), that re-quire software or firmware for operation, even if the software or firmware is not physically present.

[0187] This definition of ‘circuitry’ applies to all uses of this term in this text, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this text, the term ‘circuitry’ also covers an implementation of merely a processor (or multiple processors) or section of a processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term ‘circuitry’ also covers, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or applications processor integrated circuit for a mobile phone.

[0188] Any of the processors mentioned in this text, in particular but not limited to processors 701 and 801 of Figs. 7 and 8, could be a processor of any suitable type. Any processor may comprise but is not limited to one or more microprocessors, one or more processor(s) with accompanying digital signal processor(s), one or more processor(s) without accompanying digital signal processor(s), one or more special-purpose computer chips, one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAS), one or more controllers, one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICS), or one or more computer(s). The relevant structure / hardware has been programmed in such a way to carry out the described function.

[0189] Moreover, any of the actions or steps described or illustrated herein may be implemented using executable instructions in a general-purpose or special-purpose processor and stored on a computer-readable storage medium (e.g., disk, memory, or the like) to be executed by such a processor. References to ‘computer-readable storage medium’ should be understood to encompass specialized circuits such as FPGAs, ASICs, signal processing devices, and other devices.

[0190] Moreover, any of the actions described or illustrated herein may be implemented using executable instructions in a general-purpose or special-purpose processor and stored on a computer-readable storage medium (e.g., disk, memory, or the like) to be executed by such a processor. References to ‘computer-readable storage medium’ should be understood to encompass specialized circuits such as FPGAs, ASICs, signal processing devices, and other devices.

[0191] The wording “A, or B, or C, or a combination thereof’ or “at least one of A, B and C” may be understood to be not exhaustive and to include at least the following: (i) A, or (ii) B, or (iii) C, or (iv) A and B, or (v) A and C, or (vi) B and C, or (vii) A and B and C.It will be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein are only exemplary, and that any feature presented for a particular exemplary embodiment may be used with any aspect of the present disclosure on its own or in combination with any feature presented for the same or another particular exemplary embodiment and / or in combination with any other feature not mentioned. It will further be understood that any feature presented for an example embodiment in a particular category may also be used in a corresponding manner in an example embodiment of any other category.

[0192] LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AIoT Ambient loT

[0193] loT Internet of Things

[0194] IIoT Industrial Internet of Things

[0195] LPWA Low Power Wide Area

[0196] NB-IoT Narrowband loT

[0197] AF Application Function.

[0198] D2R Device to Reader

[0199] R2D Reader to Device

[0200] ESR Energy status report

[0201] PDRCH Physical device-to-reader Channel

[0202] PRDCH Physical reader-to-device Channel

[0203] PRACH Random Access Channel Preamble

[0204] SDT Small Data Transmission

[0205] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0206] eNB evolved Node B

[0207] gNB Next Generation Node B

[0208] CU central unit

[0209] DU distributed unit

Claims

28WE CLAIM:

1. A reader comprising:means for transmitting, to an ambient loT device, segmentation information indicating a supported segmentation of data to be transmitted by the ambient loT device to the reader; means for receiving a random access signal from the ambient loT device; andmeans for receiving, a data transmission from the ambient loT device after reception of the random access signal, wherein the data transmission comprises a data segment of the data segmented based on the segmentation information.

2. The reader of claim 1, wherein the segmentation information indicates one or more of:a minimum supported segment size;a maximum supported segment size;a range of a supported segment size; ora maximum supported number of data segments.

3. The reader of claim 1 or 2, wherein the segmentation information is transmitted in a paging message for paging the ambient loT device.

4. The reader of anyone of claims 1-3, wherein the data transmission comprises one or more of: a data session identifier;an indicator indicating segmentation of the data;a segment identifier;an indication of a last data segment of the data;an indication of a remaining number of data segments to be transmitted by the ambient loT device; oran indication of an energy status of the ambient loT device.

5. The reader of anyone of claims 1-4, wherein the data transmission comprises an indication of an energy status of the ambient loT device, the reader comprising:means for determining, based on the indication of the energy status, whether to transmit, to the ambient loT device, an acknowledgement for the data transmission when successfully receiving the data transmission or a part thereof.

6. The reader of anyone of claims 1-5, wherein the data transmission comprises an indication of an energy status of the ambient loT device, the reader comprising:means for adapting the segmentation information based on the indication of the energy status; andmeans for transmitting, to the ambient loT device, the adapted segmentation information.

7. The reader of anyone of claims 1-6, comprising:means for storing a segment identifier of a last successfully received data segment; means for transmitting, to the ambient loT device, after reception of another random access signal from the ambient loT device, the segment identifier of the last successfully received data segment; andmeans for continue receiving, from the ambient loT device, at least one data segment subsequent to the last successfully received data segment.

8. The reader of anyone of claims 1-7, comprising:means for determining that a last data segment of the data has been successfully received; means for transmitting received data segments to a core network; andmeans for freeing a memory containing the received data segments.

9. The reader of anyone of claims 1-8 comprising:means for receiving, from the ambient loT device, an indication of a maximum number of data segments that can be transmitted by the ambient loT device, the indication being based on an amount of energy required for transmission of the data or a part thereof by the ambient loT device; andmeans for scheduling data transmissions of the ambient loT device based on the indication.

10. The reader of anyone of claims 1-9, wherein the reader is:a user equipment; ora base station.

11. An ambient loT device comprising:means for receiving, from a reader, segmentation information indicating a supported segmentation of data to be transmitted by the ambient loT device to the reader; means for transmitting a random access signal to the reader; andmeans for performing a data transmission to the reader after transmission of the random access signal, wherein the data transmission comprises a data segment of the data segmented based on the segmentation information.

12. The ambient loT device of claim 11, wherein the segmentation information is received in a paging message for paging the ambient loT device.

13. The ambient loT device of claim 11 or 12, wherein the segmentation information indicates one or more of:a minimum supported segment size;a maximum supported segment size;a range of a supported segment size; ora maximum supported number of segments.

14. The ambient loT device of anyone of claims 11-13, wherein a data segment comprises one or more of:a data session identifier;an indicator indicating segmentation of the data;a segment identifier;an indication of a last data segment of the data;an indication of a maximum number of data segments; oran indication of an energy status of the ambient loT device.

15. The ambient loT device of anyone of claims 11-14, comprising:means for receiving, from the reader, an acknowledgement for a data segment successfully received at the reader;means for storing a segment identifier of a last data segment successfully received at the reader;means for receiving, from the reader, and after transmitting another random access signal to the reader, a segment identifier of a last data segment successfully received at the reader; and means for continue transmitting, to the reader, at least one data segment subsequent to the last data segment successfully received at the reader.

16. The ambient loT device of anyone of claims 11-15, comprising:means for determining an amount of energy required for transmission of the data or a part thereof by the ambient loT device; andmeans for transmitting, to the reader, an indication of a maximum number of data segments that can be transmitted by the ambient loT device based on the determined amount of energy.

17. The ambient loT device of anyone of claims 11-16, wherein the data transmission is performed if sufficient data for at least a data segment of a minimum segment size is available.

18. The ambient loT device of anyone of claims 11-17, comprising:means for determining that a last segment of the data has been successfully received at the reader; andmeans for freeing a memory containing data segments of the data.

19. A method, performed by a reader, comprising:transmitting, to an ambient loT device, segmentation information indicating a supported segmentation of data to be transmitted by the ambient loT device to the reader; receiving a random access signal from the ambient loT device; andreceiving, a data transmission from the ambient loT device after reception of the random access signal, wherein the data transmission comprises a data segment of the data segmented based on the segmentation information.

20. A method, performed by an ambient loT device, comprising:receiving, from a reader, segmentation information indicating a supported segmentation of data to be transmitted by the ambient loT device to the reader;transmitting a random access signal to the reader; andperforming a data transmission to the reader after transmission of the random access signal, wherein the data transmission comprising a data segment of the data segmented based on the segmentation information.

21. Computer program code, the computer program code when executed by a processor of an apparatus causing an apparatus to perform a method of claim 19 or 20.

22. Computer storage medium comprising computer program code of claim 21.

Images