Granted Patent B2

US 12,647,966 · App. 17/664,624 · Granted Jun 2, 2026

Inventors: Xiaojie Wang (Hillsborough, NJ); Junyi Li (Fairless Hills, PA)

Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated

H04W72/1215H04B5/45H04W52/0216H04W74/0816H04W88/06

Abstract

Claims (76)

1 . An apparatus for communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising:

memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and, based at least in part on information stored in the memory, the at least one processor is configured to:

receive, from a network entity, an announcement indicating a support of backscatter communication (BC) for the UE;

transmit, based on the announcement, an indication of a backscattering radio (BR) capability to the network entity;

receive, after transmission of the indication of the BR capability to the network entity, a BC configuration in a BC bandwidth part (BWP) dedicated for the BC communication;

transmit, after reception of the BC configuration, a request message to the network entity, wherein the request message indicates a request to transition to a BR state from a main radio (MR) state; and

receive a first message from the network entity, the first message indicating that the UE is to remain on the MR state or transition to the BR state.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

remain on the MR state or transition to the BR state based on the first message; and

communicate with the network entity based on remaining on the MR state or transitioning to the BR state, wherein the communication with the network entity is based on the received first message.

3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the communication is based on transitioning to the BR state, wherein the BR state is based on a passive BR and powered by a first carrier wave associated with the network entity, and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

receive one or more probing signals from the network entity before transitioning to the BR state; and

transmit a measurement associated with the one or more probing signals before transitioning to the BR state or after transitioning to the BR state.

4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

receive a second carrier wave for powering the passive BR at a first time occasion before a second time occasion, wherein the second time occasion is configured for transitioning back to the MR state; and

transition back to the MR state based on failing to power the passive BR from the second carrier wave.

5 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the communication is based on transitioning to the BR state, wherein the BR state is based on a semi-passive BR and powered by a battery associated with the UE, and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

receive one or more probing signals from the network entity before transitioning to the BR state;

transmit a measurement associated with the one or more probing signals before transitioning to the BR state or after transitioning to the BR state; and

adjust a power amplifier (PA) associated with the UE based on the measurement.

6 . The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

receive a wake-up signal (WUS) from the network entity, wherein the WUS indicates a transition back to the MR state.

7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

transmit a second message to the network entity, wherein the second message indicates a request to transition to the BR state from the MR state.

8 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first message is based on the second message and a downlink traffic pattern associated with the UE.

9 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein to receive the first message, the at least one processor is configured to receive the first message before transmission of the second message.

10 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein to transmit the second message, the at least one processor is configured to transmit the second message before reception of the first message.

11 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the second message further indicates a minimum duration associated with the BR state or a transition time to wake up.

12 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the second message is based on at least one of a traffic arrival or a battery state.

13 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising at least one of a transceiver or an antenna coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

receive a third message from the network entity, wherein the third message indicates that the UE is to transition to the BR state from the MR state.

14 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the announcement is included in a master information block (MIB) or a system information block (SIB).

15 . An apparatus for communication at a network entity, comprising:

memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and, based at least in part on information stored in the memory, the at least one processor is configured to:

transmit, to a user equipment (UE), an announcement indicating a support of backscatter communication (BC) for the UE;

receive, after the announcement, an indication of a backscattering radio (BR) capability associated with the UE;

transmit, after reception of the indication of the BR capability to the network entity, a BC configuration in a BC bandwidth part (BWP) dedicated for the BC communication;

receive, after transmission of the BC configuration, a request message to the network entity, wherein the request message indicates a request to transition to a BR state from a main radio (MR) state; and

transmit a first message to the UE, the first message indicating that the UE is to remain on the MR state or transition to the BR state.

16 . The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

communicate with the UE based on the MR state or the BR state, wherein the communication with the UE is based on the transmitted first message.

17 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the communication is based on the BR state, wherein the BR state is based on a passive BR and powered by a first carrier wave associated with the network entity, and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

transmit one or more probing signals to the UE;

receive a measurement associated with the one or more probing signals from the UE; and

adjust a power of the first carrier wave based on the measurement.

18 . The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

transmit a second carrier wave for powering the passive BR at a first time occasion before a second time occasion, wherein the second time occasion is configured for the MR state.

19 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the communication is based on the BR state, wherein the BR state is based on a semi-passive BR and powered by a battery associated with the UE, and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

transmit one or more probing signals to the UE;

receive a measurement associated with the one or more probing signals from the UE; and

adjust a power of at least one carrier wave based on the measurement.

20 . The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

transmit a wake-up signal (WUS) to the UE, wherein the WUS indicates a transition back to the MR state.

21 . The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

receive a second message from the UE, wherein the second message indicates a request to transition to the BR state from the MR state.

22 . The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the first message is based on the second message and a downlink traffic pattern associated with the UE.

23 . The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein to transmit the first message, the at least one processor is configured to transmit the first message before reception of the second message.

24 . The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein to receive the second message, the at least one processor is configured to receive the second message before transmission of the first message.

25 . The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the second message further indicates a minimum duration associated with the BR state or a transition time to wake up.

26 . The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the second message is based on at least one of a traffic arrival or a battery state.

27 . The apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising at least one of a transceiver or an antenna coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

transmit a third message to the UE, wherein the third message indicates that the UE is to transition to the BR state from the MR state.

28 . A method of communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising:

receiving, from a network entity, an announcement indicating a support of backscatter communication (BC) for the UE;

transmitting, based on the announcement, an indication of a backscattering radio (BR) capability to the network entity;

receiving, after transmission of the indication of the BR capability to the network entity, a BC configuration in a BC bandwidth part (BWP) dedicated for the BC communication;

transmitting, after reception of the BC configuration, a request message to the network entity, wherein the request message indicates a request to transition to a BR state from a main radio (MR) state; and

receiving a first message from the network entity, the first message indicating that the UE is to remain on the MR state or transition to the BR state.

29 . A method of communication at a network entity, comprising:

transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), an announcement indicating a support of backscatter communication (BC) for the UE;

receiving, after the announcement, an indication of a backscattering radio (BR) capability associated with the UE;

transmitting, after reception of the indication of the BR capability to the network entity, a BC configuration in a BC bandwidth part (BWP) dedicated for the BC communication;

receiving, after transmission of the BC configuration, a request message to the network entity, wherein the request message indicates a request to transition to a BR state from a main radio MR) state; and

transmitting a first message to the UE, the first message indicating that the UE is to remain on the MR state or transition to the BR state.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (9)