WO2025102240A1

WO2025102240A1 - Rf signal wave emitter and communication system

Info

Publication number: WO2025102240A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/131543
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peng Tan; Cong SHI
Original assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
Current assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
Priority date: 2023-11-14
Filing date: 2023-11-14
Publication date: 2025-05-22
Anticipated expiration: 2026-05-14

Abstract

Provided are a RF signal wave emitter and a communication system. The RF signal wave emitter includes a circuit, which is configured to receive one or more energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation parameters from a cellular network and supply to an Ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) device or tag an energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation RF signal generated based on the one or more energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation parameters for the AIoT device or tag to conduct energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation. This allows the AIoT device or tag to realize optimal Power Conversion Efficiency (PCE) when drawing power from the RF signal wave emitter or allows the AIoT device or tag supplied with carrier RF signal by the RF signal wave emitter to conduct backscattering communications.

Description

RF SIGNAL WAVE EMITTER AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates to wireless communication, and more particularly, to a radio frequency (RF) signal wave emitter and a communication system.

BACKGROUND ART

This background section introduces aspects that may facilitate a better understanding of the disclosure. Accordingly, the statements of this section are to be read in this light and are not to be understood as admissions about what is in the prior art or what is not in the prior art.

Cellular wireless communication systems and networks have developed towards being a broadband and mobile system. The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has developed the so-called Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, namely, an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunication System Territorial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) , for a mobile access network where one or more macro-cells are supported by a base station known as an eNodeB or eNB (evolved NodeB) . Evolved from LTE, the so-called 5G or New radio (NR) systems where one or more cells are supported by a base station known as a gNB. The 5G NR standard supports a multitude of different services each with very different requirements. These services include Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) for high data rate transmission, Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) for devices requiring low latency and high link reliability and Massive Machine-Type Communication (mMTC) to support a large number of low-power devices for a long life-time requiring highly energy efficient communication.

In the 5G NR system, user equipment (UE) is connected by a wireless link to a radio access network (RAN) . The RAN includes a set of base stations (BSs) which provide wireless links to the UEs located in cells covered by the base station, and an interface to a core network (CN) which provides overall network control. As will be appreciated, the RAN and CN each conduct respective functions in relation to the overall network.

Ambient IoT devices, as outlined in 3GPP TR 22.840, are devices enabled by ambient power. These Internet of Things (IoT) devices primarily rely on energy harvesting. Notably, they can operate without batteries or may have minimal energy storage options like supercapacitors. Key features of these devices include:

-Low complexity and a compact design.

-Reduced capabilities and power consumption, especially when compared to other 3GPP IoT devices such as NB-IoT/eMTC/RedCap devices.

-A potential lifespan exceeding 10 years, making them potentially maintenance-free.

The 3GPP SA2 Work Group recently recognized Ambient IoT (AIoT) as a 3GPP Release 19 (i.e., Rel-19) study item. AIoT devices mainly use harvested energy to generate RF signals, facilitating two-way information transmission over a 5G system. However, most contemporary 5G devices are battery-powered or connected into utility power. Therefore, to integrate AIoT devices into the current 5G framework, a system optimized for energy harvesting is essential.

Of the numerous sources of energy harvesting available, RF (Radio Frequency) energy harvesting is one of the most promising technology options. This RF energy harvesting involves capturing RF signal waves and converting them into DC power. This power then fuels low-energy devices. The efficiency of RF energy harvesting hinges on several factors:

-Antenna Characteristics: Its size, resonance at particular frequencies. An antenna tailored to a specific frequency can outperform a generic counterpart in efficiency. A dipole antenna optimized for 900MHz, for instance, might have superior efficiency to one designed for 2.4GHz.

-Propagation and Penetration: Different frequency bands exhibit varied propagation traits. For example, lower frequencies can permeate barriers like walls more effectively than higher frequencies. Thus, in obstacle-rich environments, lower frequencies might be preferable for RF energy harvesting.

-Matching Networks: The impedance of the harvesting circuit should resonate with the antenna's impedance at the chosen frequency. Designing these networks can be intricate, depending on the frequency bands.

-Harvesting Circuitry: The efficiency of the RF-DC conversion in the rectifying circuitry might differ across frequencies. Some designs might be better suited to certain frequencies. In the literature, it has been reported that distinct circuits cater to different frequency bands. For instance, while a circuit optimized for the GSM 900MHz band might reach efficiency levels of around 40%in ideal scenarios, one tuned for the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi band might attain 30-35%efficiency.

-Environmental Considerations: Elements like devices operating on the same frequency band can influence the potency and quality of ambient RF signals, potentially hampering the efficiency of RF energy harvesting.

Designing hardware, particularly circuits, to support a diverse range of frequency bands is challenging, more so for cost-effective ambient IoT devices. On the software side, the simplified hardware resources of ambient IoT devices preclude them from supporting intricate protocol stacks, such as those needed for elaborate energy harvesting frequency negotiations. Therefore, how the ambient IoT devices can achieve efficient energy harvesting is an important issue in this field.

RF energy harvesting offers a promising solution for powering Ambient IoT devices. However, the efficiency of this technology is contingent on the frequencies, waveform, and other parameters at which the RF signal wave emitter operates to generate RF signal wave, Carrier Wave (CW) , or Continuous Wave (CW) .

In addition to energy harvesting, to further save power on consumption and reduce device size and complexity, Ambient IoT device could support backscattering communications where the RF signal wave emitter provides RF signal wave, Carrier Wave or Continuous Wave as the carrier signal source for Ambient IoT device to perform backscattering operations so that Ambient IoT devices do not need to equip dedicated local oscillator circuity.

Key to achieving optimal energy harvesting and backscattering operation performance is to provide the Ambient IoT system with the desired or preferred RF signal emitter operating parameters. These preferred parameters are crucial for devices, particularly when faced with a plethora of radio access technologies (RATs) and frequency band options.

The current 5G standards have not defined preferred RF signal wave emitter parameters, preferred carrier frequency parameters, or preferred energy harvesting parameters, nor have they established necessary mechanisms to effectively communicate these parameters to RF signal wave emitters, also known as CW generator or CW emitter, or CW for brevity in this document. This gap in the system directly affects the ability of Ambient IoT tags or devices to realize optimal Power Conversion Efficiency (PCE) when drawing power from RF signal wave emitters. This gap in the system also affects the performance of backscattering operations when Ambient IoT tags or devices perform backscattering communications.

In the industry, there is a need to address the problems at least described above.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a radio frequency (RF) signal wave emitter, including: a circuit, configured to: receive one or more energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation parameters from a cellular network; and supply to an Ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) device or tag an energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation RF signal generated based on the one or more energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation parameters for the AIoT device or tag to conduct energy harvesting and/or backscattering communications.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, including: a radio frequency (RF) signal wave emitter, including a circuit configured to receive one or more energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation parameters from a cellular network and generate an energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation RF signal based on the one or more energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation parameters; and an Ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) device or tag, supplied with the energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation RF signal by the RF signal wave emitter for conducting energy harvesting and/or backscattering communications.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or related art, the following figures that will be described in the embodiments are briefly introduced. It is obvious that the drawings are merely some embodiments of the present application, a person having ordinary skill in this field can obtain other figures according to these figures without paying the premise.

Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a RF signal wave emitter according to some embodiments of the present application.

Figure 2 (a) is a schematic diagram illustrating a system architecture for an AIoT Reader with a monostatic configuration.

Figure 2 (b) is a schematic diagram illustrating a system architecture for an AIoT Reader with a bi-static configuration.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system architecture including a CW emitter hosted on AIoT Base Station according to some embodiments of the present application.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system architecture including a standalone CW emitter hosted on a separate Base Station according to some embodiments of the present application.

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system architecture including a CW emitter hosted on a separate AIoT entity according to some embodiments of the present application.

Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system architecture including an AIoT Reader serving as Up Link (UL) assisting node and a CW emitter hosted on a separate AIoT entity (e.g., a Base Station as shown in this Figure) according to some embodiments of the present application.

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system architecture including an AIoT Reader with a CW emitter as an intermediate node according to some embodiments of the present application.

Figure 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system architecture including a CW emitter serving as a Down Link (DL) assisting node UE and an AIoT Reader hosted on a separate AIoT entity (e.g., a Base Station as shown in this Figure) .

Figure 9 (a) is a flowchart of delivery of preferred CW/energy harvesting/backscattering operation parameters for AIoT Reader with CW function according to some embodiments of the present application.

Figure 9 (b) is a flowchart of delivery of preferred CW/energy harvesting/backscattering operation parameters for AIoT Reader without CW function according to some embodiments of the present application.

Figure 10 is a flowchart of delivery of preferred CW/energy harvesting/backscattering operation parameters transparently to UE from AMF according to some embodiments of the present application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the disclosure are described in detail with the technical matters, structural features, achieved objects, and effects with reference to the accompanying drawings as follows. Specifically, the terminologies in the embodiments of the present application are merely for describing the purpose of the certain embodiment, but not to limit the disclosure.

In this document, a combination such as “at least one of A, B, or C, ” “one or more of A, B, or C, ” “at least one of A, B, and C, ” “one or more of A, B, and C, ” or “A, B, and/or C” may be A only, B only, C only, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, where any combination may contain one or more members of A, B, or C.

It should be noted that in the following description 5G architecture is used only for the purpose of illustration of the invention; however, the invention can be applied to any cellular communication system or network, including a next-generation cellular network or any newly developed cellular network, rather than limited to the 5G architecture.

The terminologies used in this document may be interpreted by the explanations listed in the following table but are not limited thereto.

As mentioned, achieving efficient energy harvesting and/or backscattering operations by the ambient IoT (AIoT) devices or tags is challenging either on the hardware side or on the software side. How to address this problem is important in this field. In addition, the key to achieving optimal energy harvesting and backscattering performance is the desired or preferred CW parameters; however, necessary mechanisms to effectively communicate these parameters have not been established yet.

In this invention, the RF signal wave emitter, also denoted as CW generator or CW emitter, or CW for brevity, supplies carrier wave signal including frequency, waveform, and other attributes required to support AIoT device backscattering operations. The RF signal wave emitter could also supply continuous wave signal including frequency, waveform, and other attributes required to support AIoT device energy harvesting operations. In some embodiments, the RF signal wave emitter could offer either carrier wave emitter function or continuous wave emitter function. In other embodiments, the RF signal wave emitter could offer both carrier wave emitter function and continuous wave emitter function.

Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a RF signal wave emitter 1 according to some embodiments of the present application. The RF signal wave emitter 1 can provide RF signal, RF wave, Carrier Wave (CW) or Continuous Wave (CW) for an AIoT device or tag to harvest energy therefrom and/or to use it as the carrier signal source for backscattering operations. The RF signal wave emitter 1 may be a standalone device or a component hosted on a network entity. The RF signal wave emitter 1 includes a circuit 2, which is configured to receive one or more energy harvesting parameters and/or backscattering operation parameters from a cellular network and supply to an AIoT device or tag an energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation RF signal generated based on the one or more energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation parameters, and to allow the AIoT device or tag to conduct energy harvesting and/or backscattering communications.

Specifically, the one or more energy harvesting parameters may originate from a network entity of a core network (CN) . The RF signal wave emitter 1 may request the core network to supply information. This data would aid the RF signal wave emitter 1 deployed as or in a device such as a CW emitter (that is, Carrier Wave emitter or Continuous Wave emitter) , a reader or a base station in generating preferred energy harvesting RF signal, thereby providing the most efficient energy harvesting frequency, tailor-made for the ambient IoT device (or tag) attributes.

Specifically, the one or more backscattering operation parameters may originate from a network entity of a core network (CN) . The RF signal wave emitter 1 may request the core network to supply information. This data would aid the RF signal wave emitter 1 deployed as or in a device such as a CW emitter (that is, Carrier Wave emitter or Continuous Wave emitter) , a reader or a base station in generating preferred RF signal, thereby providing the most efficient carrier signal frequency for backscattering communications, tailor-made for the ambient IoT device (or tag) attributes.

Specifically, the RF signal wave emitter 1 is a CW emitter for supplying carrier wave or continuous wave to the AIoT device or tag.

Specifically, the one or more energy harvesting/backscattering operation parameters may include at least one of the followings: an energy harvesting/backscattering carrier frequency or frequency band, waveform, amplitude, power, and other parameters in compliance with regulatory requirements at which the RF signal wave emitter operates.

The circuit 2 may be an electronic circuit coupled to one or more antennas for reception of the energy harvesting parameters and transmission of the energy harvesting RF signal, for reception of the backscattering operation parameters and transmission of the backscattering operation RF signal. The circuit 2 would be an integrated circuit, or a circuit coupled to other integrated circuits performing other functions.

In an illustrated example, the one or more energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation parameters can be provisioned into the Unified Data Management (UDM, which is part of CN) for device capability, whether pre-set within the UDM or externally added via specific procedures. Once the UDM is informed of these parameters, it forwards them to the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF, which is part of CN) . Following this, the AMF then conveys to the Radio Access Network (RAN) or reader the ideal energy harvesting/backscattering carrier frequency for the tag.

In the present application, the RF signal wave emitter 1 receives one or more energy harvesting/backscattering operation parameters from a cellular network and supplies to an AIoT device or tag an energy harvesting/backscattering operation RF signal generated based on the one or more energy harvesting/backscattering operation parameters, to allow the AIoT device or tag to conduct energy harvesting/backscattering communications. In this way, this allows the AIoT device or tag to realize optimal Power Conversion Efficiency (PCE) when drawing power from the RF signal wave emitter 1; and/or realize optimal performance when performing backscattering communications by using the RF signal from the RF signal wave emitter 1 as its carrier RF signal to perform backscattering communications.

Figure 2 illustrates a system architecture for an AIoT Reader. The system architecture is constructed at least by an AIoT reader 10 including an RF signal wave emitter such as a CW emitter 11, an AIoT access point (AP) 12 for radio access management and an AIoT gateway (GW) 13 for gateway control, and an AIoT tag/device 20. The AIoT reader 10 can function either as a standalone network element/network node or as a component hosted on a network entity, such as a UE, Base Station, IAB node, Repeater, or Relay, separated from the Ambient IoT device or tag 20. The communication between the Ambient IoT device (or tag) 20 and the reader 10 is enabled by an air interface protocol. The protocol could be a 3GPP access stratum protocol, or a non-3GPP wireless communications protocol, suitable for supporting the air interface between Ambient IoT device or tag 20 and the Ambient IoT Reader/Node 10. Since the tag 20 is not always available, the AIoT reader 10 should have store-and-forward capabilities. This allows the AIoT entity 10 to gather and temporarily store data before transmitting it to the network or retain network information intended for a tag 20 and subsequently relay it to the tag 20.

As further illustrated in Figure 2 (a) , which is a schematic diagram illustrating a system architecture for an AIoT Reader 10 with a monostatic configuration, the AIoT Reader 10 may include a module designed to transmit a carrier wave and/or continuous wave (or also known as RF signal wave, radio signal, etc. ) to power (or also known as activate, excite, or energize) AIoT tags 20. In this monostatic setup, the transmitter is collocated with the receiver. That is, the reader 10, in order to get information from a tag 20, must first transmitting RF signal to the tag 20. When the tag 20 is energized by using RF energy harvesting mechanisms, it communicates with the reader 10, based on backscattering operation parameters, using backscattered waves modulated by the digital information stored in the tag 20. This setup, also known as monostatic architecture in the literature, might suffer from self-interference and large propagation loss caused by round trip transmission, thus restricting the effective communication range.

Alternatively, as illustrated in Figure 2 (b) , which is a schematic diagram illustrating a system architecture for an AIoT Reader 10 with a bi-static configuration, a CW generator or emitter 11 might be external to the AIoT reader 10, referred to as a bi-static configuration. In this setup, the carrier wave generator or emitter 11 is separated from the AIoT Reader 10. This arrangement could potentially enhance the communication range between the tag 20 and the reader 10.

In the bi-static arrangement, the CW generator or emitter 11 could be deployed on the existing infrastructure, e.g., Base Station, WiFi Access point, WiFi hotspot, UE, IAB, relay, repeater, or other network elements.

The CW in both cases (as shown in in Figures 2 (a) and 2 (b) ) when deployed in 5G could be used to serve the purpose of providing dedicated RF energy harvesting source and/or carrier signal source for backscattering operation for Ambient IoT devices/tags 20.

In some embodiments, the energy harvesting RF signal and/or continuous wave signal and/or carrier wave signal is periodically supplied to the AIoT device or tag based on a preset configuration. In other embodiments, the energy harvesting and/or backscattering carrier RF signal is supplied to the AIoT device or tag on-demand. The Carrier Wave (CW) generator/emitter operates either independently (e.g., transmitting carrier wave and/or continuous wave periodically pre-set by the operators) , or under the control of other 5G network elements. The latter option will be more efficient as it could transmit carrier wave and/or continuous wave on-demand when Ambient IoT devices are required to perform communications with other elements of the network.

In some embodiments, the one or more energy harvesting/backscattering operation parameters received or originating from the core network may include or may be determined based on some parameters of the AIoT device or tag. Specifically, the Ambient IoT tag or device can capture and convert the continuous wave and/or carrier wave (or more generically, also known as RF signal, radio signal, etc. ) into usable direct current (DC) electricity. To optimize this power conversion efficiency (PCE) , the Ambient IoT tag or device is designed with the consideration of certain parameters, e.g., distance from the RF source, frequency and bandwidth, Antenna type, energy storage mechanism, power management and consumption, etc. As a result, it is crucial to ensure the CW to send the RF signal to adapt to the Ambient IoT device or tag’s attributes so that the Ambient IoT device or tag can work in an optimized operating point to achieve the maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) .

To adapt to various types of Ambient IoT devices/tags, the CW might have the capability to send carrier wave and/or continuous wave with various sets or combinations of a group of parameters, e.g., Radio Frequency bands, bandwidth, single-frequency CW/RF signal, antenna type, etc. One CW generator/emitter might support various RF bands, e.g., 700MHz low frequency bands, sub-6 GHz bands, or 24-100GHz mmWave bands, etc., to accommodate various Ambient IoT devices or tags in field deployment.

In some embodiments, the energy harvesting and/or backscattering carrier RF signal (e.g., continuous wave, carrier wave) supplied to the AIoT device or tag may be transmitted on idle frequency and/or time resources. For example, if the CW is deployed on a Base Station, while certain sets of RF signal frequency points are not being used by the base station for active communications, it could be used to send certain carrier wave, continuous wave or RF signal as dedicated RF energy harvesting source and backscattering carrier signal source for Ambient IoT devices. That is to say, base station idle resources are utilized to send continuous wave and/or carrier wave for Ambient IoT devices energy harvesting and/or backscattering operations.

In other embodiments, the energy harvesting and/or backscattering carrier RF signal (e.g., continuous wave, carrier wave) supplied to the AIoT device or tag is transmitted within a frequency band reserved for the AIoT device or tag. For example, if the CW is deployed on a NG-RAN operating at an LTE band or a NR band, or multi-band configurations depending on operator’s planning and regulatory requirements, certain carrier wave in these bands could be reserved as dedicated RF energy harvesting source and/or carrier signal source for backscattering communications for the Ambient IoT tags deployed by the operator. The mechanisms disclosed in this invention could be used to support the NG-RAN to select desired or preferred continuous wave and/or carrier wave parameters at these bands. That is to say, certain carriers in multi-band base station are utilized for AIoT device energy harvesting and/or backscattering operations.

In some embodiments, the RF signal wave emitter (e.g., the CW generator) is hosted on a 5G-RG (5G Residential Gateway) . Specifically, in smart home context, a 5G-RG could be used to host the Carrier Wave generator to provide dedicated RF energy harvesting source and/or carrier signal source for backscattering communications to Ambient IoT tags deployed at home environment. That is to say, 5G RG is utilized as a dedicated RF energy harvesting source and/or carrier signal source for backscattering communications.

In some other embodiments, the RF signal wave emitter (e.g., the CW generator) is hosted on an indoor small cell. For example, in an indoor environment, like warehouse, some indoor small cells could be used to host the Carrier Wave generator to provide dedicated RF energy harvesting source and/or carrier signal source for backscattering operations for Ambient IoT tags to perform inventory functions. That is to say, small cell is utilized as a dedicated indoor RF energy harvesting source and/or carrier signal source for backscattering communications.

In other embodiments, the RF signal wave emitter (e.g., the CW generator) is hosted on a WiFi router. Specifically, in smart home context, a WiFi router could be used to host the Carrier Wave generator to provide dedicated RF energy harvesting source and/or carrier signal source for backscattering communications for 2.4GHz or 5GHz Ambient IoT tags deployed at home environment. The CW generator could be controlled by 5G system by using non-3GPP access mechanisms and the 5G procedures described in this invention. That is to say, WiFi routers is utilized as a dedicated indoor home RF energy harvesting source and/or carrier signal source for backscattering communications for AIoT tags in the context of smart home applications.

This invention discloses the preferred CW/energy harvesting/backscattering operations parameters, either when co-deployment with reader or deployed in a separate network element than the reader so that the maximum energy harvesting efficiency/optimal backscattering operation could be achieved for tag performing energy harvesting/backscattering communications or under the control of the AIoT reader or other network elements via a defined communications interface to transmit continuous wave/carrier wave to allow AIoT device to perform energy harvesting/backscattering communications.

Furthermore, in Figure 2, the AIoT Access Point (AP) 12 is used to support the communication protocol that ensures interaction between the AIoT Reader 10 and AIoT tag 20, operating primarily on Layer 2. It is also likely the protocol operating at Layer 3 or other higher layers.

The AIoT Gateway (GW) 13 serves as the gateway, bridge, or an interworking module between the AIoT reader 10 and the rest of the 5G system. In one embodiment, the AIoT GW 13 could handle relevant 5G control plane procedures, user plane procedures, and 5G interfaces N1, N2 or N3 functions. In the other embodiment, the AIoT GW 13 could be coupled with existing gNB function at the Base Station. In this case, the AIoT GW 13 simply forwards the information to gNB so gNB could handle relevant 5G control plane procedures, user plane procedures, and terminate 5G interfaces N1, N2 and N3. In yet another embodiment, for 3GPP access AIoT Reader, it could be included as one of the gNB functions.

In the other embodiment, the AIoT reader could be a local mobility anchor, which terminates the access to 5G Ambient IoT service at the AIoT Reader, to provide services within the network enabled by AIoT AP.

Although it is possible to let Ambient IoT device negotiate these parameters with the CW, for energy constrained devices, this increases the chance to drain the power quickly. It is thus desired to set up these parameters as subscription data or provisioning data at the network side. In this invention, it is disclosed details of these mechanisms, either delivery of these information at initial registration, or store this information at UDM when provisioning these devices or send this information to RAN or CW by AMF, or send this information to UE or CW by PCF.

Provided below are several architectures for CW in mono-static and bi-static deployments.

The CW 11 could be hosted on the network elements with N2 interface. This could include numerous possible embodiments. For example, in one embodiment, the AIoT Reader 10 with CW capability is hosted on a Base Station 100 as shown in Figure 3.

In another embodiment, the AIoT reader 10 serves as backscattering communication receiver only. It does not include CW 11. The CW 11 is hosted on a different entity, e.g., a Base Station 100, as shown in Figure 4.

In another embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 5, the AIoT reader 10 is located on an intermediate node, such as a UE. The CW 11 resides on an AIoT entity 30, distinct from the AIoT reader 10. The AIoT entity 30, which hosts the CW 11, can operate either independently or in coordination with other 5G network elements.

In yet another embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 6, the AIoT reader 10, as an uplink assisting node, could be located on a UE, Base Station, Relay, Repeater, IAB or other 5G network elements. The CW 11 resides on a different AIoT entity, e.g., Base Station 100, from where the AIoT reader 10 is located. In this embodiment, the CW emitter/generator or RF signal wave emitter 11, based on the energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation parameters received from network via N2 interface, transmits the continuous wave, carrier wave or RF signal to allow AIoT Tag/Device 20 to perform energy harvesting. And on the other hand, the CW provides RF signal to the AIoT Tag/Device 20 to allow it to perform backscattering communications with the AIoT Reader 10. The AIoT Tag/Device 20, based on the parameters or information received from the CW 11, transmits requested information to AIoT Reader 10. The assisting node AIoT reader 10 then further relays this piece of information to the network via AIoT GW 13. That is to say, in downlink, the CW 11 residing on Base Station 100 transmits the parameters, information, data or signaling received from network, directly to the AIoT Tag/Device 20. In uplink, the AIoT Tag/Device 20, in order to transmit information to the network, has to go through the uplink assisting node AIoT Reader 10. Furthermore, that is to say, an AIoT Reader could serve as an assisting node.

In Figure 7, AIoT reader 10 is located on the UE, with the CW 11 situated on the AIoT reader 10 itself. In this embodiment, the AIoT reader 10, whether a UE or customer premise equipment (CPE) , serves as an intermediate node. This intermediate node may possess the CW 11, or the CW 11 might reside on another intermediate node dedicated for CW 11.

In Figure 8, the CW 11, as an assisting node, is hosted on a UE 40, while the AIoT reader 10 is on a different AIoT entity, e.g., Base Station 100. That is, in this embodiment, the CW 11 resides on a UE, whether it is a CPE, a smartphone, or any UE with varying form factors, serving as an DL assisting node. The CW 11 receives energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation parameters from network or NG-RAN via Uu interface. The CW 11 activates the AIoT Tag/Device 20 with energy harvesting capability. The AIoT Tag/Device 20 then performs backscattering operation to communicate directly with the AIoT Reader on Base Station 100. That is to say, in downlink, the assisting node CW 11 residing on UE 40 conveys parameters, information, data or signaling received from network via the same or a different NG-RAN node from the AIoT Reader Base Station to the AIoT Tag/Device 20. In the uplink, the AIoT Tag/Devcie 20 directly communicates with the AIoT Reader Base Station. Furthermore, that is to say, the CW could serve as an assisting node.

In situations where CW is hosted on the UE, whether it is a CPE, a smartphone, or any UE with varying form factors, the preferred energy harvesting parameters, preferred backscattering operation parameters, and/or CW parameters could be delivered to the CW 11 using the UE policy procedures.

Provided below are procedures to deliver preferred CW/energy harvesting/backscattering operation parameters.

When there is N2 interface between the AIoT entity hosting the CW and the 5G core network, the preferred CW parameters could be delivered to the CW through N2 messages as the flow charts as depicted in Figure 9 (a) and Figure 9 (b) . That is, N2 interface is used to communicate preferred CW/energy harvesting/backscattering operation parameters.

In other embodiments, if the AMF maintains Expected UE Behavior parameters, network configuration parameters (as described in clause 4.15.6.3 or 4.15.6.3a, of 3GPP TS 23.502) , the preferred CW parameters could be delivered to NG-RAN node, by AMF deciding when to send this information to the RAN as “Expected UE activity behavior” carried in N2 request over the N2 interface as described in 3GPP TS 38.413.

As depicted in Figure 9, the AMF subscribes to Energy Harvesting/Backscattering Selection Priority (EHSP) in step 0. The preferred CW/energy harvesting/backscattering operation parameters are sorted/updated in the UDM or the Unified Data Repository (UDR) in step 1. Then, in step 2, the AMF gets notification that the EHSP CW/energy harvesting/backscattering operation parameters have been updated, and the AMF may retrieve the stored/updated CW/energy harvesting/backscattering operation parameters as needed. In step 3, the AMF notifies the AIoT Reader hosting the CW emitter as shown in Figure 9 (a) or the base station hosting the CW emitter as shown in Figure 9 (b) the stored/updated CW/energy harvesting/backscattering operation parameters. Based on these parameters, in step 4, the AIoT reader in Figure 9 (a) or the base station in Figure 9 (b) transmits RF signal to activate the tag or supply the carrier signal for backscattering communications. In steps 5 and 6, the AIoT tag performs energy harvesting and backscattering communications respectively, with the AIoT Reader.

Specifically, in step 1, there are several means to associate the preferred CW attributes with an individual tag or a group of tags.

In one embodiment, the preferred CW attributes could be stored/updated in the UDM during initial registration of the AIoT devices/tags. That is, preferred CW/energy harvesting/backscattering operation parameters are stored or updated in a network entity (e.g., the UDM) of CN during the registration.

In another embodiment, the preferred CW/energy harvesting/backscattering operation parameters, as part of the Expected UE behavior parameters or the network configuration parameters, as described in Table 1 below, can be provisioned by an external party via the Network Exposure Function (NEF) to the AMF.

In still another embodiment, an external party (e.g., AIoT AF) could provision preferred CW/energy harvesting/backscattering operation parameters, through service specific parameters.

In yet another embodiment, the preferred CW/energy harvesting/backscattering operation parameters could be associated with the tag or a group of tags as subscriber data or subscription information.

Table 1: Description of Preferred CW Parameters

When CW resides on UE, these preferred CW parameters could be delivered to UE to allow UE to send CW RF signals based on these parameters. This could be done through service specific parameter provisioning procedures as shown in Figure 10. The preferred CW parameters could be delivered through UE policy.

As depicted in Figure 10, AIoT Reader/UE registration, policy association and subscription to UDR are performed in step 0. The AIoT Application Function (AIoT AF) may create an AF request in step 1 to send Ambient IoT service specific parameters, preferred CW parameters, to an individual or a group of AIoT Readers/UEs. This information is stored/updated/removed in/to/from the UDR via the NEF in step 2. The NEF sends service parameter response in step 3. In order for the AIoT Reader/UE to receive the preferred CW parameters, the UDR notifies the PCF UDR updates in step 4, and UE policy is delivered by using UE configuration updates in step 5. In step 6, the PCF sends event exposure notification to the NEF. In step 7, the NEF sends service parameter notification to the AF.

In this context, e.g., a group of tags are associated with service parameters, i.e., the preferred CW parameters. For example, administrators in a warehouse want to check the inventory status. The same type of ambient IoT tags has been deployed in the warehouse. A specific set of preferred CW parameters could maximize the Power Conversion Efficiency (PCE) of these tags. Administrator-initiated preferred CW parameters delivery could be conducted.

Advantages of the invention are described below.

The efficiency of the RF energy harvesting circuit varies depending on the frequency bands. Furthermore, power conversion efficiency is influenced by the performance of the rectifier and the waveforms of source power RF signals. While a wide-band energy harvesting circuit, which includes antenna and rectifier covering GSM, UMTS, and Wi-Fi bands, can boost the power level of the rectifier, designing and building such a wide-band AIoT device/tag becomes more complex. This complexity can substantially increase the cost, even though it offers energy harvesting benefits.

By incorporating preferred energy harvesting parameters, the cellular system (e.g., 5G system) can offer a more resilient, efficient, and adaptable network for Ambient IoT devices and their users. Advantages of the invention include many aspects of:

-Enhanced integration with existing 5G framework: by introducing preferred energy harvesting/CW parameters facilitates seamless communication and operation of AIoT devices or tags within the existing 5G infrastructure;

-Cost-effective device production: the procedures in this invention offer more efficient process for communicating optimal CW/energy harvesting parameters to the CW emitters. By minimizing the requirement for diverse frequency band support in Ambient IoT device/tag, the invention helps to reduce production costs and deployment complexity. Moreover, it eliminates the necessity for complex protocol stacks for energy harvesting frequency negotiations on the Ambient IoT devices;

-Optimized Energy Harvesting: with the right CW parameters, devices can achieve optimal Power Conversion Efficiency (PCE) . This means Ambient IoT devices can draw maximum power from available RF signal wave emitters, ensuring they remain powered for long durations;

-Flexible and Adaptive System: devices can better adapt to changing conditions, such as interference or physical obstacles, by switching to more suitable energy harvesting frequencies;

-Reduced Maintenance Costs: devices that can efficiently harvest energy may require fewer battery replacements or maintenance interventions, reducing long-term operational costs.

In addition to the benefits for energy harvesting, the preferred RF signal serving as carrier signal source for backscattering communications can improve backscattering communication performance, provide flexibility to comply with various regulatory requirements through network configuration and provisioning.

Although not shown in detail any of the devices or apparatus that form part of the network may include at least a processor, a storage unit and a communications interface, wherein the processor unit, storage unit, and communications interface are configured to carry out the present invention. Further options and choices are described below.

Furthermore, the inventive concept can be applied to any circuit for performing signal processing functionality within a network element. It is further envisaged that, for example, a semiconductor manufacturer may employ the inventive concept in a design of a stand-alone device, such as a microcontroller of a digital signal processor (DSP) , or application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and/or any other sub-system element.

It will be appreciated that, for clarity purposes, the above description has described embodiments of the invention with reference to a single processing logic. However, the inventive concept may equally be implemented by way of a plurality of different functional units and processors to provide the signal processing functionality. Thus, references to specific functional units are only to be seen as references to suitable means for providing the described functionality, rather than indicative of a strict logical or physical structure or organization.

Aspects of the invention may be implemented in any suitable form including hardware, software, firmware or any combination of these. The invention may optionally be implemented, at least partly, as computer software running on one or more data processors and/or digital signal processors or configurable module components such as field programmable gate array (FPGA) devices.

Thus, the elements and components of an embodiment of the invention may be physically, functionally and logically implemented in any suitable way. Indeed, the functionality may be implemented in a single unit, in a plurality of units or as part of other functional units. Although the present invention has been described in connection with some embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the specific form set forth herein. Rather, the scope of the present invention is limited only by the accompanying claims. Additionally, although a feature may appear to be described in connection with particular embodiments, one skilled in the art would recognize that various features of the described embodiments may be combined in accordance with the invention. In the claims, the term ‘comprising’ does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps.

Furthermore, although individually listed, a plurality of means, elements or method steps may be implemented by, for example, a single unit or processor. Additionally, although individual features may be included in different claims, these may possibly be advantageously combined, and the inclusion in different claims does not imply that a combination of features is not feasible and/or advantageous. Also, the inclusion of a feature in one category of claims does not imply a limitation to this category, but rather indicates that the feature is equally applicable to other claim categories, as appropriate.

Furthermore, the order of features in the claims does not imply any specific order in which the features must be performed and in particular the order of individual steps in a method claim does not imply that the steps must be performed in this order. Rather, the steps may be performed in any suitable order. In addition, singular references do not exclude a plurality. Thus, references to ‘a’ , ‘an’ , ‘first’ , ‘second’ , etc. do not preclude a plurality.

While the present application has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that the present application is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements made without departing from the scope of the broadest interpretation of the appended claims.

Claims

A radio frequency (RF) signal wave emitter, comprising:

a circuit, configured to:

receive one or more energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation parameters from a celluar network; and

supply to an Ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) device or tag an energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation RF signal generated based on the one or more energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation parameters for the AIoT device or tag to conduct energy harvesting and/or backscattering communications.
The RF signal wave emitter of claim 1, wherein the one or more energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation parameters originate from a network entity of a core network (CN) .
The RF signal wave emitter of claim 1, wherein the one or more energy harvesting and/or backscatterting operation parameters comprise at least one of the followings: an energy harvesting frequency or frequency band, waveform, and required parameters in compliance with regulartory requirements at which the RF signal wave emitter operates.
The RF signal wave emitter of claim 1, wherein the RF signal wave emitter is a CW emitter for supplying Carrier Wave (CW) or Continuous Wave (CW) to the AIoT device or tag.
The RF signal wave emitter of claim 1, wherein the energy harvesting RF signal and/or carrier signal for backscattering operation is periodically supplied to the AIoT device or tag based on a preset configuration.
The RF signal wave emitter of claim 1, wherein the energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation RF signal is supplied to the AIoT device or tag on-demand.
The RF signal wave emitter of claim 1, wherein the one or more energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation parameters include or are determined based on at least one of the following parameters of the AIoT device or tag: distance from the RF signal wave emitter, frequency and bandwidth, antenna type, energy storage mechanism, and power management and consumption.
The RF signal wave emitter of claim 1, wherein the energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation RF signal supplied to the AIoT device or tag is transmitted on idle frequency and/or time resources.
The RF signal wave emitter of claim 1, wherein the energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation RF signal supplied to the AIoT device or tag is transmitted within a frequency band reserved for the AIoT device or tag.
The RF signal wave emitter of claim 1, wherein the RF signal wave emitter is hosted on a 5G-RG (5G Residential Gateway) to provide dedicated RF energy harvesting source and/or carrier signal source for the backscattering communications, to the AIoT device or tag.
The RF signal wave emitter of claim 1, wherein the RF signal wave emitter is hosted on an indoor small cell to provide dedicated RF energy harvesting source and/or carrier signal source for the backscattering communications, to the AIoT device or tag.
The RF signal wave emitter of claim 1, wherein the RF signal wave emitter is hosted on a a WiFi router to provide dedicated RF energy harvesting source and/or carrier signal source for the backscattering communications, to the AIoT device or tag.
The RF signal wave emitter of claim 1, wherein the RF signal wave emitter resides on an AIoT Reader, which serves as an assisting node.
The RF signal wave emitter of claim 1, wherein the RF signal wave emitter serves as an assistant node.
The RF signal wave emitter of claim 1, wherein the one or more energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation parameters are received via N2 interface.
The RF signal wave emitter of claim 2, wherein the one or more energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation parameters are stored in the network entity of the core network during registration of the AIoT device or tag.
The RF signal wave emitter of claim 2, wherein the one or more energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation parameters are provisioned by an external party to the core network and are deliverd by the core network to the RF signal wave emitter.
The RF signal wave emitter of claim 17, wherein the one or more energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation parameters are part of expected UE behavior parameters or network configuration parameters.
The RF signal wave emitter of claim 1, wherein the one or more energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation parameters are provisioned through service specific parameters or are delivered to the RF signal wave emitter through UE policy.
The RF signal wave emitter of claim 1, wherein the one or more energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation parameters are associated with one or more of the AIoT devices or tags through subscriber data or subscription information.
The RF signal wave emitter of claim 1, wherein the one or more energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation parameters are received through administrator-initiated delivery.
A communication system, comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) signal wave emitter, comprising a circuit configured to receive one or more energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation parameters from a celluar network and generate an energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation RF signal based on the one or more energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation parameters; and

an Ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) device or tag, supplied with the energy harvesting and/or backscattering operation RF signal by the RF signal wave emitter for conducting energy harvesting and/or backscattering communications.