Configuration and signaling of x-ambles for ambient IoT devices

Abstract

An apparatus configured to determine a configuration for device-to-reader (D2R) communications, wherein the configuration is associated with preambles or midambles inserted into a Physical Device to Reader Channel (PDRCH) and generate, for transmission to a reader via the PDRCH, a D2R communication configured according to the configuration. In some cases, the configuration is a predefined default configuration.

Description

Attorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1Configuration and Signaling of X-ambles for Ambient loT Devices Inventors : Ankit Bhamri, Haitong Sun, Hong He, Huaning Niu, Rolando E Bettancourt Ortega, Sigen Ye, Wanshi Chen and Wei ZengPriority / Incorporation By Reference

[0001] This application claims priority to U. S . Provisional Application Serial No . 63 / 777, 100 filed on March 25, 2025, and entitled "Configuration and Signaling of X-ambles for Ambient loT Devices, " the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein .Background

[0002] A network may support ambient Internet of Things( ambient- loT ) devices . An ambient-IoT device may harvest energy from the ambient environment . A reader (e . g. , base station, user equipment (UE) , etc . ) may transmit query commands and communicate with ambient-IoT devices . The communications from the reader to the ambient-IoT devices are termed R2D communications . The communications from the device to the ambient-IoT devices may be termed D2R communications . There are currently no designs for the physical channel or physical signals for these communications .Summary

[0003] Some example embodiments are related to an apparatus having memory coupled to processing circuitry, the processing circuitry configured to determine a configuration for device-to-reader (D2R) communications, wherein the configuration is associated with preambles or midambles inserted into a Physical Device to Reader Channel (PDRCH) and generate, for transmissionAttorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1to a reader via the PDRCH, a D2R communication configured according to the configuration .

[0004] Other example embodiments are related to a method for determining a configuration for device- to-reader (D2R) communications , wherein the configuration is associated with preambles or midambles inserted into a Physical Device to Reader Channel (PDRCH) and generating, for transmission to a reader via the PDRCH, a D2R communication configured according to the configuration .Brief Description of the Drawings

[0005] Fig . 1 shows a first example deployment scenario according to various example embodiments .

[0006] Fig . 2 shows a second example deployment scenario according to various example embodiments .

[0007] Fig . 3 shows an example wireless device according to various example embodiments .

[0008] Fig . 4 shows an example user equipment (UE ) according to various example embodiments .

[0009] Fig . 5 shows an example base station according to various example embodiments .

[0010] Fig . 6 shows an example table having pre-defined rules based on Transport Block Size ( TBS ) for the presence and timedomain resources used for midambles in a D2R physical channel according to various example embodiments .Attorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1

[0011] Fig. 7 shows an example table having pre-defined rules based on a number of chips for the presence and time-domain resources used for midambles in a D2R physical channel according to various example embodiments .

[0012] Fig. 8 shows an example table providing a joint indication of a preamble type and a midamble configuration according to various example embodiments .Detailed Description

[0013] The example embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and the related appended drawings, wherein like elements are provided with the same reference numerals . The example embodiments relate to a configuration for D2R communications . Specifically, the example embodiments are related to a configuration of X-ambles (e . g. , preambles, midambles, postambles) of D2R communications .

[0014] The example embodiments are described with regard to ambient-IoT devices . An ambient-IoT device refers to a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) loT device that is smaller than other types of loT devices and provides cost-efficient solutions to various types of use cases such as, but not limited to, tracking and monitoring objects . Throughout this description, the terms "wireless device" or "device" may be used to generally refer to an ambient-IoT device or any other type of smaller wireless device that is equipped with similar capabilities and configured with the hardware, software, and / or firmware to exchange information and data with a network.Therefore, the terms "ambient-IoT device, " "wireless device" andAttorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1"device" as described herein is used to represent any appropriate electronic component .

[0015] The example embodiments may be applied to different device types including device type 1 , device type 2a and device type 2b . The term "device type 1" may refer to a wireless device that possesses one or more of the following characteristics : a peak power consumption of approximately 1 microwatt (pW) , energy storage capabilities , an initial sampling freguency offset (SFO) up to 10xparts per million (ppm) where x could be as high as 5, neither downlink nor uplink amplification in the wireless device and uplink transmissions that are backscattered on a carrier wave provided externally to the wireless device .

[0016] The term "device type 2a" may refer to a wireless device that possesses one or more of the following characteristics : a peak power consumption equal to or less than ( < ) a few hundred microwatt (pW) , energy storage capabilities , an initial SFO up to 10xppm where x could be same or lower than that of device type 1 , downlink and / or uplink amplification in the wireless device and uplink transmissions that are backscattered on a carrier wave provided externally to the wireless device .

[0017] The term "device type 2b" may refer to a wireless device that possesses one or more of the following characteristics : a peak power consumption of equal to or less than ( < ) a few hundred microwatt (pW) , energy storage capabilities , an initial SFO up to 10xppm where x could be same or lower than that of device type 1 , downlink and / or uplink amplification in the wireless device and uplink transmissionsAttorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1that are generated internally by the wireless device . However, any reference to a particular device type (e . g. , device type 1, 2a, eb, etc. ) is merely provided for illustrative purposes .Different entities may refer to similar concepts in a different manner .

[0018] The example embodiments are also described with regard to a 5G New Radio (NR) network. However, reference to a 5G NR network is merely provided for illustrative purposes . The example embodiments may be utilized with any network that may establish a connection to a wireless device and exchange information and data with the wireless device (e . g. , 5G-Advanced networks, 6G networks, 7G networks, etc. ) .

[0019] The example embodiments are further described with regard to a deployment scenario where the wireless devices (e . g. , ambient-IoT device) may communicate over the air with a base station of the network. In other examples, the wireless device may communicate over the air with a user equipment (UE) that acts as an intermediate node, under network control, between the wireless device and the base station. Throughout this description, the term "reader" may refer to the node that is communicating over the air with the ambient-IoT devices .Therefore, a reader may refer to a base station or a UE depending on the applicable deployment scenario . Thus, in the example embodiments, communications may be referred to as reader to device (R2D) communications where the transmitter is the reader and the receiver is the ambient-IoT device . Similarly, device to reader (D2R) communications refer to the scenario where the transmitter is the ambient-IoT device and the receiver is the reader . The R2D and D2R communications each include onlyAttorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1one physical channel , a Physical Reader to Device Channel ( PRDCH) and a Physical Device to Reader Channel (PDRCH) , e . g . , there are no separate uplink and downlink channels, control channels , random access channels, etc .

[0020] The example embodiments describe operations for an ambient-IoT device to determine a D2R configuration associated with preambles and midambles . The D2R configuration may indicate a type of preamble, whether midambles are used and a time domain location of the midambles when used . The D2R configuration may be a default configuration that may be implicitly signaled to the ambient-IoT device or a specific configuration that may be explicitly signaled to the ambient-IoT device . These and other example embodiments are described in greater detail below .

[0021] Fig . 1 shows a first example deployment scenario 100 according to various example embodiments . The example deployment scenario 100 includes multiple wireless devices 112A - 112N . The wireless devices 112A - 112N may be ambient-IoT devices or any other appropriate type of electronic component that is configured to communicate via a network . An actual deployment scenario may include any number of wireless devices being used by any number of users .

[0022] The example deployment scenario 100 also includes a UE 110 . The UE 110 may be any type of electronic component that is configured to communicate via a network, e . g . , mobile phones, tablet computers, desktop computers , smartphones , phablets , embedded devices, wearables, Internet of Things ( loT ) devices, etc . An actual deployment scenario may include any number of UEsAttorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1being used by any number of users . Thus, the example of a single UE 110 is merely provided for illustrative purposes .

[0023] The example deployment scenario 100 also includes a 5G new radio (NR) radio access network (RAN) 120. However, the example embodiments may apply to other types of networks (e . g. , sixth generation ( 6G) RAN, 5G cloud RAN, a next generation RAN (NG-RAN) , a long-term evolution (LTE) RAN, a legacy cellular network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) , etc. ) .

[0024] The 5G NR RAN 120 may be a portion of a cellular network that may be deployed by a network carrier (e . g. , Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc. ) . The 5G NR RAN 120 may include base stations or access nodes (Node Bs, eNodeBs, HeNBs, eNBS, gNBs, gNodeBs, macrocells, microcells, small cells, femtocells, etc . ) that are configured to send and receive traffic from devices that are equipped with the appropriate cellular chip set . In the example deployment scenario 100, the 5G NR RAN 120 deploys a gNB 120A.

[0025] In the example deployment scenario 100, the UE 110 may be configured to operate as an intermediate node between the wireless devices 112A - 112N and the network. Thus, the UE 110 may be configured as a reader and communicate with the wireless devices 112A - 112N over the air. The wireless devices 112A -112N may also send messages directly to the UE 110. The channels between the reader (e . g. , UE 110) and the wireless devices 112A - 112N may be referred to as a physical device-to-reader data channel (PDRCH) for uplink (D2R) communication and a physical reader-to-device data channel (PRDCH) for downlink communication and / or control (R2D) .Attorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1

[0026] Fig. 2 shows a second example deployment scenario 200 according to various example embodiments . The example deployment scenario 100 includes multiple wireless devices 112A - 112N, similar to the example deployment scenario 100. The wireless devices 112A - 112N may be ambient-IoT devices or any other appropriate type of electronic component that is configured to communicate via a network.

[0027] The example deployment scenario 200 also includes a 5G new radio (NR) radio access network (RAN) 120 similar to the deployment scenario 100. The 5G NR RAN 120 deploys a gNB 120A. In the example deployment scenario 200, the wireless devices 112A - 112N communicate directly with the gNB 120A, e . g. , there is no intermediate UE . Thus, the gNB 120A may be configured as a reader and communicate with the wireless devices 112A - 112N over the air . The wireless devices 112A - 112N may also send messages directly to the gNB 120A. The channels between the reader (e . g. , gNB 120A) and the wireless devices 112A - 112N may also be referred to as the PDRCH for uplink communication and PRDCH for downlink communication and / or control .

[0028] Fig. 3 shows an example wireless device 112 according to various example embodiments, e . g. , any of the wireless devices 112A - 112N of the example deployments 100 or 200. The wireless device 112 may include a processor 305, a memory arrangement 310, a transceiver 315 and other components 320. The other components may include, for example, an audio output device, a power supply, energy storage, ports to electrically connect the wireless device 112 to other electronic components, etc .Attorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1

[0029] The processor 305 may be comprised of processing circuitry that is configured to execute a plurality of engines of the wireless device 112. For example, the engines may include a D2R engine 335. The D2R engine 335 may perform various operations related to D2R communications for the device, including, but not limited to determining a D2R configuration associated with preambles and midambles and generating D2R communications based on the D2R configuration. These and other operations are described in greater detail below.

[0030] The above referenced engine 335 being an application (e . g. , a program) executed by the processor 305 is merely provided for illustrative purposes . The functionality associated with the processor 305 and / or engine 335 may also be represented as a separate incorporated component of the wireless device 112 or may be a modular component coupled to the wireless device 112, e . g. , an integrated circuit with or without firmware . For example, the integrated circuit may include input circuitry to receive signals and processing circuitry to process the signals and other information. The engine may also be embodied as one application or separate applications . In addition, in some devices, the functionality described for the processor 305 is split among two or more processors such as a baseband processor and an applications processor . The example embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of a wireless device .

[0031] The memory arrangement 310 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the wireless device 112. In some examples, the memory arrangementAttorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1310 may include non-volatile memory (NVM) that i s used to permanently store certain types of information ( e . g . , device ID, etc . ) and regi sters for temporarily storing information whi le energy i s avai lable in energy storage . However , reference to NVM and regi sters is merely provided for il lustrative purposes . The example embodiments may be implemented in any o f these or other configurations of a memory arrangement .

[0032] The transceiver 315 may be a hardware component configured to communicate with the 5G NR-RAN 120 , an LTE-RAN ( not pictured) , a legacy RAN ( not pictured) , a WLAN ( not pictured) , etc . Accordingly, the transceiver 315 may operate on a variety o f di f ferent frequencies or channel s ( e . g . , set o f consecutive frequencies ) . The transceiver 315 includes circuitry configured to transmit and / or receive s ignals ( e . g . , control s ignal s , data signal s ) . Such s ignal s may be encoded with information implementing any one o f the methods described herein . The proces sor 305 may be operably coupled to the transceiver 315 and conf igured to receive from and / or transmit s ignal s to the transceiver 315 . The proces sor 305 may be configured to encode , decode and / or proces s s ignals ( e . g . , s ignal ing from a base station o f a network ) for implementing any one of the techniques described herein .

[0033] In the example o f Fig . 3 , the proces sor 305 and the radio frequency ( RF) circuitry ( e . g . , transceiver 315 ) are i l lustrated as separate components . However , in some example embodiments , the RF circuitry and the process ing circuitry may be integrated into the same chip, e . g . , a system on chip that includes a baseband processor and RF circuitry .Attorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1

[0034] Fig . 4 shows an example UE 110 according to various example embodiments . The UE 110 will be described with regard to the example deployment 100 of Fig . 1 . The UE 110 may include a processor 405, a memory arrangement 410, a display device 415, an input / output ( I / O) device 420, a transceiver 425 and other components 430 . The other components 430 may include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a power supply, a data acquisition device, ports to electrically connect the UE 110 to other electronic devices, etc .

[0035] The processor 405 may be comprised of processing circuitry that is configured to execute a plurality of engines for the UE 110 . For example, the engines may include a D2R engine 435. The D2R engine 435 may perform various operations related to D2R communications including, but not limited to configuring an ambient-IoT device with a D2R configuration associated with preambles and midambles for D2R communications and decoding D2R communications based on the D2R configuration . These and other operations are described in greater detail below .

[0036] The above referenced engine 435 being an application ( e . g . , a program) executed by the processor 405 is merely provided for illustrative purposes . The functionality associated with the engine 435 may also be represented as a separate incorporated component of the UE 110 or may be a modular component coupled to the UE 110 , e . g . , an integrated circuit with or without firmware . For example, the integrated circuit may include input circuitry to receive signals and processing circuitry to process the signals and other information . The engine may also be embodied as one application or separateAttorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1applications . In addition, in some UEs, the functionality described for the processor 405 is split among two or more processors such as a baseband processor and an applications processor . The example embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of a UE .

[0037] The memory arrangement 410 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UE 110 . The display device 415 may be a hardware component configured to show data to a user while the I / O device 420 may be a hardware component that enables the user to enterinputs . The display device 415 and the I / O device 420 may be separate components or integrated together such as a touchscreen .

[0038] The transceiver 425 may be a hardware component configured to exchange data with the wireless device 112 , the 5G NR RAN 120 and / or any other appropriate type of network .Accordingly, the transceiver 425 may operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels ( e . g . , set of consecutive frequencies ) . The transceiver 425 includes circuitry configured to transmit and / or receive signals ( e . g . , control signals , data signals ) . Such signals may be encoded with information implementing any one of the methods described herein . The processor 405 may be operably coupled to the transceiver 425 and configured to receive from and / or transmit signals to the transceiver 425. The processor 405 may be configured to encode, decode and / or process signals ( e . g . , signaling from a base station of a network) for implementing any one of the techniques described herein .Attorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1

[0039] In the example of Fig. 4, the processor 405 and the radio frequency (RF) circuitry (e . g. , transceiver 425) are illustrated as separate components . However, in some example embodiments, the RF circuitry and the processing circuitry may be integrated into the same chip, e . g. , a system on chip that includes a baseband processor and RF circuitry.

[0040] Fig. 5 shows an example base station 500 according to various example embodiments . The base station 500 may represent the gNB 120A of the deployment scenario 100 or 200 or any other type of access node .

[0041] The base station 500 may include a processor 505, a memory arrangement 510, an input / output ( I / O) device 515, a transceiver 520, and other components 525. The other components 525 may include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a battery, a data acquisition device, ports to electrically connect the base station 500 to other electronic devices and / or power sources, transceiver chains, antenna elements, antenna panels, etc .

[0042] The processor 505 may be comprised of processing circuitry that is configured to execute a plurality of engines for the base station 500. For example, the engines may include a D2R engine 535. The D2R engine 535 may perform various operations related to D2R communications including, but not limited to configuring an ambient-IoT device with a D2R configuration associated with preambles and midambles for D2R communications and decoding D2R communications based on the D2R configuration. These and other operations are described inAttorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1greater detai l below . These and other operations are described in greater detail below .

[0043] The above noted engine 535 being an application ( e . g . , a program) executed by the processor 505 i s only an example . The functionality associated with the engine 535 may al so be represented as a separate incorporated component of the base station 500 or may be a modular component coupled to the base station 500 , e . g . , an integrated circuit with or without f irmware . For example , the integrated circuit may include input circuitry to receive s ignals and proces s ing circuitry to proces s the s ignals and other information . In addition, in some base stations , the functional ity described for the proces sor 505 is spl it among a plural ity o f processors ( e . g . , a baseband proces sor , an appl ications processor , etc . ) . The example embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of a base station .

[0044] The memory arrangement 510 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the base station 500 . The I / O device 515 may be a hardware component or ports that enable a user to interact with the base station 500 .

[0045] The transceiver 520 may be a hardware component configured to exchange data with the UE 110 and / or the wireles s devices 112A - 112N . The transceiver 520 may operate on a variety o f di f ferent frequencies or channels ( e . g . , set o f consecutive frequencies ) . There fore , the transceiver 520 may include one or more components to enable the data exchange with the various networks , UEs and wireles s devices . The transceiverAttorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1520 includes circuitry configured to transmit and / or receive s ignal s ( e . g . , control s ignal s , data signals ) . Such s ignal s may be encoded with information implementing any one of the methods described herein . The proces sor 505 may be operably coupled to the transceiver 520 and conf igured to receive from and / or transmit signals to the transceiver 520 . The proces sor 505 may be conf igured to encode , decode and / or proces s s ignal s ( e . g . , s ignal ing from a UE , a wireles s device , etc . ) for implementing any one o f the methods described herein .

[0046] In the example o f Fig . 5 , the proces sor 505 and the radio frequency ( RF) circuitry ( e . g . , transceiver 520 ) are i l lustrated as separate components . However , in some example embodiments , the RF circuitry and the process ing circuitry may be integrated into the same chip, e . g . , a system on chip that includes a baseband processor and RF circuitry .

[0047] As described above , the example embodiments are related to the des ign o f phys ical channel s for D2R communications . In the example embodiments , the D2R communications may include a preamble appended to the start of a physical channel that supports various operations , such as , but not l imited to timing acquis ition, a sample frequency of f set ( S FO) estimation / time tracking and channel estimation . The D2R communications may also include a midamble that supports various operations , such as , but not l imited to S FO estimation / time tracking and channel estimation . The midamble may be inserted anywhere in the phys ical channel ( e . g . , Physical Device to Reader Channel ( PDRCH) ) after the start o f the phys ical channel . In some cases , the midamble may be located at the end of the physical channel , e . g . , a postamble . In some exampleAttorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1embodiments , the D2R conf iguration may include an additional midamble indicator that indicates whether an additional midamble i s to be inserted at an end o f the PDRCH, in addition to any midambles inserted at periodic interval s within the PDRCH .

[0048] The example embodiments are related to operations for s ignal ing the preamble and / or midambles o f the D2R communications . Thi s s ignaling may include expl icit or impl icit s ignal ing . The signaling may include an indication o f a preamble type ( e . g . , long format , short format , etc . ) and how a midamble i s to be appl ied .

[0049] In some example embodiments , a de fault conf iguration o f D2R x-ambles may be supported . The de fault configuration may include a f ixed preamble type and a f ixed midamble configuration based on prede fined factors such as , Transport Block s i ze ( TBS ) , coding rate , repetition factor , etc .

[0050] For example , i f di f ferent preamble types include a short format and long format , then the f ixed de fault configuration for the preamble may be the long format type . In some example embodiments , the type o f preamble ( e . g . , long format , short format ) may be indicated by a sequence length indicator . The short format may correspond to a first pseudorandom sequence length ( e . g . , a first m- sequence length) and the long format may correspond to a second pseudo-random sequence length greater than the f irst pseudo-random sequence length ( e . g . , a second m- sequence length) . The preamble and midamble may use the same sequence length as indicated by the sequence length indicator .Attorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588W01

[0051] With respect to the midambles, Fig. 6 shows an example table 600 having pre-defined rules based on Transport Block Size (TBS) for the presence and time-domain resources used for midambles in a D2R physical channel according to various example embodiments . In the example of Fig. 6, the presence and timedomain resources used for midambles are based on TBS . For example, as shown in row 610 of the table 600, if the TBS is less than a first predefined threshold in bits (e . g. , XI) , then the default configuration may be that there is no midamble inserted into the PDRCH.

[0052] Continuing with the table 600, as shown in row 620, if the TBS is greater than the first predefined threshold XI but less than a second predefined threshold X2 (which is greater than XI ) , then the default configuration may be that a midamble may be inserted at the end of the PDRCH.

[0053] Finally, as shown in row 630, if the TBS is greater than the second predefined threshold X2 but less than a third predefined threshold X3 (which is greater than X2) , then the default configuration may be that a midamble may be inserted every X bits in the PDRCH. In some example embodiments, the D2R configuration may include an interval parameter indicating a number of bits between successive midamble insertions . Whether a midamble is inserted into the PDRCH may be based on whether a number of encoded bits of the D2R communication is greater than or equal to the interval parameter. If the number of encoded bits is greater than or equal to the interval parameter, one or more midambles may be inserted at positions corresponding to multiples of the interval parameter . If the number of encodedAttorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1bits is less than the interval parameter, no midamble may be inserted .

[0054] Fig. 7 shows an example table 700 having pre-defined rules based on a number of chips for the presence and timedomain resources used for midambles in a D2R physical channel according to various example embodiments . The number of chips may be the length (or duration) of the total number of chips (or data symbols) in a waveform in the D2R communication and may be dependent on the code rate . To provide an example, in some example embodiments, a chip duration may be 1 microsecond.However, this is only an example and other values of a chip may be defined.

[0055] Similar to the example described above with reference to Fig. 6, if different preamble types include a short format and long format, then the fixed default configuration for the preamble may be the long format type .

[0056] In the example of Fig. 7, the presence and time-domain resources used for midambles are based on the number of chips . For example, as shown in row 710 of the table 600, if the number of chips is less than a first predefined threshold in chips (e . g. , XI) , then the default configuration may be that there is no midamble inserted into the PDRCH.

[0057] Continuing with the table 700, as shown in row 720, if the number of chips is greater than the first predefined threshold XI but less than a second predefined threshold X2 (which is greater than XI ) , then the default configuration may be that a midamble may be inserted at the end of the PDRCH.Attorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1

[0058] Finally, as shown in row 730, if the number of chips is greater than the second predefined threshold X2 but less than a third predefined threshold X3 (which is greater than X2 ) , then the default configuration may be that a midamble may be inserted every X bits in the PDRCH.

[0059] The above showed two examples of factors that may be used to specify the default configuration for the preambles / midambles of the PDRCH. However, other factors may also be used. In addition, while the above factors (e . g. , TBS and number of chips) are shown to be used individually, it may also be possible to specify the default configuration based on a combination of these or other factors .

[0060] By implementing a default configuration such as described for the example embodiments, once the default configuration is specified, no additional dynamic or semi-static signaling is required for the preamble / midamble configuration. For example, the default configuration may be specified in standards (e . g. , 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) ) . Both a reader and an ambient-IoT device may be configured with the specified default configuration and no additional signaling with respect to the preamble / midamble configuration is required.

[0061] In some example embodiments, the reader may signal the ambient-IoT device the D2R x-ambles configuration. The configuration may include, for example, a preamble type and a midamble configuration including at least the presence of a midamble, a number of midambles and time-domain resources for midambles .Attorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1

[0062] In a first option, the reader may not provide any indication in R2D communications (e . g. , via the Physical Reader to Device Channel (PRDCH) . In this option, the ambient-IoT device may apply the default configuration, e . g. , the example default configurations described above . This lack of indication may be an implicit signaling of the configuration for the PDRCH.

[0063] In a second option, the reader may provide a joint indication for the preamble type and the midamble configuration. In this option, the explicit signaling of the reader may override the default configuration.

[0064] Fig. 8 shows an example table 800 providing a joint indication of a preamble type and a midamble configuration according to various example embodiments . Then table 800 shows examples of the joint indication that a reader may explicitly provide to the ambient-IoT device . As shown in Fig. 8, the table includes 8 entries 810-880 that each have an index. The ambient-loT device may be preconfigured with the table 800 and the signaling from the reader may be an indication of the index . The ambient-IoT device may then apply the D2R configuration associated with the index .

[0065] In the example of Fig. 8, the first row 810 shows a joint indication of a D2R configuration where the preamble is a preamble type 1 (e . g. , long format) and there is no midamble . The second row 820 shows a joint indication of a D2R configuration where the preamble is a preamble type 2 (e . g. , short format) and there is no midamble . The third row 830 shows a joint indication of a D2R configuration where the preamble isAttorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1a preamble type 1 ( e . g . , long format ) and there is one midamble at the end o f the PDRCH . The fourth row 840 shows a j oint indication o f a D2R conf iguration where the preamble i s a preamble type 2 ( e . g . , short format ) and there i s one midamble at the end o f the PDRCH . The f i fth row 850 shows a j oint indication o f a D2R conf iguration where the preamble i s a preamble type 1 ( e . g . , long format ) and there i s a midamble after every set o f a prede fined value of bits ( e . g . , XI ) in the PDRCH . The s ixth row 860 shows a j oint indication o f a D2R configuration where the preamble i s a preamble type 2 ( e . g . , short format ) and there i s a midamble after every set of a predef ined value o f bits ( e . g . , XI ) in the PDRCH . The seventh row 870 shows a j oint indication o f a D2R conf iguration where the preamble i s a preamble type 1 ( e . g . , long format ) and there i s a midamble after every set o f a prede f ined value o f bits ( e . g . , X2 ) in the PDRCH, where X2 may be larger or smaller than XI . The eighth row 880 shows a j oint indication of a D2R configuration where the preamble i s a preamble type 2 ( e . g . , short format ) and there i s a midamble after every set of a predef ined value o f bits ( e . g . , X2 ) in the PDRCH, where X2 may be larger or smal ler than XI . These are only example configurations and other conf igurations may al so be speci f ied including more than or less than eight conf igurations .

[0066] In addition, while the above example embodiments described the reader s ignaling the D2R conf iguration using an index to a table , the reader may al so expl icitly signal the parameters for the D2R configuration in a PRDCH communication . For example , the reader may send a PRDCH communication that includes the information that corresponds to the D2R configuration shown in row 810 of the table 800 . For example ,Attorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1the reader may individually signal D2R configuration parameters to the ambient-IoT device . The individually signaled parameters may include one or more of : a sequence length indicator for the preamble and midamble, an interval in bits for midamble insertion, an additional midamble insertion indicator, a block repetition number, a small frequency shift factor, a channel coding indicator, and a D2R transport block size .

[0067] In some example embodiments , a fixed default configuration may be used for Msgl transmissions of a Random Access Channel (RACK) procedure or an initial message of a contention procedure . For example, a reader may initiate a RACH procedure or contention based procedure using, for example, a paging message that may be destined for one or more ambient-IoT devices . When an ambient-IoT device responds to the paging message (e . g . , using a Msgl of a RACH procedure ) , the ambient-loT device may not be expected to be signaled with a D2R configuration for this type of D2R communication, e . g . , the ambient-IoT device has a fixed D2R configuration for this type of message .

[0068] For additional messages of the RACH procedure or contention based procedure ( e . g . , a Msg3 transmission by the ambient-IoT device ) , the reader may signal a D2R configuration for this type of message or the ambient-IoT device may also use the default configuration .

[0069] In some example embodiments , when PDRCH repetition is applied, then a midamble at the end of the PDRCH is not expected to be applied to the PDRCH repetitions .Attorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1Examples

[0070] In a first example, a method, comprising determining a configuration for device-to-reader (D2R) communications, wherein the configuration is associated with preambles or midambles inserted into a Physical Device to Reader Channel (PDRCH) and generating, for transmission to a reader via the PDRCH, a D2R communication configured according to the configuration.

[0071] In a second example, the method of the first example, wherein the configuration is a predefined default configuration.

[0072] In a third example, the method of the second example, wherein determining the predefined default configuration is based on a reader-to-device (R2D) communication not including an explicit indication of the configuration.

[0073] In a fourth example, the method of the second example, wherein the configuration indicates a type of preamble to be inserted into the PDRCH for the D2R communications .

[0074] In a fifth example, the method of the fourth example, wherein the type of preamble to be inserted into the PDRCH for the D2R communications comprises a long format or a short format .

[0075] In a sixth example, the method of the second example, wherein the configuration indicates whether a midamble is present in a D2R communication and time domain resources for the midamble to be inserted into the PDRCH.Attorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1

[0076] In a seventh example, the method of the sixth example, wherein, the configuration indicates the midamble is not present in the D2R communication when a Transport Block Size (TBS) of the D2R communication is less than a first bit size threshold, and the midamble is present when the TBS is greater than or equal to the first bit size threshold.

[0077] In an eighth example, the method of the seventh example, wherein, when the midamble is present, the time domain resources used for the midamble are (a) an end of the PDRCH when the TBS is less than a second bit size threshold that is greater than the first bit size threshold or (b) one midamble every predetermined number of bits when the TBS is greater than or equal to the second bit size threshold and less than a third bit size threshold that is greater than the second bit size threshold .

[0078] In a ninth example, the method of the sixth example, wherein, the configuration indicates the midamble is not present in the D2R communication when a number of chips of the D2R communication is less than a first threshold, and the midamble is present when the number of chips is greater than or equal to the first threshold.

[0079] In a tenth example, the method of the ninth example, wherein, when the midamble is present, the time domain resources used for the midamble are (a) an end of the PDRCH when the number of chips is less than a second threshold that is greater than the first threshold or (b) one midamble every predetermined number of bits when the number of chips is greater than or equalAttorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1to the second threshold and less than a third threshold that is greater than the second threshold.

[0080] In an eleventh example, the method of the second example, wherein a first message transmitted in the PDRCH of a random access or contention based procedure is determined to use the predefined default configuration.

[0081] In a twelfth example, the method of the eleventh example, wherein a subsequent message transmitted in the PDRCH of the random access or contention based procedure is determined to use the predefined default configuration.

[0082] In a thirteenth example, the method of the first example, further comprising processing, based on reader signaling, a message comprising the configuration, wherein the configuration indicates a type of preamble to be inserted into the PDRCH, whether a midamble is present in a D2R communication and time domain resources for the midamble to be inserted into the PDRCH.

[0083] In a fourteenth example, the method of the thirteenth example, wherein the configuration in the message overrides any default configuration for the D2R communication.

[0084] In a fifteenth example, the method of the thirteenth example, wherein a subsequent message transmitted in the PDRCH after a first message of a random access or contention based procedure is determined to use the configuration indicated in the message .Attorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1

[0085] In a sixteenth example, the method of the first example, wherein the configuration indicates a midamble inserted at an end of the PDRCH is not present in a PDRCH repetition.

[0086] In a seventeenth example, a processor configured to perform any of the methods of the first through sixteenth examples .

[0087] In an eighteenth example, a user equipment configured to perform any of the methods of the first through sixteenth examples .

[0088] In a nineteenth example, a wireless device configured to perform any of the methods of the first through sixteenth examples .

[0089] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above-described example embodiments may be implemented in any suitable software or hardware configuration or combination thereof . An example hardware platform for implementing the example embodiments may include, for example, an Intel x86 based platform with compatible operating system, a Windows OS, a Mac platform and MAC OS, a mobile device having an operating system such as iOS, Android, etc . The example embodiments of the above described method may be embodied as a program containing lines of code stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium that, when compiled, may be executed on a processor or microprocessor .

[0090] Although this application described various embodiments each having different features in variousAttorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1combinations, those skilled in the art will understand that any of the features of one embodiment may be combined with the features of the other embodiments in any manner not specifically disclaimed or which is not functionally or logically inconsistent with the operation of the device or the stated functions of the disclosed embodiments .

[0091] It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users . In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users .

[0092] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the present disclosure, without departing from the spirit or the scope of the disclosure . Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure cover modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalent .

Claims

1. Attorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO1What is claimed:

1. An apparatus comprising memory coupled to processing circuitry, the processing circuitry configured to :determine a configuration for device-to-reader (D2R) communications, wherein the configuration is associated with preambles or midambles inserted into a Physical Device to Reader Channel (PDRCH) ; andgenerate, for transmission to a reader via the PDRCH, a D2R communication configured according to the configuration.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the configuration is a predefined default configuration.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processing circuitry determines the predefined default configuration based on a reader- to-device (R2D) communication not including an explicit indication of the configuration.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the configuration indicates a type of preamble to be inserted into the PDRCH for the D2R communications .

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the type of preamble to be inserted into the PDRCH for the D2R communications comprises a long format or a short format .

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the configuration indicates whether a midamble is present in a D2R communication and time domain resources for the midamble to be inserted into the PDRCH.Attorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO17. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein, the configuration indicates the midamble is not present in the D2R communication when a Transport Block Size (TBS) of the D2R communication is less than a first bit size threshold, and the midamble is present when the TBS is greater than or equal to the first bit size threshold.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein, when the midamble is present, the time domain resources used for the midamble are (a) an end of the PDRCH when the TBS is less than a second bit size threshold that is greater than the first bit size threshold or (b) one midamble every predetermined number of bits when the TBS is greater than or equal to the second bit size threshold and less than a third bit size threshold that is greater than the second bit size threshold.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein, the configuration indicates the midamble is not present in the D2R communication when a number of chips of the D2R communication is less than a first threshold, and the midamble is present when the number of chips is greater than or equal to the first threshold.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein, when the midamble is present, the time domain resources used for the midamble are (a) an end of the PDRCH when the number of chips is less than a second threshold that is greater than the first threshold or (b) one midamble every predetermined number of bits when the number of chips is greater than or equal to the second threshold and less than a third threshold that is greater than the second threshold .Attorney Docket No . 30164 / 104002Ref . No . P71588WO111 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein a first message transmitted in the PDRCH of a random access or contention based procedure is determined to use the predefined default configuration .12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein a subsequent message transmitted in the PDRCH of the random access or contention based procedure is determined to use the predefined default configuration .13 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to :process , based on reader signaling, a message comprising the configuration, wherein the configuration indicates a type of preamble to be inserted into the PDRCH, whether a midamble is present in a D2R communication and time domain resources for the midamble to be inserted into the PDRCH .14 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the configuration in the message overrides any default configuration for the D2R communication .

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein a subsequent message transmitted in the PDRCH after a first message of a random access or contention based procedure is determined to use the configuration indicated in the message .

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the configuration indicates a midamble inserted at an end of the PDRCH is not present in a PDRCH repetition .

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