# US 11,909,464 B2 · Time coding for data communication > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,909,464 B2 - Document ID: US11909464B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/639,107 - Filed: 2020-08-27 - Published: 2022-10-20 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2019-09-18 - Assignees: Nokia Technologies Oy - Applicants: Nokia Technologies Oy - Inventors: Timo Tero Joonas Hussa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11909464B2 ## CPC - H04B 7/0408: using two or more beams, i.e. beam diversity - H04L 67/04: specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability - H04B 7/0617: {for beam forming} - H04B 7/165: employing angle modulation - H04L 1/0625: {Transmitter arrangements} - H04L 67/12: specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks - H04W 4/20: Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel - H04W 4/38: for collecting sensor information - H04W 4/70: Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] - Y02D 30/70: in wireless communication networks - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE ## Abstract Various example embodiments provide a system for transmission of low power signals based on using transmission time as one coding parameter. A code table may be used at a transmitter and receiver to map different data to different transmission times and/or other parameters. Advantageously, large amount of information may be transmitted with short and power efficient signals, for example to report status of a sensor every now and then. A receiver may use the same code table to decode the signals. Apparatuses, methods, and computer programs are disclosed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: determine a transmission time for a signal, wherein a data is encoded into the transmission time so that the transmission time corresponds to the data; and transmit the signal at the determined transmission time, or determine not to transmit the signal at the determined transmission time. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1 further caused to: determine the signal based on the data, wherein the data is further encoded into at least one characteristic of the signal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1 further caused to: determine the signal based on an identity of the apparatus or a source identifier; and transmit the signal, wherein the signal comprises the identity of the apparatus or the source identifier and wherein the data is further encoded into the identity of apparatus or the source identifier. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1 further caused to: select a beam based on the data; and transmit the signal with the selected beam, wherein the data is further encoded into the selected beam. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1 further caused to: determine at least one of a transmission location, a transmission position, a transmission height, a location for a desired arrival angle at a receiver, a vertical direction for the desired arrival angle at the receiver, or a horizontal direction for the desired arrival angle at the receiver; and transmit the signal in response to the determining that the apparatus is at at least one of the transmission location, the transmission position, the transmission height, the location for desired arrival angle at the receiver, the vertical direction for the desired arrival angle at the receiver, or the horizontal direction for the desired arrival angle at the receiver, wherein the data is further encoded into the at least one of the transmission location, the transmission position, the transmission height, the location for the desired arrival angle at the receiver, the vertical direction for the desired arrival angle at the receiver, or the horizontal direction for the desired arrival angle at the receiver. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1 further caused to: determine at least one of the transmission time, the signal, whether to transmit the signal, a beam, or a transmission location based on a mapping between the data and at least one of the transmission time, the signal, a source identifier, the beam, or an arrival angle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the mapping is provided in a code table, and wherein the apparatus is further caused to: receive an update of the code table. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1 further caused to: transmit a reference signal at a reference time; and determine the transmission time relative to the reference time. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data comprises one of: an indication of an operation to be performed at a receiver device, a sequence of bits, wherein each bit of a sequence indicates a status of a sensor, measurement data received from at least one sensor, an operation mode for at least one further signal, a variable, a magnitude, a physical quantity, a quality, a state, a property, a kidney, a grade, a brand, a texture, a rate, an audio signal, a video signal, a threshold, a prediction, a geographical coordination, or a unique data content. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one characteristic of the signal comprises a bit, a group of bits, an amplitude, a power, a phase, or a frequency of the signal. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the determined transmission time indicates a quantity. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data comprises an identified object which is encoded to the transmission time. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmission time indicates the determined transmission time responsive to a positioning data. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmission time is determined within a transmission period. ### Claim 15 An apparatus, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: receive a signal; determine for the signal at least one of a reception time, a transmission time, or a time window covering the transmission time and the reception time; and decode the data based on at least one of the reception time, the transmission time, or the time window covering the transmission time and the reception time, wherein the data corresponds to at least one of the reception time, the transmission time, or the time window covering the transmission time and the reception time. ### Claim 16 A system comprising: a transmitter configured to receive data for encoding; at least one processor configured to determine a transmission time for a signal, wherein data is encoded into the transmission time so that the transmission time corresponds to the data, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the signal at the determined transmission time, or determine not to transmit the signal at the determined transmission time; and a receiver also configured to receive the signal, wherein the at least one processor is also configured to determine for the signal at least one of a reception time, the transmission time, or a time window covering the transmission time and the reception time; and to decode the data based on at least one of the reception time, the transmission time or the time window covering the transmission time and the reception time, and wherein the data corresponds to at least one of the reception time, the transmission time, or the time window covering the transmission time and the reception time. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: determine at least one of: a transmission location, a transmission position, a transmission height, a location for desired arrival angle at the receiver, a vertical direction for a desired arrival angle at the receiver, or a horizontal direction for a desired arrival angle at the receiver; and cause the signal to be transmitted in response to the determining that the transmitter is placed at at least one of: the transmission location, the transmission position, the transmission height, the location for the desired arrival angle at the receiver, the vertical direction for the desired arrival angle at the receiver, or the horizontal direction for the desired arrival angle at the receiver, wherein the data is further encoded into the at least one of: the transmission location, the transmission position, the transmission height, the location for the desired arrival angle at the receiver, the vertical direction for the desired arrival angle at the receiver, or the horizontal direction for the desired arrival angle at the receiver. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the transmitter comprises a coding table for encoding and the receiver comprises a corresponding coding table for decoding. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein based on that the signal has been transmitted at a particular time, the at least one processor is further configured to determine by the receiver a quantity. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, further comprising: one or more devices which are configured to communicate with signals having a same meaning at substantially a same time, or the one or more devices have individual transmission time(s) that have the same meaning.