Method and apparatus for communication

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method and apparatus for communication. In one aspect, a device receives awareness information including subset information, which indicates a subset of awareness targets. Further, the device performs a communication-related operation based on the awareness information. Thus, the computational complexity and power consumption can be reduced, and the transmission overhead of the exchange of awareness information can be greatly reduced.

Description

Cross-reference to related applications

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 575,978, filed April 8, 2024, entitled “A method and apparatus for subset-based sensing information indication,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to the field of communications, and more particularly to a method, apparatus, computer-readable storage medium, and computer program product for sensing-related communications. Background Technology

[0003] In cellular communication networks, user equipment (UE) location information is commonly used to improve various network (NW) performance metrics. Sensing systems can be used to help collect UE location information, including the UE's position in the global coordinate system, its speed and direction of movement within the global coordinate system, orientation information, and information about the wireless environment. While sensing systems can be separated from communication systems, it can be advantageous to use an integrated system to collect UE location information, reducing hardware and cost within the integrated system, as well as the time, frequency, or spatial resources required to implement both functions. Therefore, sensing-related communication is an ideal feature in existing and future communication systems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure provides a communication method and apparatus for sensing-related communication.

[0005] According to a first aspect, a communication method is described. The method can be applied to a first device side, such as a terminal side, for example, a terminal or a module within the terminal, a circuit or chip within the terminal with communication functionality (e.g., a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or system-in-package (SIP) chip including a modem core). For example, the method is applied to a first device. In the method, the first device: receives sensing information including subset information, the subset information indicating a subset of sensing targets; and performs communication-related operations based on the sensing information. In this way, the computational complexity and power consumption at the device can be reduced, and the transmission overhead of sensing information exchange can be significantly reduced. Then, the device can have sufficient information to assist subsequent communication tasks.

[0006] In one possible design, the subset information indicates the geometry used to represent the subset. In this way, the representation of the perceived target can be optimized.

[0007] In one possible design, the geometry includes one of the following: square, circle, rectangle, and polygon. In this way, the perceived target can be described in multiple ways.

[0008] In one possible design, the geometry is indicated by at least one of the following: the geometry is a circle, and is represented by the center point and radius of the circle; the geometry is a circle, and is represented by the center point, radius, and normal vector; the geometry is a square, and is represented by the center point and side length; the geometry is a square, and is represented by the center point, side length, and normal vector; the geometry is a square or a rectangle, and is represented by four points; the geometry is a square or a rectangle, and is represented by one vertex and two direction vectors; the geometry is a polygon, and is represented by a set of points. In this case, the perceptual information of the perceived target can be represented more accurately.

[0009] In one possible design, the subset has a subset index, and the sensing information indicates the subset index. In this way, the subset can be indicated in a simple manner, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0010] In one possible design, the sensing target has multiple subsets, including the subset mentioned above, and the sensing information includes multiple subset information that respectively indicate the multiple subsets. In this way, the sensing target can be represented efficiently.

[0011] In one possible design, the perceived information is first perceived information, which includes a first subset of information indicating a first subset. The method further includes receiving second perceived information, which indicates an update to the first perceived information. In this way, the perceived target can be updated effectively.

[0012] In one possible design, the second sensing information includes a second subset of information that indicates a second subset of the sensing target. In this way, the sensing target can be effectively indicated.

[0013] In one possible design, the second sensing information includes updated information for updating the first sensing information to obtain the second sensing information, the second sensing information including second subset information indicating a second subset of the sensing target. In this way, the sensing target can be effectively indicated.

[0014] In one possible design, the update information indicates at least one of the following: adding another subset of information in addition to the first subset of information, the other subset of information indicating another subset of the perceived target; removing the first subset of information; or translating the first subset of information. In this way, the update of the perceived target can be effectively indicated.

[0015] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending or receiving at least one of the following: capability information regarding whether the device has the ability to process the sensing information including the subset information; a first indication for using the sensing information including the subset information; a second indication for enabling the sensing information including the subset information; and a third indication for disabling the sensing information including the subset information. In this way, subset-based representation is effectively facilitated.

[0016] In one possible design, the capability information includes at least one of the following: information about whether the device has the capability to process compressed sensed information; and the maximum number of subsets of information that can be processed at one time. In this way, the capability information can be effectively indicated.

[0017] In one possible design, the method further includes: receiving or transmitting information indicating one or more of the following: the geometry type of the subset; the coordinate system of the subset; the maximum number of subsets of the perceived target; the number of subsets of the perceived target; the precision of the representation of the subset; whether a subset index of the subset is used; whether updates of the subset are supported; if updates are supported, the format for indicating the update; if updates are supported, the period for triggering the update; whether compression of the perceived information including the subset information is used; and if compression is used, the compression method and / or compression parameters. In this way, subset-based representation is effectively facilitated.

[0018] In one possible design, performing the communication-related operations includes at least one of the following: performing beamforming / beam tracking; performing multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) parameter estimation; and performing channel measurement operations. In this way, various types of communication-related operations can be facilitated.

[0019] According to the second aspect, the method can be applied to a second device side, such as a network side, or components (e.g., circuits, chips, or chip systems) within a location server or a network-side location server. For example, the method is applied to a second device. In the method, the second device determines sensing information including subset information indicating a subset of sensing targets; and transmits the sensing information. In this way, computational complexity and power consumption at the device can be reduced, and the transmission overhead of sensing information exchange can be significantly reduced.

[0020] In one possible design, the subset information indicates the geometry used to represent the subset. In this way, the representation of the perceived target can be optimized.

[0021] In one possible design, the geometry includes one of the following: square, circle, rectangle, and polygon. In this way, the perceived target can be described in multiple ways.

[0022] In one possible design, the geometry is indicated by at least one of the following: the geometry is a circle, and is represented by the center point and radius of the circle; the geometry is a circle, and is represented by the center point, radius, and normal vector; the geometry is a square, and is represented by the center point and side length; the geometry is a square, and is represented by the center point, side length, and normal vector; the geometry is a square or a rectangle, and is represented by four points; the geometry is a square or a rectangle, and is represented by one vertex and two direction vectors; the geometry is a polygon, and is represented by a set of points. In this case, the perceptual information of the perceived target can be represented more accurately.

[0023] In one possible design, the subset has a subset index, and the sensing information indicates the subset index. In this way, the subset can be indicated in a simple manner, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0024] In one possible design, the sensing target has multiple subsets, including the subset mentioned above, and the sensing information includes multiple subset information that respectively indicate the multiple subsets. In this way, the sensing target can be represented efficiently.

[0025] In one possible design, the sensing information is first sensing information, which includes a first subset of information indicating a first subset. The method further includes sending second sensing information, which indicates an update to the first sensing information. In this way, the sensing target can be updated effectively.

[0026] In one possible design, the second sensing information includes a second subset of information that indicates a second subset of the sensing target. In this way, the sensing target can be effectively indicated.

[0027] In one possible design, the second sensing information includes updated information for updating the first sensing information to obtain the second sensing information, the second sensing information including second subset information indicating a second subset of the sensing target. In this way, the sensing target can be effectively indicated.

[0028] In one possible design, the update information indicates at least one of the following: adding another subset of information in addition to the first subset of information, the other subset of information indicating another subset of the perceived target; removing the first subset of information; or shifting the first subset of information. In this way, the update of the perceived target can be effectively indicated.

[0029] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending or receiving at least one of the following: capability information regarding whether the device has the ability to process the sensing information including the subset information; a first indication for using the sensing information including the subset information; a second indication for enabling the sensing information including the subset information; and a third indication for disabling the sensing information including the subset information. In this way, subset-based representation is effectively facilitated.

[0030] In one possible design, the capability information includes at least one of the following: information about whether the device has the capability to process compressed sensed information; and the maximum number of subsets of information that can be processed at one time. In this way, the capability information can be effectively indicated.

[0031] In one possible design, the method further includes: receiving or transmitting information indicating one or more of the following: the geometry type of the subset; the coordinate system of the subset; the maximum number of subsets of the perceived target; the number of subsets of the perceived target; the precision of the representation of the subset; whether a subset index of the subset is used; whether updates of the subset are supported; if updates are supported, the format for indicating the update; if updates are supported, the period for triggering the update; whether compression of the perceived information including the subset information is used; and if compression is used, the compression method and / or compression parameters. In this way, subset-based representation is effectively facilitated.

[0032] According to a third aspect, a communication device is described. The communication device has the functions of the first aspect. For example, the communication device includes corresponding modules, units, or components for performing the operations in the first aspect. Specifically, the modules, units, or components can be implemented using software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0033] According to the fourth aspect, a communication device is described. The communication device has the functions of the second aspect. For example, the communication device includes corresponding modules, units, or components for performing the operations in the second aspect. Specifically, the modules, units, or components can be implemented using software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0034] According to a fifth aspect, another communication device is described. The communication device includes a memory and one or more processors. The memory is configured to store some or all of a computer program or instructions necessary for implementing the functions in the first aspect. The one or more processors can execute the computer program or instructions, which, when executed, enable the communication device to implement the method according to any possible design or implementation of the first aspect.

[0035] In some embodiments, the communication device may further include an interface circuit, through which the processor is configured to communicate with another device or component.

[0036] In some embodiments, the communication device may further include the memory.

[0037] The communication device may be a terminal, a module in the terminal, or a chip in the terminal that has communication functions (e.g., a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip), or a SoC chip or SIP chip that includes a modem module).

[0038] According to a sixth aspect, another communication device is described. The communication device includes a memory and one or more processors. The memory is configured to store some or all of a computer program or instructions necessary for implementing the functions in the second aspect. The one or more processors can execute the computer program or instructions, which, when executed, enable the communication device to implement the method according to any possible design or implementation of the second aspect.

[0039] According to a seventh aspect, a communication system is described. The communication system includes: a first means for implementing the method according to any possible design or implementation of the first aspect; and a second means for implementing the method according to any possible design or implementation of the second aspect.

[0040] According to an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is described. The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-readable instructions that, when read and executed by a computer, enable the computer to perform the method according to any possible design of the first and second aspects.

[0041] According to a ninth aspect, this application provides a computer program product. When a computer reads and executes the computer program product, the computer is enabled to perform the method described according to any possible design of the first and second aspects.

[0042] According to a tenth aspect, this application provides a system comprising at least one of a device in (or at the first device) of this application or a device in (or at the second device) of this application.

[0043] According to the eleventh aspect, this application provides a method performed by a system, the system comprising at least one of means in (or at the first device) of this application and means in (or at the second device) of this application.

[0044] This application includes various embodiments, not only method embodiments but also other embodiments, such as apparatus embodiments and embodiments related to non-transitory computer-readable storage media. Embodiments may be incorporated individually or in combination with the features disclosed herein. Attached Figure Description

[0045] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 Exemplary communication systems that can implement some embodiments of this disclosure are shown; Figure 2 Another exemplary communication system that can implement some embodiments of this disclosure is shown; Figure 3A Examples of an ED and a base station according to some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are shown; Figure 3B Exemplary apparatuses according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown; Figure 4 Exemplary block diagrams of units or modules in a device according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown; Figure 5 Exemplary schematic diagrams of point cloud representation and mesh representation are shown; Figure 6 A signaling diagram illustrating an exemplary process of communication according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 7A and Figure 7B Examples of subset-based representations according to some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are shown; Figure 8 An exemplary process for transmitting sensing information according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated; Figure 9 Exemplary mobile scenarios according to some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are shown; Figure 10 An exemplary process for updating perceived information is illustrated according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 11 Exemplary interaction processes prior to the transmission of sensing information are illustrated according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 12 A flowchart of a method according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 13 Another flowchart of a method according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 14 A block diagram of an apparatus that can be used to implement some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 15 A schematic diagram of the structure of an apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 16 A schematic diagram of the structure of an apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0046] In the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0047] The principles of this disclosure will now be described in conjunction with some exemplary embodiments. These embodiments are described merely to illustrate and assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, and do not impose any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0048] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0049] References to "an embodiment," "an exemplary embodiment," etc., in this disclosure indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment must include that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Moreover, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is understood that those skilled in the art will recognize how such features, structures, or characteristics can be combined with other embodiments to achieve the desired result, whether explicitly described or not.

[0050] It should be understood that although terms such as “first” and “second” may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. The term “and / or” as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed items.

[0051] In some examples, values, processes, or devices are referred to as “best,” “lowest,” “highest,” “minimum,” “maximum,” etc. It should be understood that such descriptions are intended to indicate that there are many functional alternatives that can be chosen, and that such a choice is not necessarily better, smaller, higher, or otherwise superior to other choices.

[0052] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” used herein include the plural meaning. It should also be understood that the terms “comprising” and / or “having” as used herein specify the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0053] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0054] Embodiments of this disclosure may relate to a communication device, which may include terminal devices, network devices, electronic devices, etc.

[0055] The term "terminal equipment" refers to any device with wireless or wired communication capabilities. Examples of terminal devices include, but are not limited to: user equipment (UE), personal computers, desktop computers, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, tablet computers, wearable devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC) devices, Internet of Everything (IoE) devices, machine-type communication (MTC) devices, vehicular equipment for V2X communication (where X represents pedestrians, vehicles, or infrastructure / networks), devices for integrated access and backhaul (IAB), spacecraft or aircraft in non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) including satellites and high-altitude platforms (HAPs) encompassing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), and different types of reality (e.g., augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and virtual reality). Extended reality (XR) devices (such as VR), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) often referred to as drones (which are aircraft without human pilots), devices on high-speed trains (HSTs), or image capture devices (e.g., digital cameras, sensors, gaming devices, music storage and playback devices, or internet devices that enable wireless or wired internet access and browsing), etc. "Terminal devices" can also have "multicast / broadcast" characteristics to support public safety and mission-critical applications, V2X applications, transparent IPv4 / IPv6 multicast delivery, IPTV, smart TVs, wireless services, software delivery via wireless means, group communications, and IoT applications. Terminal devices can also incorporate one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs) (referred to as multi-SIMs). The term "terminal device" is used interchangeably with UE, mobile station, user station, mobile terminal, user terminal, or wireless device.

[0056] The term "network device" refers to access network equipment (or network node) or core network equipment (CN entity or CN function). For example, a network device can be a device that provides or hosts a cell or coverage area that terminal devices can communicate with. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to: satellites, unmanned aerial system (UAS) platforms, Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), futuregeneration Node B (gNB), transmission reception point (TRP), remote radio unit (RRU), radio head (RH), remote radio head (RRH), IAB node, low-power node (e.g., femtonode, piconode), reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), access point (AP), etc.

[0057] In the context of this disclosure, the term “location” may be used interchangeably with “position”, and the term “sensing-related communication” describes a sensing-assisted communication system and may be used interchangeably with “communication-sensing integration,” “joint sensing and communication,” “integrated system,” “sensing technology-based communication,” “cooperative sensing and communication,” or any other similar name.

[0058] In the context of this disclosure, the term "perceptual target," which can be associated with a perception task, can refer to the reconstructed environment and / or perceived object. The term "perceptual target" can be perceived to determine or generate perceptual information used to construct the perceptual target. The term "environment" as used herein is interchangeable with "perceptual environment," and the term "object" as used herein is interchangeable with "perceptual object." The term "perceptual information" can refer to information about the perceptual target, such as the perceptual environment or one or more perceptual objects. The term "perceptual information" as used herein is interchangeable with "perceptual result."

[0059] Embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented according to any generation of communication protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Examples of such communication protocols include, but are not limited to: cellular protocols, including first generation (1G), second generation (2G, 2.5G, 2.75G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G (sometimes referred to as "LTE"), 4.5G (sometimes referred to as "LTE Advanced" and "LTE AdvancedPro")), fifth generation (5G (sometimes referred to as "NR"), 5.5G, 5G-Advanced) and next generation (e.g., future generations), as well as various generations of Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) and Ultra Wideband (UWB).

[0060] As mentioned above, in cellular communication networks, UE location information is commonly used to improve various network performance metrics. These metrics may include, for example, capacity, agility, and efficiency. This improvement can be achieved when network components utilize the UE's location, behavior, mobility patterns, etc., within the context of prior information describing the radio environment in which the UE operates.

[0061] Sensing systems can be used to help collect UE pose information, including the UE's position in the global coordinate system, its velocity and direction of movement in the global coordinate system, orientation information, and information about the wireless environment. "Location" is also called "position," and these terms are used interchangeably in this document. Well-known examples of sensing systems include radio detection and ranging (RADAR) and light detection and ranging (LIDAR). While sensing systems can be separated from communication systems, it can be advantageous to collect information using an integrated system, reducing the hardware (and cost) in the system, as well as the time, frequency, or spatial resources required to implement both functions. However, using communication system hardware to perform UE pose and environmental information sensing is a highly challenging open problem. The difficulty of this problem is related to factors such as the limited resolution of the communication system, dynamic environmental changes, and the large number of objects whose electromagnetic properties and positions need to be estimated.

[0062] Therefore, sensing-related communication is an ideal feature in existing and future communication systems, and is expected to provide improved sensing for the practical implementation of integrated sensing.

[0063] In some scenarios involving perception-related communication, a device (or sensor, or UE) (also referred to as Device 1) can perceive its environment and then use the perception results to further assist communication. Due to the limited perception distance and range of Device 1, or because obstacles in the environment (e.g., another device, also referred to as Device 2) can provide Device 1 with its perception information or fused perception results, the performance of Device 1's subsequent tasks can be improved. For example, Device 2 can be a central node or base station that collects perception results from multiple devices and fuses them into a complete / large environmental map. Device 2 can then send the fused environmental map to Device 2 to assist its communication tasks.

[0064] In the scenarios described above, the reconstructed environment or environment map needs to be described in some way. While a very fine-grained description is desirable, it can lead to relatively high transmission overhead between device 2 and device 1, as well as significant computational and power consumption overhead for device 1. Considering scenarios such as perception-assisted communication, a coarse description of the environment / objects can meet the requirements of most tasks. Therefore, we can consider how to describe the environment / objects in a simplified manner.

[0065] In summary, embodiments of this disclosure provide a subset-based representation scheme. In this scheme, the device receives sensing information including subset information, which indicates a subset of the sensing target. Furthermore, the device performs communication-related operations based on the sensing information.

[0066] In the context of this disclosure, the term "subset-based representation" means that a sensed target can be represented based on one or more subsets of the sensed target. Subset-based representation can be considered a good way to indicate sensed information, describing local environment / object information in a simplified and efficient manner. Based on such simplified representations, computational complexity and power consumption at the device can be reduced, and the transmission overhead of sensed information exchange can also be significantly reduced.

[0067] For illustrative purposes, the principles and implementations of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that these embodiments are given to enable those skilled in the art to understand the inventive concept of this disclosure and to implement the solutions provided herein, and are not intended to limit the scope of this application in any way to the combination of structures and features explicitly shown.

[0068] Figure 1 An exemplary communication system 100 that can implement some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. (Reference) Figure 1As a non-limiting illustrative example, a simplified schematic diagram of a communication system is provided. Communication system 100 includes a radio access network 120. Radio access network 120 may be a next-generation radio access network or a traditional (e.g., 5G, 4G, 3G, or 2G) radio access network. One or more electronic devices (EDs) 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d, 110e, 110f, 110g, 110h, 110i, 110j (collectively referred to as 110) may interconnect with each other or be connected to one or more network nodes (170a, 170b, collectively referred to as 170) in radio access network 120. Core network 130 may be part of the communication system and may depend on or be independent of the radio access technology used in communication system 100. Furthermore, communication system 100 includes a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160.

[0069] Figure 2 Another exemplary communication system 100 is illustrated. Typically, communication system 100 enables multiple wireless or wired components to transmit data and other content. The purpose of communication system 100 may be to provide content such as voice, data, video, and / or text via broadcast, multicast, unicast, etc. Communication system 100 can operate by sharing resources (e.g., carrier spectrum bandwidth) among its constituent components. Communication system 100 may include terrestrial communication systems and / or non-terrestrial communication systems. Communication system 100 can provide a wide range of communication services and applications (e.g., earth monitoring, remote sensing, passive sensing and positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery and mobility, etc.). Communication system 100 can provide high availability and robustness through the joint operation of terrestrial and non-terrestrial communication systems. For example, integrating a non-terrestrial communication system (or components thereof) into a terrestrial communication system can create a heterogeneous network that can be viewed as comprising multiple layers. Compared to traditional communication networks, heterogeneous networks can achieve better overall performance through efficient multi-link joint operation between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks, more flexible function sharing, and faster physical layer link switching.

[0070] Terrestrial communication systems and non-terrestrial communication systems can be considered subsystems of a communication system. Figure 2In the example shown, communication system 100 includes electronic devices (EDs) 110a, 110b, 110c, and 110d (collectively referred to as ED110), radio access networks (RANs) 120a and 120b, a non-terrestrial communication network 120c, a core network 130, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160. RANs 120a and 120b include corresponding base stations (BSs) 170a and 170b, which are generally referred to as terrestrial transmit and receive points (T-TRPs) 170a and 170b. The non-terrestrial communication network 120c includes access nodes 172, which are generally referred to as non-terrestrial transmit and receive points (NT-TRPs) 172.

[0071] Alternatively or additionally, any ED 110 can be configured to connect, access, or communicate with any T-TRP 170a, 170b, and NT-TRP 172, Internet 150, core network 130, PSTN 140, other network 160, or any combination thereof. In some examples, ED 110a can communicate uplink and / or downlink with T-TRP 170a via terrestrial air interface 190a. In some examples, ED 110a, 110b, 110c, and 110d can also communicate directly with each other via one or more sidelink air interfaces 190b. In some examples, ED 110d can communicate uplink and / or downlink with NT-TRP 172 via non-terrestrial air interface 190c.

[0072] Air interfaces 190a and 190b can use similar communication technologies, such as any suitable wireless access technology. For example, communication system 100 can implement one or more channel access methods in air interfaces 190a and 190b, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), space division multiple access (SDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA; also known as discrete Fourier transform spread OFDMA (DFT-s-OFDMA)). Air interfaces 190a and 190b can employ other higher-dimensional signal spaces, which may involve combinations of orthogonal and / or non-orthogonal dimensions.

[0073] The non-terrestrial air interface 190c enables communication between the ED 110d and one or more NT-TRP 172s via a wireless link or simply via a link. For some examples, the link is a dedicated connection for unicast transmission, a connection for broadcast transmission, or a connection between a group of ED 110s and one or more NT-TRP 172s for multicast transmission.

[0074] RANs 120a and 120b communicate with the core network 130 to provide various services, such as voice, data, and other services, to EDs 110a, 110b, and 110c. RANs 120a and 120b and / or the core network 130 can communicate directly or indirectly with one or more other RANs (not shown), which may or may not be directly served by the core network 130, and may or may not use the same radio access technology as RANs 120a and / or RAN 120b. The core network 130 can also serve as a gateway access between (i) RANs 120a and 120b and / or EDs 110a, 110b, and 110c and (ii) other networks (e.g., PSTN 140, Internet 150, and other networks 160). Additionally, some or all of the EDs in EDs 110a, 110b, and 110c may include functionality for communicating with different wireless networks via different radio links using different radio technologies and / or protocols. Instead of wireless communication (or other than wireless communication), ED 110a, 110b, and 110c can communicate with service providers or exchanges (not shown) via wired communication channels and with the Internet 150. PSTN 140 may include a circuit-switched telephone network for providing plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 150 may include computer networks and / or subnets (internal networks) and incorporate protocols such as Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). ED 110a, 110b, and 110c may be multimode devices capable of operating under various wireless access technologies and incorporating multiple transceivers required to support such operation.

[0075] Furthermore, communication between different devices / apparatus in various implementations of this disclosure can refer to direct communication (i.e., without requiring forwarding by another device / apparatus) or one or more communications between different devices / apparatus via another device / apparatus (i.e., requiring forwarding by another device / apparatus). Alternatively, such one or more communications can involve a functional unit within a device / apparatus using another functional unit within the device / apparatus to communicate with another device / apparatus. In other words, phrases such as "send information to... (ED or base station)" in this disclosure can be understood as the destination endpoint of the information being the ED or base station, including sending / transmitting information directly or indirectly to the ED or base station. Similarly, "receive information from... (ED or base station)" can be understood as the source endpoint of the information being the ED or base station, including receiving information directly or indirectly from the ED or base station. Between the source endpoint and the destination endpoint of the information, necessary processing can be performed on the information, such as, but not limited to, format conversion, digital-to-analog conversion, amplification, and filtering. However, the destination endpoint can understand valid information from the source endpoint. Similar understanding applies to other descriptions in this disclosure, and the details already described will not be repeated. In this disclosure, the terms “send” and “transmit” are used interchangeably in different implementations of this disclosure.

[0076] Figure 3A Example 300 of ED 110 and base stations 170a, 170b and / or 170c is shown. ED 110 is used to connect people, objects, machines, etc. ED 110 can be widely used in various scenarios, such as cellular communication, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), peer-to-peer (P2P), machine-to-machine (M2M), machine-type communications (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), metaverse, digital twins, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, drones, robots, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery and mobility, etc.

[0077] Each ED 110 represents any suitable end-user equipment used for wireless operation and may include (or be referred to as) devices such as: user equipment / device (UE), wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), mobile station, fixed or mobile subscriber unit, cellular phone, station (STA), machine type communication (MTC) device, personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone, laptop computer, computer, tablet computer, wireless sensor, consumer electronics device, smartbook, vehicle, automobile, truck, bus, train, or IoT device, wearable device (e.g., watch, glasses, head-mounted device, etc.), industrial equipment, or devices that include or incorporate the above-mentioned devices (e.g., communication module, modem, or chip), etc. Next-generation ED 110 may be referred to using other terms. Base stations 170a and 170b are T-TRPs and will be referred to as T-TRP 170 below. Similarly, Figure 3A As shown, NT-TRP will be referred to as NT-TRP172 below. Each ED 110 connected to T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 can be dynamically or semi-statically started (i.e., established, activated, or enabled), shut down (i.e., released, deactivated, or disabled), and / or configured in response to one or more of connectivity availability and connectivity necessity.

[0078] ED 110 includes a transmitter 201 and a receiver 203 coupled to one or more antennas 204. Only one antenna 204 is shown in the figure to avoid congestion. Alternatively, one, part, or all of the antennas 204 may be panels. The transmitter 201 and receiver 203 may, for example, be integrated as a transceiver. The transceiver is used to modulate data or other content for transmission by at least one antenna 204 or a network interface controller (NIC). The transceiver is also used to demodulate data or other content received by at least one antenna 204. Each transceiver includes any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless or wired transmission and / or processing signals received wirelessly or wiredly. Each antenna 204 includes any suitable structure for transmitting and / or receiving wireless or wired signals.

[0079] ED 110 includes at least one memory 208. Memory 208 stores instructions and data used, generated, or acquired by ED 110. For example, memory 208 may store software instructions or modules executed by one or more processing units (e.g., processor 210) for implementing some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein. Each memory 208 includes any suitable one or more volatile and / or non-volatile storage and retrieval devices. Any suitable type of memory can be used, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, optical disk, subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory stick, secure digital (SD) memory card, and on-processor cache, etc.

[0080] ED 110 may also include one or more input / output devices (not shown) or interfaces (e.g., connected to...). Figure 1 (Wired interface of Internet 150 in the network). Input / output devices or interfaces support interaction with users or other devices in the network. Each input / output device or interface includes any suitable structure for providing or receiving information from the user and / or for network interface communication. Suitable structures include, for example, speakers, microphones, numeric keypads, keyboards, displays, touch screens, etc.

[0081] ED 110 includes a processor 210 for performing operations, including operations related to: preparing to transmit uplink transmissions to NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170; processing downlink transmissions received from NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170; and processing lateral link transmissions to and from another ED 110. Processing operations related to preparing to transmit uplink transmissions may include operations such as encoding, modulation, transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to processing downlink transmissions may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulating received symbols, and decoding received symbols. According to an embodiment, the downlink transmissions may be received by receiver 203 (possibly using receive beamforming), and processor 210 may extract signaling from the downlink transmissions (e.g., by detecting and / or decoding signaling). For example, an example of signaling may be a reference signal transmitted by NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, processor 210 performs transmit beamforming and / or receive beamforming based on beam direction indications (e.g., beam angle information (BAI)) received from T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, processor 210 may perform operations related to network access (e.g., initial access) and / or downlink synchronization, such as operations related to detecting synchronization sequences, decoding, and obtaining system information. In some embodiments, processor 210 may perform channel estimation, for example, using reference signals received from NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170.

[0082] Although not shown, processor 210 may form part of transmitter 201 and / or receiver 203. Although not shown, memory 208 may form part of processor 210.

[0083] The processing components of processor 210, transmitter 201, and receiver 203 can each be implemented using one or more processors, either the same or different, for executing instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 208). Alternatively, some or all of the processing components of processor 210, transmitter 201, and receiver 203 can each be implemented using dedicated circuitry, such as a programmable field-programmable gate array (FPGA), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or hardware accelerators such as graphics processing units (GPUs) or artificial intelligence (AI) accelerators.

[0084] In some implementations, the T-TRP 170 can use other names, such as base station, basetransceiver station (BTS), wireless base station, network node, network device, network-side device, transmit / receive node, NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), home eNodeB, next-generation NodeB (gNB), transmission point (TP), site controller, access point (AP), wireless router, relay station, ground node, ground network device, ground base station, base band unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), location node, etc. The T-TRP 170 can be a macro BS, pico BS, relay node, or host node, or a combination thereof. T-TRP 170 may refer to the aforementioned equipment or a device within the aforementioned equipment (e.g., a communication module, modem, or chip).

[0085] In some embodiments, the portions of T-TRP 170 may be distributed. For example, some modules of T-TRP 170 may be located remotely from the device housing the antenna 256 for T-TRP 170 and may be coupled to the device housing the antenna 256 via a communication link (not shown) sometimes referred to as a fronthaul (e.g., a common public radio interface (CPRI)). Therefore, in some embodiments, the term T-TRP 170 may also refer to network-side modules that perform processing operations such as ED 110 location determination, resource allocation (scheduling), message generation, and encoding / decoding, which are not necessarily part of the device housing the antenna 256 of T-TRP 170. Modules may also be coupled to other T-TRPs. In some embodiments, T-TRP 170 may actually be multiple T-TRPs that operate together, for example, by using coordinated multicast to serve ED 110.

[0086] T-TRP 170 includes at least one transmitter 252 and at least one receiver 254 coupled to one or more antennas 256. Only one antenna 256 is shown in the figure to avoid congestion. Alternatively, one, some, or all of the antennas 256 may be panels. The transmitter 252 and receiver 254 may be integrated as a transceiver. T-TRP 170 also includes a processor 260 for performing operations including operations related to: preparing to transmit downlink transmissions to ED 110; processing uplink transmissions received from ED 110; preparing to transmit backhaul transmissions to NT-TRP 172; and processing transmissions received from NT-TRP 172 via backhaul. Processing operations related to preparing to transmit downlink or backhaul transmissions may include operations such as encoding, modulation, precoding (e.g., multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) precoding), transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to transmissions received in the uplink or via backhaul may include receive beamforming, demodulating received symbols, and decoding received symbols. Processor 260 may also perform operations related to network access (e.g., initial access) and / or downlink synchronization, such as generating the contents of a synchronization signal block (SSB), generating system information, etc. In some embodiments, processor 260 also generates a beam direction indication (e.g., BAI), which can be scheduled by scheduler 253 for transmission. Processor 260 performs other network-side processing operations described herein, such as determining the location of ED 110, determining the deployment location of NT-TRP 172, etc. In some embodiments, processor 260 may generate signaling, for example, to configure one or more parameters of ED 110 and / or one or more parameters of NT-TRP 172. Any signaling generated by processor 260 is transmitted by transmitter 252. Note that "signaling" as used herein may also be referred to as control signaling. Signaling can be transmitted in physical layer control channels such as the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). In this case, the signaling can be called dynamic signaling. Signaling transmitted in the downlink physical layer control channel is called downlink control information (DCI). Signaling transmitted in the uplink physical layer control channel is called uplink control information (UCI). Signaling transmitted in the sidelink physical layer control channel is called sidelink control information (SCI).Signaling can be included in higher-layer (e.g., above the physical layer) data packets transmitted on physical layer data channels such as the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH). In this case, the signaling can be referred to as higher-layer signaling, static signaling, or semi-static signaling. Higher-layer signaling can also refer to Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol signaling or Media Access Control-Control Element (MAC-CE) signaling.

[0087] Scheduler 253 may be coupled to processor 260. Scheduler 253 may be included within T-TRP 170 or may operate separately from T-TRP. Scheduler 253 may schedule uplink, downlink, lateral link, and / or backlink transmissions, including issuing scheduling authorizations and / or configuring scheduling-free (e.g., "configuration authorization") resources. T-TRP 170 also includes memory 258 for storing information and data. Memory 258 stores instructions and data used, generated, or acquired by T-TRP 170. For example, memory 258 may store software instructions or modules executed by processor 260 for implementing some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein.

[0088] Although not shown, processor 260 may form part of transmitter 252 and / or receiver 254. Furthermore, although not shown, processor 260 may implement scheduler 253. Although not shown, memory 258 may form part of processor 260.

[0089] The processing components of processor 260, scheduler 253, transmitter 252, and receiver 254 may each be implemented using one or more processors, either the same or different, for executing instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 258). Alternatively, some or all of the processing components of processor 260, scheduler 253, transmitter 252, and receiver 254 may be implemented using dedicated circuitry (e.g., a programmable FPGA, hardware accelerator (e.g., GPU or AI accelerator), or ASIC).

[0090] Although the NT-TRP 172 is shown as an example of a drone only, it can be implemented in any suitable non-terrestrial form, such as satellites and high-altitude platforms including international mobile telecommunications base stations and unmanned aerial vehicles. Furthermore, in some implementations, the NT-TRP 172 may use other names, such as a non-terrestrial node, a non-terrestrial network device, or a non-terrestrial base station. The NT-TRP 172 includes a transmitter 272 and a receiver 274 coupled to one or more antennas 280. Only one antenna 280 is shown in the figure to avoid congestion. Alternatively, one, some, or all of the antennas may be panels. The transmitter 272 and receiver 274 may be integrated as a transceiver. The NT-TRP 172 also includes a processor 276 for performing operations including operations related to: preparing to send downlink transmissions to ED 110; processing uplink transmissions received from ED 110; preparing to send return transmissions to T-TRP 170; and processing transmissions received from T-TRP 170 via return. Processing operations related to preparing to transmit downlink or backhaul transmissions may include operations such as encoding, modulation, precoding (e.g., MIMO precoding), transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to processing transmissions received in the uplink or via backhaul may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulating received symbols, and decoding received symbols. In some embodiments, processor 276 implements transmit beamforming and / or receive beamforming based on beam direction information (e.g., BAI) received from T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, processor 276 may generate signaling, for example, to configure one or more parameters of ED 110. In some embodiments, NT-TRP 172 implements physical layer processing but does not implement higher-layer functions, such as those in the medium access control (MAC) layer or radio link control (RLC) layer. Since this is only an example, more generally, NT-TRP 172 may implement higher-layer functions in addition to physical layer processing.

[0091] The NT-TRP 172 also includes a memory 278 for storing information and data. Although not shown, a processor 276 may form part of the transmitter 272 and / or the receiver 274. Although not shown, the memory 278 may form part of the processor 276.

[0092] The processing components of processor 276, transmitter 272, and receiver 274 can each be implemented using one or more processors, which may be the same or different, to execute instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 278). Alternatively, some or all of the processing components of processor 276, transmitter 272, and receiver 274 can be implemented using dedicated circuitry (e.g., a programmable FPGA, hardware accelerator (e.g., GPU or AI accelerator), or ASIC). In some embodiments, NT-TRP 172 can actually be multiple NT-TRPs that operate together, for example, through coordinated multicast transmissions to serve ED 110.

[0093] T-TRP 170, NT-TRP 172 and / or ED 110 may include other components, but for clarity these components are omitted.

[0094] Figure 3B An exemplary device 410 according to an implementation of the present disclosure is shown. Device 410 may be a communication device or a device implemented in a communication device such as ED 110 or TRP 170a, 170b, 172. For example, device 410 implemented in an ED may be an integrated circuit, which in some instances may be referred to as a chip, modem, modem chip, baseband chip, or baseband processor. In some implementations, one or more integrated circuits may be packaged as a system-on-a-chip, system-in-package, or multi-chip module. Device 410 may include one or more integrated circuits and other discrete components. In some implementations, device 410 may be a module within ED 110 or device 310. In some implementations, device 410 may be a module within one of TRP 170a, 170b, 172, or device 320.

[0095] In one example, apparatus 410 may include one or more processors 411 and interface circuitry 412. Apparatus 410 may also include memory 413. The one or more processors 411 are configured to process signals and execute one or more communication protocols. Memory 413 is configured to store at least a portion of corresponding computer program instructions and / or data. In one example, the one or more processors 411 execute the computer program instructions stored in memory 413 to implement relevant operations (e.g., input, output, reception, and transmission) in the method embodiments disclosed herein. In some implementations, memory 413 for storing corresponding computer program instructions and / or data may mean that memory 413 is configured to store all corresponding computer program instructions and / or data to be executed by one or more processors 411. In some implementations, memory 413 configured to store corresponding computer program instructions and / or data may mean that memory 413 is configured to store a portion of corresponding computer program instructions and / or data. For example, a portion of the corresponding computer program instructions and / or data may include computer program instructions and / or data that one or more processors 411 currently need to execute. Therefore, memory 413 can store different portions of computer program instructions and / or data multiple times for one or more processors 411 to perform related operations in the method embodiments disclosed herein. Interface circuitry 412 serves as a communication interface and is configured to enable communication with another component. For example, interface circuitry 412 can transmit signals with another device or system (e.g., a radio frequency processing device or another processor). Signals may include or carry information intended as a payload, such as user data, control information, etc. Signals may also include or carry information useful to a receiver but not necessarily a payload, such as pilot signals or reference signals. Transmitting signals may include sending signals to another component or device. Additionally or alternatively, transmitting signals may include receiving signals from another component or device. Transmitting signals may include outputting signals to a component or device directly or indirectly coupled to interface circuitry 412. Receiving signals may include inputting or receiving signals from a component or device directly or indirectly coupled to interface circuitry 412. Optionally, in order to reduce the load on one or more processors, a baseband signal processing circuit 414 may be provided to perform processing on at least a portion of the baseband signal, including signal demodulation, modulation, encoding, decoding, etc.

[0096] In some scenarios, device 410 may be processor 210 (or 260) within device 310 (or 320), or in some scenarios, it may be included within processor 210 (or 260) within device 310 (or 320). Device 410 may be a baseband chip, or may include a baseband chip. In some implementations, device 410 may be independently packaged in a chip. In some implementations, device 310 (or 320) includes different types of chips. Device 410 may be packaged together with different types of chips as a processor chip (e.g., a SoC chip or a SIP chip). In some implementations, device 410 may be packaged together with part or all of the circuitry of a radio frequency processing system that may also be included in device 310 (or 320) as a chip.

[0097] according to Figure 4 One or more steps of the methods in the embodiments provided herein may be performed by the corresponding unit or module. Figure 4 An exemplary block diagram 400 of a unit or module in a device such as ED 110, T-TRP 170, or NT-TRP 172 is shown. For example, a signal may be transmitted or output by a transmitting unit or a transmitting module. A signal may be received or input by a receiving unit or a receiving module. A signal may be processed by a processing unit or a processing module. Other steps may be performed by an artificial intelligence (AI) module or a machine learning (ML) module. The corresponding unit or module may be implemented using hardware, one or more components or devices executing software, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more of the unit or module may be a circuit, such as an integrated circuit. Examples of integrated circuits include programmable FPGAs, GPUs, or ASICs. For example, one or more of the unit or module may be logic, such as a logical function executed by a circuit, a portion of an integrated circuit, or software instructions executed by a processor. It should be understood that if a module is implemented, for example, by a processor using software, the module may be retrieved by the processor, wholly or partially, individually or collectively, for processing, in one or more instances, and the module itself may include instructions for further deployment and instantiation.

[0098] Although not shown, the transmitting module and the receiving module can be part of or combined into a transceiver module. A transceiver module can also be called an interface module, or simply an interface, and is used for input and output operations.

[0099] Additional details regarding ED 110, T-TRP 170, and NT-TRP 172 are known to those skilled in the art. Therefore, these details are omitted herein.

[0100] For a sensing task / application, a device (e.g., ED 110) (also referred to as device 1) can sense a sensing target (e.g., the environment or objects within the environment) and obtain sensing results. Device 1 can then use the sensing results to further assist communication. Another device (e.g., network device 170) (also referred to as device 2) can provide its sensing information or fused sensing results to device 1, thereby helping to improve the performance of device 1's subsequent communication tasks. The exchanged sensing information can be a reconstructed sensing target, such as an environment map or environmental objects. Therefore, the exchanged sensing information needs to be described in a certain way.

[0101] Perceptual information can be represented as the location of a point in space, with coordinates (x, y, z). While this position-based representation is simple and has low transmission overhead, it cannot well describe the information of the detected perceived target. For example, it cannot describe the contour information of the perceived target.

[0102] Perceived information can also be represented using point clouds or grids. For example, Figure 5 An exemplary schematic diagram 500 shows the point cloud representation and grid representation of two buildings. A point cloud is a set of discrete data points in space. Each point location has a coordinate (x, y, z).

[0103] A mesh is a collection of vertices, edges, and faces that define the shape of an object. Faces typically include triangles (i.e., triangular meshes), quadrilaterals (i.e., quadrilateral meshes), or other convex polygons. A mesh can also be called a polygon, or a polygonal mesh.

[0104] Both point clouds and mesh representations can provide a detailed description of the perceived target. However, because they both represent objects based on points / vertices, the number of bits used for representation is relatively large, which introduces significant communication overhead in scenarios involving perception fusion, perception reporting, or other perception information exchange. For example, assuming the coordinates (x, y, z) of each point / vertex have a precision of 16 bits, the total number of bits for 100 points / vertexes would be 100. 3 16 = 4800 bits. The grid representation will require additional bits for edge representation, i.e., the relationships between vertices.

[0105] To describe the perception information of a sensing target (e.g., the sensing environment or one or more sensing objects), a very fine-grained description is desirable, but it also incurs relatively large computational overhead (e.g., on the UE side) and significant transmission overhead (e.g., from the BS to the UE). Considering these or similar scenarios, a coarse and generalized description can meet the needs of most tasks. In this context, embodiments of this disclosure provide a subset-based representation scheme. The subset-based representation can be used to represent perception information that can describe the sensing target in a simplified and efficient manner. The subset-based representation scheme will combine... Figure 6 This will be explained in detail below.

[0106] Figure 6 A signaling diagram of an exemplary process 600 of communication according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Process 600 may involve a first device 601 and a second device 602. Figure 6 The steps and their order are for illustrative purposes only and are not restrictive. For example, the order of the steps can be changed. Some steps can be omitted, or any other suitable additional steps can be added.

[0107] In some embodiments, the first device 601 may be a UE, and the second device 602 may be a BS. In some embodiments, the first device 601 may be a BS, and the second device 602 may be a UE. In some embodiments, the first device 601 may be a UE, and the second device 602 may be another UE. In some embodiments, the first device 601 may be a BS, and the second device 602 may be another BS.

[0108] In some embodiments, the network device may be a device in RAN 120 (e.g., network node 170, such as a BS). In some embodiments, the network device may be an AP. In some embodiments, the network device may be a device in CN 130, such as an access management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), user plane function (UPF), etc.

[0109] In some embodiments, during process 600, the first device 601 and the second device 602 may belong to the same communication device or different communication devices. In some implementations, the first device 601 may be a chip within a communication device, and the second device 602 may be a radio frequency device within the same communication device. In some implementations, the first device 601 may be a first communication device, and the second device 602 may be a second communication device. In some implementations, the first device 601 may be part of a first communication device, and the second device 602 may be part of a second communication device. In some examples, the first and second communication devices may communicate with each other via a communication link or channel. In some examples, the first and second communication devices may have the same device type or may have different device types. For example, either the first or second communication device may be ED 110, T-TRP 170, NT-TRP 172, SMF 176, etc., as discussed above. It should be noted that the first and / or second communication devices can be implemented as any device type, and this disclosure is not limited to this aspect. For ease of description, in the following description, the first communication device may be referred to as the first device, and the second communication device may be referred to as the second device.

[0110] like Figure 6 As shown, at 610, the second device 602 determines perceptual information (also referred to as subset-based perceptual information) that includes subset information indicating a subset of a perceptual target (e.g., a perceptual environment or one or more perceptual objects within the environment). This method of representing a perceptual target based on one or more subsets of the perceptual target can be called a subset-based representation or a subset-based perceptual information indication. The basic element of a subset-based representation of perceptual information can be a subset of the perceptual target (or, in other words, subset information indicating the subset). A perceptual target can have multiple subsets, in which case the perceptual information can include multiple subsets of information that respectively indicate multiple subsets. In other words, a subset-based representation can involve describing perceptual information using one or more subsets of the perceptual target.

[0111] The sensing information may include information associated with the first device 601. In some embodiments, since the second device 602 has global information (e.g., global environment information) about the sensing targets (e.g., including buildings, vehicles, etc.), it can obtain local information (e.g., local environment information) about the sensing targets currently associated with the UE. For example, the local information may include subset information indicating a subset of the sensing targets, and the second device 602 may send only this subset information to the first device 601 for further processing. For example, the second device 602 may use ray tracing to estimate multipath / non-line-of-sight (NLOS) information between the first device 601 and the second device 602 based on the global information, and then obtain the local information (i.e., subset information indicating a subset of the sensing targets currently associated with the first device 601). The subset of the sensing targets may have reflection and scattering characteristics and may be related to the channel state of the first device 601. The second device 602 may also use any other method to obtain the subset information indicating a subset of the sensing targets, which is not limited in this disclosure. By using subset-based perception instructions, the second device 602 can extract only the perception information currently needed by the first device 601, i.e., on-demand instructions.

[0112] refer to Figure 7A and Figure 7B They show examples of subset-based representations. Figure 7A The perceived target may include a subset. Therefore, in this case, the perceived information determined by the second device 602 may include a subset of information indicating this subset, such as... Figure 7A As shown. Figure 7B The perceived target may include two subsets. Therefore, in this case, the perceived information determined by the second device 602 may include two subsets of information indicating these two subsets, such as... Figure 7B As shown.

[0113] Subset information can be represented in various ways. For example, subset information can indicate the geometry used to represent the subset. In this case, the subset can be described as the geometry of a surface capable of representing a perceived target (e.g., a simple geometry). For example, the geometry can include squares, rectangles, polygons, circles, etc., to significantly reduce the transmission overhead from the second device 602 to the first device 601.

[0114] In subset-based representations of perceived targets, considering that a perceived target may include one or more subsets, the basic element of the subset-based representation can be a subset containing information about its subsets, for example, denoted as S. In the example where the geometry is a circle, the geometry can be represented by the center point v and the radius r (e.g., in a 2D plane), so S can include {v, r}. In the example where the geometry is a circle, the geometry can be represented by the center point v, the radius r, and the normal vector n, so S can include {v, r, n}. In the example where the geometry is a square, the geometry can be indicated by the center point v and the side length e (e.g., in a 2D plane), so S can include {v, e}. In the example where the geometry is a square, the geometry can be represented by the center point v, the side length e, and the normal vector n, so S can include {v, e, n}. In the example where the geometry is a square or rectangle, the geometry can be represented by four points (e.g., four vertices) v1, v2, v3, v4, so S can include {v1, v2, v3, v4}. In the example where the geometry is a square or rectangle, the geometry can be represented by a vertex v and two direction vectors d1 and d2, so S can include {v, d1, d2}. In the example where the geometry is a polygon, the geometry can be represented by a set of points (e.g., a set of vertices) v1, v2, ... v G Therefore, S can include {v1, v2, ... v} G}, where G is the number of points in the polygon. In this case, the polygon can be formed by connecting the points one by one.

[0115] The points and vectors mentioned above (e.g., v, v) i d i (x, y) can be represented by 2D coordinates (x, y) or 3D coordinates (x, y, z), and can be represented by global coordinates (e.g., geographic coordinate system, cell coordinate system, etc.) or local coordinates (e.g., the coordinate system of the first device 601 or the second device 602, the coordinate system of the reference point, or the coordinate system defined by the plane, etc.).

[0116] The above representation / format of subset information S is for illustrative purposes only, and the scope of this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0117] Now return to the reference Figure 6 At point 620, the second device 602 sends sensing information to the first device 601. Correspondingly, the first device 601 receives sensing information from the second device 602.

[0118] In embodiments where subset-based representation involves describing perceptual information using one or more subsets of the perceived target, one or more subsets of information corresponding to one or more subsets (denoted as {S1, S2, ... S...) are respectively...N}) can be included in the perceptual information, where N is the number of subsets (i.e., the number of corresponding subset information), and S j This refers to subset information indicating the j-th subset within one or more subsets, where 1 ≤ j ≤ N. Optionally, the number of subsets N may also be included in the subset-based representation, i.e., in the sensing information sent to the first device 601. Alternatively or additionally, if the number of subsets is fixed or pre-configured / indicated before the sensing information is sent, then N may not need to be included with the subset information {S1, S2, ... S...}. N Send them together.

[0119] In some embodiments, each subset may optionally have a subset index for ease of reference to one or more subsets. The subset index of the j-th subset may be denoted as I. j The subset index I is given by the expression 1 ≤ j ≤ N. j This can be indicated within the perceived information. There are multiple ways to indicate the subset index I. j As an example implementation, subset index I j It can be included in S j In the middle. For example, if S j Indicates a square represented by {v, e, n}, then through including I j S j It can become {I j , v, e, n} or {v, e, n, I j}. For S j The same applies to other formats / shapes. As another exemplary implementation, I... j Can be with S j Parallel indications. For example, perceived information could be {S1, S2, ... S} N , I1, I2, ... I N}, or {I1, I2, ... I N S1, S2, ... S N}, or {I1, S1, I2, S2, ... I N , S N}wait.

[0120] like Figure 6As shown, after obtaining sensing information from the second device 602, at 630, the first device 601 performs communication-related operations based on the sensing information. For example, based on the received sensing information, the first device 601 can use it to assist subsequent communication tasks or other tasks. For example, the first device 601 can perform beamforming / beam tracking. Also, the first device 601 can perform channel measurement operations. As one implementation, the first device 601 can perform MIMO parameter estimation.

[0121] Figure 8 Another exemplary process 800 for transmitting subset-based perceived information according to some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure may be provided. For the purposes of discussion, reference will be made to... Figure 6 The process is described as follows: For example, the first device 601 can be a UE (User Equipment), and the second device 602 can be a BS (Browser / Server). Alternatively or additionally, the first device 601 and the second device 602 can be implemented by any other type of device. Figure 8 As shown, at point 810, the second device 602 sends subset-based sensing information {S1, S2, ... S...} to the first device 601. N}. Optionally, it may include subset indices {I1, I2, ... I}. N The relevant details (e.g., the content and format of the subset index) have been described above and will not be repeated here for clarity. Optionally, the number of subsets N may also be included. The relevant details (e.g., the way N is indicated) have been described above and will not be repeated here for clarity. Alternatively or additionally, if the number of subsets is fixed or pre-configured / indicated before the sensing information is sent, then N may not need to be related to {S1, S2, ... S}. N Send them together.

[0122] In some embodiments, it may be necessary to consider updating the sensing information because the channel may change when the sensing target changes, and therefore one or more subsets associated with the first device 601 may also change. Subset-based sensing information indication can be used in scenarios with mobile devices (e.g., the mobile first device 601) to dynamically indicate updated sensing information.

[0123] Now for reference Figure 9 Let us discuss exemplary mobile scenarios based on some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. Figure 9 As shown, from time t to time t+1, the corresponding subset of sensing targets associated with the first device 601 (e.g., the corresponding subset used for auxiliary communication) may have changed.

[0124] For example, in a mobile scenario, the second device 602 can predict the trajectory of the first device 601 and send updated perception information, including an updated subset of information (indicating the updated subset), to the first device 601 in real time or in advance, to provide the first device 601 with the latest perception information. Alternatively or additionally, in addition to the first device 601 triggering updates on demand, the updates to the perception information can also be triggered periodically. The update period can be optionally configured from the second device 602 to the first device 601.

[0125] For discussion purposes, previously sensed information transmitted from the second device 602 to the first device 601 (e.g., sensed information transmitted at 620) may be referred to as first sensed information, which includes one or more first subset information, each indicating one or more first subsets of the sensed target. In some cases where the sensed target changes, the second device 602 may transmit another sensed information (also referred to as second sensed information), which indicates an update to the first sensed information and includes one or more second subset information, each indicating one or more second subsets of the sensed target. For example, suppose the first sensed information at a first time (e.g., time t) including one or more first sensed information indicating one or more first subsets is {S1, S2, ... S... N The second perceptual information at the second time point (e.g., time t+1) that includes information about one or more second subsets indicating one or more second subsets is {S'1, S'2, ... S'}. M}, where M is the number of subsets at time t+1, and S' i It indicates the subset information of the i-th subset at time t+1, where 1≤i≤M.

[0126] Based on {S1, S2, ... S N Prior knowledge of} can be used in various ways to indicate the second perceptual information {S'1, S'2, ... S'} used to obtain updated subset information. M}

[0127] In some exemplary implementations, direct indication can be utilized. In this case, the second perceptual information may include one or more second subsets of information that directly indicate one or more second subsets of the perceived target. In other words, the second perceptual information can directly indicate {S'1, S'2, ... S'...} M In other words, the first device 601 can use {S'1, S'2, ... S'}. M} replace {S1, S2, ... S NThe same subset information representation / format described above can be used to indicate {S'1, S'2, ... S'}. M}

[0128] In some exemplary implementations, indirect indications (also known as subset update indications) can be used. In this case, the second sensing information may include update information used to update the first sensing information to obtain the second sensing information. In other words, the second sensing information can indicate the information used to update {S1, S2, ... S... N} to obtain {S'1, S'2,... S' M The information is displayed in several ways. There are multiple ways to indicate an update.

[0129] As an example implementation, an update based on addition / removal can be used. In this case, the update information may indicate the addition of another subset of information, in addition to one or more first subsets of information in the first sensing information, which indicates another subset of the sensing target. Alternatively or additionally, the update information may indicate the removal of one or more of the one or more first subsets of information in the first sensing information. As an example, the update information may indicate the addition of subset information {S}. a 1, S a 2, ... S a A} and / or removed subset information {S b 1, S b 2, ... S b B By receiving this updated information, the first device 601 can examine the previously received sensing information {S1, S2, ... S}. N}, remove {S b 1,S b 2, ... S b B The subset information included in}, and add {S a 1, S a 2, ... S a A The new subset information included in}. It should be noted that the added and removed subset information can use the representation / format of subset information as described above.

[0130] Alternative or additional locations, for more concise indication of the subset information to be removed {S} b 1, S b 2, ... S b B} can alternatively indicate one or more corresponding subset indices. Assume the subset information S to be removed. b p The subset index of the associated removed subset is I b p If 1 ≤ p ≤ B, then for {S} b 1, S b 2, ... S b B The instruction of} can be simplified to {I b 1, I b 2, ... I b B}

[0131] Alternatively or additionally, to better support multiple updates to subset information, each added subset information can also be indicated along with a subset index. Assume the added subset information S... a q The index of the associated added subset is I a q If 1 ≤ q ≤ A, then for I a q The instructions can be included in S a q Inside, it can also be with S a q Parallel instructions, as described above.

[0132] As an example implementation, translation-based updates can be utilized. In this case, the update information can indicate the translation of one or more first subsets of the first perceptual information. In other words, the update information can indicate the movement of {S1, S2, ... S...} based on one or more translation vectors. N To obtain partial or complete subset information of {S'1, S'2,... S'}, we can obtain information from a subset of {S'1, S'2,... S'}. N} (For example, in this case, M=N). For example, update information could indicate a translation vector t, and then {S1, S2, ... S N All subset information in} can be shifted by t to obtain {S'1, S'2, ... S' N As another example, update information can indicate N translation vectors {t1, t2, ... t}. N}, then the information S of each subset j You can press the corresponding t j Shift to obtain S' j , 1≤j≤N. For example, update information can indicate T translation vectors and their corresponding subset information {t1, t2, ...t}. T , U1, U2, ... UT}, T≥1, where t k It is the k-th translation vector, U k Including its corresponding pending t k The shifted subset information, 1≤k≤T. U k It can be made by {Z k , I k 1, I k 2, ... I k Zk} indicates that Z k Is it waiting to be pressed t? k Subset information of the shift ({S) k 1, S k 2, ... S k Zk The number of}), I k 1. I k 2、……I k Zk These are the indices of the corresponding subsets associated with the subset information. Alternatively or additionally, U k Alternatively, one or more subsets can be used directly (i.e., the corresponding subset information) instead of an index (i.e., {Z) k , S k 1, S k 2, ... S k Zk}). Then for each t k , including {S k 1, S k 2, ... S k Zk The corresponding Z in} k Subset information can be sorted by t k Shift to obtain {S' k 1, S' k 2, ... S' k Zk Then {S'1, S'2, ...S'}. N} can be achieved by dividing {S1, S2, ... S} N Information on all unshifted subsets in} and including {S' k 1, S' k 2, ... S' k Zk This is achieved by combining all the shifted information, where 1 ≤ k ≤ T. For example, the above translation vectors t and t' are... j or t k It can be a 2D vector or a 3D vector as described above.

[0133] Alternatively or additionally, combinations of the two exemplary implementations described above are possible. For example, the update information could indicate the subset information to be removed {S}. b 1, S b 2, ... S b B}, Added subset information {S a 1, S a 2, ... S a A The translation vector T and its corresponding subset information {t1, t2, ... t} T , U1, U2, ... U T In this case, T translation vectors can be applied to {S1, S2, ... S}. N The information of the corresponding subsets that were not removed in}. For example, update information can indicate the removed subset information {S}. b 1, S b 2, ... S b B}, Added subset information {S a 1, S a 2, ... S a A} and a translation vector t. In this case, the translation vector t can be applied to {S1, S2, ... S}. N Information on all corresponding subsets that have not been removed from {S}. For example, update information can indicate the information on removed subsets {S}. b 1, S b 2, ... S b B}, Added subset information {S a 1, S a 2, ... S a A} and (NB) translation vectors {t1, t2, ... t N-B In this case, (NB) translation vectors can be applied to {S1, S2, ... S} respectively. N Information on (NB) unremoved subsets in}.

[0134] An exemplary process 1000 for updating subset-based perceptual information can be implemented in... Figure 10 As shown in the image. For discussion purposes, references will be made to... Figure 6The process is described in section 1000. For example, the first device 601 may be a UE, and the second device 602 may be a BS. Alternatively or additionally, the first device 601 and the second device 602 may be implemented by any other type of device. At 1010, the second device 602 sends subset-based perception information to the first device 601. At 1020 and 1030, the second device 602 sends a subset update (i.e., updated perception information) to the first device 601. For example, the second device 602 may predict the trajectory of the first device 601 and send a subset update to the first device 601 in real time or in advance to provide the first device 601 with the latest perception information. Alternatively or additionally, in addition to the first device 601 triggering updates on demand, the updates to the perception information may also be triggered periodically. The update period may optionally be configured from the second device 602 to the first device 601. For all the above cases, further details of the subset information updates, such as content and format, as described above, may be used.

[0135] In some embodiments, before transmitting subset-based sensing information, the first device 601 and the second device 602 may exchange auxiliary information to facilitate sensing information transmission. For example, if the first device 601 is a UE and the second device 602 is a BS, the first device 601 may send capability information to the second device 602 regarding whether it has the capability to process sensing information including subset information, or send an indication (also referred to as a first indication, mode selection, or mode indication) for using sensing information including subset information. In other words, the first device 601 may indicate its capability for subset-based sensing representation (i.e., whether it has the capability), or its mode selection for subset-based sensing representation (i.e., whether to select a mode to receive or process subset-based sensing information, for example, using subset-based sensing representation). For example, the capability information may include information regarding whether the first device 601 has the capability to process compressed subset-based sensing information, the maximum number of subset information that can be processed (or received) at one time (i.e., the maximum number of subsets of sensing targets that can be received / processed at one time), etc. For example, the aforementioned auxiliary information can be sent by the first device 601 to the second device 602 in RRC signaling, MAC CE, or physical layer (PHY) signaling. Conversely, the second device 602 can also, for example, use subset-based perception representations to broadcast / multicast / unicast its subset-based perception representation mode selection to one or more UEs (including the first device 601). Such mode selections can be included in RRC signaling, MAC CE, or PHY signaling. For example, mode selections can be included in synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), system information (SIBs), RRC-specific signaling, control channels (e.g., PDCCH / DCI), etc.

[0136] Alternatively or additionally, instructions to enable perception information including subset information (also referred to as a second instruction) and / or instructions to disable perception information including subset information (also referred to as a third instruction) may be exchanged between the first device 601 and the second device 602. In this case, instructions may be given from the first device 601 to the second device 602 or from the second device 602 to the first device 601 to enable or disable subset-based perception representation in real time. For example, such enable or disable instructions may be included in broadcast / multicast / unicast messages (e.g., RRC signaling, MAC CE, or PHY signaling). For example, such enable or disable instructions may be included in SSB, SIB, RRC-specific signaling, UE-Assistance Information (UAI), or control channels (e.g., physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) / PDCCH / DCI / UCI), etc.

[0137] In some embodiments, certain relevant parameters may be exchanged between the first device 601 and the second device 602 before sending subset-based sensing information. For example, such parameters may be configured from the second device 602 to the first device 601, or indicated from the first device 601 to the second device 602. For instance, if the first device 601 is a UE and the device 602 is a BS, the second device 602 may broadcast / multicast / unicast information indicating such relevant parameters to one or more UEs (including the first device 601). Conversely, the first device 601 may also indicate certain relevant or preferred parameters to the second device 602. For instance, information indicating such relevant parameters may be included in downlink / uplink / sidelink RRC signaling, MAC CE, or PHY signaling. For instance, the indication or configuration of relevant parameters may be included in SSB, SIB, public / private RRC signaling, control channels (e.g., PUCCH / PDCCH / DCI / UCI), etc.

[0138] In some embodiments, such related parameters may include, but are not limited to: - The geometric shape type of the subset, such as square, rectangle, polygon, circle, etc.; – The coordinate system of the subset, such as 2D or 3D coordinates; –Is the coordinate system of the subset a global coordinate system (e.g., geographic coordinate system, cell coordinate system, etc.) or a local coordinate system (e.g., the coordinate system of the first device 601 or the second device 602, the coordinate system of the reference point, the coordinate system defined by the plane, etc.). - The maximum number of subsets of the perceived target, such as the maximum number of subsets in each transmission; - The number of subsets of the target being sensed, such as the number of subsets N in each transmission; - The precision (e.g., number of bits) of the subset representation to represent one or more points / vertices, one or more normal vectors, one or more direction vectors, radii and / or one or more side lengths of the subset representation (e.g., involved in the squares, rectangles, polygons, circles, etc. described above); – Whether to use the subset index (if used, to represent {S1, S2, ... S...) N The format of} and index indication (i.e., included in S) j or with S j Parallel) – Does it support subset updates? – In cases where subset updates are supported, the format used to indicate the update is the exemplary implementation described above, such as direct indication, indirect indication (e.g., update based on addition / removal, update based on translation, combination scheme, etc.). – For updates based on additions / removals, the maximum number of subsets of information added in each transfer, and / or the maximum number of subsets of information removed in each transfer; – For translation-based updates, the maximum number of translation vectors in each transmission, and / or the maximum amount of subset information for each translation vector in each transmission, and / or the precision used to represent the translation vector (e.g., number of bits). - The period used to trigger updates when subset updates are supported; – Whether to use compression of perceptual information that includes subset information (i.e., subset-based perceptual information); – In the case of compression, the compression method and / or compression parameters. For example, the quantization method used for subset representation (e.g., one or more points / vertices, one or more normal vectors, one or more direction vectors, radius, one or more side lengths) and / or the quantization method used for one or more translation vectors for subset updating (e.g., scalar quantization, dynamic quantization, non-uniform quantization, etc.), one or more quantization parameters (e.g., one or more quantization bits, [minimum, maximum] values, etc.), whether entropy coding is used (e.g., Huffman coding, arithmetic coding, etc.), etc.

[0139] An exemplary interaction process 1100 prior to sending perceived information can be performed... Figure 11 As shown in the image. For discussion purposes, references will be made to... Figure 6 Describe process 1100. For example, the first device 601 can be a UE, and the second device 602 can be a BS. Alternatively or additionally, the first device 601 and the second device 602 can be implemented by any other type of device. Figure 11As shown, at 1110, capability information and / or mode selection as described above can be exchanged between the first device 601 and the second device 602. At 1120, enabling or disabling subset-based perception representation as described above can be exchanged between the first device 601 and the second device 602. At 1130, relevant parameters as described above can be exchanged between the first device 601 and the second device 602. Then, at 1140, the second device 602 sends subset-based perception information to the first device 601. The relevant details have been described above and will not be repeated here for clarity. Steps 1110 to 1130 are optional, and process 1100 can operate without steps 1110 to 1130.

[0140] It should be understood that although some of the above embodiments are described using the interaction and processing procedures between user equipment (UE) and base station (BS), the exchanged information and protocol flows can also be used for other network nodes (e.g., Figure 2 Between those network nodes shown in the diagram, such as between ED and TRP, between ED and the core network, between ED and ED, and between TRP and TRP.

[0141] This disclosure can also be applied to Wi-Fi, Ultra Wide Band (UWB), and other short-range communications. Then, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the BS in the process described above can be replaced, for example, an access point (AP).

[0142] Corresponding to the above process, embodiments of this disclosure provide communication methods implemented at a first device and a second device. These methods will be referenced below. Figure 12 and Figure 13 Describe it.

[0143] Figure 12 A flowchart of a method 1200 according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Method 1200 may be implemented by a first device 601, as shown in reference... Figures 6 to 11 The method 1200 will be described with reference to the first device 601 for the purposes of discussion. The method 1200 may include additional actions not shown and / or some actions shown may be omitted, and the scope of this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0144] At 1210, the first device 601 receives sensing information including subset information indicating a subset of the sensing target. At 1220, the first device 601 performs communication-related operations based on the sensing information. It should be noted that method 1200 may also include various other operations that can be performed by the first device 601, as referenced above. Figures 6 to 11 As described.

[0145] In some embodiments, subset information may indicate the geometry used to represent the subset. In some embodiments, the geometry may include one of the following: a square, a circle, a rectangle, and a polygon. Further details regarding the geometry have been referenced above. Figure 6 A discussion was held, but details will be omitted for simplicity.

[0146] In some embodiments, the subset may have a subset index, and the perception information may indicate the subset index. Further details regarding the indication of the subset index have been referenced above. Figure 6 A discussion was held, but details will be omitted for simplicity.

[0147] In some embodiments, the perceived target may have multiple subsets, including subsets, and the perceived information may include multiple subset information that respectively indicates the multiple subsets. Further details regarding the multiple subset information have been referenced above. Figure 6 A discussion was held, but details will be omitted for simplicity.

[0148] In some embodiments, the sensing information may be first sensing information, which includes first subset information indicating a first subset, and the first device 601 may also receive second sensing information indicating an update to the first sensing information. In some embodiments, the second sensing information may include second subset information indicating a second subset of the sensing target. In some embodiments, the second sensing information may include update information for updating the first sensing information to obtain the second sensing information, which includes second subset information indicating a second subset of the sensing target. In some embodiments, the update information may indicate at least one of the following: adding another subset information in addition to the first subset information, the other subset information indicating another subset of the sensing target; removing the first subset information; shifting the first subset information. Further details regarding subset information updates have been referenced above. Figure 6 A discussion was held, but details will be omitted for simplicity.

[0149] In some embodiments, the first device 601 may also send or receive at least one of the following: capability information regarding whether the device has the capability to process sensing information including subset information; a first indication for using sensing information including subset information; a second indication for enabling sensing information including subset information; and a third indication for disabling sensing information including subset information. Further details regarding the aforementioned capability information or indications have been referenced above. Figure 6 A discussion was held, but details will be omitted for simplicity.

[0150] In some embodiments, the first device 601 may also receive or transmit information indicating one or more of the following: the geometry type of the subset; the coordinate system of the subset; the maximum number of subsets of the sensed target; the number of subsets of the sensed target; the precision of the subset representation; whether a subset index is used; whether subset updates are supported; if updates are supported, the format for indicating the update; if updates are supported, the cycle for triggering the update; whether compression of the sensed information including subset information is used; and if compression is used, the compression method and / or compression parameters. Further details regarding the above-mentioned auxiliary information or indications have been referenced above. Figure 6 A discussion was held, but details will be omitted for simplicity.

[0151] In some embodiments, performing communication-related operations may include at least one of the following: performing beamforming / beam tracking; performing multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) parameter estimation; and performing channel measurement operations. Further details regarding communication-related operations have been referenced above. Figure 6 A discussion was held, but details will be omitted for simplicity.

[0152] Figure 13 A flowchart of a method 1300 according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Method 1300 may be implemented by a second device 602, as referenced... Figures 6 to 11 The method 1300 will be described with reference to the second device 602 for discussion purposes. The method 1300 may include additional actions not shown and / or some actions shown may be omitted, and the scope of this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0153] At 1310, the second device 602 determines sensing information including subset information that indicates a subset of the sensing target. At 1320, the second device 602 transmits the sensing information. It should be noted that method 1300 may also include various other operations that can be performed by the second device 602, as referenced above. Figures 6 to 11 As described.

[0154] In some embodiments, subset information may indicate the geometry used to represent the subset. In some embodiments, the geometry may include one of the following: a square, a circle, a rectangle, and a polygon. Further details regarding the geometry have been referenced above. Figure 6 A discussion was held, but details will be omitted for simplicity.

[0155] In some embodiments, the subset may have a subset index, and the perception information may indicate the subset index. Further details regarding the indication of the subset index have been referenced above. Figure 6 A discussion was held, but details will be omitted for simplicity.

[0156] In some embodiments, the perceived target may have multiple subsets, including subsets, and the perceived information may include multiple subset information that respectively indicates the multiple subsets. Further details regarding the multiple subset information have been referenced above. Figure 6 A discussion was held, but details will be omitted for simplicity.

[0157] In some embodiments, the sensing information may be first sensing information, which includes first subset information indicating a first subset, and the second device 602 may send second sensing information indicating an update to the first sensing information. In some embodiments, the second sensing information may include second subset information indicating a second subset of the sensing target. In some embodiments, the second sensing information may include update information for updating the first sensing information to obtain the second sensing information, which includes second subset information indicating a second subset of the sensing target. In some embodiments, the update information may indicate at least one of the following: adding another subset information in addition to the first subset information, the other subset information indicating another subset of the sensing target; removing the first subset information; shifting the first subset information. Further details regarding subset information updates have been referenced above. Figure 6 A discussion was held, but details will be omitted for simplicity.

[0158] In some embodiments, the second device 602 may also send or receive at least one of the following: capability information regarding whether the device has the capability to process sensing information including subset information; a first instruction to use sensing information including subset information; a second instruction to enable sensing information including subset information; and a third instruction to disable sensing information including subset information. Further details regarding the aforementioned capability information or instructions have been referenced above. Figure 6 A discussion was held, but details will be omitted for simplicity.

[0159] In some embodiments, the second device 602 may also receive or transmit information indicating one or more of the following: the geometry type of the subset; the coordinate system of the subset; the maximum number of subsets of the sensed target; the number of subsets of the sensed target; the precision of the subset representation; whether a subset index is used; whether subset updates are supported; if updates are supported, the format for indicating the update; if updates are supported, the cycle for triggering the update; whether compression of the sensed information including subset information is used; and if compression is used, the compression method and / or compression parameters. Further details regarding the above-mentioned auxiliary information or indications have been referenced above. Figure 6 A discussion was held, but details will be omitted for simplicity.

[0160] Figure 14A block diagram of a device 1400 that can be used to implement some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In some embodiments, device 1400 may be an element of a communication network infrastructure, such as a base station (e.g., a NodeB, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a future generation NodeB (gNodeB or gNB)), a home subscriber server (HSS), a gateway (GW) such as a packet gateway (PGW) or a serving gateway (SGW), or various other nodes or functions located within a core network (CN) or a public land mobility network (PLMN). In other embodiments, device 1400 may be a device connected to the network infrastructure via a wireless interface, such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, or other such devices that can be classified as user equipment (UE). In some embodiments, device 1400 may be a machine-type communications (MTC) device (also known as a machine-to-machine (M2M) device), or another such device that, although not providing direct service to a user, can still be classified as a UE. In some embodiments, device 1400 may be a road side unit (RSU), a vehicle UE (V-UE), a pedestrian UE (P-UE), or an infrastructure UE (I-UE). In some scenarios, device 1400 may also be referred to as a mobile device; regardless of whether the device itself is designed to be mobile or capable of being mobile, this term is intended to refer to a device connected to a mobile network. A particular device may use all the components shown or only a subset of the components, and the degree of integration between devices may vary. Furthermore, device 1400 may contain multiple instances of components, such as multiple processors, memories, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0161] Device 1400 typically includes a processor 1402, such as a central processing unit (CPU), and may also include a dedicated processor, such as a graphics processing unit (GPU) or other such processor, memory 1404, a network interface 1406, and a bus 1408 for connecting components to device 1400. Device 1400 may also optionally include components such as a mass storage device 1410, a video adapter 1412, and an I / O interface 1416 (shown in dashed lines).

[0162] Memory 1404 may include any type of non-transitory system memory readable by processor 1402, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), read-only memory (ROM), or combinations thereof. In one embodiment, memory 1404 may include more than one type of memory, such as ROM used at power-on and DRAM used to store programs and data during program execution. Bus 1408 may be one or more of several bus architectures of any type, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, or a video bus.

[0163] Device 1400 may also include one or more network interfaces 1406, which may include at least one of wired network interfaces and wireless network interfaces. For example... Figure 14 As shown, network interface 1406 may include a wired network interface for connecting to network 1422, and may also include a wireless access network interface 1420 for connecting to other devices via a wireless link. When device 1400 is a network infrastructure element, the wireless access network interface 1420 may be omitted for nodes or functions used as PLMN elements rather than elements at the wireless edge. When device 1400 is infrastructure at the wireless edge of the network, both wired and wireless network interfaces may be included. When device 1400 is a wirelessly connected device (e.g., a user equipment), the wireless access network interface 1420 may be present, and other wireless interfaces such as a WiFi network interface may be used as supplements. Network interface 1406 enables device 1400 to communicate with remote entities (e.g., remote entities connected to network 1422).

[0164] Mass storage device 1410 may include any type of nontransient storage device for storing data, programs, and other information and making such data, programs, and other information accessible via bus 1408. Mass storage device 1410 may include one or more of, for example, solid-state drives, hard disk drives, disk drives, or optical disk drives. In some embodiments, mass storage device 1410 may be located remotely from device 1400 and may be accessed via a network interface such as interface 1406. In the illustrated embodiment, mass storage device 1410 is distinct from memory 1404, which includes the mass storage device, and typically performs storage tasks compatible with higher latency, but is generally less volatile or nonexistent. In some embodiments, mass storage device 1410 may be integrated with heterogeneous memory 1404.

[0165] Optional video adapter 1412 and I / O interface 1416 (shown in dashed lines) provide interfaces for coupling device 1400 to external input and output devices. Examples of input and output devices include a display 1414 coupled to video adapter 1412 and an I / O device 1418 (e.g., a touchscreen) coupled to I / O interface 1416. Other devices may be coupled to device 1400, and may use additional or fewer interfaces. For example, a serial interface (not shown) such as a universal serial bus (USB) may be used to provide interfaces for external devices. Those skilled in the art will understand that in embodiments where device 1400 is part of a data center, I / O interface 1416 and video adapter 1412 may be virtualized and provided via network interface 1406.

[0166] Figure 15 A schematic diagram of the structure of an apparatus 1500 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example... Figure 15 As shown, the device 1500 includes a receiving unit 1502 and an execution unit 1504. The device 1500 can be applied to, for example... Figure 1 and Figure 2The communication system shown can implement any of the methods provided in the above embodiments. Optionally, the physical manifestation of device 1500 can be a communication device, such as a network device or a UE. Alternatively, device 1500 can be another device capable of implementing the functions of a communication device, such as a processor or chip within the communication device. Specifically, device 1500 can be some programmable chip, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a system on a chip (SOC).

[0167] In some embodiments, the receiving unit 1502 may be used to receive sensing information including subset information, which indicates a subset of the sensing target. The execution unit 1504 may be used to perform communication-related operations based on the sensing information.

[0168] In some other embodiments, the apparatus 1500 may include various other units or modules that can be used to perform the various operations or functions described in conjunction with the above method embodiments. Details can be found in the detailed description of the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0169] Figure 16 A schematic diagram of the structure of an apparatus 1600 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example... Figure 16 As shown, the device 1600 includes a determining unit 1602 and a transmitting unit 1604. The device 1600 can be applied to, for example... Figure 1 and Figure 2 The communication system shown can implement any of the methods provided in the above embodiments. Optionally, the physical manifestation of device 1600 can be a communication device, such as a network device or a UE. Alternatively, device 1600 can be another device capable of implementing the functions of a communication device, such as a processor or chip within a communication device. Specifically, device 1600 can be some programmable chip, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a system on a chip (SOC).

[0170] In some embodiments, the determining unit 1602 may be used to determine sensing information including subset information, which indicates a subset of the sensing target. The sending unit 1604 may be used to send the sensing information.

[0171] In some other embodiments, the apparatus 1600 may include various other units or modules that can be used to perform the various operations or functions described in conjunction with the above method embodiments. Details can be found in the detailed description of the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0172] It should be noted that the division of units or modules in the foregoing embodiments of this disclosure is exemplary and merely a logical functional division. In actual implementations, other division methods are possible. Furthermore, the functional units in the embodiments of this disclosure can be integrated into a single processing unit, or they can exist physically independently, or two or more units can be integrated into a single unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0173] When the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, the integrated unit can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of this disclosure can be implemented essentially, or in whole or in part, in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in the storage medium and includes several instructions for instructing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device) or processor to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described in the embodiments of this disclosure. The aforementioned storage medium includes any medium that can store program code, such as a USB flash drive, a removable hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0174] Based on the foregoing embodiments, embodiments of this application also provide a computer program. When the computer program is run on a computer, it causes the computer to perform any of the methods provided in the foregoing embodiments.

[0175] Based on the foregoing embodiments, embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a computer, it causes the computer to perform any of the methods provided in the foregoing embodiments. The storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access. By way of example and not limitation, a computer-readable medium may include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer.

[0176] Based on the foregoing embodiments, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a chip. The chip is used to read a computer program stored in a memory to implement any of the methods provided in the foregoing embodiments.

[0177] Based on the foregoing embodiments, embodiments of this disclosure provide a chip system. The chip system includes a processor for supporting a computer device in implementing functions related to the communication device in the foregoing embodiments. In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing programs and data necessary for the computer device. The chip system may include a chip, or it may include a chip and another discrete component.

[0178] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this disclosure may be provided in the form of a method, system, or computer program product. Therefore, this disclosure may take the form of a purely hardware embodiment, a purely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Additionally, this disclosure may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) including computer-usable program code.

[0179] This disclosure is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products of this disclosure. It should be understood that computer program instructions can be used to implement each process and / or each block in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, as well as combinations of processes and / or blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to generate a machine such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate means for implementing a specific function in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more blocks in the block diagram.

[0180] Alternatively, these computer program instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium capable of instructing a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of art including instruction means. The instruction means implement a particular function in one or more processes in a flowchart and / or one or more blocks in a block diagram.

[0181] Alternatively, these computer program instructions may be loaded onto a computer or another programmable data processing device, causing a series of operations and steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process. Thus, the instructions, which execute on a computer or other programmable device, provide steps for implementing one or more processes in a flowchart and / or one or more boxes in a block diagram.

[0182] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this disclosure without departing from its scope. Therefore, this disclosure is intended to cover such modifications and variations, as long as they fall within the scope of the claims and their equivalents.

[0183] This disclosure includes various embodiments, not only method embodiments but also other embodiments, such as apparatus embodiments and embodiments involving non-transitory computer-readable storage media. Embodiments may be incorporated individually or in combination with the features disclosed herein.

[0184] While this disclosure refers to illustrative embodiments, it is not intended to be construed as limiting. Those skilled in the art will recognize various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments, as well as other embodiments of this disclosure, upon referring to this description.

[0185] Additionally or alternatively, features disclosed herein in the context of any particular embodiment may be implemented in other embodiments. For example, method embodiments may be implemented in apparatus, system, and / or computer program product embodiments. Furthermore, although embodiments are described primarily in the context of methods and apparatus, other implementations are contemplated as instructions stored in one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, etc. Such media may store programs or instructions to perform any of the various methods consistent with this disclosure.

[0186] The table below provides some acronyms, abbreviations, and acronyms that may be used in this disclosure.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive sensing information including subset information, wherein the subset information indicates a subset of the sensing target; Communication-related operations are performed based on the perceived information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The subset information indicates the geometry used to represent the subset.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The geometry includes one of the following: square; Circular; rectangle; and Polygon.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The geometry is indicated by at least one of the following: The geometry is the circle, and is represented by the center point and radius of the circle; The geometry is the circle, and is represented by the center point, radius, and normal vector; The geometric shape is the square, and is represented by the center point and the side length; The geometric shape is the square, and is represented by the center point, side length, and normal vector; The geometric shape is either the square or the rectangle, and is represented by four points; The geometry is either the square or the rectangle, and is represented by one vertex and two direction vectors; as well as The geometry is the polygon and is represented by a set of points.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The subset has a subset index, and the perception information indicates the subset index.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The sensing target has multiple subsets including the subset, and the sensing information includes multiple subset information that respectively indicate the multiple subsets.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The perceived information is first perceived information, which includes first subset information indicating a first subset, and the method further includes: Receive second sensing information, which indicates an update to the first sensing information.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second sensing information includes a second subset of information, which indicates a second subset of the sensing target.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second sensing information includes update information for updating the first sensing information to obtain the second sensing information, and the second sensing information includes second subset information, which indicates a second subset of the sensing target.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The update information indicates at least one of the following: In addition to the first subset of information, another subset of information is added, which indicates another subset of the perceived target; Remove the information from the first subset; as well as Translate the information of the first subset.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, Also includes: Send or receive at least one of the following: Information regarding whether the device has the capability to process the perceived information, including the subset of information; A first instruction to use the perceived information including the subset of information; A second instruction to enable the perception information including the subset information; and A third instruction to disable the perception information that includes the subset of information.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The capability information includes at least one of the following: Information regarding whether the device has the ability to process compressed sensory information; and The maximum number of subsets of information that can be processed at one time.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that, Also includes: Receive or send information indicating one or more of the following: The geometry type of the subset; The coordinate system of the subset; The maximum number of subsets of the perceived target; The number of subsets of the perceived target; The precision of the representation of the subset; Whether to use the subset index of the subset; Does the update of the subset support this feature? If the update is supported, the format used to indicate the update; If the update is supported, the period used to trigger the update; Whether to use compression of the perceived information that includes the subset information; and, When using the compression method, the compression method and / or compression parameters are specified.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that, Performing the communication-related operations includes at least one of the following: Perform beamforming / beam tracking; Perform multi-input multi-output MIMO parameter estimation; and Perform channel measurement operations.

15. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Determine perceptual information that includes subset information, wherein the subset information indicates a subset of the perceptual target; as well as Send the perceived information.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The subset information indicates the geometry used to represent the subset.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The geometry includes one of the following: square; Circular; rectangle; and Polygon.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The geometry is indicated by at least one of the following: The geometry is the circle, and is represented by the center point and radius of the circle; The geometry is the circle, and is represented by the center point, radius, and normal vector; The geometric shape is the square, and is represented by the center point and the side length; The geometric shape is the square, and is represented by the center point, side length, and normal vector; The geometric shape is either the square or the rectangle, and is represented by four points; The geometry is either the square or the rectangle, and is represented by one vertex and two direction vectors; as well as The geometry is the polygon and is represented by a set of points.

19. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, characterized in that, The subset has a subset index, and the perception information indicates the subset index.

20. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 19, characterized in that, The sensing target has multiple subsets including the subset, and the sensing information includes multiple subset information that respectively indicate the multiple subsets.

21. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 20, characterized in that, The perceived information is first perceived information, which includes first subset information, and the first subset information indicates the first subset. The method further includes: Send a second sensing information, which indicates an update to the first sensing information.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The second sensing information includes a second subset of information, which indicates a second subset of the sensing target.

23. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The second sensing information includes update information for updating the first sensing information to obtain the second sensing information, and the second sensing information includes second subset information, which indicates a second subset of the sensing target.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, The update information indicates at least one of the following: In addition to the first subset of information, another subset of information is added, which indicates another subset of the perceived target; Remove the information from the first subset; as well as Translate the information of the first subset.

25. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 24, characterized in that, Also includes: Send or receive at least one of the following: Information regarding whether the device has the capability to process the perceived information, including the subset of information; A first instruction to use the perceived information including the subset of information; A second instruction to enable the perception information including the subset information; and A third instruction to disable the perception information that includes the subset of information.

26. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that, The capability information includes at least one of the following: Information regarding whether the device has the ability to process compressed sensory information; and The maximum number of subsets of information that can be processed at one time.

27. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 26, characterized in that, Also includes: Receive or send information indicating one or more of the following: The geometry type of the subset; The coordinate system of the subset; The maximum number of subsets of the perceived target; The number of subsets of the perceived target; The precision of the representation of the subset; Whether to use the subset index of the subset; Does the update of the subset support this feature? If the update is supported, the format used to indicate the update; If the update is supported, the period used to trigger the update; Whether to use compression of the perceived information that includes the subset information; as well as When using the compression method, the compression method and / or compression parameters are specified.

28. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes units or modules for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 14, or includes units or modules for performing the method of any one of claims 15 to 27.

29. The communication device according to claim 28, characterized in that, include: A receiving unit is configured to receive sensing information including subset information, wherein the subset information indicates a subset of the sensing target; An execution unit is used to perform communication-related operations based on the perceived information.

30. The communication device according to claim 28, characterized in that, include: A determining unit is configured to determine perceptual information including subset information, wherein the subset information indicates a subset of the perceptual target; A transmitting unit is used to transmit the sensed information.

31. The communication device according to claim 28, characterized in that, include: An interface circuit is used to receive sensing information including subset information, the subset information indicating a subset of the sensing target; One or more processors are configured to perform communication-related operations based on the perceived information.

32. The communication device according to claim 28, characterized in that, include: One or more processors are configured to determine perception information including subset information, the subset information indicating a subset of the perception target; An interface circuit is used to transmit the sensed information.

33. The communication device according to claim 31 or 32, characterized in that, The interface circuit includes one or more transceivers.

34. An apparatus, characterized in that, include: One or more processors; as well as A memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the communication device to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14, or cause the communication device to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 27.

35. A communication system, characterized in that, The communication system includes: a first communication device for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14; and A second communication device is used to perform the method according to any one of claims 15 to 27.

36. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, It stores instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 14 to be implemented, or cause the method of any one of claims 15 to 27 to be implemented.

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