WO2024246860A1

WO2024246860A1 - Physical context-based ambient internet of things handover

Info

Publication number: WO2024246860A1
Application number: PCT/IB2024/055350
Authority: WO
Inventors: Oana-Elena Barbu; Nuno Manuel KIILERICH PRATAS; Benny Vejlgaard; Johannes Harrebek; Simon Svendsen
Original assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
Priority date: 2023-06-02
Filing date: 2024-05-31
Publication date: 2024-12-05

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for enabling an Ambient Internet of Things handover procedure that is triggered based on changes in a physical layer context of the Ambient Internet of Things device. One method may include receiving, by a network entity, a configuration to a network entity configured to: set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission; and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period; determining, by the network entity, the requested rate of change; and transmitting, by the network entity, the requested rate of change to the session control unit.

Description

TITLE

PHYSICAL CONTEXT-BASED AMBIENT INTERNET OF THINGS HANDOVER

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Some example embodiments may generally relate to mobile or wireless telecommunication systems, such as 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE), 5^th generation (5G) radio access technology (RAT), new radio (NR) access technology, 6^th generation (6G), and/or other communications systems. For example, certain example embodiments may relate to systems and/or methods for enabling an Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) handover (HO) procedure that is triggered based on changes in a physical layer context (PLC) of the A-IoT device.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Examples of mobile or wireless telecommunication systems may include radio frequency (RF) 5G RAT, the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), LTE Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-A Pro, NR access technology, and/or MulteFire Alliance. 5G wireless systems refer to the next generation (NG) of radio systems and network architecture. A 5G system is typically built on a 5G NR, but a 5G (or NG) network may also be built on E-UTRA radio. It is expected that NR can support service categories such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency- communication (URLLC), and massive machine-type communication (mMTC). NR is expected to deliver extreme broadband, ultra-robust, low-latency connectivity, and massive networking to support the Internet of Things (loT). The next generation radio access network (NG-RAN) represents the radio access network (RAN) for 5G, which may provide radio access for NR, LTE, and LTE-A. It is noted that the nodes in 5G providing radio access functionality to a user equipment (e.g., similar to the Node B in UTRAN or the Evolved Node B (eNB) in LTE) may be referred to as next-generation Node B (gNB) when built on NR radio, and may be referred to as next-generation eNB (NG-eNB) when built on E-UTRA radio. SUMMARY

[0003] In accordance with some example embodiments, a method may include transmitting, by a session control unit, a configuration to a network entity configured to: set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission; and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period. The method may further include receiving, by the session control unit, the requested rate of change from the network entity. The method may further include identifying, by the session control unit, at least one trend of the requested rate of change. [0004] In accordance with certain example embodiments, an apparatus may include means for transmitting a configuration to a network entity configured to: set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission; and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period. The apparatus may further include means for receiving the requested rate of change from the network entity. The apparatus may further include means for identifying at least one trend of the requested rate of change.

[0005] In accordance with various example embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable medium may include program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least a method. The method may include transmitting a configuration to a network entity configured to: set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission; and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period. The method may further include receiving the requested rate of change from the network entity. The method may further include identifying at least one trend of the requested rate of change.

[0006] In accordance with some example embodiments, a computer program product may perform a method. The method may include transmitting a configuration to a network entity configured to: set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission; and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period. The method may further include receiving the requested rate of change from the network entity. The method may further include identifying at least one trend of the requested rate of change.

[0007] In accordance with certain example embodiments, an apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to transmit a configuration to a network entity configured to: set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission; and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period. The at least one memory and instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may further cause the apparatus at least to receive the requested rate of change from the network entity. The at least one memory and instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may further cause the apparatus at least to identify at least one trend of the requested rate of change.

[0008] In accordance with various example embodiments, an apparatus may include transmitting circuitry configured to transmit a configuration to a network entity configured to: set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission; and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period. The apparatus may further include receiving circuitry configured to receive the requested rate of change from the network entity. The apparatus may further include identifying circuitry configured to identify at least one trend of the requested rate of change.

[0009] In accordance with some example embodiments, a method may include receiving, by a network entity, from a session control unit a configuration configured to: set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission; and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period. The method may further include determining, by the network entity, the requested rate of change. The method may further include transmitting, by the network entity, the requested rate of change to the session control unit.

[0010] In accordance with certain example embodiments, an apparatus may include means for receiving from a session control unit a configuration configured to: set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission; and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period. The apparatus may further include means for determining the requested rate of change. The apparatus may further include means for transmitting the requested rate of change to the session control unit.

[0011] In accordance with various example embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable medium may include program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least a method. The method may include receiving from a session control unit a configuration configured to: set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission; and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period. The method may further include determining the requested rate of change. The method may further include transmitting the requested rate of change to the session control unit.

[0012] In accordance with some example embodiments, a computer program product may perform a method. The method may include receiving from a session control unit a configuration configured to: set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission; and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period. The method may further include determining the requested rate of change. The method may further include transmitting the requested rate of change to the session control unit.

[0013] In accordance with certain example embodiments, an apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to receive from a session control unit a configuration configured to: set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission; and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period. The at least one memory and instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may further cause the apparatus at least to determine the requested rate of change. The at least one memory and instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may further cause the apparatus at least to transmit the requested rate of change to the session control unit. [0014] In accordance with various example embodiments, an apparatus may include receiving circuitry configured to receive from a session control unit a configuration configured to: set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission; and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period. The apparatus may further include determining circuitry configured to determine the requested rate of change. The apparatus may further include transmitting circuitry configured to transmit the requested rate of change to the session control unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] For a proper understanding of example embodiments, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of positive slope measurements according to certain example embodiments;

[0017] FIGs. 2A-2B illustrate an example of a signaling diagram according to certain example embodiments;

[0018] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a flow diagram of a method that may be performed by a session control unit according to some example embodiments;

[0019] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a flow diagram of a method that may be performed by a network entity according to various example embodiments;

[0020] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of various network devices according to some example embodiments; and

[0021] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a 5G network and system architecture according to certain example embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] It will be readily understood that the components of certain example embodiments, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following detailed description of some example embodiments of systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for enabling an A-IoT HO procedure that is triggered based on changes in a PLC (e.g., set of nearby UEs, 2D location, range to a fixed radio unit) of the A-IoT device is not intended to limit the scope of certain example embodiments, but is instead representative of selected example embodiments.

[0023] With respect to loT applications, 3GPP has specified NB-IoT/eMTC and NR reduced capability (RedCap) to satisfy the requirements of low cost and low power devices for wide-area loT communication. These loT devices frequently consume tens or hundreds of milliwatts of power during transceiving, resulting in substantial cost. However, in order to support loT, a need exists for loT devices with significantly lower costs and power consumption, especially for a large number of applications requiring battery-free devices.

[0024] The number of loT connections has been growing rapidly in recent years, and is predicted to reach hundreds of billions by 2030. With more and more devices expected to be interconnected for improving production efficiency and increasing comforts of life, this may require additional reductions in size, cost, and power consumption for these loT devices. In particular, regular replacement of batteries in all loT devices is impractical due to the significant need for materials and manpower. In some instances, loT devices may harvest energy from environments to power their own communications, especially in applications with a high number of devices (e.g., ID tags and sensors).

[0025] One important topic with existing 3 GPP technologies lies with the capability loT devices being capable of energy harvesting despite their limited device size. Cellular devices may consume tens or even hundreds of milliwatts power for transceiver processing. For example, with a NB-IoT module, the typical current consumption for receiver processing is about 60mA with a supply voltage higher than 3.1V, and 70mA for transmitting processing at OdBm transmit power. Furthermore, the output power provided by typical energy harvester is mostly below 1 milliwatt, considering the small size of a few square centimeters for practical devices. Since the available power may be less than the consumed power, it is impractical to power cellular devices solely from energy harvesting in most cases.

[0026] One possible solution is to integrate energy harvesting with rechargeable batteries or supercapacitors. However, this may leave some problems unresolved. For example, rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors may suffer from shortened lifetimes in practical cases. It may be difficult to provide constant charging currents or voltages through energy harvesting, while longtime continuous charging may be needed due to the very small output power from energy harvesters. Also, variable charging currents and lengthy charging times may shorten battery life. For example, the lifetime of a supercapacitor may be significantly reduced in high temperature environments (e.g., less than 3 years at 50 degrees centigrade). Furthermore, device size may be significantly increased. As small size button batteries may only provide currents of a few tens of milliamps, batteries that are much larger (e.g.. AA battery) may be used to power cellular devices, although the size of the battery may be larger than the device itself. To store enough energy to properly function (e.g.. one second), the required capacitance of a supercapacitor may be a few hundred millifarads (mF). The size of such supercapacitors may be larger than an NB-IoT module. Additionally, both rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors may be more expensive than the module itself. Even if purchased in large quantities, a suitable battery or supercapacitor may cost a few dollars, nearly doubling the cost of such devices.

[0027] Radio frequency identification (RFID) is one type of technology that supports battery-free tags (z.e., devices). The power consumption of commercial passive RFID tags may be as low as 1 microwatt. Techniques that may enable such low power consumption include envelope detection for downlink data reception, and backscatter communication for uplink data transmission. RFID has been designed to include short-range communications (e.g.. an effective range of less than 10 meters). Since the air interface of RFID remains constant, a straightforward transmission scheme becomes difficult for improving its link budget and capability of supporting scalable networks. [0028] Many non-3GPP technologies (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ultra wideband (UWB), and long range (LoRa)) have begun to utilize the extremely low power consumption of backscatter communications. In particular, a few or tens of microwatts power consumption may be supported for passive tags based on or with small modifications to the air interfaces mentioned above. As an example, a LoRa tag implemented with commercial off-the-shelf components may transmit its sensing data to a receiver that may be hundreds of meters away. Currently, many techniques focus on independent detailed techniques for various optimization targets. However, there is a need for a comprehensive system design that meets all requirements of these use cases.

[0029] Certain example embodiments described herein may have various benefits and/or advantages to overcome the disadvantages described above. For example, certain example embodiments may improve device communications and conserve device energy. Thus, certain example embodiments discussed below are directed to improvements in computer-related technology.

[0030] A -loT systems may be inherently dynamic for a variety of reasons. For example, a A-IoT device is typically mobile since it is most often attached to items that need to be localized or tracked. The A-IoT activator may need to be in the immediate proximity of the A-IoT device (e.g., no more than 20m away), so that the A-IoT device can receive sufficient energy to power its corresponding transmission. In light of this limitation, the activator (which may also be a moving UE) may need to closely follow the potentially mobile A-IoT device. The A-IoT reader may also be another NR UE, and thus may also be mobile. For successful reception, the reader may be at most 300 m away from the A-IoT device. With these limitations, setting up a periodic reading session may be challenging since the session control unit (SCU) may need to anticipate whether the activator and reader pairs remain valid (z.e., are still sufficiently close to the A-IoT device) from one reading to the next, and if not, to reconfigure (z.e., to hand over) the future reading attempt to ensure seamless reading. HO of the reading session to another activator/reader or activator-reader pair may be particularly challenging in A-IoT systems since the A-IoT device itself may not monitor any link parameters and trigger a HO (like a UE would do in legacy NR systems). Thus, the HO by the A-IoT device (e.g., to a new activator, a new reader, or a new activator-reader) may be realized without any explicit/direct help from the A-IoT device. Various example embodiments discussed herein may enable the A-IoT HO given the above constraints.

[0031] In general, a passive radio may describe a device that harnesses energy from wireless signals transmitted on specific carriers and/or bandwidths, and charges a simple circuitry that, once activated, may emit/reflect a signal which encodes at least the ID of the passive radio. A system architecture around a passive radio may include an activator device that transmits an activation signal targeted at waking up the passive radio. The system architecture may also include the passive radio that harnesses energy over a range of frequencies and listens for activation signals. Once such a signal is detected, the passive radio may emit/reflect a signal which is specific to that radio ID. Such a system architecture may also include a reader device that listens and detects the passive radio signals. The reader may or may not be collocated with the activator.

[0032] Certain example embodiments may relate to an A-IoT HO procedure wherein the A-IoT session may be handed over to another activator and/or reader without active involvement by the A-IoT device itself (z.e., without requesting the A-IoT device to monitor/report its own link parameters). Specifically, the A-IoT HO may be triggered based on changes to the A-IoT PLC. PLC information may be collected from multiple monitoring entities (ME) which have recently detected the A-IoT device and are triggered to monitor the trend of the link to the A-IoT from the perspective of each ME. In addition, the multiple MEs may be part of the current session (e.g., the designated reader is asked to additionally report the link trend). The PLC may be created based on channel reciprocity (e.g., assuming that the reported trends would match the link trend that the A-IoT device would observe, if it would have the capability to measure such trend). Changes in the PLC may indicate an imminent HO, such as when the activation power headroom is zero. A HO assessment, including selecting the entities whom to hand over to, may be performed by analyzing reported trends, such as a positive trend indicative of a link improvement, a negative trend indicative of a link degradation, and/or the activation signal power headroom. If the headroom is positive, the SCU may first request a TX power boost and subsequently reassess the HO need.

[0033] Various example embodiments may also enable an A-IoT HO procedure that is triggered based on changes in PLC of the A-IoT device, without requiring the active involvement of the A-IoT device itself. This may be achieved by collecting PLC information from multiple MEs that have detected the A-IoT device and that are part of the current session (e.g., current activator and reader). A link trend metric may be defined and used to assess trends reported by the MEs and changes in PLC. The changes in PLC may indicate an imminent HO when the activation power headroom is zero. The link-quality related trends reported by the MEs may be used by the SCU to take HO decisions and select the entities for the HO. The reported trends may also help the SCU to reconfigure the session (z.e., perform HO) before data reading quality degrades beyond an acceptable threshold. The SCU may also configure MEs for trend monitoring and fast HO.

[0034] In order to perform the aforementioned activities, the SCU may populate any combination of MEs, a primary activation pool (PAP), secondary activation pool (SAP), primary reader pool (PRP), and secondary reader pool (SRP). The current activator, reader, and the set of MEs may be configured to act as monitoring readers, and may report the link quality trends to the SCU. Based on the slope of the measurements by all the entities and their respective latest measurement values, the SCU may anticipate a HO or determine need for an imminent HO. Multiple slopes of the same measurement may provide a trend of the slope. Accordingly, the SCU may configure new activator/reader, and deactivate the past activator/reader.

[0035] In some example embodiments, an information element (IE) may define a link trend metric. For example, the trend may be defined as the slope of any A-IoT measurements collected over a selected observation window. For example, FIG. 1 illustrates exemplary positive slope measurements, indicating that a link between the MEs and the A-IoT gradually improves. The IE may also be configured to activate the MEs for trend monitoring and for fast HO based on trend assessment and/or report the trends by the MEs to the SCU in charge of the HO. In addition, the IE may be configured to combine the trend reports and/or reconfigure the session before reading quality degrades beyond an acceptable threshold.

[0036] FIGs. 2A-2B illustrate an example of a signaling diagram 200 for enabling an A- loT HO procedure that is triggered based on changes in a PLC of the A-IoT device. SCU 230, activator 235, reader 240, PAP1 245, PRP1 250, SAP1 255, SRP1 260, and A-IoT 265 may be similar to NE 510, as illustrated in FIG. 5, according to certain example embodiments. In various example embodiments, SCU 230 may be an independent entity of the network, or may be collocated with either activator 235 or reader 240.

[0037] PAP1 245 may include all NR activators that have been selected by SCU 230 to illuminate A-IoT 265. PAP1 245 may be populated during a discovery procedure, and may include all activators associated with a high trust discovery by at least N_pap readers. “High trust discovery” may include the discovery of an A-IoT device (e.g., A-IoT 265) for which the received power level is above a given threshold T_pap.

[0038] SAP1 255 may include all NR activators that are associated with a medium trust discovery by at least N_sap readers. Thus, if N_sap readers detect A-IoT 265 received power to be at least T_sap but less than T_pap, the activators illuminating A-IoT 265 at the time of the discovery may be stored by SAP1 255.

[0039] PRP1 250 (which may be similar to PAP1 245) may include readers that discovered A-IoT 265 with high confidence and may be added to PRP1. SRP1 260, which may be similar to SAP1 255, may include readers that discovered A-IoT 265 with medium confidence are added to SRP1.

[0040] At operation 201, SCU 230, activator 235, and reader 240 may be configured for detection of A-IoT 265.

[0041] In various example embodiments with a currently active activator (A)-reader (R) pair for a given A-IoT device (e.g.. activator 235 and reader 240), SCU 230 may select and configure various MEs. For example, N1>=1 entities from PAP1 245 and SAP1 255 may act as monitoring readers. Thus, standby activators may undergo a function conversion, and may become monitoring readers for the HO monitoring. Alternatively, N2>=1 entities from PRP1 250 and SRP1 260 may act as monitoring readers. Thus, standby readers may maintain their function, and may become monitoring readers for the HOM process. The MEs may be chosen based upon an active activator-reader pair and/or on similarity of the measurement reported during initial discovery.

[0042] At operation 202, SCU 230 may transmit to reader 240 a request for slope Sr of A-IoT 265 measurements. Sr may denote the slope reported by reader 240.

[0043] At operation 203, activator 235 may transmit an activation signal to A-IoT 265. [0044] At operation 204, A-IoT 265 may transmit an activation signal reply/response to reader 240.

[0045] At operation 205, reader 240 may detect and measure replies, and may extract a payload.

[0046] At operation 206, reader 240 may compute slope Sr.

[0047] At operation 207, reader 240 may transfer to SCU 230 a payload of A-IoT 265. For example, if SCU 230 is an LMF, the report may include an ETE positioning protocol (LPP) report. Alternatively, if SCU 230 is another UE or NE, the report may include a radio resource control (RRC) or medium access control (MAC) report.

[0048] At operation 208, reader 240 may report to SCU 230 the slope Sr computed at operation 206, and at least one latest measurement.

[0049] At operation 209, SCU 230 may configure PAP1 245, PRP1 250, SAP1 255, and/or SRP1 260 as MEs. SCU 230 may transmit a configuration to a network entity configured to set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period. For example, SCU 230 may trigger the selected MEs, but may also trigger the active reader to measure the A-IoT signals and report link quality trends, including latest measurements. For example, the selected MEs may be tasked with measuring the total A-IoT power every P seconds, and compute the slope (z.e., Sr) of the measurements.

[0050] SCU 230 may also configure the MEs (z.e., PAP1 245, PRP1 250, SAP1 255, and/or SRP1 260) for monitoring and rapid HO. Specifically, the selected MEs may be notified that, depending on the reported trends for A-IoT device 265, they may be activated to take over the reading session.

[0051] PAP1 245 may, at operation 210, measure Ml over time; at operation 211, compute slope Sme; and at operation 212, report to SCU 230 Sme and a latest Ml. Similarly, PRP1 250 may, at operation 213, measure Ml over time; at operation 214, compute slope Sme; and at operation 215, report to SCU 230 Sme and a latest Ml. Similarly, SAP1 255 may, at operation 216, measure Ml over time; at operation 217, compute slope Sme; and at operation 218, report to SCU 230 Sme and a latest Ml. Similarly, SRP1 260 may, at operation 219, measure Ml over time; at operation 220, compute slope Sme; and at operation 221, report to SCU 230 Sme and a latest Ml. Sme may denote the slope reported by the ME (z.e., PAP1 245, PRP1 250, SAP1 255, SRP1 260).

[0052] In certain example embodiments, at operations 211, 214, 217, and 220, slope of the measurements may be calculated as the change in the measurements divided by the time duration over which they were collected, such as shown in FIG. 1. A negative slope may indicate that the measurement levels are decreasing over time, indicating that the link quality is decreasing.

[0053]In some example embodiments, at operations 212, 215, 218, and 221, the slopes may be reported as configured, and may also report the latest measurement. The MEs and/or the active reader may trigger an instantaneous reporting if the measurement went below a threshold which indicates HO imminence (if the activator is transmitting at full power already). The threshold may be different if MEs are PAP1 245/SAP1 255 or PRP1 250/SRP1 260 and are set by SCU 230.

[0054] At operation 222, SCU 230 may collect the measurement slope information from all ME, activator 235, reader 240, and analyze the information for trends. If reader 240 reports negative slope, this may indicate a link degradation. Depending on the absolute value of the slope, SCU 230 may anticipate when a HO is required. Specifically, using the slope and the latest measurement, SCU 230 may compute a time interval after which the reader measurements may go under the detection level, if the activation signal TX power remains unchanged. As a result, a HO may be trigged before the time interval has passed, if the activation power headroom is zero; otherwise, the activation TX power may be increased. If a HO is imminent, SCU 230 may assess which MEs report a positive or zero slope, and select the ME with the largest positive slope as the candidate activator 235 and reader 240. Then, candidate MEs with the largest latest measurement (z.e., the closest to A-IoT device 265) may become the new activator.

[0055] In certain example embodiments, upon detecting that the slope Sr exceeds a configured threshold indicating that the distance between the MEs and A-IoT device 265 is decreasing, SCU 230 may decide to reconfigure the link without an imminent link break, and increase the quality of the current session. In this case, SCU 230 may compare all Sme and Sr, and may trigger at least one of the MEs to take over as activator.

[0056] In some example embodiments, if both Sr and all Sme slopes decrease for the same time intervals, this may indicate that a distance between activator 235 and A- loT device 265 is increasing, and may trigger an activator HO. The trends may be analyzed by SCU 230 and activator 235 HO decision may be subsequently taken. SCU 230 may select a new activator from the list of PAP/SAP, and use their respective trend reports. For example, the P/SAP which reported the highest slope may become the next activator. In this case, SCU 230 may send a short indication to the target P/SAP, containing an activation flag. Upon reception of the flag, the targeted P/SAP may deploy the transmission of the activation signal, where such activation signal has been preconfigured using the signalling at operation 209.

[0057] At operation 223, SCU 230 may configure PAP1 245 as the new activator. [0058] At operation 224, SCU 230 may configure PRP1 250 as the new reader.

[0059] At operation 225, SCU 203 may deactivate and release activator 235 and reader 240 from function.

[0060] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a flow diagram of a method 300 that may be performed by a SCU, such as NE 510 illustrated in FIG. 5, according to various example embodiments. [0061] At step 301, the method may include transmitting, by a session control unit, to a network entity a configuration configured to set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission, and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period. The network entity may include at least one of the following: a measurement entity, a primary activation pool, secondary activation pool, primary reader pool, or secondary reader pool. The rate of change comprises a measurement slope.

[0062] At step 302, the method may further include receiving, by the session control unit, the requested rate of change from the network entity.

[0063] At step 303, the method may further include identifying, by the session control unit, at least one trend of the requested rate of change.

[0064] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a flow diagram of a method 300 that may be performed by a NE, such as NE 510 illustrated in FIG. 5, according to various example embodiments. The network entity may include at least one of the following: a measurement entity, a primary activation pool, secondary activation pool, primary reader pool, or secondary reader pool

[0065] At step 401, the method may include receiving, by a network entity, from a session control unit a configuration configured to set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission, and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period.

[0066] At step 402, the method may further include determining, by the network entity, the requested rate of change. The rate of change may include a measurement slope.

[0067] At step 403, the method may further include performing, by the network entity, at least one measurement.

[0068] At step 404, the method may further include transmitting, by the network entity, the requested rate of change to the session control unit.

[0069] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a system according to certain example embodiments. In one example embodiment, a system may include multiple devices, such as, for example, NE 510 and/or UE 520. [0070] NE 510 may be one or more of a base station (e.g., 3G UMTS NodeB, 4G LTE Evolved NodeB, or 5G NR Next Generation NodeB), a serving gateway, a server, and/or any other access node or combination thereof.

[0071] NE 510 may further include at least one gNB -centralized unit (CU), which may be associated with at least one gNB-distributed unit (DU). The at least one gNB-CU and the at least one gNB -DU may be in communication via at least one Fl interface, at least one Xn-C interface, and/or at least one NG interface via a 5^th generation core (5GC).

[0072] UE 520 may include one or more of a mobile device, such as a mobile phone, smart phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), tablet, or portable media player, digital camera, pocket video camera, video game console, navigation unit, such as a global positioning system (GPS) device, desktop or laptop computer, single-location device, such as a sensor or smart meter, or any combination thereof. Furthermore, NE 510 and/or UE 520 may be one or more of a citizens broadband radio service device (CBSD).

[0073] NE 510 and/or UE 520 may include at least one processor, respectively indicated as 511 and 521. Processors 511 and 521 may be embodied by any computational or data processing device, such as a central processing unit (CPU), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or comparable device. The processors may be implemented as a single controller, or a plurality of controllers or processors.

[0074] At least one memory may be provided in one or more of the devices, as indicated at 512 and 522. The memory may be fixed or removable. The memory may include computer program instructions or computer code contained therein. Memories 512 and 522 may independently be any suitable storage device, such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The term “non-transitory,” as used herein, may correspond to a limitation of the medium itself (z.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., random access memory (RAM) vs. read-only memory (ROM)). A hard disk drive (HDD), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, or other suitable memory may be used. The memories may be combined on a single integrated circuit as the processor, or may be separate from the one or more processors. Furthermore, the computer program instructions stored in the memory, and which may be processed by the processors, may be any suitable form of computer program code, for example, a compiled or interpreted computer program written in any suitable programming language.

[0075] Processors 511 and 521, memories 512 and 522, and any subset thereof, may be configured to provide means corresponding to the various blocks of FIGs. 1-4. Although not shown, the devices may also include positioning hardware, such as GPS or micro electrical mechanical system (MEMS) hardware, which may be used to determine a location of the device. Other sensors are also permitted, and may be configured to determine location, elevation, velocity, orientation, and so forth, such as barometers, compasses, and the like.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 5, transceivers 513 and 523 may be provided, and one or more devices may also include at least one antenna, respectively illustrated as 514 and 524. The device may have many antennas, such as an array of antennas configured for multiple input multiple output (MIMO) communications, or multiple antennas for multiple RATs. Other configurations of these devices, for example, may be provided. Transceivers 513 and 523 may be a transmitter, a receiver, both a transmitter and a receiver, or a unit or device that may be configured both for transmission and reception. [0077] The memory and the computer program instructions may be configured, with the processor for the particular device, to cause a hardware apparatus, such as UE, to perform any of the processes described above (z.e., FIGs. 1-4). Therefore, in certain example embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may be encoded with computer instructions that, when executed in hardware, perform a process such as one of the processes described herein. Alternatively, certain example embodiments may be performed entirely in hardware.

[0078] In certain example embodiments, an apparatus may include circuitry configured to perform any of the processes or functions illustrated in FIGs. 1-4. As used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and/or digital circuitry), (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable): (i) a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuit(s) with software/firmware and (ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions), and (c) hardware circuit(s) and or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation. This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0079] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a 5G network and system architecture according to certain example embodiments. Shown are multiple network functions that may be implemented as software operating as part of a network device or dedicated hardware, as a network device itself or dedicated hardware, or as a virtual function operating as a network device or dedicated hardware. The NE and UE illustrated in FIG. 6 may be similar to NE 510 and UE 520, respectively. The user plane function (UPF) may provide services such as intra-RAT and inter-RAT mobility, routing and forwarding of data packets, inspection of packets, user plane quality of service (QoS) processing, buffering of downlink packets, and/or triggering of downlink data notifications. The application function (AF) may primarily interface with the core network to facilitate application usage of traffic routing and interact with the policy framework.

[0080] According to certain example embodiments, processors 511 and 521, and memories 512 and 522, may be included in or may form a part of processing circuitry or control circuitry. In addition, in some example embodiments, transceivers 513 and 523 may be included in or may form a part of transceiving circuitry. [0081] In some example embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., NE 510 and/or UE 520) may include means for performing a method, a process, or any of the variants discussed herein. Examples of the means may include one or more processors, memory, controllers, transmitters, receivers, and/or computer program code for causing the performance of the operations.

[0082] In various example embodiments, apparatus 510 may be controlled by memory 512 and processor 511 to transmit a configuration to a network entity configured to: set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission, and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period; receive the requested rate of change from the network entity; and identify at least one trend of the requested rate of change.

[0083] Certain example embodiments may be directed to an apparatus that includes means for performing any of the methods described herein including, for example, means for transmitting a configuration to a network entity configured to: set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission, and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period; means for receiving the requested rate of change from the network entity; and means for identifying at least one trend of the requested rate of change.

[0084] In various example embodiments, apparatus 510 may be controlled by memory 512 and processor 511 to receive from a session control unit a configuration configured to: set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission, and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period; determine the requested rate of change; and transmit the requested rate of change to the session control unit.

[0085] Certain example embodiments may be directed to an apparatus that includes means for performing any of the methods described herein including, for example, means for receiving from a session control unit a configuration configured to: set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission, and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period; means for determining the requested rate of change; and means for transmitting the requested rate of change to the session control unit.

[0086] The features, structures, or characteristics of example embodiments described throughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more example embodiments. For example, the usage of the phrases “various embodiments,” “certain embodiments,” “some embodiments,” or other similar language throughout this specification refers to the fact that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an example embodiment may be included in at least one example embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in various embodiments,” “in certain embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” or other similar language throughout this specification does not necessarily all refer to the same group of example embodiments, and the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more example embodiments.

[0087] As used herein, “at least one of the following: <a list of two or more elements>” and “at least one of <a list of two or more elements>” and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements are joined by “and” or “or,” mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all the elements.

[0088] Additionally, if desired, the different functions or procedures discussed above may be performed in a different order and/or concurrently with each other. Furthermore, if desired, one or more of the described functions or procedures may be optional or may be combined. As such, the description above should be considered as illustrative of the principles and teachings of certain example embodiments, and not in limitation thereof. [0089] One having ordinary skill in the art will readily understand that the example embodiments discussed above may be practiced with procedures in a different order, and/or with hardware elements in configurations which are different than those which are disclosed. Therefore, although some embodiments have been described based upon these example embodiments, it would be apparent to those of skill in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternative constructions would be apparent, while remaining within the spirit and scope of the example embodiments. [0090] Partial Glossary

[0091] 3GPP 3^rd Generation Partnership Project

[0092] 5G 5^th Generation

[0093] 5GC 5^th Generation Core

[0094] 6G 6^th Generation

[0095] AF Application Function

[0096]A-IOT Ambient Internet of Things

[0097] ASIC Application Specific Integrated Circuit

[0098] CBSD Citizens Broadband Radio Service Device

[0099] CPU Central Processing Unit

[0100] CU Centralized Unit

[0101] DU Distributed Unit

[0102] eMBB Enhanced Mobile Broadband

[0103] eNB Evolved Node B

[0104] gNB Next Generation Node B

[0105] GPS Global Positioning System

[0106] HDD Hard Disk Drive

[0107] HO Handover

[0108] IE Information Element

[0109] loT Internet of Things

[0110] LMF Location Management Function

[0111] LoRa Long Range

[0112] LPP LTE Positioning Protocol

[0113] LTE Long-Term Evolution [0114]LTE-A Long-Term Evolution Advanced [0115] MAC Medium Access Control

[0116] MCS Modulation and Coding Scheme

[0117] ME Monitoring Entity

[0118] MEMS Micro Electrical Mechanical System

[0119] MIMO Multiple Input Multiple Output [0120] mMTC Massive Machine Type Communication

[0121] NE Network Entity

[0122] NG Next Generation

[0123] NG-eNB Next Generation Evolved Node B

[0124] NG-RAN Next Generation Radio Access Network

[0125] NR New Radio

[0126] NW Network

[0127] PAP Primary Activation Pool

[0128] PRP Primary Reader Pool

[0129] PDA Personal Digital Assistance

[0130] PLC Physical Layer Context

[0131] QoS Quality of Service

[0132] RAM Random Access Memory

[0133] RAN Radio Access Network

[0134] RAT Radio Access Technology

[0135] RedCap Reduced Capability

[0136] RF Radio Frequency

[0137] RFID Radio Frequency Identification

[0138] ROM Read-Only Memory

[0139] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0140] SAP Secondary Activation Pool

[0141] SRP Secondary Reader Pool

[0142] SCU Session Control Unit

[0143] Tx Transmission

[0144] UE User Equipment

[0145] UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

[0146] UPF User Plane Function

[0147] URLLC Ultra- Reliable and Low-Latency Communication

[0148]UTRAN Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial

Radio Access Network

Claims

WE CLAIM:

1. An apparatus comprising' : at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: transmit to a network entity a configuration configured to: set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission; and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period; receive the requested rate of change from the network entity; and identify at least one trend of the requested rate of change.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network entity comprises at least one of the following: a measurement entity, a primary activation pool, secondary activation pool, primary reader pool, or secondary reader pool.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the rate of change comprises a measurement slope.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one memory and the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to: receive a response to the request for the measurement slope from the network entity.

5. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: receive from a session control unit a configuration configured to: set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission; and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period; determine the requested rate of change; and transmit the requested rate of change to the session control unit.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the apparatus comprises at least one of the following: a measurement entity, a primary activation pool, secondary activation pool, primary reader pool, or secondary reader pool.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 or 6, wherein the at least one memory and the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to: perform at least one measurement.

8. The apparatus of any of claims 5-7, wherein the rate of change comprises a measurement slope.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one memory and the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to: transmit a response to the request for the measurement slope to the session control unit.

10. An apparatus comprising: means for transmitting to a network entity a configuration configured to: set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission; and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period; means for receiving the requested rate of change from the network entity; and means for identifying at least one trend of the requested rate of change.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the network entity comprises at least one of the following: a measurement entity, a primary activation pool, secondary activation pool, primary reader pool, or secondary reader pool.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 or 11, wherein the rate of change comprises a measurement slope.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising: means for receiving a response to the request for the measurement slope from the network entity.

14. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving from a session control unit a configuration configured to: set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission; and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period; means for determining the requested rate of change; and means for transmitting the requested rate of change to the session control unit.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the apparatus comprises at least one of the following: a measurement entity, a primary activation pool, secondary activation pool, primary reader pool, or secondary reader pool.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 or 15, further comprising: means for performing at least one measurement.

17. The apparatus of any of claims 14-16, wherein the rate of change comprises a measurement slope.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising: means for transmitting a response to the request for the measurement slope to the session control unit.

19. A method comprising: transmitting, by a session control unit, to a network entity a configuration configured to: set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission; and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period; receiving, by the session control unit, the requested rate of change from the network entity; and identifying, by the session control unit, at least one trend of the requested rate of change.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the network entity comprises at least one of the following: a measurement entity, a primary activation pool, secondary activation pool, primary reader pool, or secondary reader pool.

21. The method of claim 19 or 20, wherein the rate of change comprises a measurement slope.

22. The method of claim 21 , further comprising: receiving, by the session control unit, a response to the request for the measurement slope from the network entity.

23. A method comprising: receiving, by a network entity, from a session control unit a configuration configured to: set a measurement periodicity in which to perform a measurement of a signal associated with a tag transmission; and request a rate of change of the measurement for each period; determining, by the network entity, the requested rate of change; and transmitting, by the network entity, the requested rate of change to the session control unit.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the network entity comprises at least one of the following: a measurement entity, a primary activation pool, secondary activation pool, primary reader pool, or secondary reader pool.

25. The method of claim 23 or 24, further comprising: performing, by the network entity, at least one measurement.

26. The method of any of claims 23-35, wherein the rate of change comprises a measurement slope.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising: transmitting, by the network entity, a response to the request for the measurement slope to the session control unit.

28. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least a method according to any of claims 19-27.

29. An apparatus comprising circuitry configured to perform a method according to any of claims 19-27.

30. A computer program comprising instructions, which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of claims 19-27.