EP4696039A1

EP4696039A1 - Energy state-based scheduling for ambient internet of things communications

Info

Publication number: EP4696039A1
Application number: EP23932430.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Zhikun WU; Yuchul Kim; Ahmed Elshafie; Wei Yang; Huilin Xu; Krishna Kiran Mukkavilli; Peter Gaal; Le LIU; Wanshi Chen
Original assignee: Qualcomm Inc
Current assignee: Qualcomm Inc
Priority date: 2023-04-12
Filing date: 2023-04-12
Publication date: 2026-02-18
Also published as: CN121079998A; WO2024212138A1

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described. A reader device supporting radio-frequency identification (RFID) communications may receive, from an RFID tag, an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of the RFID tag. Based on the energy state indication message, the reader may predict one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag that are to occur. The reader device may then initiate a timer corresponding to the energy state of the radio-frequency identification tag, where the duration of the timer is set based on the prediction of the one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag. The reader may then transmit an expected communication duration message to the tag which indicates the duration of the timer, and may communicate with the tag during the duration of the timer.

Description

ENERGY STATE-BASED SCHEDULING FOR AMBIENT INTERNET OF THINGS COMMUNICATIONS

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY
The following relates to wireless communication, including energy state-based scheduling for ambient internet of things (IoT) communications.

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) .
SUMMARY
The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatuses that support energy state-based scheduling for ambient internet of things (IoT) communications. For example, the described techniques provide for a wireless device (e.g., a user equipment (UE) or a network entity) to communicate with a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag according to energy-state based scheduling. For example, the wireless device may receive an energy state indication message from the RFID tag that indicates an energy state of the RFID tag. Based on the energy state indication message, the wireless device may initiate a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag. In some examples, the duration of the timer may be based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag that may occur during the duration of the timer. For example, the wireless device may predict that an energy state change from a first energy state to a second energy state is to occur after a quantity of slots. In some other examples, the duration of the timer may be based on other characteristics of the tag, such as a charging or discharging rate, a distance between the wireless communications device and the RFID tag, among other characteristics.
Based on the duration of the timer, the wireless device may transmit an expected communication duration message that indicates the duration of the timer to the RFID tag. For example, the expected communication duration may include an expected communication termination indication that indicates a time that communication will terminate between the wireless communications device and the RFID tag. The wireless device may then transmit one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with the duration of the timer.
A method for wireless communications at a wireless communications device is described. The method may include receiving, from a RFID tag, an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of the RFID tag, initiating a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, where a duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer, transmitting, to the RFID tag, an expected communication duration message that indicates the duration of the timer, and transmitting one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with the duration of the timer.
An apparatus for wireless communications at a wireless communications 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 RFID tag, an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of the RFID tag, initiate a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, where a duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer, transmit, to the RFID tag, an expected communication duration message that indicates the duration of the timer, and transmit one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with the duration of the timer.
Another apparatus for wireless communications at a wireless communications device is described. The apparatus may include means for receiving, from a RFID tag, an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of the RFID tag, means for initiating a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, where a duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer, means for transmitting, to the RFID tag, an expected communication duration message that indicates the duration of the timer, and means for transmitting one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with the duration of the timer.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications at a wireless communications device is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to receive, from a RFID tag, an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of the RFID tag, initiate a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, where a duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer, transmit, to the RFID tag, an expected communication duration message that indicates the duration of the timer, and transmit one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with the duration of 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 predicting an energy state change to occur after a quantity of slots, where the energy state change includes a change from a first energy state to a second energy state of the RFID tag.
Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for predicting an energy state change to occur after a quantity of slots, where the energy state change includes a change from a first energy state to a deactivated state.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, transmitting the expected communication duration message may include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting an expected communication termination indication that indicates a time that communication will terminate between the wireless communications device and the RFID tag.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the expected communication termination indication includes instructions for the RFID tag to power off, or an indication of a threshold quantity of slots for the RFID tag to monitor before powering off.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the energy state of the RFID tag includes an amount of available energy in an energy storage of the RFID tag.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the duration of the timer may be further based on a charging rate of the RFID tag, a discharging rate of the RFID tag, a distance between the wireless communications device and the RFID tag, or any combination thereof.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the duration of the timer may be further based on a capacitor size of the RFID tag, a power amplifier of the RFID tag, a low-noise amplifier of the RFID tag, a diode type of the RFID tag, one or more on or off states of the RFID tag, or any combination thereof.
Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for performing one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages based on receiving a negative acknowledgement (NACK) , an absence of a positive acknowledgement (ACK) , a channel quality, or a combination thereof.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, a maximum quantity of the one or more retransmissions may be based on the energy state of the RFID tag.
Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for assigning a first priority to an initial transmission of the one or more messages and assigning a second priority to the one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages, where the second priority may be greater than the first priority and the second priority and the first priority may be based on the energy state of the RFID tag.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, transmitting the one or more messages to the RFID tag may include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting the one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with a delay duration, where the delay duration may be based on the energy state of the RFID tag.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the one or more messages include one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages and the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium may include further operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting the one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages in accordance with the delay duration, where the delay duration reduces time between respective retransmissions based on the energy state of the RFID tag.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the delay duration may be a preconfigured delay duration, or a dynamically configured delay duration received via a configuration message.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the delay duration indicates a time slot that the wireless communications device transmits the one or more messages to the RFID tag, a duration that the wireless communications device waits before transmitting the one or more messages to the RFID tag, 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 receiving one or more response messages from the RFID tag in accordance with a delay duration, where the delay duration may be based on the energy state of the RFID tag.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the delay duration indicates a time slot that the RFID tag transmits the one or more response messages, a duration the RFID tag waits before transmitting the one or more response messages to the wireless communications device, or both.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, transmitting the one or more messages to the RFID tag may include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting the one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with one or more transmission parameters, where the one or more transmission parameters may be based on the energy state of the RFID tag.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the one or more transmission parameters include one or more modified symbol durations, one or more modified modulation coding schemes, one or more modified transmission powers, or any combination thereof.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the RFID tag includes an ambient IoT device.
A method for wireless communications is described. The method may include transmitting an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of a RFID tag, receiving an expected communication duration message that indicates a duration of a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, where the duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer, and receiving one or more messages in accordance with the duration of the timer.
An apparatus for wireless communications 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 an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of a RFID tag, receive an expected communication duration message that indicates a duration of a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, where the duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer, and receive one or more messages in accordance with the duration of the timer.
Another apparatus for wireless communications is described. The apparatus may include means for transmitting an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of a RFID tag, means for receiving an expected communication duration message that indicates a duration of a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, where the duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer, and means for receiving one or more messages in accordance with the duration of the timer.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to transmit an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of a RFID tag, receive an expected communication duration message that indicates a duration of a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, where the duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer, and receive one or more messages in accordance with the duration of the timer.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the prediction of the one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag includes an energy state change to occur after a quantity of slots and the energy state change includes a change from a first energy state to a second energy state of the RFID tag.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the prediction of the one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag includes an energy state change to occur after a quantity of slots and the energy state change includes a change from a first energy state to a deactivated state.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, receiving the expected communication duration message may include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving an expected communication termination indication that indicates a time that communication will terminate between a wireless communications device and the RFID tag.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the expected communication termination indication includes instructions for the RFID tag to power off, or an indication of a threshold quantity of slots for the RFID tag to monitor before powering off.
Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages based on transmitting a NACK, an absence of a positive ACK, a channel quality, or a combination thereof.
In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, a maximum quantity of the one or more retransmissions may be based on the energy state of the RFID tag.
Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting one or more messages to a wireless communications device in accordance with a delay duration, where the delay duration may be based on the energy state of the RFID tag.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an example of a wireless communications system that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient internet of things (IoT) communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 shows an example of a wireless communications system that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIG. 3 shows an example of a wireless communications system that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIG. 4 shows an example of a reader-side timer configuration that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIG. 5 shows an example of a process flow that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIGs. 6 and 7 show block diagrams of devices that support energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of a communications manager that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIG. 9 shows a diagram of a system including a device that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIGs. 10 and 11 show block diagrams of devices that support energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIG. 12 shows a block diagram of a communications manager that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIG. 13 shows a diagram of a system including a device that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
FIGs. 14 through 16 show flowcharts illustrating methods that support energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects relate generally to wireless communication and more particularly to energy state-based scheduling for devices operating in a system supporting radio frequency identification (RFID) and internet of things (IoT) communications. Some aspects more specifically relate to wireless communications systems that support RFID technologies, where RFID “tags” are used to automatically capture data using a small microchip attached to an object or integrated within a device, and a “reader” device is used to scan or send information to the tag. Due to relatively low complexity and low power requirements, such RFID techniques may support low-power or backscattering communications (e.g., passive or ambient IoT communication) to reduce device and network power consumption. In some cases, RFID devices may support an on/off cycle in which an RFID device is “on” or active for a period of time and “off” or inactive for a period of time. For example, the RFID device, which may be a tag, may transmit or receive packet data from a reader during an “on” period and may conserve and repower (e.g., via an energy harvesting process) during an “off” period.
In some examples, the on/off cycle of an RFID device may be based on an energy state of the RFID device. For example, a tag associated with a relatively high energy state may have a relatively long “on” duration compared to a tag associated with a relatively low energy state, which may have a relatively short “on” duration. Some communications systems, however, may lack an appropriate scheduling method to support the on/off cycles of tags, and a reader may prioritize tags associated with high energy levels while tags associated with low energy levels may experience fewer opportunities to communicate with the reader. Additionally, low energy tags may not be able to effectively receive large packets due to the short on/off cycle associated with the low energy tag. Thus, without sufficient knowledge about the nature of a tag’s energy states and on/off cycle, a reader may transmit packets at inappropriate times such that the tag does not receive all the transmitted packets.
The techniques described herein may support energy state-based scheduling for communication between a tag and a reader device to enable a wireless device to coordinate scheduling with tags according to an energy state of the tag. For example, the tag may indicate to the reader an energy state of the tag, and the reader may, based on the energy state of the tag, predict one or more future energy states of the tag. The reader may configure and initiate a timer corresponding to the energy state of the tag where the duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the tag to occur. For example, the reader may predict that after a number of slots, the tag will be in a first energy state, and after an additional number of slots, the tag may be in an “off” period. The reader may transmit an indication to the tag of the duration of the timer and transmit one or more messages to the tag in accordance with the duration of the timer. For example, the reader may transmit a relatively large packet at the beginning of a predicted “on” period such that the packet may be received before the tag is in the “off” period. The duration of the timer may be based on a number of factors such as a charging or discharging rate of the tag, a distance between the wireless communications device and the tag, a capacitor size of the tag, a power amplifier of the tag, a low-noise amplifier of the tag, a diode type of the tag, on or off states of the tag, or other factors.
Particular aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to realize one or more of the following potential advantages. In some examples, by coordinating scheduling between tag and reader devices using energy state-based scheduling, the described techniques can be used to increase the reliability and quality of communications between a tag and reader device. For example, the coordinated scheduling may allow a reader to predict times in which the tag is available to receive packet data, which may reduce data loss that may occur due to the reader sending data during times where the tag is unavailable. Additionally or alternatively, the described techniques may support energy-state based retransmission of data, which may increase the likelihood that data is successfully communicated between a tag and a reader. Further, the described techniques may support integration of low-power or ambient IoT devices within a high frequency telecommunications network, which may increase communications efficiency and reduce overall device and network power expenditure.
Aspects of the disclosure are initially described in the context of wireless communications systems. Aspects of the disclosure are further illustrated by and described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts that relate to energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a wireless communications system 100 that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications 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 radio frequency (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.
For instance, an access network (AN) or RAN may include communications between access nodes (e.g., an IAB donor) , IAB nodes 104, and one or more UEs 115. The IAB donor may facilitate connection between the core network 130 and the AN (e.g., via a wired or wireless connection to the core network 130) . That is, an IAB donor may refer to a RAN node with a wired or wireless connection to core network 130. The IAB donor may include a CU 160 and at least one DU 165 (e.g., and RU 170) , in which case the CU 160 may communicate with the core network 130 via an interface (e.g., a backhaul link) . IAB donor and IAB nodes 104 may communicate via an F1 interface according to a protocol that defines signaling messages (e.g., an F1 AP protocol) . Additionally, or alternatively, the CU 160 may communicate with the core network via an interface, which may be an example of a portion of backhaul link, and may communicate with other CUs 160 (e.g., a CU 160 associated with an alternative IAB donor) via an Xn-C interface, which may be an example of a portion of a backhaul link.
An IAB node 104 may refer to a RAN node that provides IAB functionality (e.g., access for UEs 115, wireless self-backhauling capabilities) . A DU 165 may act as a distributed scheduling node towards child nodes associated with the IAB node 104, and the IAB-MT may act as a scheduled node towards parent nodes associated with the IAB node 104. That is, an IAB donor may be referred to as a parent node in communication with one or more child nodes (e.g., an IAB donor may relay transmissions for UEs through one or more other IAB nodes 104) . Additionally, or alternatively, an IAB node 104 may also be referred to as a parent node or a child node to other IAB nodes 104, depending on the relay chain or configuration of the AN. Therefore, the IAB-MT entity of IAB nodes 104 may provide a Uu interface for a child IAB node 104 to receive signaling from a parent IAB node 104, and the DU interface (e.g., DUs 165) may provide a Uu interface for a parent IAB node 104 to signal to a child IAB node 104 or UE 115.
For example, IAB node 104 may be referred to as a parent node that supports communications for a child IAB node, or referred to as a child IAB node associated with an IAB donor, or both. The IAB donor may include a CU 160 with a wired or wireless connection (e.g., a backhaul communication link 120) to the core network 130 and may act as parent node to IAB nodes 104. For example, the DU 165 of IAB donor may relay transmissions to UEs 115 through IAB nodes 104, or may directly signal transmissions to a UE 115, or both. The CU 160 of IAB donor may signal communication link establishment via an F1 interface to IAB nodes 104, and the IAB nodes 104 may schedule transmissions (e.g., transmissions to the UEs 115 relayed from the IAB donor) through the DUs 165. That is, data may be relayed to and from IAB nodes 104 via signaling via an NR Uu interface to MT of the IAB node 104. Communications with IAB node 104 may be scheduled by a DU 165 of IAB donor and communications with IAB node 104 may be scheduled by DU 165 of IAB node 104.
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 energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications 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 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.
A network entity 105 may provide communication coverage via one or more cells, for example a macro cell, a small cell, a hot spot, or other types of cells, or any combination thereof. The term “cell” may refer to a logical communication entity used for communication with a network entity 105 (e.g., using a carrier) and may be associated with an identifier for distinguishing neighboring cells (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID) , a virtual cell identifier (VCID) , or others) . In some examples, a cell also may refer to a coverage area 110 or a portion of a coverage area 110 (e.g., a sector) over which the logical communication entity operates. Such cells may range from smaller areas (e.g., a structure, a subset of structure) to larger areas depending on various factors such as the capabilities of the network entity 105. For example, a cell may be or include a building, a subset of a building, or exterior spaces between or overlapping with coverage areas 110, among other examples.
A macro cell generally covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by the UEs 115 with service subscriptions with the network provider supporting the macro cell. A small cell may be associated with a lower-powered network entity 105 (e.g., a lower-powered base station 140) , as compared with a macro cell, and a small cell may operate using the same or different (e.g., licensed, unlicensed) frequency bands as macro cells. Small cells may provide unrestricted access to the UEs 115 with service subscriptions with the network provider or may provide restricted access to the UEs 115 having an association with the small cell (e.g., the UEs 115 in a closed subscriber group (CSG) , the UEs 115 associated with users in a home or office) . A network entity 105 may support one or multiple cells and may also support communications via the one or more cells using one or multiple component carriers.
In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., MTC, narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) , enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) ) that may provide access for different types of devices.
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.
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.
Some UEs 115 may be configured to employ operating modes that reduce power consumption, such as half-duplex communications (e.g., a mode that supports one-way communication via transmission or reception, but not transmission and reception concurrently) . In some examples, half-duplex communications may be performed at a reduced peak rate. Other power conservation techniques for the UEs 115 include entering a power saving deep sleep mode when not engaging in active communications, operating using a limited bandwidth (e.g., according to narrowband communications) , or a combination of these techniques. For example, some UEs 115 may be configured for operation using a narrowband protocol type that is associated with a defined portion or range (e.g., set of subcarriers or resource blocks (RBs) ) within a carrier, within a guard-band of a carrier, or outside of a carrier.
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 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 also operate using a super high frequency (SHF) region, which may be in the range of 3 GHz to 30 GHz, also known as the centimeter band, or using an extremely high frequency (EHF) region of the spectrum (e.g., from 30 GHz to 300 GHz) , also known as the millimeter band. In some examples, the wireless communications system 100 may support millimeter wave (mmW) communications between the UEs 115 and the network entities 105 (e.g., base stations 140, RUs 170) , and EHF antennas of the respective devices may be smaller and more closely spaced than UHF antennas. In some examples, such techniques may facilitate using antenna arrays within a device. The propagation of EHF transmissions, however, may be subject to even greater attenuation and shorter range than SHF or UHF transmissions. The techniques disclosed herein may be employed across transmissions that use one or more different frequency regions, and designated use of bands across these frequency regions may differ by country or regulating body.
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 UEs 115 and the network entities 105 may support retransmissions of data to increase the likelihood that data is received successfully. Hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback or blind retransmission (e.g., blind retx) is one technique for increasing the likelihood that data is received correctly via a communication link (e.g., a communication link 125, a D2D communication link 135) . HARQ or blind retransmission may include a combination of error detection (e.g., using a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) ) , forward error correction (FEC) , and retransmission (e.g., automatic repeat request (ARQ) ) . HARQ or blind retransmission may improve throughput at the MAC layer in poor radio conditions (e.g., low signal-to-noise conditions) . In some examples, a device may support same-slot HARQ feedback, in which case the device may provide HARQ feedback or blind retransmission in a specific slot for data received via a previous symbol in the slot. In some other examples, the device may provide HARQ feedback or blind retransmission in a subsequent slot, or according to some other time interval.
Some examples of wireless communications system 100 may support RFID communications between tags and reader devices. In some cases, a reader may discover nearby tags. For example, the reader may discover a number of nearby tags, a class type (e.g., passive, semi-passive, active, etc. ) of the number of nearby tags, a tag charging state of the number of nearby tags. or the like. In some examples, the class type of a tag may be associated with an energy storage capability. For example, a passive tag may not have energy storage capability while a semi-passive tag and an active tag may have energy storage capability.
In some cases, a tag may receive a wake-up indication, transmit a wake-up notification, or both. For example, the tag may receive the wake-up indication including a request from the reader to begin communication. Additionally or alternatively, the tag may respond with the wake-up notification including an indication that communication may begin, an amount of time until a threshold energy is reached, or the like. For example, the tag may begin communications when an energy level of the tag satisfies the threshold energy. For example, the threshold energy may be the amount of energy storage of the tag required to communicate with the reader. In some examples, the wake-up indication, the wake-up notification, or both, may be transmitted or received during an off period or a dormant period of the tag. In some cases, the wake-up notification may not be sent by the tag. For example, the tag may not send the wake-up notification when the wake-up indication is received at a time sufficiently close to the beginning of the on period or an active period. Additionally or alternatively, the tag may not send the wake-up notification when the tag has an energy level below a threshold energy required for transmitting the wake-up notification.
In some cases, a wireless device (e.g., the UE 115 or the network entity 105) may communicate with an RFID tag according to energy-state based scheduling. For example, the wireless device may receive an energy state indication message from the RFID tag that indicates an energy state of the RFID tag. Based on the energy state indication message, the wireless device may initiate a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag. In some cases, the duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer. The wireless device may transmit an expected communication duration message that indicates the duration of the timer to the RFID tag. In some examples, the wireless device may transmit one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with the duration of the timer.
FIG. 2 shows an example of a wireless communications system 200 that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the wireless communications system 200 may implement or be implemented by aspects of the wireless communications system 100. For example, the wireless communications system 200 may include a network entity 105-a and a UE 115-a, which may be examples of corresponding devices described herein, including with reference to FIG. 1. In some cases, the network entity 105-a may communicate with tag 205-a (e.g., an RFID tag) via the UE 115-a.
In some examples, the wireless communications system 200 may use ambient IoT communications. For example, the network entity 105-a, the UE 115-a, the tag 205-a, or any combination thereof, may be examples of passive IoT devices. In some cases, passive IoT devices may be associated with passive communication technologies (e.g., backscatter communication) , which may be associated with low power communications (e.g., including communications that support low power consumption for devices and low overall network power consumption) , low device cost, or both.
In some examples, the wireless communications system 200 may be an RFID system. For example, the RFID system may support such low power of backscatter communication using RFID “tags” to automatically capture data using a small microchip attached to an object or integrated within a device, and one or more “reader” devices are used to scan or send information to the tag. However, in some cases, RFID systems may operate in one or more reserved bands (such as industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) bands) that are separate from some other deployments that operate in licensed bands (for example, various bands supporting telecommunications such as those used for NR systems) . While the separation of bands for RFID systems and wireless communications may reduce potential interference between the two technologies, it may also reduce their integration compatibility.
Some RFID systems may support various enhancements such as energy harvesting which uses the on/off cycles for RFID tags. For example, an RFID tag (e.g., a tag 205-a) may receive and transmit data for a configured time duration while “on” and perform energy harvesting for a configured time duration while “off. ” RFID tags may support different energy harvesting capabilities. For example, some tags may be “passive” tags that operate without energy storage capabilities at the tag, some other tags may be “semi-passive” tags which operate with energy storage capabilities at the tag, and some other tags may be “active” tags which also operate with energy storage capabilities at the tag.
The tag 205-a may have an “on” period 210 during which the tag is in a relatively high energy state and an “off” period 215, during which the tag is in a relatively low energy state. In some cases, the tag 205-a may receive and transmit data during the on period 210. Additionally or alternatively, the tag 205-a may perform energy harvesting during the off period 215, but the tag 205-a may not transmit or receive data. The on period 210 and the off period 215 may, together, be a cycle 220 of the tag 205-a. For example, the tag 205-a may have an on period 210 for 1 second of a cycle 220 with a duration of 500 seconds (e.g., an on duty cycle of 0.2%) .
In some examples, the reader may communicate with a first tag associated with a high energy level before the reader may communicate with a second tag associated with a low energy level. For example, a tag operating in a high energy level may be associated with a longer on period relative to a low energy level, which may be associated with a shorter on period. In some cases, the second tag associated with a low energy level may enter the off period 215 after a shorter on period than the first tag due to the stored energy of the second tag being lower than the amount of energy stored for the first tag. For example, tags with lower stored energy levels or lower energy capabilities may have relatively shorter on/off cycles than tags with higher stored energy levels or higher energy capabilities.
In some cases, the on period 210 may include a number of energy states. For example, an on period 210 may include a first energy state, a second energy state, and a third energy state. In some cases, the number of energy states may be associated with a number of timers. For example, the first energy state may be associated with a first timer, the second energy state may be associated with a second timer, and the third energy state may be associated with a third timer. In some examples, the energy state may indicate the amount of power remaining in energy storage, the amount of time remaining in the on period 210, or both. In some examples, the tag 205-a may begin the cycle 220 based on receiving a wake-up signal that initiates the on period 210.
In some cases, an energy state of the tag 205-a may be associated with energy levels in energy storage (e.g., based on a capacitor size, voltage of the energy storage, etc. ) ; timing of the on period 210, the off period 215, or both; an energy storage capability; an active component; a discharging rate (e.g., the state of power consuming components such as a low-noise amplifier (LNA) , tunnel diode, etc. ) ; a charging rate (e.g., a reference signal received power (RSRP) , a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) , a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) , a distance between the reader and the tag 205-a, etc. ) ; or the like. Additionally or alternatively, the energy state of the tag 205-a may be denoted (i.e., implicitly) by a threshold. In some cases, a low energy state may be associated with a relatively short on period 210 while a high energy state may be associated with a relatively long on period 210.
In some examples, the tag 205-a may communicate directly with the reader. For example, the reader may transmit data (e.g., on carrier waves) to the tag 205-a on a forward link while the tag 205-a may transmit data to the reader on a backscatter link. In some other examples, the tag 205-a may communicate with the network entity 105-a (which may be a reader) via the UE 115-a. For example, the UE 115-a may be a relaying device, or may be an example of a reader device. In some examples, the network entity 105-a may communicate with the UE 115-a via an access link 225. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 115-a and the tag 205-a may communicate via a forward link 230 and a backscatter link 235. For example, the UE 115-a may transmit data to the tag 205-a via the forward link 230 while the tag 205-a may transmit data to the UE 115-a via the backscatter link 235. In some cases, the interface between the UE 115-a and the tag 205-a may be associated with greater energy harvesting and energy storage (e.g., compared to the interface between the reader and the tag 205-a) .
In some examples, the on/off cycle associated with multiple RFID tags in the wireless communications system 200 may present one or more scheduling inefficiencies. For example, a reader may prioritize tags associated with high energy levels, while tags associated with low energy levels may experience fewer opportunities to communicate with the reader. Additionally or alternatively, low energy tags be unable to effectively receive large packets due to the low energy tag’s associated short on/off cycle. Thus, without sufficient knowledge about the nature of a tag’s energy states and on/off cycle, a reader (or a set of one or more reader devices) may transmit packets at times that are misaligned with the on/off cycle of the tags, such that the tag does not receive all the transmitted packets.
In some other examples, the tag 205-a may implement automatic repeat request (ARQ) for retransmissions. However, in some cases, a maximum retransmission time may be sufficiently large such that a tag associated with low energy may be unable to transmit or receive a packet of a retransmission during the on period 210. For example, the on period 210 of the tag associated with low energy may be relatively short, and the tag associated with low energy may be unable to transmit or receive the packet of the retransmission during the relatively short on period.
In some other examples, a reader may communicate with the tag 205-a on a number of occasions. In some cases, the tag 205-a may be associated with a number of energy states. For example, the tag 205-a may have a first energy state during a first occasion, a second energy state during a second occasion, etc. In some cases, an occasion may occur during an off period 215 of the tag 205-a. In some cases, the reader and the tag 205-a may not have sufficient time or scheduling to complete the communication.
In some other examples, the reader may be at least two separate reader devices. For example, a first reader device may transmit information to the tag 205-aduring the on period 210, and a second reader device (different from the first reader device) may receive information from the tag during a respective on period 210. In such examples, the first reader device may be an example of a radio-frequency (RF) source, and the second reader device may be a (primary) reader device. Additionally or alternatively, the tag 205-a may receive from more than one reader device and may transmit to more than one reader device during various on durations of the tag 205-a.
To support efficient scheduling of communications for RFID tags and other passive IoT devices, the wireless communications system 200 may implement energy state-based scheduling methods. The tag 205-a may transmit signaling to the reader that informs the reader of the energy state of the tag 205-a, and the reader may use the energy state information to predict the future energy states of the tag 205-a. Using the predicted energy states, the reader may configure timers which the reader may use to communicate with the tag 205-a. For example, the timer may be configured to expire before the tag goes into an “off” state in a slot. A reader may predict that after “T” slots, a tag will be in a first energy state, and after an additional “T” slots, the tag may be off. Thus, the timer may align with times that the tag 205-a is “off” and times when the tag is “on, ” and the reader may send information during times that the timer is configured so that the information reaches the tag 205-a during it’s “on” duration. The reader may predict the energy states of the tag 205-a and set the duration of the timer (e.g., “T” ) based on the energy charging and discharging rate of the tag 205-a, the distance between the reader and the tag 205-a, and the like.
In some examples, the reader may set a timer based on the prediction of the energy states of the tag 205-a. For example, the reader may predict that after a number of slots, the energy state of the tag 205-a may change from the second energy state to the first energy state, and the timer may align with the change from the second energy state to the first energy state. In some other examples, the reader may predict, based on the timer, that after the number of slots, the tag 205-a may be in the off period 215. In some cases, the reader may complete a communication with the tag 205-a before the timer expires based on the prediction that the tag 205-a will be in an off period 215.
Implementing energy-state based scheduling for RFID communications may increase the efficiency and efficacy of such RFID communications integrated within a wireless communications network. For example, the reader may be able to effectively communicate with tags during active or high energy states, while avoiding communication during times that the tag is in an off or dormant state. The reader may transmit available data to the tag during times where the timer is active such that the tag successfully receives the data (and does not miss receiving data during an off period) .
FIG. 3 shows an example of a wireless communications system 300 that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the wireless communications system 300 may implement or be implemented by aspects of the wireless communications system 100. For example, the wireless communications system 300 may include a UE 115-b, which may be an example of corresponding devices described herein, including with reference to FIG. 1. In some cases, the UE 115-a may communicate with a tag 205-b based on a timer configured by the UE 115-a, which may be configured as an RFID reader.
The UE 115-b may support RFID communications with the tag 205-b, and may receive an energy state indication message 305 from the tag 205-b. In some examples, the UE 115-b may be a reader while the tag 205-b may be an RFID tag. In some other examples, the UE 115-b may include an RFID tag, and may communicate with a different reader device (such as a network entity configured as a reader device or another UE configured as a reader) . In some examples, the energy state indication message 305 may indicate an energy state of the tag 205-b, or otherwise an energy profile for the tag 205-b. For example, the energy state of the tag 205-b may include a current energy state of the tag, one or more future energy states of the tag, one or more past energy states of the tag (e.g., an indication that informs the reader that an energy state was previously covered) , energy discharging or charging rates or capabilities of the tag, or any combination thereof.
The UE 115-b may use the energy state indication message 305 to predict energy state (e.g., an amount of available energy in energy storage of the tag 205-b) or energy cycles of the tag 205-b. For example, based on the energy state indication message 305, the UE 115-b may predict that after “T” slots, the tag 205-b may transition from one energy state to another energy state, or that after “T” slots, the tag may transition to a dormant or “off” state. Using the energy state predictions, the UE 115-b may determine different time periods that the UE 115-b may communicate with the tag 205-b, and times where communication should not occur (e.g., a time that communication should be completed by) due to the tag being in an “off” state. The UE 115-b may then configure one or more timers to align with the predicted energy states of the tag 205-a, such that the UE 115-b communicates with the tag during times where the timer is configured (and the tag 205-a is active) and such that the UE 115-b does not communicate with the tag 205-b when the timer is not configured (when the tag 205-a is inactive) . In some examples, the UE 115-b may transmit an expected communication duration message 310 to the tag 205-b based on the energy state indication message 305, which indicates an amount of time the UE 115-b expects to communicate with the tag 205-b (e.g., based on the timer durations) .
In some examples, the duration of the timer may be based on a prediction of a number of changes of the energy state of the tag 205-b to occur during the duration of the timer. For example, the duration of the timer may be based on an energy charging or discharging rate, a distance between the UE 115-b and the tag 205-b, a capacitor size of the tag 205-b, a power amplifier of the tag 205-b, a low-noise amplifier of the tag 205-b, a diode type of the tag 205-b, on or off states of the tag 205-b, or a combination thereof. For example, the duration of the timer may be a first number of slots based on the low-noise amplifier of the tag 205-b being on while the duration of the timer may be a second number of slots based on the low-noise amplifier of the tag 205-b being off, where the first number of slots is less than the second number of slots.
Additionally or alternatively, the UE 115-b may predict the energy state to change after a third number of slots. For example, the UE 115-b may predict a first energy state to expire in a third number of slots, a second energy state to expire after a fourth number of slots, etc. In some cases, the UE 115-b may predict the energy state to change after a number of slots from a first energy state to a deactivated state.
In some examples, the UE 115-b may transmit a message 315 to the tag 205-b in accordance with the duration of the timer. For example, the UE 115-b may transmit a number of messages to the tag 205-b before the tag 205-b is predicted by the UE 115-b to be deactivated (e.g., in an off period) .
In some examples, the UE 115-b may transmit an indication to the tag 205-b that communication will be ended by the reader. For example, the indication may be an expected termination indication that indicates a time that communication will terminate between the UE 115-b and the tag 205-b, or the indication may be an message that instructs the tag 205-a to go to sleep or transition to a low power mode. In some other examples, the expected communication termination indication may include instructions for the tag 205-b to power off or an indication of a threshold number of slots for the tag 205-b to monitor before powering off. For example, the tag 205-b may expect that after a number of slots, the UE 115-b will terminate communication.
FIG. 4 shows an example of a reader-side timer configuration 400 that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the reader-side timer configuration 400 may implement or be implemented by aspects of the wireless communications system 100. For example, the reader-side timer configuration 400 may include a UE 115-c, which may be an example of corresponding devices described herein, including with reference to FIG. 1. In some cases, the UE 115-c may communicate with a tag 205-c based on an energy state of the tag 205-c.
In some examples, the UE 115-c may predict that the tag 205-c will be associated with an energy state 405-a after a timer duration 410-a. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 115-c may predict that the tag 205-c will be associated with an energy state 405-b after a timer duration 410-a. For example, the UE 115-c may predict that the tag 205-c will be associated with the energy state 405-a (e.g., a relatively high energy state) after a first number of slots, and that the tag 205-c will be associated with the energy state 405-b (e.g., a relatively low energy state) after a second number of slots following the first number of slots.
To support high quality and reliable communications between the UE 115-c and the tag 205-c, the UE 115-c may support energy state-based retransmission. For example, the UE 115-c may transmit a message 415-a to the tag 205-c, and may transmit a message 415-b, which may be a retransmission of the message 415-a. The UE 115-c may perform one or more retransmissions of the message 415-b based on receiving a negative acknowledgement (NACK) from the tag 205-c, an absence of a positive acknowledgement (ACK) , a channel quality, or the like. For example, the UE 115-c may perform one or more retransmissions to improve reliability of communications between the UE 115-c and the tag 205-c. In some cases, the message 415-b (e.g., the retransmission of the message 415-a) may be a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) message, an automatic repeat request (ARQ) retransmission, a blind retransmission, or the like.
In some examples, the UE 115-c may transmit a number of retransmissions based on a configured maximum number of retransmissions based on the energy state of the tag 205-c. For example, the maximum number of retransmissions may be based on the energy state of the tag 205-c. For example, a first tag associated with a first energy storage (e.g., a relatively low energy storage) may be associated with a first maximum number of retransmissions (e.g., 4 retransmissions) while a second tag associated with a second energy storage (e.g., a relatively high energy storage) may be associated with a second maximum number of retransmissions (e.g., 16 retransmissions) . In some examples, the first energy storage may be associated with a relatively low energy storage capacity while the second energy storage may be associated with a relatively high energy storage capacity. Additionally or alternatively, a third tag without energy storage may be associated with a third maximum number of retransmissions (e.g., 32 retransmissions) . Additionally or alternatively, a fourth tag with a low-noise amplifier set to on may be associated with a fourth maximum number of retransmissions (e.g., 4 retransmissions) . In such examples, the first maximum number of retransmissions, the second maximum number of retransmissions, the third maximum number of retransmissions, and the fourth maximum number of retransmissions may be the same or different.
In some cases, the UE 115-c may assign a priority to the transmission of the message 415-a, the message 415-b, or both. For example, the UE 115-a may assign a first priority to the message 415-a (e.g., the initial transmission of the message) , a second priority to the message 415-b (e.g., the retransmission of the message) , or both. In some examples, the second priority may be greater than the first priority. For example, a priority of a retransmission of a message may be greater than a priority of the initial transmission of the message. In some examples, the increase in the priority of the retransmission of the message may correspond to a decrease in a priority value assigned the retransmission (e.g., if a priority value of a first transmission of a packet is “2,” then the priority value of the retransmission of the packet may be “1” ) .
Additionally or alternatively, the first priority and the second priority may be based on the energy state of the tag 205-c. For example, the first priority of the message 415-a may be based on the energy state 405-a while the second priority of the message 415-b may be based on the energy state 405-b. In some examples, a priority of a tag associated with a low energy state may be higher than a priority of a tag associated with a high energy state.
In some cases, the timer duration 410-a, the timer duration 410-b, or both, may be based on an energy state of the tag 205-c. For example, the timer duration 410-amay be associated with the energy state 405-a while the timer duration 410-b may be associated with the energy state 405-b. In some cases, the tag 205-c may transmit a tag response 420-a after the timer duration 410-a. Additionally or alternatively, the tag 205-c may transmit a tag response 420-b after the timer duration 410-b.
In some cases, the tag 205-c may transmit the tag response 420-a based on receiving the message 415-a. In some cases, the tag 205-c may transmit the tag response 420-b, which may be a retransmission of the tag response 420-a. In some cases, the tag response 420-a, the tag response 420-b, or both may be an ACK message, a NACK message, or another feedback message. In some cases, the tag response 420-a, the tag response 420-b, or both may be a reader query command, a tag response identifier, a response to a transmission packet, or the like.
In some cases, the timer duration 410-a, the timer duration 410-b, or both, may be a delay duration (e.g., a duration of time in which the UE 115-c or the tag 205-c may delay sending communications) . In some cases, the delay duration may be preconfigured (e.g., by a network entity) , dynamically configured to the UE 115-c or the tag 205-c, or the like. In some cases, the tag response 420-a, the tag response 420-b, or both, may be transmitted at a certain time slot. For example, the delay duration may indicate a time slot that the tag 205-c should transmit the tag response 420-a, the tag response 420-b, or both. Additionally or alternatively, the delay duration may indicate a duration the tag 205-c waits before transmitting the tag response 420-a, the tag response 420-b, or both. For example, the delay duration may indicate the timer duration 410-a, the timer duration 410-b, or both.
In some cases, the delay duration may indicate a time slot that the UE 115-c transmits the message 415-a, the message 415-b, or both. Additionally or alternatively, the delay duration may indicate a duration the UE 115-c waits before transmitting the message 415-a, the message 415-b, or both. For example, the delay duration may indicate the timer duration 410-a, the timer duration 410-b, or both.
In some cases, the tag response 420-b may be a retransmission of the tag response 420-a. In some examples, the tag 205-c may transmit the retransmission in accordance with the delay duration. In some other examples, the message 415-b may be a retransmission of the message 415-a. In some cases, the UE 115-c may transmit the retransmission in accordance with the delay duration. In some examples, the delay duration may reduce time between respective retransmissions based on the energy state of the tag 205-c. Additionally or alternatively, the delay duration may reduce the number of retransmissions for the tag 205-c which may be associated with a low energy state.
In some examples, the transmission parameters of the message 415-a, the message 415-b, or both may be based on the energy state of the tag 205-c. For example, the transmission parameters of the message 415-a may be based on the energy state 405-a, while the transmission parameters of the message 415-b may be based on the energy state 405-b. Additionally or alternatively, the transmission parameters of the tag response 420-a, the tag response 420-b, or both may be based on the energy state of the tag 205-c.
In some cases, the transmission parameters may include a modified transmission power, a modified symbol duration, a modified modulation coding scheme (MCS) , etc. For example, a relatively large transmission power may be associated with a semi-passive tag, a tag with low power energy storage, a tag with a power amplifier on, etc. Additionally or alternatively, a relatively long symbol duration may be associated with a tag with a relatively low energy state.
In some cases, the transmission parameters of the message 415-a, the message 415-b, or both may improve communication reliability and reduce the number of retransmissions of the message 415-a (e.g., the initial message) . Additionally or alternatively, the transmission parameters of the tag response 420-a, the tag response 420-b, or both may improve communication reliability and reduce the number of retransmissions of the tag response 420-a (e.g., the initial tag response) .
FIG. 5 shows an example of a process flow 500 that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the process flow 500 may implement or be implemented by aspects of the wireless communications system 100. For example, the process flow 500 may include a UE 115-d, which may be examples of corresponding devices described herein, including with reference to Figure 1. In some cases, the UE 115-d may communicate with a tag 205-d based on an energy state of the tag 205-d.
In the following description of process flow 500, the operations may be performed in a different order than the order shown, or other operations may be added or removed from the process flow 500. For example, some operations may also be left out of process flow 500, may be performed in different orders or at different times, or other operations may be added to process flow 500. Although the UE 115-d and the tag 205-d are shown performing the operations of process flow 500, some aspects of some operations may also be performed by one or more other wireless devices, ambient wireless devices, RFID devices, or network devices. In some cases, the tag 205-d may be a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag. Additionally or alternatively, the tag 205-d may be an ambient IoT device.
At 505, the tag 205-d may transmit, to the UE 115-d, an energy state indication message. For example, the energy state indication message may indicate an energy state of the tag 205-d. In some cases, the energy state of the tag 205-d may include an amount of available energy in an energy storage of the tag 205-d.
At 510, the UE 115-d may initiate a timer. For example, the timer may correspond to the energy state of the tag 205-d. Additionally or alternatively, the duration of the timer may be based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the tag 205-d to occur during the duration of the timer.
In some cases, the duration of the timer may be based on a charging rate of the radio-frequency identification tag, a discharging rate of the radio-frequency identification tag, a distance between the wireless communications device and the radio-frequency identification tag, or any combination thereof.
In some cases, the duration of the timer may be based on a capacitor size of the radio-frequency identification tag, a power amplifier of the radio-frequency identification tag, a low-noise amplifier of the radio-frequency identification tag, a diode type of the radio-frequency identification tag, one or more on or off states of the radio-frequency identification tag, or any combination thereof.
At 515, the UE 115-d may predict an energy state change. For example, the UE 115-d may predict the energy state change to occur after a number of slots. In some examples, the energy state change may include a change from a first energy state to a second energy state of the tag 205-d. In some cases, the energy state change may include a change from the first energy state to a deactivated state.
At 520, the UE 115-d may transmit, to the tag 205-d, an expected communication duration message. For example, the expected communication duration message may indicate the duration of the timer.
In some cases, the UE 115-d may also transmit an expected communication termination indication. For example, the expected communication termination indication may indicate a time that communication will terminate between the UE 115-d and the tag 205-d. Additionally or alternatively, the expected termination indication may include instructions for the radio-frequency identification tag to power off, or an indication of a threshold quantity of slots for the radio-frequency identification tag to monitor before powering off.
At 525, the UE 115-d may assign priority to a number of messages. For example, the UE 115-d may assign a first priority to an initial transmission of the one or more messages. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 115-d may assign a second priority to one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages, wherein the second priority is greater than the first priority and the second priority and the first priority are based at least in part on the energy state of the tag 205-d.
At 530, the UE 115-d may transmit, to the tag 205-d, a message. For example, the UE 115-d may transmit one or more messages in accordance with the duration of the timer.
In some cases, the UE 115-d may transmit the one or more message to the tag 205-d in accordance with a delay duration. In some cases, the delay duration may be based on the energy state of the tag 205-d. In some cases, the delay duration may be a preconfigured delay duration, or a dynamically configured delay duration received via a configuration message.
In some cases, the delay duration may indicate a time slot that the UE 115-d device transmits the one or more messages to the tag 205-d, a duration that the wireless communications device waits before transmitting the one or more messages to the tag 205-d, or both.
In some cases, the UE 115-d may transmit the one or more messages to the tag 205-d in accordance with one or more transmission parameters, wherein the one or more transmission parameters are based at least in part on the energy state of the tag 205-d. In some cases, the one or more transmission parameters may include one or more modified symbol durations, one or more modified modulation coding schemes, one or more modified transmission powers, or any combination thereof.
At 535, the tag 205-d may transmit, to the UE 115-d, a response message. For example, the tag 205-d may transmit one or more response messages in accordance with the delay duration. In some cases, the delay duration may be based on the energy state of the tag 205-d. In some cases, the delay duration may indicate a time slot that the tag 205-d transmits the one or more response messages, a duration the radio-frequency identification tag waits before transmitting the one or more response messages to the UE 115-d, or both.
At 540, the UE 115-d may transmit, to the tag 205-d, a retransmission. For example, the UE 115-d may perform the one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages based at least in part on receiving a NACK, an absence of a positive ACK, a channel quality, or a combination thereof. In some cases, a maximum quantity of the one or more retransmissions may be based on the energy state of the tag 205-d.
In some cases, the UE 115-d may transmit the one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages in accordance with the delay duration, wherein the delay duration reduces time between respective retransmissions based at least in part on the energy state of the tag 205-d.
FIG. 6 shows a block diagram 600 of a device 605 that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 605 may be an example of aspects of a UE 115 as described herein. The device 605 may include a receiver 610, a transmitter 615, and a communications manager 620. The device 605 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 610 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 energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications) . Information may be passed on to other components of the device 605. The receiver 610 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.
The transmitter 615 may provide a means for transmitting signals generated by other components of the device 605. For example, the transmitter 615 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 energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications) . In some examples, the transmitter 615 may be co-located with a receiver 610 in a transceiver module. The transmitter 615 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.
The communications manager 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications as described herein. For example, the communications manager 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, 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 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in communications management circuitry) . The hardware may include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP) , a central processing unit (CPU) , an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , a field-programmable gate array (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 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, 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 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, 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 620 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or both. For example, the communications manager 620 may receive information from the receiver 610, send information to the transmitter 615, or be integrated in combination with the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.
The communications manager 620 may support wireless communications at a wireless communications device in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 620 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from a RFID tag, an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of the RFID tag. The communications manager 620 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for initiating a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, where a duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer. The communications manager 620 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to the RFID tag, an expected communication duration message that indicates the duration of the timer. The communications manager 620 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with the duration of the timer.
Additionally, or alternatively, the communications manager 620 may support wireless communications in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 620 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of a RFID tag. The communications manager 620 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving an expected communication duration message that indicates a duration of a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, where the duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer. The communications manager 620 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving one or more messages in accordance with the duration of the timer.
By including or configuring the communications manager 620 in accordance with examples as described herein, the device 605 (e.g., a processor controlling or otherwise coupled with the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, the communications manager 620, or a combination thereof) may support techniques for more efficient utilization of communication resources.
FIG. 7 shows a block diagram 700 of a device 705 that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 705 may be an example of aspects of a device 605 or a UE 115 as described herein. The device 705 may include a receiver 710, a transmitter 715, and a communications manager 720. The device 705 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 710 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 energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications) . Information may be passed on to other components of the device 705. The receiver 710 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.
The transmitter 715 may provide a means for transmitting signals generated by other components of the device 705. For example, the transmitter 715 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 energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications) . In some examples, the transmitter 715 may be co-located with a receiver 710 in a transceiver module. The transmitter 715 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.
The device 705, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications as described herein. For example, the communications manager 720 may include an energy state indication component 725, a timer component 730, an expected communication duration component 735, a messaging component 740, or any combination thereof. The communications manager 720 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 620 as described herein. In some examples, the communications manager 720, 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 710, the transmitter 715, or both. For example, the communications manager 720 may receive information from the receiver 710, send information to the transmitter 715, or be integrated in combination with the receiver 710, the transmitter 715, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.
The communications manager 720 may support wireless communications at a wireless communications device in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The energy state indication component 725 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from a RFID tag, an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of the RFID tag. The timer component 730 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for initiating a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, where a duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer. The expected communication duration component 735 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to the RFID tag, an expected communication duration message that indicates the duration of the timer. The messaging component 740 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with the duration of the timer.
Additionally, or alternatively, the communications manager 720 may support wireless communications in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The energy state indication component 725 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of a RFID tag. The expected communication duration component 735 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving an expected communication duration message that indicates a duration of a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, where the duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer. The messaging component 740 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving one or more messages in accordance with the duration of the timer.
FIG. 8 shows a block diagram 800 of a communications manager 820 that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The communications manager 820 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 620, a communications manager 720, or both, as described herein. The communications manager 820, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications as described herein. For example, the communications manager 820 may include an energy state indication component 825, a timer component 830, an expected communication duration component 835, a messaging component 840, an energy state change component 845, a termination component 850, a retransmission component 855, a priority assignment component 860, 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 820 may support wireless communications at a wireless communications device in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The energy state indication component 825 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from a RFID tag, an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of the RFID tag. The timer component 830 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for initiating a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, where a duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer. The expected communication duration component 835 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to the RFID tag, an expected communication duration message that indicates the duration of the timer. The messaging component 840 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with the duration of the timer.
In some examples, the energy state change component 845 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for predicting an energy state change to occur after a quantity of slots, where the energy state change includes a change from a first energy state to a second energy state of the RFID tag.
In some examples, the energy state change component 845 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for predicting an energy state change to occur after a quantity of slots, where the energy state change includes a change from a first energy state to a deactivated state.
In some examples, to support transmitting the expected communication duration message, the termination component 850 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting an expected communication termination indication that indicates a time that communication will terminate between the wireless communications device and the RFID tag.
In some examples, the expected communication termination indication includes instructions for the RFID tag to power off, or an indication of a threshold quantity of slots for the RFID tag to monitor before powering off.
In some examples, the energy state of the RFID tag includes an amount of available energy in an energy storage of the RFID tag.
In some examples, the duration of the timer is further based on a charging rate of the RFID tag, a discharging rate of the RFID tag, a distance between the wireless communications device and the RFID tag, or any combination thereof.
In some examples, the duration of the timer is further based on a capacitor size of the RFID tag, a power amplifier of the RFID tag, a low-noise amplifier of the RFID tag, a diode type of the RFID tag, one or more on or off states of the RFID tag, or any combination thereof.
In some examples, the retransmission component 855 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for performing one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages based on receiving a NACK, an absence of a positive ACK, a channel quality, or a combination thereof.
In some examples, a maximum quantity of the one or more retransmissions is based on the energy state of the RFID tag.
In some examples, the priority assignment component 860 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for assigning a first priority to an initial transmission of the one or more messages. In some examples, the priority assignment component 860 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for assigning a second priority to the one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages, where the second priority is greater than the first priority and the second priority and the first priority are based on the energy state of the RFID tag.
In some examples, to support transmitting the one or more messages to the RFID tag, the messaging component 840 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting the one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with a delay duration, where the delay duration is based on the energy state of the RFID tag.
In some examples, the one or more messages include one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages, and the retransmission component 855 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting the one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages in accordance with the delay duration, where the delay duration reduces time between respective retransmissions based on the energy state of the RFID tag.
In some examples, the delay duration is a preconfigured delay duration, or a dynamically configured delay duration received via a configuration message.
In some examples, the delay duration indicates a time slot that the wireless communications device transmits the one or more messages to the RFID tag, a duration that the wireless communications device waits before transmitting the one or more messages to the RFID tag, or both.
In some examples, the messaging component 840 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving one or more response messages from the RFID tag in accordance with a delay duration, where the delay duration is based on the energy state of the RFID tag.
In some examples, the delay duration indicates a time slot that the RFID tag transmits the one or more response messages, a duration the RFID tag waits before transmitting the one or more response messages to the wireless communications device, or both.
In some examples, to support transmitting the one or more messages to the RFID tag, the messaging component 840 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting the one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with one or more transmission parameters, where the one or more transmission parameters are based on the energy state of the RFID tag.
In some examples, the one or more transmission parameters include one or more modified symbol durations, one or more modified modulation coding schemes, one or more modified transmission powers, or any combination thereof.
In some examples, the RFID tag includes an ambient IoT device.
Additionally, or alternatively, the communications manager 820 may support wireless communications in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, the energy state indication component 825 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of a RFID tag. In some examples, the expected communication duration component 835 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving an expected communication duration message that indicates a duration of a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, where the duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer. In some examples, the messaging component 840 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving one or more messages in accordance with the duration of the timer.
In some examples, the prediction of the one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag includes an energy state change to occur after a quantity of slots. In some examples, the energy state change includes a change from a first energy state to a second energy state of the RFID tag.
In some examples, the prediction of the one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag includes an energy state change to occur after a quantity of slots. In some examples, the energy state change includes a change from a first energy state to a deactivated state.
In some examples, to support receiving the expected communication duration message, the termination component 850 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving an expected communication termination indication that indicates a time that communication will terminate between a wireless communications device and the RFID tag.
In some examples, the expected communication termination indication includes instructions for the RFID tag to power off, or an indication of a threshold quantity of slots for the RFID tag to monitor before powering off.
In some examples, the retransmission component 855 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages based on transmitting a NACK, an absence of a positive ACK, a channel quality, or a combination thereof.
In some examples, a maximum quantity of the one or more retransmissions is based on the energy state of the RFID tag.
In some examples, the messaging component 840 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting one or more messages to a wireless communications device in accordance with a delay duration, where the delay duration is based on the energy state of the RFID tag.
FIG. 9 shows a diagram of a system 900 including a device 905 that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 905 may be an example of or include the components of a device 605, a device 705, or a UE 115 as described herein. The device 905 may communicate (e.g., wirelessly) with one or more network entities 105, one or more UEs 115, or any combination thereof. The device 905 may include components for bi-directional voice and data communications including components for transmitting and receiving communications, such as a communications manager 920, an input/output (I/O) controller 910, a transceiver 915, an antenna 925, a memory 930, code 935, and a processor 940. 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 945) .
The I/O controller 910 may manage input and output signals for the device 905. The I/O controller 910 may also manage peripherals not integrated into the device 905. In some cases, the I/O controller 910 may represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral. In some cases, the I/O controller 910 may utilize an operating system such as or another known operating system. Additionally or alternatively, the I/O controller 910 may represent or interact with a modem, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchscreen, or a similar device. In some cases, the I/O controller 910 may be implemented as part of a processor, such as the processor 940. In some cases, a user may interact with the device 905 via the I/O controller 910 or via hardware components controlled by the I/O controller 910.
In some cases, the device 905 may include a single antenna 925. However, in some other cases, the device 905 may have more than one antenna 925, which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. The transceiver 915 may communicate bi-directionally, via the one or more antennas 925, wired, or wireless links as described herein. For example, the transceiver 915 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 915 may also include a modem to modulate the packets, to provide the modulated packets to one or more antennas 925 for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the one or more antennas 925. The transceiver 915, or the transceiver 915 and one or more antennas 925, may be an example of a transmitter 615, a transmitter 715, a receiver 610, a receiver 710, or any combination thereof or component thereof, as described herein.
The memory 930 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM) . The memory 930 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 935 including instructions that, when executed by the processor 940, cause the device 905 to perform various functions described herein. The code 935 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or another type of memory. In some cases, the code 935 may not be directly executable by the processor 940 but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 930 may contain, among other things, a basic I/O system (BIOS) which may control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.
The processor 940 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 940 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 940. The processor 940 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 930) to cause the device 905 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications) . For example, the device 905 or a component of the device 905 may include a processor 940 and memory 930 coupled with or to the processor 940, the processor 940 and memory 930 configured to perform various functions described herein.
The communications manager 920 may support wireless communications at a wireless communications device in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 920 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from a RFID tag, an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of the RFID tag. The communications manager 920 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for initiating a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, where a duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer. The communications manager 920 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to the RFID tag, an expected communication duration message that indicates the duration of the timer. The communications manager 920 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with the duration of the timer.
Additionally, or alternatively, the communications manager 920 may support wireless communications in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 920 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of a RFID tag. The communications manager 920 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving an expected communication duration message that indicates a duration of a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, where the duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer. The communications manager 920 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving one or more messages in accordance with the duration of the timer.
By including or configuring the communications manager 920 in accordance with examples as described herein, the device 905 may support techniques for improved communication reliability.
In some examples, the communications manager 920 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, monitoring, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the transceiver 915, the one or more antennas 925, or any combination thereof. Although the communications manager 920 is illustrated as a separate component, in some examples, one or more functions described with reference to the communications manager 920 may be supported by or performed by the processor 940, the memory 930, the code 935, or any combination thereof. For example, the code 935 may include instructions executable by the processor 940 to cause the device 905 to perform various aspects of energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications as described herein, or the processor 940 and the memory 930 may be otherwise configured to perform or support such operations.
FIG. 10 shows a block diagram 1000 of a device 1005 that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 1005 may be an example of aspects of a network entity 105 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 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 1005. In some examples, the receiver 1010 may support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the receiver 1010 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 1015 may provide a means for outputting (e.g., transmitting, providing, conveying, sending) information generated by other components of the device 1005. For example, the transmitter 1015 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 1015 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the transmitter 1015 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 1015 and the receiver 1010 may be co-located in a transceiver, which may include or be coupled with a modem.
The communications manager 1020, the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications as described herein. For example, the communications manager 1020, the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, 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 1020, the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, 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 1020, the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, 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 1020, the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, 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 1020 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 communications at a wireless communications device in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 1020 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from a RFID tag, an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of the RFID tag. The communications manager 1020 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for initiating a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, where a duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer. The communications manager 1020 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to the RFID tag, an expected communication duration message that indicates the duration of the timer. The communications manager 1020 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with the duration of the timer.
By including or configuring the communications manager 1020 in accordance with examples as described herein, the device 1005 (e.g., a processor controlling or otherwise coupled with the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, the communications manager 1020, or a combination thereof) may support techniques for more efficient utilization of communication resources.
FIG. 11 shows a block diagram 1100 of a device 1105 that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 1105 may be an example of aspects of a device 1005 or a network entity 105 as described herein. The device 1105 may include a receiver 1110, a transmitter 1115, and a communications manager 1120. The device 1105 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 1110 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 1105. In some examples, the receiver 1110 may support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the receiver 1110 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 1115 may provide a means for outputting (e.g., transmitting, providing, conveying, sending) information generated by other components of the device 1105. For example, the transmitter 1115 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 1115 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the transmitter 1115 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 1115 and the receiver 1110 may be co-located in a transceiver, which may include or be coupled with a modem.
The device 1105, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications as described herein. For example, the communications manager 1120 may include an energy state indication component 1125, a timer component 1130, an expected communication duration component 1135, a messaging component 1140, or any combination thereof. The communications manager 1120 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 1020 as described herein. In some examples, the communications manager 1120, 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 1110, the transmitter 1115, or both. For example, the communications manager 1120 may receive information from the receiver 1110, send information to the transmitter 1115, or be integrated in combination with the receiver 1110, the transmitter 1115, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.
The communications manager 1120 may support wireless communications at a wireless communications device in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The energy state indication component 1125 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from a RFID tag, an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of the RFID tag. The timer component 1130 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for initiating a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, where a duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer. The expected communication duration component 1135 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to the RFID tag, an expected communication duration message that indicates the duration of the timer. The messaging component 1140 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with the duration of the timer.
FIG. 12 shows a block diagram 1200 of a communications manager 1220 that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The communications manager 1220 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 1020, a communications manager 1120, or both, as described herein. The communications manager 1220, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications as described herein. For example, the communications manager 1220 may include an energy state indication component 1225, a timer component 1230, an expected communication duration component 1235, a messaging component 1240, an energy state change component 1245, a termination component 1250, a retransmission component 1255, a priority assignment component 1260, or any combination thereof. Each of these components may communicate, directly or indirectly, with one another (e.g., via one or more buses) which may include communications within a protocol layer of a protocol stack, communications associated with a logical channel of a protocol stack (e.g., between protocol layers of a protocol stack, within a device, component, or virtualized component associated with a network entity 105, between devices, components, or virtualized components associated with a network entity 105) , or any combination thereof.
The communications manager 1220 may support wireless communications at a wireless communications device in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The energy state indication component 1225 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from a RFID tag, an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of the RFID tag. The timer component 1230 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for initiating a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, where a duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer. The expected communication duration component 1235 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to the RFID tag, an expected communication duration message that indicates the duration of the timer. The messaging component 1240 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with the duration of the timer.
In some examples, the energy state change component 1245 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for predicting an energy state change to occur after a quantity of slots, where the energy state change includes a change from a first energy state to a second energy state of the RFID tag.
In some examples, the energy state change component 1245 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for predicting an energy state change to occur after a quantity of slots, where the energy state change includes a change from a first energy state to a deactivated state.
In some examples, to support transmitting the expected communication duration message, the termination component 1250 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting an expected communication termination indication that indicates a time that communication will terminate between the wireless communications device and the RFID tag.
In some examples, the expected communication termination indication includes instructions for the RFID tag to power off, or an indication of a threshold quantity of slots for the RFID tag to monitor before powering off.
In some examples, the energy state of the RFID tag includes an amount of available energy in an energy storage of the RFID tag.
In some examples, the duration of the timer is further based on a charging rate of the RFID tag, a discharging rate of the RFID tag, a distance between the wireless communications device and the RFID tag, or any combination thereof.
In some examples, the duration of the timer is further based on a capacitor size of the RFID tag, a power amplifier of the RFID tag, a low-noise amplifier of the RFID tag, a diode type of the RFID tag, one or more on or off states of the RFID tag, or any combination thereof.
In some examples, the retransmission component 1255 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for performing one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages based on receiving a NACK, an absence of a positive ACK, a channel quality, or a combination thereof.
In some examples, a maximum quantity of the one or more retransmissions is based on the energy state of the RFID tag.
In some examples, the priority assignment component 1260 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for assigning a first priority to an initial transmission of the one or more messages. In some examples, the priority assignment component 1260 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for assigning a second priority to the one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages, where the second priority is greater than the first priority and the second priority and the first priority are based on the energy state of the RFID tag.
In some examples, to support transmitting the one or more messages to the RFID tag, the messaging component 1240 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting the one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with a delay duration, where the delay duration is based on the energy state of the RFID tag.
In some examples, the one or more messages include one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages, and the retransmission component 1255 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting the one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages in accordance with the delay duration, where the delay duration reduces time between respective retransmissions based on the energy state of the RFID tag.
In some examples, the delay duration is a preconfigured delay duration, or a dynamically configured delay duration received via a configuration message.
In some examples, the delay duration indicates a time slot that the wireless communications device transmits the one or more messages to the RFID tag, a duration that the wireless communications device waits before transmitting the one or more messages to the RFID tag, or both.
In some examples, the messaging component 1240 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving one or more response messages from the RFID tag in accordance with a delay duration, where the delay duration is based on the energy state of the RFID tag.
In some examples, the delay duration indicates a time slot that the RFID tag transmits the one or more response messages, a duration the RFID tag waits before transmitting the one or more response messages to the wireless communications device, or both.
In some examples, to support transmitting the one or more messages to the RFID tag, the messaging component 1240 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting the one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with one or more transmission parameters, where the one or more transmission parameters are based on the energy state of the RFID tag.
In some examples, the one or more transmission parameters include one or more modified symbol durations, one or more modified modulation coding schemes, one or more modified transmission powers, or any combination thereof.
In some examples, the RFID tag includes an ambient IoT device.
FIG. 13 shows a diagram of a system 1300 including a device 1305 that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 1305 may be an example of or include the components of a device 1005, a device 1105, or a network entity 105 as described herein. The device 1305 may communicate with one or more network entities 105, one or more UEs 115, or any combination thereof, which may include communications over one or more wired interfaces, over one or more wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof. The device 1305 may include components that support outputting and obtaining communications, such as a communications manager 1320, a transceiver 1310, an antenna 1315, a memory 1325, code 1330, and a processor 1335. 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 1340) .
The transceiver 1310 may support bi-directional communications via wired links, wireless links, or both as described herein. In some examples, the transceiver 1310 may include a wired transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wired transceiver. Additionally, or alternatively, in some examples, the transceiver 1310 may include a wireless transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. In some examples, the device 1305 may include one or more antennas 1315, which may be capable of transmitting or receiving wireless transmissions (e.g., concurrently) . The transceiver 1310 may also include a modem to modulate signals, to provide the modulated signals for transmission (e.g., by one or more antennas 1315, by a wired transmitter) , to receive modulated signals (e.g., from one or more antennas 1315, from a wired receiver) , and to demodulate signals. In some implementations, the transceiver 1310 may include one or more interfaces, such as one or more interfaces coupled with the one or more antennas 1315 that are configured to support various receiving or obtaining operations, or one or more interfaces coupled with the one or more antennas 1315 that are configured to support various transmitting or outputting operations, or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the transceiver 1310 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 1310, or the transceiver 1310 and the one or more antennas 1315, or the transceiver 1310 and the one or more antennas 1315 and one or more processors or memory components (for example, the processor 1335, or the memory 1325, or both) , may be included in a chip or chip assembly that is installed in the device 1305. 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 1325 may include RAM and ROM. The memory 1325 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 1330 including instructions that, when executed by the processor 1335, cause the device 1305 to perform various functions described herein. The code 1330 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or another type of memory. In some cases, the code 1330 may not be directly executable by the processor 1335 but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 1325 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 1335 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 1335 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 1335. The processor 1335 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 1325) to cause the device 1305 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications) . For example, the device 1305 or a component of the device 1305 may include a processor 1335 and memory 1325 coupled with the processor 1335, the processor 1335 and memory 1325 configured to perform various functions described herein. The processor 1335 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 1330) to perform the functions of the device 1305. The processor 1335 may be any one or more suitable processors capable of executing scripts or instructions of one or more software programs stored in the device 1305 (such as within the memory 1325) . In some implementations, the processor 1335 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 1305) . For example, a processing system of the device 1305 may refer to a system including the various other components or subcomponents of the device 1305, such as the processor 1335, or the transceiver 1310, or the communications manager 1320, or other components or combinations of components of the device 1305. The processing system of the device 1305 may interface with other components of the device 1305, 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 1305 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 1305 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 1305 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 1340 may support communications of (e.g., within) a protocol layer of a protocol stack. In some examples, a bus 1340 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 1305, or between different components of the device 1305 that may be co-located or located in different locations (e.g., where the device 1305 may refer to a system in which one or more of the communications manager 1320, the transceiver 1310, the memory 1325, the code 1330, and the processor 1335 may be located in one of the different components or divided between different components) .
In some examples, the communications manager 1320 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 1320 may manage the transfer of data communications for client devices, such as one or more UEs 115. In some examples, the communications manager 1320 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 1320 may support an X2 interface within an LTE/LTE-A wireless communications network technology to provide communication between network entities 105.
The communications manager 1320 may support wireless communications at a wireless communications device in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 1320 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from a RFID tag, an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of the RFID tag. The communications manager 1320 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for initiating a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, where a duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer. The communications manager 1320 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to the RFID tag, an expected communication duration message that indicates the duration of the timer. The communications manager 1320 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with the duration of the timer.
By including or configuring the communications manager 1320 in accordance with examples as described herein, the device 1305 may support techniques for improved communication reliability.
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 transceiver 1310, the one or more antennas 1315 (e.g., where applicable) , or any combination thereof. Although the communications manager 1320 is illustrated as a separate component, in some examples, one or more functions described with reference to the communications manager 1320 may be supported by or performed by the transceiver 1310, the processor 1335, the memory 1325, the code 1330, or any combination thereof. For example, the code 1330 may include instructions executable by the processor 1335 to cause the device 1305 to perform various aspects of energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications as described herein, or the processor 1335 and the memory 1325 may be otherwise configured to perform or support such operations.
FIG. 14 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1400 that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1400 may be implemented by a UE or a network entity or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1400 may be performed by a UE 115 as described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 9 or a network entity as described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 5 and 10 through 13. In some examples, a UE or a network entity may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the wireless UE or the wireless network entity to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the wireless UE or the wireless network entity may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.
At 1405, the method may include receiving, from a RFID tag, an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of the RFID tag. The operations of 1405 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1405 may be performed by an energy state indication component 825 or an energy state indication component 1225 as described with reference to FIGs. 8 and 12.
At 1410, the method may include initiating a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, where a duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer. The operations of 1410 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1410 may be performed by a timer component 830 or a timer component 1230 as described with reference to FIGs. 8 and 12.
At 1415, the method may include transmitting, to the RFID tag, an expected communication duration message that indicates the duration of the timer. The operations of 1415 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1415 may be performed by an expected communication duration component 835 or an expected communication duration component 1235 as described with reference to FIGs. 8 and 12.
At 1420, the method may include transmitting one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with the duration of the timer. The operations of 1420 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1420 may be performed by a messaging component 840 or a messaging component 1240 as described with reference to FIGs. 8 and 12.
FIG. 15 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1500 that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1500 may be implemented by a UE or a network entity or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1500 may be performed by a UE 115 as described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 9 or a network entity as described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 5 and 10 through 13. In some examples, a UE or a network entity may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the wireless UE or the wireless network entity to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the wireless UE or the wireless network entity may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.
At 1505, the method may include receiving, from a RFID tag, an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of the RFID tag. The operations of 1505 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1505 may be performed by an energy state indication component 825 or an energy state indication component 1225 as described with reference to FIGs. 8 and 12.
At 1510, the method may include initiating a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, where a duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer. The operations of 1510 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1510 may be performed by a timer component 830 or a timer component 1230 as described with reference to FIGs. 8 and 12.
At 1515, the method may include predicting an energy state change to occur after a quantity of slots, where the energy state change includes a change from a first energy state to a second energy state of the RFID tag. The operations of 1515 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1515 may be performed by an energy state change component 845 or an energy state change component 1245 as described with reference to FIGs. 8 and 12.
At 1520, the method may include transmitting, to the RFID tag, an expected communication duration message that indicates the duration of the timer. The operations of 1520 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1520 may be performed by an expected communication duration component 835 or an expected communication duration component 1235 as described with reference to FIGs. 8 and 12.
At 1525, the method may include transmitting one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with the duration of the timer. The operations of 1525 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1525 may be performed by a messaging component 840 or a messaging component 1240 as described with reference to FIGs. 8 and 12.
FIG. 16 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1600 that supports energy state-based scheduling for ambient IoT communications in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1600 may be implemented by a UE or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1600 may be performed by a UE 115 as described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 9. In some examples, a UE may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the wireless UE to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the wireless UE may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.
At 1605, the method may include transmitting an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of a RFID tag. The operations of 1605 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1605 may be performed by an energy state indication component 825 as described with reference to FIG. 8.
At 1610, the method may include receiving an expected communication duration message that indicates a duration of a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, where the duration of the timer is based on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer. The operations of 1610 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1610 may be performed by an expected communication duration component 835 as described with reference to FIG. 8.
At 1615, the method may include receiving one or more messages in accordance with the duration of the timer. The operations of 1615 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1615 may be performed by a messaging component 840 as described with reference to FIG. 8.
SUMMARY OF ASPECTS
The following provides an overview of aspects of the present disclosure:
Aspect 1: A method for wireless communications at a wireless communications device, comprising: receiving, from a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag, an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of the RFID tag; initiating a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, wherein a duration of the timer is based at least in part on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer; transmitting, to the RFID tag, an expected communication duration message that indicates the duration of the timer; and transmitting one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with the duration of the timer.
Aspect 2: The method of aspect 1, further comprising: predicting an energy state change to occur after a quantity of slots, wherein the energy state change comprises a change from a first energy state to a second energy state of the RFID tag.
Aspect 3: The method of any of aspects 1 through 2, further comprising: predicting an energy state change to occur after a quantity of slots, wherein the energy state change comprises a change from a first energy state to a deactivated state.
Aspect 4: The method of any of aspects 1 through 3, wherein transmitting the expected communication duration message further comprises: transmitting an expected communication termination indication that indicates a time that communication will terminate between the wireless communications device and the RFID tag.
Aspect 5: The method of aspect 4, wherein the expected communication termination indication comprises instructions for the RFID tag to power off, or an indication of a threshold quantity of slots for the RFID tag to monitor before powering off.
Aspect 6: The method of any of aspects 1 through 5, wherein the energy state of the RFID tag comprises an amount of available energy in an energy storage of the RFID tag.
Aspect 7: The method of any of aspects 1 through 6, wherein the duration of the timer is further based at least in part on a charging rate of the RFID tag, a discharging rate of the RFID tag, a distance between the wireless communications device and the RFID tag, or any combination thereof.
Aspect 8: The method of any of aspects 1 through 7, wherein the duration of the timer is further based at least in part on a capacitor size of the RFID tag, a power amplifier of the RFID tag, a low-noise amplifier of the RFID tag, a diode type of the RFID tag, one or more on or off states of the RFID tag, or any combination thereof.
Aspect 9: The method of any of aspects 1 through 8, further comprising: performing one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages based at least in part on receiving a NACK, an absence of a positive ACK, a channel quality, or a combination thereof.
Aspect 10: The method of aspect 9, wherein a maximum quantity of the one or more retransmissions is based at least in part on the energy state of the RFID tag.
Aspect 11: The method of any of aspects 9 through 10, further comprising: assigning a first priority to an initial transmission of the one or more messages; and assigning a second priority to the one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages, wherein the second priority is greater than the first priority and the second priority and the first priority are based at least in part on the energy state of the RFID tag.
Aspect 12: The method of any of aspects 1 through 11, wherein transmitting the one or more messages to the RFID tag further comprises: transmitting the one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with a delay duration, wherein the delay duration is based at least in part on the energy state of the RFID tag.
Aspect 13: The method of aspect 12, wherein the one or more messages comprise one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages, the method further comprising: transmitting the one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages in accordance with the delay duration, wherein the delay duration reduces time between respective retransmissions based at least in part on the energy state of the RFID tag.
Aspect 14: The method of any of aspects 12 through 13, wherein the delay duration is a preconfigured delay duration, or a dynamically configured delay duration received via a configuration message.
Aspect 15: The method of any of aspects 12 through 14, wherein the delay duration indicates a time slot that the wireless communications device transmits the one or more messages to the RFID tag, a duration that the wireless communications device waits before transmitting the one or more messages to the RFID tag, or both.
Aspect 16: The method of any of aspects 1 through 15, further comprising: receiving one or more response messages from the RFID tag in accordance with a delay duration, wherein the delay duration is based at least in part on the energy state of the RFID tag.
Aspect 17: The method of aspect 16, wherein the delay duration indicates a time slot that the RFID tag transmits the one or more response messages, a duration the RFID tag waits before transmitting the one or more response messages to the wireless communications device, or both.
Aspect 18: The method of any of aspects 1 through 17, wherein transmitting the one or more messages to the RFID tag further comprises: transmitting the one or more messages to the RFID tag in accordance with one or more transmission parameters, wherein the one or more transmission parameters are based at least in part on the energy state of the RFID tag.
Aspect 19: The method of aspect 18, wherein the one or more transmission parameters comprise one or more modified symbol durations, one or more modified modulation coding schemes, one or more modified transmission powers, or any combination thereof.
Aspect 20: The method of any of aspects 1 through 19, wherein the RFID tag comprises an ambient IoT device.
Aspect 21: A method for wireless communications, comprising: transmitting an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of a RFID tag; receiving an expected communication duration message that indicates a duration of a timer corresponding to the energy state of the RFID tag, wherein the duration of the timer is based at least in part on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag to occur during the duration of the timer; and receiving one or more messages in accordance with the duration of the timer.
Aspect 22: The method of aspect 21, wherein the prediction of the one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag comprises an energy state change to occur after a quantity of slots, the energy state change comprises a change from a first energy state to a second energy state of the RFID tag.
Aspect 23: The method of any of aspects 21 through 22, wherein the prediction of the one or more changes of the energy state of the RFID tag comprises an energy state change to occur after a quantity of slots, the energy state change comprises a change from a first energy state to a deactivated state.
Aspect 24: The method of any of aspects 21 through 23, wherein receiving the expected communication duration message further comprises: receiving an expected communication termination indication that indicates a time that communication will terminate between a wireless communications device and the RFID tag.
Aspect 25: The method of aspect 24, wherein the expected communication termination indication comprises instructions for the RFID tag to power off, or an indication of a threshold quantity of slots for the RFID tag to monitor before powering off.
Aspect 26: The method of any of aspects 21 through 25, further comprising: receiving one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages based at least in part on transmitting a NACK, an absence of a positive ACK, a channel quality, or a combination thereof.
Aspect 27: The method of aspect 26, wherein a maximum quantity of the one or more retransmissions is based at least in part on the energy state of the RFID tag.
Aspect 28: The method of any of aspects 21 through 27, further comprising: transmitting one or more messages to a wireless communications device in accordance with a delay duration, wherein the delay duration is based at least in part on the energy state of the RFID tag.
Aspect 29: An apparatus for wireless communications at a wireless communications 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 20.
Aspect 30: An apparatus for wireless communications at a wireless communications device, comprising at least one means for performing a method of any of aspects 1 through 20.
Aspect 31: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications at a wireless communications device, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform a method of any of aspects 1 through 20.
Aspect 32: An apparatus for wireless communications, 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 21 through 28.
Aspect 33: An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising at least one means for performing a method of any of aspects 21 through 28.
Aspect 34: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform a method of any of aspects 21 through 28.
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 communications at a wireless communications 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:

receive, from a radio-frequency identification tag, an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of the radio-frequency identification tag;

initiate a timer corresponding to the energy state of the radio-frequency identification tag, wherein a duration of the timer is based at least in part on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the radio-frequency identification tag to occur during the duration of the timer;

transmit, to the radio-frequency identification tag, an expected communication duration message that indicates the duration of the timer; and

transmit one or more messages to the radio-frequency identification tag in accordance with the duration of the timer.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

predict an energy state change to occur after a quantity of slots, wherein the energy state change comprises a change from a first energy state to a second energy state of the radio-frequency identification tag.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

predict an energy state change to occur after a quantity of slots, wherein the energy state change comprises a change from a first energy state to a deactivated state.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions to transmit the expected communication duration message are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

transmit an expected communication termination indication that indicates a time that communication will terminate between the wireless communications device and the radio-frequency identification tag.
The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the expected communication termination indication comprises instructions for the radio-frequency identification tag to power off, or an indication of a threshold quantity of slots for the radio-frequency identification tag to monitor before powering off.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the energy state of the radio-frequency identification tag comprises an amount of available energy in an energy storage of the radio-frequency identification tag.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the duration of the timer is further based at least in part on a charging rate of the radio-frequency identification tag, a discharging rate of the radio-frequency identification tag, a distance between the wireless communications device and the radio-frequency identification tag, or any combination thereof.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the duration of the timer is further based at least in part on a capacitor size of the radio-frequency identification tag, a power amplifier of the radio-frequency identification tag, a low-noise amplifier of the radio-frequency identification tag, a diode type of the radio-frequency identification tag, one or more on or off states of the radio-frequency identification tag, or any combination thereof.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

perform one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages based at least in part on receiving a negative acknowledgement, an absence of a positive acknowledgement, a channel quality, or a combination thereof.
The apparatus of claim 9, wherein a maximum quantity of the one or more retransmissions is based at least in part on the energy state of the radio-frequency identification tag.
The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

assign a first priority to an initial transmission of the one or more messages; and

assign a second priority to the one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages, wherein the second priority is greater than the first priority and the second priority and the first priority are based at least in part on the energy state of the radio-frequency identification tag.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions to transmit the one or more messages to the radio-frequency identification tag are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

transmit the one or more messages to the radio-frequency identification tag in accordance with a delay duration, wherein the delay duration is based at least in part on the energy state of the radio-frequency identification tag.
The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one or more messages comprise one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages, and the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

transmit the one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages in accordance with the delay duration, wherein the delay duration reduces time between respective retransmissions based at least in part on the energy state of the radio-frequency identification tag.
The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the delay duration is a preconfigured delay duration, or a dynamically configured delay duration received via a configuration message.
The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the delay duration indicates a time slot that the wireless communications device transmits the one or more messages to the radio-frequency identification tag, a duration that the wireless communications device waits before transmitting the one or more messages to the radio-frequency identification tag, or both.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

receive one or more response messages from the radio-frequency identification tag in accordance with a delay duration, wherein the delay duration is based at least in part on the energy state of the radio-frequency identification tag.
The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the delay duration indicates a time slot that the radio-frequency identification tag transmits the one or more response messages, a duration the radio-frequency identification tag waits before transmitting the one or more response messages to the wireless communications device, or both.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions to transmit the one or more messages to the radio-frequency identification tag are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

transmit the one or more messages to the radio-frequency identification tag in accordance with one or more transmission parameters, wherein the one or more transmission parameters are based at least in part on the energy state of the radio-frequency identification tag.
The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the one or more transmission parameters comprise one or more modified symbol durations, one or more modified modulation coding schemes, one or more modified transmission powers, or any combination thereof.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the radio-frequency identification tag comprises an ambient internet of things device.
An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

a processor;

memory coupled with the processor; and

instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

transmit an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of a radio-frequency identification tag;

receive an expected communication duration message that indicates a duration of a timer corresponding to the energy state of the radio-frequency identification tag, wherein the duration of the timer is based at least in part on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the radio-frequency identification tag to occur during the duration of the timer; and

receive one or more messages in accordance with the duration of the timer.
The apparatus of claim 21, wherein:

the prediction of the one or more changes of the energy state of the radio-frequency identification tag comprises an energy state change to occur after a quantity of slots, and the energy state change comprises a change from a first energy state to a second energy state of the radio-frequency identification tag.
The apparatus of claim 21, wherein:

the prediction of the one or more changes of the energy state of the radio-frequency identification tag comprises an energy state change to occur after a quantity of slots, and the energy state change comprises a change from a first energy state to a deactivated state.
The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the instructions to receive the expected communication duration message are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

receive an expected communication termination indication that indicates a time that communication will terminate between a wireless communications device and the radio-frequency identification tag.
The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the expected communication termination indication comprises instructions for the radio-frequency identification tag to power off, or an indication of a threshold quantity of slots for the radio-frequency identification tag to monitor before powering off.
The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

receive one or more retransmissions of the one or more messages based at least in part on transmitting a negative acknowledgement, an absence of a positive acknowledgement, a channel quality, or a combination thereof.
The apparatus of claim 26, wherein a maximum quantity of the one or more retransmissions is based at least in part on the energy state of the radio-frequency identification tag.
The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

transmit one or more messages to a wireless communications device in accordance with a delay duration, wherein the delay duration is based at least in part on the energy state of the radio-frequency identification tag.
A method for wireless communications at a wireless communications device, comprising:

receiving, from a radio-frequency identification tag, an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of the radio-frequency identification tag;

initiating a timer corresponding to the energy state of the radio-frequency identification tag, wherein a duration of the timer is based at least in part on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the radio-frequency identification tag to occur during the duration of the timer;

transmitting, to the radio-frequency identification tag, an expected communication duration message that indicates the duration of the timer; and

transmitting one or more messages to the radio-frequency identification tag in accordance with the duration of the timer.
A method for wireless communications, comprising:

transmitting an energy state indication message that indicates an energy state of a radio-frequency identification tag;

receiving an expected communication duration message that indicates a duration of a timer corresponding to the energy state of the radio-frequency identification tag, wherein the duration of the timer is based at least in part on a prediction of one or more changes of the energy state of the radio-frequency identification tag to occur during the duration of the timer; and

receiving one or more messages in accordance with the duration of the timer.