EP4670307A1

EP4670307A1 - Assisted measurement and mobility support for environmental devices

Info

Publication number: EP4670307A1
Application number: EP23923398.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Chao Wei; Ruiming Zheng; Mingxi YIN; Kangqi LIU; Hao Xu
Original assignee: Qualcomm Inc
Current assignee: Qualcomm Inc
Priority date: 2023-02-24
Filing date: 2023-02-24
Publication date: 2025-12-31
Also published as: CN120693818A; WO2024174222A1

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. A passive wireless device may implement one or more procedures for maintaining and establishing wireless connections. The passive wireless device may backscatter signaling received from other wireless devices such that communication parameters may be measured by other wireless devices. The passive wireless device may receive and store information from a source reader. The passive wireless device may then receive control signaling from a target reader and may send the stored information to the target reader in response to receiving the control signaling. The target reader may then communicate with the source reader to determine information for establishing a connection with the passive wireless device. The passive wireless device may also communicate with multiple sources and multiple readers for maintaining and establishing connections, which may enable the passive wireless device to effectively perform mobility management.

Description

ASSISTED MEASUREMENT AND MOBILITY SUPPORT FOR AMBIENT DEVICES

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY
The following relates to wireless communications, including assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices.

BACKGROUND

Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power) . Examples of such multiple-access systems include fourth generation (4G) systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth generation (5G) systems which may be referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ technologies such as code division multiple access (CDMA) , time division multiple access (TDMA) , frequency division multiple access (FDMA) , orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) , or discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM) . A wireless multiple-access communications system may include one or more base stations, each supporting wireless communication for communication devices, which may be known as user equipment (UE) .
Some wireless communications systems may support a variety of types of wireless devices including passive or ambient wireless devices (e.g., ambient internet of things (A-IoT) devices) , which may not be equipped with internal power sources and may instead utilize one or more external power sources. For example, some passive wireless devices may perform operations to harvest power via signaling received from other devices and may reflect or backscatter signaling rather than generating and transmitting signaling independently. In some cases, wireless devices (e.g., active wireless devices) may perform various procedures (e.g., follow various communication protocols) for reference signaling and signal quality measurement, which, in some cases, may be associated with establishing and maintaining wireless connections (e.g., for mobility management) .
SUMMARY
The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatuses that support assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices. For example, the described techniques enable a passive wireless device to implement one or more procedures for maintaining and establishing wireless connections (e.g., for mobility management) . In some examples, a passive or ambient wireless device may backscatter (e.g., reflect, send, transmit) signaling received from other wireless devices such that various communication parameters (e.g., signal quality metrics, signal power metrics) may be measured by one or more other wireless devices (e.g., one or more active wireless devices) . For example, in accordance with a first procedure for mobility management, a passive wireless device may receive and store information from a source reader (e.g., a first wireless device) . The passive wireless device may then receive control signaling from a target reader (e.g., a second wireless device) and may send the stored information to the target reader in response to receiving the control signaling. The target reader may then communicate with the source reader to determine information for establishing a connection with the passive wireless device. In some other cases, in accordance with other procedures, the passive wireless device may communicate with multiple sources (e.g., radio frequency (RF) sources, wireless devices) and multiple readers (e.g., RF readers, wireless devices) for maintaining and establishing connections, which may enable a passive wireless device to effectively perform mobility management.
A method for wireless communication at a passive backscatter device is described. The method may include receiving, from a first wireless device, a first message including at least an indication of an identifier associated with the first wireless device and a temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device, storing, at the passive backscatter device, the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device, receiving, from a second wireless device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device, and transmitting, in response to receiving the control message, a backscattered signal including at least the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device based on the activation of the passive backscatter device.
An apparatus for wireless communication at a passive backscatter device is described. The apparatus may include a processor, memory coupled with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to receive, from a first wireless device, a first message including at least an indication of an identifier associated with the first wireless device and a temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device, store, at the passive backscatter device, the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device, receive, from a second wireless device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device, and transmit, in response to receiving the control message, a backscattered signal including at least the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device based on the activation of the passive backscatter device.
Another apparatus for wireless communication at a passive backscatter device is described. The apparatus may include means for receiving, from a first wireless device, a first message including at least an indication of an identifier associated with the first wireless device and a temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device, means for storing, at the passive backscatter device, the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device, means for receiving, from a second wireless device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device, and means for transmitting, in response to receiving the control message, a backscattered signal including at least the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device based on the activation of the passive backscatter device.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a passive backscatter device is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to receive, from a first wireless device, a first message including at least an indication of an identifier associated with the first wireless device and a temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device, store, at the passive backscatter device, the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device, receive, from a second wireless device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device, and transmit, in response to receiving the control message, a backscattered signal including at least the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device based on the activation of the passive backscatter device.
Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving, from the first wireless device, configuration information for a timer, where the passive backscatter device refrains from transmitting backscattered signaling to one or more other wireless devices for a duration associated with the timer.
Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving, from the second wireless device, a second message indicating a second identifier for the second wireless device and an updated temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device.
Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for establishing a connection with the second wireless device based on receiving the control message.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the identifier associated with the first wireless device includes a physical cell identifier, a cell radio network temporary identifier, or a temporary mobile subscriber identity identifier.
Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving, from the second wireless device, a second control message for the passive backscatter device, where the second control message includes a configuration of periodic backscattering for measurement and transmitting, in response to receiving the second control message, a second backscattered signal for measurement, where the second backscattered signal may be periodically transmitted.
Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving, from the second wireless device, a periodic synchronization signal and synchronizing a timing for the backscattered signal based on the periodic synchronization signal received from the second wireless device, where transmitting the second backscattered signal may be based on the synchronized timing.
Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving, from the first wireless device, a third wireless device, or both, a continuous wave signal or an ambient orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal, where transmitting the second backscattered signal may be based on modulating an amplitude of the continuous wave signal or the ambient OFDM signal on a symbol basis, and where data for backscattering may be pre-configured at the passive backscatter device.
Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting the second backscattered signal may be based on modulating an incoming signal using a set of continuous square waves and the set of continuous square waves may have a higher granularity than a symbol duration of the incoming signal.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the incoming signal may be received via a first channel and the backscattered signal may be transmitted via a second channel adjacent to the first channel.
A method for wireless communication at a first wireless device is described. The method may include transmitting, to a passive backscatter device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device, receiving, from the passive backscatter device, a backscattered signal including at least an indication of an identifier associated with a second wireless device and a temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device, where the backscattered signal is based on the control message, transmitting, to the second wireless device, a request for context information based on receiving the backscattered signal, and receiving, from the second wireless device, the context information associated with the passive backscatter device.
An apparatus for wireless communication at a first wireless device is described. The apparatus may include a processor, memory coupled with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to transmit, to a passive backscatter device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device, receive, from the passive backscatter device, a backscattered signal including at least an indication of an identifier associated with a second wireless device and a temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device, where the backscattered signal is based on the control message, transmit, to the second wireless device, a request for context information based on receiving the backscattered signal, and receive, from the second wireless device, the context information associated with the passive backscatter device.
Another apparatus for wireless communication at a first wireless device is described. The apparatus may include means for transmitting, to a passive backscatter device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device, means for receiving, from the passive backscatter device, a backscattered signal including at least an indication of an identifier associated with a second wireless device and a temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device, where the backscattered signal is based on the control message, means for transmitting, to the second wireless device, a request for context information based on receiving the backscattered signal, and means for receiving, from the second wireless device, the context information associated with the passive backscatter device.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a first wireless device is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to transmit, to a passive backscatter device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device, receive, from the passive backscatter device, a backscattered signal including at least an indication of an identifier associated with a second wireless device and a temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device, where the backscattered signal is based on the control message, transmit, to the second wireless device, a request for context information based on receiving the backscattered signal, and receive, from the second wireless device, the context information associated with the passive backscatter device.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, and the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium may include further operations, features, means, or instructions for security key information for communications with the passive backscatter device, a mobile network assigned identifier for the passive backscatter device, or a list of product information associated with the passive backscatter device.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the identifier associated with the second wireless device includes a physical cell identifier, a cell radio network temporary identifier, or a temporary mobile subscriber identifier.
Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for establishing a connection with the passive backscatter device based on receiving the context information.
Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting, to the passive backscatter device, a second control message, where the second control message includes a configuration of periodic backscattering for measurement and receiving, from the passive backscatter device, a second backscattered signal for measurement.
Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting, to the passive backscatter device, a periodic synchronization signal and synchronizing a timing for receiving backscattered signaling based on the periodic synchronization signal transmitted to the passive backscatter device.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the second backscattered signal may be based on modulating an amplitude of a continuous wave signal or an ambient orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal on a symbol basis and the continuous wave signal or the ambient OFDM signal may be transmitted by the second wireless device, a third wireless device, or both.
Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for measuring a first metric in a first symbol of the second backscattered signal and a second metric in a second symbol of the second backscattered signal and transmitting, to the second wireless device, the third wireless device, or both, an indication of whether subsequent communications may be performed with the passive backscatter device, where the indication may be based on the first metric and the second metric.
Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for measuring a first metric in a first channel of the second backscattered signal and a second metric in a second channel of the second backscattered signal and transmitting, to the second wireless device, the third wireless device, or both, an indication of whether subsequent communications may be performed with the passive backscatter device, where the indication may be based on the first metric and the second metric.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the first metric and the second metric include a reference signal received power metric or a reference signal received quality metric.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the second backscattered signal may be based on modulating an incoming signal using a set of continuous square waves and the incoming signal may be transmitted by the second wireless device, a third wireless device, or both.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a framework that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a framework that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a process flow that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a process flow that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a process flow that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIGs. 7A and 7B illustrate examples of communication configurations that support assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a communication configuration that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIGs. 9 and 10 illustrate block diagrams of devices that support assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIG. 11 illustrates a block diagram of a communications manager that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIG. 12 illustrates a diagram of a system including a device that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIGs. 13 and 14 illustrate block diagrams of devices that support assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIG. 15 illustrates a block diagram of a communications manager that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIG. 16 illustrates a diagram of a system including a device that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIGs. 17 through 20 illustrate flowcharts showing methods that support assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some wireless communications systems may support a variety of types of wireless devices including passive wireless devices (e.g., ambient internet of things (A-IoT) devices) , which may not be equipped with internal power sources and may instead utilize one or more external power sources. For example, some passive wireless devices may perform operations to harvest power via signaling received from other devices and may reflect or backscatter signaling rather than generating and transmitting signaling independently. In some cases, wireless devices (e.g., active wireless devices) may perform various procedures (e.g., follow various communication protocols) for reference signaling and signal quality measurement, which, in some cases, may be associated with establishing and maintaining wireless connections (e.g., for mobility management) . However, such procedures may not be transferrable to passive wireless devices (e.g., passive wireless devices may not be capable of performing such procedures) , which may present challenges associated with establishing and maintaining wireless connections. For example, some passive wireless devices may not be capable of generating signaling and may therefore not be capable of transmitting reference signal measurement reports to other wireless devices. Additionally, or alternatively, power usage (e.g., power resources) for passive wireless devices may be relatively limited when compared to active wireless devices. Additionally, or alternatively, some passive wireless devices may routinely relay (e.g., backscatter) communications between two or more, non-collocated wireless devices, which may increase a complexity associated with mobility management.
In accordance with examples as described herein, a passive wireless device may implement one or more procedures for maintaining and establishing wireless connections (e.g., for mobility management) . In some examples of such procedures, a passive wireless device may backscatter (e.g., reflect, send, transmit) signaling received from other wireless devices such that various communication parameters (e.g., signal quality metrics, signal power metrics) may be measured by one or more other wireless devices (e.g., one or more active wireless devices) . For example, in accordance with a first procedure for mobility management, a passive wireless device may receive and store information from a source reader (e.g., a first wireless device) . The passive wireless device may then receive control signaling from a target reader (e.g., a second wireless device) and may send the stored information to the target reader in response to receiving the control signaling. The target reader may then communicate with the source reader to determine information for establishing a connection with the passive wireless device. In some other cases, in accordance with other procedures, the passive wireless device may communicate with multiple sources (e.g., radio frequency (RF) sources, wireless devices) and multiple readers (e.g., RF readers, wireless devices) for maintaining and establishing connections, which may enable a passive wireless device to effectively perform mobility management.
Aspects of the disclosure are initially described in the context of wireless communications systems. Aspects of the disclosure are further described in the context of frameworks, process flows, and communication configurations. Aspects of the disclosure are also illustrated by and described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts that relate to assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 100 that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communications system 100 may include one or more network entities 105, one or more UEs 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wireless communications system 100 may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network, an LTE-A Pro network, a New Radio (NR) network, or a network operating in accordance with other systems and radio technologies, including future systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.
The network entities 105 may be dispersed throughout a geographic area to form the wireless communications system 100 and may include devices in different forms or having different capabilities. In various examples, a network entity 105 may be referred to as a network element, a mobility element, a radio access network (RAN) node, or network equipment, among other nomenclature. In some examples, network entities 105 and UEs 115 may wirelessly communicate via one or more communication links 125 (e.g., a RF access link) . For example, a network entity 105 may support a coverage area 110 (e.g., a geographic coverage area) over which the UEs 115 and the network entity 105 may establish one or more communication links 125. The coverage area 110 may be an example of a geographic area over which a network entity 105 and a UE 115 may support the communication of signals according to one or more radio access technologies (RATs) .
The UEs 115 may be dispersed throughout a coverage area 110 of the wireless communications system 100, and each UE 115 may be stationary, or mobile, or both at different times. The UEs 115 may be devices in different forms or having different capabilities. Some example UEs 115 are illustrated in FIG. 1. The UEs 115 described herein may be capable of supporting communications with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115 or network entities 105, as shown in FIG. 1.
As described herein, a node of the wireless communications system 100, which may be referred to as a network node, or a wireless node, may be a network entity 105 (e.g., any network entity described herein) , a UE 115 (e.g., any UE described herein) , a network controller, an apparatus, a device, a computing system, one or more components, or another suitable processing entity configured to perform any of the techniques described herein. For example, a node may be a UE 115. As another example, a node may be a network entity 105. As another example, a first node may be configured to communicate with a second node or a third node. In one aspect of this example, the first node may be a UE 115, the second node may be a network entity 105, and the third node may be a UE 115. In another aspect of this example, the first node may be a UE 115, the second node may be a network entity 105, and the third node may be a network entity 105. In yet other aspects of this example, the first, second, and third nodes may be different relative to these examples. Similarly, reference to a UE 115, network entity 105, apparatus, device, computing system, or the like may include disclosure of the UE 115, network entity 105, apparatus, device, computing system, or the like being a node. For example, disclosure that a UE 115 is configured to receive information from a network entity 105 also discloses that a first node is configured to receive information from a second node.
In some examples, network entities 105 may communicate with the core network 130, or with one another, or both. For example, network entities 105 may communicate with the core network 130 via one or more backhaul communication links 120 (e.g., in accordance with an S1, N2, N3, or other interface protocol) . In some examples, network entities 105 may communicate with one another via a backhaul communication link 120 (e.g., in accordance with an X2, Xn, or other interface protocol) either directly (e.g., directly between network entities 105) or indirectly (e.g., via a core network 130) . In some examples, network entities 105 may communicate with one another via a midhaul communication link 162 (e.g., in accordance with a midhaul interface protocol) or a fronthaul communication link 168 (e.g., in accordance with a fronthaul interface protocol) , or any combination thereof. The backhaul communication links 120, midhaul communication links 162, or fronthaul communication links 168 may be or include one or more wired links (e.g., an electrical link, an optical fiber link) , one or more wireless links (e.g., a radio link, a wireless optical link) , among other examples or various combinations thereof. A UE 115 may communicate with the core network 130 via a communication link 155.
One or more of the network entities 105 described herein may include or may be referred to as a base station 140 (e.g., a base transceiver station, a radio base station, an NR base station, an access point, a radio transceiver, a NodeB, an eNodeB (eNB) , a next-generation NodeB or a giga-NodeB (either of which may be referred to as a gNB) , a 5G NB, a next-generation eNB (ng-eNB) , a Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or other suitable terminology) . In some examples, a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140) may be implemented in an aggregated (e.g., monolithic, standalone) base station architecture, which may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single network entity 105 (e.g., a single RAN node, such as a base station 140) .
In some examples, a network entity 105 may be implemented in a disaggregated architecture (e.g., a disaggregated base station architecture, a disaggregated RAN architecture) , which may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed among two or more network entities 105, such as an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open RAN (O-RAN) (e.g., a network configuration sponsored by the O-RAN Alliance) , or a virtualized RAN (vRAN) (e.g., a cloud RAN (C-RAN) ) . For example, a network entity 105 may include one or more of a central unit (CU) 160, a distributed unit (DU) 165, a radio unit (RU) 170, a RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) 175 (e.g., a Near-Real Time RIC (Near-RT RIC) , a Non-Real Time RIC (Non-RT RIC) ) , a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) 180 system, or any combination thereof. An RU 170 may also be referred to as a radio head, a smart radio head, a remote radio head (RRH) , a remote radio unit (RRU) , or a transmission reception point (TRP) . One or more components of the network entities 105 in a disaggregated RAN architecture may be co-located, or one or more components of the network entities 105 may be located in distributed locations (e.g., separate physical locations) . In some examples, one or more network entities 105 of a disaggregated RAN architecture may be implemented as virtual units (e.g., a virtual CU (VCU) , a virtual DU (VDU) , a virtual RU (VRU)) .
The split of functionality between a CU 160, a DU 165, and an RU 170 is flexible and may support different functionalities depending on which functions (e.g., network layer functions, protocol layer functions, baseband functions, RF functions, and any combinations thereof) are performed at a CU 160, a DU 165, or an RU 170. For example, a functional split of a protocol stack may be employed between a CU 160 and a DU 165 such that the CU 160 may support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the DU 165 may support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. In some examples, the CU 160 may host upper protocol layer (e.g., layer 3 (L3) , layer 2 (L2)) functionality and signaling (e.g., Radio Resource Control (RRC) , service data adaption protocol (SDAP) , Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) ) . The CU 160 may be connected to one or more DUs 165 or RUs 170, and the one or more DUs 165 or RUs 170 may host lower protocol layers, such as layer 1 (L1) (e.g., physical (PHY) layer) or L2 (e.g., radio link control (RLC) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer) functionality and signaling, and may each be at least partially controlled by the CU 160. Additionally, or alternatively, a functional split of the protocol stack may be employed between a DU 165 and an RU 170 such that the DU 165 may support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the RU 170 may support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. The DU 165 may support one or multiple different cells (e.g., via one or more RUs 170) . In some cases, a functional split between a CU 160 and a DU 165, or between a DU 165 and an RU 170 may be within a protocol layer (e.g., some functions for a protocol layer may be performed by one of a CU 160, a DU 165, or an RU 170, while other functions of the protocol layer are performed by a different one of the CU 160, the DU 165, or the RU 170) . A CU 160 may be functionally split further into CU control plane (CU-CP) and CU user plane (CU-UP) functions. A CU 160 may be connected to one or more DUs 165 via a midhaul communication link 162 (e.g., F1, F1-c, F1-u) , and a DU 165 may be connected to one or more RUs 170 via a fronthaul communication link 168 (e.g., open fronthaul (FH) interface) . In some examples, a midhaul communication link 162 or a fronthaul communication link 168 may be implemented in accordance with an interface (e.g., a channel) between layers of a protocol stack supported by respective network entities 105 that are in communication via such communication links.
In wireless communications systems (e.g., wireless communications system 100) , infrastructure and spectral resources for radio access may support wireless backhaul link capabilities to supplement wired backhaul connections, providing an IAB network architecture (e.g., to a core network 130) . In some cases, in an IAB network, one or more network entities 105 (e.g., IAB nodes 104) may be partially controlled by each other. One or more IAB nodes 104 may be referred to as a donor entity or an IAB donor. One or more DUs 165 or one or more RUs 170 may be partially controlled by one or more CUs 160 associated with a donor network entity 105 (e.g., a donor base station 140) . The one or more donor network entities 105 (e.g., IAB donors) may be in communication with one or more additional network entities 105 (e.g., IAB nodes 104) via supported access and backhaul links (e.g., backhaul communication links 120) . IAB nodes 104 may include an IAB mobile termination (IAB-MT) controlled (e.g., scheduled) by DUs 165 of a coupled IAB donor. An IAB-MT may include an independent set of antennas for relay of communications with UEs 115, or may share the same antennas (e.g., of an RU 170) of an IAB node 104 used for access via the DU 165 of the IAB node 104 (e.g., referred to as virtual IAB-MT (vIAB-MT) ) . In some examples, the IAB nodes 104 may include DUs 165 that support communication links with additional entities (e.g., IAB nodes 104, UEs 115) within the relay chain or configuration of the access network (e.g., downstream) . In such cases, one or more components of the disaggregated RAN architecture (e.g., one or more IAB nodes 104 or components of IAB nodes 104) may be configured to operate according to the techniques described herein.
In the case of the techniques described herein applied in the context of a disaggregated RAN architecture, one or more components of the disaggregated RAN architecture may be configured to support assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient device as described herein. For example, some operations described as being performed by a UE 115 or a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140) may additionally, or alternatively, be performed by one or more components of the disaggregated RAN architecture (e.g., IAB nodes 104, DUs 165, CUs 160, RUs 170, RIC 175, SMO 180) .
A UE 115 may include or may be referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a handheld device, or a subscriber device, or some other suitable terminology, where the “device” may also be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client, among other examples. A UE 115 may also include or may be referred to as a personal electronic device such as a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or a personal computer. In some examples, a UE 115 may include or be referred to as a wireless local loop (WLL) station, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or a machine type communications (MTC) device, among other examples, which may be implemented in various objects such as appliances, or vehicles, meters, among other examples.
The UEs 115 described herein may be able to communicate with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115 that may sometimes act as relays as well as the network entities 105 and the network equipment including macro eNBs or gNBs, small cell eNBs or gNBs, or relay base stations, among other examples, as shown in FIG. 1.
The UEs 115 and the network entities 105 may wirelessly communicate with one another via one or more communication links 125 (e.g., an access link) using resources associated with one or more carriers. The term “carrier” may refer to a set of RF spectrum resources having a defined physical layer structure for supporting the communication links 125. For example, a carrier used for a communication link 125 may include a portion of a RF spectrum band (e.g., a bandwidth part (BWP) ) that is operated according to one or more physical layer channels for a given radio access technology (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR) . Each physical layer channel may carry acquisition signaling (e.g., synchronization signals, system information) , control signaling that coordinates operation for the carrier, user data, or other signaling. The wireless communications system 100 may support communication with a UE 115 using carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation. A UE 115 may be configured with multiple downlink component carriers and one or more uplink component carriers according to a carrier aggregation configuration. Carrier aggregation may be used with both frequency division duplexing (FDD) and time division duplexing (TDD) component carriers. Communication between a network entity 105 and other devices may refer to communication between the devices and any portion (e.g., entity, sub-entity) of a network entity 105. For example, the terms “transmitting, ” “receiving, ” or “communicating, ” when referring to a network entity 105, may refer to any portion of a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140, a CU 160, a DU 165, a RU 170) of a RAN communicating with another device (e.g., directly or via one or more other network entities 105) .
Signal waveforms transmitted via a carrier may be made up of multiple subcarriers (e.g., using multi-carrier modulation (MCM) techniques such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM) ) . In a system employing MCM techniques, a resource element may refer to resources of one symbol period (e.g., a duration of one modulation symbol) and one subcarrier, in which case the symbol period and subcarrier spacing may be inversely related. The quantity of bits carried by each resource element may depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme, the coding rate of the modulation scheme, or both) , such that a relatively higher quantity of resource elements (e.g., in a transmission duration) and a relatively higher order of a modulation scheme may correspond to a relatively higher rate of communication. A wireless communications resource may refer to a combination of an RF spectrum resource, a time resource, and a spatial resource (e.g., a spatial layer, a beam) , and the use of multiple spatial resources may increase the data rate or data integrity for communications with a UE 115.
The time intervals for the network entities 105 or the UEs 115 may be expressed in multiples of a basic time unit which may, for example, refer to a sampling period of T_s=1/ (Δf_max·N_f) seconds, for which Δf_max may represent a supported subcarrier spacing, and N_f may represent a supported discrete Fourier transform (DFT) size. Time intervals of a communications resource may be organized according to radio frames each having a specified duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms) ) . Each radio frame may be identified by a system frame number (SFN) (e.g., ranging from 0 to 1023) .
Each frame may include multiple consecutively-numbered subframes or slots, and each subframe or slot may have the same duration. In some examples, a frame may be divided (e.g., in the time domain) into subframes, and each subframe may be further divided into a quantity of slots. Alternatively, each frame may include a variable quantity of slots, and the quantity of slots may depend on subcarrier spacing. Each slot may include a quantity of symbol periods (e.g., depending on the length of the cyclic prefix prepended to each symbol period) . In some wireless communications systems 100, a slot may further be divided into multiple mini-slots associated with one or more symbols. Excluding the cyclic prefix, each symbol period may be associated with one or more (e.g., N_f) sampling periods. The duration of a symbol period may depend on the subcarrier spacing or frequency band of operation.
A subframe, a slot, a mini-slot, or a symbol may be the smallest scheduling unit (e.g., in the time domain) of the wireless communications system 100 and may be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI) . In some examples, the TTI duration (e.g., a quantity of symbol periods in a TTI) may be variable. Additionally, or alternatively, the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communications system 100 may be dynamically selected (e.g., in bursts of shortened TTIs (sTTIs)) .
Physical channels may be multiplexed for communication using a carrier according to various techniques. A physical control channel and a physical data channel may be multiplexed for signaling via a downlink carrier, for example, using one or more of time division multiplexing (TDM) techniques, frequency division multiplexing (FDM) techniques, or hybrid TDM-FDM techniques. A control region (e.g., a control resource set (CORESET) ) for a physical control channel may be defined by a set of symbol periods and may extend across the system bandwidth or a subset of the system bandwidth of the carrier. One or more control regions (e.g., CORESETs) may be configured for a set of the UEs 115. For example, one or more of the UEs 115 may monitor or search control regions for control information according to one or more search space sets, and each search space set may include one or multiple control channel candidates in one or more aggregation levels arranged in a cascaded manner. An aggregation level for a control channel candidate may refer to an amount of control channel resources (e.g., control channel elements (CCEs) ) associated with encoded information for a control information format having a given payload size. Search space sets may include common search space sets configured for sending control information to multiple UEs 115 and UE-specific search space sets for sending control information to a specific UE 115.
In some examples, a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140, an RU 170) may be movable and therefore provide communication coverage for a moving coverage area 110. In some examples, different coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may overlap, but the different coverage areas 110 may be supported by the same network entity 105. In some other examples, the overlapping coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may be supported by different network entities 105. The wireless communications system 100 may include, for example, a heterogeneous network in which different types of the network entities 105 provide coverage for various coverage areas 110 using the same or different radio access technologies.
The wireless communications system 100 may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, network entities 105 (e.g., base stations 140) may have similar frame timings, and transmissions from different network entities 105 may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, network entities 105 may have different frame timings, and transmissions from different network entities 105 may, in some examples, not be aligned in time. The techniques described herein may be used for either synchronous or asynchronous operations.
Some UEs 115, such as MTC or IoT devices, may be low cost or low complexity devices and may provide for automated communication between machines (e.g., via Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication) . M2M communication or MTC may refer to data communication technologies that allow devices to communicate with one another or a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140) without human intervention. In some examples, M2M communication or MTC may include communications from devices that integrate sensors or meters to measure or capture information and relay such information to a central server or application program that uses the information or presents the information to humans interacting with the application program. Some UEs 115 may be designed to collect information or enable automated behavior of machines or other devices. Examples of applications for MTC devices include smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipment monitoring, healthcare monitoring, wildlife monitoring, weather and geological event monitoring, fleet management and tracking, remote security sensing, physical access control, and transaction-based business charging.
The wireless communications system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable communications or low-latency communications, or various combinations thereof. For example, the wireless communications system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) . The UEs 115 may be designed to support ultra-reliable, low-latency, or critical functions. Ultra-reliable communications may include private communication or group communication and may be supported by one or more services such as push-to-talk, video, or data. Support for ultra-reliable, low-latency functions may include prioritization of services, and such services may be used for public safety or general commercial applications. The terms ultra-reliable, low-latency, and ultra-reliable low-latency may be used interchangeably herein.
In some examples, a UE 115 may be configured to support communicating directly with other UEs 115 via a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 135 (e.g., in accordance with a peer-to-peer (P2P) , D2D, or sidelink protocol) . In some examples, one or more UEs 115 of a group that are performing D2D communications may be within the coverage area 110 of a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140, an RU 170) , which may support aspects of such D2D communications being configured by (e.g., scheduled by) the network entity 105. In some examples, one or more UEs 115 of such a group may be outside the coverage area 110 of a network entity 105 or may be otherwise unable to or not configured to receive transmissions from a network entity 105. In some examples, groups of the UEs 115 communicating via D2D communications may support a one-to-many (1: M) system in which each UE 115 transmits to each of the other UEs 115 in the group. In some examples, a network entity 105 may facilitate the scheduling of resources for D2D communications. In some other examples, D2D communications may be carried out between the UEs 115 without an involvement of a network entity 105.
The core network 130 may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network 130 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) or 5G core (5GC) , which may include at least one control plane entity that manages access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME) , an access and mobility management function (AMF) ) and at least one user plane entity that routes packets or interconnects to external networks (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW) , a Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway (P-GW) , or a user plane function (UPF) ) . The control plane entity may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management for the UEs 115 served by the network entities 105 (e.g., base stations 140) associated with the core network 130. User IP packets may be transferred through the user plane entity, which may provide IP address allocation as well as other functions. The user plane entity may be connected to IP services 150 for one or more network operators. The IP services 150 may include access to the Internet, Intranet (s) , an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) , or a Packet-Switched Streaming Service.
The wireless communications system 100 may operate using one or more frequency bands, which may be in the range of 300 megahertz (MHz) to 300 gigahertz (GHz) . Generally, the region from 300 MHz to 3 GHz is known as the ultra-high frequency (UHF) region or decimeter band because the wavelengths range from approximately one decimeter to one meter in length. UHF waves may be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features, which may be referred to as clusters, but the waves may penetrate structures sufficiently for a macro cell to provide service to the UEs 115 located indoors. Communications using UHF waves may be associated with smaller antennas and shorter ranges (e.g., less than 100 kilometers) compared to communications using the smaller frequencies and longer waves of the high frequency (HF) or very high frequency (VHF) portion of the spectrum below 300 MHz.
The wireless communications system 100 may utilize both licensed and unlicensed RF spectrum bands. For example, the wireless communications system 100 may employ License Assisted Access (LAA) , LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U) radio access technology, or NR technology using an unlicensed band such as the 5 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band. While operating using unlicensed RF spectrum bands, devices such as the network entities 105 and the UEs 115 may employ carrier sensing for collision detection and avoidance. In some examples, operations using unlicensed bands may be based on a carrier aggregation configuration in conjunction with component carriers operating using a licensed band (e.g., LAA) . Operations using unlicensed spectrum may include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, P2P transmissions, or D2D transmissions, among other examples.
A network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140, an RU 170) or a UE 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas, which may be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, or beamforming. The antennas of a network entity 105 or a UE 115 may be located within one or more antenna arrays or antenna panels, which may support MIMO operations or transmit or receive beamforming. For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may be co-located at an antenna assembly, such as an antenna tower. In some examples, antennas or antenna arrays associated with a network entity 105 may be located at diverse geographic locations. A network entity 105 may include an antenna array with a set of rows and columns of antenna ports that the network entity 105 may use to support beamforming of communications with a UE 115. Likewise, a UE 115 may include one or more antenna arrays that may support various MIMO or beamforming operations. Additionally, or alternatively, an antenna panel may support RF beamforming for a signal transmitted via an antenna port.
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., a network entity 105, a UE 115) 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 achieved by combining the signals communicated via antenna elements of an antenna array such that some signals propagating along 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) .
The wireless communications system 100 may support a variety of types of wireless devices including passive or ambient wireless devices (e.g., A-IoT devices, UEs 115) , which may not be equipped with internal power sources and may instead utilize one or more external power sources. For example, some passive wireless devices may perform operations to harvest power via signaling received from other devices (e.g., UEs 115, network entities 105) and may reflect or backscatter signaling rather than generating and transmitting signaling independently (e.g., without a source or activation signal received at the passive wireless device) . In some cases, wireless devices (e.g., active wireless devices) may perform various procedures (e.g., follow various communication protocols) for reference signaling and signal quality measurement, which, in some cases, may be associated with establishing and maintaining wireless connections (e.g., for mobility management) . However, such procedures may not be transferrable to passive wireless devices (e.g., passive wireless devices may not be capable of performing such procedures due to the reduced power or limited capability of passive wireless devices) , which may present challenges associated with establishing and maintaining wireless connections. For example, some passive wireless devices may not be capable of generating signaling and may therefore not be capable of transmitting reports (e.g., reference signal measurement reports) to other wireless devices without a source or activation signal. Additionally, or alternatively, power usage (e.g., power resources) for passive wireless devices may be limited relative to active wireless devices, which may limit available power for signaling (e.g., for mobility management) . Additionally, or alternatively, some passive wireless devices may routinely relay (e.g., backscatter) communications between two or more, non-collocated wireless devices, which may increase a complexity associated with mobility management.
In accordance with examples as described herein, a passive wireless device, such as a UE 115, may be referred to as an ambient wireless device, a semi-passive wireless device, a semi-active wireless device, an ambient IoT device, a tag, an RF identification (RFID) tag, or the like. The passive wireless device may implement one or more procedures for maintaining and establishing wireless connections (e.g., for mobility management) . In some examples of such procedures, a passive wireless device may backscatter (e.g., reflect, send, transmit) signaling received from other wireless devices (network entities 105 or other UEs 115) such that various communication parameters (e.g., signal quality metrics, signal power metrics) may be measured by one or more other wireless devices (e.g., one or more active wireless devices) . For example, in accordance with a first procedure for mobility management, a passive wireless device may receive and store information from a source reader (e.g., a first wireless device, a UE 115, a network entity 105, an active wireless device) . The passive wireless device may then receive control signaling from a target reader (e.g., a second wireless device, a UE 115, a network entity 105, an active wireless device) and may send the stored information to the target reader in response to receiving the control signaling. The target reader may then communicate with the source reader to determine information for establishing a connection with the passive wireless device. In some other cases, in accordance with other procedures, the passive wireless device may communicate with multiple sources (e.g., RF sources, wireless devices) and multiple readers (e.g., RF readers, wireless devices) for maintaining and establishing connections, which may enable a passive wireless device to effectively perform mobility management.
FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a framework 200 that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The framework 200 may include multiple configurations 210 (e.g., scenarios) , which may each illustrate different signaling operations (e.g., patterns) between wireless devices. The framework 200 may include network entities 105 (e.g., a network entity 105-a, a network entity 105-b, a network entity 105-c, a network entity 105-d, and a network entity 105-e) and UEs 115 (e.g., a UE 115-a, a UE 115-b, a UE 115-c, a UE 115-d, and a UE 115-e) , which may be examples of respective network entities 105 and UEs 115 as described with reference to FIG. 1. The framework 200 may also include passive wireless devices 205 (e.g., A-IoT devices, backscatter devices, tags, RFID tags) , which may transmit, reflect, or send backscattered communications (e.g., reflections, modulated reflections) using transmissions received from other wireless devices. For example, the framework 200 may include a passive wireless device 205-a, a passive wireless device 205-b, a passive wireless device 205-c, a passive wireless device 205-d, a passive wireless device 205-e, and a passive wireless device 205-f.
In some cases, network entities 105 and UEs 115 may communicate and otherwise interact with passive wireless devices 205 in various capacities. For example, a wireless device that transmits signaling to a passive wireless device 205 may be referred to as a source or a source reader. Additionally, or alternatively, a wireless device that receives signaling (e.g., backscattered signaling) from a passive wireless device 205 may be referred to as a reader or a target reader. As such, network entities 105 and UEs 115 that transmit signaling to a passive wireless device 205 may be referred to herein as sources or source readers. Additionally, or alternatively, network entities 105 and UEs 115 that receive signaling from a passive wireless device 205 may be referred to herein as readers or target readers.
The framework 200 may include communication links 225, which may be examples of communication links 125 as described with reference to FIG. 1. The communication links 225 may be utilized for different types of communications. For example, communication links 225-a may be examples of continuous wave communication links and may be utilized for continuous wave signaling. In some cases, continuous wave signaling may be utilized as a carrier signal for backscattered communications. Additionally, or alternatively, communication links 225-a may be examples of forward link communication links, which may carry control signaling (e.g., to one or more passive wireless devices 205, which may activate the one or more passive wireless devices 205) . Although shown as a single communication link 225-a, each communication link 225-a may be an example of a continuous wave communication link, a forward link communication link, or both. For example, a communication link 225-a may be utilized for forward link signaling, continuous wave signaling, or both.
The communication links 225-b may be examples of backscatter communication links, which may carry information (e.g., data) from a passive wireless device 205. For example, the passive wireless device 205-a may receive continuous wave signaling from the network entity 105-a and may backscatter the continuous wave signaling (e.g., to the network entity 105-a) via a communication link 225-b. The communication links 225-c may be examples of Uu communication links, which may be utilized for communications (e.g., non-backscattered communications) between network entities 105 and UEs 115.
In some cases, passive wireless devices 205 may serve to reduce complexity and power consumption for wireless communications by way of operating with reduced complexity or capability or relatively lower power when compared to other wireless devices. For example, some passive wireless devices 205 may be capable of operating with power consumption that may be orders of magnitude lower than existing enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) devices or narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) devices. As described herein, a passive wireless device 205 may be an example of one or more types of passive wireless devices 205. For example, a passive wireless device 205 may be an example of a type-A, batteryless wireless device with no energy storage capability. Such a passive wireless device 205 may be dependent on the available of an external source of energy (e.g., power) , such as a network entity 105, a UE 115, or both. In some other cases, a passive wireless device 205 may be an example of a type-B wireless device with some energy storage, and may be referred to as a semi-active wireless device. For example, a type-B wireless device may include a capacitor, a supercapacitor, a battery, or any other type of energy storage component. In some cases, an energy storage component of a type-B wireless device may operate without replacement of an energy storage component or without recharging the energy storage component.
In some cases, a passive wireless device 205 may be referred to as an A-IoT device, a tag, a batteryless UE, or a passive UE. Additionally, or alternatively, a passive wireless device 205 may not be equipped with active or usable RF components. A passive wireless device 205 may perform data transmission based on modulating one or more incident RF signals emitted by one or more RF transmitters (e.g., a mobile terminal (MT) , a network entity 105, a UE 115) . In some cases, RF signals (e.g., ambient RF signals, signals received by a passive wireless device 205) may serve as carrier waves for backscattered communications and energy resources for harvesting power. For example, a passive wireless device may receive a signal (e.g., a continuous wave signal, a forward link signal) from a wireless device and may perform one or more operations to convert energy from the signal into usable power at the passive wireless device 205.
As described herein, passive wireless devices 205 may be deployed in a variety of configurations 210 (e.g., scenarios) . For example, as shown in the configuration 210-a and the configuration 210-b, a passive wireless device 205 may communicate with a single, full duplex wireless device, such as a network entity 105-a or a UE 115-a. Such configurations 210 (e.g., the configuration 210-a and the configuration 210-b) may be referred to as monostatic. In such configurations 210, the network entity 105-a and the UE 115-a may be examples of readers, sources, or both. As shown in the configuration 210-c, the configuration 210-d, the configuration 210-e, and the configuration 210-f, a passive wireless device 205 may communicate with a network entity 105 and a UE 115 (e.g., cooperatively, synchronously) . Such configurations 210 may be referred to as bistatic. In such configurations 210, a network entity 105, a UE 115, or both may be examples of readers (e.g., half duplex readers) , sources, or both.
In accordance with some protocols for wireless communications systems, UEs 115 (e.g., non-passive devices, active devices) may perform various operations, that may not be readily transferrable to or capable of being performed by passive wireless devices 205. For example, UEs 115 may perform operations to establish and maintain wireless connections, which may be utilized in scenarios where a UE 115 moves between coverage areas or cells for different network entities 105. For example, after preliminary search and successful registration to the network (e.g., to a network entity 105) , a UE 115 may continue to carry out measurements to search and detect new candidate cells to ensure the UE 115 is camped on a ranked cell above a threshold, a highest priority cell, or both.
A UE 115 may perform one or more measurements for a serving cell. For example, the UE 115 may measure one or more synchronization signal reference signal received powers (SS-RSRPs) and one or more synchronization signal reference signal received qualities (SS-RSRQ) for the serving cell one or more times per discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle. In some cases, the DRX cycle length may be configured to be 320ms, 640ms, 1.28s, or 2.56s. In some cases, a UE 115 may perform one or more measurements for intra-frequency, inter-frequency, and inter-RAT cells. Unlike the serving cell evaluation (e.g., measurements) , a neighboring cell evaluation may be stopped, or further relaxed for UEs 115 depending on the serving cell quality and/or one or more conditions being satisfied (e.g., if a UE 115 is not at a cell edge or for a low-mobility UE) . The neighboring cell measurements and corresponding cell search may be performed for a threshold period (e.g., a minimum period) , which may be longer than measurements for the serving cell and may depend on DRX cycle length and frequency (e.g., periodicity) . If the serving cell has not satisfied one or more conditions after N consecutive DRX cycles, the UE 115 may fall back to measure all neighboring cells and perform cell selection regardless of the measurement rules currently limiting measurement activities for a UE 115.
In connected mode, a UE 115 may perform radio link management (RLM) and channel state information (CSI) measurements (e.g., Layer 1 RSRP) , mobility related measurements, as well as monitoring and measurements for beam management (BM) (e.g., beam failure detection (BFD) and link recovery) . For mobility related measurements, the measurement activity or applicability is determined by a measurement configuration provided by the network (e.g., a network entity 105) (e.g., synchronization signal block/physical broadcast channel measurement timing configuration (SMTC) periodicity, measurement gaps) . The RLM, BFD, and CSI measurements may also be dependent on the network configuration via the periodicity of associated reference signal resources (e.g., during the active time or when a DRX on-duration timer is running) .
For passive wireless devices 205, there may be a restriction on power consumption (e.g., 100 microwatts (uWs) or lower) . Periodic measurements performed by UEs 115 (e.g., non-passive devices or active devices) may contribute to a large percentage of power consumption, which may present a tradeoff between power consumption and performance. Due to the use of low-order analog to digital converters (ADCs) or comparators, the simple receiver architecture used by passive wireless devices 205 may have no support or limited support for measurement functionality. In some cases, a passive wireless device 205 may not generate its own carrier signal and may instead modulate an incoming signal to backscatter its data to a reader. For example, a passive wireless device 205 may not initiate a backscatter transmission (e.g., for measurement reporting) when a signal from a source (e.g., an RF source) is not received. If bistatic deployment is used for passive wireless devices 205, the radio resource management (RRM) and mobility management may be relatively complicated when compared to monostatic deployment (e.g., due to the non-collocated RF source transmitter and reader receiver) . In such cases, a passive wireless device 205 may select not only an appropriate RF source for RF signal emission (e.g., backscattering) but also an appropriate reader for receiving the modulated, backscattered signal.
In accordance with examples as described herein, a passive wireless device 205 may implement one or more procedures for maintaining and establishing wireless connections (e.g., for mobility management) . In some examples of such procedures, a passive wireless device 205 may backscatter (e.g., reflect, send, transmit) signaling received from other wireless devices (e.g., UEs 115, network entities 105) such that various communication parameters (e.g., signal quality metrics, signal power metrics) may be measured by one or more other wireless devices (e.g., one or more active wireless devices) . For example, in accordance with a first procedure for mobility management, a passive wireless device 205 may receive and store information from a source reader (e.g., a network entity 105, a UE 115) . The passive wireless device may then receive control signaling from a target reader (e.g., a network entity 105, a UE 115) and may send the stored information to the target reader in response to receiving the control signaling. The target reader may then communicate with the source reader to determine information for establishing a connection with the passive wireless device 205. In some other cases, in accordance with other procedures, the passive wireless device 205 may communicate with multiple sources (e.g., RF sources, wireless devices) and multiple readers (e.g., RF readers, wireless devices) for maintaining and establishing connections, which may enable a passive wireless device 205 to effectively perform mobility management.
FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a framework 300 that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The framework 300 may include multiple configurations 310, which may each illustrate different mobility scenarios for wireless devices that move between coverage areas 315. The framework 300 may include network entities 105 and UEs 115, which may be examples of respective network entities 105 and UEs 115 as described with reference to FIGs. 1 and 2. The framework 300 may also include passive wireless devices 205 (e.g., A-IoT devices, backscatter devices, tags) , which may transmit backscattered communications (e.g., reflections, modulation reflections) using transmissions received from other wireless devices.
The framework 300 may include communication links 325, which may be examples of communication links 125 as described with reference to FIG. 1 and communication links 225 as described with reference to FIG. 2. The communication links 325 may be utilized for different types of communications. For example, communication links 325-a may be examples of continuous wave communication links and may be utilized for continuous wave signaling. In some cases, continuous wave signaling may be utilized as a carrier signal for backscattered communications. Additionally, or alternatively, communication links 325-a may be examples of forward link communication links, which may carry control signaling (e.g., to one or more passive wireless devices 205) . Although shown as a single communication link 325-a, each communication link 325-a may be an example of a continuous wave communication link, a forward link communication link, or both. For example, a communication link 325-a may be utilized for forward link signaling, continuous wave signaling, or both.
The communication links 325-b may be examples of backscatter communication links, which may carry information (e.g., data) from a passive wireless device 205. For example, the passive wireless device 205-g may receive continuous wave signaling from the UE 115-f and may backscatter the continuous wave signaling (e.g., to the network entity 105-f) via a communication link 325-b. The communication links 325-c may be examples of Uu communication links, which may be utilized for communications (e.g., non-backscattered communications) between network entities 105 and UEs 115.
The configuration 310-a may illustrate an example of the passive wireless device 205-g moving out of the coverage area 315-a and into the coverage area 315-b. Additionally, or alternatively, the configuration 310-a may illustrate an example of the passive wireless device 205-g switching from a first source (e.g., the UE 115-f) to a second source (e.g., the UE 115-g) while remaining connected to a single reader (e.g., the network entity 105-f) . The coverage area 315-a may be for the UE 115-f, the network entity 105-f, or both. The coverage area 315-b may be for the UE 115-g, the network entity 105-f, or both. As shown, the passive wireless device 205-g may receive signaling from the UE 115-f and send (e.g., transmit) backscattered signaling to the network entity 105-f (e.g., while operating in the coverage area 315-a) . The passive wireless device 205-g may then move to the coverage area 315-b. While operating in the coverage area 315-b, the passive wireless device 205-g may receive signaling from the UE 115-g and send backscattered signaling to the network entity 105-f. Although one example described with reference to the configuration 310-a includes the passive wireless device 205-g moving from the coverage area 315-a to the coverage area 315-b, the passive wireless device 205-g may also remain relatively stationary while the UE 115-f, the UE 115-g, or both, move between the coverage area 315-a and the coverage area 315-b.
The configuration 310-b may illustrate an example of the passive wireless device 205-h moving out of the coverage area 315-c and into the coverage area 315-d. Additionally, or alternatively, the configuration 310-b may illustrate an example of the passive wireless device 205-h switching from a first reader (e.g., the UE 115-h) to a second reader (e.g., the UE 115-i) while remaining connected to a single source (e.g., the network entity 105-g) . The coverage area 315-c may be for the UE 115-h, the network entity 105-g, or both. The coverage area 315-d may be for the UE 115-i, the network entity 105-g, or both. As shown, the passive wireless device 205-h may receive signaling from the network entity 105-g and send (e.g., transmit) backscattered signaling to the UE 115-h (e.g., while operating in the coverage area 315-c) . The passive wireless device 205-h may then move to the coverage area 315-d. While operating in the coverage area 315-d, the passive wireless device 205-h may receive signaling from the network entity 105-g and send backscattered signaling to the UE 115-i. Although one example described with reference to the configuration 310-b includes the passive wireless device 205-h moving from the coverage area 315-c to the coverage area 315-d, the passive wireless device 205-h may also remain relatively stationary while the UE 115-h, the UE 115-i, or both, move between the coverage area 315-c and the coverage area 315-d.
The configuration 310-c may illustrate an example of the passive wireless device 205-i moving out of the coverage area 315-e and into the coverage area 315-f. Additionally, or alternatively, the configuration 310-c may illustrate an example of the passive wireless device 205-i switching from a first reader (e.g., the network entity 105-h) and a first source (e.g., the UE 115-j) to a second reader (e.g., the network entity 105-i) and a second source (e.g., the UE 115-k) . The coverage area 315-e may be for the UE 115-j, the network entity 105-h, or both. The coverage area 315-f may be for the UE 115-k, the network entity 105-i, or both. As shown, the passive wireless device 205-i may receive signaling from the UE 115-j and send (e.g., transmit) backscattered signaling to the network entity 105-h (e.g., while operating in the coverage area 315-e) . The passive wireless device 205-i may then move to the coverage area 315-f. While operating in the coverage area 315-f, the passive wireless device 205-i may receive signaling from the UE 115-k and send backscattered signaling to the network entity 105-i.
In accordance with examples as described herein, a passive wireless device 205 may implement one or more procedures for maintaining and establishing wireless connections (e.g., for mobility management) . In some examples of such procedures, a passive wireless device 205 may backscatter (e.g., reflect, send, transmit) signaling received from other wireless devices (e.g., UEs 115, network entities 105) such that various communication parameters (e.g., signal quality metrics, signal power metrics) may be measured by one or more other wireless devices (e.g., one or more active wireless devices) . Such procedures for maintaining and establishing wireless connections may be applied to any one of the configurations 310, which may enable more effective and reliable communications for passive wireless devices 205.
FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a process flow 400 that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. In some cases, the process flow 400 may implement aspects of the wireless communications system 100, the framework 200, or the framework 300. For example, the process flow 400 may include a passive wireless device 205-j, which may be an example of a passive wireless device 205 as described with reference to FIGs. 2 and 3. Additionally, or alternatively, the process flow 400 may include a network entity 105-j and a network entity 105-k, which may be network entities 105 as described with reference to FIGs. 1–3.
In the following description of the process flow 400, the operations between the passive wireless device 205-j, the network entity 105-j, and the network entity 105-k may be performed in a different order than the order shown. Some operations may also be left out of the process flow 400, or other operations may be added to the process flow 400. Further, although some operations or communications may be shown to occur at different times for discussion purposes, these operations may occur at the same time. Additionally, or alternatively, although the passive wireless device 205-j, the network entity 105-j, and the network entity 105-k are shown performing a number of the operations of process flow 400, any wireless device may perform the operations shown.
At 405, the passive wireless device 205-j (e.g., passive backscatter device) and the network entity 105-j (e.g., first wireless device, source reader) may establish a connection. In some cases, establishing the connection may include the network entity 105-j transmitting one or more reference signals to the passive wireless device 205-j and determining that one or more conditions associated with a signal quality or a signal power for the one or more reference signals is satisfied. In some cases, establishing the connection may not include transmitting one or more reference signals. For example, the network entity 105-j and the passive wireless device 205-j may have established a connection based on any signal being transmitted by the network entity 105-j to the passive wireless device 205-j.
At 410, the passive wireless device 205-j may receive, from a network entity 105-j, a first message including at least an indication of an identifier associated with the network entity 105-j and a temporary identifier for the passive wireless device 205-j. In some cases, the identifier associated with the network entity 105-j includes a physical cell identifier, a cell radio network temporary identifier, or a temporary mobile subscriber identity identifier.
In some cases, the passive wireless device 205-j may store, at the passive wireless device 205-j, the indication of the identifier associated with the network entity 105-j and the temporary identifier for the passive wireless device 205-j. In some cases, the passive wireless device 205-j may receive, from the network entity 105-j, configuration information for a timer, where the passive wireless device 205-j refrains from transmitting backscattered signaling to one or more other wireless devices for a duration associated with the timer.
At 415, the passive wireless device 205-j may receive, from the network entity 105-k (e.g., second wireless device, target reader) , a control message (e.g., a query command) for activation of the passive wireless device 205-j.
At 420, the passive wireless device 205-j may transmit, in response to receiving the control message, a backscattered signal including at least the indication of the identifier associated with the network entity 105-j and the temporary identifier associated with the passive wireless device 205-j based on the activation of the passive wireless device 205-j.
At 425, the network entity 105-k may transmit, to the network entity 105-j, a request for context information based on receiving the backscattered signal (e.g., from the passive wireless device 205-j) . In some cases, the network entity 105-k may receive, from the network entity 105-j, the context information for the passive wireless device 205-j. The context information may include one or more of security key information for communications with the passive wireless device 205-j, a mobile network assigned identifier for the passive wireless device 205-j, or a list of product information associated with the passive wireless device 205-j. The list of product information may include a serial number of the passive wireless device 205-j, an application layer ID, or other potential information associated with the passive wireless device 205-j.
At 430, receiving, from the network entity 105-k, a second message indicating a second identifier for the network entity 105-k and an updated temporary identifier for the passive wireless device 205-j.
At 435, the passive wireless device 205-j and the network entity 105-k may establish a connection based on the control message (e.g., based on the passive wireless device 205-j receiving the control message) .
The process flow 400 may be an example of reader assisted mobility control for the passive wireless device 205-j (e.g., without measurement capability) . In some cases, the passive wireless device 205-j may utilize a single bit ADC or comparator. In some cases, the passive wireless device 205-j may utilize a query-and-response protocol for communicating with the network entity 105-j, the network entity 105-k, or both. That is, the passive wireless device 205-j may not initiate a search procedure for identifying a cell (e.g., a reader) to camp on. Additionally, or alternatively, the passive wireless device 205-j may not initiate communications but instead may operate passively.
To support mobility, the passive wireless device 205-j may store an ID for a previously camped reader (e.g., the source reader, the network entity 105-j) and may include the ID in a response message to the query command (e.g., at 415) from the network entity 105-k. After receiving the source reader ID (e.g., the ID for the network entity 105-j) , the target reader (e.g., the network entity 105-k) may retrieve the stored context information for the passive wireless device 205-j from the network entity 105-j and use it to re-establish an RRC connection with the passive wireless device 205-j (e.g., at 435) . To avoid ping-pong reader selection, a timer may be configured by the network entity 105-j (e.g., at the passive wireless device 205-j) . The passive wireless device 205-j may refrain from responding to a query command from a different network entity 105 (e.g., the network entity 105-k) when the timer is running. In some cases, a reader ID (e.g., an ID for the network entity 105-j, an ID for the network entity 105-k) may be PCI (e.g., if a network entity 105 is used as a reader) . In some other cases, if a UE 115 is used as a reader, a reader ID may be a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) , a 5G system architecture evolution temporary mobile subscriber identity (5G-S-TMSI) , or any ID configured by higher layer signaling. In some cases, a network entity 105 may assign a temporary UE ID (analogous to C-RNTI for active UEs) used for its communications with the passive wireless device 205-j. The temporary UE ID may be effective for a corresponding network entity 105 (e.g., for the network entity 105 that assigned the temporary UE ID) .
The context information may include at least the unique ID assigned by the core network if the passive wireless device 205-j is registered in the core network or the tag product ID or any other ID for device identification if the passive wireless device 205-j is not registered in the core network but managed directly by a third-party application server. The context information may include also security key information and higher layer configuration information (e.g., a periodic backscatter transmission configuration for reader assisted RRM) assigned by the network entity 105-j to the passive wireless device 205-j. In such cases, the network entity 105-k may know where to send after receiving the tag data based on the context information. For example, the network entity 105-k may reuse a previous configuration for performing assisted RRM measurement.
FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a process flow 500 that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. In some cases, the process flow 500 may implement aspects of the wireless communications system 100, the framework 200, the framework 300, or the process flow 400. For example, the process flow 500 may include a passive wireless device 205-k, which may be an example of a passive wireless device 205 as described with reference to FIGs. 2–4. Additionally, or alternatively, the process flow 500 may include a UE 115-L, a UE 115-m, and network entity 105-L, which may be examples of respective UEs 115 and network entities 105 as described with reference to FIGs. 1–4. As described herein, the process flow 500 may be an example of a procedure for the passive wireless device 205-k to offload one or more measurements for RRM to a reader (e.g., the network entity 105-L) or a source (e.g., a UE 115-L, a UE 115-m) . For example, the network entity 105-L may perform one or more measurements (e.g., of backscattered signals) for selecting whether the passive wireless device 205-k communicates with the UE 115-L, the UE 115-m, or both.
In the following description of the process flow 500, the operations between the passive wireless device 205-k, the UE 115-L, the UE 115-m, and the network entity 105-L may be performed in a different order than the order shown. Some operations may also be left out of the process flow 500, or other operations may be added to the process flow 500. Further, although some operations or communications may be shown to occur at different times for discussion purposes, these operations may occur at the same time. Additionally, or alternatively, although the passive wireless device 205-k, the UE 115-L, the UE 115-m, and the network entity 105-L are shown performing a number of the operations of process flow 500, any wireless device may perform the operations shown.
At 505, the network entity 105-L may configure the UE 115-m (e.g., for communications with the passive wireless device 205-k) . For example, the network entity 105-L may transmit a message to the UE 115-m indicating whether the UE 115-m transmits signaling to the passive wireless device 205-k. In some cases, the network entity 105-L may configure the UE 115-m to periodically transmit one or more signals (e.g., continuous wave signals, synchronization signals) to the passive wireless device 205-k. In some cases, transmission of the one or more signals may be based on a protocol or specification for wireless communications (e.g., for 5G NR communications) .
At 510, the network entity 105-L may configure the UE 115-L (e.g., for communications with the passive wireless device 205-k) . For example, the network entity 105-L may transmit a message to the UE 115-L indicating whether the UE 115-L transmits signaling to the passive wireless device 205-k. In some cases, the network entity 105-L may configure the UE 115-L to periodically transmit one or more signals (e.g., continuous wave signals, synchronization signals) to the passive wireless device 205-k. In some cases, transmission of the one or more signals may be based on a protocol or specification for wireless communications (e.g., for 5G NR communications) . In some cases, the UE 115-L, the UE 115-m, and the passive wireless device 205-k may be located in a same cell (e.g., in a same coverage area of the network entity 105-L) .
At 515, the passive wireless device 205-k may receive signaling from the UE 115-m. The signaling may include a control message for activation of the passive wireless device 205-k. In some cases, the signaling may include continuous wave signaling (e.g., for backscattering) . Additionally, or alternatively, as described herein, the signaling received from the UE 115-m may be referred to as an incoming signal or an RF signal. The signaling received from the UE 115-m may be transmitted via a communication link 325-a, as described with reference to FIGs 2 and 3.
At 520, the passive wireless device 205-k may transmit (e.g., send) , in response to receiving the signaling (e.g., the control message) , a backscattered signal including at least an indication of an identifier for another wireless device, such as the network entity 105-L, the UE 115-L, the UE 115-m, or any combination thereof. The backscattered signal may also include a temporary ID for the passive wireless device 205-k. In such cases, transmitting the backscattered signal may be based on the activation of the passive wireless device 205-k. In some cases, the passive wireless device 205-k may reflect and backscatter modulate an incoming signal (e.g., the signaling received at 515) at a symbol level or a sample level. The incoming signal may be backscattered to the network entity 105-L (e.g., to a reader) . In some cases, the passive wireless device 205-k may coarsely synchronize (e.g., communications) with the network entity 105-L for supporting periodic backscattering without a trigger.
At 525, the passive wireless device 205-k may receive second signaling from the UE 115-L. The second signaling may include a second control message for the passive wireless device 205-k. In some cases, the second control message may include a configuration for periodic backscattering for measurement (e.g., by another wireless device) . In some cases, the second signaling may include continuous wave signaling (e.g., for backscattering) .
At 530, the passive wireless device 205-k may receive, from the UE 115-L, a periodic synchronization signal. In such cases, the passive wireless device 205-k may synchronize a timing for a backscattered signal (e.g., to be transmitted at 535) , based on the periodic synchronization signal received from the UE 115-L.
At 535, the passive wireless device 205-k may transmit, in response to receiving the second signaling (e.g., the second control message) , a second backscattered signal for measurement (e.g., by the network entity 105-L) . In some cases, the passive wireless device 205-k may transmit the second backscattered signal periodically (e.g., based on the configuration for periodic backscattering) . In some cases, transmitting the second backscattered signal may be based on the synchronized timing (e.g., between the passive wireless device 205-k and the UE 115-L) . In some cases, the network entity 105-L may measure and compare an RSRP, an RSRQ, or both for the backscattered signal and the second backscattered signal. Based on the comparison, the network entity 105-L may select the UE 115-L, the UE 115-m, or both for subsequent communications with the passive wireless device 205-k. For example, the network entity 105-L may select a UE 115 that corresponds to a strongest RSRP, RSRQ, or both.
In some cases, the passive wireless device 205-k may receive, from the UE 115-L, the UE 115-m, the UE 115-L, or any combination thereof, a continuous wave signal (e.g., at 515, at 525, or any other time) or any ambient orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal. In such cases, transmitting the second backscattered signal may be based on modulating an amplitude of the continuous wave signal or the ambient OFDM signal on a symbol basis. Additionally, or alternatively, data for backscattering (e.g., the second backscattered signal) may be pre-configured at the passive wireless device 205-k. In some cases, transmitting the second backscattered signal may be based on modulating an incoming signal using a set of continuous square waves. Additionally, or alternatively, the set of continuous square waves may have a higher granularity than a symbol duration of an incoming signal (e.g., an incoming RF signal, the message received at 515, the message received at 525) . For example, a periodicity of the continuous square wave may be less than the symbol duration. In some cases, the incoming signal may be received via a first channel and the backscattered signal, the second backscattered signal, or both, are transmitted via a second channel adjacent to the first channel.
FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a process flow 600 that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. In some cases, the process flow 600 may implement aspects of the wireless communications system 100, the framework 200, the framework 300, the process flow 400, or the process flow 500. For example, the process flow 600 may include a passive wireless device 205-L, which may be an example of a passive wireless device 205 as described with reference to FIGs. 2–5. Additionally, or alternatively, the process flow 600 may include a UE 115-n, a UE 115-o, and a network entity 105-m, which may be examples of respective UEs 115 and network entities 105 as described with reference to FIGs. 1–5. As described herein, the process flow 600 may be an example of a passive wireless device 205-L offloading RRM measurement to multiple readers (e.g., the UE 115-n, the UE 115-o) and a source (e.g., the network entity 105-m) . For example, the passive wireless device 205-L may backscatter signaling received from the network entity 105-m to the UE 115-n and the UE 115-o and the UE 115-n, the UE 115-o, or both may select a reader (e.g., a UE 115) for subsequent communications.
In the following description of the process flow 600, the operations between the passive wireless device 205-L, the UE 115-n, the UE 115-o, and the network entity 105-m may be performed in a different order than the order shown. Some operations may also be left out of the process flow 600, or other operations may be added to the process flow 600. Further, although some operations or communications may be shown to occur at different times for discussion purposes, these operations may occur at the same time. Additionally, or alternatively, although the passive wireless device 205-L, the UE 115-n, the UE 115-o, and the network entity 105-m are shown performing a number of the operations of process flow 600, any wireless device may perform the operations shown.
At 605, the network entity 105-m may configure the UE 115-m (e.g., for communications with the passive wireless device 205-L) . For example, the network entity 105-m may transmit a message to the UE 115-o indicating whether the UE 115-o communicates with the passive wireless device 205-L (e.g., receives signaling from the passive wireless device 205-L) . In some cases, the network entity 105-m may configure the UE 115-o to periodically receive one or more signals (e.g., continuous wave signals, reference signals) from the passive wireless device 205-L. In some cases, the network entity 105-m may configure the UE 115-o to report one or more measurements (e.g., RSRP measurements, RSRQ measurements) to the network entity 105-m based on signaling received from the passive wireless device 205-L.
At 610, the network entity 105-m may configure the UE 115-n (e.g., for communications with the passive wireless device 205-L) . For example, the network entity 105-m may transmit a message to the UE 115-n indicating whether the UE 115-n communicates with the passive wireless device 205-L (e.g., receives signaling from the passive wireless device 205-L) . In some cases, the network entity 105-m may configure the UE 115-n to periodically receive one or more signals (e.g., continuous wave signals, reference signals) from the passive wireless device 205-L. In some cases, the network entity 105-m may configure the UE 115-n to report one or more measurements (e.g., RSRP measurements, RSRQ measurements) to the network entity 105-m based on signaling received from the passive wireless device 205-L.
At 615, the network entity 105-m may transmit signaling to the passive wireless device 205-L. The signaling may include a control message for activation of the passive wireless device 205-L. In some cases, the signaling may include continuous wave signaling (e.g., for backscattering) . Additionally, or alternatively, as described herein, the signaling transmitted by the network entity 105-m may be referred to as an incoming signal or an RF signal. The signaling transmitted by the network entity 105-m may be transmitted via a communication link 325-a, as described with reference to FIGs. 2 and 3. In some cases, the network entity 105-m may periodically transmit the signaling (e.g., a single or multiple sine waves) to the passive wireless device 205-L.
At 620, the passive wireless device 205-L may transmit (e.g., send, reflect and backscatter) the signaling received at 615 to the UE 115-n. The passive wireless device 205-L may transmit the backscattered signaling at a symbol level or a sample level. In some cases, the backscattered signal may include at least an indication of an identifier for another wireless device, such as the network entity 105-m, the UE 115-n, the UE 115-o, or any combination thereof. The backscattered signal may also include a temporary ID for the passive wireless device 205-L. In such cases, transmitting the backscattered signal may be based on the activation of the passive wireless device 205-L. In some cases, the passive wireless device 205-L may perform one or more operations to synchronize (e.g., coarsely) with the network entity 105-m for supporting periodic backscattering without triggering.
At 625, the passive wireless device 205-L may transmit (e.g., send, reflect and backscatter) the signaling received at 615 to the UE 115-o. The passive wireless device 205-L may transmit the backscattered signaling at a symbol level or a sample level. In some cases, the backscattered signal may include at least an indication of an identifier for another wireless device, such as the network entity 105-m, the UE 115-n, the UE 115-o, or any combination thereof. The backscattered signal may also include a temporary ID for the passive wireless device 205-L. In such cases, transmitting the backscattered signal may be based on the activation of the passive wireless device 205-L. In some cases, the passive wireless device 205-L may perform one or more operations to synchronize (e.g., coarsely) with the network entity 105-m for supporting periodic backscattering without triggering.
In some cases, the UE 115-n and the UE 115-o may measure respective RSRPs, respective RSRQs, or both for the backscattered signals received from the passive wireless device 205-L. At 630, the UE 115-o may report one or more measurements (e.g., of an RSRP, of an RSRQ) to the network entity 105-m. At 635, the UE 115-n may report one or more measurements (e.g., of an RSRP, of an RSRQ) to the network entity 105-m. In such cases, the network entity 105-m may select one or more of the UEs 115 for subsequent communications with the passive wireless device 205-L based on the one or more received measurements. For example, the network entity 105-m may select a UE 115 corresponding to a strongest RSRP, a strongest RSRQ, or both, for subsequent communications with the passive wireless device 205-L. Accordingly, the network entity 105-m may transmit one or more indications (e.g., one or more control messages) to the UE 115-n and the UE 115-o indicating a UE 115 that is selected for subsequent communications with the passive wireless device 205-L.
FIGs. 7A and 7B illustrate examples of communication configurations 700 that support assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. Each communication configuration 700 may be utilized for communications between wireless devices, as described herein. For example, a passive wireless device 205 as described with reference to FIGs. 2–6 may perform backscatter signaling using one or more resources of a communication configuration 700. In some other cases, UEs 115 and network entities 105 as described with reference to FIGs. 1–7 may communicate using one or more resources of a communication configuration 700.
FIG. 7A illustrates an example of a communication configuration 700-a that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The communication configuration 700-a may include a passive wireless device 205-m, a UE 115-p, and a network entity 105-n, which may each be examples of respective passive wireless devices 205, UEs 115, and network entities, as described with reference to FIGs. 1–6. The passive wireless device 205-m, the UE 115-p, and the network entity 105-n may communicate via one or more communication links 225, which may be examples of respective communication links 225, as described with reference to FIGs. 2 and 3.
The communication configuration 700-a may include one or more symbols, y₁, and one or more symbols, y₂, which may be utilized for communications between wireless devices. Each symbol, y, may correspond to a bit value of ‘1’ or a bit value of ‘0. ’ Additionally, or alternatively, symbols y₁, may have a first characteristic (e.g., a first power, a first amplitude) and symbols y₂ may have a second characteristic (e.g., a second power, a second amplitude) . As described herein, a passive wireless device 205 may perform backscatter communications (e.g., backscatter modulation) at a symbol level (e.g., with a low rate) or at a sample level (e.g., with a high rate) . The communication configuration 700-a may illustrate an example of one or more aspects of symbol level backscattering.
For symbol level backscattering, a passive wireless device 205 may toggle an RF switch of the passive wireless device 205 to convey (e.g., transmit, send) a single bit of data per OFDM symbol (e.g., per symbol y) . In some cases (e.g., for amplitude shift keying (ASK) ) , the passive wireless device 205 toggles the switch between two states, a reflective state and an absorptive state. In some cases, a passive wireless device 205 may transmit or otherwise indicate bits 705 (e.g., bit values) that correspond to either the reflective state or the absorptive state. For example, a bit with a value of ‘1’ may correspond to a reflective state where a large amount of energy for a signal (e.g., a backscattered signal) is reflected and a bit with a value of ‘0’ may correspond to an absorptive state where a comparatively small amount of energy of a signal is reflected.
For symbol level backscattering, the backscattered data is known to the UE 115-p (e.g., the reader) and by comparing a power difference for different symbols corresponding to the states ‘0’ and ‘1’ , the UE 115-p may derive the signal strength of a backscattered signal. For state ‘0’ , a direct link signal may be received by the UE 115-p (e.g., y₁ = h₁ ·S) . For state ‘1’ , the UE 115-p may receive (e.g., detect, measure) a superposition signal for the communication link 225-c (e.g., the direct link) and the communication link 225-b (e.g., the backscatter link) . The UE 115-p may determine a characteristic, y₂, for the superposition signal using equation (1) , where q is the reflection coefficient, h₂₁ is the forward link channel (e.g., a channel corresponding to the communication link 225-a) , h₂₂ is the backscatter link channel (e.g., a channel corresponding to the communication link 225-b) , and S is the signal.
y₂ = (h₁ + h₂₁ ·h₂₂ ·q) ·S (1)
Then, the UE 115-p may determine a channel quality for the backscattered signal, z, using equation (2) , where S*is the superposition signal.
z=|y₂·S^*|²-|y₁·S*|² (2)
Since for different RF sources, the communication link 225-b (e.g., the backscatter link) may be the same, the value of z may represent the strength of different RF sources.
FIG. 7B illustrates an example of a communication configuration 700-b that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The communication configuration 700-b may be implemented by any of a passive wireless device 205, a UE 115, and a network entity 105, as described with reference to FIGs. 1–7A. The communication configuration 700-b may include one or more samples (e.g., x₀–x_n-1) . In some cases, the one or more samples may be examples of or may be included in one or more signals 710 (e.g., one or more RF signals) , which may be communicated between wireless devices. The communication configuration 700-b may include one or more square waves 715, which may correspond, map to, or overlap with the one or more square waves 715. In some cases, a signal (e.g., one OFDM symbol) may be preceded by a cyclic prefix (CP) , as shown in the communication configuration 700-b. As described herein, a passive wireless device 205 may perform backscatter communications (e.g., backscatter modulation) at a symbol level (e.g., with a low rate) or at a sample level (e.g., with a high rate) . The communication configuration 700-b may illustrate an example of one or more aspects of sample level backscattering.
For sample level backscattering, a passive wireless device 205 may utilize a series of square waves 715, which may be continuously transmitted over one or more OFDM symbols, to reflect an incoming RF signal. In such cases, the square wave 715 may shift the incoming RF signal to an orthogonal adjacent channel (e.g., F0 + Fs) to minimize interference where F0 is the frequency of the incoming RF signal and Fs is the frequency of the square wave. In some cases, the passive wireless device 205 may apply one or more different frequency shifts to different OFDM symbols resulting in frequency hopping for the backscattered signal by adapting the frequency of the continuous square wave.
In some cases, a UE 115 or a network entity 105 (e.g.., a reader) may measure a signal quality for a backscattered signal directly. For example, a reader may perform channel estimation for a received signal (e.g., a received backscattered signal) on the shifted frequency (e.g., F0 + Fs) and determines the channel quality, z, of a composite channel (e.g., h₂₁h₂₂) using equation (3) .
z=|h₂₁h₂₂|² (3)
To reduce estimation error (e.g., for determining the channel quality) , the channel estimation may be averaged across multiple OFDM symbols. In some cases, the square wave 715 may introduce a symbol specific phase offset and thus a reader may perform one or more operations to eliminating the phase offset before the estimating the channel (e.g., before averaging the channel) .
FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a communication configuration 800 that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The communication configuration 800 may be implemented by any of a passive wireless device 205, a UE 115, and a network entity 105, as described with reference to FIGs. 1–7A. For example, the communication configuration 800 may include one or more backscatter signals 815, which may be transmitted by a passive wireless device 205. Additionally, or alternatively, the communication configuration 800 may include periodic synchronization signals 805 and continuous wave signals 810, which may be communicated by a UE 115, a network entity 105, or both. In accordance with examples as described herein, a passive wireless device 205 may perform one or more operations as illustrated by the communication configuration 800, which may enable the passive wireless device 205 to effectively synchronize backscatter signals 815 with periodic synchronization signals 805, as well as other communications.
In some cases, a passive wireless device 205 may perform periodic backscattering without a trigger for RRM measurement. To address a delay caused by the access-grant protocol and reduce signaling overhead for the trigger command, periodic backscattering without triggering may be performed. A passive wireless device 205 may coarsely synchronize with an RF source, an RF reader, or both, on a symbol level. For example, the passive wireless device 205 may synchronize communications based on a symbol configuration. In such cases, the passive wireless device 205 may use an energy detector and a voltage comparator to detect one or more periodic synchronization signals 805.
In some cases, the passive wireless device 205 may receive a configuration for periodic backscattering that includes or otherwise indicates a periodicity, a time offset related to the received periodic synchronization signal 805 (e.g., a duration between a periodic synchronization signal 805 and a backscatter signal 815) , and an indication of whether symbol or sample level backscattering is performed. The passive wireless device 205 may periodically backscatter modulate a continuous wave signal 810 based on the configuration. Due to a potential timing mismatch resulting from clock drift or misalignment between wireless devices, a passive wireless device 205 may adjust backscattering timing after receiving a periodic synchronization signal 805. For example, the passive wireless device 205 may reset a timing or a starting time for backscatter signals 815 in response to receiving a periodic synchronization signal. Accordingly, the passive wireless device 205 may not allow a timing mismatch (e.g., a timing error) to propagate throughout multiple periodic synchronization signal 805 cycles (e.g., periods) , which may improve communication reliability.
FIG. 9 illustrates a block diagram 900 of a device 905 that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 905 may be an example of aspects of a passive wireless device as described herein. The device 905 may include a receiver 910, a transmitter 915, and a communications manager 920. The device 905 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses) .
The receiver 910 may provide a means for receiving information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient device) . Information may be passed on to other components of the device 905. The receiver 910 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.
The transmitter 915 may provide a means for transmitting signals generated by other components of the device 905. For example, the transmitter 915 may transmit information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient device) . In some examples, the transmitter 915 may be co-located with a receiver 910 in a transceiver module. The transmitter 915 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.
The communications manager 920, the receiver 910, the transmitter 915, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient device as described herein. For example, the communications manager 920, the receiver 910, the transmitter 915, or various combinations or components thereof may support a method for performing one or more of the functions described herein.
In some examples, the communications manager 920, the receiver 910, the transmitter 915, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in communications management circuitry) . The hardware may include a processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, a microcontroller, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure. In some examples, a processor and memory coupled with the processor may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., by executing, by the processor, instructions stored in the memory) .
Additionally, or alternatively, in some examples, the communications manager 920, the receiver 910, the transmitter 915, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in code (e.g., as communications management software or firmware) executed by a processor. If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communications manager 920, the receiver 910, the transmitter 915, or various combinations or components thereof may be performed by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, a microcontroller, or any combination of these or other programmable logic devices (e.g., configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure) .
In some examples, the communications manager 920 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the receiver 910, the transmitter 915, or both. For example, the communications manager 920 may receive information from the receiver 910, send information to the transmitter 915, or be integrated in combination with the receiver 910, the transmitter 915, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.
The communications manager 920 may support wireless communication at a passive backscatter devices in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 920 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from a first wireless device, a first message including at least an indication of an identifier associated with the first wireless device and a temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device. The communications manager 920 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for storing, at the passive backscatter device, the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device. The communications manager 920 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from a second wireless device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device. The communications manager 920 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, in response to receiving the control message, a backscattered signal including at least the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device based on the activation of the passive backscatter device.
By including or configuring the communications manager 920 in accordance with examples as described herein, the device 905 (e.g., a processor controlling or otherwise coupled with the receiver 910, the transmitter 915, the communications manager 920, or a combination thereof) may support techniques for performing backscatter signaling that reduce power consumption at the device 905. For example, the techniques for performing backscatter signaling may enable the device 905 to effectively manage and establish connections, which may prevent communication errors and therefore reduce power consumption associated with inefficient or ineffective management of wireless connections.
FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram 1000 of a device 1005 that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 1005 may be an example of aspects of a device 905 or a passive wireless device as described herein. The device 1005 may include a receiver 1010, a transmitter 1015, and a communications manager 1020. The device 1005 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses) .
The receiver 1010 may provide a means for receiving information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient device) . Information may be passed on to other components of the device 1005. The receiver 1010 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.
The transmitter 1015 may provide a means for transmitting signals generated by other components of the device 1005. For example, the transmitter 1015 may transmit information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient device) . In some examples, the transmitter 1015 may be co-located with a receiver 1010 in a transceiver module. The transmitter 1015 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.
The device 1005, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient device as described herein. For example, the communications manager 1020 may include a receiving component 1025, a storing component 1030, a transmitting component 1035, or any combination thereof. The communications manager 1020 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 920 as described herein. In some examples, the communications manager 1020, or various components thereof, may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or both. For example, the communications manager 1020 may receive information from the receiver 1010, send information to the transmitter 1015, or be integrated in combination with the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.
The communications manager 1020 may support wireless communication at a passive backscatter devices in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The receiving component 1025 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from a first wireless device, a first message including at least an indication of an identifier associated with the first wireless device and a temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device. The storing component 1030 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for storing, at the passive backscatter device, the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device. The receiving component 1025 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from a second wireless device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device. The transmitting component 1035 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, in response to receiving the control message, a backscattered signal including at least the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device based on the activation of the passive backscatter device.
FIG. 11 illustrates a block diagram 1100 of a communications manager 1120 that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The communications manager 1120 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 920, a communications manager 1020, or both, as described herein. The communications manager 1120, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient device as described herein. For example, the communications manager 1120 may include a receiving component 1125, a storing component 1130, a transmitting component 1135, a connection component 1140, a synchronizing component 1145, or any combination thereof. Each of these components may communicate, directly or indirectly, with one another (e.g., via one or more buses) .
The communications manager 1120 may support wireless communication at a passive backscatter devices in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The receiving component 1125 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from a first wireless device, a first message including at least an indication of an identifier associated with the first wireless device and a temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device. The storing component 1130 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for storing, at the passive backscatter device, the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device. In some examples, the receiving component 1125 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from a second wireless device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device. The transmitting component 1135 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, in response to receiving the control message, a backscattered signal including at least the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device based on the activation of the passive backscatter device.
In some examples, the receiving component 1125 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from the first wireless device, configuration information for a timer, where the passive backscatter device refrains from transmitting backscattered signaling to one or more other wireless devices for a duration associated with the timer.
In some examples, the receiving component 1125 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from the second wireless device, a second message indicating a second identifier for the second wireless device and an updated temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device.
In some examples, the connection component 1140 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for establishing a connection with the second wireless device based on receiving the control message.
In some examples, the identifier associated with the first wireless device includes a physical cell identifier, a cell radio network temporary identifier, or a temporary mobile subscriber identity identifier.
In some examples, the receiving component 1125 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from the second wireless device, a second control message for the passive backscatter device, where the second control message includes a configuration of periodic backscattering for measurement. In some examples, the transmitting component 1135 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, in response to receiving the second control message, a second backscattered signal for measurement, where the second backscattered signal is periodically transmitted.
In some examples, the receiving component 1125 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from the second wireless device, a periodic synchronization signal. In some examples, the synchronizing component 1145 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for synchronizing a timing for the backscattered signal based on the periodic synchronization signal received from the second wireless device, where transmitting the second backscattered signal is based on the synchronized timing.
In some examples, the receiving component 1125 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from the first wireless device, a third wireless device, or both, a continuous wave signal or an ambient orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal, where transmitting the second backscattered signal is based on modulating an amplitude of the continuous wave signal or the ambient OFDM signal on a symbol basis, and where data for backscattering is pre-configured at the passive backscatter device.
In some examples, transmitting the second backscattered signal is based on modulating an incoming signal using a set of continuous square waves. In some examples, the set of continuous square waves has a higher granularity than a symbol duration of the incoming signal.
In some examples, the incoming signal is received via a first channel and the backscattered signal is transmitted via a second channel adjacent to the first channel.
FIG. 12 illustrates a diagram of a system 1200 including a device 1205 that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 1205 may be an example of or include the components of a device 905, a device 1005, or a passive wireless device as described herein. The device 1205 may include components for bi-directional voice and data communications including components for transmitting and receiving communications, such as a communications manager 1220, an I/O controller 1210, a transceiver 1215, an antenna 1225, a memory 1230, code 1235, and a processor 1240. These components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more buses (e.g., a bus 1245) .
The I/O controller 1210 may manage input and output signals for the device 1205. The I/O controller 1210 may also manage peripherals not integrated into the device 1205. In some cases, the I/O controller 1210 may represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral. In some cases, the I/O controller 1210 may utilize an operating system such as or another known operating system. Additionally or alternatively, the I/O controller 1210 may represent or interact with a modem, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchscreen, or a similar device. In some cases, the I/O controller 1210 may be implemented as part of a processor, such as the processor 1240. In some cases, a user may interact with the device 1205 via the I/O controller 1210 or via hardware components controlled by the I/O controller 1210.
In some cases, the device 1205 may include a single antenna 1225. However, in some other cases, the device 1205 may have more than one antenna 1225, which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. The transceiver 1215 may communicate bi-directionally, via the one or more antennas 1225, wired, or wireless links as described herein. For example, the transceiver 1215 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 1215 may also include a modem to modulate the packets, to provide the modulated packets to one or more antennas 1225 for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the one or more antennas 1225. The transceiver 1215, or the transceiver 1215 and one or more antennas 1225, may be an example of a transmitter 915, a transmitter 1015, a receiver 910, a receiver 1010, or any combination thereof or component thereof, as described herein.
The memory 1230 may include RAM and ROM. The memory 1230 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 1235 including instructions that, when executed by the processor 1240, cause the device 1205 to perform various functions described herein. The code 1235 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or another type of memory. In some cases, the code 1235 may not be directly executable by the processor 1240 but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 1230 may contain, among other things, a BIOS which may control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.
The processor 1240 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof) . In some cases, the processor 1240 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other cases, a memory controller may be integrated into the processor 1240. The processor 1240 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 1230) to cause the device 1205 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient device) . For example, the device 1205 or a component of the device 1205 may include a processor 1240 and memory 1230 coupled with or to the processor 1240, the processor 1240 and memory 1230 configured to perform various functions described herein.
The communications manager 1220 may support wireless communication at a passive backscatter devices in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 1220 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from a first wireless device, a first message including at least an indication of an identifier associated with the first wireless device and a temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device. The communications manager 1220 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for storing, at the passive backscatter device, the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device. The communications manager 1220 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from a second wireless device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device. The communications manager 1220 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, in response to receiving the control message, a backscattered signal including at least the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device based on the activation of the passive backscatter device.
By including or configuring the communications manager 1220 in accordance with examples as described herein, the device 1205 may support techniques for performing backscatter signaling that improve communication reliability at the device 1205. For example, the techniques for performing backscatter signaling may enable the device 1205 to effectively manage and establish connections, which may prevent communication errors and improve communication reliability.
In some examples, the communications manager 1220 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, monitoring, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the transceiver 1215, the one or more antennas 1225, or any combination thereof. Although the communications manager 1220 is illustrated as a separate component, in some examples, one or more functions described with reference to the communications manager 1220 may be supported by or performed by the processor 1240, the memory 1230, the code 1235, or any combination thereof. For example, the code 1235 may include instructions executable by the processor 1240 to cause the device 1205 to perform various aspects of assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient device as described herein, or the processor 1240 and the memory 1230 may be otherwise configured to perform or support such operations.
FIG. 13 illustrates a block diagram 1300 of a device 1305 that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 1305 may be an example of aspects of a first wireless device as described herein. The device 1305 may include a receiver 1310, a transmitter 1315, and a communications manager 1320. The device 1305 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses) .
The receiver 1310 may provide a means for obtaining (e.g., receiving, determining, identifying) information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I/Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack) . Information may be passed on to other components of the device 1305. In some examples, the receiver 1310 may support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the receiver 1310 may support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof.
The transmitter 1315 may provide a means for outputting (e.g., transmitting, providing, conveying, sending) information generated by other components of the device 1305. For example, the transmitter 1315 may output information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I/Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack) . In some examples, the transmitter 1315 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the transmitter 1315 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the transmitter 1315 and the receiver 1310 may be co-located in a transceiver, which may include or be coupled with a modem.
The communications manager 1320, the receiver 1310, the transmitter 1315, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient device as described herein. For example, the communications manager 1320, the receiver 1310, the transmitter 1315, or various combinations or components thereof may support a method for performing one or more of the functions described herein.
In some examples, the communications manager 1320, the receiver 1310, the transmitter 1315, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in communications management circuitry) . The hardware may include a processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, a microcontroller, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure. In some examples, a processor and memory coupled with the processor may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., by executing, by the processor, instructions stored in the memory) .
Additionally, or alternatively, in some examples, the communications manager 1320, the receiver 1310, the transmitter 1315, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in code (e.g., as communications management software or firmware) executed by a processor. If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communications manager 1320, the receiver 1310, the transmitter 1315, or various combinations or components thereof may be performed by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, a microcontroller, or any combination of these or other programmable logic devices (e.g., configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure) .
In some examples, the communications manager 1320 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the receiver 1310, the transmitter 1315, or both. For example, the communications manager 1320 may receive information from the receiver 1310, send information to the transmitter 1315, or be integrated in combination with the receiver 1310, the transmitter 1315, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.
The communications manager 1320 may support wireless communication at a first wireless devices in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 1320 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, to a passive backscatter device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device. The communications manager 1320 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from the passive backscatter device, a backscattered signal including at least an indication of an identifier associated with a second wireless device and a temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device, where the backscattered signal is based on the control message. The communications manager 1320 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, to the second wireless device, a request for context information based on receiving the backscattered signal. The communications manager 1320 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from the second wireless device, the context information associated with the passive backscatter device.
By including or configuring the communications manager 1320 in accordance with examples as described herein, the device 1305 (e.g., a processor controlling or otherwise coupled with the receiver 1310, the transmitter 1315, the communications manager 1320, or a combination thereof) may support techniques for performing backscatter signaling that reduce power consumption at the device 1305. For example, the techniques for performing backscatter signaling may enable the device 1305 to effectively manage and establish connections, which may prevent communication errors and therefore reduce power consumption associated with inefficient or ineffective management of wireless connections.
FIG. 14 illustrates a block diagram 1400 of a device 1405 that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 1405 may be an example of aspects of a device 1305 or a first wireless device as described herein. The device 1405 may include a receiver 1410, a transmitter 1415, and a communications manager 1420. The device 1405 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses) .
The receiver 1410 may provide a means for obtaining (e.g., receiving, determining, identifying) information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I/Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack) . Information may be passed on to other components of the device 1405. In some examples, the receiver 1410 may support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the receiver 1410 may support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof.
The transmitter 1415 may provide a means for outputting (e.g., transmitting, providing, conveying, sending) information generated by other components of the device 1405. For example, the transmitter 1415 may output information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I/Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack) . In some examples, the transmitter 1415 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the transmitter 1415 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the transmitter 1415 and the receiver 1410 may be co-located in a transceiver, which may include or be coupled with a modem.
The device 1405, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient device as described herein. For example, the communications manager 1420 may include a transmission manager 1425 a reception manager 1430, or any combination thereof. The communications manager 1420 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 1320 as described herein. In some examples, the communications manager 1420, or various components thereof, may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the receiver 1410, the transmitter 1415, or both. For example, the communications manager 1420 may receive information from the receiver 1410, send information to the transmitter 1415, or be integrated in combination with the receiver 1410, the transmitter 1415, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.
The communications manager 1420 may support wireless communication at a first wireless devices in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The transmission manager 1425 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, to a passive backscatter device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device. The reception manager 1430 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from the passive backscatter device, a backscattered signal including at least an indication of an identifier associated with a second wireless device and a temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device, where the backscattered signal is based on the control message. The transmission manager 1425 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, to the second wireless device, a request for context information based on receiving the backscattered signal. The reception manager 1430 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from the second wireless device, the context information associated with the passive backscatter device.
FIG. 15 illustrates a block diagram 1500 of a communications manager 1520 that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The communications manager 1520 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 1320, a communications manager 1420, or both, as described herein. The communications manager 1520, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient device as described herein. For example, the communications manager 1520 may include a transmission manager 1525, a reception manager 1530, a security manager 1535, a connection manager 1540, a timing manager 1545, a measurement manager 1550, or any combination thereof. Each of these components may communicate, directly or indirectly, with one another (e.g., via one or more buses) .
The communications manager 1520 may support wireless communication at a first wireless devices in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The transmission manager 1525 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, to a passive backscatter device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device. The reception manager 1530 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from the passive backscatter device, a backscattered signal including at least an indication of an identifier associated with a second wireless device and a temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device, where the backscattered signal is based on the control message. In some examples, the transmission manager 1525 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, to the second wireless device, a request for context information based on receiving the backscattered signal. In some examples, the reception manager 1530 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from the second wireless device, the context information associated with the passive backscatter device.
In some examples, to support assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices, the security manager 1535 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for security key information for communications with the passive backscatter device, a mobile network assigned identifier for the passive backscatter device, or a list of product information associated with the passive backscatter device.
In some examples, the identifier associated with the second wireless device includes a physical cell identifier, a cell radio network temporary identifier, or a temporary mobile subscriber identifier.
In some examples, the connection manager 1540 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for establishing a connection with the passive backscatter device based on receiving the context information.
In some examples, the transmission manager 1525 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, to the passive backscatter device, a second control message, where the second control message includes a configuration of periodic backscattering for measurement. In some examples, the reception manager 1530 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from the passive backscatter device, a second backscattered signal for measurement.
In some examples, the transmission manager 1525 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, to the passive backscatter device, a periodic synchronization signal. In some examples, the timing manager 1545 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for synchronizing a timing for receiving backscattered signaling based on the periodic synchronization signal transmitted to the passive backscatter device.
In some examples, the second backscattered signal is based on modulating an amplitude of a continuous wave signal or an ambient orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal on a symbol basis. In some examples, the continuous wave signal or the ambient OFDM signal is transmitted by the second wireless device, a third wireless device, or both.
In some examples, the measurement manager 1550 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for measuring a first metric in a first symbol of the second backscattered signal and a second metric in a second symbol of the second backscattered signal. In some examples, the transmission manager 1525 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, to the second wireless device, the third wireless device, or both, an indication of whether subsequent communications are performed with the passive backscatter device, where the indication is based on the first metric and the second metric.
In some examples, the measurement manager 1550 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for measuring a first metric in a first channel of the second backscattered signal and a second metric in a second channel of the second backscattered signal. In some examples, the transmission manager 1525 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, to the second wireless device, the third wireless device, or both, an indication of whether subsequent communications are performed with the passive backscatter device, where the indication is based on the first metric and the second metric.
In some examples, the first metric and the second metric include a reference signal received power metric or a reference signal received quality metric.
In some examples, the second backscattered signal is based on modulating an incoming signal using a set of continuous square waves. In some examples, the incoming signal is transmitted by the second wireless device, a third wireless device, or both.
FIG. 16 illustrates a diagram of a system 1600 including a device 1605 that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 1605 may be an example of or include the components of a device 1305, a device 1405, or a first wireless device as described herein. The device 1605 may include components for bi-directional voice and data communications including components for transmitting and receiving communications, such as a communications manager 1620, a transceiver 1610, an antenna 1615, a memory 1625, code 1630, and a processor 1635. These components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more buses (e.g., a bus 1640) .
The transceiver 1610 may support bi-directional communications via wired links, wireless links, or both as described herein. In some examples, the transceiver 1610 may include a wired transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wired transceiver. Additionally, or alternatively, in some examples, the transceiver 1610 may include a wireless transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. In some examples, the device 1605 may include one or more antennas 1615, which may be capable of transmitting or receiving wireless transmissions (e.g., concurrently) . The transceiver 1610 may also include a modem to modulate signals, to provide the modulated signals for transmission (e.g., by one or more antennas 1615, by a wired transmitter) , to receive modulated signals (e.g., from one or more antennas 1615, from a wired receiver) , and to demodulate signals. In some implementations, the transceiver 1610 may include one or more interfaces, such as one or more interfaces coupled with the one or more antennas 1615 that are configured to support various receiving or obtaining operations, or one or more interfaces coupled with the one or more antennas 1615 that are configured to support various transmitting or outputting operations, or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the transceiver 1610 may include or be configured for coupling with one or more processors or memory components that are operable to perform or support operations based on received or obtained information or signals, or to generate information or other signals for transmission or other outputting, or any combination thereof. In some implementations, the transceiver 1610, or the transceiver 1610 and the one or more antennas 1615, or the transceiver 1610 and the one or more antennas 1615 and one or more processors or memory components (for example, the processor 1635, or the memory 1625, or both) , may be included in a chip or chip assembly that is installed in the device 1605. In some examples, the transceiver may be operable to support communications via one or more communications links (e.g., a communication link 125, a backhaul communication link 120, a midhaul communication link 162, a fronthaul communication link 168) .
The memory 1625 may include RAM and ROM. The memory 1625 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 1630 including instructions that, when executed by the processor 1635, cause the device 1605 to perform various functions described herein. The code 1630 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or another type of memory. In some cases, the code 1630 may not be directly executable by the processor 1635 but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 1625 may contain, among other things, a BIOS which may control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.
The processor 1635 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a CPU, an FPGA, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof) . In some cases, the processor 1635 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other cases, a memory controller may be integrated into the processor 1635. The processor 1635 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 1625) to cause the device 1605 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient device) . For example, the device 1605 or a component of the device 1605 may include a processor 1635 and memory 1625 coupled with the processor 1635, the processor 1635 and memory 1625 configured to perform various functions described herein. The processor 1635 may be an example of a cloud-computing platform (e.g., one or more physical nodes and supporting software such as operating systems, virtual machines, or container instances) that may host the functions (e.g., by executing code 1630) to perform the functions of the device 1605. The processor 1635 may be any one or more suitable processors capable of executing scripts or instructions of one or more software programs stored in the device 1605 (such as within the memory 1625) . In some implementations, the processor 1635 may be a component of a processing system. A processing system may generally refer to a system or series of machines or components that receives inputs and processes the inputs to produce a set of outputs (which may be passed to other systems or components of, for example, the device 1605) . For example, a processing system of the device 1605 may refer to a system including the various other components or subcomponents of the device 1605, such as the processor 1635, or the transceiver 1610, or the communications manager 1620, or other components or combinations of components of the device 1605. The processing system of the device 1605 may interface with other components of the device 1605, and may process information received from other components (such as inputs or signals) or output information to other components. For example, a chip or modem of the device 1605 may include a processing system and one or more interfaces to output information, or to obtain information, or both. The one or more interfaces may be implemented as or otherwise include a first interface configured to output information and a second interface configured to obtain information, or a same interface configured to output information and to obtain information, among other implementations. In some implementations, the one or more interfaces may refer to an interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and a transmitter, such that the device 1605 may transmit information output from the chip or modem. Additionally, or alternatively, in some implementations, the one or more interfaces may refer to an interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and a receiver, such that the device 1605 may obtain information or signal inputs, and the information may be passed to the processing system. A person having ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that a first interface also may obtain information or signal inputs, and a second interface also may output information or signal outputs.
In some examples, a bus 1640 may support communications of (e.g., within) a protocol layer of a protocol stack. In some examples, a bus 1640 may support communications associated with a logical channel of a protocol stack (e.g., between protocol layers of a protocol stack) , which may include communications performed within a component of the device 1605, or between different components of the device 1605 that may be co-located or located in different locations (e.g., where the device 1605 may refer to a system in which one or more of the communications manager 1620, the transceiver 1610, the memory 1625, the code 1630, and the processor 1635 may be located in one of the different components or divided between different components) .
In some examples, the communications manager 1620 may manage aspects of communications with a core network 130 (e.g., via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links) . For example, the communications manager 1620 may manage the transfer of data communications for client devices, such as one or more UEs 115. In some examples, the communications manager 1620 may manage communications with other network entities 105, and may include a controller or scheduler for controlling communications with UEs 115 in cooperation with other network entities 105. In some examples, the communications manager 1620 may support an X2 interface within an LTE/LTE-A wireless communications network technology to provide communication between network entities 105.
The communications manager 1620 may support wireless communication at a first wireless devices in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 1620 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, to a passive backscatter device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device. The communications manager 1620 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from the passive backscatter device, a backscattered signal including at least an indication of an identifier associated with a second wireless device and a temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device, where the backscattered signal is based on the control message. The communications manager 1620 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, to the second wireless device, a request for context information based on receiving the backscattered signal. The communications manager 1620 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from the second wireless device, the context information associated with the passive backscatter device.
By including or configuring the communications manager 1620 in accordance with examples as described herein, the device 1605 may support techniques for performing backscatter signaling that improve communication reliability at the device 1605. For example, the techniques for performing backscatter signaling may enable the device 1605 to effectively manage and establish connections, which may prevent communication errors and improve communication reliability.
In some examples, the communications manager 1620 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the transceiver 1610, the one or more antennas 1615 (e.g., where applicable) , or any combination thereof. Although the communications manager 1620 is illustrated as a separate component, in some examples, one or more functions described with reference to the communications manager 1620 may be supported by or performed by the transceiver 1610, the processor 1635, the memory 1625, the code 1630, or any combination thereof. For example, the code 1630 may include instructions executable by the processor 1635 to cause the device 1605 to perform various aspects of assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient device as described herein, or the processor 1635 and the memory 1625 may be otherwise configured to perform or support such operations.
FIG. 17 illustrates a flowchart showing a method 1700 that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1700 may be implemented by a passive wireless device or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1700 may be performed by a passive wireless device as described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 12. In some examples, a passive wireless device may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the passive wireless device to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the passive wireless device may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.
At 1705, the method may include receiving, from a first wireless device, a first message including at least an indication of an identifier associated with the first wireless device and a temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device. The operations of 1705 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1705 may be performed by a receiving component 1125 as described with reference to FIG. 11.
At 1710, the method may include storing, at the passive backscatter device, the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device. The operations of 1710 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1710 may be performed by a storing component 1130 as described with reference to FIG. 11.
At 1715, the method may include receiving, from a second wireless device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device. The operations of 1715 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1715 may be performed by a receiving component 1125 as described with reference to FIG. 11.
At 1720, the method may include transmitting, in response to receiving the control message, a backscattered signal including at least the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device based on the activation of the passive backscatter device. The operations of 1720 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1720 may be performed by a transmitting component 1135 as described with reference to FIG. 11.
FIG. 18 illustrates a flowchart showing a method 1800 that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1800 may be implemented by a passive wireless device or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1800 may be performed by a passive wireless device as described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 12. In some examples, a passive wireless device may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the passive wireless device to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the passive wireless device may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.
At 1805, the method may include receiving, from a first wireless device, a first message including at least an indication of an identifier associated with the first wireless device and a temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device. The operations of 1805 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1805 may be performed by a receiving component 1125 as described with reference to FIG. 11.
At 1810, the method may include receiving, from the first wireless device, configuration information for a timer, where the passive backscatter device refrains from transmitting backscattered signaling to one or more other wireless devices for a duration associated with the timer. The operations of 1810 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1810 may be performed by a receiving component 1125 as described with reference to FIG. 11.
At 1815, the method may include storing, at the passive backscatter device, the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device. The operations of 1815 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1815 may be performed by a storing component 1130 as described with reference to FIG. 11.
At 1820, the method may include receiving, from a second wireless device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device. The operations of 1820 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1820 may be performed by a receiving component 1125 as described with reference to FIG. 11.
At 1825, the method may include transmitting, in response to receiving the control message, a backscattered signal including at least the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device based on the activation of the passive backscatter device. The operations of 1825 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1825 may be performed by a transmitting component 1135 as described with reference to FIG. 11.
FIG. 19 illustrates a flowchart showing a method 1900 that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1900 may be implemented by a first wireless device or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1900 may be performed by a first wireless device as described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 20. In some examples, a first wireless device may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the first wireless device to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the first wireless device may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.
At 1905, the method may include transmitting, to a passive backscatter device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device. The operations of 1905 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1905 may be performed by a transmission manager 1525 as described with reference to FIG. 15.
At 1910, the method may include receiving, from the passive backscatter device, a backscattered signal including at least an indication of an identifier associated with a second wireless device and a temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device, where the backscattered signal is based on the control message. The operations of 1910 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1910 may be performed by a reception manager 1530 as described with reference to FIG. 15.
At 1915, the method may include transmitting, to the second wireless device, a request for context information based on receiving the backscattered signal. The operations of 1915 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1915 may be performed by a transmission manager 1525 as described with reference to FIG. 15.
At 1920, the method may include receiving, from the second wireless device, the context information associated with the passive backscatter device. The operations of 1920 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1920 may be performed by a reception manager 1530 as described with reference to FIG. 15.
FIG. 20 illustrates a flowchart showing a method 2000 that supports assisted measurement and mobility support for ambient devices in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 2000 may be implemented by a first wireless device or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 2000 may be performed by a first wireless device as described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 20. In some examples, a first wireless device may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the first wireless device to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the first wireless device may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.
At 2005, the method may include transmitting, to a passive backscatter device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device. The operations of 2005 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 2005 may be performed by a transmission manager 1525 as described with reference to FIG. 15.
At 2010, the method may include receiving, from the passive backscatter device, a backscattered signal including at least an indication of an identifier associated with a second wireless device and a temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device, where the backscattered signal is based on the control message. The operations of 2010 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 2010 may be performed by a reception manager 1530 as described with reference to FIG. 15.
At 2015, the method may include transmitting, to the second wireless device, a request for context information based on receiving the backscattered signal. The operations of 2015 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 2015 may be performed by a transmission manager 1525 as described with reference to FIG. 15.
At 2020, the method may include receiving, from the second wireless device, the context information associated with the passive backscatter device. The operations of 2020 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 2020 may be performed by a reception manager 1530 as described with reference to FIG. 15.
At 2025, the method may include security key information for communications with the passive backscatter device, a mobile network assigned identifier for the passive backscatter device, or a list of product information associated with the passive backscatter device. The operations of 2025 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 2025 may be performed by a security manager 1535 as described with reference to FIG. 15.
The following provides an overview of aspects of the present disclosure:
Aspect 1: A method for wireless communication at a passive backscatter device, comprising: receiving, from a first wireless device, a first message comprising at least an indication of an identifier associated with the first wireless device and a temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device; storing, at the passive backscatter device, the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device; receiving, from a second wireless device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device; and transmitting, in response to receiving the control message, a backscattered signal comprising at least the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device based at least in part on the activation of the passive backscatter device.
Aspect 2: The method of aspect 1, further comprising: receiving, from the first wireless device, configuration information for a timer, wherein the passive backscatter device refrains from transmitting backscattered signaling to one or more other wireless devices for a duration associated with the timer.
Aspect 3: The method of any of aspects 1 through 2, further comprising: receiving, from the second wireless device, a second message indicating a second identifier for the second wireless device and an updated temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device.
Aspect 4: The method of any of aspects 1 through 3, further comprising: establishing a connection with the second wireless device based at least in part on receiving the control message.
Aspect 5: The method of any of aspects 1 through 4, wherein the identifier associated with the first wireless device comprises a physical cell identifier, a cell radio network temporary identifier, or a temporary mobile subscriber identity identifier.
Aspect 6: The method of any of aspects 1 through 5, further comprising: receiving, from the second wireless device, a second control message for the passive backscatter device, wherein the second control message comprises a configuration of periodic backscattering for measurement; and transmitting, in response to receiving the second control message, a second backscattered signal for measurement, wherein the second backscattered signal is periodically transmitted.
Aspect 7: The method of aspect 6, further comprising: receiving, from the second wireless device, a periodic synchronization signal; and synchronizing a timing for the backscattered signal based at least in part on the periodic synchronization signal received from the second wireless device, wherein transmitting the second backscattered signal is based at least in part on the synchronized timing.
Aspect 8: The method of any of aspects 6 through 7, further comprising: receiving, from the first wireless device, a third wireless device, or both, a continuous wave signal or an ambient orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal, wherein transmitting the second backscattered signal is based at least in part on modulating an amplitude of the continuous wave signal or the ambient OFDM signal on a symbol basis, and wherein data for backscattering is pre-configured at the passive backscatter device.
Aspect 9: The method of any of aspects 6 through 8, wherein transmitting the second backscattered signal is based at least in part on modulating an incoming signal using a set of continuous square waves, the set of continuous square waves has a higher granularity than a symbol duration of the incoming signal.
Aspect 10: The method of aspect 9, wherein the incoming signal is received via a first channel and the backscattered signal is transmitted via a second channel adjacent to the first channel.
Aspect 11: A method for wireless communication at a first wireless device, comprising: transmitting, to a passive backscatter device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device; receiving, from the passive backscatter device, a backscattered signal comprising at least an indication of an identifier associated with a second wireless device and a temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device, wherein the backscattered signal is based at least in part on the control message; transmitting, to the second wireless device, a request for context information based at least in part on receiving the backscattered signal; and receiving, from the second wireless device, the context information associated with the passive backscatter device.
Aspect 12: The method of aspect 11, wherein the context information comprises one or more of: security key information for communications with the passive backscatter device, a mobile network assigned identifier for the passive backscatter device, or a list of product information associated with the passive backscatter device.
Aspect 13: The method of any of aspects 11 through 12, wherein the identifier associated with the second wireless device comprises a physical cell identifier, a cell radio network temporary identifier, or a temporary mobile subscriber identifier.
Aspect 14: The method of any of aspects 11 through 13, further comprising: establishing a connection with the passive backscatter device based at least in part on receiving the context information.
Aspect 15: The method of aspect 14, further comprising: transmitting, to the passive backscatter device, a second control message, wherein the second control message comprises a configuration of periodic backscattering for measurement; and receiving, from the passive backscatter device, a second backscattered signal for measurement.
Aspect 16: The method of aspect 15, further comprising: transmitting, to the passive backscatter device, a periodic synchronization signal; and synchronizing a timing for receiving backscattered signaling based at least in part on the periodic synchronization signal transmitted to the passive backscatter device.
Aspect 17: The method of any of aspects 15 through 16, wherein the second backscattered signal is based at least in part on modulating an amplitude of a continuous wave signal or an ambient orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal on a symbol basis, the continuous wave signal or the ambient OFDM signal is transmitted by the second wireless device, a third wireless device, or both.
Aspect 18: The method of aspect 17, further comprising: measuring a first metric in a first symbol of the second backscattered signal and a second metric in a second symbol of the second backscattered signal; and transmitting, to the second wireless device, the third wireless device, or both, an indication of whether subsequent communications are performed with the passive backscatter device, wherein the indication is based at least in part on the first metric and the second metric.
Aspect 19: The method of any of aspects 17 through 18, further comprising: measuring a first metric in a first channel of the second backscattered signal and a second metric in a second channel of the second backscattered signal; and transmitting, to the second wireless device, the third wireless device, or both, an indication of whether subsequent communications are performed with the passive backscatter device, wherein the indication is based at least in part on the first metric and the second metric.
Aspect 20: The method of aspect 19, wherein the first metric and the second metric comprise a reference signal received power metric or a reference signal received quality metric.
Aspect 21: The method of any of aspects 15 through 20, wherein the second backscattered signal is based at least in part on modulating an incoming signal using a set of continuous square waves, the incoming signal is transmitted by the second wireless device, a third wireless device, or both.
Aspect 22: An apparatus for wireless communication at a passive backscatter device, comprising a processor; memory coupled with the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform a method of any of aspects 1 through 10.
Aspect 23: An apparatus for wireless communication at a passive backscatter device, comprising at least one means for performing a method of any of aspects 1 through 10.
Aspect 24: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a passive backscatter device, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform a method of any of aspects 1 through 10.
Aspect 25: An apparatus for wireless communication at a first wireless device, comprising a processor; memory coupled with the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform a method of any of aspects 11 through 21.
Aspect 26: An apparatus for wireless communication at a first wireless device, comprising at least one means for performing a method of any of aspects 11 through 21.
Aspect 27: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a first wireless device, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform a method of any of aspects 11 through 21.
It should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible implementations, and that the operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible. Further, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined.
Although aspects of an LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR system may be described for purposes of example, and LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR terminology may be used in much of the description, the techniques described herein are applicable beyond LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR networks. For example, the described techniques may be applicable to various other wireless communications systems such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) , Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi) , IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX) , IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, as well as other systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.
Information and signals described herein 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 description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.
The various illustrative blocks and components described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed using a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a CPU, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor but, in the alternative, the processor may be any 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, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration) .
The functions described herein may be implemented using hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented using software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored as or transmitted using one or more instructions or code of a computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of the disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, functions described herein may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or combinations of any of these. Features implementing functions may also be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations.
Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one location to another. A non-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM) , flash memory, compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that may be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL) , or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of computer-readable medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, include CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD) , floppy disk and Blu-ray disc. Disks may reproduce data magnetically, and discs may reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.
As used herein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of” or “one or more of” ) indicates an inclusive list such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C) . Also, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step that is described as “based on condition A” may be based on both a condition A and a condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall be construed in the same manner as the phrase “based at least in part on. ”
The term “determine” or “determining” encompasses a variety of actions and, therefore, “determining” can include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (such as via looking up in a table, a database or another data structure) , ascertaining and the like. Also, “determining” can include receiving (e.g., receiving information) , accessing (e.g., accessing data stored in memory) and the like. Also, “determining” can include resolving, obtaining, selecting, choosing, establishing, and other such similar actions.
In the appended figures, similar components or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If just the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label, or other subsequent reference label.
The description set forth herein, in connection with the appended drawings, describes example configurations and does not represent all the examples that may be implemented or that are within the scope of the claims. The term “example” used herein means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration, ” and not “preferred” or “advantageous over other examples. ” The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the described techniques. These techniques, however, may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.
The description herein is provided to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

An apparatus for wireless communication at a passive backscatter device, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to:

receive, from a first wireless device, a first message comprising at least an indication of an identifier associated with the first wireless device and a temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device;

store, at the passive backscatter device, the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device;

receive, from a second wireless device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device; and

transmit, in response to receiving the control message, a backscattered signal comprising at least the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device based at least in part on the activation of the passive backscatter device.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to:

receive, from the first wireless device, configuration information for a timer, wherein the passive backscatter device refrains from transmitting backscattered signaling to one or more other wireless devices for a duration associated with the timer.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to:

receive, from the second wireless device, a second message indicating a second identifier for the second wireless device and an updated temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to:

establish a connection with the second wireless device based at least in part on receiving the control message.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the identifier associated with the first wireless device comprises a physical cell identifier, a cell radio network temporary identifier, or a temporary mobile subscriber identity identifier.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to:

receive, from the second wireless device, a second control message for the passive backscatter device, wherein the second control message comprises a configuration of periodic backscattering for measurement; and

transmit, in response to receiving the second control message, a second backscattered signal for measurement, wherein the second backscattered signal is periodically transmitted.
The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to:

receive, from the second wireless device, a periodic synchronization signal; and

synchronize a timing for the backscattered signal based at least in part on the periodic synchronization signal received from the second wireless device, wherein transmitting the second backscattered signal is based at least in part on the synchronized timing.
The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to:

receive, from the first wireless device, a third wireless device, or both, a continuous wave signal or an ambient orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal, wherein transmitting the second backscattered signal is based at least in part on modulating an amplitude of the continuous wave signal or the ambient OFDM signal on a symbol basis, and wherein data for backscattering is pre-configured at the passive backscatter device.
The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

transmitting the second backscattered signal is based at least in part on modulating an incoming signal using a set of continuous square waves; and

the set of continuous square waves has a higher granularity than a symbol duration of the incoming signal.
The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the incoming signal is received via a first channel and the backscattered signal is transmitted via a second channel adjacent to the first channel.
An apparatus for wireless communication at a first wireless device, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to:

transmit, to a passive backscatter device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device;

receive, from the passive backscatter device, a backscattered signal comprising at least an indication of an identifier associated with a second wireless device and a temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device, wherein the backscattered signal is based at least in part on the control message;

transmit, to the second wireless device, a request for context information based at least in part on receiving the backscattered signal; and

receive, from the second wireless device, the context information associated with the passive backscatter device.
The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to:

security key information for communications with the passive backscatter device, a mobile network assign identifier for the passive backscatter device, or a list of product information associated with the passive backscatter device.
The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the identifier associated with the second wireless device comprises a physical cell identifier, a cell radio network temporary identifier, or a temporary mobile subscriber identifier.
The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to:

establish a connection with the passive backscatter device based at least in part on receiving the context information.
The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to:

transmit, to the passive backscatter device, a second control message, wherein the second control message comprises a configuration of periodic backscattering for measurement; and

receive, from the passive backscatter device, a second backscattered signal for measurement.
The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to:

transmit, to the passive backscatter device, a periodic synchronization signal; and

synchronize a timing for receiving backscattered signaling based at least in part on the periodic synchronization signal transmitted to the passive backscatter device.
The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

the second backscattered signal is based at least in part on modulating an amplitude of a continuous wave signal or an ambient orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal on a symbol basis; and

the continuous wave signal or the ambient OFDM signal is transmitted by the second wireless device, a third wireless device, or both.
The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to:

measure a first metric in a first symbol of the second backscattered signal and a second metric in a second symbol of the second backscattered signal; and

transmit, to the second wireless device, the third wireless device, or both, an indication of whether subsequent communications are performed with the passive backscatter device, wherein the indication is based at least in part on the first metric and the second metric.
The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to:

measure a first metric in a first channel of the second backscattered signal and a second metric in a second channel of the second backscattered signal; and

transmit, to the second wireless device, the third wireless device, or both, an indication of whether subsequent communications are performed with the passive backscatter device, wherein the indication is based at least in part on the first metric and the second metric.
The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the first metric and the second metric comprise a reference signal received power metric or a reference signal received quality metric.
The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

the second backscattered signal is based at least in part on modulating an incoming signal using a set of continuous square waves; and

the incoming signal is transmitted by the second wireless device, a third wireless device, or both.
A method for wireless communication at a passive backscatter device, comprising:

receiving, from a first wireless device, a first message comprising at least an indication of an identifier associated with the first wireless device and a temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device;

storing, at the passive backscatter device, the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device;

receiving, from a second wireless device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device; and

transmitting, in response to receiving the control message, a backscattered signal comprising at least the indication of the identifier associated with the first wireless device and the temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device based at least in part on the activation of the passive backscatter device.
The method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving, from the first wireless device, configuration information for a timer, wherein the passive backscatter device refrains from transmitting backscattered signaling to one or more other wireless devices for a duration associated with the timer.
The method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving, from the second wireless device, a second message indicating a second identifier for the second wireless device and an updated temporary identifier for the passive backscatter device.
The method of claim 22, further comprising:

establishing a connection with the second wireless device based at least in part on receiving the control message.
The method of claim 22, wherein the identifier associated with the first wireless device comprises a physical cell identifier, a cell radio network temporary identifier, or a temporary mobile subscriber identity identifier.
The method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving, from the second wireless device, a second control message for the passive backscatter device, wherein the second control message comprises a configuration of periodic backscattering for measurement; and

transmitting, in response to receiving the second control message, a second backscattered signal for measurement, wherein the second backscattered signal is periodically transmitted.
The method of claim 27, further comprising:

receiving, from the second wireless device, a periodic synchronization signal; and

synchronizing a timing for the backscattered signal based at least in part on the periodic synchronization signal received from the second wireless device, wherein transmitting the second backscattered signal is based at least in part on the synchronized timing.
The method of claim 27, further comprising:

receiving, from the first wireless device, a third wireless device, or both, a continuous wave signal or an ambient orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal, wherein transmitting the second backscattered signal is based at least in part on modulating an amplitude of the continuous wave signal or the ambient OFDM signal on a symbol basis, and wherein data for backscattering is pre-configured at the passive backscatter device.
A method for wireless communication at a first wireless device, comprising:

transmitting, to a passive backscatter device, a control message for activation of the passive backscatter device;

receiving, from the passive backscatter device, a backscattered signal comprising at least an indication of an identifier associated with a second wireless device and a temporary identifier associated with the passive backscatter device, wherein the backscattered signal is based at least in part on the control message;

transmitting, to the second wireless device, a request for context information based at least in part on receiving the backscattered signal; and

receiving, from the second wireless device, the context information associated with the passive backscatter device.