COMMUNICATION COORDINATION BETWEEN ENERGY HARVESTING USER EQUIPMENT AND WIRELESS NETWORKS

Wireless communications systems and methods related to communicating control information are provided. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) may include harvesting energy from an ambient environment associated with the UE and transmitting, to a base station (BS), a communication associated with a communication opportunity, wherein the communication opportunity is based on parameters associated with the harvesting of the energy from the ambient environment.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates to wireless communication systems, and more particularly, to coordinating communications between energy harvesting user equipment and wireless networks.

INTRODUCTION

NR may support various deployment scenarios to benefit from the various spectrums in different frequency ranges, licensed and/or unlicensed, and/or coexistence of the LTE and NR technologies. For example, NR can be deployed in a standalone NR mode over a licensed and/or an unlicensed band or in a dual connectivity mode with various combinations of NR and LTE over licensed and/or unlicensed bands.

In a wireless communication network, a BS may communicate with a UE in an uplink direction and a downlink direction. Sidelink was introduced in LTE to allow a UE to send data to another UE (e.g., from one vehicle to another vehicle) without tunneling through the BS and/or an associated core network. The LTE sidelink technology has been extended to provision for device-to-device (D2D) communications, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, and/or cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) communications. Similarly, NR may be extended to support sidelink communications, D2D communications, V2X communications, and/or C-V2X over licensed frequency bands and/or unlicensed frequency bands (e.g., shared frequency bands).

BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME EXAMPLES

In an aspect of the disclosure, a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) may include harvesting energy from an ambient environment associated with the UE and transmitting, to a base station (BS), a communication associated with a communication opportunity. The communication opportunity may be based on parameters associated with the harvesting of the energy from the ambient environment.

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, a method of wireless communication performed by a base station (BS) may include receiving, from a user equipment (UE), a communication associated with a communication opportunity. The communication opportunity may be based on parameters associated with energy harvesting by the UE and communicating, with the UE, one or more transport blocks (TBs) based on the communication opportunity.

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, a user equipment (UE) may include a memory: a transceiver; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the UE is configured to harvest energy from an ambient environment associated with the UE and transmit, to a base station (BS), a communication associated with a communication opportunity. The communication opportunity may be based on parameters associated with the harvesting of the energy from the ambient environment.

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, a base station (BS) may include a memory; a transceiver; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the BS is configured to receive, from a user equipment (UE), a communication associated with a communication opportunity, wherein the communication opportunity is based on parameters associated with energy harvesting by the UE and communicate, with the UE, one or more transport blocks (TBs) based on the communication opportunity.

Other aspects, features, and instances of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, upon reviewing the following description of specific, exemplary instances of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures. While features of the present invention may be discussed relative to certain aspects and figures below, all instances of the present invention can include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, while one or more instances may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of such features may also be used in accordance with the various instances of the invention discussed herein. In similar fashion, while exemplary aspects may be discussed below as device, system, or method instances it should be understood that such exemplary instances can be implemented in various devices, systems, and methods.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The deployment of NR over an unlicensed spectrum is referred to as NR-unlicensed (NR-U). Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) are working on regulating 6 GHz as a new unlicensed band for wireless communications. The addition of 6 GHz bands allows for hundreds of megahertz (MHz) of bandwidth (BW) available for unlicensed band communications. Additionally, NR-U can also be deployed over 2.4 GHz unlicensed bands, which are currently shared by various radio access technologies (RATs), such as IEEE 802.11 wireless local area network (WLAN) or WiFi and/or license assisted access (LAA). Sidelink communications may benefit from utilizing the additional bandwidth available in an unlicensed spectrum. However, channel access in a certain unlicensed spectrum may be regulated by authorities. For instance, some unlicensed bands may impose restrictions on the power spectral density (PSD) and/or minimum occupied channel bandwidth (OCB) for transmissions in the unlicensed bands. For example, the unlicensed national information infrastructure (UNII) radio band has a minimum OCB requirement of about 70 percent (%).

Some sidelink systems may operate over a 20 MHz bandwidth in an unlicensed band. A BS may configure a sidelink resource pool over the 20 MHz band for sidelink communications. A sidelink resource pool is typically partitioned into multiple frequency subchannels or frequency subbands (e.g., about 5 MHz each) and a sidelink UE may select a sidelink resource (e.g., a subchannel) from the sidelink resource pool for sidelink communication. To satisfy an OCB of about 70%, a sidelink resource pool may utilize a frequency-interlaced structure. For instance, a frequency-interlaced-based sidelink resource pools may include a plurality of frequency interlaces over the 20 MHz band, where each frequency interlace may include a plurality of resource blocks (RBs) distributed over the 20 MHz band. For example, the plurality of RBs of a frequency interlace may be spaced apart from each other by one or more other RBs in the 20 MHz unlicensed band. A sidelink UE may select a sidelink resource in the form of frequency interlaces from the sidelink resource pool for sidelink communication. In other words, sidelink transmissions may utilize a frequency-interlaced waveform to satisfy an OCB of the unlicensed band. However, S-SSBs may be transmitted in a set of contiguous RBs, for example, in about eleven contiguous RBs. As such, S-SSB transmissions alone may not meet the OCB requirement of the unlicensed band. Accordingly, it may be desirable for a sidelink sync UE to multiplex an S-SSB transmission with one or more channel state information reference signals (CSI-RSs) in a slot configured for S-SSB transmission so that the sidelink sync UE's transmission in the slot may comply with an OCB requirement.

The present application describes mechanisms for a sidelink UE to multiplex an S-SSB transmission with a CSI-RS transmission in a frequency band to satisfy an OCB of the frequency band. For instance, the sidelink UE may determine a multiplex configuration for multiplexing a CSI-RS transmission with an S-SSB transmission in a sidelink BWP. The sidelink UE may transmit the S-SSB transmission in the sidelink BWP during a sidelink slot. The sidelink UE may transmit one or more CSI-RSs in the sidelink BWP during the sidelink slot by multiplexing the CSI-RS and the S-SSB transmission based on the multiplex configuration.

In some aspects, the sidelink UE may transmit the S-SSB transmission at an offset from a lowest frequency of the sidelink BWP based on a synchronization raster (e.g., an NR-U sync raster). In some aspects, the sidelink UE may transmit the S-SSB transmission aligned to a lowest frequency of the sidelink BWP. For instance, a sync raster can be defined for sidelink such that the S-SSB transmission may be aligned to a lowest frequency of the sidelink BWP.

In some aspects, the multiplex configuration includes a configuration for multiplexing the S-SSB transmission with a frequency interlaced waveform sidelink transmission to meet the OCB requirement. For instance, the sidelink transmission may include a CSI-RS transmission multiplexed in frequency within a frequency interlace with RBs spaced apart in the sidelink BWP. In some instances, the sidelink UE may rate-match the CSI-RS transmission around RBs that are at least partially overlapping with the S-SSB transmission.

In some aspects, the multiplex configuration includes a configuration for multiplexing the S-SSB transmission with a subchannel-based sidelink transmission to meet the OCB requirement. For instance, the sidelink transmission may include a CSI-RS transmission multiplexed in time within a subchannel including contiguous RBs in the sidelink BWP. For instance, the S-SSB transmission may be transmitted at a low frequency portion of the sidelink BWP, and the CSI-RS may be transmitted in a subchannel located at a high frequency portion of the sidelink BWP to meet the OCB.

In some aspects, a BS may configure different sidelink resource pools for slots that are associated with S-SSB transmissions and for slots that are not associated with S-SSB transmissions. For instance, the BS may configure a first resource pool with a frequency-interlaced structure for slots that are not configured for S-SSB transmissions. The first resource pool may include a plurality of frequency interlaces (e.g., distributed RBs), where each frequency interlace may carry a PSCCH/PSSCH transmission. The BS may configure a second resource pool with a subchannel-based structure for slots that are configured for S-SSB transmission. The second resource pool may include a plurality of frequency subchannels (e.g., contiguous RBs), where each subchannel may carry a PSCCH/PSSCH transmission. To satisfy an OCB in a sidelink slot configured for an S-SSB transmission, the sidelink UE (e.g., a sidelink sync UE) may transmit an S-SSB transmission multiplexed with a CSI-RS transmission. For instance, the S-SSB transmission may be transmitted in frequency resources located at a lower frequency portion of a sidelink BWP and the CSI-RS transmission may be transmitted in frequency resources located at higher frequency portion of the sidelink BWP.

In some aspects, the UE may harvest energy from an ambient environment associated with the UE. The UE may transmit a communication to the BS associated with a communication opportunity. The communication opportunity may be based on parameters associated with the harvesting of the energy from the ambient environment. Aspects of the present disclosure may overcome the challenges of limited energy availability in the UE by using methods for coordinating communication between the energy harvesting UE and the BS. In this regard, the energy harvested by the UE may be used to communicate with the BS.

The BSs105may also communicate with a core network. The core network may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. At least some of the BSs105(e.g., which may be an example of an evolved NodeB (eNB) or an access node controller (ANC)) may interface with the core network130through backhaul links (e.g., S1, S2, etc.) and may perform radio configuration and scheduling for communication with the UEs115. In various examples, the BSs105may communicate, either directly or indirectly (e.g., through core network), with each other over backhaul links (e.g., X1, X2, etc.), which may be wired or wireless communication links.

In some instances, a UE115attempting to access the network100may perform an initial cell search by detecting a PSS from a BS105. The PSS may enable synchronization of period timing and may indicate a physical layer identity value. The UE115may then receive an SSS. The SSS may enable radio frame synchronization, and may provide a cell identity value, which may be combined with the physical layer identity value to identify the cell. The SSS may also enable detection of a duplexing mode and a cyclic prefix length. The PSS and the SSS may be located in a central portion of a carrier or any suitable frequencies within the carrier.

After receiving the PSS and SSS, the UE115may receive a MIB. The MIB may include system information for initial network access and scheduling information for RMSI and/or OSI. After decoding the MIB, the UE115may receive RMSI and/or OSI. The RMSI and/or OSI may include radio resource control (RRC) information related to random access channel (RACH) procedures, paging, control resource set (CORESET) for physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring, physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), power control, SRS, and cell barring.

After obtaining the MIB, the RMSI and/or the OSI, the UE115can perform a random access procedure to establish a connection with the BS105. For the random access procedure, the UE115may transmit a random access preamble and the BS105may respond with a random access response. Upon receiving the random access response, the UE115may transmit a connection request to the BS105and the BS105may respond with a connection response (e.g., contention resolution message).

After establishing a connection, the UE115and the BS105can enter a normal operation stage, where operational data may be exchanged. For example, the BS105may schedule the UE115for UL and/or DL communications. The BS105may transmit UL and/or DL scheduling grants to the UE115via a PDCCH. The BS105may transmit a DL communication signal to the UE115via a PDSCH according to a DL scheduling grant. The UE115may transmit a UL communication signal to the BS105via a PUSCH and/or PUCCH according to a UL scheduling grant.

In some aspects, the UE115hmay harvest energy from an ambient environment associated with the UE115h. The UE115hmay transmit a communication to the BS105eassociated with a communication opportunity. The communication opportunity may be based on parameters associated with the harvesting of the energy from the ambient environment. Aspects of the present disclosure may overcome the challenges of limited energy availability in the UE115hby using methods for coordinating communication between the energy harvesting UE115hand the BS105e. In this regard, the energy harvested by the UE115hmay be used to communicate with the BS105e.

FIG.2illustrates a wireless communication network200according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communications network200may include a base station105eand energy harvesting UE115hwhich may be examples of a BS105and a UE115as described with reference toFIG.1. The UE115hmay harvest energy from an ambient environment associated with the UE115h. In this regard, the UE115hmay harvest energy from the ambient environment using any suitable method. For example, the UE115hmay harvest (e.g., derive) energy from external sources to provide power (e.g., operating power) to the UE115h. The UE115hmay harvest energy from a light source (e.g., solar radiation, photovoltaic cells, artificial light sources, etc.) using light energy harvester214, an electromagnetic energy source (e.g., cellular communications, WiFi communications, NFC/RFID communications, magnetic induction, 50/60 Hz line radiation, etc.) using electromagnetic energy harvester210, a kinetic energy source (e.g., mechanical vibration, touchscreen press, piezoelectric source, UE115hmotion, wearable device motion, etc.) using kinetic energy harvester212, a thermoelectric source (e.g., user body heat, IoT device heat, ambient environment heat, etc.) using thermal energy harvester216. In some aspects, the energy harvested by the electromagnetic energy harvester210, the kinetic energy harvester212, the light energy harvester214, or the thermal energy harvester216may be conditioned by power management circuit218.

In some aspects, the energy harvested from the ambient environment may be stored in the UE115h. For example, the harvested energy may be stored in energy storage220. Energy storage220may include one or more batteries, capacitors, and/or other suitable storage devices. In some aspects, the UE115hmay not have energy storage220and the energy harvested from the ambient environment may be used by the UE115has the energy is harvested. The amount of energy available to the UE115hfor communications with the BS105eand/or other actions may be limited by the energy storage capacity, the amount of energy available in the ambient environment, and/or the energy harvesting method. Aspects of the present disclosure may overcome the challenges of limited energy availability in the UE115husing methods for coordinating communication between energy harvesting UE115hand the BS105e. In this regard, the energy harvested by the UE115hmay be used to communicate with the BS105e.

FIG.3illustrates communication opportunities associated with an energy harvesting UE (e.g., the UE115hor the UE800) according to some aspects of the present disclosure. InFIG.3, the x-axis represents time in some arbitrary units. In some aspects, a UE may transmit a communication associated with a communication opportunity330to a BS (e.g., the BS105eor the BS900). The communication opportunity330may be based on parameters associated with the energy harvested by the UE from the ambient environment. In this regard, the UE may transmit the communication associated with the communication opportunity330to the BS via a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), uplink control information (UCI), or other suitable communication.

In some aspects, the communication associated with the communication opportunity330may include an indication of a communication periodicity310and/or an indication of a communication duration320. In some instances, the UE may wakeup from a low power mode (e.g., a sleep mode) to communicate with the BS based on the communication periodicity310. The communication periodicity310may define a communication periodicity310having a start and/or an end. In some instances, the UE may wakeup at the start and/or offset from the start of the communication periodicity310. In some aspects, the communication periodicity310may be based on the energy harvesting. For example, the communication periodicity310or the amount of time between each communication periodicity310may be based on how much energy the UE harvested during a previous time period and/or an estimate of how much energy the UE will harvest during a future time period. Additionally or alternatively, the communication duration320may be based on the energy harvesting. For example, the communication duration320or the amount of time the UE is in a wake state during each communication periodicity310may be based on how much energy the UE harvested during a previous time period, how much harvested energy is stored in the UE, and/or an estimate of how much energy the UE will harvest during a future time period. The UE may communicate with the BS and/or directly with other UEs via sidelink communications when the UE is in the wake state during the communication duration320. The communication opportunity330may include a plurality of communication opportunities330occurring at a frequency based on the communication periodicity310.

The UE may transmit communications to the BS and/or receive communications from the BS during the communication opportunity330. The UE may transmit one or more transport blocks (TBs) to the BS via a PUSCH during the communication opportunity330. The UE may receive one or more TBs from the BS via a PDSCH during the communication opportunity330.

In some aspects, the UE may determine the communication periodicity310and/or the communication duration320. The UE may transmit an indication of the communication periodicity310and/or the communication duration320to the BS via a PUCCH, a PUSCH, UCI, an RRC message, a MAC-CE message, or other suitable communication. In some aspects, the indication of the communication periodicity310and/or the communication duration may include a time value (e.g., a number of ms), a multiple or a fraction of a frame, a multiple or a fraction of a subframe, a multiple or a fraction of a slot, a multiple or a fraction of a sub-slot, a multiple or a fraction of a TTI, or a multiple or a fraction of a symbol. In some aspects, the indication of the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration may include a bitmap and/or a codepoint corresponding to a time value. The UE may determine the communication periodicity310and/or the communication duration320using any suitable method. For example, the UE may determine the communication periodicity310and/or the communication duration320based on the energy harvesting capabilities of the UE and/or the energy storage capabilities of the UE. A UE with a higher energy harvesting capability and/or energy storage capability may have a shorter communication periodicity310and/or a longer communication duration320compared to a UE having a lower energy harvesting capability and/or energy storage capability. In some aspects, the UE may determine the communication periodicity310and/or the communication duration320based on a scheduled and/or estimated amount of data/control communications and the amount of energy required for the data/control communications. For example, the UE may be an IoT device scheduled to transmit/receive a number of TBs during a time frame.

The UE may determine the communication periodicity310and/or the communication duration320based on an estimated amount of energy required to transmit and/or receive the TBs (e.g., joules per bit of data). In some aspects, the communication periodicity310and/or the communication duration320may be scheduled by the UE on a semi-persistent basis. The UE may update the communication periodicity310and/or the communication duration320schedule based on operating conditions, energy harvesting, and/or the amount of data to be communicated. The UE may transmit an indication of an updated communication periodicity310and/or communication duration320to the BS on a periodic and/or aperiodic basis. In some aspects, the indication of an updated communication periodicity310and/or communication duration320may include a change field (e.g., a codepoint) where “0” indicates no change in the communication periodicity310and/or communication duration320and “1” indicates a change in the communication periodicity310and/or communication duration320. If the change field is set to “1”, the UE may transmit the updated communication periodicity310and/or communication duration320in addition to the change field. For example, when the harvested energy, the stored energy, and/or the amount of TBs to be communicated increases, the UE may decrease the communication periodicity310(e.g., increasing the frequency of communication) and/or increase the communication duration320. When the harvested energy, the stored energy, and/or the amount of TBs to be communicated decreases, the UE may increase the communication periodicity310(e.g., decreasing the frequency of communication) and/or decrease the communication duration320.

Additionally or alternatively, the communication associated with the communication opportunity330may include an indication of a communication periodicity310and an indication of a communication duty cycle. The communication duty cycle may be indicated as a percent and/or a fraction of the communication period310. For example, the communication duty cycle may be the communication duration320divided by the communication period310.

In some aspects, the UE may transmit a termination indicator340to the BS indicating an early termination of a communication duration. The UE may transmit the communication termination indicator340based on the UE having transmitted all the data in the UE's buffer. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may transmit the communication termination indicator340based on the UE having a low usable energy level (e.g., the stored and/or harvested energy is below a threshold) and/or other power parameters associated with the UE. In this regard, the UE may transmit the communication termination indicator340in a PUCCH communication, a PUSCH communication, UCI, an UL DRX MAC CE, or other suitable communication. In some aspects, the communication termination indicator340may be a codepoint (e.g., a single bit 0 or 1) indicating whether the communication duration should be terminated before the end of the scheduled communication duration. In some instances, the codepoint may be indicated via a PUCCH message and/or multiplexed with HARQ feedback to the BS.

Additionally or alternatively, the termination indicator340may be an indication (e.g., an explicit indication) of when the communication duration should terminate (e.g., a time to when the UE enters a sleep state). The termination indicator340may be an amount of time from the start of the communication duration, an amount of time from the end of the communication duration, a delta amount of time from a previous termination indicator340, or other suitable termination indicator340. In some aspects, the termination indicator340may include a time value (e.g., a number of ms), a multiple or a fraction of a frame, a multiple or a fraction of a subframe, a multiple or a fraction of a slot, a multiple or a fraction of a sub-slot, a multiple or a fraction of a TTI, or a multiple or a fraction of a symbol. In some aspects, the indication of the termination indicator340may include a bitmap and/or a codepoint corresponding to a time value.

In some aspects, the BS may indicate an early termination of a communication duration. In this regard, the BS may indicate the termination indicator340via a DRX MAC CE message, a time to dormancy (TTD) MAC CE message, a MAC CE message, and/or DCI. In some aspects, the BS may transmit the termination indicator340to the UE indicating when to terminate the communication (e.g., early termination) based on when the BS has no more data to transmit to the UE. The UE may enter a sleep state after receiving the communication duration termination indicator340from the BS.

FIG.4illustrates communication opportunities associated with an energy harvesting UE (e.g., the UE115hor the UE800) according to some aspects of the present disclosure. InFIG.4, the x-axis represents time in some arbitrary units. In some aspects, the BS and the UE may establish (e.g., preconfigure) a sequence of rendezvous occasions430. The BS and UE may communicate with each other during the rendezvous occasions430. Each rendezvous occasion430may have a fixed or variable rendezvous duration420. The rendezvous occasions430may occur at a fixed or variable rendezvous periodicity410. The timing of the rendezvous occasions430may be synchronized between the UE and the BS such that the UE and the BS are both in a wake state during the rendezvous occasions430. In some aspects, the UE may transmit a rendezvous occasion430schedule including a rendezvous duration420and periodicity410to the BS. In response, the BS may confirm the rendezvous occasion430schedule or transmit a different rendezvous occasion430schedule to the UE. In some aspects, when the UE and BS do not have data to communicate, the UE may enter a sleep state. For example, the UE may wake up during a rendezvous occasion430and receive an indicator (e.g., a BSR) from the BS indicating the BS has no data to transmit to the UE. In response to the indicator indicating the BS has no data to transmit, the UE may enter a sleep state and remain in the sleep state until the next rendezvous occasion430. In some aspects, when either the UE or the BS has data to communicate, the UE may wakeup during the rendezvous occasion430and remain in a wake state until there is no more data to communicate and/or the energy associated with the UE has fallen below a threshold. For example, the UE may wakeup during the rendezvous occasion430and remain in a wake state while receiving DL data415, transmitting UL control420, and/or transmitting UL data425. In some aspects, the UE may transmit an indicator (e.g., a BSR) to the BS indicating when the UE expects to have no more data to communicate or when the energy associated with the UE is expected to fall below the threshold.

In some aspects, the UE may enter or remain in a sleep state for an energy harvesting duration450(e.g., a minimum duration) after the rendezvous occasion430. The UE may enter or remain in a sleep state for the energy harvesting duration450after the rendezvous occasion430based on the UE's energy level falling below a threshold. During the sleep state after the rendezvous occasion430, the UE may harvest energy from the ambient environment. The UE may remain in the sleep state and harvest energy until the UE has harvested enough energy to enter another rendezvous occasion430. The energy harvesting duration450may be preconfigured (e.g., the duration is stored in the UE) and/or determined by the UE based on the rate of energy harvesting. The energy harvesting duration450may be indicated to the BS in a MAC CE message and/or UCI. In some aspects, the UE may skip all of the rendezvous occasions430scheduled during the energy harvesting duration. For example, the rendezvous occasion430indicated by X inFIG.3may be skipped based on the UE entering a sleep state440.

FIG.5illustrates communication opportunities associated with an energy harvesting UE (e.g., the UE115hor the UE800) according to some aspects of the present disclosure. InFIG.5, the x-axis represents time in some arbitrary units. In some aspects, the BS and the UE may establish (e.g., preconfigure) a sequence of rendezvous occasions430. The BS and UE may communicate with each other during the rendezvous occasions430. Each rendezvous occasion430may have a fixed or variable rendezvous duration420. The rendezvous occasions430may occur at a fixed or variable rendezvous periodicity410. The timing of the rendezvous occasions430may be synchronized between the UE and the BS such that the UE and the BS are both in a wake state during the rendezvous occasions430. In some aspects, the UE may transmit a rendezvous occasion430schedule including a rendezvous duration420and periodicity410to the BS.

In some aspects, the UE may wakeup from the sleep state after the energy harvesting duration450and the rendezvous occasions430may begin again shifted in time from when the UE wakes up from the energy harvesting. For example, if the next rendezvous occasion430is scheduled for slot index10and the energy harvesting duration450occurs for 6 slots, the next rendezvous occasion430may begin at slot index16. As shown inFIG.5the rendezvous occasions430may begin again after the energy harvesting duration450at new rendezvous duration start time510.

FIG.6is a signaling diagram of a communication method600according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Actions of the communication method600can be executed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, processing circuit, and/or other suitable component) of a communication device or other suitable means for performing the actions. For example, a wireless communication device, such as the UE115hor UE800, may utilize one or more components, such as the processor802, the memory804, the communication opportunity module808, the energy harvesting module809, the transceiver810, the modem812, and the one or more antennas816, to execute aspects of method600. For example, a wireless communication device, such as the BS105eor BS900, may utilize one or more components, such as the processor902, the memory904, the communication opportunity module908, the energy harvesting module909, the transceiver910, the modem912, and the one or more antennas916, to execute aspects of communication method600.

At action602, the UE115hmay harvest energy from the ambient environment. In this regard, the UE115hmay harvest energy from the ambient environment using any suitable method. For example, the UE115hmay harvest (e.g., derive) energy from external sources to provide power (e.g., operating power) to the UE115h. The UE115hmay harvest energy from a light source (e.g., solar radiation, photovoltaic cells, artificial light sources, etc.), an electromagnetic energy source (e.g., cellular communications, WiFi communications, NFC/RFID communications, magnetic induction, 50/60 Hz line radiation, etc.), a kinetic energy source (e.g., mechanical vibration, touchscreen press, piezoelectric source, UE115hmotion, wearable device motion, etc.), a thermoelectric source (e.g., user body heat, IoT device heat, ambient environment heat, etc.). In some aspects, the energy harvested from the ambient environment may be stored in the UE115h. For example, the harvested energy may be stored in one or more batteries, capacitors, and/or other suitable storage devices. In some aspects, the UE115hmay not have an energy storage device and the energy harvested from the ambient environment may be used by the UE115has the energy is harvested.

At action604, the UE115hmay determine a communication periodicity and a communication duration. In some aspects, the communication periodicity may be based on the energy harvesting. For example, the communication periodicity or the amount of time between each communication periodicity may be based on how much energy the UE115hharvested during a previous time period and/or an estimate of how much energy the UE115hwill harvest during a future time period. Additionally or alternatively, the communication duration may be based on the energy harvesting. For example, the communication duration or the amount of time the UE115his in a wake state during each communication periodicity may be based on how much energy the UE115hharvested during a previous time period, how much harvested energy is stored in the UE115h, and/or an estimate of how much energy the UE115hwill harvest during a future time period. The UE115hmay communicate with the BS105eand/or directly with other UEs via sidelink communications when the UE115his in the wake state during the communication duration. In some aspects, the indication of the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration may include a time value (e.g., a number of ms), a multiple or a fraction of a frame, a subframe, a slot, a sub-slot, a TTI, or a symbol. In some aspects, the indication of the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration may include a bitmap and/or a codepoint corresponding to a time value. The communication opportunity may include a plurality of communication opportunities occurring at a frequency based on the communication periodicity.

At action606, the UE115hmay transmit a communication indicating the communication periodicity and a communication duration to the BS105e. In this regard, the UE115hmay transmit the communication associated with the communication opportunity to the BS105evia a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), uplink control information (UCI), or other suitable communication.

At action608, the BS105emay transmit one or more transport blocks (TBs) to the UE115h. In this regard, the BS105emay transmit one or more TBs to the UE115hvia a PDSCH during the communication opportunity.

At action610, the UE115hmay transmit information to the BS105eto assist in scheduling the communication periodicity and/or communication duration. For example, the UE115hmay transmit an energy status report to the BS105eindicating the percent energy remaining in the UE115h. In some instances, the energy status report may be based on a power consumption model as described above. In this regard, the UE115hmay transmit the energy status report to the BS105evia a MAC CE message or other suitable communication.

Additionally or alternatively, the UE115hmay transmit UE115hassistance information to the BS105eto assist in scheduling the communication periodicity and/or communication duration. In this regard, the UE115hmay transmit the UE115hassistance information via an RRC message, UCI, an UL MAC CE, or other suitable communication. The UE115hassistance information may include, without limitation, a bandwidth part for communication, a frequency band, a subcarrier spacing (SCS), a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), a maximum TB size, and/or a minimum TB size. In some aspects, the UE115hmay transmit the UE assistance information when the UE assistance information prohibit timer is not running. The UE assistance information prohibit timer may be a timer that indicates when the UE115hmay transmit the UE assistance information. In some aspects, the BS105emay transmit an indicator to the UE115hthat configures the UE assistance information prohibit timer. The BS105emay transmit an indicator to the UE115hthat indicates when the UE assistance information prohibit timer shall start (e.g., timer running) and stop (e.g., timer not running). The UE115hmay refrain from transmitting the UE assistance information to the BS105ewhen the UE assistance information prohibit timer is running.

At action612, the UE115hmay transmit one or more TBs to the BS105e. In this regard, the UE115hmay transmit one or more TBs to the BS105evia a PUSCH during the communication opportunity.

At action614, the UE115hmay transmit a communication termination indicator to the BS105e. In some aspects, the UE115hmay transmit the communication termination indicator to the BS105eindicating an early termination of a communication duration. The UE115hmay transmit the communication termination indicator based on the UE115hhaving transmitted all the data in the UE's buffer. Additionally or alternatively, the UE115hmay transmit the communication termination indicator based on the UE115hhaving a low usable energy level (e.g., the stored and/or harvested energy is below a threshold) and/or other power parameters associated with the UE115h. In this regard, the UE115hmay transmit the communication termination indicator in a PUCCH communication, a PUSCH communication, UCI, an UL DRX MAC CE, or other suitable communication. In some aspects, the communication termination indicator may be a codepoint (e.g., a single bit 0 or 1) indicating whether the communication duration should be terminated before the end of the scheduled communication duration. In some instances, the codepoint may be indicated via a PUCCH message and/or multiplexed with HARQ feedback to the BS105e.

Additionally or alternatively, the termination indicator may be an indication (e.g., an explicit indication) of when the communication duration should terminate (e.g., a time to when the UE115henters a sleep state). The termination indicator may be an amount of time from the start of the communication duration, an amount of time from the end of the communication duration, a delta amount of time from a previous termination indicator, or other suitable termination indicator. In some aspects, the termination indicator may include a time value (e.g., a number of ms), a multiple or a fraction of a frame, a multiple or a fraction of a subframe, a multiple or a fraction of a slot, a multiple or a fraction of a sub-slot, a multiple or a fraction of a TTI, or a multiple or a fraction of a symbol. In some aspects, the indication of the termination indicator may include a bitmap and/or a codepoint corresponding to a time value.

At action616, the UE115hand the BS105emay terminate communications based on the termination indicator at action614. In some aspects, the UE115hmay enter a sleep state after terminating communications with the BS105e. The UE115hmay wakeup from the sleep state at the beginning of the next communication duration. The BS105emay wakeup from the sleep state at the beginning of the next communication duration.

FIG.7is a signaling diagram of a communication method700according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Actions of the communication method700can be executed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, processing circuit, and/or other suitable component) of a communication device or other suitable means for performing the actions. For example, a wireless communication device, such as the UE115hor UE800, may utilize one or more components, such as the processor802, the memory804, the communication opportunity module808, the energy harvesting module809, the transceiver810, the modem812, and the one or more antennas816, to execute aspects of method700. For example, a wireless communication device, such as the BS105eor BS900, may utilize one or more components, such as the processor902, the memory904, the communication opportunity module908, the energy harvesting module909, the transceiver910, the modem912, and the one or more antennas916, to execute aspects of communication method700.

At action702, the UE115hmay harvest energy from the ambient environment. In this regard, the UE115hmay harvest energy from the ambient environment using any suitable method. For example, the UE115hmay harvest (e.g., derive) energy from external sources to provide power (e.g., operating power) to the UE115h. The UE115hmay harvest energy from a light source (e.g., solar radiation, photovoltaic cells, artificial light sources, etc.), an electromagnetic energy source (e.g., cellular communications, WiFi communications, NFC/RFID communications, magnetic induction, 50/60 Hz line radiation, etc.), a kinetic energy source (e.g., mechanical vibration, touchscreen press, piezoelectric source, UE115hmotion, wearable device motion, etc.), a thermoelectric source (e.g., user body heat, IoT device heat, ambient environment heat, etc.). In some aspects, the energy harvested from the ambient environment may be stored in the UE115h. For example, the harvested energy may be stored in one or more batteries, capacitors, and/or other suitable storage devices. In some aspects, the UE115hmay not have an energy storage device and the energy harvested from the ambient environment may be used by the UE115has the energy is harvested.

At action704, the UE115hmay transmit power parameters to the BS105. In method600above, the UE115hmay determine the communication periodicity and duration. In method700, the UE115htransmits the power parameters to the BS105eand the BS105edetermines the communication periodicity and duration based on the power parameters. The UE115hmay transmit power parameters including energy harvesting parameters, energy storage parameters, and/or power consumption parameters to the BS105evia a PUCCH, a PUSCH, UCI, an RRC message, a MAC-CE message, or other suitable communication. The UE115hmay transmit (e.g., transmit periodically and/or aperiodically) the power consumption parameters to the BS105eincluding, without limitation, a percent of usable energy that an empty slot may consume (e.g., energy consumed by the UE during a slot when the UE is in an RRC connected state but not receiving or transmitting data), an amount of energy consumed by the UE during reception of a PDCCH communication, an amount of energy consumed by the UE during reception of a PDSCH communication (e.g., reception of a PDSCH carrying a minimum size TB), an amount of energy consumed by the UE during transmission of a PUCCH communication, and/or an amount of energy consumed by the UE during transmission of a PUSCH communication (e.g., transmission of a PUSCH carrying a minimum size TB).

As an alternative to reporting the power consumption parameters to the BS105eas a percent of usable energy, the UE115hmay transmit (e.g., transmit periodically and/or aperiodically) the power consumption parameters as multiples of a base power level. The base power level may be the energy (e.g., a number of joules and/or a percent of the UE's usable amount of energy) that an empty slot may consume (e.g., energy consumed by the UE115hduring a slot when the UE115his in an RRC connected state but not receiving or transmitting data). The UE115hmay report the base power level, a multiplier of the base power level indicating an amount of energy consumed by the UE115hduring reception of a PDCCH communication, a multiplier of the base power level indicating an amount of energy consumed by the UE115hduring reception of a PDSCH communication (e.g., reception of a PDSCH carrying a minimum size TB), a multiplier of the base power level indicating an amount of energy consumed by the UE115hduring transmission of a PUCCH communication, and/or a multiplier of the base power level indicating an amount of energy consumed by the UE115hduring transmission of a PUSCH communication (e.g., transmission of a PUSCH carrying a minimum size TB).

At action704, the BS105emay determine the communication duration and/or the communication periodicity using a power consumption model that considers the power parameters received from the UE115hat action703. The power consumption model may consider, without limitation, the energy harvesting capacity of the UE115h, the energy storage capacity of the UE115h, the amount of data to be communicated, and the UE115hpower consumption parameters associated with the communications. In some aspects, the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration may be scheduled by the BS105eon a semi-persistent basis. The BS105emay update the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration schedule based on operating conditions and/or an amount of data to be communicated with the UE115h. The UE115hmay request an updated communication periodicity and/or communication duration from the BS105evia a UE assistance information message and/or a MAC CE message. The UE115hmay transmit updated energy harvesting parameters and/or a buffer status report (BSR) to the BS105e. The BSR may indicate an amount of data to be transmitted by the UE115h. In response, the BS105emay transmit an updated communication periodicity and/or the communication duration schedule to the UE115h. The communication periodicity and/or the communication duration may be updated on a periodic and/or aperiodic basis. In some aspects, the indication of an updated communication periodicity and/or communication duration may include a change field (e.g., a codepoint) where “0” indicates no change in the communication periodicity and/or communication duration and “1” indicates a change in the communication periodicity and/or communication duration. If the change field is set to “1”, the BS105emay transmit the updated communication periodicity and/or communication duration to the UE115hin addition to the change field. For example, when the harvested energy, the stored energy, or the amount of TBs to be communicated increases, the BS105emay decrease the communication periodicity and/or increase the communication duration. When the harvested energy, the stored energy, or the amount of TBs to be communicated decrease, the BS105emay increase the communication periodicity and/or decrease the communication duration.

At action706, the BS105emay transmit the communication duration and/or the communication periodicity to the UE115hvia a PDCCH, a PDSCH, DCI, an RRC message, a MAC-CE message, or other suitable communication.

At action708, the BS105emay transmit one or more TBs to the UE115h. In this regard, the BS105emay transmit one or more TBs to the UE115hvia a PDSCH during the communication opportunity.

At action710, the UE115hmay transmit information to the BS105eto assist the BS105ein scheduling the communication periodicity and/or communication duration. For example, the UE115hmay transmit an energy status report to the BS105eindicating the percent energy remaining in the UE115h. In some instances, the energy status report may be based on a power consumption model as described above. In this regard, the UE115hmay transmit the energy status report to the BS105evia a MAC CE message or other suitable communication.

Additionally or alternatively, the UE115hmay transmit UE assistance information to the BS105eto assist the BS105ein scheduling the communication periodicity and/or communication duration. In this regard, the UE115hmay transmit the UE assistance information via an RRC message, UCI, an UL MAC CE, or other suitable communication. The UE assistance information may include, without limitation, a bandwidth part for communication, a frequency band, a subcarrier spacing (SCS), a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), a maximum TB size, and/or a minimum TB size. In some aspects, the UE115hmay transmit the UE assistance information when the UE assistance information prohibit timer is not running. The UE assistance information prohibit timer may be a timer that indicates when the UE115hmay transmit the UE assistance information. In some aspects, the BS105emay transmit an indicator to the UE115hthat configures the UE assistance information prohibit timer. The BS105emay transmit an indicator to the UE115hthat indicates when the UE assistance information prohibit timer shall start (e.g., timer running) and stop (e.g., timer not running). The UE115hmay refrain from transmitting the UE assistance information to the BS105ewhen the UE assistance information prohibit timer is running.

At action712, the UE115hmay transmit one or more TBs to the BS105e. In this regard, the UE115hmay transmit one or more TBs to the BS105evia a PUSCH during the communication opportunity.

At action714, the BS105emay transmit a communication termination indicator to the UE115h. In some aspects, the BS105emay transmit the communication termination indicator to the UE115hindicating an early termination of a communication duration. The BS105emay transmit the communication termination indicator based on the BS105ehaving transmitted all the data in the BS's buffer. Additionally or alternatively, in the case where the BS105eis an energy harvesting BS, the BS105emay transmit the communication termination indicator based on the BS105ehaving a low usable energy level (e.g., the stored and/or harvested energy is below a threshold) and/or other power parameters associated with the BS105e. In this regard, the BS105emay transmit the communication termination indicator in a PDCCH communication, a PDSCH communication, DCI, a DL DRX MAC CE, or other suitable communication. In some aspects, the communication termination indicator may be a codepoint (e.g., a single bit “0” or “1”) indicating whether the communication duration should be terminated before the end of the scheduled communication duration. In some instances, the codepoint may be indicated via a PDCCH message. Additionally or alternatively, the termination indicator may be an indication (e.g., an explicit indication) of when the communication duration should terminate (e.g., a time to when the UE115hand/or the BS105eenters a sleep state). The termination indicator may be an amount of time from the start of the communication duration, an amount of time from the end of the communication duration, a delta amount of time from a previous termination indicator, or other suitable termination indicator. In some aspects, the termination indicator may include a time value (e.g., a number of ms), a multiple or a fraction of a frame, a multiple or a fraction of a subframe, a multiple or a fraction of a slot, a multiple or a fraction of a sub-slot, a multiple or a fraction of a TTI, or a multiple or a fraction of a symbol. In some aspects, the indication of the termination indicator may include a bitmap and/or a codepoint corresponding to a time value.

At action716, the UE115hand the BS105emay terminate communications based on the termination indicator at action714. In some aspects, the UE115hmay enter a sleep state after terminating communications with the BS105e. The UE115hmay wakeup from the sleep state at the beginning of the next communication duration. Additionally or alternatively, the UE BS105emay enter a sleep state after terminating communications with the UE115h. The BS105emay wakeup from the sleep state at the beginning of the next communication duration.

FIG.8is a block diagram of an exemplary UE800according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The UE800may be the UE115in the network100or200as discussed above. As shown, the UE800may include a processor802, a memory804, a communication opportunity module808, an energy harvesting module809, a transceiver810including a modem subsystem812and a radio frequency (RF) unit814, and one or more antennas816. These elements may be coupled with each other and in direct or indirect communication with each other, for example via one or more buses.

The communication opportunity module808and the energy harvesting module809may be implemented via hardware, software, or combinations thereof. For example, the communication opportunity module808and the energy harvesting module809may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and/or instructions806stored in the memory804and executed by the processor802.

In some aspects, the energy harvesting module809may harvest energy from an ambient environment associated with the UE800. The communication opportunity module808may transmit a communication to the BS (e.g., the BS105or the BS900) associated with a communication opportunity. The communication opportunity may be based on parameters associated with the harvesting of the energy from the ambient environment. Aspects of the present disclosure may overcome the challenges of limited energy availability in the UE800by using methods for coordinating communication between the energy harvesting UE800and the BS. In this regard, the energy harvested by the UE800using the energy harvesting module809may be used to communicate with the BS using the communication opportunity module808.

As shown, the transceiver810may include the modem subsystem812and the RF unit814. The transceiver810can be configured to communicate bi-directionally with other devices, such as the BSs105and/or the UEs115. The modem subsystem812may be configured to modulate and/or encode the data from the memory804and the cooperative paging and WUS module808according to a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), e.g., a low-density parity check (LDPC) coding scheme, a turbo coding scheme, a convolutional coding scheme, a digital beamforming scheme, etc. The RF unit814may be configured to process (e.g., perform analog to digital conversion or digital to analog conversion, etc.) modulated/encoded data from the modem subsystem812(on outbound transmissions) or of transmissions originating from another source such as a UE115or a BS105. The RF unit814may be further configured to perform analog beamforming in conjunction with the digital beamforming. Although shown as integrated together in transceiver810, the modem subsystem812and the RF unit814may be separate devices that are coupled together to enable the UE800to communicate with other devices.

The RF unit814may provide the modulated and/or processed data, e.g. data packets (or, more generally, data messages that may contain one or more data packets and other information), to the antennas816for transmission to one or more other devices. The antennas816may further receive data messages transmitted from other devices. The antennas816may provide the received data messages for processing and/or demodulation at the transceiver810. The antennas816may include multiple antennas of similar or different designs in order to sustain multiple transmission links. The RF unit814may configure the antennas816.

In some instances, the UE800can include multiple transceivers810implementing different RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In some instances, the UE800can include a single transceiver810implementing multiple RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In some instances, the transceiver810can include various components, where different combinations of components can implement RATs.

FIG.9is a block diagram of an exemplary BS900according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The BS900may be a BS105as discussed above. As shown, the BS900may include a processor902, a memory904, a communication opportunity module908, an energy harvesting module909, a transceiver910including a modem subsystem912and a RF unit914, and one or more antennas916. These elements may be coupled with each other and in direct or indirect communication with each other, for example via one or more buses.

The memory904may include a cache memory (e.g., a cache memory of the processor902), RAM, MRAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, a solid state memory device, one or more hard disk drives, memristor-based arrays, other forms of volatile and non-volatile memory, or a combination of different types of memory. In some instances, the memory904may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The memory904may store instructions906. The instructions906may include instructions that, when executed by the processor902, cause the processor902to perform operations described herein, for example, aspects ofFIGS.2-7and10-11. Instructions906may also be referred to as code, which may be interpreted broadly to include any type of computer-readable statement(s).

The communication opportunity module908and the energy harvesting module909may be implemented via hardware, software, or combinations thereof. For example, the communication opportunity module908and the energy harvesting module909may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and/or instructions906stored in the memory904and executed by the processor902.

In some aspects, the communication opportunity module908may receive a communication from a UE (e.g., the UE115or the UE800) associated with a communication opportunity. The communication opportunity may be based on parameters associated with energy harvesting by the UE. In some aspects, the energy harvesting module909may harvest energy from an ambient environment associated with the BS900. The communication opportunity module908may transmit one or more TBs to the UE based on the communication opportunity. Aspects of the present disclosure may overcome the challenges of limited energy availability in the UE or the BS900by using methods for coordinating communication between the energy harvesting UE and the BS900. In this regard, the energy harvested by the UE may be used to communicate with the BS900using the communication opportunity module908.

Additionally or alternatively, the communication opportunity module908and the energy harvesting module909can be implemented in any combination of hardware and software, and may, in some implementations, involve, for example, processor902, memory904, instructions906, transceiver910, and/or modem912.

As shown, the transceiver910may include the modem subsystem912and the RF unit914. The transceiver910can be configured to communicate bi-directionally with other devices, such as the UEs115and/or600. The modem subsystem912may be configured to modulate and/or encode data according to a MCS, e.g., a LDPC coding scheme, a turbo coding scheme, a convolutional coding scheme, a digital beamforming scheme, etc. The RF unit914may be configured to process (e.g., perform analog to digital conversion or digital to analog conversion, etc.) modulated/encoded data from the modem subsystem912(on outbound transmissions) or of transmissions originating from another source such as a UE115or UE800. The RF unit914may be further configured to perform analog beamforming in conjunction with the digital beamforming. Although shown as integrated together in transceiver910, the modem subsystem912and/or the RF unit914may be separate devices that are coupled together at the BS900to enable the BS900to communicate with other devices.

The RF unit914may provide the modulated and/or processed data, e.g. data packets (or, more generally, data messages that may contain one or more data packets and other information), to the antennas916for transmission to one or more other devices. This may include, for example, a configuration indicating a plurality of sub-slots within a slot according to aspects of the present disclosure. The antennas916may further receive data messages transmitted from other devices and provide the received data messages for processing and/or demodulation at the transceiver910. The antennas916may include multiple antennas of similar or different designs in order to sustain multiple transmission links.

In some instances, the BS900can include multiple transceivers910implementing different RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In some instances, the BS900can include a single transceiver910implementing multiple RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In some instances, the transceiver910can include various components, where different combinations of components can implement RATs.

FIG.10is a flow diagram of a communication method1000according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Aspects of the method1000can be executed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, processing circuit, and/or other suitable component) of a wireless communication device or other suitable means for performing the aspects. For example, a wireless communication device, such as the UE115or UE800, may utilize one or more components, such as the processor802, the memory804, the communication opportunity module808, the energy harvesting module809, the transceiver810, the modem812, and the one or more antennas816, to execute aspects of method1000. The method1000may employ similar mechanisms as in the networks100and200and the aspects and actions described with respect toFIGS.2-7. As illustrated, the method1000includes a number of enumerated aspects, but the method1000may include additional aspects before, after, and in between the enumerated aspects. In some aspects, one or more of the enumerated aspects may be omitted or performed in a different order.

At1010, the method1000includes a UE (e.g., the UE115or the UE800) harvesting energy from an ambient environment associated with the UE. In this regard, the UE may harvest energy from the ambient environment using any suitable method. For example, the UE may harvest (e.g., derive) energy from external sources to provide power (e.g., operating power) to the UE. The UE may harvest energy from a light source (e.g., solar radiation, photovoltaic cells, artificial light sources, etc.), an electromagnetic energy source (e.g., cellular communications, WiFi communications, NFC/RFID communications, magnetic induction, 50/60 Hz line radiation, etc.), a kinetic energy source (e.g., mechanical vibration, touchscreen press, piezoelectric source, UE motion, wearable device motion, etc.), a thermoelectric source (e.g., user body heat, IoT device heat, ambient environment heat, etc.). In some aspects, the energy harvested from the ambient environment may be stored in the UE. For example, the harvested energy may be stored in one or more batteries, capacitors, and/or other suitable storage devices. In some aspects, the UE may not have an energy storage device and the energy harvested from the ambient environment may be used by the UE as the energy is harvested. The amount of energy available to the UE for communications and/or other actions may be limited by the energy storage capacity, the amount of energy available in the ambient environment, and/or the energy harvesting method. Aspects of the present disclosure may overcome the challenges of limited energy availability in the UE using methods for coordinating communication between energy harvesting UEs and a BS. In this regard, the energy harvested by the UE may be used to communicate with a BS (e.g., the BS105or the BS900).

At1020, the method1000includes a UE (e.g., the UE115or the UE800) transmitting a communication associated with a communication opportunity to a base station (BS) (e.g., the BS105or the BS900). The communication opportunity may be based on parameters associated with the energy harvested by the UE from the ambient environment at1010. In this regard, the UE may transmit the communication associated with the communication opportunity to the BS via a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), uplink control information (UCI), or other suitable communication.

In some aspects, the communication associated with the communication opportunity may include an indication of a communication periodicity and/or an indication of a communication duration. In some instances, the UE may wakeup from a low power mode (e.g., a sleep mode) to communicate with the BS based on the communication periodicity. The communication periodicity may define a communication periodicity having a start and/or an end. In some instances, the UE may wakeup at the start and/or offset from the start of the communication period. In some aspects, the communication periodicity may be based on the energy harvesting. For example, the communication periodicity or the amount of time between each communication periodicity may be based on how much energy the UE harvested during a previous time period and/or an estimate of how much energy the UE will harvest during a future time period. Additionally or alternatively, the communication duration may be based on the energy harvesting. For example, the communication duration or the amount of time the UE is in a wake state during each communication periodicity may be based on how much energy the UE harvested during a previous time period, how much harvested energy is stored in the UE, and/or an estimate of how much energy the UE will harvest during a future time period. The UE may communicate with the BS and/or directly with other UEs via sidelink communications when the UE is in the wake state during the communication duration. The communication opportunity may include a plurality of communication opportunities occurring at a frequency based on the communication periodicity.

The UE may transmit communications to the BS and/or receive communications from the BS during the communication opportunity. The UE may transmit one or more transport blocks (TBs) to the BS via a PUSCH during the communication opportunity. The UE may receive one or more TBs from the BS via a PDSCH during the communication opportunity.

In some aspects, the UE may determine the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration. The UE may transmit an indication of the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration to the BS via a PUCCH, a PUSCH, UCI, an RRC message, a MAC-CE message, or other suitable communication. In some aspects, the indication of the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration may include a time value (e.g., a number of ms), a multiple or a fraction of a frame, a multiple or a fraction of a subframe, a multiple or a fraction of a slot, a multiple or a fraction of a sub-slot, a multiple or a fraction of a TTI, or a multiple or a fraction of a symbol. In some aspects, the indication of the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration may include a bitmap and/or a codepoint corresponding to a time value. The UE may determine the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration using any suitable method. For example, the UE may determine the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration based on the energy harvesting capabilities of the UE and/or the energy storage capabilities of the UE. A UE with a higher energy harvesting capability and/or energy storage capability may have a shorter communication periodicity and/or a longer communication duration compared to a UE having a lower energy harvesting capability and/or energy storage capability. In some aspects, the UE may determine the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration based on a scheduled and/or estimated amount of data/control communications and the amount of energy required for the data/control communications. For example, the UE may be an IoT device scheduled to transmit/receive a number of TBs during a time frame. The UE may determine the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration based on an estimated amount of energy required to transmit and/or receive the TBs (e.g., joules per bit of data). In some aspects, the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration may be scheduled by the UE on a semi-persistent basis. The UE may update the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration schedule based on operating conditions, energy harvesting, and/or the amount of data to be communicated. The UE may transmit an indication of an updated communication periodicity and/or communication duration to the BS on a periodic and/or aperiodic basis. In some aspects, the indication of an updated communication periodicity and/or communication duration may include a change field (e.g., a codepoint) where “0” indicates no change in the communication periodicity and/or communication duration and “1” indicates a change in the communication periodicity and/or communication duration. If the change field is set to “1”, the UE may transmit the updated communication periodicity and/or communication duration in addition to the change field. For example, when the harvested energy, the stored energy, and/or the amount of TBs to be communicated increases, the UE may decrease the communication periodicity (e.g., increasing the frequency of communication) and/or increase the communication duration. When the harvested energy, the stored energy, and/or the amount of TBs to be communicated decreases, the UE may increase the communication periodicity (e.g., decreasing the frequency of communication) and/or decrease the communication duration.

Additionally or alternatively, the communication associated with the communication opportunity may include an indication of a communication periodicity and an indication of a communication duty cycle. The communication duty cycle may be indicated as a percent and/or a fraction of the communication period. For example, the communication duty cycle may be a communication duration divided by the communication period.

Additionally or alternatively, the BS may determine the communication duration and/or the communication period. In this regard, the UE may transmit energy harvesting parameters, energy storage parameters, and/or power consumption parameters to the BS via a PUCCH, a PUSCH, UCI, an RRC message, a MAC-CE message, or other suitable communication. In some aspects, the indication of the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration may include a time value (e.g., a number of ms), a multiple or a fraction of a frame, a subframe, a slot, a sub-slot, a TTI, or a symbol. In some aspects, the indication of the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration may include a bitmap and/or a codepoint corresponding to a time value. In response, the BS may determine the communication duration and/or the communication periodicity and transmit the communication duration and/or the communication periodicity to the UE via a PDCCH, a PDSCH, DCI, an RRC message, a MAC-CE message, or other suitable communication. For example, the BS may determine the communication duration and/or the communication periodicity using a power consumption model that considers, without limitation, the energy harvesting capacity of the UE, the energy storage capacity of the UE, the amount of data to be communicated, and the UE power consumption parameters associated with the communications. The UE may report (e.g., report periodically and/or aperiodically) the power consumption parameters to the BS including, without limitation, a percent of usable energy that an empty slot may consume (e.g., energy consumed by the UE during a slot when the UE is in an RRC connected state but not receiving or transmitting data), an amount of energy consumed by the UE during reception of a PDCCH communication, an amount of energy consumed by the UE during reception of a PDSCH communication (e.g., reception of a PDSCH carrying a minimum size TB), an amount of energy consumed by the UE during transmission of a PUCCH communication, and/or an amount of energy consumed by the UE during transmission of a PUSCH communication (e.g., transmission of a PUSCH carrying a minimum size TB). In some aspects, the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration may be scheduled by the BS on a semi-persistent basis. The BS may update the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration schedule based on operating conditions and/or an amount of data to be communicated with the UE. The UE may request an updated communication periodicity and/or communication duration from the BS via a UE assistance information message and/or a MAC CE message. The UE may transmit updated energy harvesting parameters and/or a buffer status report (BSR) to the BS. The BSR may indicate an amount of data to be transmitted by the UE. In response, the BS may transmit an updated communication periodicity and/or the communication duration schedule to the UE. The communication periodicity and/or the communication duration may be updated on a periodic and/or aperiodic basis. In some aspects, the indication of an updated communication periodicity and/or communication duration may include a change field (e.g., a codepoint) where “0” indicates no change in the communication periodicity and/or communication duration and “1” indicates a change in the communication periodicity and/or communication duration. If the change field is set to “1”, the BS may transmit the updated communication periodicity and/or communication duration to the UE in addition to the change field. For example, when the harvested energy, the stored energy, or the amount of TBs to be communicated increases, the BS may decrease the communication periodicity and/or increase the communication duration. When the harvested energy, the stored energy, or the amount of TBs to be communicated decrease, the BS may increase the communication periodicity and/or decrease the communication duration.

As an alternative to reporting the power consumption parameters to the BS as a percent of usable energy, the UE may report (e.g., report periodically and/or aperiodically) the power consumption parameters as multiples of a base power level. The base power level may be the energy (e.g., a number of joules and/or a percent of the UE's usable amount of energy) that an empty slot may consume (e.g., energy consumed by the UE during a slot when the UE is in an RRC connected state but not receiving or transmitting data). The UE may report the base power level, a multiplier of the base power level indicating an amount of energy consumed by the UE during reception of a PDCCH communication, a multiplier of the base power level indicating an amount of energy consumed by the UE during reception of a PDSCH communication (e.g., reception of a PDSCH carrying a minimum size TB), a multiplier of the base power level indicating an amount of energy consumed by the UE during transmission of a PUCCH communication, and/or a multiplier of the base power level indicating an amount of energy consumed by the UE during transmission of a PUSCH communication (e.g., transmission of a PUSCH carrying a minimum size TB).

In some aspects, the UE may transmit an indicator to the BS indicating an early termination of a communication duration. The UE may transmit the communication termination indicator based on the UE having transmitted all the data in the UE's buffer. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may transmit the communication termination indicator based on the UE having a low usable energy level (e.g., the stored and/or harvested energy is below a threshold) and/or other power parameters associated with the UE. In this regard, the UE may transmit the communication termination indicator in a PUCCH communication, a PUSCH communication, UCI, an UL DRX MAC CE, or other suitable communication. In some aspects, the communication termination indicator may be a codepoint (e.g., a single bit 0 or 1) indicating whether the communication duration should be terminated before the end of the scheduled communication duration. In some instances, the codepoint may be indicated via a PUCCH message and/or multiplexed with HARQ feedback to the BS. Additionally or alternatively, the termination indicator may be an indication (e.g., an explicit indication) of when the communication duration should terminate (e.g., a time to when the UE enters a sleep state). The termination indicator may be an amount of time from the start of the communication duration, an amount of time from the end of the communication duration, a delta amount of time from a previous termination indicator, or other suitable termination indicator. In some aspects, the termination indicator may include a time value (e.g., a number of ms), a multiple or a fraction of a frame, a multiple or a fraction of a subframe, a multiple or a fraction of a slot, a multiple or a fraction of a sub-slot, a multiple or a fraction of a TTI, or a multiple or a fraction of a symbol. In some aspects, the indication of the termination indicator may include a bitmap and/or a codepoint corresponding to a time value.

In some aspects, the BS may indicate an early termination of a communication duration. In this regard, the BS may indicate early termination of the communication duration via a DRX MAC CE message, a time to dormancy (TTD) MAC CE message, a MAC CE message, and/or DCI. In some aspects, the BS may transmit an indicator to the UE indicating when to terminate the communication (e.g., early termination) based on when the BS has no more data to transmit to the UE. The UE may enter a sleep state after receiving the communication duration termination indicator from the BS.

In some aspects, the UE may transmit information to the BS to assist the BS in scheduling the communication periodicity and/or communication duration. For example, the UE may transmit an energy status report to the BS indicating the percent energy remaining in the UE. In some instances, the energy status report may be based on a power consumption model as described above. In this regard, the UE may transmit the energy status report to the BS via a MAC CE message or other suitable communication.

Additionally or alternatively, the UE may transmit UE assistance information to the BS to assist the BS in scheduling the communication periodicity and/or communication duration. In this regard, the UE may transmit the UE assistance information via an RRC message, UCI, an UL MAC CE, or other suitable communication. The UE assistance information may include, without limitation, a bandwidth part for communication, a frequency band, a subcarrier spacing (SCS), a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), a maximum TB size, and/or a minimum TB size. In some aspects, the UE may transmit the UE assistance information when the UE assistance information prohibit timer is not running. The UE assistance information prohibit timer may be a timer that indicates when the UE may transmit the UE assistance information. In some aspects, the BS may transmit an indicator to the UE that configures the UE assistance information prohibit timer. The BS may transmit an indicator to the UE that indicates when the UE assistance information prohibit timer shall start (e.g., timer running) and stop (e.g., timer not running). The UE may refrain from transmitting the UE assistance information to the BS when the UE assistance information prohibit timer is running.

Additionally or alternatively, the BS and the UE may establish (e.g., preconfigure) a sequence of rendezvous occasions. The BS and UE may communicate with each other during the rendezvous occasions. Each rendezvous occasion may have a fixed or variable time duration. The rendezvous occasions may occur at a fixed or variable periodicity. The timing of the rendezvous occasions may be synchronized between the UE and the BS such that the UE and the BS are both in a wake state during the rendezvous occasions. In some aspects, the UE may transmit a rendezvous occasion schedule including a rendezvous duration and periodicity to the BS. In response, the BS may confirm the rendezvous occasion schedule or transmit a different rendezvous occasion schedule to the UE. In some aspects, when the UE and BS do not have data to communicate, the UE may enter a sleep state. For example, the UE may wake up during a rendezvous occasion and receive an indicator (e.g., a BSR) from the BS indicating the BS has no data to transmit to the UE. In response to the indicator indicating the BS has no data to transmit, the UE may enter a sleep state and remain in the sleep state until the next rendezvous occasion. In some aspects, when either the UE or the BS has data to communicate, the UE may wakeup during the rendezvous occasion and remain in a wake state until there is no more data to communicate and/or the energy associated with the UE has fallen below a threshold. In this case, the UE may wake up during the next rendezvous occasion when the energy associated with the UE has increased above a threshold. In some aspects, the UE may transmit an indicator to the BS indicating when the UE expects to have no more data to communicate or when the energy associated with the UE is expected to fall below the threshold.

In some aspects, the UE may enter or remain in a sleep state for a duration (e.g., a minimum duration) after the rendezvous occasion. The UE may enter or remain in a sleep state for the duration after the rendezvous occasion based on the UE's energy level falling below a threshold. During the sleep state after the rendezvous occasion, the UE may harvest energy from the ambient environment. The UE may remain in the sleep state and harvest energy until the UE has harvested enough energy to enter another rendezvous occasion. The duration for harvesting energy may be preconfigured (e.g., the duration is stored in the UE) and/or determined by the UE based on the rate of energy harvesting. The duration for harvesting energy may be indicated to the BS in a MAC CE message and/or UCI. In some aspects, the UE may skip all of the rendezvous occasions scheduled during the energy harvesting duration. In some aspects, the UE may wakeup from the sleep state after the energy harvesting duration and the rendezvous occasions may begin again shifted in time from when the UE wakes up from the energy harvesting. For example, if the next rendezvous occasion is scheduled for slot index10and the energy harvesting duration occurs for 6 slots, the next rendezvous occasion may begin at slot index16.

FIG.11is a flow diagram of a communication method1100according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Aspects of the method1100can be executed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, processing circuit, and/or other suitable component) of a wireless communication device or other suitable means for performing the aspects. For example, a wireless communication device, such as the BS105or BS900, may utilize one or more components, such as the processor902, the memory904, the communication opportunity module908, the energy harvesting module909, the transceiver910, the modem912, and the one or more antennas916, to execute aspects of method1100. The method1100may employ similar mechanisms as in the networks100and200and the aspects and actions described with respect toFIGS.2-7. As illustrated, the method1100includes a number of enumerated aspects, but the method1100may include additional aspects before, after, and in between the enumerated aspects. In some aspects, one or more of the enumerated aspects may be omitted or performed in a different order.

At1110, the method1100includes a BS (e.g., the BS105or the BS900) receiving a communication from a user equipment (UE) associated with a communication opportunity. The communication opportunity may be based on parameters associated with energy harvesting by the UE. In this regard, the UE may harvest energy from the ambient environment using any suitable method. For example, the UE may harvest (e.g., derive) energy from external sources to provide power (e.g., operating power) to the UE. The UE may harvest energy from a light source (e.g., solar radiation, photovoltaic cells, artificial light sources, etc.), an electromagnetic energy source (e.g., cellular communications, WiFi communications, NFC/RFID communications, magnetic induction, 50/60 Hz line radiation, etc.), a kinetic energy source (e.g., mechanical vibration, touchscreen press, piezoelectric source, UE motion, wearable device motion, etc.), a thermoelectric source (e.g., user body heat, IoT device heat, ambient environment heat, etc.). In some aspects, the energy harvested from the ambient environment may be stored in the UE. For example, the harvested energy may be stored in one or more batteries, capacitors, and/or other suitable storage devices. In some aspects, the UE may not have an energy storage device and the energy harvested from the ambient environment may be used by the UE as the energy is harvested. The amount of energy available to the UE for communications and/or other actions may be limited by the energy storage capacity, the amount of energy available in the ambient environment, and/or the energy harvesting method. Aspects of the present disclosure may overcome the challenges of limited energy availability in the UE using methods for coordinating communication between energy harvesting UEs and a BS. In this regard, the energy harvested by the UE may be used to communicate with a BS (e.g., the BS105or the BS900).

At1120, the method1100includes a BS (e.g., the BS105or the BS900) communicating one or more transport blocks (TBs) with a UE (e.g., the UE115or the UE800) based on the communication opportunity. The communication opportunity may be based on parameters associated with the energy harvested by the UE from the ambient environment at1110. In this regard, the BS may receive the communication associated with the communication opportunity from the UE via a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), uplink control information (UCI), or other suitable communication.

In some aspects, the communication associated with the communication opportunity may include an indication of a communication periodicity and/or an indication of a communication duration. In some instances, the UE may wakeup from a low power mode (e.g., a sleep mode) to communicate with the BS based on the communication periodicity. The communication periodicity may define a communication periodicity having a start and/or an end. In some instances, the UE may wakeup at the start and/or offset from the start of the communication period. In some aspects, the communication periodicity may be based on the energy harvesting. For example, the communication periodicity or the amount of time between each communication periodicity may be based on how much energy the UE harvested during a previous time period and/or an estimate of how much energy the UE will harvest during a future time period. Additionally or alternatively, the communication duration may be based on the energy harvesting. For example, the communication duration or the amount of time the UE is in a wake state during each communication periodicity may be based on how much energy the UE harvested during a previous time period, how much harvested energy is stored in the UE, and/or an estimate of how much energy the UE will harvest during a future time period. The UE may communicate with the BS and/or directly with other UEs via sidelink communications when the UE is in the wake state during the communication duration. The communication opportunity may include a plurality of communication opportunities occurring at a frequency based on the communication periodicity.

The BS may receive communications from the UE and/or transmit communications to the UE during the communication opportunity. The BS may receive transmit one or more transport blocks (TBs) from the UE via a PUSCH during the communication opportunity. The BS may transmit one or more TBs to the UE via a PDSCH during the communication opportunity.

In some aspects, the UE may determine the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration. The BS may receive an indication of the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration from the UE via a PUCCH, a PUSCH, UCI, an RRC message, a MAC-CE message, or other suitable communication. In some aspects, the indication of the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration may include a time value (e.g., a number of ms), a multiple or a fraction of a frame, a multiple or a fraction of a subframe, a multiple or a fraction of a slot, a multiple or a fraction of a sub-slot, a multiple or a fraction of a TTI, or a multiple or a fraction of a symbol. In some aspects, the indication of the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration may include a bitmap and/or a codepoint corresponding to a time value. The UE may determine the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration using any suitable method. For example, the UE may determine the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration based on the energy harvesting capabilities of the UE and/or the energy storage capabilities of the UE. A UE with a higher energy harvesting capability and/or energy storage capability may have a shorter communication periodicity and/or a longer communication duration compared to a UE having a lower energy harvesting capability and/or energy storage capability. In some aspects, the UE may determine the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration based on a scheduled and/or estimated amount of data/control communications and the amount of energy required for the data/control communications. For example, the UE may be an IoT device scheduled to transmit/receive a number of TBs during a time frame. The UE may determine the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration based on an estimated amount of energy required to transmit and/or receive the TBs (e.g., joules per bit of data). In some aspects, the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration may be scheduled by the UE on a semi-persistent basis. The UE may update the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration schedule based on operating conditions, energy harvesting, and/or the amount of data to be communicated. The BS may receive an indication of an updated communication periodicity and/or communication duration from the UE on a periodic and/or aperiodic basis. In some aspects, the indication of an updated communication periodicity and/or communication duration may include a change field (e.g., a codepoint) where “0” indicates no change in the communication periodicity and/or communication duration and “1” indicates a change in the communication periodicity and/or communication duration. If the change field is set to “1”, the BS may receive the updated communication periodicity and/or communication duration in addition to the change field. For example, when the harvested energy, the stored energy, and/or the amount of TBs to be communicated increases, the UE may decrease the communication periodicity (e.g., increasing the frequency of communication) and/or increase the communication duration. When the harvested energy, the stored energy, and/or the amount of TBs to be communicated decreases, the UE may increase the communication periodicity (e.g., decreasing the frequency of communication) and/or decrease the communication duration.

Additionally or alternatively, the communication associated with the communication opportunity may include an indication of a communication periodicity and an indication of a communication duty cycle. The communication duty cycle may be indicated as a percent and/or a fraction of the communication period. For example, the communication duty cycle may be a communication duration divided by the communication period.

Additionally or alternatively, the BS may determine the communication duration and/or the communication period. In this regard, the BS may receive energy harvesting parameters, energy storage parameters, and/or power consumption parameters from the UE via a PUCCH, a PUSCH, UCI, an RRC message, a MAC-CE message, or other suitable communication. In some aspects, the indication of the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration may include a time value (e.g., a number of ms), a multiple or a fraction of a frame, a subframe, a slot, a sub-slot, a TTI, or a symbol. In some aspects, the indication of the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration may include a bitmap and/or a codepoint corresponding to a time value. In response, the BS may determine the communication duration and/or the communication periodicity and transmit the communication duration and/or the communication periodicity to the UE via a PDCCH, a PDSCH, DCI, an RRC message, a MAC-CE message, or other suitable communication. For example, the BS may determine the communication duration and/or the communication periodicity using a power consumption model that considers, without limitation, the energy harvesting capacity of the UE, the energy storage capacity of the UE, the amount of data to be communicated, and the UE power consumption parameters associated with the communications. The UE may report (e.g., report periodically and/or aperiodically) the power consumption parameters to the BS including, without limitation, a percent of usable energy that an empty slot may consume (e.g., energy consumed by the UE during a slot when the UE is in an RRC connected state but not receiving or transmitting data), an amount of energy consumed by the UE during reception of a PDCCH communication, an amount of energy consumed by the UE during reception of a PDSCH communication (e.g., reception of a PDSCH carrying a minimum size TB), an amount of energy consumed by the UE during transmission of a PUCCH communication, and/or an amount of energy consumed by the UE during transmission of a PUSCH communication (e.g., transmission of a PUSCH carrying a minimum size TB). In some aspects, the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration may be scheduled by the BS on a semi-persistent basis. The BS may update the communication periodicity and/or the communication duration schedule based on operating conditions and/or an amount of data to be communicated with the UE. The UE may request an updated communication periodicity and/or communication duration from the BS via a UE assistance information message and/or a MAC CE message. The BS may receive updated energy harvesting parameters and/or a buffer status report (BSR) from the UE. The BSR may indicate an amount of data to be received by the BS. In response, the BS may transmit an updated communication periodicity and/or the communication duration schedule to the UE. The communication periodicity and/or the communication duration may be updated on a periodic and/or aperiodic basis. In some aspects, the indication of an updated communication periodicity and/or communication duration may include a change field (e.g., a codepoint) where “0” indicates no change in the communication periodicity and/or communication duration and “1” indicates a change in the communication periodicity and/or communication duration. If the change field is set to “1”, the BS may transmit the updated communication periodicity and/or communication duration to the UE in addition to the change field. For example, when the harvested energy, the stored energy, or the amount of TBs to be communicated increases, the BS may decrease the communication periodicity and/or increase the communication duration. When the harvested energy, the stored energy, or the amount of TBs to be communicated decrease, the BS may increase the communication periodicity and/or decrease the communication duration.

As an alternative to reporting the power consumption parameters to the BS as a percent of usable energy, the UE may report (e.g., report periodically and/or aperiodically) the power consumption parameters as multiples of a base power level. The base power level may be the energy (e.g., a number of joules and/or a percent of the UE's usable amount of energy) that an empty slot may consume (e.g., energy consumed by the UE during a slot when the UE is in an RRC connected state but not receiving or transmitting data). The UE may report the base power level, a multiplier of the base power level indicating an amount of energy consumed by the UE during reception of a PDCCH communication, a multiplier of the base power level indicating an amount of energy consumed by the UE during reception of a PDSCH communication (e.g., reception of a PDSCH carrying a minimum size TB), a multiplier of the base power level indicating an amount of energy consumed by the UE during transmission of a PUCCH communication, and/or a multiplier of the base power level indicating an amount of energy consumed by the UE during transmission of a PUSCH communication (e.g., transmission of a PUSCH carrying a minimum size TB).

In some aspects, the BS may receive an indicator from the UE indicating an early termination of a communication duration. The BS may receive the communication termination indicator based on the UE having transmitted all the data in the UE's buffer. Additionally or alternatively, the BS may receive the communication termination indicator based on the UE having a low usable energy level (e.g., the stored and/or harvested energy is below a threshold) and/or other power parameters associated with the UE. In this regard, the BS may receive the communication termination indicator in a PUCCH communication, a PUSCH communication, UCI, an UL DRX MAC CE, or other suitable communication. In some aspects, the communication termination indicator may be a codepoint (e.g., a single bit 0 or 1) indicating whether the communication duration should be terminated before the end of the scheduled communication duration. In some instances, the codepoint may be indicated via a PUCCH message and/or multiplexed with HARQ feedback to the BS. Additionally or alternatively, the termination indicator may be an indication (e.g., an explicit indication) of when the communication duration should terminate (e.g., a time to when the UE enters a sleep state). The termination indicator may be an amount of time from the start of the communication duration, an amount of time from the end of the communication duration, a delta amount of time from a previous termination indicator, or other suitable termination indicator. In some aspects, the termination indicator may include a time value (e.g., a number of ms), a multiple or a fraction of a frame, a multiple or a fraction of a subframe, a multiple or a fraction of a slot, a multiple or a fraction of a sub-slot, a multiple or a fraction of a TTI, or a multiple or a fraction of a symbol. In some aspects, the indication of the termination indicator may include a bitmap and/or a codepoint corresponding to a time value.

In some aspects, the BS may indicate an early termination of a communication duration. In this regard, the BS may indicate early termination of the communication duration via a DRX MAC CE message, a time to dormancy (TTD) MAC CE message, a MAC CE message, and/or DCI. In some aspects, the BS may transmit an indicator to the UE indicating when to terminate the communication (e.g., early termination) based on when the BS has no more data to transmit to the UE. The UE may enter a sleep state after receiving the communication duration termination indicator from the BS.

In some aspects, the BS may receive information from the UE to assist the BS in scheduling the communication periodicity and/or communication duration. For example, the BS may receive an energy status report from the UE indicating the percent energy remaining in the UE. In some instances, the energy status report may be based on a power consumption model as described above. In this regard, the BS may receive the energy status report from the UE via a MAC CE message or other suitable communication.

Additionally or alternatively, the BS may receive UE assistance information from the UE to assist the BS in scheduling the communication periodicity and/or communication duration. In this regard, the BS may receive the UE assistance information via an RRC message, UCI, an UL MAC CE, or other suitable communication. The UE assistance information may include, without limitation, a bandwidth part for communication, a frequency band, a subcarrier spacing (SCS), a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), a maximum TB size, and/or a minimum TB size. In some aspects, the BS may receive the UE assistance information when the UE assistance information prohibit timer is not running. The UE assistance information prohibit timer may be a timer that indicates when the UE may transmit the UE assistance information. In some aspects, the BS may transmit an indicator to the UE that configures the UE assistance information prohibit timer. The BS may transmit an indicator to the UE that indicates when the UE assistance information prohibit timer shall start (e.g., timer running) and stop (e.g., timer not running). The UE may refrain from transmitting the UE assistance information to the BS when the UE assistance information prohibit timer is running.

Additionally or alternatively, the BS and the UE may establish (e.g., preconfigure) a sequence of rendezvous occasions. The BS and UE may communicate with each other during the rendezvous occasions. Each rendezvous occasion may have a fixed or variable time duration. The rendezvous occasions may occur at a fixed or variable periodicity. The timing of the rendezvous occasions may be synchronized between the UE and the BS such that the UE and the BS are both in a wake state during the rendezvous occasions. In some aspects, the BS may receive a rendezvous occasion schedule including a rendezvous duration and periodicity from the UE. In response, the BS may confirm the rendezvous occasion schedule or transmit a different rendezvous occasion schedule to the UE. In some aspects, when the UE and BS do not have data to communicate, the UE may enter a sleep state. For example, the UE may wake up during a rendezvous occasion and receive an indicator (e.g., a BSR) from the BS indicating the BS has no data to transmit to the UE. In response to the indicator indicating the BS has no data to transmit, the UE may enter a sleep state and remain in the sleep state until the next rendezvous occasion. In some aspects, when either the UE or the BS has data to communicate, the UE may wakeup during the rendezvous occasion and remain in a wake state until there is no more data to communicate and/or the energy associated with the UE has fallen below a threshold. In this case, the UE may wake up during the next rendezvous occasion when the energy associated with the UE has increased above a threshold. In some aspects, the BS may receive an indicator from the UE indicating when the UE expects to have no more data to communicate or when the energy associated with the UE is expected to fall below the threshold.

In some aspects, the UE may enter or remain in a sleep state for a duration (e.g., a minimum duration) after the rendezvous occasion. The UE may enter or remain in a sleep state for the duration after the rendezvous occasion based on the UE's energy level falling below a threshold. During the sleep state after the rendezvous occasion, the UE may harvest energy from the ambient environment. The UE may remain in the sleep state and harvest energy until the UE has harvested enough energy to enter another rendezvous occasion. The duration for harvesting energy may be preconfigured (e.g., the duration is stored in the UE) and/or determined by the UE based on the rate of energy harvesting. The duration for harvesting energy may be indicated to the BS in a MAC CE message and/or UCI. In some aspects, the UE may skip all of the rendezvous occasions scheduled during the energy harvesting duration. In some aspects, the UE may wakeup from the sleep state after the energy harvesting duration and the rendezvous occasions may begin again shifted in time from when the UE wakes up from the energy harvesting. For example, if the next rendezvous occasion is scheduled for slot index10and the energy harvesting duration occurs for 6 slots, the next rendezvous occasion may begin at slot index16.

Further aspects of the present disclosure include the following:

Aspect 1 includes a method of wireless communication performed by a first sidelink user equipment (UE), the method comprising harvesting energy from an ambient environment associated with the UE; and transmitting, to a base station (BS), a communication associated with a communication opportunity, wherein the communication opportunity is based on parameters associated with the harvesting of the energy from the ambient environment.

Aspect 2 includes the method of aspect 1 further comprising communicating, with the BS, one or more transport blocks (TBs) based on the communication opportunity.

Aspect 3 includes the method of any of aspects 1-2, wherein the communication associated with the communication opportunity comprises an indication of a communication periodicity and an indication of a communication duration.

Aspect 4 includes the method of any of aspects 1-3, wherein the communication associated with the communication opportunity comprises an indication of a communication duty cycle.

Aspect 5 includes the method of any of aspects 1-4, further comprising transmitting, to the BS, the parameters; and receiving, from the BS, an indication of a communication periodicity based on the parameters and an indication of a communication duration based on the parameters.

Aspect 6 includes the method of any of aspects 1-5, wherein the parameters comprise at least one of an amount of energy consumed by the UE during a slot; an amount of energy consumed by the UE during reception of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) communication; an amount of energy consumed by the UE during reception of a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) communication; an amount of energy consumed by the UE during transmission of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) communication: or an amount of energy consumed by the UE during transmission of a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) communication.

Aspect 7 includes the method of any of aspects 1-6, further comprising transmitting, to the BS, an indicator indicating termination of the communication opportunity.

Aspect 8 includes the method of any of aspects 1-7, wherein the indicator comprises an indication of a time period based on the parameters.

Aspect 9 includes the method of any of aspects 1-8, wherein the communication associated with the communication opportunity comprises an indication of a communication duration; and the method further comprises transmitting, to the BS, a buffer status report (BSR); and communicating, with the BS and based on the BSR, one or more transport blocks (TBs) after the communication duration

Aspect 10 includes the method of any of aspects 1-9, wherein the communication opportunity comprises a communication duration; and the harvesting energy from the ambient environment associated with the UE comprises harvesting energy from the ambient environment for a minimum time duration after the communication duration

Aspect 11 includes the method of any of aspects 1-10, further comprising entering a sleep state for the minimum time duration after the communication duration

Aspect 12 includes the method of any of aspects 1-11, further comprising entering a wake state after the minimum time duration.

Aspect 13 includes the method of any of aspects 1-12, further comprising entering a wake state based on an amount of energy harvested from the ambient environment.

Aspect 14 includes the method of any of aspects 1-13, further comprising transmitting, to the BS, UE assistance information comprising at least one of an energy status report: a bandwidth associated with the communication opportunity: a modulation and coding scheme (MCS); or a maximum transport block size, wherein the communication opportunity is further based on the UE assistance information.

Aspect 15 includes the method of any of aspects 1-14, wherein the energy status report indicates an amount of usable energy associated with the UE.

Aspect 16 includes the method of any of aspects 1-15, wherein the harvesting of the energy from the ambient environment comprises at least one of harvesting electromagnetic energy from the ambient environment; harvesting kinetic energy from the ambient environment: harvesting thermal energy from the ambient environment: or harvesting light energy from the ambient environment.

Aspect 17 includes a method of wireless communication performed by a base station (BS), the method comprising receiving, from a user equipment (UE), a communication associated with a communication opportunity, wherein the communication opportunity is based on parameters associated with energy harvesting by the UE; and communicating, with the UE, one or more transport blocks (TBs) based on the communication opportunity.

Aspect 18 includes the method of aspect 17, wherein the communication associated with the communication opportunity comprises an indication of a communication periodicity and an indication of a communication duration.

Aspect 19 includes the method of any of aspects 17 or 18, wherein the communication associated with the communication opportunity comprises an indication of a communication duty cycle.

Aspect 20 includes method of any of aspects 17-19, further comprising receiving, from the UE, the parameters; and transmitting, to the UE, an indication of a communication periodicity based on the parameters and an indication of a communication duration based on the parameters.

Aspect 21 includes method of any of aspects 17-20, wherein the parameters comprise at least one of an amount of energy consumed by the UE during a slot: an amount of energy consumed by the UE during reception of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) communication: an amount of energy consumed by the UE during reception of a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) communication: an amount of energy consumed by the UE during transmission of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) communication: or n amount of energy consumed by the UE during transmission of a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) communication.

Aspect 22 includes method of any of aspects 17-21, further comprising receiving, from the UE, an indicator indicating termination of the communication opportunity.

Aspect 23 includes method of any of aspects 17-22, wherein the indicator comprises an indication of a time period based on the parameters.

Aspect 24 includes method of any of aspects 17-23, wherein the communication associated with the communication opportunity comprises an indication of a communication duration; and the method further comprises receiving, from the UE, a buffer status report (BSR); and communicating, with the UE and based on the BSR, one or more transport blocks (TBs) after the communication duration

Aspect 25 includes method of any of aspects 17-24, further comprising harvesting energy from an ambient environment associated with the BS.

Aspect 26 includes method of any of aspects 17-25, further comprising receiving, from the UE, UE assistance information comprising at least one of an energy status report: a bandwidth associated with the communication opportunity: a modulation and coding scheme (MCS): or a maximum transport block size, wherein the communication opportunity is further based on the UE assistance information.

Aspect 27 includes method of any of aspects 17-26, wherein the energy status report indicates an amount of usable energy associated with the UE.

Aspect 28 includes the method of any of aspects 17-27, wherein the harvesting of the energy comprises at least one of harvesting electromagnetic energy from an ambient environment: harvesting kinetic energy from the ambient environment; harvesting thermal energy from the ambient environment: or harvesting light energy from the ambient environment.

Aspect 29 includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions for wireless communication, the one or more instructions comprising one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a user equipment (UE), cause the one or more processors to perform any one of aspects 1-16.

Aspect 30 includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions for wireless communication, the one or more instructions comprising one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a base station (BS), cause the one or more processors to perform any one of aspects 17-28.

Aspect 31 includes a user equipment (UE) comprising one or more means to perform any one or more of aspects 1-16.

Aspect 32 includes a base station (BS) comprising one or more means to perform any one or more of aspects 17-28.

Aspect 33 includes a user equipment (UE) comprising a memory, a transceiver and at least one processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the UE is configured to perform any one or more of aspects 1-16.

Aspect 34 includes a base station (BS) comprising a memory, a transceiver and at least one processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the BS is configured to perform any one or more of aspects 17-28.