WO2025043432A1

WO2025043432A1 - Multiple carrier wave radio frequency source configuration for backscatter communications by an ambient internet-of-things device

Info

Publication number: WO2025043432A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/115195
Authority: WO
Inventors: Chao Wei; Mingxi YIN; Hao Xu; Kangqi LIU
Original assignee: Qualcomm Inc
Current assignee: Qualcomm Inc
Priority date: 2023-08-28
Filing date: 2023-08-28
Publication date: 2025-03-06
Anticipated expiration: 2026-02-28

Abstract

Systems and techniques are provided for wireless communications. A process can include receiving first configuration information associated with transmission of carrier wave (CW) signals to an ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) device, wherein the first configuration information is indicative of a plurality of candidate frequencies. The process can include determining, based on second configuration information, that the network entity is a valid source for a current CW transmission occasion. The process can include transmitting, to the AIoT device, a first CW signal using a selected frequency of the plurality of candidate frequencies, wherein a transmission power for the first CW signal is based on the second configuration information.

Description

MULTIPLE CARRIER WAVE RADIO FREQUENCY SOURCE CONFIGURATION FOR BACKSCATTER COMMUNICATIONS BY AN AMBIENT INTERNET-OF-THINGS DEVICE

FIELD

Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication. In some implementations, examples are described for backscatter communications by backscatter devices (e.g., such as ambient Internet of Things (IoT) devices) .

INTRODUCTION

Wireless communications systems are deployed to provide various telecommunication services, including telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcasts, among others. Wireless communications systems have developed through various generations, including a first-generation analog wireless phone service (1G) , a second-generation (2G) digital wireless phone service (including interim 2.5G networks) , a third-generation (3G) high speed data, Internet-capable wireless service, a fourth-generation (4G) service (e.g., Long-Term Evolution (LTE) , WiMax) , and a fifth-generation (5G) service (e.g., New Radio (NR) ) . There are presently many different types of wireless communications systems in use, including cellular and personal communications service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular Analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) , and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA) , frequency division multiple access (FDMA) , time division multiple access (TDMA) , the Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) , etc.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary relating to one or more aspects disclosed herein. Thus, the following summary should not be considered an extensive overview relating to all contemplated aspects, nor should the following summary be considered to identify key or critical elements relating to all contemplated aspects or to delineate the scope associated with any particular aspect. Accordingly, the following summary has the sole purpose to present certain concepts relating to one or more aspects relating to the mechanisms disclosed herein in a simplified form to precede the detailed description presented below.

Disclosed are systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media for performing wireless communication. According to at least one illustrative example, a method of wireless communications performed at a network entity (e.g., a radio frequency (RF) source) is provided. The method comprises: receiving first configuration information associated with transmission of carrier wave (CW) signals to an ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) device, wherein the first configuration information is indicative of a plurality of candidate frequencies; determining, based on second configuration information, that the network entity is a valid source for a current CW transmission occasion; and transmitting, to the AIoT device, a first CW signal using a selected frequency of the plurality of candidate frequencies, wherein a transmission power for the first CW signal is based on the second configuration information.

In another illustrative example, an apparatus of a network entity for wireless communication is provided. The apparatus includes at least one memory and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and configured to: receive first configuration information associated with transmission of carrier wave (CW) signals to an ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) device, wherein the first configuration information is indicative of a plurality of candidate frequencies; determine, based on second configuration information, that the network entity is a valid source for a current CW transmission occasion; and transmit, to the AIoT device, a first CW signal using a selected frequency of the plurality of candidate frequencies, wherein a transmission power for the first CW signal is based on the second configuration information.

In another illustrative example, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon which, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to: receive first configuration information associated with transmission of carrier wave (CW) signals to an ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) device, wherein the first configuration information is indicative of a plurality of candidate frequencies; determine, based on second configuration information, that the network entity is a valid source for a current CW transmission occasion; and transmit, to the AIoT device, a first CW signal using a selected frequency of the plurality of candidate frequencies, wherein a transmission power for the first CW signal is based on the second configuration information.

In another illustrative example, an apparatus is provided for wireless communication. The apparatus includes: means for receiving first configuration information associated with transmission of carrier wave (CW) signals to an ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) device, wherein the first configuration information is indicative of a plurality of candidate frequencies; means for determining, based on second configuration information, that the network entity is a valid source for a current CW transmission occasion; and means for transmitting, to the AIoT device, a first CW signal using a selected frequency of the plurality of candidate frequencies, wherein a transmission power for the first CW signal is based on the second configuration information.

According to at least one illustrative example, a method of wireless communications performed at a network entity (e.g., a base station, gNB, and/or reader device, etc. ) is provided. The method comprises: transmitting, to a radio frequency (RF) source network entity, frequency configuration information indicative of a plurality of candidate frequencies for transmission of carrier wave (CW) signals to an ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) device; transmitting, to the RF source network entity, CW transmission (CW Tx) configuration information indicative of one or more parameters associated with the transmission of CW signals to the AIoT device; and receiving, from the AIoT device, a modulated backscattered signal, wherein the modulated backscattered signal is indicative of a data transmission of the AIoT device, and wherein the modulated backscattered signal is based on a CW signal configured based on the CW Tx configuration information.

In another illustrative example, an apparatus of a network entity for wireless communication is provided. The apparatus includes at least one memory and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and configured to: transmit, to a radio frequency (RF) source network entity, frequency configuration information indicative of a plurality of candidate frequencies for transmission of carrier wave (CW) signals to an ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) device; transmit, to the RF source network entity, CW transmission (CW Tx) configuration information indicative of one or more parameters associated with the transmission of CW signals to the AIoT device; and receive, from the AIoT device, a modulated backscattered signal, wherein the modulated backscattered signal is indicative of a data transmission of the AIoT device, and wherein the modulated backscattered signal is based on a CW signal configured based on the CW Tx configuration information.

In another illustrative example, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon which, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to: transmit, to a radio frequency (RF) source network entity, frequency configuration information indicative of a plurality of candidate frequencies for transmission of carrier wave (CW) signals to an ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) device; transmit, to the RF source network entity, CW transmission (CW Tx) configuration information indicative of one or more parameters associated with the transmission of CW signals to the AIoT device; and receive, from the AIoT device, a modulated backscattered signal, wherein the modulated backscattered signal is indicative of a data transmission of the AIoT device, and wherein the modulated backscattered signal is based on a CW signal configured based on the CW Tx configuration information.

In another illustrative example, an apparatus is provided for wireless communication. The apparatus includes: means for transmitting, to a radio frequency (RF) source network entity, frequency configuration information indicative of a plurality of candidate frequencies for transmission of carrier wave (CW) signals to an ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) device; means for transmitting, to the RF source network entity, CW transmission (CW Tx) configuration information indicative of one or more parameters associated with the transmission of CW signals to the AIoT device; and means for receiving, from the AIoT device, a modulated backscattered signal, wherein the modulated backscattered signal is indicative of a data transmission of the AIoT device, and wherein the modulated backscattered signal is based on a CW signal configured based on the CW Tx configuration information.

Aspects generally include a method, apparatus, system, computer program product, non-transitory computer-readable medium, user equipment, base station, wireless communication device, and/or processing system as substantially described herein with reference to and as illustrated by the drawings and specification.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of examples according to the disclosure in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described hereinafter. The conception and specific examples disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. Characteristics of the concepts disclosed herein, both their organization and method of operation, together with associated advantages, will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. Each of the figures is provided for the purposes of illustration and description, and not as a definition of the limits of the claims.

While aspects are described in the present disclosure by illustration to some examples, those skilled in the art will understand that such aspects may be implemented in many different arrangements and scenarios. Techniques described herein may be implemented using different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, and/or packaging arrangements. For example, some aspects may be implemented via integrated chip implementations or other non-module-component based devices (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial equipment, retail/purchasing devices, medical devices, and/or artificial intelligence devices) . Aspects may be implemented in chip-level components, modular components, non-modular components, non-chip-level components, device-level components, and/or system-level components. Devices incorporating described aspects and features may include additional components and features for implementation and practice of claimed and described aspects. For example, transmission and reception of wireless signals may include one or more components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components including antennas, radio frequency (RF) chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processors, interleavers, adders, and/or summers) . It is intended that aspects described herein may be practiced in a wide variety of devices, components, systems, distributed arrangements, and/or end-user devices of varying size, shape, and constitution.

Other objects and advantages associated with the aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entire specification of this patent, any or all drawings, and each claim.

The foregoing, together with other features and aspects, will become more apparent upon referring to the following specification, claims, and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in the description of various aspects of the disclosure and are provided solely for illustration of the aspects and not limitation thereof.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication network, in accordance with some examples;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a design of a base station and a User Equipment (UE) device that enable transmission and processing of signals exchanged between the UE and the base station, in accordance with some examples;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a disaggregated base station, in accordance with some examples;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating components of a user equipment (UE) , in accordance with some examples;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a radio frequency (RF) energy harvesting device, in accordance with some examples;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of backscatter communications performed by an RF backscatter device such as an ambient Internet-of-Things (ambient IoT) device and/or a passive UE, in accordance with some examples;

FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating example implementations of a monostatic ambient IoT device with a full-duplex network entity or UE configured as a reader device, in accordance with some examples;

FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating example implementations of a bi-static ambient IoT device with a half-duplex network entity or UE configured as a reader device, in accordance with some examples;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of an RF energy harvesting device or ambient IoT device configured to perform energy harvesting from multiple RF sources, in accordance with some examples;

FIG. 9A is a diagram illustrating an example of an ambient IoT device configured to perform backscatter communications using multiple carrier waves associated with multiple RF sources, in accordance with some examples;

FIG. 9B is a diagram illustrating an example of multiple backscatter signals generated by an ambient IoT device and corresponding to the multiple carrier waves of FIG. 9A, in accordance with some examples;

FIG. 10 is a signaling diagram corresponding to a process of backscatter communications configured by a network entity for an ambient IoT device and multiple carrier wave RF source devices, in accordance with some examples;

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a process for wireless communications, in accordance with some examples;

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a process for wireless communications, in accordance with some examples; and

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a computing system, in accordance with some examples.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Certain aspects of this disclosure are provided below for illustration purposes. Alternate aspects may be devised without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements of the disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the disclosure. Some of the aspects described herein may be applied independently and some of them may be applied in combination as would be apparent to those of skill in the art. In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of aspects of the application. However, it will be apparent that various aspects may be practiced without these specific details. The figures and description are not intended to be restrictive.

The ensuing description provides example aspects only, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the disclosure. Rather, the ensuing description of the example aspects will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing an example aspect. It should be understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope of the application as set forth in the appended claims.

Wireless communication networks can be deployed to provide various communication services, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, any combination thereof, or other communication services. A wireless communication network may support both access links and sidelinks for communication between wireless devices. An access link may refer to any communication link between a client device (e.g., a user equipment (UE) , a station (STA) , or other client device) and a base station (e.g., a 3GPP gNB for 5G/NR, a 3GPP eNB for 4G/LTE, a Wi-Fi access point (AP) , or other base station) . For example, an access link may support uplink signaling, downlink signaling, connection procedures, etc. An example of an access link is a Uu link or interface (also referred to as an NR-Uu) between a 3GPP gNB and a UE.

In various wireless communication networks, various client devices can be utilized that may be associated with different signaling and communication needs. For example, as 5G networks expand into industrial verticals and the quantity of deployed Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices grows, network service categories such as enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) , Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC) , and massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC) , etc., may be expanded to better support various IoT devices, which can include passive IoT devices, semi-passive IoT devices, etc. In some aspects, passive IoT devices may also be referred to as “ambient IoT devices. ” An ambient IoT device can be an ambient-power enabled IoT device that is configured to perform RF energy harvesting from an external source of energy (e.g., ambient RF signals, etc. ) . An “ambient IoT device” may also be referred to as a “tag” and/or a “passive UE” (PUE) . In some examples, an ambient IoT device may be an IoT device that can perform ambient energy harvesting. An ambient IoT (AIoT) device may also be referred to as an ambient energy harvesting device. As used herein, the term “ambient IoT devices” may refer to active IoT devices, passive IoT devices, and/or semi-passive IoT devices that can be used to perform ambient energy harvesting.

In some cases, ‘Type A’ ambient IoT devices (e.g., Type A AIoT devices) can be a subset of energy harvesting-capable (EH-capable) devices, where Type A AIoT devices are battery-less EH-capable devices with no energy storage capability and/or capacity. Type A AIoT devices may be completely dependent on the availability of an external source of energy, such as ambient RF signals that can be used to perform ambient energy harvesting (e.g., RF energy harvesting) . Type A AIoT devices may also be referred to as “passive IoT devices. ”

In some cases, ‘Type B’ AIoT devices can be a subset of EH-capable devices, where Type B AIoT devices are EH-capable devices with a limited energy storage capability and/or capacity. For instance, Type B AIoT devices may be EH-capable devices that include an energy storage element comprising one or more super-capacitors or conventional capacitors that do not need to be replaced or recharged manually. Type B AIoT devices may also be referred to as “semi-passive IoT devices. ”

In some examples, an AIoT device or passive UE (PUE) may be implemented as a passive IoT device (e.g., Type A AIoT device) that does not include active RF components. For instance, an AIoT device (e.g., PUE) can perform data transmission based on modulating the incident RF signals emitted by one or more ambient RF transmitters and received at the AIoT device. The ambient RF transmitters can include one or more of cellular mobiles, UEs, base stations, gNBs, and/or various other network entities, etc. As described in greater detail below, ambient RF signals can be utilized (e.g., by an AIoT device, backscatter device, PUE, etc. ) as both a signal resource for performing backscatter communications and an energy resource for performing energy harvesting (EH) .

In some examples, ambient IoT devices (e.g., active IoT devices, passive IoT devices, semi-passive IoT devices, etc. ) are relatively low-cost UEs that may be used to implement one or more sensing and communication capabilities in an IoT network or deployment. In some examples, passive and/or semi-passive IoT sensors (e.g., devices) can be used to provide sensing capabilities for various processes and use cases, such as asset management, logistics, warehousing, manufacturing, etc. Passive and semi-passive IoT devices can include one or more sensors, a processor or micro-controller, and an energy harvester for generating electrical power from incident downlink radio frequency (RF) signals received at the passive or semi-passive IoT device.

Based on harvesting energy from incident downlink RF signals and/or other ambient RF signals or sources (e.g., transmitted by an RF source network device such as a base station, gNB, etc. ) , AIoT devices may be provided without an energy storage element and/or can be provided with a relatively small energy storage element (e.g., battery, capacitor, etc. ) . AIoT devices provided without an energy storage element may include passive IoT devices. AIoT devices provided with a relatively small energy storage element may include semi-passive IoT devices. AIoT devices that are provided with an energy storage element may include active IoT devices. AIoT devices can be deployed at large scales, based on the simplification in their manufacture and deployment associated with implementing wireless energy harvesting.

In some examples, AIoT devices can harvest energy from dedicated downlink RF signals for energy harvesting and/or can harvest energy from ambient RF signals. In some cases, an AIoT device may be configured to perform energy harvesting only for dedicated downlink RF signals for energy harvesting. In some cases, AIoT devices can harvest energy from ambient downlink RF signals (e.g., including dedicated downlink RF signals for energy harvesting and various other downlink RF signals that are not dedicated energy harvesting signals) .

Ambient RF signals can include dedicated downlink RF signals for energy harvesting and/or can include RF signals that are not dedicated for energy harvesting. For instance, AIoT devices can use ambient RF signals as both a signal resource for performing backscatter communication (e.g., based on backscatter modulation of a portion of the ambient RF signal used as a signal resource) and as an energy resource for performing energy harvesting (e.g., based on RF energy harvesting of a portion of the ambient RF signal used as an energy resource) .

In some cases, an AIoT device can use the same antenna for energy harvesting and communications. For example, an AIoT device can use the same antenna to perform energy harvesting and backscatter communications, where the energy harvesting and the backscatter communications are based on the same downlink RF signal (e.g., with a first portion of the downlink or ambient RF signal used as a signal resource for backscatter communications and a second portion of the downlink or ambient RF signal used as an energy resource for RF energy harvesting) .

In some examples, an AIoT device can include a first antenna used for energy harvesting and a second antenna used for communications, where the first antenna is different from the second antenna. For instance, an ambient IoT device can use the first antenna to perform energy harvesting and can use the second antenna to perform backscatter communications (e.g., transmitting and/or receiving) .

The backscatter transmitter can generate and transmit an uplink signal by reflecting and backscatter modulating an incident downlink signal (e.g., ambient RF signal) using the first antenna. In some examples, an ambient IoT device can use a backscatter transmitter that is the same as or similar to a backscatter transmitter utilized by a passive or semi-passive IoT device, as described above. An active transmitter can use a battery or other energy storage element included in the ambient IoT device to generate and transmit an uplink signal, using an antenna that is different from the first antenna associated with the backscatter transmitter (e.g., a second antenna) . To transmit an uplink signal, the backscatter transmitter of an ambient IoT device must first receive a downlink signal that can be reflected and backscatter modulated. For example, the backscatter transmitter may be unable to transmit an uplink signal unless or until a carrier wave (e.g., such as a continuous sine wave) is received as a downlink signal from a base station, gNB, or other RF source network device. The active transmitter of an ambient IoT device can perform uplink communication that is triggered by the ambient IoT device (e.g., without dependence on first receiving a downlink signal) . In some examples, ambient IoT devices may include a small battery or energy storage element and may be unable to sustain longer periods of uplink communication using the active transmitter of the ambient IoT device. For example, active transmission by an ambient IoT device may quickly deplete the onboard battery or other energy storage element (s) included in the ambient IoT device.

In a wireless communication network environment (e.g., cellular network, etc. ) , a network device (e.g., such as a base station or gNB, etc. ) can be used to transmit downlink RF signals that can be used as ambient RF signals by one or more AIoT devices. In some cases, the network device can be a base station, a gNB, a UE (e.g., such as a non-energy harvesting UE or non-PUE UE) , a repeater device or repeater node, an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, etc. In some aspects, the network device may also be referred to herein as an “RF source, ” an “RF source device, ” an “RF source network device, ” and/or an “RF source network entity. ”

In some examples, an RF source that transmits an ambient RF signal used by an AIoT device (e.g., a dedicated carrier wave (CW) signal or an ambient NR signal) and also receives a modulated backscattered signal from the AIoT device (e.g., based on the ambient RF signal transmitted by the RF source) can be referred to as a “reader, ” a “reader device, ” and/or an “RF reader device. ” For instance, a reader device can include a transmitter for transmitting the ambient RF signal carrier wave used by an AIoT device to generate a modulated backscattered signal, and may further include a receiver for receiving the modulated backscattered signal from the AIoT device.

In one illustrative example, an RF source network device (e.g., base station, gNB, etc. ) can read and/or write information stored on one or more AIoT devices based on transmitting a downlink RF signal that is received by the one or more AIoT devices. A downlink RF signal can provide energy to an AIoT device and can be used as the basis for an information-bearing uplink signal (e.g., modulated backscattered signal) transmitted back to the RF source network device by the AIoT device (e.g., based on reflecting or backscattering a portion of the incident downlink RF signal) . The RF source network device can read the reflected signal transmitted by an AIoT device to decode information transmitted by the AIoT device (e.g., such as sensor information collected by one or more sensors included in the AIoT device, etc. ) .

In some examples, for a downlink signal with a respective input RF power received at an AIoT device, a first portion of the input RF power can be provided to the AIoT device’s energy harvester (e.g., with a percentage thereof being converted to useful electrical power based on the conversion efficiency of the harvester, and the remaining percentage wasted or dissipated as heat, etc. ) . A remaining, second portion of the input RF power is available for use in the backscattered uplink transmission of the AIoT device (e.g., the second portion of the input power is reflected and modulated with the uplink communication) .

Further aspects of the systems and techniques will be described with respect to the figures.

As used herein, the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as a reference to a closed set of information, one or more conditions, one or more factors, or the like. In other words, the phrase “based on A” (where “A” may be information, a condition, a factor, or the like) shall be construed as “based at least on A” unless specifically recited differently.

As used herein, the terms “user equipment” (UE) and “network entity” are not intended to be specific or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT) , unless otherwise noted. In general, a UE may be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, and/or tracking device, etc. ) , wearable (e.g., smartwatch, smart-glasses, wearable ring, and/or an extended reality (XR) device such as a virtual reality (VR) headset, an augmented reality (AR) headset or glasses, or a mixed reality (MR) headset) , vehicle (e.g., automobile, motorcycle, bicycle, etc. ) , aircraft (e.g., an airplane, jet, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or drone, helicopter, airship, glider, etc. ) , and/or Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc., used by a user to communicate over a wireless communications network. A UE may be mobile or may (e.g., at certain times) be stationary, and may communicate with a radio access network (RAN) . As used herein, the term “UE” may be referred to interchangeably as an “access terminal” or “AT, ” a “client device, ” a “wireless device, ” a “subscriber device, ” a “subscriber terminal, ” a “subscriber station, ” a “user terminal” or “UT, ” a “mobile device, ” a “mobile terminal, ” a “mobile station, ” or variations thereof. Generally, UEs can communicate with a core network via a RAN, and through the core network the UEs can be connected with external networks such as the Internet and with other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms of connecting to the core network and/or the Internet are also possible for the UEs, such as over wired access networks, wireless local area network (WLAN) networks (e.g., based on IEEE 802.11 communication standards, etc. ) , and so on.

A network entity can be implemented in an aggregated or monolithic base station architecture, or alternatively, in a disaggregated base station architecture, and may include one or more of a central unit (CU) , a distributed unit (DU) , a radio unit (RU) , a Near-Real Time (Near-RT) RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) , or a Non-Real Time (Non-RT) RIC. A base station (e.g., with an aggregated/monolithic base station architecture or disaggregated base station architecture) may operate according to one of several RATs in communication with UEs depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may be alternatively referred to as an access point (AP) , a network node, a NodeB (NB) , an evolved NodeB (eNB) , a next generation eNB (ng-eNB) , a New Radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as a gNB or gNodeB) , etc. A base station may be used primarily to support wireless access by UEs, including supporting data, voice, and/or signaling connections for the supported UEs. In some systems, a base station may provide edge node signaling functions while in other systems it may provide additional control and/or network management functions. A communication link through which UEs can send signals to a base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc. ) . A communication link through which the base station can send signals to UEs is called a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, or a forward traffic channel, etc. ) . The term traffic channel (TCH) , as used herein, can refer to either an uplink, reverse or downlink, and/or a forward traffic channel.

The term “network entity” or “base station” (e.g., with an aggregated/monolithic base station architecture or disaggregated base station architecture) may refer to a single physical transmit receive point (TRP) or to multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be co-located. For example, where the term “network entity” or “base station” refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be an antenna of the base station corresponding to a cell (or several cell sectors) of the base station. Where the term “network entity” or “base station” refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs may be an array of antennas (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or where the base station employs beamforming) of the base station. Where the term “base station” refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (e.g., a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transport medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (e.g., a remote base station connected to a serving base station) . Alternatively, the non-co-located physical TRPs may be the serving base station receiving the measurement report from the UE and a neighbor base station whose reference radio frequency (RF) signals (e.g., or simply “reference signals” ) the UE is measuring. Because a TRP is the point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, as used herein, references to transmission from or reception at a base station are to be understood as referring to a particular TRP of the base station.

In some implementations that support positioning of UEs, a network entity or base station may not support wireless access by UEs (e.g., may not support data, voice, and/or signaling connections for UEs) , but may instead transmit reference signals to UEs to be measured by the UEs, and/or may receive and measure signals transmitted by the UEs. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., when transmitting signals to UEs) and/or as a location measurement unit (e.g., when receiving and measuring signals from UEs) .

As described herein, a node (which may be referred to as a node, a network node, a network entity, or a wireless node) may include, be, or be included in (e.g., be a component of) a base station (e.g., any base station described herein) , a UE (e.g., any UE described herein) , a network controller, an apparatus, a device, a computing system, an integrated access and backhauling (IAB) node, a distributed unit (DU) , a central unit (CU) , a remote/radio unit (RU) (which may also be referred to as a remote radio unit (RRU) ) , and/or another processing entity configured to perform any of the techniques described herein. For example, a network node may be a UE. As another example, a network node may be a base station or network entity. As another example, a first network node may be configured to communicate with a second network node or a third network node. In one aspect of this example, the first network node may be a UE, the second network node may be a base station, and the third network node may be a UE. In another aspect of this example, the first network node may be a UE, the second network node may be a base station, and the third network node may be a base station. In yet other aspects of this example, the first, second, and third network nodes may be different relative to these examples. Similarly, reference to a UE, base station, apparatus, device, computing system, or the like may include disclosure of the UE, base station, apparatus, device, computing system, or the like being a network node. For example, disclosure that a UE is configured to receive information from a base station also discloses that a first network node is configured to receive information from a second network node. Consistent with this disclosure, once a specific example is broadened in accordance with this disclosure (e.g., a UE is configured to receive information from a base station also discloses that a first network node is configured to receive information from a second network node) , the broader example of the narrower example may be interpreted in the reverse, but in a broad open-ended way. In the example above where a UE is configured to receive information from a base station also discloses that a first network node is configured to receive information from a second network node, the first network node may refer to a first UE, a first base station, a first apparatus, a first device, a first computing system, a first set of one or more one or more components, a first processing entity, or the like configured to receive the information; and the second network node may refer to a second UE, a second base station, a second apparatus, a second device, a second computing system, a second set of one or more components, a second processing entity, or the like.

As described herein, communication of information (e.g., any information, signal, or the like) may be described in various aspects using different terminology. Disclosure of one communication term includes disclosure of other communication terms. For example, a first network node may be described as being configured to transmit information to a second network node. In this example and consistent with this disclosure, disclosure that the first network node is configured to transmit information to the second network node includes disclosure that the first network node is configured to provide, send, output, communicate, or transmit information to the second network node. Similarly, in this example and consistent with this disclosure, disclosure that the first network node is configured to transmit information to the second network node includes disclosure that the second network node is configured to receive, obtain, or decode the information that is provided, sent, output, communicated, or transmitted by the first network node.

An RF signal comprises an electromagnetic wave of a given frequency that transports information through the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single “RF signal” or multiple “RF signals” to a receiver. However, the receiver may receive multiple “RF signals” corresponding to each transmitted RF signal due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between the transmitter and receiver may be referred to as a “multipath” RF signal. As used herein, an RF signal may also be referred to as a “wireless signal” or simply a “signal” where it is clear from the context that the term “signal” refers to a wireless signal or an RF signal.

Various aspects of the systems and techniques described herein will be discussed below with respect to the figures. According to various aspects, FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 100. The wireless communications system 100 (e.g., which may also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN) ) can include various base stations 102 and various UEs 104. In some aspects, the base stations 102 may also be referred to as “network entities” or “network nodes. ” One or more of the base stations 102 can be implemented in an aggregated or monolithic base station architecture. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more of the base stations 102 can be implemented in a disaggregated base station architecture, and may include one or more of a central unit (CU) , a distributed unit (DU) , a radio unit (RU) , a Near-Real Time (Near-RT) RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) , or a Non-Real Time (Non-RT) RIC. The base stations 102 can include macro cell base stations (e.g., high power cellular base stations) and/or small cell base stations (e.g., low power cellular base stations) . In an aspect, the macro cell base station may include eNBs and/or ng-eNBs where the wireless communications system 100 corresponds to a long-term evolution (LTE) network, or gNBs where the wireless communications system 100 corresponds to a NR network, or a combination of both, and the small cell base stations may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

The base stations 102 may collectively form a RAN and interface with a core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC) ) through backhaul links 122, and through the core network 170 to one or more location servers 172 (e.g., which may be part of core network 170 or may be external to core network 170) . In addition to other functions, the base stations 102 may perform functions that relate to one or more of transferring user data, radio channel ciphering and deciphering, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity) , inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, distribution for non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) , subscriber and equipment trace, RAN information management (RIM) , paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through the EPC or 5GC) over backhaul links 134, which may be wired and/or wireless.

The base stations 102 may wirelessly communicate with the UEs 104. Each of the base stations 102 may provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110. In an aspect, one or more cells may be supported by a base station 102 in each coverage area 110. A “cell” is a logical communication entity used for communication with a base station (e.g., over some frequency resource, referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, band, or the like) , and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCI) , a virtual cell identifier (VCI) , a cell global identifier (CGI) ) for distinguishing cells operating via the same or a different carrier frequency. In some cases, different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine-type communication (MTC) , narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) , enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) , or others) that may provide access for different types of UEs. Because a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term “cell” may refer to either or both of the logical communication entity and the base station that supports it, depending on the context. In addition, because a TRP is typically the physical transmission point of a cell, the terms “cell” and “TRP” may be used interchangeably. In some cases, the term “cell” may also refer to a geographic coverage area of a base station (e.g., a sector) , insofar as a carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within some portion of geographic coverage areas 110.

While neighboring macro cell base station 102 geographic coverage areas 110 may partially overlap (e.g., in a handover region) , some of the geographic coverage areas 110 may be substantially overlapped by a larger geographic coverage area 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' may have a coverage area 110' that substantially overlaps with the coverage area 110 of one or more macro cell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell and macro cell base stations may be known as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include home eNBs (HeNBs) , which may provide service to a restricted group known as a closed subscriber group (CSG) .

The communication links 120 between the base stations 102 and the UEs 104 may include uplink (e.g., also referred to as reverse link) transmissions from a UE 104 to a base station 102 and/or downlink (e.g., also referred to as forward link) transmissions from a base station 102 to a UE 104. The communication links 120 may use MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and/or transmit diversity. The communication links 120 may be provided using one or more carrier frequencies. Allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to downlink and uplink (e.g., a greater or lesser quantity of carriers may be allocated for downlink than for uplink) .

Beamforming, which may also be referred to as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception, is a signal processing technique that may be used at a transmitting device or a receiving device (e.g., one or more of the base stations 102, UEs 104, etc. ) to shape or steer an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam, a receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitting device and the receiving device. Beamforming may be implemented based on combining the signals communicated via antenna elements of an antenna array such that some signals propagating at particular orientations with respect to an antenna array experience constructive interference while others experience destructive interference. The adjustment of signals communicated via the antenna elements may include a transmitting device or a receiving device applying amplitude offsets, phase offsets, or both to signals carried via the antenna elements associated with the device. The adjustments associated with each of the antenna elements may be defined by a beamforming weight set associated with a particular orientation (e.g., with respect to the antenna array of the transmitting device or receiving device, or with respect to some other orientation) .

A transmitting device and/or a receiving device (e.g., such as one or more of base stations 102 and/or UEs 104) may use beam sweeping techniques as part of beam forming operations. For example, a base station 102 (e.g., or other transmitting device) may use multiple antennas or antenna arrays (e.g., antenna panels) to conduct beamforming operations for directional communications with a UE 104 (e.g., or other receiving device) . Some signals (e.g., synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) may be transmitted by base station 102 (or other transmitting device) multiple times in different directions. For example, the base station 102 may transmit a signal according to different beamforming weight sets associated with different directions of transmission. Transmissions in different beam directions may be used to identify (e.g., by a transmitting device, such as a base station 102, or by a receiving device, such as a UE 104) a beam direction for later transmission or reception by the base station 102.

Some signals, such as data signals associated with a particular receiving device, may be transmitted by a base station 102 in a single beam direction (e.g., a direction associated with the receiving device, such as a UE 104) . In some examples, the beam direction associated with transmissions along a single beam direction may be determined based on a signal that was transmitted in one or more beam directions. For example, a UE 104 may receive one or more of the signals transmitted by the base station 102 in different directions and may report to the base station 104 an indication of the signal that the UE 104 received with a highest signal quality or an otherwise acceptable signal quality.

In some examples, transmissions by a device (e.g., by a base station 102 or a UE 104) may be performed using multiple beam directions, and the device may use a combination of digital precoding or radio frequency beamforming to generate a combined beam for transmission (e.g., from a base station 102 to a UE 104, from a transmitting device to a receiving device, etc. ) . The UE 104 may report feedback that indicates precoding weights for one or more beam directions, and the feedback may correspond to a configured number of beams across a system bandwidth or one or more sub-bands. The base station 102 may transmit a reference signal (e.g., a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) , a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) , etc. ) , which may be precoded or unprecoded. The UE 104 may provide feedback for beam selection, which may be a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) or codebook-based feedback (e.g., a multi-panel type codebook, a linear combination type codebook, a port selection type codebook) . Although these techniques are described with reference to signals transmitted in one or more directions by a base station 102, a UE 104 may employ similar techniques for transmitting signals multiple times in different directions (e.g., for identifying a beam direction for subsequent transmission or reception by the UE 104) or for transmitting a signal in a single direction (e.g., for transmitting data to a receiving device) .

A receiving device (e.g., a UE 104) may try multiple receive configurations (e.g., directional listening) when receiving various signals from the base station 102, such as synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals. For example, a receiving device may try multiple receive directions by receiving via different antenna subarrays, by processing received signals according to different antenna subarrays, by receiving according to different receive beamforming weight sets (e.g., different directional listening weight sets) applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of an antenna array, or by processing received signals according to different receive beamforming weight sets applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of an antenna array, any of which may be referred to as “listening” according to different receive configurations or receive directions. In some examples, a receiving device may use a single receive configuration to receive along a single beam direction (e.g., when receiving a data signal) . The single receive configuration may be aligned in a beam direction determined based on listening according to different receive configuration directions (e.g., a beam direction determined to have a highest signal strength, highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) , or otherwise acceptable signal quality based on listening according to multiple beam directions) .

The wireless communications system 100 may further include a WLAN AP 150 in communication with WLAN stations (STAs) 152 via communication links 154 in an unlicensed frequency spectrum (e.g., 5 Gigahertz (GHz) ) . When communicating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the WLAN STAs 152 and/or the WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) or listen before talk (LBT) procedure prior to communicating in order to determine whether the channel is available. In some examples, the wireless communications system 100 can include devices (e.g., UEs, etc. ) that communicate with one or more UEs 104, base stations 102, APs 150, etc., utilizing the ultra-wideband (UWB) spectrum. The UWB spectrum can range from 3.1 to 10.5 GHz.

The small cell base station 102' may operate in a licensed and/or an unlicensed frequency spectrum. When operating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the small cell base station 102' may employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed frequency spectrum as used by the WLAN AP 150. The small cell base station 102', employing LTE and/or 5G in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, may boost coverage to and/or increase capacity of the access network. NR in unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as NR-U. LTE in an unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as LTE-U, licensed assisted access (LAA) , or MulteFire.

The wireless communications system 100 may further include a millimeter wave (mmW) base station 180 that may operate in mmW frequencies and/or near mmW frequencies in communication with a UE 182. The mmW base station 180 may be implemented in an aggregated or monolithic base station architecture, or alternatively, in a disaggregated base station architecture (e.g., including one or more of a CU, a DU, a RU, a Near-RT RIC, or a Non-RT RIC) . Extremely high frequency (EHF) is part of the RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength between 1 millimeter and 10 millimeters. Radio waves in this band may be referred to as a millimeter wave. Near mmW may extend down to a frequency of 3 GHz with a wavelength of 100 millimeters. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz, also referred to as centimeter wave. Communications using the mmW and/or near mmW radio frequency band have high path loss and a relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 may utilize beamforming (e.g., transmit and/or receive) over an mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. Further, it will be appreciated that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also transmit using mmW or near mmW and beamforming. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the foregoing illustrations are merely examples and should not be construed to limit the various aspects disclosed herein.

In some aspects relating to 5G, the frequency spectrum in which wireless network nodes or entities (e.g., base stations 102/180, UEs 104/182) operate is divided into multiple frequency ranges, FR1 (e.g., from 450 to 6,000 Megahertz (MHz) ) , FR2 (e.g., from 24,250 to 52,600 MHz) , FR3 (e.g., above 52,600 MHz) , and FR4 (e.g., between FR1 and FR2) . In a multi-carrier system, such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the “primary carrier” or “anchor carrier” or “primary serving cell” or “PCell, ” and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as “secondary carriers” or “secondary serving cells” or “SCells. ” In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by a UE 104/182 and the cell in which the UE 104/182 either performs the initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates the RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels and may be a carrier in a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case) . A secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that may be configured once the RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier and that may be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier may be a carrier in an unlicensed frequency. The secondary carrier may contain only necessary signaling information and signals, for example, those that are UE-specific may not be present in the secondary carrier, since both primary uplink and downlink carriers are typically UE-specific. This means that different UEs 104/182 in a cell may have different downlink primary carriers. The same is true for the uplink primary carriers. The network is able to change the primary carrier of any UE 104/182 at any time. This is done, for example, to balance the load on different carriers. Because a “serving cell” (e.g., whether a PCell or an SCell) corresponds to a carrier frequency and/or component carrier over which some base station is communicating, the term “cell, ” “serving cell, ” “component carrier, ” “carrier frequency, ” and the like can be used interchangeably.

For example, still referring to FIG. 1, one of the frequencies utilized by the macro cell base stations 102 may be an anchor carrier (or “PCell” ) and other frequencies utilized by the macro cell base stations 102 and/or the mmW base station 180 may be secondary carriers ( “SCells” ) . In carrier aggregation, the base stations 102 and/or the UEs 104 may use spectrum up to Y MHz (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 100 MHz) bandwidth per carrier up to a total of Yx MHz (e.g., x component carriers) for transmission in each direction. The component carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other on the frequency spectrum. Allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to the downlink and uplink (e.g., a greater or lesser quantity of carriers may be allocated for downlink than for uplink) . The simultaneous transmission and/or reception of multiple carriers enables the UE 104/182 to significantly increase its data transmission and/or reception rates. For example, two 20 MHz aggregated carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically lead to a two-fold increase in data rate (e.g., 40 MHz) , compared to that attained by a single 20 MHz carrier.

In order to operate on multiple carrier frequencies, a base station 102 and/or a UE 104 can be equipped with multiple receivers and/or transmitters. For example, a UE 104 may have two receivers, “Receiver 1” and “Receiver 2, ” where “Receiver 1” is a multi-band receiver that can be tuned to band (e.g., carrier frequency) ‘X’ or band ‘Y, ’ and “Receiver 2” is a one-band receiver tunable to band ‘Z’ only. In this example, if the UE 104 is being served in band ‘X, ’ band ‘X’ would be referred to as the PCell or the active carrier frequency, and “Receiver 1” would need to tune from band ‘X’ to band ‘Y’ (e.g., an SCell) in order to measure band ‘Y’ (and vice versa) . In contrast, whether the UE 104 is being served in band ‘X’ or band ‘Y, ’ because of the separate “Receiver 2, ” the UE 104 can measure band ‘Z’ without interrupting the service on band ‘X’ or band ‘Y. ’

The wireless communications system 100 may further include a UE 164 that may communicate with a macro cell base station 102 over a communication link 120 and/or the mmW base station 180 over an mmW communication link 184. For example, the macro cell base station 102 may support a PCell and one or more SCells for the UE 164 and the mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for the UE 164.

The wireless communications system 100 may further include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, that connects indirectly to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links (e.g., referred to as “sidelinks” ) . In the example of FIG. 1, UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of the UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 102 (e.g., through which UE 190 may indirectly obtain cellular connectivity) and a D2D P2P link 194 with WLAN STA 152 connected to the WLAN AP 150 (e.g., through which UE 190 may indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity) . In an example, the D2D P2P links 192 and 194 may be supported with any well-known D2D RAT, such as LTE Direct (LTE-D) , Wi-Fi Direct (Wi-Fi-D) , and so on.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example architecture 200 of a base station 102 and a UE 104 that enables transmission and processing of signals exchanged between the UE and the base station, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. Example architecture 200 includes components of a base station 102 and a UE 104, which may be one of the base stations 102 and one of the UEs 104 illustrated in FIG. 1. Base station 102 may be equipped with T antennas 234a through 234t, and UE 104 may be equipped with R antennas 252a through 252r, where in general T≥1 and R≥1.

At base station 102, a transmit processor 220 may receive data from a data source 212 for one or more UEs, select one or more modulation and coding schemes (MCS) for each UE based on channel quality indicators (CQIs) received from the UE, process (e.g., encode and modulate) the data for each UE based on the MCS (s) selected for the UE, and provide data symbols for all UEs. Transmit processor 220 may also process system information (e.g., for semi-static resource partitioning information (SRPI) and/or the like) and control information (e.g., CQI requests, grants, upper layer signaling, and/or the like) and provide overhead symbols and control symbols. Transmit processor 220 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., the cell-specific reference signal (CRS) ) and synchronization signals (e.g., the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS) ) . A transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, the control symbols, the overhead symbols, and/or the reference symbols, if applicable, and may provide T output symbol streams to T modulators (MODs) 232a through 232t. The modulators 232a through 232t are shown as a combined modulator-demodulator (MOD-DEMOD) . In some cases, the modulators and demodulators can be separate components. Each modulator of the modulators 232a to 232t may process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., for an orthogonal frequency- division multiplexing (OFDM) scheme and/or the like) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator of the modulators 232a to 232t may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. T downlink signals may be transmitted from modulators 232a to 232t via T antennas 234a through 234t, respectively. According to certain aspects described in more detail below, the synchronization signals can be generated with location encoding to convey additional information.

At UE 104, antennas 252a through 252r may receive the downlink signals from base station 102 and/or other base stations and may provide received signals to one or more demodulators (DEMODs) 254a through 254r, respectively. The demodulators 254a through 254r are shown as a combined modulator-demodulator (MOD-DEMOD) . In some cases, the modulators and demodulators can be separate components. Each demodulator of the demodulators 254a through 254r may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) a received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator of the demodulators 254a through 254r may further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM and/or the like) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 256 may obtain received symbols from all R demodulators 254a through 254r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, and provide detected symbols. A receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for UE 104 to a data sink 260, and provide decoded control information and system information to a controller/processor 280. A channel processor may determine reference signal received power (RSRP) , received signal strength indicator (RSSI) , reference signal received quality (RSRQ) , channel quality indicator (CQI) , and/or the like.

On the uplink, at UE 104, a transmit processor 264 may receive and process data from a data source 262 and control information (e.g., for reports comprising RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, CQI, and/or the like) from controller/processor 280. Transmit processor 264 may also generate reference symbols for one or more reference signals (e.g., based on a beta value or a set of beta values associated with the one or more reference signals) . The symbols from transmit processor 264 may be precoded by a TX-MIMO processor 266, further processed by modulators 254a through 254r (e.g., for DFT-s-OFDM, CP-OFDM, and/or the like) , and transmitted to base station 102. At base station 102, the uplink signals from UE 104 and other UEs may be received by antennas 234a through 234t, processed by demodulators 232a through 232t, detected by a MIMO detector 236 (e.g., if applicable) , and further processed by a receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and control information sent by UE 104. Receive processor 238 may provide the decoded data to a data sink 239 and the decoded control information to controller (e.g., processor) 240. Base station 102 may include communication unit 244 and communicate to a network controller 231 via communication unit 244. Network controller 231 may include communication unit 294, controller/processor 290, and memory 292.

In some aspects, one or more components of UE 104 may be included in a housing. Controller 240 of base station 102, controller/processor 280 of UE 104, and/or any other component (s) of FIG. 2 may perform one or more techniques associated with implicit UCI beta value determination for NR.

Memories 242 and 282 may store data and program codes for the base station 102 and the UE 104, respectively. A scheduler 246 may schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink, uplink, and/or sidelink.

In some aspects, deployment of communication systems, such as 5G new radio (NR) systems, may be arranged in multiple manners with various components or constituent parts. In a 5G NR system, or network, a network node, a network entity, a mobility element of a network, a radio access network (RAN) node, a core network node, a network element, or a network equipment, such as a base station (BS) , or one or more units (or one or more components) performing base station functionality, may be implemented in an aggregated or disaggregated architecture. For example, a BS (e.g., such as a Node B (NB) , evolved NB (eNB) , NR BS, 5G NB, access point (AP) , a transmit receive point (TRP) , or a cell, etc. ) may be implemented as an aggregated base station (e.g., also known as a standalone BS or a monolithic BS) or a disaggregated base station.

An aggregated base station may be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node. A disaggregated base station may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed among two or more units (e.g., such as one or more central or centralized units (CUs) , one or more distributed units (DUs) , or one or more radio units (RUs) ) . In some aspects, a CU may be implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs may be co-located with the CU, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed throughout one or multiple other RAN nodes. The DUs may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of the CU, DU and RU also can be implemented as virtual units, i.e., a virtual central unit (VCU) , a virtual distributed unit (VDU) , or a virtual radio unit (VRU) .

Base station-type operation or network design may consider aggregation characteristics of base station functionality. For example, disaggregated base stations may be utilized in an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open radio access network (O-RAN (e.g., such as the network configuration sponsored by the O-RAN Alliance) ) , or a virtualized radio access network (e.g., vRAN, also known as a cloud radio access network (C-RAN) ) . Disaggregation may include distributing functionality across two or more units at various physical locations, as well as distributing functionality for at least one unit virtually, which can enable flexibility in network design. The various units of the disaggregated base station, or disaggregated RAN architecture, can be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example disaggregated base station 300 architecture. The disaggregated base station 300 architecture may include one or more central units (CUs) 310 that can communicate directly with a core network 320 via a backhaul link, or indirectly with the core network 320 through one or more disaggregated base station units (e.g., such as a Near-Real Time (Near-RT) RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) 325 via an E2 link, or a Non-Real Time (Non-RT) RIC 315 associated with a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) Framework 305, or both) . A CU 310 may communicate with one or more distributed units (DUs) 330 via respective midhaul links, such as an F1 interface. The DUs 330 may communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 340 via respective fronthaul links. The RUs 340 may communicate with respective UEs 104 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, the UE 104 may be simultaneously served by multiple RUs 340.

Each of the units (e.g., the CUs 310, the DUs 330, the RUs 340, as well as the Near-RT RICs 325, the Non-RT RICs 315, and the SMO Framework 305) illustrated in FIG. 3 and/or described herein may include one or more interfaces or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or transmit signals, data, or information (e.g., collectively, signals) via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each of the units, or an associated processor or controller providing instructions to the communication interfaces of the units, can be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via the transmission medium. For example, the units can include a wired interface configured to receive or transmit signals over a wired transmission medium to one or more of the other units. Additionally, the units can include a wireless interface, which may include a receiver, a transmitter or transceiver (e.g., such as a radio frequency (RF) transceiver) , configured to receive or transmit signals, or both, over a wireless transmission medium to one or more of the other units.

In some aspects, the CU 310 may host one or more higher layer control functions. Such control functions can include radio resource control (RRC) , packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) , service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) , or the like. Each control function can be implemented with an interface configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by the CU 310. The CU 310 may be configured to handle user plane functionality (e.g., Central Unit –User Plane (CU-UP) ) , control plane functionality (e.g., Central Unit –Control Plane (CU-CP) ) , or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the CU 310 can be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. The CU-UP unit can communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP unit via an interface, such as the E1 interface when implemented in an O-RAN configuration. The CU 310 can be implemented to communicate with the DU 330, as necessary, for network control and signaling.

The DU 330 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions to control the operation of one or more RUs 340. In some aspects, the DU 330 may host one or more of a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and one or more high physical (PHY) layers (e.g., such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, or the like) depending on a functional split, such as those defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) . In some aspects, the DU 330 may further host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) can be implemented with an interface configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by the DU 330, or with the control functions hosted by the CU 310.

Lower-layer functionality can be implemented by one or more RUs 340. In some deployments, an RU 340, controlled by a DU 330, may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions, or low-PHY layer functions (e.g., such as performing fast Fourier transform (FFT) , inverse FFT (iFFT) , digital beamforming, physical random-access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, or the like) , or both, based on the functional split, such as a lower layer functional split. In such an architecture, the RU (s) 340 can be implemented to handle over the air (OTA) communication with one or more UEs 104. In some implementations, real-time and non-real-time aspects of control and user plane communication with the RU (s) 340 can be controlled by the corresponding DU 330. In some scenarios, this configuration can enable the DU (s) 330 and the CU 310 to be implemented in a cloud-based RAN architecture, such as a vRAN architecture.

The SMO Framework 305 may be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of non-virtualized and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO Framework 305 may be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements which may be managed via an operations and maintenance interface (e.g., such as an O1 interface) . For virtualized network elements, the SMO Framework 305 may be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (e.g., such as an open cloud (O-Cloud) 390) to perform network element life cycle management (e.g., such as to instantiate virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (e.g., such as an O2 interface) . Such virtualized network elements can include, but are not limited to, CUs 310, DUs 330, RUs 340, and Near-RT RICs 325. In some implementations, the SMO Framework 305 can communicate with a hardware aspect of a 4G RAN, such as an open eNB (O-eNB) 311, via an O1 interface. Additionally, in some implementations, the SMO Framework 305 can communicate directly with one or more RUs 340 via an O1 interface. The SMO Framework 305 also may include a Non-RT RIC 315 configured to support functionality of the SMO Framework 305.

The Non-RT RIC 315 may be configured to include a logical function that enables non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) workflows including model training and updates, or policy-based guidance of applications/features in the Near-RT RIC 325. The Non-RT RIC 315 may be coupled to or communicate with (e.g., such as via an A1 interface) the Near-RT RIC 325. The Near-RT RIC 325 may be configured to include a logical function that enables near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions over an interface (e.g., such as via an E2 interface) connecting one or more CUs 310, one or more DUs 330, or both, as well as an O-eNB, with the Near-RT RIC 325.

In some implementations, to generate AI/ML models to be deployed in the Near-RT RIC 325, the Non-RT RIC 315 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from external servers. Such information may be utilized by the Near-RT RIC 325 and may be received at the SMO Framework 305 or the Non-RT RIC 315 from non-network data sources or from network functions. In some examples, the Non-RT RIC 315 or the Near-RT RIC 325 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the Non-RT RIC 315 may monitor long-term trends and patterns for performance and employ AI/ML models to perform corrective actions through the SMO Framework 305 (e.g., such as reconfiguration via O1) or via creation of RAN management policies (e.g., such as A1 policies) .

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a computing system 470 of a wireless device 407. The wireless device 407 may include a client device such as a UE (e.g., UE 104, UE 152, UE 190) or other type of device (e.g., a station (STA) configured to communication using a Wi-Fi interface) that may be used by an end-user. For example, the wireless device 407 may include a mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, tracking device, wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, glasses, an extended reality (XR) device such as a virtual reality (VR) , augmented reality (AR) , or mixed reality (MR) device, etc. ) , Internet of Things (IoT) device, a vehicle, an aircraft, and/or another device that is configured to communicate over a wireless communications network. The computing system 470 includes software and hardware components that may be electrically or communicatively coupled via a bus 489 (e.g., or may otherwise be in communication, as appropriate) . For example, the computing system 470 includes one or more processors 484. The one or more processors 484 may include one or more CPUs, ASICs, FPGAs, APs, GPUs, VPUs, NSPs, microcontrollers, dedicated hardware, any combination thereof, and/or other processing device or system. The bus 489 may be used by the one or more processors 484 to communicate between cores and/or with the one or more memory devices 486.

The computing system 470 may also include one or more memory devices 486, one or more digital signal processors (DSPs) 482, one or more SIMs 474, one or more modems 476, one or more wireless transceivers 478, an antenna 487, one or more input devices 472 (e.g., a camera, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch sensitive screen, a touch pad, a keypad, a microphone, and/or the like) , and one or more output devices 480 (e.g., a display, a speaker, a printer, and/or the like) .

In some aspects, computing system 470 may include one or more radio frequency (RF) interfaces configured to transmit and/or receive RF signals. In some examples, an RF interface may include components such as modem (s) 476, wireless transceiver (s) 478, and/or antennas 487. The one or more wireless transceivers 478 may transmit and receive wireless signals (e.g., signal 488) via antenna 487 from one or more other devices, such as other wireless devices, network devices (e.g., base stations such as eNBs and/or gNBs, Wi-Fi access points (APs) such as routers, range extenders or the like, etc. ) , cloud networks, and/or the like. In some examples, the computing system 470 may include multiple antennas or an antenna array that may facilitate simultaneous transmit and receive functionality. Antenna 487 may be an omnidirectional antenna such that radio frequency (RF) signals may be received from and transmitted in all directions. The wireless signal 488 may be transmitted via a wireless network. The wireless network may be any wireless network, such as a cellular or telecommunications network (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G, etc. ) , wireless local area network (e.g., a Wi-Fi network) , a Bluetooth^TM network, and/or other network.

In some examples, the wireless signal 488 may be transmitted directly to other wireless devices using sidelink communications (e.g., using a PC5 interface, using a DSRC interface, etc. ) . Wireless transceivers 478 may be configured to transmit RF signals for performing sidelink communications via antenna 487 in accordance with one or more transmit power parameters that may be associated with one or more regulation modes. Wireless transceivers 478 may also be configured to receive sidelink communication signals having different signal parameters from other wireless devices.

In some examples, the one or more wireless transceivers 478 may include an RF front end including one or more components, such as an amplifier, a mixer (e.g., also referred to as a signal multiplier) for signal down conversion, a frequency synthesizer (e.g., also referred to as an oscillator) that provides signals to the mixer, a baseband filter, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) , one or more power amplifiers, among other components. The RF front-end may generally handle selection and conversion of the wireless signals 488 into a baseband or intermediate frequency and may convert the RF signals to the digital domain.

In some cases, the computing system 470 may include a coding-decoding device (or CODEC) configured to encode and/or decode data transmitted and/or received using the one or more wireless transceivers 478. In some cases, the computing system 470 may include an encryption-decryption device or component configured to encrypt and/or decrypt data (e.g., according to the AES and/or DES standard) transmitted and/or received by the one or more wireless transceivers 478.

The one or more SIMs 474 may each securely store an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) number and related key assigned to the user of the wireless device 407. The IMSI and key may be used to identify and authenticate the subscriber when accessing a network provided by a network service provider or operator associated with the one or more SIMs 474. The one or more modems 476 may modulate one or more signals to encode information for transmission using the one or more wireless transceivers 478. The one or more modems 476 may also demodulate signals received by the one or more wireless transceivers 478 in order to decode the transmitted information. In some examples, the one or more modems 476 may include a Wi-Fi modem, a 4G (or LTE) modem, a 5G (or NR) modem, and/or other types of modems. The one or more modems 476 and the one or more wireless transceivers 478 may be used for communicating data for the one or more SIMs 474.

The computing system 470 may also include (and/or be in communication with) one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media or storage devices (e.g., one or more memory devices 486) , which may include, without limitation, local and/or network accessible storage, a disk drive, a drive array, an optical storage device, a solid-state storage device such as a RAM and/or a ROM, which may be programmable, flash-updateable, and/or the like. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any appropriate data storage, including without limitation, various file systems, database structures, and/or the like.

In various aspects, functions may be stored as one or more computer-program products (e.g., instructions or code) in memory device (s) 486 and executed by the one or more processor (s) 484 and/or the one or more DSPs 482. The computing system 470 may also include software elements (e.g., located within the one or more memory devices 486) , including, for example, an operating system, device drivers, executable libraries, and/or other code, such as one or more application programs, which may comprise computer programs implementing the functions provided by various aspects, and/or may be designed to implement methods and/or configure systems, as described herein.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an architecture of a radio frequency (RF) energy harvesting device 500, in accordance with some examples. In one illustrative example, the RF energy harvesting device 500 can be an ambient IoT (AIoT) device (e.g., the energy harvesting device 500 may also be referred to as AIoT device 500) .

As will be described in greater depth below, the energy harvesting device 500 (e.g., AIoT device) can harvest RF energy from one or more RF signals received using an antenna 590. The one or more RF signals received using antenna 590 can be ambient RF signals. For instance, an ambient RF signal can be provided as a dedicated carrier wave (CW) for backscatter modulation by the AIoT device 500. An ambient RF signal can also be provided as an ambient NR signal (e.g., a non-dedicated carrier wave that may still be backscatter modulated by AIoT device 500) .

As used herein, the term “energy harvesting” may be used interchangeably with “power harvesting. ” In some aspects, AIoT device 500 can be implemented as an Internet-of-Things (IoT) device, can be implemented as a sensor, etc., as will be described in greater depth below. In other examples, AIoT device 500 can be implemented as a Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tag or various other RFID devices.

The AIoT device 500 includes one or more antennas 590 that can be used to transmit and receive one or more wireless signals. For example, AIoT device 500 can use antenna (s) 590 to receive one or more downlink signals and to transmit one or more uplink signals. An impedance matching component 510 can be used to match the impedance of antenna (s) 590 to the impedance of one or more (or all) of the receive components included in AIoT device 500. In some examples, the receive components of AIoT device 500 can include a demodulator 520 (e.g., for demodulating a received downlink signal) , an energy harvester 530 (e.g., for harvesting RF energy from the received downlink signal) , a regulator 540, a micro-controller unit (MCU) 550, and a modulator 560 (e.g., for generating an uplink signal) . In some cases, the receive components of AIoT device 500 may further include one or more sensors 570.

The downlink signals can be received from one or more transmitters (e.g., RF sources) . For example, AIoT device 500 may receive a downlink signal from a network node or network entity that is included in a same wireless network as the AIoT device 500. In some cases, the network entity can be a base station, gNB, etc., that communicates with the AIoT device 500 using a cellular communication network. For example, the cellular communication network can be implemented according to the 3G, 4G, 5G, and/or other cellular standard (e.g., including future standards such as 6G and beyond) .

In some cases, AIoT device 500 can be implemented as a passive or semi-passive energy harvesting device (e.g., an AIoT device) , which can perform passive uplink communication by modulating and reflecting a downlink signal received via antenna (s) 590. For example, passive and semi-passive energy harvesting devices may be unable to generate and transmit an uplink signal without first receiving a downlink signal that can be modulated and reflected. In other examples, AIoT device 500 may be implemented as an active energy harvesting device, which utilizes a powered transceiver to perform active uplink communication. An active energy harvesting device is able to generate and transmit an uplink signal without first receiving a downlink signal (e.g., by using an on-device power source to energize its powered transceiver) .

An AIoT device (e.g., active or semi-passive energy harvesting device) may include one or more energy storage elements 585 (e.g., collectively referred to as an “energy reservoir” ) . For example, the one or more energy storage elements 585 can include batteries, capacitors, etc. In some examples, the one or more energy storage elements 585 may be associated with a boost converter 580. The boost converter 580 can receive as input at least a portion of the energy harvested by energy harvester 530 (e.g., with a remaining portion of the harvested energy being provided as instantaneous power for operating the AIoT device 500) . In some aspects, the boost converter 580 may be a step-up converter that steps up voltage from its input to its output (e.g., and steps down current from its input to its output) . In some examples, boost converter 580 can be used to step up the harvested energy generated by energy harvester 530 to a voltage level associated with charging the one or more energy storage elements 585. An AIoT device (e.g., active or semi-passive energy harvesting device) may include one or more energy storage elements 585 and may include one or more boost converters 580. A quantity of energy storage elements 585 may be the same as or different than a quantity of boost converters 580 included in an active or semi-passive energy harvesting device.

A passive energy harvesting device does not include an energy storage element 585 or other on-device power source. For example, a passive energy harvesting device may be powered using only RF energy harvested from a downlink signal (e.g., using energy harvester 530) . As mentioned previously, a semi-passive energy harvesting device can include one or more energy storage elements 585 and/or other on-device power sources. The energy storage element 585 of a semi-passive energy harvesting device can be used to augment or supplement the RF energy harvested from a downlink signal. In some cases, the energy storage element 585 of a semi-passive energy harvesting device may store insufficient energy to transmit an uplink communication without first receiving a downlink communication (e.g., minimum transmit power of the semi-passive device >capacity of the energy storage element) . An active energy harvesting device can include one or more energy storage elements 585 and/or other on-device power sources that can power uplink communication without using supplemental harvested RF energy (e.g., minimum transmit power of the active device < capacity of the energy storage element) . The energy storage element (s) 585 included in an active energy harvesting device and/or a semi-passive energy harvesting device can be charged using harvested RF energy.

As mentioned above, AIoT devices (e.g., passive and semi-passive energy harvesting devices) transmit uplink communications by performing backscatter modulation to modulate and reflect a received downlink signal. The received downlink signal is used to provide both electrical power (e.g., to perform demodulation, local processing, and modulation) and a carrier wave for uplink communication (e.g., the reflection of the downlink signal) . For example, a portion of the downlink signal will be backscattered as an uplink signal and a remaining portion of the downlink signal can be used to perform energy harvesting. A portion of the downlink signal is used as a signal resource for backscattering and a remaining portion of the downlink signal can be used as an energy resource for energy harvesting.

Active energy harvesting devices can transmit uplink communications without performing backscatter modulation and without receiving a corresponding downlink signal (e.g., an active energy harvesting device includes an energy storage element to provide electrical power and includes a powered transceiver to generate a carrier wave for an uplink communication) . In the absence of a downlink signal, AIoT devices (e.g., passive and semi-passive energy harvesting devices) may be unable to transmit an uplink signal (e.g., passive communication) . Active energy harvesting devices do not depend on receiving a downlink signal in order to transmit an uplink signal and can transmit an uplink signal as desired (e.g., active communication) .

In examples in which the energy harvesting device 500 is implemented as an AIoT device (e.g., a passive or semi-passive energy harvesting device) , a continuous carrier wave downlink signal may be received using antenna (s) 590 and modulated (e.g., re-modulated) for uplink communication. In some cases, a modulator 560 can be used to modulate the reflected (e.g., backscattered) portion of the downlink signal. For example, the continuous carrier wave may be a continuous sinusoidal wave (e.g., sine or cosine waveform) and modulator 560 can perform modulation based on varying one or more of the amplitude and the phase of the backscattered reflection. Based on modulating the backscattered reflection, modulator 560 can encode digital symbols (e.g., such as binary symbols or more complex systems of symbols) indicative of an uplink communication or data message. For example, the uplink communication may be indicative of sensor data or other information associated with the one or more sensors 570 included in AIoT device 500.

As mentioned previously, impedance matching component 510 can be used to match the impedance of antenna (s) 590 to the receive components of AIoT device 500 when receiving the downlink signal (e.g., when receiving the continuous carrier wave) . In some examples, during backscatter operation (e.g., when transmitting an uplink signal) , modulation can be performed based on intentionally mismatching the antenna input impedance to cause a portion of the incident downlink signal to be scattered back. The phase and amplitude of the backscattered reflection may be determined based on the impedance loading on the antenna (s) 590. Based on varying the antenna impedance (e.g., varying the impedance mismatch between antenna (s) 590 and the remaining components of AIoT device 500) , digital symbols and/or binary information can be encoded (e.g., modulated) onto the backscattered reflection. Varying the antenna impedance to modulate the phase and/or amplitude of the backscattered reflection can be performed using modulator 560.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, a portion of a downlink signal received using antenna (s) 590 can be provided to a demodulator 520, which performs demodulation and provides a downlink communication (e.g., carried or modulated on the downlink signal) to a micro-controller unit (MCU) 550 or other processor included in the AIoT device 500. A remaining portion of the downlink signal received using antenna (s) 590 can be provided to energy harvester 530, which harvests RF energy from the downlink signal. For example, energy harvester 530 can harvest RF energy based on performing AC-to-DC (alternating current-to-direct current) conversion, wherein an AC current is generated from the sinusoidal carrier wave of the downlink signal and the converted DC current is used to power the energy harvesting device 500. In some aspects, energy harvester 530 can include one or more rectifiers for performing AC-to-DC conversion. A rectifier can include one or more diodes or thin-film transistors (TFTs) . In one illustrative example, energy harvester 530 can include one or more Schottky diode-based rectifiers. In some cases, energy harvester 530 can include one or more TFT-based rectifiers.

The output of the energy harvester 530 is a DC current generated from (e.g., harvested from) the portion of the downlink signal provided to the energy harvester 530. In some aspects, the DC current output of energy harvester 530 may vary with the input provided to the energy harvester 530. For example, an increase in the input current to energy harvester 530 can be associated with an increase in the output DC current generated by energy harvester 530. In some cases, MCU 550 may be associated with a narrow band of acceptable DC current values. Regulator 540 can be used to remove or otherwise decrease variation (s) in the DC current generated as output by energy harvester 530. For example, regulator 540 can remove or smooth spikes (e.g., increases) in the DC current output by energy harvester 530 (e.g., such that the DC current provided as input to MCU 550 by regulator 540 remains below a first threshold) . In some cases, regulator 540 can remove or otherwise compensate for drops or decreases in the DC current output by energy harvester 530 (e.g., such that the DC current provided as input to MCU 550 by regulator 540 remains above a second threshold) .

In some aspects, the harvested DC current (e.g., generated by energy harvester 530 and regulated upward or downward as needed by regulator 530) can be used to power MCU 550 and one or more additional components included in the AIoT device 500. For example, the harvested DC current can additionally be used to power one or more (or all) of the impedance matching 510, demodulator 520, regulator 540, MCU 550, sensors 570, modulator 560, etc. For example, sensors 570 and modulator 560 can receive at least a portion of the harvested DC current that remains after MCU 550 (e.g., that is not consumed by MCU 550) . In some cases, the harvested DC current output by regulator 540 can be provided to MCU 550, modulator 560, and sensors 570 in series, in parallel, or a combination thereof.

In some examples, sensors 570 can be used to obtain sensor data (e.g., such as sensor data associated with an environment in which the AIoT device 500 is located) . Sensors 570 can include one or more sensors, which may be of a same or different type (s) . In some aspects, one or more (or all) of the sensors 570 can be configured to obtain sensor data based on control information included in a downlink signal received using antenna (s) 590. For example, one or more of the sensors 570 can be configured based on a downlink communication obtained based on demodulating a received downlink signal using demodulator 520. In one illustrative example, sensor data can be transmitted based on using modulator 560 to modulate (e.g., vary one or more of amplitude and/or phase of) a backscatter reflection of the continuous carrier wave received at antenna (s) 590. Based on modulating the backscattered reflection, modulator 560 can encode digital symbols (e.g., such as binary symbols or more complex systems of symbols) indicative of an uplink communication or data message. In some examples, modulator 560 can generate an uplink, backscatter modulated signal based on receiving sensor data directly from sensors 570. In some examples, modulator 560 can generate an uplink, backscatter modulated signal based on received sensor data from MCU 550 (e.g., based on MCU 550 receiving sensor data directly from sensors 570) .

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of backscatter communications 600 performed by an RF backscatter device 602. In one illustrative example, the RF backscatter device 602 can be an ambient IoT (AIoT) device, and may also be referred to as “AIoT device 602. ” For instance, an AIoT device can be a type of RF backscatter device.

In the example backscatter communications 600, information transmission by AIoT device 602 is performed based on antenna modulation without active RF generation (e.g., at or by AIoT device 602) . For instance, the backscatter communications 600 can be performed between AIoT device 602 and a reader device 612. The reader device 612 can be a network entity associated with and/or nearby to the AIoT device 602. For example, reader device 612 can be a base station, gNB, UE, etc.

Reader device 612 can also be referred to as an “RF source” for the backscatter communications 600. For instance, reader device 612 may include a transmitter 615 that is configured to generate a carrier wave (CW) signal 625 that is utilized by AIoT device 602 to perform backscatter communications 602 (e.g., AIoT device 602 can generate a modulated backscattered signal 627 based on or using the incident CW signal 625 from transmitter 615 of reader device 612) .

In some aspects, AIoT device 602 of FIG. 6 can be the same as or similar to the AIoT device 500 of FIG. 5. For instance, AIoT device 602 can include an antenna 690 that may be the same as or similar to the antenna 590 of FIG. 5. AIoT device 602 can additionally include an energy harvester 630 that may be the same as or similar to the energy harvester 530 of FIG. 5; may include a micro-controller 650 that may be the same as or similar to the MCU 550 of FIG. 5; may include an impedance matching engine 610 that may be the same as or similar to the impedance matching 510 of FIG. 5; etc.

As noted above, AIoT device 602 can perform backscatter communications 600, where information transmission (e.g., by or from AIoT device 602) is performed based on antenna modulation without active RF generation. For instance, the AIoT device 602 can modulate an incoming RF signal (e.g., CW signal 625) by intentionally switching the load impedance at impedance matching engine 610. The switching of load impedance at impedance matching engine 610 can be configured to vary the amplitude and/or phase of its backscattered signal (e.g., the modulated backscattered signal 627 is modulated based on the varying amplitude and/or phase caused by the switching of load impedance at impedance matching engine 610) .

In one illustrative example, AIoT device 602 may implement BPSK modulation (e.g., modulated backscattered signal 627 can be a BPSK modulated signal) . The AIoT device 602 can switch the value of the load impedance at impedance matching engine 610 between a relatively high impedance value and a (lower) relatively matched load. In the high impedance switching case, the impedance mismatch between the antenna 690 and the load impedance at impedance matching engine 610 can cause most or all of the incoming RF power (e.g., “input power” at antenna 690, from CW signal 625 to be reflected back to the reader device 612 (e.g., reflected back to the receiver 617 of reader device 612) . For instance, when impedance matching engine 610 switches the load impedance to be greater than the antenna 690 impedance, the “input power” “reflected power” at antenna 690.

In the low impedance switching case, the impedance is approximately matched between antenna 690 and the load impedance at impedance matching engine 610. Based on the approximately matched impedance, most or all of the incoming RF power (e.g., “input power” at antenna 690, from CW signal 625) is absorbed, and very little power is reflected back to the reader device 612 (e.g., reflected back to receiver 617 of reader device 612) . For instance, when impedance matching engine 610 switches the load impedance to match the antenna 690 impedance, the “input power” ＞＞ “reflected power” at antenna 690. In some aspects, the impedance switching frequency implemented by impedance matching engine 610 can be based on the data rate of the data being modulated onto the modulated backscattered signal 627 by AIoT device 602.

FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating example implementations of a monostatic AIoT device with a full-duplex network entity or UE configured as a reader device, in accordance with some examples. FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating example implementations of a bi-static ambient IoT device with a half-duplex network entity or UE configured as a reader device, in accordance with some examples.

For instance, FIG. 7A illustrates a first example configuration 710 of a monostatic AIoT device (e.g., AIoT UE) 712 that performs backscatter communications with a full duplex (FD) reader device 715. In one illustrative example, the monostatic AIoT UE 712 can be the same as or similar to one or more of AIoT device 500 of FIG. 5 and/or AIoT device 602 of FIG. 6. In some aspects, the FD reader device 715 can be implemented as a base station, gNB, or other network entity. In full-duplex mode, FD reader device 715 is both an RF source for the backscatter communications performed by AIoT UE 712 and an RF receiver for receiving the modulated backscattered signal from the AIoT UE 712. For instance, FD base station 715 can transmit a forward link (FL) to AIoT UE 712, where the FL carries control signaling to the AIoT UE 712. The FL can also be associated with a carrier wave (CW) used as the RF source (e.g., ambient RF signal) for the backscatter communications performed by AIoT UE 712. For example, FD base station 715 can be used to provide both the FL carrying control signaling to the AIoT UE 712 and the CW that serves as both the energy source and the carrier signal for backscatter communications. Based on the FL and CW from FD base station 715, AIoT UE 712 can transmit backscatter communications over a backscatter link (BL) form AIoT UE 712 to FD base station 715. The BL can be used to carry data from AIoT UE 712 to FD base station 715.

In another example configuration 720, a monostatic AIoT UE 722 can perform backscatter communications with an FD UE 727. AIoT UE 722 can be the same as or similar to AIoT UE 712. FD UE 727 can implement functionality the same as or similar to that described above with respect to FD base station 715. For instance FD UE 727 can implement or provide the CW and FL to AIoT UE 722, and may receive data from AIoT UE 722 using the BL.

FIG. 7B illustrates example configurations of a bistatic AIoT UE that performs backscatter communications with a half-duplex (HD) network entity (e.g., base station, gNB, etc. ) or UE configured as the reader device. In the examples of FIG. 7B, where the AIoT UE implements bistatic backscatter communications, the RF source device (e.g., associated with transmitting the CW) is different from the reader device (e.g., associated with receiving the BL) . In the examples of FIG. 7A, where the AIoT UE implements monostatic backscatter communications, the RF source device and the reader device are the same network entity or UE.

For instance, in the example configuration 730, an AIoT UE 732 receives the CW and FL from HD gNB 735, and transmits data (e.g., modulated backscattered signal) to HD UE 737, based on the CW and FL from HD gNB 735. Control signaling, configuration information, and/or coordination information can be exchanged between HD gNB 735 and HD UE 737 based on a bi-directional Uu link between HD gNB 735 and HD UE 737. The AIoT UE 732 can be the same as or similar to one or more of AIoT device 500 of FIG. 5 and/or AIoT device 602 of FIG. 6. In some cases, AIoT UE 732 can be the same as or similar to one or more of the AIoT UE 712 and/or the AIoT UE 722 of FIG. 7A (e.g., an AIoT UE can be configured to implement monostatic communications with FD network entities or UEs, and may also be configured to implement bistatic communications with HD network entities or UEs) .

In the example configuration 740 of FIG. 7B, an AIoT UE 742 receives the CW and FL from an HD UE 747, and transmits data (e.g., a modulated backscattered signal) to HD gNB 745, based on the CW and FL from HD UE 747. A bi-directional Uu link can be used to transmit control information between HD gNB 745 and HD UE 747. In some aspects, AIoT UE 742 can be the same as or similar to AIoT UE 732; HD gNB 745 can be the same as or similar to HD gNB 735; and/or HD UE 747 can be the same as or similar to HD UE 737; etc.

In the example configuration 750 of FIG. 7B, an AIoT UE 752 receives the CW from an HD gNB 755 configured to act as the RF source device. The AIoT UE 752 receives the FL control signaling from HD UE 757, and transmits the modulated backscattered signal to HD UE 757 (e.g., HD UE 757 is configured as the reader device) , based on a combination of the CW from HD gNB 755 and the CL from HD UE 757. A bi-directional Uu link can be used to transmit control information between HD gNB 755 and HD UE 757. In some aspects, AIoT UE 752 can be the same as or similar to AIoT UE 732 and/or AIoT UE 742; HD gNB 755 can be the same as or similar to HD gNB 735 and/or HD gNB 745; HD UE 757 can be the same as or similar to HD UE 737 and/or HD UE 747; etc.

In the example configuration 760 of FIG. 7B, an AIoT UE 762 receives the CW from an HD UE 767 configured to act as the RF source device. The AIoT UE 762 receives the FL control signaling from HD gNB 765, and transmits the modulated backscattered signal to HD gNB 765 (e.g., HD gNB 765 is configured as the reader device) , based on a combination of the CW from HD UE 767 and the CL from HD gNB 765. A bi-directional Uu link can be used to transmit control information between HD gNB 765 and HD UE 767. In some aspects, AIoT UE 762 can be the same as or similar to AIoT UE 732, AIoT UE 742, and/or AIoT UE 752; HD gNB 765 can be the same as or similar to HD gNB 735, HD gNB 745, and/or HD gNB 755; HD UE 767 can be the same as or similar to HD UE 737, HD UE 747, and/or HD UE 757; etc.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of energy harvesting 800 using multiple RF sources, in accordance with some examples. For instance, in some aspects, multiple RF sources can concurrently or simultaneously transmit respective energy signals to charge (e.g., provide power to) one or more AIoT devices (e.g., also referred to as passive UEs (PUEs) ) . The multiple RF sources and respective energy signals can be used to ensure that the input power to the EH circuit of an AIoT device is above a target threshold.

For instance, a first RF source 802, a second RF source 804, and a third RF source 806 can be used to transmit or provide respective RF signals to a first PUE 832 (e.g., an AIoT device) and a second PUE 834 (e.g., an AIoT device) . The first PUE 832 can receive a respective first RF signal from first RF source 802, a respective second RF signal from second RF source 804, and a respective third RF signal from third RF source 806. The second PUE 834 can receive a respective first RF signal from first RF source 802, a respective second RF signal from second RF source 804, and a respective third RF signal from third RF source 806 (e.g., each of the RF sources 802, 804, 806 may transmit a respective RF signal to each of the PUEs 832, 834) .

Based on receiving the three respective RF signals from the RF sources 802, 804, 806, each PUE 832, 834 can perform energy harvesting and transmit a modulated backscattered signal to a reader device 840.

In some aspects, a central node or network entity (e.g., gNB, base station, reader device, etc. ) may broadcast the time and/or frequency resources to be used for RF signal transmission to the PUEs 832, 834. One or more RF sources in range of the broadcast information from the central node (e.g., the RF sources 802, 804, 806 to the PUEs 832, 834) can be configured, based on the broadcast information, to transmit respective RF signals on the dedicated time/frequency resources to the target PUE (e.g., AIoT device) . For instance, the broadcast information can configure a selection of time/frequency resources such that the first PUE 832 receives the three RF signals from the RF sources 802-806 simultaneously (e.g., on the same time resources) , with each RF signal on different frequency resources.

The broadcast information can additionally configure a selection of time/frequency resources such that the second PUE 834 receives the three RF signals from the RF sources 802-806 simultaneously (e.g., on the same time resources) , with each RF signal on different frequency resources. In some aspects, the broadcast information can be indicative of corresponding time/frequency resource assignment or allocation information for each target AIoT device/PUE. For instance, the first PUE 832 can receive the three RF signals simultaneously, at a time that is different from the time when second PUE 834 receives its three corresponding RF signals simultaneously.

In some aspects, an AIoT device (e.g., PUEs 832, 834, etc. ) can accumulate the RF signals from the multiple RF sources 802-806 at the antenna of the AIoT device. The total input power received by the AIoT device can be increased based on accumulating the RF signals from the multiple RF sources, and the EH efficiency of the AIoT device can be improved (e.g., increased) .

In some cases, multiple RF sources may be utilized for carrier wave (CW) transmission for backscattering (e.g., for backscatter communications performed by an AIoT device) . For instance, FIG. 9A is a diagram illustrating an example of an ambient IoT device configured to perform backscatter communications 900 using multiple carrier waves associated with multiple RF sources, in accordance with some examples. FIG. 9B is a diagram illustrating an example of multiple backscatter signals 950 generated by an ambient IoT device and corresponding to the multiple carrier waves of FIG. 9A, in accordance with some examples.

FIG. 9A illustrates an AIoT device 930, which may be the same as or similar to one or more of the AIoT device 500 of FIG. 5, the AIoT device 602 of FIG. 6; one or more of the AIoT devices of FIGS. 7A and 7B; the AIoT devices 832, 834 of FIG. 8; etc. FIG. 9A additionally illustrates a first RF source 902, which transmits a carrier wave (CW) at a first frequency, f₁; a second RF source 904, which transmits a CW at a second frequency f₂; and a third RF source 906, which transmit a CW at a third frequency f₃. In some aspects, the RF sources 902, 904, 906 of FIG. 9A may be the same as or similar to various ones of the RF sources described above (e.g., a network entity, base station, gNB, UE, etc., such as the transmitter 615 of reader device 612 of FIG. 6; FD gNB 715 or FD UE 727 of FIG. 7A; HD gNB 735, 745, 755, 765 or HD UE 737, 747, 757, 767 of FIG. 7B; RF source 802, 804, 806 of FIG. 8; etc. ) .

In one illustrative example, the multiple RF sources 902-906 may each transmit a respective RF sinusoidal signal (e.g., a respective CW) . In some aspects, the respective RF sinusoidal signals or other RF CWs may be transmitted on the same frequency (e.g., f₁ = f₂ = f₃) or may be transmitted on one or more different frequencies (f₁ ≠ f₂ ≠ f₃; f₁ ≠f₂ = f₃; f₁ = f₂ ≠ f₃; f₁ = f₃ ≠ f₂; etc. ) .

In some cases, the AIoT UE 930 can perform backscattering (e.g., backscatter communications) based on the respective RF sinusoidal CW signals received from each of the multiple RF sources 902-906. For instance, the AIoT UE 930 can perform backscattering based on frequency shifting of the respective RF sinusoidal CW signals. In some cases, each respective RF sinusoidal CW signal can be associated with a backscattered signal that is frequency shifted to a clean channel that does not overlap with the frequencies f₁, f₂, f₃ of the RF sinusoidal CW signals received by the AIoT UE 930.

For instance, in the example diagram 950 of FIG. 9B, the first RF sinusoidal CW signal at frequency f₁ can be associated with a frequency shifted modulated backscattered signal 972 that is shifted to a center frequency of f₁+f_s. The second RF sinusoidal CW signal at frequency f₂ can be associated with a frequency shifted modulated backscattered signal 974 that is shifted to a center frequency of f₂+f_s. The third RF sinusoidal CW signal at frequency f₃ can be associated with a frequency shifted modulated backscattered signal 976 that is shifted to a center frequency of f₃+f_s. In some aspects, the frequency shifted backscattered signals can correspond to multiple copies of the same data transmitted in the frequency domain for increased diversity. In some cases, the use of different frequencies for the multiple RF sinusoidal CW signals (e.g., the frequencies f₁, f₂, f₃) can be used to provide frequency diversity for the backscatter communications performed from the AIoT UE 930 and reader device 940. For instance, the frequency shifted backscattered signals 972, 974, 976 of FIG. 9B can be equivalent to transmitting a multi-sine waveform from a single RF source, without a peak-to-average power ration (PAPR) constraint.

In some cases, using all RF sources within range of the network entity that broadcasts the configuration information indicative of the time/frequency resources for transmitting the multiple CW signals to the AIoT device can be inefficient. For instance, in some implementations, any RF source that is within range of (e.g., receives) the broadcast configuration information from the network entity will transmit CW simultaneously to the indicated target AIoT device (s) , which can be inefficient in terms of energy consumption and/or network resource utilization. For example, some RF sources that receive the broadcast from the network entity may be located at different distances from the target AIoT device (s) . The gain from a distant RF source (e.g., relatively far from a target AIoT device) can be relatively minor compared to the gain from a near RF source (e.g., relatively close to a target AIoT device) . The difference in gain can become more pronounced when the distant RF source is power limited (e.g., a power limited and distant RF source will have an even lower gain to the target AIoT device) .

In some examples, the total occupied bandwidth associated with the frequency-shifted backscattered signal (s) generated by the AIoT device based on the multiple RF CW signals can be relatively high, such as when a large number of different RF sources transmit the sinusoidal CW signals on the dedicated non-overlapping frequencies indicated by the broadcast configuration information from the network entity.

In some cases, when the RF source is implemented as a UE, the scheduled NR transmission and reception of the UE may collide or interfere with the sinusoidal CW transmission to the AIoT device. Backscattering can be performed based on ambient NR signals and/or channels, but may increase receiver complexity for decoding AIoT backscatter transmission (e.g., based on the unknown modulated NR data) .

There is a need for systems and techniques that can be used to configure multiple RF sources to transmit respective CW signals to an AIoT device and/or passive backscatter device (e.g., PUE) . There is a further need for systems and techniques that can be used to configure multiple RF sources to transmit respective CW signals to improve the backscattering performance of an AIoT device or passive backscatter device that receives the respective CW signals. There is a further need for systems and techniques that can be used to configure the multiple RF sources based on selecting or indicating the multiple RF sources as a subset of a larger plurality of RF sources that may receive broadcast configuration information from a network entity and/or that may be capable of transmitting a respective CW signal to the AIoT device or passive backscatter device.

Systems, apparatuses, processes (also referred to as methods) , and computer-readable media (collectively referred to as “systems and techniques” ) are described herein that can be used to configure a plurality of RF sources to transmit respective CW signals to improve the backscattering performance of an AIoT device or passive backscatter device.

FIG. 10 is a signaling diagram 1000 corresponding to a process of backscatter communications configured by a network entity for an AIoT device and multiple carrier wave RF source devices, in accordance with some examples. An AIoT UE 1030 may be the same as or similar to one or more of the AIoT device 500 of FIG. 5; the AIoT device 602 of FIG. 6; one or more of the AIoT devices of FIG. 7A and/or FIG. 7B; the AIoT devices (e.g., PUEs) 832, 834 of FIG. 8; the AIoT device 930 of FIG. 9; etc.

A first network entity 1002 can be configured as an RF source (e.g., RF source device) associated with transmitting one or more CW signals to the AIoT UE 1030. The first network entity 1002 can also be referred to herein as a “first RF source 1002. ” The first RF source 1002 may be included in a plurality of RF sources associated with a second network entity 1040 and/or may be included in a configured subset of the plurality of sources, where the configured subset of RF sources are associated with and transmit respective CW signals to the AIoT UE 1030.

The first network entity (e.g., RF source 1002) can be a base station, gNB, UE, etc. For instance, the RF source 1002 can be the same as or similar to one or more of the RF sources such as the reader device 612 (and transmitter 615 thereof) of FIG. 6; the FD gNB or FD UE 727 of FIG. 7A; the HD gNB 735, 745, 755, 765 or HD UE 737, 747, 757, 767 of FIG. 7B; the RF source 802, 804, 806 of FIG. 8; the RF source 902, 904, 906 of FIG. 9; etc.

The second network entity 1040 may be a network entity such as a base station, gNB, etc. In some aspects, the second network entity 1040 can be a reader device associated with receiving one or more modulated backscattered signals from the AIoT UE 1030. For instance, the second network entity 1040 (e.g., also referred to herein as the “reader device 1040” ) can be the same as or similar to one or more of the reader device 612 (and receiver 617 thereof) of FIG. 6; the FD gNB 715 or FD UE 727 of FIG. 7A; the HD UE 737 of FIG. 7B; the HD gNB 745 of FIG. 7B; the HD UE 757 of FIG. 7B; the HD gNB 765 of FIG. 7B; the reader device 840 of FIG. 8; the reader device 940 of FIG. 9A; etc. In some aspects, the second network entity 1040 can be a UE that receives and forwards, from a network entity (e.g., gNB, base station, etc. ) , the information depicted in signaling diagram 1000.

In one illustrative example, the reader device 1040 can be configured with and/or may determine information indicative of a plurality of RF sources within the range for carrier wave transmission to the AIoT UE 1030. For instance, RF source 1002 can be one of the plurality of RF sources within range for carrier wave transmission to AIoT UE 1030 (e.g., RF source 1002 can be included in the plurality of RF sources within range for carrier wave transmission to AIoT UE 1030) . In some aspects, the plurality of RF sources within range for carrier wave transmission to AIoT UE 1030 may also be referred to herein as “candidate RF sources” or a “plurality of candidate RF sources. ”

At block 1010, the network entity 1040 (e.g., reader device) can broadcast information indicative of frequencies used for carrier wave signal transmission by RF sources to one or more passive backscatter devices. For instance, the network entity 1040 can broadcast frequency allocation information corresponding to carrier wave signal transmission by one or more RF sources (e.g., such as the RF source 1002 and/or at least a portion of the plurality of candidate RF sources) to one or more passive backscatter devices (e.g., such as and including AIoT UE 1030) . In some cases, the network entity 1040 can broadcast the SW signal transmission frequency information for the RF sources using a system information block (SIB) or radio resource control (RRC) message. For instance, the network entity 1040 can broadcast a SIB or RRC message indicative of the listing of frequencies for CW signal transmission by the one or more RF sources (e.g., RF source 1002) to one or more AIoT devices (e.g., AIoT UE 1030) . In some aspects, the SIB or RRC broadcast message can be indicative of a corresponding identifier and/or associated information of each AIoT device of the one or more AIoT devices (e.g., can be indicative of a corresponding identifier and/or associated information of AIoT UE 1030) .

In some aspects, the number of frequencies for transmitting the multiple sinusoidal continuous wave (e.g., carrier wave) signals can be less than the number of RF sources determined by and/or known at the network entity 1040 (e.g., reader device) . For instance, if the network entity 1040 determines that ten candidate RF sources are capable of transmitting a CW signal to AIoT UE 1030 (e.g., ten candidate RF sources are within range for CW transmission to AIoT UE 1030) , the network entity 1040 can broadcast a listing of less than ten frequencies for transmitting the multiple sinusoidal continuous wave signals.

In some examples, each respective frequency included in the listing of frequencies broadcast from the network entity 1040 to the plurality of candidate RF sources at block 1010 may be associated with a single AIoT UE of the one or more AIoT UEs, or may be associated with (e.g., shared by) multiple AIoT UEs of the one or more AIoT UEs.

In some cases, the respective frequencies included in the listing of frequencies broadcast from the network entity 1040 to the plurality of candidate RF Sources at block 1010 can be frequencies for multiple sinusoidal continuous wave signals. The frequencies may be equally spaced (e.g., f₁; f₂ = f₁+Δ; f₂ = f₁+2Δ = f₂+Δ; …; etc. ) , separated by a frequency offset of Δ between adjacent frequencies of the listing. In some examples, the plurality of frequencies for the multiple sinusoidal continuous wave signals to AIoT UE 1030 can be separately and/or individually configured. For instance, the broadcast message transmitted by network entity 1040 at block 1010 can be indicative of a first frequency information for f₁, a second frequency information for f₂, a third frequency information for f₃, etc. In some cases, the minimum spacing between any two frequencies can be larger than the backscatter link rate of the backscatter link (BL) from the AIoT UE 1030 to the network entity 1040 (e.g., reader device) . For instance, the backscatter link rate can be based on the impedance switching frequency for backscatter modulation implemented at the AIoT UE 1030. A minimum spacing between frequencies that is larger than the backscatter link rate of the AIoT UE 1030 can minimize interference from the carrier wave signal (s) received by the AIoT UE 1030 and used to transmit data over the backscatter link.

At block 1012, the network entity 1040 (e.g., reader device) can broadcast configuration information for the multiple sinusoidal continuous wave signals to the AIoT UE 1030. The sinusoidal CW configuration information broadcast at block 1012 can be different from the frequency configuration information broadcast at block 1010. The sinusoidal CW configuration information of block 1012 can be broadcast by the network entity 1040 (e.g., reader device) and can be received by the plurality of candidate RF sources (e.g., including RF source 1002) .

In one illustrative example, the sinusoidal CW configuration information can be a CW transmit configuration (e.g., a CW Tx configuration) . The sinusoidal CW configuration information of block 1012 can also be referred to herein as CW Tx configuration information or CW transmission configuration information. The CW Tx configuration information can include and/or can be indicative of one or more (or all) of a respective AIoT UE location for each of the one or more AIoT UEs, a target Rx signal power arriving at the antenna of each AIoT UE of the one or more AIoT UEs, a maximum power margin associated with each AIoT UE of the one or more AIoT UEs, and/or a maximum power margin to target Rx signal power ratio for each AIoT UE of the one or more AIoT UEs. For instance, the CW Tx configuration information of block 1012 can be indicative of a location of the AIoT UE 1030, a target Rx signal power arriving at the antenna of AIoT UE 1030, a maximum power margin associated with AIoT UE 1030, and/or a maximum power margin to target Rx signal power ratio for AIoT UE 1030.

In some examples, based on the indicated location of an AIoT UE (e.g., the indicated location of AIoT UE 1030 from the corresponding CW Tx information) , an RF source (e.g., RF source 1002) can estimate or determine a minimum pathloss to the AIoT UE. For instance, RF source 1002 can use the indicated location of AIoT UE 1030 to estimate or determine a minimum pathloss between RF source 1002 and AIoT UE 1030. The minimum pathloss to an AIoT UE can be estimated or determined using a free-space propagation model.

Based on the estimated minimum pathloss to the AIoT UE 1030, the RF source 1002 can calculate (e.g., determine) a required or corresponding transmission power to transmit a CW signal from the RF source 1002 to the AIoT UE 1030. In some aspects, the required or corresponding transmission power for the CW signal to AIoT UE 1030 can be determined based on the estimated pathloss information and the target Rx signal power arriving at the AIoT UE 1030 antenna (e.g., indicated in the CW Tx information) .

In some aspects, the RF source 1002 can determine whether the required Tx power for transmitting a CW signal to AIoT UE 1030 exceeds the maximum Tx power allowed by the RF source 1002. In some aspects, the RF source 1002 can additionally determine whether the margin associated with the required Tx power for transmitting a CW signal to AIoT UE 1030 is larger than the indicated maximum power margin indicated in the CW Tx information from the network entity 1040 (e.g., reader device) .

In one illustrative example, if the required Tx power exceeds the maximum Tx power allowed by the RF source 1002 and the margin is greater than the indicated maximum power margin, the RF source 1002 may determine that it is not required to transmit the CW signal to the AIoT UE 1030.

If the required Tx power does not exceed the maximum Tx power allowed by the RF source 1002 and/or if the margin is less than or equal to the indicated maximum power margin, the RF source 1002 may determine that it is required to and/or configured to transmit the CW signal to the AIoT UE 1030, and may proceed to block 1014. If the RF source 1002 determines, at block 1012, that it is not required to transmit the CW signal to the AIoT UE 1030 (e.g., as described above) , then in at least some examples, the RF source 1002 does not proceed to block 1014.

At block 1014, the RF source 1002 can use a hash function to select an RF source (e.g., frequency from the listing of frequencies transmitted by the network entity 1040 at block 1010) for CW transmission to AIoT UE 1030. In some aspects, the RF source 1002 can proceed to block 1014 based on determining at block 1012 that the RF source 1002 is required to and/or configured to transmit the CW signal to the AIoT UE 1030. For instance, the RF source 1002 may be configured to transmit the CW signal to the AIoT UE 1030 based on a determination at block 1012 that the required Tx power does not exceed the maximum Tx power allowed by the RF source 1002 and/or that the margin is less than or equal to the indicated maximum power margin.

In some aspects, the RF source 1002 can determine a hash value h based on h =Hash (A+B+C) . Here, A is the CW transmission occasion parameter (e.g., System Frame Number (SFN) or slot index) ; B is the RF source ID corresponding to RF source 1002; and C is the network entity 1040 (e.g., base station, gNB, reader device, etc. ) ID. In some aspects, the parameter C can be the AIoT UE 1030 ID.

The RF source 1002 can compare the calculated hash value h to a configured threshold, h_target. If h < h_target, the RF source 1002 is valid for CW transmission to the AIoT UE 1030, and the RF source 1002 may proceed to block 1016. If h ≥ h_target, the RF source 1002 is not valid for CW transmission to the AIoT UE 1030, and may exit the signaling flow 1000 without proceeding beyond block 1014.

In some examples, Hash () can be a hash algorithm that is configured for both the RF source 1002 and the network entity (e.g., reader device ) 1040. For instance, Hash () can be one of the SHA-1, SHA-224, etc., hash algorithms.

In some aspects, the network entity (e.g., reader device) 1040 can configure the total number of the RF sources that will simultaneously transmit on each CW occasion based on adjusting the target hash value h_target. In one illustrative example, the network entity (e.g., reader device) 1040 can broadcast or transmit the target hash value h_target. The network entity 1040 can broadcast or transmit the target hash value h_target separately from the frequency configuration information of block 1010 and/or the CW Tx configuration information of block 1012. In some aspects, the target hash value h_target can be included in or indicated by one of the frequency configuration information of block 1010 or the CW Tx configuration information of block 1012.

In some aspects, a modulo operation can be used to map the plurality of RF sources to CW transmission occasions. For example, for a total of N CW transmission occasions, the occasion index for a respective RF source can be determined as (RF source ID) mod N. RF source 1002 can determine its corresponding occasion index based on calculating (RF source 1002 ID) mod N. In some aspects, the occasion index determined as (RF source ID) mod N may result in and/or may not ensure an equal number of RF sources transmitting on each CW transmission occasion.

In one illustrative example, a valid RF source for the current CW transmission occasion (e.g., RF source 1002, when RF source 1002 determines a hash value h < h_target) can be configured to randomly select one frequency from the indicated list of frequencies (e.g., the plurality of frequencies indicated in the frequency configuration information of block 1010) . In some cases, a valid RF source for the current CW transmission occasion (e.g., RF source 1002) can select a frequency from the indicated list of frequencies based on its calculated hash value h. In some examples, the valid RF source for the current CW transmission occasion (e.g., RF source 1002) can select a frequency from the indicated list of frequencies based on the RF source ID for the CW signal.

At block 1016, the RF source 1002 can transmit a first CW signal to AIoT UE 1030, where the first CW signal corresponds to a first CW transmission occasion, t₁, for RF source 1002. The first CW signal can be transmitted using a frequency f₁ included in the plurality of frequencies indicated in the frequency configuration information of block 1010.

At block 1018, the AIoT UE 1030 can perform backscattering of the first CW signal, and can use the corresponding modulated backscattered signal to transmit data to the network entity (e.g., reader device) 1040.

At block 1022, the RF source 1002 can transmit a second CW signal to AIoT UE 1030, where the second CW signal corresponds to a second CW transmission occasion, t₂, for RF Source 1002. The second CW signal can be transmitted using the same frequency f₁ as the first CW signal of block 1016.

At block 1024, the AIoT UE 1030 can perform backscattering of the second CW signal, and can use the corresponding modulated backscattered signal to transmit data to the network entity (e.g., reader device) 1040.

In some aspects, the RF source 1002 can be associated with a configured timer value for updating its hash value h. For instance, the network entity (e.g., reader device) 1040 can transmit or broadcast information indicative of the timer for updating the hash value h at the RF sources (e.g., including RF source 1002) . In one illustrative example, if an RF source is valid for CW signal transmission (e.g., the RF source determines at block 1014 that its corresponding hash value h < h_target) , the RF source will be considered valid for at least a duration indicated by the configured time value from the network entity 1040.

For instance, the RF source 1002 can start a timer when the RF source 1002 acquires a valid hash value h < h_target. While the elapsed time of the timer at RF source 1002 is less than the configured timer value indicated by the network entity 1040, the RF source 1002 is not required to calculate a new hash value. In some aspects, the hash value for an RF source (e.g., RF source 1002) only changes with the CW transmission occasion parameter, A.

In some examples, while the RF source 1002 elapsed timer duration is less than the configured timer value (e.g., while the timer is running at RF source 1002) , the RF source 1002 can be configured to prioritize the CW transmission to AIoT UE 1030 over regular NR transmission or reception at the RF source 1002. For example, while the timer is running at RF source 1002, the RF source 1002 can be configured to drop any NR DL/UL signals when colliding with the CW transmission signal in time and frequency.

In one illustrative example, the network entity (e.g., reader device) 1040 can be configured to transmit one or more dynamic control commands to the RF source 1002, where the dynamic control commands correspond to one or more scheduled CW transmission by the RF source 1002 (e.g., from RF source 1002 to AIoT 1030, at a future time relative to the one or more dynamic control commands from network entity 1040) . For instance, the one or more dynamic control commands can be based on measurement information of the received backscattered signal on one or more previous CW transmission occasions.

The measurement information can be determined by the network entity (e.g., reader device) at block 1026, for example corresponding to measurement information of one or more (or both) of the previous CW transmission occasions t₁ and/or t₂ (e.g., CW Tx from RF source 1002 at block 1016 and modulated backscattered signal Rx from AIoT UE 1030 at block 1018, and/or CW Tx from RF source 1002 at block 1022 and modulated backscattered signal Rx from AIoT UE 1030 at block 1024) .

At block 1028, the network entity (e.g., reader device) 1040 can transmit the one or more dynamic control commands to the RF source 1002, where the one or more dynamic control commands are indicative of one or more adjustments to the CW signal transmission from the RF source 1002 to the AIoT UE 1030. For instance, the dynamic control command of block 1028 may include or be indicative of one or more of a power up or power down command to update the RF source 1002 Tx power for the CW signal. In some aspects, a power up or power down dynamic control command can be common for all frequencies of the CW signal and all of the RF sources included in the plurality of RF sources associated with the network entity 1040 and in range of AIoT UE 1030 for CW transmission. In another example, a power up or power down dynamic control command can be independent for each respective frequency of the plurality of frequencies of the CW signal and/or can be independent for each respective RF source of the plurality of candidate RF sources.

In some aspects, where the RF source 1002 is an NR UE, the NR UE RF source 10023 can be configured to maintain two separate power control loops. For instance, a first power control loop can be maintained for regular NR UL transmissions by the RF source 1002, and a second power control loop can be maintained for CW signal transmission to the AIoT UE 1030.

In some aspects, the dynamic control command may include or be indicative of an updated frequency list for the CW signal to AIoT UE 1030. For instance, the updated frequency list can include a greater or lesser number of frequencies than the plurality of frequencies indicated in the frequency configuration information of block 1010. The updated frequency list can include different frequency values, different frequency spacings or offsets, etc. In some examples, the updated frequency list can correspond to a different backscatter link rate at one or more of the AIoT UEs (e.g., AIoT UE 1030) .

In some examples, the dynamic control command of block 1028 may include or be indicative of a per-RF source activation/deactivation indicator for the CW signal transmission. For instance, the dynamic control command can include an activation indicator to enable RF source 1002 for the next CW signal transmission occasion, or can include a deactivation indicator to disable RF source 1002 for the next CW signal transmission occasion. In some aspects, the activation/deactivation indicator of the dynamic control command form network entity (e.g., reader device) 1040 can override the determination made by the RF source 1002 at block 1014 indicative of whether the RF source 1002 is a valid RF source for the next CW signal transmission occasion.

In some aspects, the dynamic control command (s) of block 1028 can be transmitted and/or broadcast by the network entity (e.g., reader device) 1040 using a group DCI or MAC-CE.

At block 1032, the RF source 1002 can perform CW signal transmission on an updated frequency f₂ at CW signal transmission occasion t_N. For instance, the CW signal transmitted from RF source 1002 to AIoT UE 1030 at block 1032 can be updated and/or configured based on the one or more dynamic control commands of block 1028.

At block 1034, the AIoT UE 1030 can perform backscattering based on the CW signal of block 1032, and the network entity (e.g., reader device) 1040 can receive the modulated backscattered transmission from AIoT UE 1030.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart diagram illustrating an example of a process 1100 for wireless communications. The process 1100 may be performed by an RF source associated with an AIoT device or PUE. For example, the process 1100 may be performed by a network entity or by a component or system (e.g., a chipset) of the network entity. The network entity can be an energy transmitter, energy source, and/or scheduler of energy transfer associated with an ambient IoT device. In some examples, the network entity is a base station (e.g., the base station 102 of FIG. 1 and/or FIG. 2, the disaggregated base station 300 of FIG. 4, or a portion of the base station (e.g., the CU 310, the DU 330, the RU 340, the Near-RT RIC 325, the Non-RT RIC 315, and/or or other portion of the disaggregated base station 300 of FIG. 3) . In some examples, the network entity is a gNB, a UE (e.g., including a non-ambient IoT UE) , a repeater node, an IAB node, etc. The operations of the process 1100 may be implemented as software components that are executed and run on one or more processors (e.g., processor 1310 of FIG. 13 or other processor (s) ) . Further, the transmission and reception of signals by the network entity in the process 1100 may be enabled, for example, by one or more antennas and/or one or more transceivers (e.g., antenna (s) and/or wireless transceiver (s) of any of FIG. 2, FIGS. 4-10, etc. ) .

In some examples, the process 1100 can be performed by an RF source device, such as the reader device 612 (e.g., including transmitter 615) of FIG. 6; the FD gNB 715 of FIG. 7A and/or the FD UE 727 of FIG. 7A; the HD gNB 735, the HD UE 747, the HD gNB 755, and/or the HD UE 767 of FIG. 7B; the RF source device 802, 804, and/or 806 of FIG. 8; the RF source 902, 904, and/or 906 of FIG. 9A; etc.

At block 1102, the process 1100 includes receiving first configuration information associated with transmission of carrier wave (CW) signals to an ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) device, wherein the first configuration information is indicative of a plurality of candidate frequencies. For instance, the AIoT device can be the same as or similar to one or more of the AIoT device 500 of FIG. 5; the AIoT device 602 of FIG. 2; one or more of the AIoT devices 712, 722, 732, 742, 752, 762 of FIGS. 7A and 7B; one or more of the AIoT devices 832, 834 of FIG. 8; the AIoT device 930 of FIG. 9A; the AIoT device 1030 of FIG. 10; etc.

In some examples, the CW signals can be the same as or similar to one or more of the carrier wave 625 of FIG. 6; one or more of the CW signals of FIGS. 7A or 7B; one or more of the CW signals of FIG. 8; one or more of the CW signals of FIG. 9A or 9B; etc. In some cases, the first configuration information is frequency configuration information associated with transmission of CW signals to the AIoT device. For instance, the first configuration information can be the same as or similar to the frequency configuration information 1010 of FIG. 10. In some cases, the first configuration information can be included in a system information block (SIB) or radio resource control (RRC) message received by the network entity performing process 1100 (e.g., an AIoT device) .

In some examples, the first configuration information can be received from an additional network entity. For instance, a radio frequency (RF) source for backscatter communications of the AIoT device can receive the first configuration information from an additional network entity comprising a reader device for backscatter communications of the AIoT device. For example, the additional network entity can be a reader device that is the same as or similar to one or more of the reader device 612 (and receiver 617 thereof) of FIG. 6; the FD gNB 715 or FD UE 727 of FIG. 7A; the HD UE 737 of FIG. 7B; the HD gNB 745 of FIG. 7B; the HD UE 757 of FIG. 7B; the HD gNB 765 of FIG. 7B; the reader device 840 of FIG. 8; the reader device 940 of FIG. 9A; the gNB 1040 of FIG. 10; etc. In some aspects, the additional network entity can be a UE that receives and forwards, from a network entity (e.g., gNB, base station, etc. ) , the information depicted in signaling diagram 1000.

In some cases, the process 1100 can be performed by a network entity that is a bistatic transmitter for backscatter communications associated with the AIoT device. In some cases, the additional network entity can be a bistatic receiver for the backscatter communications associated with the AIoT device. In some examples, the network entity is included in a plurality of network entities within range for CW signal transmission to the AIoT device. In some examples, a number of frequencies included in the plurality of candidate frequencies is less than a number of network entities included in the plurality of network entities. For instance, the plurality of candidate frequencies 1010 of FIG. 10 can include a number of frequencies that is greater than a number of network entities configured as RF source devices 1002.

In some cases, each respective frequency of the plurality of candidate frequencies is associated with the transmission of CW signals to the AIoT device. For instance, each respective frequency of the plurality of candidate frequencies 1010 of FIG. 10 can be associated with the transmission of CW signals 1016, 1022, and/or 1032, etc., to AIoT device 1030 of FIG. 10.

In some examples, a spacing between adjacent frequencies of the plurality of candidate frequencies is greater than an impedance switching frequency corresponding to a backscatter link rate of the AIoT device. For instance, the impedance switching frequency can be associated with the impedance matching engine 610 of the backscattering device (e.g., AIoT device) 602 of FIG. 6, corresponding to a backscatter link rate of the AIoT device 602 of FIG. 6.

At block 1104, the process 1100 includes determining, based on second configuration information, that the network entity is a valid source for a current CW transmission occasion. For instance, the second configuration information can be CW transmission configuration information associated with the transmission of CW signals to the AIoT device. In some examples, the second configuration information can be the same as or similar to the CW Tx configuration information 1012 of FIG. 10. For instance, the second configuration information can be indicative of one or more of an AIoT UE location, a target Rx signal power, a maximum power margin, a target hash, a timer value, etc. In some cases, the second configuration information can be included in a system information block (SIB) or radio resource control (RRC) message received by the network entity that performs process 1100 (e.g., an RF source device, such as RF source 1002 of FIG. 10) . In some examples, the second configuration information can be received from the additional network entity (e.g., a reader device, such as gNB 1040 of FIG. 10) .

In some examples, the second configuration information is indicative of a hash target threshold value. For instance, the hash target threshold value can be the same as or similar to the “h_target” value associated with block 1014 of FIG. 10. In some cases, the network entity can be a valid source for the current CW transmission occasion based on determining a hash value corresponding to the network entity and the current CW transmission occasion, wherein the hash value is based at least in part on an identifier of the network entity. For instance, the hash value can be determined the same as or similar to the hash value associated with block 1014 of FIG. 10. In some cases, the network entity can compare the hash value to the hash target threshold value and can determine that the network entity is a valid source based on the hash value being less than the hash target threshold value (e.g., such as in block 1014 of FIG. 10) . In some cases, the hash value can be determined based on calculating a configured hash algorithm using a CW transmission occasion parameter, the identifier of the network entity, and an identifier of the AIoT device.

In some cases, the network entity can receive information indicative of a configured timer value associated with the hash value. For instance, the configured timer value can be a timer value included in the second configuration information (e.g., the CW Tx configuration information 1012 of FIG. 10) . The network entity can start a timer based on the determination that the network entity is a valid source for the current CW transmission occasion. The network entity can determine an updated hash value based on a timer duration exceeding the configured timer value. In some cases, the network entity can determine a selected frequency for transmitting a first CW signal to the AIoT device (e.g., the transmitting of block 1106) of the plurality of candidate frequencies based on the hash value.

At block 1106, the process 1100 includes transmitting, to the AIoT device, a first CW signal using a selected frequency of the plurality of candidate frequencies, wherein a transmission power for the first CW signal is based on the second configuration information. For instance, the first CW signal can be the same as or similar to the CW signal 1016 of FIG. 10, and the selected frequency can be the frequency f₁. In some examples, the first CW signal can be the CW signal 1022 of FIG. 10, and the selected frequency can be the frequency f₁. In some examples, the first CW signal can be the CW signal 1032 of FIG. 10, and the selected frequency can be the frequency f₂.

In some cases, the network entity can determine the selected frequency based on a random selection from the plurality of candidate frequencies 1010 of FIG. 10. In some examples, the network entity can determine the selected frequency based on a radio frequency (RF) source identifier corresponding to the first CW signal.

In some examples, the network entity can receive one or more control commands associated with a scheduled transmission of a second CW signal between the network entity and the AIoT device. For instance, the one or more control commands can be the same as or similar to the control commands 1028 of FIG. 10. The network entity can transmit, to the AIoT device, the second CW signal using one or more of an updated selected frequency or an updated transmission power for the second CW signal, wherein the updated selected frequency and the updated transmission power are based on the one or more control commands. In some cases, the one or more control commands are indicative of one or more of a power up command corresponding to an updated transmission power for the second CW signal that is greater than the transmission power for the first CW signal, or a power down command corresponding to an updated transmission power for the second CW signal that is less than the transmission power for the first CW signal. In some examples, the one or more control commands are indicative of a second plurality of candidate frequencies different from the plurality of candidate frequencies indicated in the first configuration information, and wherein the updated selected frequency is included in the second plurality of candidate frequencies.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart diagram illustrating an example of a process 1200 for wireless communications. The process 1200 may be performed by a reader device associated with an AIoT device or PUE. In some examples, the process 1200 may be performed by a network entity that is included with the network entity used to perform process 1100 of FIG. 11 in a bi-static configuration for backscatter communications of an AIoT device or PUE. In some examples, the process 1200 may be performed by a network entity or by a component or system (e.g., a chipset) of the network entity. The network entity can be an energy transmitter, energy source, and/or scheduler of energy transfer associated with an ambient IoT device. In some examples, the network entity is a base station (e.g., the base station 102 of FIG. 1 and/or FIG. 2, the disaggregated base station 300 of FIG. 4) or a portion of the base station (e.g., the CU 310, the DU 330, the RU 340, the Near-RT RIC 325, the Non-RT RIC 315, and/or or other portion of the disaggregated base station 300 of FIG. 3) . In some examples, the network entity is a gNB, a UE (e.g., including a non-ambient IoT UE) , a repeater node, an IAB node, etc. The operations of the process 1200 may be implemented as software components that are executed and run on one or more processors (e.g., processor 1310 of FIG. 13 or other processor (s) ) . Further, the transmission and reception of signals by the network entity in the process 1200 may be enabled, for example, by one or more antennas and/or one or more transceivers (e.g., antenna (s) and/or wireless transceiver (s) of any of FIG. 2, FIGS. 4-10, etc. ) .

At block 1202, the process 1200 includes transmitting, to a radio frequency (RF) source network entity, frequency configuration information indicative of a plurality of candidate frequencies for transmission of carrier wave (CW) signals to an ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) device.

For example, the process 1200 can be performed by a network entity comprising a reader device for backscatter communications of the AIoT device. The network entity can be a reader device the same as or similar to the gNB reader device 1040 of FIG. 10, etc. In some cases, the AIoT device can be the same as or similar to one or more of the AIoT device 500 of FIG. 5; the AIoT device 602 of FIG. 2; one or more of the AIoT devices 712, 722, 732, 742, 752, 762 of FIGS. 7A and 7B; one or more of the AIoT devices 832, 834 of FIG. 8; the AIoT device 930 of FIG. 9A; the AIoT device 1030 of FIG. 10; etc.

In some cases, the RF source network entity is a bistatic transmitter for backscatter communications of the AIoT device. For instance, the RF source network entity can be the same as or similar to the RF source entity 1002 of FIG. 10. In some examples, the RF source network entity can be an RF source device, such as the reader device 612 (e.g., including transmitter 615) of FIG. 6; the FD gNB 715 of FIG. 7A and/or the FD UE 727 of FIG. 7A; the HD gNB 735, the HD UE 747, the HD gNB 755, and/or the HD UE 767 of FIG. 7B; the RF source device 802, 804, and/or 806 of FIG. 8; the RF source 902, 904, and/or 906 of FIG. 9A; etc. In some cases, the frequency configuration information can be the same as or similar to the frequency configuration information 1010 of FIG. 10. In some examples, to transmit the frequency configuration information, the network entity that performs process 1200 (e.g., gNB 1040 of FIG. 10) can broadcast a system information block (SIB) or radio resource control (RRC) message indicative of the frequency configuration information.

At block 1204, the process 1200 includes transmitting, to the RF source network entity, CW transmission (CW Tx) configuration information indicative of one or more parameters associated with the transmission of CW signals to the AIoT device. For example, the CW Tx configuration information can be associated with the transmission (e.g., by the RF source network entity) of CW signals to the AIoT device. In some examples, the CW Tx configuration information can be the same as or similar to the CW Tx configuration information 1012 of FIG. 10. For instance, the CW Tx configuration information can be indicative of one or more of an AIoT UE location, a target Rx signal power, a maximum power margin, a target hash, a timer value, etc.

In some cases, the CW Tx configuration information can be included in a system information block (SIB) or radio resource control (RRC) message broadcast by the network entity that performs process 1200 (e.g., gNB 1040 of FIG. 10, etc. ) . In some examples, the network entity that performs process 1200 (e.g., gNB 1040 of FIG. 10, etc. ) can be a bistatic receiver for the backscatter communications of the AIoT device.

In some examples, the network entity can configure a subset of a plurality of RF source network entities to transmit respective CW signals to the AIoT device on a current CW transmission occasion, the subset including the RF source network entity. In some examples, a quantity of RF source network entities included in the subset is based on a hash target value included in the CW Tx configuration information.

At block 1206, the process 1200 includes receiving, from the AIoT device, a modulated backscattered signal, wherein the modulated backscattered signal is indicative of a data transmission of the AIoT device, and wherein the modulated backscattered signal is based on a CW signal configured based on the CW Tx configuration information. For instance, the modulated backscattered signal can be the same as or similar to the modulated backscattered signal 1018 of FIG. 10 (e.g., received by gNB 1040 from AIoT device 1030, and based on CW signal 1016 of FIG. 10) . In some examples, the modulated backscattered signal can be the same as or similar to the modulated backscattered signal 1024 of FIG. 10 (e.g., received by gNB 1040 from AIoT device 1030, and based on CW signal 1022 of FIG. 10) . In some cases, the modulated backscattered signal can be the same as or similar to the modulated backscattered signal 1034 of FIG. 10 (e.g., received by gNB 1040 from AIoT device 1030, and based on CW signal 1032 of FIG. 10) .

In some examples, the modulated backscattered signal can be based on one or more of the CW signals 1016, 1022, 1032 of FIG. 10, which are configured based on the CW Tx configuration information 1012 of FIG. 10. In some cases, the network entity can determine measurement information corresponding to the modulated backscattered signal received from the AIoT device. For instance, the measurement information can be the same as or similar to the measurement information determined at block 1026 of FIG. 10. In some examples, the network entity can transmit, to the RF source network entity, one or more control commands associated with a scheduled transmission of a second CW signal from the RF source network entity to the AIoT device. For instance, the one or more control commands can be the same as or similar to the control commands 1028 of FIG. 10, associated with the scheduled transmission of the CW signal 1032 of FIG. 10. In some examples, the network entity can receive, from the AIoT device, a second modulated backscattered signal based on the second CW signal. For instance, the second modulated backscattered signal can be the backscattered signal 1034 of FIG. 10, based on the CW signal 1032 of FIG. 10. In some cases, the one or more control commands are indicative of one or more of a power up command to increase a transmission power of the second CW signal, a power down command to decrease a transmission power of the second CW signal, or a second plurality of candidate frequencies for transmission of the second CW signal.

In some cases, the computing device or apparatus may include various components, such as one or more input devices, one or more output devices, one or more processors, one or more microprocessors, one or more microcomputers, one or more cameras, one or more sensors, and/or other component (s) that are configured to carry out the steps of processes described herein. In some examples, the computing device may include a display, one or more network interfaces configured to communicate and/or receive the data, any combination thereof, and/or other component (s) . The one or more network interfaces may be configured to communicate and/or receive wired and/or wireless data, including data according to the 3G, 4G, 5G, and/or other cellular standard, data according to the WiFi (802.11x) standards, data according to the Bluetooth^TM standard, data according to the Internet Protocol (IP) standard, and/or other types of data.

The components of the computing device may be implemented in circuitry. For example, the components may include and/or may be implemented using electronic circuits or other electronic hardware, which may include one or more programmable electronic circuits (e.g., microprocessors, graphics processing units (GPUs) , digital signal processors (DSPs) , central processing units (CPUs) , and/or other suitable electronic circuits) , and/or may include and/or be implemented using computer software, firmware, or any combination thereof, to perform the various operations described herein.

The process 1100 and the process 1200 are illustrated as logical flow diagrams, the operation of which represent a sequence of operations that may be implemented in hardware, computer instructions, or a combination thereof. In the context of computer instructions, the operations represent computer-executable instructions stored on one or more computer-readable storage media that, when executed by one or more processors, perform the recited operations. Generally, computer-executable instructions include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and the like that perform particular functions or implement particular data types. The order in which the operations are described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described operations may be combined in any order and/or in parallel to implement the processes.

Additionally, the process 1100, the process 1200, and/or other process described herein may be performed under the control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions and may be implemented as code (e.g., executable instructions, one or more computer programs, or one or more applications) executing collectively on one or more processors, by hardware, or combinations thereof. As noted above, the code may be stored on a computer-readable or machine-readable storage medium, for example, in the form of a computer program comprising a plurality of instructions executable by one or more processors. The computer-readable or machine-readable storage medium may be non-transitory.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system for implementing certain aspects of the present technology. In particular, FIG. 13 illustrates an example of computing system 1300, which may be for example any computing device making up internal computing system, a remote computing system, a camera, or any component thereof in which the components of the system are in communication with each other using connection 1305. Connection 1305 may be a physical connection using a bus, or a direct connection into processor 1310, such as in a chipset architecture. Connection 1305 may also be a virtual connection, networked connection, or logical connection.

In some aspects, computing system 1300 is a distributed system in which the functions described in this disclosure may be distributed within a datacenter, multiple data centers, a peer network, etc. In some aspects, one or more of the described system components represents many such components each performing some or all of the function for which the component is described. In some aspects, the components may be physical or virtual devices.

Example system 1300 includes at least one processing unit (CPU or processor) 1310 and connection 1305 that communicatively couples various system components including system memory 1315, such as read-only memory (ROM) 1320 and random access memory (RAM) 1325 to processor 1310. Computing system 1300 may include a cache 1315 of high-speed memory connected directly with, in close proximity to, or integrated as part of processor 1310.

Processor 1310 may include any general-purpose processor and a hardware service or software service, such as services 1332, 1334, and 1336 stored in storage device 1330, configured to control processor 1310 as well as a special-purpose processor where software instructions are incorporated into the actual processor design. Processor 1310 may essentially be a completely self-contained computing system, containing multiple cores or processors, a bus, memory controller, cache, etc. A multi-core processor may be symmetric or asymmetric.

To enable user interaction, computing system 1300 includes an input device 1345, which may represent any number of input mechanisms, such as a microphone for speech, a touch-sensitive screen for gesture or graphical input, keyboard, mouse, motion input, speech, etc. Computing system 1300 may also include output device 1335, which may be one or more of a number of output mechanisms. In some instances, multimodal systems may enable a user to provide multiple types of input/output to communicate with computing system 1300.

Computing system 1300 may include communications interface 1340, which may generally govern and manage the user input and system output. The communication interface may perform or facilitate receipt and/or transmission wired or wireless communications using wired and/or wireless transceivers, including those making use of an audio jack/plug, a microphone jack/plug, a universal serial bus (USB) port/plug, an Apple^TM Lightning^TM port/plug, an Ethernet port/plug, a fiber optic port/plug, a proprietary wired port/plug, 3G, 4G, 5G and/or other cellular data network wireless signal transfer, a Bluetooth^TM wireless signal transfer, a Bluetooth^TM low energy (BLE) wireless signal transfer, an IBEACON^TM wireless signal transfer, a radio-frequency identification (RFID) wireless signal transfer, near-field communications (NFC) wireless signal transfer, dedicated short range communication (DSRC) wireless signal transfer, 802.11 Wi-Fi wireless signal transfer, wireless local area network (WLAN) signal transfer, Visible Light Communication (VLC) , Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) , Infrared (IR) communication wireless signal transfer, Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) signal transfer, Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) signal transfer, ad-hoc network signal transfer, radio wave signal transfer, microwave signal transfer, infrared signal transfer, visible light signal transfer, ultraviolet light signal transfer, wireless signal transfer along the electromagnetic spectrum, or some combination thereof. The communications interface 1340 may also include one or more Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers or transceivers that are used to determine a location of the computing system 1300 based on receipt of one or more signals from one or more satellites associated with one or more GNSS systems. GNSS systems include, but are not limited to, the US-based Global Positioning System (GPS) , the Russia-based Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) , the China-based BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) , and the Europe-based Galileo GNSS. There is no restriction on operating on any particular hardware arrangement, and therefore the basic features here may easily be substituted for improved hardware or firmware arrangements as they are developed.

Storage device 1330 may be a non-volatile and/or non-transitory and/or computer-readable memory device and may be a hard disk or other types of computer readable media which may store data that are accessible by a computer, such as magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, solid state memory devices, digital versatile disks, cartridges, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, a hard disk, magnetic tape, a magnetic strip/stripe, any other magnetic storage medium, flash memory, memristor memory, any other solid-state memory, a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM) optical disc, a rewritable compact disc (CD) optical disc, digital video disk (DVD) optical disc, a blu-ray disc (BDD) optical disc, a holographic optical disk, another optical medium, a secure digital (SD) card, a micro secure digital (microSD) card, a Memory card, a smartcard chip, a EMV chip, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a mini/micro/nano/pico SIM card, another integrated circuit (IC) chip/card, random access memory (RAM) , static RAM (SRAM) , dynamic RAM (DRAM) , read-only memory (ROM) , programmable read-only memory (PROM) , erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) , electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) , flash EPROM (FLASHEPROM) , cache memory (e.g., Level 1 (L1) cache, Level 2 (L2) cache, Level 3 (L3) cache, Level 4 (L4) cache, Level 5 (L5) cache, or other (L#) cache) , resistive random-access memory (RRAM/ReRAM) , phase change memory (PCM) , spin transfer torque RAM (STT-RAM) , another memory chip or cartridge, and/or a combination thereof.

The storage device 1330 may include software services, servers, services, etc., that when the code that defines such software is executed by the processor 1310, it causes the system to perform a function. In some aspects, a hardware service that performs a particular function may include the software component stored in a computer-readable medium in connection with the necessary hardware components, such as processor 1310, connection 1305, output device 1335, etc., to carry out the function. The term “computer-readable medium” includes, but is not limited to, portable or non-portable storage devices, optical storage devices, and various other mediums capable of storing, containing, or carrying instruction (s) and/or data. A computer-readable medium may include a non-transitory medium in which data may be stored and that does not include carrier waves and/or transitory electronic signals propagating wirelessly or over wired connections. Examples of a non-transitory medium may include, but are not limited to, a magnetic disk or tape, optical storage media such as compact disk (CD) or digital versatile disk (DVD) , flash memory, memory or memory devices. A computer-readable medium may have stored thereon code and/or machine-executable instructions that may represent a procedure, a function, a subprogram, a program, a routine, a subroutine, a module, a software package, a class, or any combination of instructions, data structures, or program statements. A code segment may be coupled to another code segment or a hardware circuit by passing and/or receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents. Information, arguments, parameters, data, etc., may be passed, forwarded, or transmitted via any suitable means including memory sharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, or the like.

Specific details are provided in the description above to provide a thorough understanding of the aspects and examples provided herein, but those skilled in the art will recognize that the application is not limited thereto. Thus, while illustrative aspects of the application have been described in detail herein, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed, and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations, except as limited by the prior art. Various features and aspects of the above-described application may be used individually or jointly. Further, aspects may be utilized in any number of environments and applications beyond those described herein without departing from the broader scope of the specification. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. For the purposes of illustration, methods were described in a particular order. It should be appreciated that in alternate aspects, the methods may be performed in a different order than that described.

For clarity of explanation, in some instances the present technology may be presented as including individual functional blocks comprising devices, device components, steps or routines in a method embodied in software, or combinations of hardware and software. Additional components may be used other than those shown in the figures and/or described herein. For example, circuits, systems, networks, processes, and other components may be shown as components in block diagram form in order not to obscure the aspects in unnecessary detail. In other instances, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the aspects.

Further, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

Individual aspects may be described above as a process or method which is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations may be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. A process is terminated when its operations are completed, but could have additional steps not included in a figure. A process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination may correspond to a return of the function to the calling function or the main function.

Processes and methods according to the above-described examples may be implemented using computer-executable instructions that are stored or otherwise available from computer-readable media. Such instructions may include, for example, instructions and data which cause or otherwise configure a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or a processing device to perform a certain function or group of functions. Portions of computer resources used may be accessible over a network. The computer executable instructions may be, for example, binaries, intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, firmware, source code. Examples of computer-readable media that may be used to store instructions, information used, and/or information created during methods according to described examples include magnetic or optical disks, flash memory, USB devices provided with non-volatile memory, networked storage devices, and so on.

In some aspects the computer-readable storage devices, mediums, and memories may include a cable or wireless signal containing a bitstream and the like. However, when mentioned, non-transitory computer-readable storage media expressly exclude media such as energy, carrier signals, electromagnetic waves, and signals per se.

Those of skill in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof, in some cases depending in part on the particular application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, etc.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed using hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof, and may take any of a variety of form factors. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware, or microcode, the program code or code segments to perform the necessary tasks (e.g., a computer-program product) may be stored in a computer-readable or machine-readable medium. A processor (s) may perform the necessary tasks. Examples of form factors include laptops, smart phones, mobile phones, tablet devices or other small form factor personal computers, personal digital assistants, rackmount devices, standalone devices, and so on. Functionality described herein also may be embodied in peripherals or add-in cards. Such functionality may also be implemented on a circuit board among different chips or different processes executing in a single device, by way of further example.

The instructions, media for conveying such instructions, computing resources for executing them, and other structures for supporting such computing resources are example means for providing the functions described in the disclosure.

The techniques described herein may also be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, firmware, or any combination thereof. Such techniques may be implemented in any of a variety of devices such as general purposes computers, wireless communication device handsets, or integrated circuit devices having multiple uses including application in wireless communication device handsets and other devices. Any features described as modules or components may be implemented together in an integrated logic device or separately as discrete but interoperable logic devices. If implemented in software, the techniques may be realized at least in part by a computer-readable data storage medium comprising program code including instructions that, when executed, performs one or more of the methods, algorithms, and/or operations described above. The computer-readable data storage medium may form part of a computer program product, which may include packaging materials. The computer-readable medium may comprise memory or data storage media, such as random access memory (RAM) such as synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) , read-only memory (ROM) , non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) , electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) , FLASH memory, magnetic or optical data storage media, and the like. The techniques additionally, or alternatively, may be realized at least in part by a computer-readable communication medium that carries or communicates program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed, read, and/or executed by a computer, such as propagated signals or waves.

The program code may be executed by a processor, which may include one or more processors, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs) , general purpose microprocessors, an application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) , field programmable logic arrays (FPGAs) , or other equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuitry. Such a processor may be configured to perform any of the techniques described in this disclosure. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor; but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. Accordingly, the term “processor, ” as used herein may refer to any of the foregoing structure, any combination of the foregoing structure, or any other structure or apparatus suitable for implementation of the techniques described herein.

One of ordinary skill will appreciate that the less than ( “<” ) and greater than ( “>” ) symbols or terminology used herein may be replaced with less than or equal to ( “≤” ) and greater than or equal to ( “≥” ) symbols, respectively, without departing from the scope of this description.

Where components are described as being “configured to” perform certain operations, such configuration may be accomplished, for example, by designing electronic circuits or other hardware to perform the operation, by programming programmable electronic circuits (e.g., microprocessors, or other suitable electronic circuits) to perform the operation, or any combination thereof.

The phrase “coupled to” or “communicatively coupled to” refers to any component that is physically connected to another component either directly or indirectly, and/or any component that is in communication with another component (e.g., connected to the other component over a wired or wireless connection, and/or other suitable communication interface) either directly or indirectly.

Claim language or other language reciting “at least one of” a set and/or “one or more” of a set indicates that one member of the set or multiple members of the set (in any combination) satisfy the claim. For example, claim language reciting “at least one of A and B” or “at least one of A or B” means A, B, or A and B. In another example, claim language reciting “at least one of A, B, and C” or “at least one of A, B, or C” means A, B, C, or A and B, or A and C, or B and C, A and B and C, or any duplicate information or data (e.g., A and A, B and B, C and C, A and A and B, and so on) , or any other ordering, duplication, or combination of A, B, and C. The language “at least one of” a set and/or “one or more” of a set does not limit the set to the items listed in the set. For example, claim language reciting “at least one of A and B” or “at least one of A or B” may mean A, B, or A and B, and may additionally include items not listed in the set of A and B.

Claim language or other language reciting “at least one of” a set and/or “one or more” of a set indicates that one member of the set or multiple members of the set (in any combination) satisfy the claim. For example, claim language reciting “at least one of A and B” or “at least one of A or B” means A, B, or A and B. In another example, claim language reciting “at least one of A, B, and C” or “at least one of A, B, or C” means A, B, C, or A and B, or A and C, or B and C, A and B and C, or any duplicate information or data (e.g., A and A, B and B, C and C, A and A and B, and so on) , or any other ordering, duplication, or combination of A, B, and C. The language “at least one of” a set and/or “one or more” of a set does not limit the set to the items listed in the set. For example, claim language reciting “at least one of A and B” or “at least one of A or B” may mean A, B, or A and B, and may additionally include items not listed in the set of A and B. The phrases “at least one” and “one or more” are used interchangeably herein.

Claim language or other language reciting “at least one processor configured to, ” “at least one processor being configured to, ” “one or more processors configured to, ” “one or more processors being configured to, ” or the like indicates that one processor or multiple processors (in any combination) can perform the associated operation (s) . For example, claim language reciting “at least one processor configured to: X, Y, and Z” means a single processor can be used to perform operations X, Y, and Z; or that multiple processors are each tasked with a certain subset of operations X, Y, and Z such that together the multiple processors perform X, Y, and Z; or that a group of multiple processors work together to perform operations X, Y, and Z. In another example, claim language reciting “at least one processor configured to: X, Y, and Z” can mean that any single processor may only perform at least a subset of operations X, Y, and Z.

Where reference is made to one or more elements performing functions (e.g., steps of a method) , one element may perform all functions, or more than one element may collectively perform the functions. When more than one element collectively performs the functions, each function need not be performed by each of those elements (e.g., different functions may be performed by different elements) and/or each function need not be performed in whole by only one element (e.g., different elements may perform different sub-functions of a function) . Similarly, where reference is made to one or more elements configured to cause another element (e.g., an apparatus) to perform functions, one element may be configured to cause the other element to perform all functions, or more than one element may collectively be configured to cause the other element to perform the functions.

Where reference is made to an entity (e.g., any entity or device described herein) performing functions or being configured to perform functions (e.g., steps of a method) , the entity may be configured to cause one or more elements (individually or collectively) to perform the functions. The one or more components of the entity may include at least one memory, at least one processor, at least one communication interface, another component configured to perform one or more (or all) of the functions, and/or any combination thereof. Where reference to the entity performing functions, the entity may be configured to cause one component to perform all functions, or to cause more than one component to collectively perform the functions. When the entity is configured to cause more than one component to collectively perform the functions, each function need not be performed by each of those components (e.g., different functions may be performed by different components) and/or each function need not be performed in whole by only one component (e.g., different components may perform different sub-functions of a function) .

Illustrative aspects of the disclosure include:

Aspect 1. An apparatus of a network entity for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive first configuration information associated with transmission of carrier wave (CW) signals to an ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) device, wherein the first configuration information is indicative of a plurality of candidate frequencies; determine, based on second configuration information, that the network entity is a valid source for a current CW transmission occasion; and transmit, to the AIoT device, a first CW signal using a selected frequency of the plurality of candidate frequencies, wherein a transmission power for the first CW signal is based on the second configuration information.

Aspect 2. The apparatus of Aspect 1, wherein: to receive the first configuration information, the at least one processor is further configured to receive the first configuration information from an additional network entity; and the at least one processor is further configured to receive the second configuration information from the additional network entity.

Aspect 3. The apparatus of Aspect 2, wherein: the network entity is a radio frequency (RF) source for backscatter communications of the AIoT device; and the additional network entity is a reader device for backscatter communications of the AIoT device.

Aspect 4. The apparatus of any of Aspects 2 to 3, wherein: the network entity is a bistatic transmitter for backscatter communications associated with the AIoT device; and the additional network entity is a bistatic receiver for the backscatter communications associated with the AIoT device.

Aspect 5. The apparatus of any of Aspects 1 to 4, wherein: the network entity is included in a plurality of network entities within range for CW signal transmission to the AIoT device; and a number of frequencies included in the plurality of candidate frequencies is less than a number of network entities included in the plurality of network entities.

Aspect 6. The apparatus of any of Aspects 1 to 5, wherein each respective frequency of the plurality of candidate frequencies is associated with the transmission of CW signals to the AIoT device.

Aspect 7. The apparatus of any of Aspects 1 to 6, wherein a spacing between adjacent frequencies of the plurality of candidate frequencies is greater than an impedance switching frequency corresponding to a backscatter link rate of the AIoT device.

Aspect 8. The apparatus of any of Aspects 1 to 7, wherein: the first configuration information is frequency configuration information associated with transmission of CW signals to the AIoT device; and the second configuration information is CW transmission configuration information associated with the transmission of CW signals to the AIoT device.

Aspect 9. The apparatus of Aspect 8, wherein one or more of the first configuration information or the second configuration information is included in a system information block (SIB) or radio resource control (RRC) message received by the network entity.

Aspect 10. The apparatus of any of Aspects 8 to 9, wherein the second configuration information is indicative of one or more of a location of the AIoT device, a target receive signal power of the AIoT device, or a maximum power margin to target receive signal power of the AIoT device.

Aspect 11. The apparatus of Aspect 10, wherein, to determine that the network entity is a valid source for the current CW transmission occasion, the at least one processor is configured to: determine an estimated minimum pathloss to the AIoT device, based on the location of the AIoT device; determine an estimated transmission power for the first CW signal, based on the estimated minimum pathloss to the AIoT device and the target receive signal power of the AIoT device; and determine that the network entity is a valid source for the current CW transmission occasion based on the estimated transmission power for the first CW signal being less than or equal to a maximum transmission power of the network entity.

Aspect 12. The apparatus of Aspect 11, wherein, to determine that the network entity is a valid source for the current CW transmission occasion, the at least one processor is further configured to: determine an estimated power margin corresponding to the estimated transmission power for the first CW signal; and determine that the network entity is a valid source for the current CW transmission occasion based on the estimated power being less than or equal to the maximum power margin indicated in the second configuration information.

Aspect 13. The apparatus of any of Aspects 8 to 12, wherein the second configuration information is indicative of a hash target threshold value.

Aspect 14. The apparatus of Aspect 13, wherein, to determine that the network entity is a valid source for the current CW transmission occasion, the at least one processor is configured to: determine a hash value corresponding to the network entity and the current CW transmission occasion, wherein the hash value is based at least in part on an identifier of the network entity; compare the hash value to the hash target threshold value; and determine that the network entity is a valid source based on the hash value being less than the hash target threshold value.

Aspect 15. The apparatus of Aspect 14, wherein, to determine the hash value, the at least one processor is configured to: calculate a configured hash algorithm using a CW transmission occasion parameter, the identifier of the network entity, and an identifier of the AIoT device.

Aspect 16. The apparatus of any of Aspects 14 to 15, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive information indicative of a configured timer value associated with the hash value; start a timer based on the determination that the network entity is a valid source for the current CW transmission occasion; and determine an updated hash value based on a timer duration exceeding the configured timer value.

Aspect 17. The apparatus of any of Aspects 14 to 16, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: determine the selected frequency of the plurality of candidate frequencies based on the hash value.

Aspect 18. The apparatus of any of Aspects 1 to 17, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: determine the selected frequency based on a random selection from the plurality of candidate frequencies; or determine the selected frequency based on a radio frequency (RF) source identifier corresponding to the first CW signal.

Aspect 19. The apparatus of any of Aspects 1 to 18, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive one or more control commands associated with a scheduled transmission of a second CW signal between the network entity and the AIoT device; and transmit, to the AIoT device, the second CW signal using one or more of an updated selected frequency or an updated transmission power for the second CW signal, wherein the updated selected frequency and the updated transmission power are based on the one or more control commands.

Aspect 20. The apparatus of Aspect 19, wherein the one or more control commands are indicative of one or more of a power up command corresponding to an updated transmission power for the second CW signal that is greater than the transmission power for the first CW signal, or a power down command corresponding to an updated transmission power for the second CW signal that is less than the transmission power for the first CW signal.

Aspect 21. The apparatus of any of Aspects 19 to 20, wherein the one or more control commands are indicative of a second plurality of candidate frequencies different from the plurality of candidate frequencies indicated in the first configuration information, and wherein the updated selected frequency is included in the second plurality of candidate frequencies.

Aspect 22. An apparatus of a network entity for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: transmit, to a radio frequency (RF) source network entity, frequency configuration information indicative of a plurality of candidate frequencies for transmission of carrier wave (CW) signals to an ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) device; transmit, to the RF source network entity, CW transmission (CW Tx) configuration information indicative of one or more parameters associated with the transmission of CW signals to the AIoT device; and receive, from the AIoT device, a modulated backscattered signal, wherein the modulated backscattered signal is indicative of a data transmission of the AIoT device, and wherein the modulated backscattered signal is based on a CW signal configured based on the CW Tx configuration information.

Aspect 23. The apparatus of Aspect 22, wherein the network entity is a reader device for backscatter communications of the AIoT device.

Aspect 24. The apparatus of any of Aspects 22 to 23, wherein: the RF source network entity is a bistatic transmitter for backscatter communications of the AIoT device; and the network entity is a bistatic receiver for the backscatter communications of the AIoT device.

Aspect 25. The apparatus of any of Aspects 22 to 24, wherein: to transmit the frequency configuration information, the at least one processor is configured to broadcast a system information block (SIB) or radio resource control (RRC) message indicative of the frequency configuration information; and to transmit the CW Tx configuration information, the at least one processor is configured to broadcast a SIB or RRC message indicative of the CW Tx configuration information.

Aspect 26. The apparatus of any of Aspects 22 to 25, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: configure a subset of a plurality of RF source network entities to transmit respective CW signals to the AIoT device on a current CW transmission occasion, the subset including the RF source network entity.

Aspect 27. The apparatus of Aspect 26, wherein a quantity of RF source network entities included in the subset is based on a hash target value included in the CW Tx configuration information.

Aspect 28. The apparatus of any of Aspects 22 to 27, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: determine measurement information corresponding to the modulated backscattered signal received from the AIoT device; transmit, to the RF source network entity, one or more control commands associated with a scheduled transmission of a second CW signal from the RF source network entity to the AIoT device; and receive, from the AIoT device, a second modulated backscattered signal based on the second CW signal.

Aspect 29. The apparatus of Aspect 28, wherein the one or more control commands are indicative of one or more of a power up command to increase a transmission power of the second CW signal, a power down command to decrease a transmission power of the second CW signal, or a second plurality of candidate frequencies for transmission of the second CW signal.

Aspect 30. A method for wireless communication at a network entity, comprising: receiving first configuration information associated with transmission of carrier wave (CW) signals to an ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) device, wherein the first configuration information is indicative of a plurality of candidate frequencies; determining, based on second configuration information, that the network entity is a valid source for a current CW transmission occasion; and transmitting, to the AIoT device, a first CW signal using a selected frequency of the plurality of candidate frequencies, wherein a transmission power for the first CW signal is based on the second configuration information.

Aspect 31. The method of Aspect 30, wherein: the first configuration information is received from an additional network entity; and the second configuration information is received from the additional network entity.

Aspect 32. The method of Aspect 31, wherein: the network entity is a radio frequency (RF) source for backscatter communications of the AIoT device; and the additional network entity is a reader device for backscatter communications of the AIoT device.

Aspect 33. A method for wireless communication at a network entity, comprising: transmitting, to a radio frequency (RF) source network entity, frequency configuration information indicative of a plurality of candidate frequencies for transmission of carrier wave (CW) signals to an ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) device; transmitting, to the RF source network entity, CW transmission (CW Tx) configuration information indicative of one or more parameters associated with the transmission of CW signals to the AIoT device; and receiving, from the AIoT device, a modulated backscattered signal, wherein the modulated backscattered signal is indicative of a data transmission of the AIoT device, and wherein the modulated backscattered signal is based on a CW signal configured based on the CW Tx configuration information.

Aspect 34. A method for wireless communications comprising performing operations according to any of Aspects 1 to 20.

Aspect 35. A method for wireless communications comprising performing operations according to any of Aspects 21 to 29.

Aspect 36. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon which, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations according to any of Aspects 1 to 20.

Aspect 37. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon which, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations according to any of Aspects 21 to 29.

Aspect 38. An apparatus for wireless communications comprising one or more means for performing operations according to any of Aspects 1 to 20.

Aspect 39. An apparatus for wireless communications comprising one or more means for performing operations according to any of Aspects 21 to 29.

Claims

An apparatus of a network entity for wireless communication, comprising:

at least one memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:

receive first configuration information associated with transmission of carrier wave (CW) signals to an ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) device, wherein the first configuration information is indicative of a plurality of candidate frequencies;

determine, based on second configuration information, that the network entity is a valid source for a current CW transmission occasion; and

transmit, to the AIoT device, a first CW signal using a selected frequency of the plurality of candidate frequencies, wherein a transmission power for the first CW signal is based on the second configuration information.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

to receive the first configuration information, the at least one processor is further configured to receive the first configuration information from an additional network entity; and

the at least one processor is further configured to receive the second configuration information from the additional network entity.
The apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the network entity is a radio frequency (RF) source for backscatter communications of the AIoT device; and

the additional network entity is a reader device for backscatter communications of the AIoT device.
The apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the network entity is a bistatic transmitter for backscatter communications associated with the AIoT device; and

the additional network entity is a bistatic receiver for the backscatter communications associated with the AIoT device.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the network entity is included in a plurality of network entities within range for CW signal transmission to the AIoT device; and

a number of frequencies included in the plurality of candidate frequencies is less than a number of network entities included in the plurality of network entities.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each respective frequency of the plurality of candidate frequencies is associated with the transmission of CW signals to the AIoT device.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a spacing between adjacent frequencies of the plurality of candidate frequencies is greater than an impedance switching frequency corresponding to a backscatter link rate of the AIoT device.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the first configuration information is frequency configuration information associated with transmission of CW signals to the AIoT device; and

the second configuration information is CW transmission configuration information associated with the transmission of CW signals to the AIoT device.
The apparatus of claim 8, wherein one or more of the first configuration information or the second configuration information is included in a system information block (SIB) or radio resource control (RRC) message received by the network entity.
The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second configuration information is indicative of a hash target threshold value.
The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, to determine that the network entity is a valid source for the current CW transmission occasion, the at least one processor is configured to:

determine a hash value corresponding to the network entity and the current CW transmission occasion, wherein the hash value is based at least in part on an identifier of the network entity;

compare the hash value to the hash target threshold value; and

determine that the network entity is a valid source based on the hash value being less than the hash target threshold value.
The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, to determine the hash value, the at least one processor is configured to:

calculate a configured hash algorithm using a CW transmission occasion parameter, the identifier of the network entity, and an identifier of the AIoT device.
The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:

receive information indicative of a configured timer value associated with the hash value;

start a timer based on the determination that the network entity is a valid source for the current CW transmission occasion; and

determine an updated hash value based on a timer duration exceeding the configured timer value.
The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:

determine the selected frequency of the plurality of candidate frequencies based on the hash value.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:

determine the selected frequency based on a random selection from the plurality of candidate frequencies; or

determine the selected frequency based on a radio frequency (RF) source identifier corresponding to the first CW signal.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:

receive one or more control commands associated with a scheduled transmission of a second CW signal between the network entity and the AIoT device; and

transmit, to the AIoT device, the second CW signal using one or more of an updated selected frequency or an updated transmission power for the second CW signal, wherein the updated selected frequency and the updated transmission power are based on the one or more control commands.
The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the one or more control commands are indicative of one or more of a power up command corresponding to an updated transmission power for the second CW signal that is greater than the transmission power for the first CW signal, or a power down command corresponding to an updated transmission power for the second CW signal that is less than the transmission power for the first CW signal.
The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the one or more control commands are indicative of a second plurality of candidate frequencies different from the plurality of candidate frequencies indicated in the first configuration information, and wherein the updated selected frequency is included in the second plurality of candidate frequencies.
An apparatus of a network entity for wireless communication, comprising:

at least one memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:

transmit, to a radio frequency (RF) source network entity, frequency configuration information indicative of a plurality of candidate frequencies for transmission of carrier wave (CW) signals to an ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) device;

transmit, to the RF source network entity, CW transmission (CW Tx) configuration information indicative of one or more parameters associated with the transmission of CW signals to the AIoT device; and

receive, from the AIoT device, a modulated backscattered signal, wherein the modulated backscattered signal is indicative of a data transmission of the AIoT device, and wherein the modulated backscattered signal is based on a CW signal configured based on the CW Tx configuration information.
The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the network entity is a reader device for backscatter communications of the AIoT device.
The apparatus of claim 19, wherein:

the RF source network entity is a bistatic transmitter for backscatter communications of the AIoT device; and

the network entity is a bistatic receiver for the backscatter communications of the AIoT device.
The apparatus of claim 19, wherein:

to transmit the frequency configuration information, the at least one processor is configured to broadcast a system information block (SIB) or radio resource control (RRC) message indicative of the frequency configuration information; and

to transmit the CW Tx configuration information, the at least one processor is configured to broadcast a SIB or RRC message indicative of the CW Tx configuration information.
The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

configure a subset of a plurality of RF source network entities to transmit respective CW signals to the AIoT device on a current CW transmission occasion, the subset including the RF source network entity.
The apparatus of claim 23, wherein a quantity of RF source network entities included in the subset is based on a hash target value included in the CW Tx configuration information.
The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine measurement information corresponding to the modulated backscattered signal received from the AIoT device;

transmit, to the RF source network entity, one or more control commands associated with a scheduled transmission of a second CW signal from the RF source network entity to the AIoT device; and

receive, from the AIoT device, a second modulated backscattered signal based on the second CW signal.
The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the one or more control commands are indicative of one or more of a power up command to increase a transmission power of the second CW signal, a power down command to decrease a transmission power of the second CW signal, or a second plurality of candidate frequencies for transmission of the second CW signal.
A method for wireless communication at a network entity, comprising:

receiving first configuration information associated with transmission of carrier wave (CW) signals to an ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) device, wherein the first configuration information is indicative of a plurality of candidate frequencies;

determining, based on second configuration information, that the network entity is a valid source for a current CW transmission occasion; and

transmitting, to the AIoT device, a first CW signal using a selected frequency of the plurality of candidate frequencies, wherein a transmission power for the first CW signal is based on the second configuration information.
The method of claim 27, wherein:

the first configuration information is received from an additional network entity; and

the second configuration information is received from the additional network entity.
The method of claim 28, wherein:

the network entity is a radio frequency (RF) source for backscatter communications of the AIoT device; and

the additional network entity is a reader device for backscatter communications of the AIoT device.
A method for wireless communication at a network entity, comprising:

transmitting, to a radio frequency (RF) source network entity, frequency configuration information indicative of a plurality of candidate frequencies for transmission of carrier wave (CW) signals to an ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) device;

transmitting, to the RF source network entity, CW transmission (CW Tx) configuration information indicative of one or more parameters associated with the transmission of CW signals to the AIoT device; and

receiving, from the AIoT device, a modulated backscattered signal, wherein the modulated backscattered signal is indicative of a data transmission of the AIoT device, and wherein the modulated backscattered signal is based on a CW signal configured based on the CW Tx configuration information.