Systems and methods for configuring a sensing signal in a wireless communication network

Abstract

Systems and methods for generating a sensing signal and a sensing signal configuration in a wireless communication network are provided. In one embodiment, the method includes determining a sensing node identifier (ID) associated with a network entity, wherein the sensing node ID is used to determine a sensing signal configuration, the sensing signal configuration including a resource configuration and a symbol sequence, the resource configuration being selected from a set of physical resources associated with the wireless communication network. The symbol sequence is based on the sensing node ID and is dedicated to the network entity in the wireless communication network; and transmitting a sensing signal according to the sensing signal configuration.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. non-provisional application No. 16 / 564,423, filed on September 9, 2019, entitled “Systems and methods for configuring sensing signals in a wireless communication network,” the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention generally relates to wireless communication, and in certain embodiments, to configuring signals in a wireless communication network. Background Technology

[0003] In some wireless communication networks, user equipment (UE) communicates wirelessly with base stations to send and / or receive data from them. Wireless communication from the UE to the base station is called uplink (UL) communication, while wireless communication from the base station to the UE is called downlink (DL) communication. Wireless communication from one UE to another is called sidelink (SL) communication or device-to-device (D2D) communication.

[0004] Wireless communication can be improved when the properties of the wireless communication network and its surrounding environment are known. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Sensing signals can be used to determine properties of the wireless communication network and its surrounding environment. These properties can include the UE's position and / or velocity, as well as the position and / or velocity of scatterers that obstruct the communication signals. The communication signals can then be configured based on these properties. A sensing signal configuration that allows sensing signals and communication signals to coexist within the wireless communication network is required.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for a network entity in a wireless communication network is provided. The method includes: determining a sensing node identifier (ID) associated with the network entity, determining a sensing signal configuration, and transmitting a sensing signal according to the sensing signal configuration. The sensing signal configuration includes a resource configuration selected from a set of physical resources associated with the wireless communication network and a symbol sequence based on the sensing node ID and dedicated to the network entity in the wireless communication network.

[0007] In some embodiments, the method further includes determining the properties of an object based on the reflection of the sensed signal.

[0008] In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving a reflection of the sensed signal.

[0009] In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving information relating to the reflection of the sensed signal from another network entity in the wireless communication network, wherein the properties of the object are determined based on the information relating to the reflection of the sensed signal.

[0010] In some embodiments, the object includes at least one of user equipment (UE) and a scatterer that at least partially blocks communication signals.

[0011] In some embodiments, the method further includes sending a communication signal including data, wherein the communication signal is configured according to the attributes of the object.

[0012] In some embodiments, the method further includes transmitting communication signals including data using at least some physical resources in the physical resource set.

[0013] In some embodiments, the sensing signal and the communication signal have the same frame structure and the same system parameters.

[0014] In some embodiments, the sensing signal and the communication signal have different frame structures and the same system parameters.

[0015] In some embodiments, the sensing signal and the communication signal have different frame structures and different system parameters.

[0016] In some embodiments, the physical resource set is a first physical resource set, and the method further includes transmitting a communication signal including data using at least some physical resources in a second physical resource set associated with the wireless communication network, wherein the second physical resource set is different from the first physical resource set.

[0017] In some embodiments, the sensing signal is an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal.

[0018] In some embodiments, the symbol sequence includes a Zadoff-Chu sequence, and determining the sensing signal configuration includes generating the Zadoff-Chu sequence using the sensing node ID as the root of the Zadoff-Chu sequence and at least one of the phase shift values ​​of the Zadoff-Chu sequence.

[0019] In some embodiments, the symbol sequence includes a pseudo noise (PN) sequence, and determining the sensing signal configuration includes generating the PN sequence using the sensing node ID, wherein the sensing node ID is associated with at least one of the polynomial of the PN sequence, the degree of the PN sequence, and the type of the PN sequence.

[0020] In some embodiments, the symbol sequence is further based on a predetermined beam direction of the sensed signal.

[0021] In some embodiments, the resource configuration includes a sparse pattern in at least one of the frequency domain and the time domain.

[0022] In some embodiments, the sparse mode is based on at least one of the sensing node ID, the desired sensing accuracy of the sensing signal, the predetermined beam direction of the sensing signal, and the desired peak-to-average power ratio of the sensing signal.

[0023] In some embodiments, the sensing signal configuration further includes a beam scanning pattern associated with the sensing node ID, and the method further includes transmitting a plurality of sensing signals including the sensing signals according to the beam scanning pattern.

[0024] In some embodiments, transmitting multiple sensing signals includes performing analog beamforming, digital beamforming, or hybrid beamforming.

[0025] In some embodiments, the method further includes sending at least a portion of the sensing signal configuration to another network entity in the wireless communication network.

[0026] In some embodiments, the network entity is a user equipment, a base station, or a sensing agent.

[0027] According to another aspect of the present invention, a network entity in a wireless communication network is provided. The network entity includes: a processor configured to determine a sensing node identifier (ID) associated with the network entity; and to determine a sensing signal configuration. The sensing signal configuration includes a resource configuration selected from a physical resource set associated with the wireless communication network and a symbol sequence based on the sensing node ID and dedicated to the network entity in the wireless communication network. The network entity further includes: a transmitter configured to transmit sensing signals according to the sensing signal configuration.

[0028] In some embodiments, the transmitter includes a plurality of transmitting antennas, and the sensing signal configuration further includes a mapping relationship with at least some of the plurality of transmitting antennas.

[0029] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for a first network entity in a wireless communication network is provided. The method includes: determining a sensing signal configuration of a second network entity in the wireless communication network, wherein the sensing signal configuration includes a resource configuration selected from a set of physical resources associated with the wireless communication network; determining a signal configuration based on the sensing signal configuration, wherein the signal configuration at least partially avoids interference with sensing signals transmitted by the second network entity according to the sensing signal configuration; and transmitting a signal according to the signal configuration.

[0030] In some embodiments, the sensing signal configuration further includes a symbol sequence based on the sensing node identifier (ID) of the second network entity and dedicated to the second network entity in the wireless communication network.

[0031] In some embodiments, the signal is a communication signal that includes data or another sensing signal.

[0032] In some embodiments, determining the sensing signal configuration includes receiving an indication of at least a portion of the sensing signal configuration from the second network entity.

[0033] In some embodiments, determining the sensing signal configuration includes calculating at least a portion of the sensing signal configuration based on the sensing node identifier (ID) of the second network entity. Attached Figure Description

[0034] To provide a more comprehensive understanding of the embodiments of the present invention and their advantages, the following description, with reference to examples and accompanying drawings, is provided, wherein:

[0035] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system that can implement the embodiments of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 2A , Figure 2B and Figure 2C These are block diagrams of exemplary user equipment, base stations, and sensing agents provided by various aspects of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 3A This is a block diagram of an air interface manager for configuring software-configurable air interfaces, provided by one aspect of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 3B and Figure 3C This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary transmission frame provided by various aspects of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary communication system for implementing sensing, provided by various aspects of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 5 This is a block diagram of several exemplary resource configurations with coefficient patterns provided by various aspects of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 6 This is a block diagram of a physical resource set with multiple resource configurations having sensing signals, provided by various aspects of the present invention; and

[0042] Figure 7 and Figure 8 This is a flowchart of the method provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0043] For illustrative purposes, specific exemplary embodiments are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0044] The embodiments presented herein illustrate information sufficient to practice the claimed subject matter and describe methods for practicing such subject matter. Those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the claimed subject matter after reading the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, and will recognize that the application of these concepts is not specifically mentioned herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications are within the scope of this invention and the appended claims.

[0045] Furthermore, it should be understood that any module, component, or device with executable instructions disclosed herein may include or otherwise access one or more non-transitory computer / processor-readable storage media for storing information, such as computer / processor-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, and / or other data. A non-exhaustive list of examples of non-transitory computer / processor-readable storage media includes magnetic tape cassettes, magnetic tape, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital video disc or digital versatile disc (DVD), and Blu-ray. TM Optical discs or other optical storage devices; volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology; random-access memory (RAM); read-only memory (ROM); electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM); flash memory or other storage technologies. Any of these non-transitory computer / processor storage media may be part of a device or accessible or connected to a device. Computer / processor-readable / executable instructions used to implement the applications or modules described herein may be stored or otherwise preserved by such non-transitory computer / processor-readable storage media.

[0046] Some aspects of this invention relate to sensing in wireless communication networks, which enables the network to determine information about its surrounding environment. For example, sensing can determine the position and / or velocity of one or more objects in the environment. These objects may include network entities communicating within the network and scattering bodies that could potentially disrupt network communication. One advantage of sensing is that the network can configure communication signals between network entities based on measured properties of the current environment.

[0047] For example, when the network knows the locations of the transmitter, the target receiver, and any potential scatterers, it can determine a scattering path (trajectory) from the transmitter to the target receiver. Based on this path, the network can configure an appropriate communication signal to be sent to the receiver. Beamforming is a method that can be used to guide signals along a specific path. Narrow beamforming can be implemented when the path to the target receiver is determined with relatively high accuracy, thereby enabling communication with that receiver. Narrow beamforming can improve the receiver's received power and reduce interference to other receivers in the network. Knowing the speed of the target receiver also allows the network to predict the target receiver's next location and configure the next communication signal to reach that receiver accordingly.

[0048] One sensing method is radar. Radar has historically been used in military applications and the automotive industry, typically for detecting the distance, speed, and / or shape of objects. In the existing technology, radar has been implemented as a standalone application.

[0049] After a radar signal is transmitted, its reflection from an object can be received and measured. These reflections can indicate certain properties of the object, and non-limiting examples of these properties include the object's distance, position, shape, and velocity. The object's distance (e.g., the distance from the radar signal receiver to the object) can be determined based on the radar signal's flight time and / or frequency modulation. The object's position can be determined based on the object's distance and the direction in which the radar signal is transmitted and / or received. For example, beamforming can be used to transmit radar signals in a specific direction. The object's velocity can be determined based on changes in the object's position over time and / or based on the Doppler shift of the received radar signal.

[0050] Radar systems can be monostatic and / or bistatic. In monostatic radar, the transmitter of the radar signal is also used to receive the reflected radar signal. In bistatic radar, the transmitter of the radar signal is different from the receiver of the reflected radar signal.

[0051] The range resolution and velocity resolution of radar signals have a basic range, which depends specifically on the transmission time (T) of the radar signal. w ), bandwidth (BW) and carrier frequency (f cRegardless of the waveform and transmission scheme used by the radar signal, these basic ranges exist. The formulas for range resolution (ΔR) and velocity resolution (Δv) are as follows:

[0052]

[0053]

[0054] In Equations 1 and 2 above, c0 represents the speed of light. Based on these formulas, to improve distance resolution, a larger bandwidth is required, while to improve velocity resolution, a longer transmission time and / or a higher carrier frequency are needed.

[0055] A sensing agent is a node in a network that assists in sensing operations. These nodes can be standalone nodes dedicated solely to sensing operations, or they can be other nodes (e.g., transmit-receive points (TRPs) or user equipment (UEs)) that simultaneously perform sensing operations and wireless transmissions. When a sensing agent is implemented as a standalone node, sensing can be performed near some corresponding TRP to ensure that the distance between the TRP and the target is approximately the same as the distance between the sensing agent and the target, thus simplifying distance estimation. Another condition to consider is that the sensing agent and the TRP are synchronized in time and frequency (e.g., by accessing the same clock for time synchronization).

[0056] Some aspects of this invention relate to the integration of sensing and wireless communication. For example, a wireless communication network can configure and implement sensing signals and communication signals. Sensing signals, or sensing reference signals, are used to determine environmental properties and do not carry any information or data for communication; while communication signals are signals that carry information or data between network entities. One potential advantage of implementing sensing and communication operations is that the network can configure communication signals based on information determined through sensing. This is sensing-assisted communications. For example, sensing can determine the location of a target receiver and enable narrow beamforming for that receiver. Communication-assisted sensing is also considered. Sensing signals and communication signals can be implemented using the same hardware and / or the same waveforms to operate in an integrated manner.

[0057] The configuration and design of sensing signals are envisioned from the perspective of the radio access node (RAN). A challenge in configuring sensing signals in wireless communication networks is achieving coexistence between sensing and communication signals. Sensing signals should be configured so that a sensing operation performed by one network entity does not significantly degrade the communication or sensing performance of other network entities. For example, interference between sensing and communication signals should be suppressed.

[0058] Figure 1 , Figure 2A , Figure 2B and Figure 2C Examples of networks and devices that can implement any or all aspects of the present invention are shown.

[0059] Figure 1 An exemplary communication system 100 is illustrated. Generally, system 100 enables multiple wireless or wired components to transmit data and other content. The purpose of system 100 may be to provide content (voice, data, video, text) via broadcast, narrowcast, user equipment to user equipment, etc. System 100 can operate efficiently by sharing resources such as bandwidth.

[0060] In this example, the communication system 100 includes electronic devices (EDs) 110a to 110c, radio access networks (RANs) 120a and 120b, a sensing agent 122, a core network 130, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160. Although Figure 1 A certain number of these components or elements are shown, but system 100 may include any suitable number of these components or elements.

[0061] EDs 110a to 110c are used for operation and / or communication within system 100. For example, EDs 110a to 110c are used for transmitting and / or receiving via a wireless communication channel. EDs 110a to 110c represent any end-user equipment suitable for wireless operation and may include (or be referred to as) devices such as: user equipment (UE / userdevice), wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), mobile station, mobile subscriber unit, cellular telephone, station (STA), machine type communication (MTC) device, personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone, laptop computer, computer, touchpad, wireless sensor, or consumer electronic device.

[0062] Figure 1 RAN 120a and 120b in the diagram include base stations 170a and 170b, respectively. Base stations 170a and 170b are used to establish wireless connections with one or more of ED110a to 110c to enable access to any other base stations 170a and 170b, core network 130, PSTN 140, Internet 150, and / or other networks 160. For example, base stations 170a and 170b may include (or may be) one or more of several well-known devices, such as a base transceiver station (BTS), Node-B (NodeB), evolved NodeB (eNodeB), home eNodeB, gNodeB, transmit receive point (TRP), site controller, access point (AP), or wireless router. Any ED 110a to 110c may optionally or additionally be used to connect to, access, or communicate with any other base stations 170a and 170b, Internet 150, core network 130, PSTN 140, other network 160, or any combination thereof. Communication system 100 may include RAN, such as RAN 120b, wherein the corresponding base station 170b is connected to core network 130 via Internet 150 as shown in the figure.

[0063] Any or all of EDs 110a to 110c and base stations 170a and 170b can be sensing nodes in system 100. A sensing node is a network entity that performs sensing by sending and / or receiving sensing signals. Some sensing nodes are communication devices that perform both communication and sensing. However, some sensing nodes do not perform communication but are dedicated solely to sensing. Sensing agent 122 is an example of a sensing node dedicated solely to sensing. Unlike EDs 110a to 110c and base stations 170a and 170b, sensing agent 122 does not send or receive communication signals. However, this does not preclude sensing agent 122 from transmitting configuration information, sensing information, or other information within communication system 100. Sensing agent 122 communicates with core network 130 to communicate with other devices in communication system 100. For example, sensing agent 122 can determine the location of ED 110a and send that information to base station 170a via core network 130. Although Figure 1 Only one sensing agent 122 is shown, but any number of sensing agents can be implemented in the communication system 100. In some embodiments, one or more sensing agents can be implemented on the RAN 120a and 120b sides.

[0064] EDs 110a to 110c, base stations 170a and 170b, and sensing agent 122 are examples of communication entities that can be used to implement some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein. Figure 1In the illustrated embodiment, base station 170a is part of RAN 120a, which may include other base stations, one or more base station controllers (BSCs), one or more radio network controllers (RNCs), relay nodes, components, and / or devices. Any base station 170a and 170b may be a single component as shown, or multiple components distributed within the corresponding RAN, etc. Similarly, base station 170b is part of RAN 120b, which may include other base stations, components, and / or devices. Both base stations 170a and 170b transmit and / or receive radio signals within a geographic region (sometimes referred to as a "cell" or "coverage area"). A cell may be further divided into cell sectors, and base stations 170a and 170b may use multiple transceivers to provide services to multiple sectors, etc. In some embodiments, established picocells or femtocells supported by radio access technologies may exist. In some embodiments, multiple non-co-located transceivers may be used for each cell using multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology, etc. The number of RANs 120a and 120b shown is merely exemplary. Any number of RANs can be envisioned when designing the communication system 100.

[0065] Base stations 170a and 170b use radio frequency (RF), microwave, infrared (IR), or other wireless communication links to communicate with one or more of ED 110a to 110c via one or more air interfaces 190. Air interface 190 can use any suitable wireless access technology. For example, communication system 100 can implement one or more orthogonal or non-orthogonal channel access methods in air interface 190, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA). Additionally, communication system 100 can operate in time division duplex (TDD) and / or frequency division duplex (FDD) modes.

[0066] Base stations 170a and 170b can implement Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) to establish an air interface 190 using wideband CDMA (WCDMA). In this case, base stations 170a and 170b can implement protocols such as High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA) and Evolved HPSA (HSPA+), wherein HSPA+ optionally includes High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA). Optionally, base stations 170a and 170b can use LTE, LTE-A, and / or LTE-B to establish an air interface 190 with Evolved UTMS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA). It is conceivable that communication system 100 can use multi-channel access capabilities, including those schemes described above. Other wireless technologies used for air interface implementation include IEEE 802.11, 802.15, 802.16, CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, IS-2000, IS-95, IS-856, GSM, EDGE, and GERAN. Of course, other multiple access schemes and wireless protocols can also be used.

[0067] RANs 120a and 120b communicate with core network 130 to provide various services, such as voice, data, and other services, to EDs 110a through 110c. RANs 120a and 120b and / or core network 130 may communicate directly or indirectly with one or more other RANs (not shown), which may or may not be directly served by core network 130 and may or may not use the same radio access technology as RANs 120a and / or RAN 120b. Core network 130 may also serve as a gateway access between (i) RANs 120a and 120b and / or EDs 110a through 110c, and (ii) other networks (e.g., PSTN 140, Internet 150, and other networks 160).

[0068] EDs 110a to 110c communicate with each other via one or more sidelink (SL) air interfaces 180 using wireless communication links such as radio frequency (RF), microwave, and infrared (IR). The SL air interface 180 can use any suitable wireless access technology. The SL air interface 180 can be substantially similar to, or substantially different from, the air interface 190 through which EDs 110a to 110c communicate with one or more of base stations 170a to 170c. For example, communication system 100 can implement one or more channel access methods in the SL air interface 180, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA). In some embodiments, the SL air interface 180 can be implemented at least partially on unlicensed spectrum. In addition, the SL air interface 180 can operate in time division duplex (TDD) and / or frequency division duplex (FDD) modes.

[0069] Some or all of EDs 110a to 110c may include the ability to communicate with different wireless networks via different wireless links using different wireless technologies and / or protocols. The ED may communicate with a service provider or exchange (not shown) via a wired communication channel and with the Internet 150, rather than wirelessly (or otherwise wirelessly). PSTN 140 may include a circuit-switched telephone network for providing plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 150 may include a computer network and / or subnet (internal network) and include protocols such as Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). EDs 110a to 110c may be multimode devices capable of operating according to multiple wireless access technologies and include multiple transceivers required to support multiple wireless access technologies.

[0070] Base stations 170a and 170b, EDs 110a to 110c, and sensing agent 122 can perform or assist sensing by transmitting and / or receiving sensing signals (not shown). The sensing signals can be used to determine properties of the communication system 100 and its surrounding environment. For example, the sensing signals can be used to determine the location and / or velocity of EDs 110a to 110c. Similar to air interface 190 and / or SL air interface 180, the sensing signals can use any suitable wireless access technology. In some embodiments, the sensing signals occupy the millimeter-wave band (also known as the extremely high frequency band). Potential advantages of the millimeter-wave band include a relatively large bandwidth available for sensing and stronger reflection of the sensing signals from objects, as some materials reflect millimeter waves more strongly than other electrical frequency bands.

[0071] Figure 2A , Figure 2B and Figure 2C Exemplary devices are shown that can implement the various methods and teachings provided by this invention. Specifically, Figure 2A An example ED 110 is shown. Figure 2B An exemplary base station 170 is shown. Figure 2C An exemplary sensing agent 122 is shown. These components can be used in system 100 or any other suitable system.

[0072] like Figure 2A As shown, ED 110 includes at least one processing unit 200. The processing unit 200 implements various processing operations of ED 110. For example, the processing unit 200 may perform signal encoding, bit scrambling, data processing, power control, input / output processing, or any other function that enables ED 110 to operate within communication system 100. The processing unit 200 may also be used to implement some or all of the functions and / or embodiments detailed herein. Each processing unit 200 includes any suitable processing or computing device for performing one or more operations. Each processing unit 200 may include a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, field-programmable gate array, or application-specific integrated circuit, etc.

[0073] ED 110 also includes at least one transceiver 202. Transceiver 202 is used to modulate data or other content for transmission via at least one antenna or Network Interface Controller (NIC) 204. Transceiver 202 is also used to demodulate data or other content received via at least one antenna 204. Each transceiver 202 includes any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless or wired transmission and / or for processing signals received wirelessly or wiredly. Each antenna 204 includes any suitable structure for transmitting and / or receiving wireless or wired signals. One or more transceivers 202 may be used in ED 110. One or more antennas 204 may be used in ED 110. Although transceiver 202 is shown as a separate functional unit, transceiver 202 may also be implemented using at least one transmitter and at least one separate receiver.

[0074] ED 110 also includes one or more input / output devices 206 or interfaces (e.g., wired interfaces connected to the Internet 150). Input / output devices 206 can interact with users or other devices on the network. Each input / output device 206 includes any suitable structure for providing or receiving information from a user, such as a speaker, microphone, keypad, keyboard, display, or touchscreen, including network interface communication.

[0075] Additionally, ED 110 includes at least one memory 208. Memory 208 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by ED 110. For example, memory 208 may store software instructions or modules for implementing some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described elsewhere herein and executed by one or more processing units 200. 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, etc.

[0076] like Figure 2BAs shown, base station 170 includes at least one processing unit 250, at least one transmitter 252, at least one receiver 254, one or more antennas 256, at least one memory 258, and one or more input / output devices or interfaces 266. Transmitters 252 and receivers 254 (not shown) may be used in place of transceivers. Scheduler 253 may be coupled to processing unit 250. Scheduler 253 may be included within base station 170 or may operate separately from base station 170. Processing unit 250 implements various processing operations of base station 170, such as signal encoding, bit scrambling, data processing, power control, input / output processing, or any other functions. Processing unit 250 may also be used to implement some or all of the functions and / or embodiments detailed elsewhere herein. Each processing unit 250 includes any suitable processing or computing device for performing one or more operations. Each processing unit 250 may include a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, field-programmable gate array, or application-specific integrated circuit, etc.

[0077] Each transmitter 252 includes any suitable structure for generating signals to be transmitted wirelessly or wired to one or more EDs or other devices. Each receiver 254 includes any suitable structure for processing signals received wirelessly or wired from one or more EDs or other devices. Although at least one transmitter 252 and at least one receiver 254 are shown as separate components, they can be combined into a transceiver. Each antenna 256 includes any suitable structure for transmitting and / or receiving wireless or wired signals. Although a shared antenna 256 is shown coupled to both transmitter 252 and receiver 254, one or more antennas 256 can be coupled to one or more transmitters 252, and one or more individual antennas 256 can be coupled to one or more receivers 254. Each memory 258 includes any suitable one or more volatile and / or non-volatile storage and retrieval devices, such as those described above in conjunction with ED 110. Memory 258 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by base station 170. For example, memory 258 may store software instructions or modules for implementing some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described elsewhere herein and executed by one or more processing units 250.

[0078] Each input / output device 266 can interact with users or other devices in the network. Each input / output device 266 includes any suitable structure for providing information to or receiving / providing information from users, including network interface communication.

[0079] Further details regarding UE 110 and base station 170 are known to those skilled in the art. Therefore, for clarity, these details are omitted herein.

[0080] like Figure 2C As shown, the sensing agent 122 includes at least one processing unit 220, at least one transmitter 222, at least one receiver 224, one or more antennas 226, at least one memory 228, and one or more input / output devices or interfaces 230. Transmitters 222 and receivers 224, not shown, may be used in place of transceivers. The processing unit 220 implements various processing operations of the sensing agent 122, such as signal encoding, bit scrambling, data processing, power control, input / output processing, or any other functions. The processing unit 220 may also be used to implement some or all of the functions and / or embodiments detailed elsewhere herein. Each processing unit 220 includes any suitable processing or computing device for performing one or more operations. Each processing unit 220 may include a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, field-programmable gate array, or application-specific integrated circuit, etc.

[0081] Each transmitter 222 includes any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless transmission. Each receiver 224 includes any suitable structure for processing sensing signals received wirelessly. Although at least one transmitter 222 and at least one receiver 224 are shown as separate components, they can be combined into a transceiver. In some embodiments, the sensing agent may only transmit or receive sensing signals. This may be the case, for example, in a dual-station sensing scenario. In some embodiments, the sensing agent only transmits sensing signals, and reflections of these sensing signals can be received by other sensing nodes. In some embodiments, the sensing agent receives reflections of sensing signals but does not transmit sensing signals. Therefore, some sensing agents may include only one of a transmitter and a receiver. For sensing agent 122, at least one transmitter 222 or at least one receiver 224 may be optional.

[0082] Each antenna 226 includes any suitable structure for transmitting and / or receiving wired or wireless signals. While a shared antenna 226 is shown coupled to both transmitter 222 and receiver 224, one or more antennas 226 may be coupled to one or more transmitters 222, and one or more individual antennas 226 may be coupled to one or more receivers 224. Each memory 228 includes any suitable one or more volatile and / or non-volatile storage and retrieval devices, such as those described above in conjunction with ED 110. Memory 228 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by the sensing agent 122. For example, memory 228 may store software instructions or modules for implementing some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described elsewhere herein and executed by one or more processing units 220. Each input / output device 230 can interact with users or other devices in the network.

[0083] Figure 3A This is a schematic diagram of an air interface manager 300 used to configure the air interface 190 for configuration software. For example, the air interface manager 300 may be a module comprising multiple components or building blocks that define the parameters of the air interface 190 and collectively specify the mode of transmission and / or reception through the air interface 190. The air interface manager 300 may also define, or may only define, the parameters of the sensed signals in the communication system 100.

[0084] The components in the air interface manager 300 include at least one of the following: waveform component 305, frame structure component 310, multiple access scheme component 315, protocol component 320, and coding and modulation component 325.

[0085] Waveform component 305 can specify the shape and form of the transmitted signal. Waveform options can include orthogonal multiple access waveforms and non-orthogonal multiple access waveforms. Non-limiting examples of these waveform options include Single-Carrier (SC), Ultra Wideband (UWB), Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW), Linear Frequency Modulated (LFM) waveforms, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) waveforms, Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) waveforms, Filtered OFDM (f-OFDM) waveforms, Time-Window OFDM waveforms, Filter Bank Multicarrier (FBMC), Universal Filtered Multicarrier (UFMC), Generalized Frequency Division Multiplexing (GFDM) waveforms, Wavelet Packet Modulation (WPM) waveforms, and Super Nyquist (SNT) waveforms. Nyquist (FTN) waveforms and low peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) waveforms. In some embodiments, waveform options can be combined. LFM-OFDM waveforms are a non-limiting example of such a combination.

[0086] Frame structure component 310 can specify the configuration of a frame or frame group. Frame structure component 310 can indicate one or more of the following parameters for a frame or frame group: time, frequency, pilot signature, code, or other parameters.

[0087] Non-limiting examples of frame structure options include the number of symbols in a slot, the number of slots in a frame, and the duration of each slot (sometimes referred to as the transmission time interval (TTI) or transmission time unit (TTU)). The frame structure component can also specify whether a slot is a configurable multi-level TTI, a fixed TTI, or a configurable single-level TTI. The frame structure component can also specify coexistence mechanisms for different frame structure configurations.

[0088] For some waveforms, such as certain OFDM-based waveforms, the frame structure component can also specify one or more associated waveform parameters, such as subcarrier spacing width, symbol duration, cyclic prefix (CP) length, channel bandwidth, guard band / subcarrier, and sample size and frequency.

[0089] In addition, the frame structure component 310 can also specify whether the frame structure is used in time-division duplex communication or frequency-division duplex communication.

[0090] Furthermore, the frame structure component 310 can also specify the transmission state and / or direction for each symbol in the frame. For example, each symbol can be independently configured as a downlink symbol, uplink symbol, variable symbol, or sensing symbol. Sensing signals can be transmitted or received in sensing symbols. An example is... Figure 3B As shown, Figure 3B A transmission frame 350 is shown, comprising uplink (U) symbols, sensing (S) symbols, and downlink (D) symbols. It should be noted that the sensing symbols can be configured to have different system parameters (numerology) than the uplink and / or downlink symbols. For example, the sensing symbols can be configured to be shorter than the uplink / downlink symbols. This example is shown below. Figure 3C As shown, Figure 3C A transmission frame 360 ​​is shown, comprising uplink (U) symbols, sensing (S) symbols, and downlink (D) symbols. The sensing symbols in transmission frame 360 ​​are configured to be shorter in length than those in transmission frame 350.

[0091] The specification of waveform components and frame structure components is sometimes referred to as "system parameters". Therefore, air interface 190 may include system parameter component 330 that defines multiple air interface configuration parameters such as subcarrier spacing, CP length, symbol length, time slot length, and number of symbols per time slot.

[0092] These system parameters, also known as subcarrier spacing configurations, are scalable because the subcarrier spacings of different system parameters are integer multiples of each other, and the time slot lengths of different system parameters are also integer multiples of each other. This scalable design of multiple system parameters provides implementation advantages, such as scalable total OFDM symbol duration in time division duplex (TDD) contexts.

[0093] Frames can be configured using one or a combination of several scalable system parameters. For example, a 60kHz subcarrier spacing system parameter has a relatively short OFDM symbol duration (because OFDM symbol duration is inversely proportional to subcarrier spacing), making the 60kHz system parameter particularly suitable for ultra-low latency communications, such as vehicle-to-any (V2X) communications. Another example of a system parameter with a relatively short OFDM symbol duration suitable for low latency communications is a 30kHz subcarrier spacing system parameter. A 15kHz subcarrier spacing system parameter can be LTE compatible and can also be used as the default system parameter for initial network access by a device. This 15kHz system parameter can also be suitable for broadband services. A 7.5kHz spacing system parameter has a relatively long OFDM symbol duration and may be particularly beneficial for coverage enhancement and broadcasting. Other uses of these system parameters will be or will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Of the four system parameters listed, the 30kHz and 60kHz subcarrier spacing system parameters are more robust to Doppler spread spectrum (fast movement conditions) due to their wider subcarrier spacing. It can also be envisioned that different system parameters can use different values ​​for other physical layer parameters, such as the same subcarrier spacing but different cyclic prefix lengths. Furthermore, the subcarrier spacing may depend on the operating frequency band. For example, the subcarrier spacing in millimeter-wave frequencies can be greater than that in low-frequency frequencies.

[0094] It is also conceivable that other subcarrier spacings could be used, such as larger or smaller subcarrier spacings. For example, by a factor of 2... n Other variations in subcarrier spacing include 120 kHz and 3.75 kHz.

[0095] In other examples, more limited scalability can be achieved, where two or more system parameters have subcarrier spacings that are integer multiples of the minimum subcarrier spacing, and not necessarily factors of 2. n Related. Examples include subcarrier spacing of 15kHz, 30kHz, 45kHz, and 60kHz.

[0096] In other examples, non-scalable subcarrier spacings can be used, which are not integer multiples of the minimum subcarrier spacing, such as 15kHz, 20kHz, 30kHz, and 60kHz.

[0097] OFDM-based signals can be used to transmit signals with multiple system parameters coexisting simultaneously. More specifically, multiple sub-band OFDM signals can be generated in parallel, each signal within a different sub-band, and each sub-band has a different subcarrier spacing (and typically different system parameters). Multiple sub-band signals are combined into a single signal for transmission, for example, for downlink transmission. Alternatively, multiple sub-band signals can be emitted from a single transmitter, for example, for uplink transmission from multiple electronic devices (EDs), which can be user equipment (UEs).

[0098] Using different system parameters allows the air interface 190 to support a diverse set of use cases with varying quality of service (QoS) requirements. These requirements may include different levels of latency or reliability tolerance, as well as different bandwidth or signaling overhead requirements, and so on. In one example, the base station may indicate to the ED an index representing a selected system parameter or a single parameter of the selected system parameter (e.g., subcarrier spacing). Based on this indication, the ED can determine the parameters within the selected system parameters based on other information, such as a lookup table of candidate system parameters stored in memory.

[0099] Continuing with the description of the components in air interface 190, multiple access scheme component 315 can be specified as a method of access for one or more ED licensed channels. Non-limiting examples of multiple access technology options include technologies that define how EDs share common physical channels, such as Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA), Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA), Low Density Signature Multicarrier Code Division Multiple Access (LDS-MC-CDMA), Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA), Pattern Division Multiple Access (PDMA), Lattice Partition Multiple Access (LPMA), Resource Spread Multiple Access (RSMA), and Sparse Code Multiple Access (SCMA). In addition, multiple access technology options may include scheduled access, unscheduled access (also known as unlicensed access), non-orthogonal multiple access, orthogonal multiple access via dedicated channel resources (i.e., not shared among multiple EDs), contention-based shared channel resources, non-contention-based shared channel resources, and access based on perceptual radio.

[0100] Protocol component 320 can specify the manner in which transmission and / or retransmission will be performed. Non-limiting examples of transmission and / or retransmission mechanism options include mechanisms for specifying the size of the scheduled data pipeline and signaling mechanisms for transmission and / or retransmission.

[0101] The encoding and modulation component 325 can specify how the transmitted information is encoded / decoded and modulated / demodulated for transmission / reception. Encoding can refer to methods of error detection and forward error correction. Non-limiting examples of encoding options include Turbo lattice codes, Turbo product codes, fountain codes, low-density parity-check codes, and polar codes. Modulation can simply refer to Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) specified by a complex constellation (e.g., including modulation techniques and orders such as 16QAM, 64QAM, etc.), or more specifically to various types of advanced modulation methods such as layered modulation, multidimensional modulation, and low peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) modulation.

[0102] Because the air interface comprises multiple components or building blocks, and each component can have multiple candidate technologies (also referred to herein as air interface capability options), the air interface manager 300 can configure and store a large number of different air interface protocol sets. Each air interface protocol set defines its own set of air interface capability options.

[0103] For example, within each air interface protocol set that defines its own set of air interface capability options, air interface capability options are selected for each component or building block of the air interface. Different air interface protocol sets can be used to meet different sets of transmission requirements, including transmission content, sending conditions, and receiving conditions.

[0104] Based on the transmission requirements of a pair of communication transmitting and receiving devices, an air interface protocol set that best meets the transmission requirements can be selected from the air interface manager 300 and used for communication between the pair of communication transmitting and receiving devices.

[0105] In other embodiments, the air interface manager 300 can modify or update its components, protocol sets, or capability options. For example, the air interface manager 300 can replace the waveform component 305 and the frame structure component 310 with a single system parameter component 330. Conversely, the air interface manager 300 can separate the coding and modulation component 325 into separate coding and modulation components. Furthermore, the air interface manager 300 is configurable, which should enable the use of new soft air interface configuration components developed in the future.

[0106] The air interface manager 300 can also update certain components to modify the capability options of any component. For example, the air interface manager 300 can update the modulation and coding component 325 to include higher-order modulation schemes.

[0107] By updating stored components, protocol sets, and candidate options, the Air Interface Manager 300 can flexibly and better adapt to different wireless traffic types and services. Modifying or updating components, protocol sets, and candidate options allows the Air Interface Manager 300 to provide the appropriate air interface protocol set for the service type or service, rather than providing the air interface protocol set already envisioned for ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), and massive machine-type communication (mMTC).

[0108] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary communication system 400 for implementing perception. The communication system 400 includes multiple transmit-receive points (TRPs) 402, 404, and 406, and multiple UEs 410, 412, 414, 416, 418, and 420. As shown, UEs 410 and 412 are vehicles, and UEs 414, 416, 418, and 420 are mobile phones; however, this is merely an example.

[0109] TRP 402 is a base station that sends downlink (DL) signal 430 to UE 416. DL signal 430 is an example of a communication signal carrying data. TRP 402 also sends sensing signal 464 in the directions of UEs 418 and 420. Therefore, TRP 402 participates in sensing and can be a sensing node.

[0110] TRP 404 is a base station that receives uplink (UL) signals 440 from UE 414 and transmits sensing signals 460 in the direction of UE 410. UL signal 440 is an example of a communication signal carrying data. Since TRP 404 participates in sensing, this TRP can be both a sensing node and a communication node.

[0111] TRP 406 transmits sensing signal 466 in the direction of UE 420, therefore the TRP can be a sensing node. TRP 406 may transmit or receive communication signals in communication system 400, or it may not transmit or receive communication signals. In some embodiments, TRP 406 may be replaced by a sensing agent (SA) dedicated to sensing, and it may not transmit or receive any communication signals in communication system 400.

[0112] UEs 410, 412, 414, 416, 418, and 420 are all capable of transmitting and receiving communication signals on UL, DL, and / or SL. For example, UEs 418 and 420 communicate with each other via SL signal 450. At least some of UEs 410, 412, 414, 416, 418, and 420 are also sensing nodes in communication system 400. For example, UE 412 transmits sensing signal 462 in the direction of UE 410, therefore UE 412 can be a sensing node.

[0113] The sensing nodes in communication system 400 can implement single-site sensing and / or dual-site sensing. In the case of single-site sensing, the transmitter of the sensing signal also receives the reflection of the sensing signal to determine the attributes of one or more objects. In one example, TRP 404 can receive the reflection of sensing signal 460 from UE 410 and may be able to determine the attributes of UE 410 based on the reflection of the sensing signal. In another example, UE 412 can receive the reflection of sensing signal 462 and may be able to determine the attributes of UE 410.

[0114] In a dual-site sensing scenario, the receiver reflecting the sensing signal is different from the transmitter of the sensing signal. Any or all of UEs 410, 412, 414, 416, 418, and 420 can participate in sensing by receiving reflections of sensing signals 460, 462, 464, and 466. Similarly, any or all of TRPs 402, 404, and 406 can receive reflections of sensing signals 460, 462, 464, and 466.

[0115] In one example, the sensed signal 464 can be reflected from the UE 420 and received by the TRP 406. It should be noted that the sensed signal may not be physically reflected from the UE, but rather from an object associated with the UE. For example, the sensed signal 464 can be reflected from the user or vehicle carrying the UE 420. The TRP 406 can determine certain attributes of the UE 420 based on the reflection of the sensed signal 464, including the UE 420's distance, location, shape, and / or speed. In some implementations, the TRP 406 sends information related to the reflection of the sensed signal 464 to the TRP 402 and / or any other network entity. This information may include the time of receiving the reflection, the time of flight of the sensed signal (e.g., if the TRP 406 knows when the sensed signal was sent), the carrier frequency of the reflected sensed signal, the angle of arrival of the reflected sensed signal, and / or the Doppler frequency offset of the sensed signal (e.g., if the TRP 406 knows the original carrier frequency of the sensed signal). Other types of information related to the reflection of the sensed signal are also envisioned.

[0116] TRP 402 can determine the attributes of UE 420 based on the received information related to the reflection of sensing signal 464. If TRP 406 has already determined certain attributes of UE 420 based on the reflection of sensing signal 464, such as the location of UE 420, the information related to the reflection of sensing signal 464 may also include, or may only include, those attributes.

[0117] In another example, the sensed signal 462 can be reflected from UE 410 and received by TRP 404. Similar to the example provided above, TRP 404 can determine the attributes of UE 410 based on the reflection of the sensed signal, and / or send information related to the reflection of the sensed signal to other network entities, such as UEs 410 and 412.

[0118] In yet another example, sensing signal 466 can be reflected from UE 420 and received by UE 418. UE 418 can determine the attributes of UE 420 based on the reflection of the sensing signal, and / or send information related to the reflection of the sensing signal to other network entities, such as UE 420 and / or TRPs 402 and 406.

[0119] Sensing signals 460, 462, 464, and 466 are transmitted in specific directions. Generally, a sensing node can transmit multiple sensing signals in multiple different directions. In some implementations, the purpose of the sensing signals is to sense the environment of a certain area, and beam scanning is one way to achieve this. Beam scanning can be performed using analog beamforming to form a beam in a predetermined direction using phase shifters, etc. Digital beamforming and hybrid beamforming may also be used. During beam scanning, a sensing node can transmit multiple sensing signals according to the beam scanning mode, where each sensing signal is beamformed in a specific direction.

[0120] UEs 410, 412, 414, 416, 418, and 420 are examples of objects in communication system 400, any one or all of which can be detected and measured using sensing signals. However, other types of objects can also be detected and measured using sensing signals. The environment surrounding communication system 400 may include one or more scatterers that reflect sensing signals and potentially block communication signals, but... Figure 4 Not shown. For example, trees and / or buildings may at least partially block the path from TRP 402 to UE 420 and potentially impede communication between TRP 402 and UE 420. The properties of these trees and / or buildings can be determined based on reflections of the sensed signal 464, etc.

[0121] In some embodiments, communication signals are configured based on defined attributes of one or more objects. The configuration of communication signals may include, but is not limited to, configuration of system parameters, waveforms, frame structures, multiple access schemes, protocols, beamforming directions, coding schemes, and / or modulation schemes. Any or all of communication signals 430, 440, and 450 may be configured based on attributes of UEs 414, 416, 418, and 420. In one example, the position and velocity of UE 416 may be used to help determine a suitable configuration for DL ​​signal 430. Attributes of any scatterer between UE 416 and TRP 402 may also be used to help determine a suitable configuration for DL ​​signal 430. Beamforming may be used to direct DL signal 430 to UE 416 and avoid any scatterer. In another example, the position and velocity of UE 414 may be used to help determine a suitable configuration for UL signal 440. Attributes of any scatterer between UE 414 and TRP 404 may also be used to help determine a suitable configuration for UL signal 440. Beamforming can be used to direct the UL signal 440 to TRP 404 and avoid any scattering objects. In yet another example, the position and velocity of UEs 418 and 420 can be used to help determine the appropriate configuration of the SL signal 450. The properties of any scattering object between UEs 418 and 420 can also be used to help determine the appropriate configuration of the SL signal 450. Beamforming can be used to direct the SL signal 450 to UEs 418 and / or 420 and avoid any scattering objects.

[0122] The attributes of UEs 410, 412, 414, 416, 418, and 420 can also be used for purposes other than communication. For example, the position and speed of UEs 410 and 412 can be used for autonomous driving.

[0123] The transmission of sensing signals 460, 462, 464, and 466, as well as communication signals 430, 440, and 450, may interfere with the communication system 400, potentially adversely affecting communication and sensing operations. Some aspects of the present invention relate to sensing signal configurations that enable the coexistence of sensing and communication signals in a communication network. This coexistence can be achieved using sensing signal configurations that at least partially prevent interference with communication signals and / or other sensing signals.

[0124] In some embodiments, a sensing node determines a sensing signal configuration or sensing signal configuration information, and then transmits a sensing signal according to the sensing signal configuration. Non-limiting examples of determining the sensing signal configuration include receiving at least a portion of the sensing signal configuration from another network entity and generating at least a portion of the sensing signal configuration based on one or more predetermined attributes.

[0125] Sensing signals can be transmitted either in-band or out-of-band. For in-band sensing, sensing signals and communication signals are transmitted using the same set of physical resources. For example, network entities can transmit communication signals and sensing signals simultaneously or at different times on the same frequency band. For out-of-band sensing, sensing signals are transmitted using a different set of physical resources than the set used for communication signals. In some embodiments, the physical resource set is dedicated to sensing.

[0126] Sensing signal configuration can be target-specific and / or node-specific. Target-specific means that the sensing signal is configured for a specific target. For example, these targets may include the UE and a scattering object. In some implementations, target-specific sensing signals improve the sensing performance of a specific target. Target-specific parameters can be obtained by the sensing node through measurement, training, and / or according to a desired performance metric. This desired performance metric may include, but is not limited to, target classification results (e.g., whether the target's mobility is low or high) and desired sensing quality.

[0127] Target-specific and / or node-specific sensing signal configurations are designed for specific sensing nodes. In some implementations, these configurations enhance the sensing performance of a particular sensing node. For example, a target-specific and / or node-specific sensing signal configuration can be based on the attributes and requirements of the sensing node transmitting and / or receiving the sensing signal. Potential benefits of implementing target-specific and / or node-specific sensing signal configurations include the flexibility to adjust the sensing signal configuration according to desired sensing quality and / or reduced interference between sensing signals from different sensing nodes. Target-specific and / or node-specific configurations can be applied to both in-band and out-of-band sensing.

[0128] Some sensing node-specific sensing signal configurations are based on and may include a unique identifier specific to the transmitter of the sensing signal. This unique identifier may be determined by other network entities receiving the sensing signal. For example, in some embodiments, any or all sensing nodes in the network are assigned a corresponding sensing node identifier (ID). A sensing node ID is an example of a unique identifier specific to the transmitter of the sensing signal. The sensing node ID may be the same as or at least associated with other network IDs such as cell ID and UE ID. Optionally, the sensing node ID may be configured independently. In some implementations, the sensing node ID is at least partially configured and / or assigned by the network and can be sent to the sensing node via higher-level signaling such as radio resource control (RRC) signaling or medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) signaling. In some implementations, the sensing node determines its own sensing node ID based on other network IDs assigned to it. Sensing nodes may also determine their sensing node IDs based on, or only based on, the network IDs assigned to other sensing nodes in the network. The sensing signal configuration of a specific sensing node can be based on or mapped to the sensing node ID associated with that sensing node.

[0129] The parameters that may be included in a sensing signal configuration are discussed in detail below. However, these parameters are provided by way of example and are not intended to be limiting. In general, a sensing signal configuration may include any set of parameters.

[0130] In some embodiments, the sensing signal configuration includes waveform configuration. Depending on the waveform type used for the sensing signal, several possible parameters can be set to improve the performance of the sensing signal in the communication network. For example, the system parameters of the sensing signal configuration can be set according to the configured waveform type. Improving the performance of the sensing signal may include, but is not limited to, improving the range resolution and velocity resolution of the sensing signal and reducing interference with communication signals and / or other sensing signals.

[0131] Using waveforms consistent with both communication and sensing operations can improve the performance of both operations and reduce the complexity of some sensing nodes. For example, the same receiver can be used to receive both sensing and communication signals. Furthermore, using waveforms consistent with both communication and sensing operations allows for joint detection and / or processing of sensing and communication signals, improving the detection of both signals. Sensing and communication signals can also use the same frame structure and / or system parameters (e.g., subcarrier spacing, cyclic prefix (CP) length, etc.), which can further improve performance and reduce complexity.

[0132] Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) waveforms can be used to sense signals and can achieve appropriate sensing performance in some implementations. The following literature studies radar sensing using OFDM waveforms:

[0133] • Braun, M., Sturm, C., and Jondral, FK, “Maximum likelihood speed and distance estimation for OFDM radar”, published on pages 256–261 of the proceedings of the 2010 IEEE Radar Conference in Washington, May 2010.

[0134] • Braun, M., Sturm, C., Niethammer, A., and Jondral, F., “Parameterization of joint OFDM-based radar and communication systems for vehicular applications”, published on pages 3020-3024 of the proceedings of the 20th IEEE International Symposium on Personal, Indoor and Mobile Radio Communications in Tokyo, Japan, September 2009.

[0135] • Donnet, BJ and Longstaff, ID, “Combining MIMO radar with OFDM communications”, published on pages 37-40 of the proceedings of the Third European Radar Conference in Manchester, USA, in September 2006;

[0136] Yang Yang and RSBlum published “MIMO radar waveform design based on mutual information and minimum mean-square error estimation” in the January 2007 issue, Volume 43 of the IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 330-343.

[0137] • C. Sturm and W. Wiesbeck published “Waveform Design and Signal Processing Aspects for Fusion of Wireless Communications and Radar Sensing” in the July 2011 issue, Volume 99, No. 7.

[0138] OFDM can be a waveform selection suitable for in-band and / or out-of-band sensing. In some embodiments, OFDM waveforms are used for both communication and sensing signals to enable joint detection and processing of the sensing and communication signals. The system parameters of the OFDM waveforms for the communication and sensing signals can be the same or different.

[0139] In some embodiments, system parameters of the OFDM waveform can be selected to improve sensing performance and reduce interference between different sensing signals. Taking the sensing signal configuration with a cyclic prefix OFDM (CP-OFDM) waveform as an example, the subcarrier spacing, CP length / overhead, and sensing slot length (e.g., the number of symbols included in each sensing period and the configuration of sensing symbols in the sensing period, such as continuous symbols or distributed symbols) are parameters that can be set to potentially improve the sensing signal performance.

[0140] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to any particular type or configuration of waveforms used for sensing or communication signals. For example, the waveform configuration of a sensing signal may be single-carrier (where the spread spectrum sequence can be used for interference suppression), multi-carrier, ultra-wideband, or frequency-modulated continuous wave. In some embodiments, the waveform configuration may be target-specific and / or sensing node-specific.

[0141] In some embodiments, the sensing signal configuration includes a symbol sequence. Since sensing signals do not carry any data, the symbol sequence can be used to distinguish sensing signals transmitted by different sensing nodes and / or to reduce interference. In some embodiments, the symbol sequence in the sensing signal configuration is node-specific and based on the sensing node's sensing node ID. The symbol sequence in the sensing signal configuration may also be, or may only be, target-specific.

[0142] In some embodiments, symbol sequences can be used to optimize sensing performance. For example, sequences with good autocorrelation properties can be used to improve distance resolution.

[0143] In some embodiments, the sensing signals are used to reduce the cross-correlation between different symbol sequences transmitted on the same resources. As the length of the symbol sequence increases, the number of degrees of freedom of the symbol sequence and the possible number of orthogonal symbol sequences become larger. A potential symbol sequence set or pool can be generated for the sensing signals in the network. Once the symbol sequence pool is generated, symbol sequences in a specific sensing signal configuration can be generated or configured using a seed mapped to the sensing node ID of the associated sensing node. For example, if the symbol sequence is a Zadoff-Chu (ZC) sequence, the seed value can be the root or phase shift value of the ZC sequence. Similarly, if the symbol sequence is a binary pseudo-noise (PN) sequence, the seed value can be associated with the generator polynomial and / or degree of a sequence type.

[0144] In some embodiments, the symbol sequence of the sensing signal is based on and may be dedicated to a predetermined beam direction for that sensing signal. Therefore, different symbol sequences can be used for different beam directions. A sensing node can perform beam scanning to cover an area, and the sensing signals transmitted by the sensing node during beam scanning can all be based on beam directions. In some embodiments, certain directions that are more predictable may require less accurate sensing (e.g., where there are fixed objects and little change in the environment), thus allowing for shorter symbol sequences. Other directions may be less predictable, thus allowing for longer symbol sequences.

[0145] The set of sensing signals used during beam scanning can be called a sensing map and can be linked to a common seed based on the sensing node ID. The sensing map can be pre-configured by the network so that some or all sensing nodes in the network are aware of it to improve interference suppression. Each sensing node can update its sensing map based on feedback from the sensing signals (e.g., changes in the predictability of certain beam directions) and can send the updated sensing map to the network. For example, the updated sensing map can be sent to the network via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, L1 signaling, or X2 / Xn signaling. Sensing map updates can be performed semi-statically, reducing network overhead. In some embodiments, a generic symbol sequence of the desired length (e.g., a ZC sequence) is configured, and the sensing node ID is input to return the final sequence.

[0146] Depending on the power capacity of the sensing node and / or the waveform used, the sensing signal may require a relatively low peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR). Therefore, in some embodiments, symbol sequences are configured for a relatively low PAPR. Low PAPR sequences may include ZC sequences, similar to those used in demodulation reference signal (DMRS) designs. Low PAPR sequences can also be found, or can only be found, through a computer search. Low PAPR sequences used in conjunction with appropriate resource mapping may result in low PAPR sensing signal transmission.

[0147] The symbol sequence in the sensing signal configuration can be based on whether the sensing signal is in-band or out-of-band. The configuration of out-of-band symbol sequences is more flexible, while the configuration of symbol sequences may be more restricted when in-band sensing signals are multiplexed with data. In some embodiments, the configuration of the sensing signal symbol sequence is based on techniques used to configure other types of reference signals. These other types of reference signals include channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), DMRS, and positioning reference signals (PRS), etc.

[0148] In some embodiments, the sensing signal configuration includes resource configuration, resource allocation, or resource mapping configuration. The resource configuration of the sensing signal is selected from a set of physical resources associated with the wireless communication network. As mentioned above, for in-band sensing, these physical resources are also used for the transmission of communication signals; for out-of-band sensing, these physical resources are different from those used for communication signals.

[0149] The physical resources for sensing signals can be configured sparsely. For example, resource configuration can include sparse patterns in at least one of the frequency and time domains. Such sparse patterns can be analogous to patterns used for channel estimation, etc. In some implementations, the performance loss caused by sparse patterns is negligible compared to full-mode. Potential benefits of sparse patterns include the ability to multiplex sensing and communication signals, efficiently detect multiple sensing signals simultaneously, and efficiently jointly detect sensing and communication signals. In some implementations, the sparse pattern configuration of sensing signals is analogous to the sparse pattern configuration in non-orthogonal multiple access (NoMA). For more detailed information on the sparse-mode performance of the sensed signal, please refer to “High Range and Doppler Resolution by Application of Compressed Sensing Using Low Baseband Bandwidth OFDM Radar” published by C. Knill, B. Schweizer, S. Sparrer, F. Roos, Robert F.H. Fischer, and C. Waldschmidt in the July 2018 issue, Volume 66, No. 7 of the IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Technology, pp. 3535-3546.

[0150] Figure 5 Block diagrams are provided for multiple exemplary resource configurations 502, 504, and 506 with different sparsity patterns. In the illustrated embodiments, the horizontal axis of each of resource configurations 502, 504, and 506 represents the time domain, while the vertical axis of each of resource configurations 502, 504, and 506 represents the frequency domain. Resource configurations 502, 504, and 506 include time-frequency resources 508, 510, and 512 selected from a set of physical resources, respectively. Resource 512 includes a pattern of discontinuous resources, but only three resources in the pattern are marked to avoid congestion as shown in the figures.

[0151] Resource 508 can be considered to include more resources (e.g., physical resource blocks and / or subcarriers) in the frequency domain than in the time domain (e.g., subframes, time slots, and / or symbols). Therefore, resource configuration 502 is sparse in the time domain. Similarly, resource 510 can be considered to include more resources in the time domain than in the frequency domain; therefore, resource configuration 502 is sparse in the frequency domain. Since resource 512 includes equidistant patterns in both the time and frequency domains, resource configuration 506 is sparse in both the time and frequency domains.

[0152] In some embodiments, the sparsity pattern of the sensing signal resource configuration is based on the sensing node ID of the sensing node transmitting the sensing signal. In other words, the resource configuration and sparsity pattern of the sensing signal can be node-specific. These node-specific resource configurations and sparsity patterns can improve interference suppression of different sensing signals. Since sensing node receivers can jointly detect multiple sensing signals in a physical resource set, node-specific resource configurations and sparsity patterns can also provide better sensing diversity. The sensing node receiver can then acquire sensing information from multiple sensing signals emitted by multiple sensing nodes.

[0153] In some embodiments, the sparsity pattern of the sensing signal resource configuration is based on the desired sensing quality or accuracy of the sensing signal. Sensing accuracy can be node-specific. For example, some sensing nodes may have access to cameras or historical sensing data, which can provide environmental information and reduce the desired accuracy of future sensing signals. Sensing nodes with different desired sensing accuracies can have different resource configurations and / or sparsity patterns. If ranging accuracy is important (e.g., for a stationary target), sparsity in the time domain may be preferred over sparsity in the frequency domain, such as... Figure 5 The resource configuration is shown in 502. If speed and accuracy are more important, then sparsity in the frequency domain can be preferred, such as... Figure 5 The resource configuration is shown in 504. The desired perception accuracy is either acceptable or can only be dedicated to the target.

[0154] In some embodiments, the sparsity pattern of the sensing signal resource configuration is based on a predetermined beam direction of the sensing signal. For example, when a sensing node performs beam scanning during sensing, the sensing signal resource configuration of the sensing node may be based on each beam direction. Some beam directions may require more accurate distance detection, while other beam directions may require more accurate velocity detection. Therefore, the resource configuration and sparsity pattern in these directions may differ.

[0155] In some embodiments, the sparse pattern of the sensing signal resource configuration is based on the desired PAPR for the sensing signal. Resource reconfiguration can be designed to help achieve a low PAPR. For example, an equidistant sparse pattern in the frequency domain can be used for low PAPR sensing signal configuration, such as... Figure 5 The resource configuration is shown in 506. Low PAPR sparse patterns used in conjunction with low PAPR sequences may result in low PAPR sensing signal transmission.

[0156] Figure 6This is a block diagram of a physical resource set 600 containing multiple resource configurations 602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 612, and 614 with sensing signals. In the example shown, resource configurations 602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 612, and 614 coexist in the physical resource set 600 without any resource overlap. Therefore, interference between different sensing signals can be reduced. Resource configurations 602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 612, and 614 have various sparsity patterns. For example, resource configuration 606 can be considered sparse in the time domain, while resource configuration 608 can be considered sparse in the frequency domain. In some implementations, resource configurations 602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 612, and 614 are all based on at least one of the sensing node ID, the desired sensing accuracy of the sensing signal, the predetermined beam direction of the sensing signal, and the desired peak-to-average power ratio of the sensing signal. Resource configuration 606 transmission time (T) w ) and bandwidth (BW) such as Figure 6 As shown. It can be assumed that physical resource set 600 and resource configurations 602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 612 and 614 occupy a single operating frequency band.

[0157] In some embodiments, the sensing signal configuration includes a beam scanning pattern associated with the sensing node ID of the associated sensing node. If the beam scanning pattern is implemented via digital beamforming, it may also be referred to as a pre-coded design. In some implementations, the beam scanning pattern is used to perform sensing in a given area. Generally, beam scanning can be implemented via analog beamforming (using phase shifters), digital beamforming (using pre-coding), or a hybrid analog / digital beamforming.

[0158] A sensing node may include a transmitter with multiple radio frequency (RF) chains and / or multiple transmit antennas. Multiple transmit antennas can be used to perform beam scanning and / or provide sensing diversity and multiplexing through analog beamforming, digital beamforming, or hybrid beamforming. Another parameter of the beam scanning mode or sensing signal configuration may include a mapping relationship with at least some of the transmit antennas. For example, sensing signals can be emitted from multiple transmit antennas, and different gains and phases may be applied to the sensing signals on each transmit antenna side.

[0159] In some embodiments, the region of interest (ROI) of the beam scanning mode can be represented as θ∈[θ1,θ2], where θ is the angular direction, and θ1 and θ2 are the angular boundaries of the ROI. Beamforming can be used to target the angle-of-departure (AoD) within the ROI. Depending on the desired resolution (configurable) of the beam scanning mode, the AoD vector can be defined as Θ=[θ1,θ1+Δθ,θ1+2Δθ,…,θ2], where Δθ represents the AoD step size. In some implementations, the beam scanning mode can perform incremental scanning. For incremental scanning, within each time slot t, AoD(t)=Θ(t).

[0160] In some implementations, weighted beam scanning can be performed. In weighted beam scanning, some directions perform more sensing or scanning than others. Assuming the total number of beam scanning time slots is equal to w, after w(t) time slots, the sensing signal is transmitted with AoD of Θ(t), where w = ∑ t w(t). The weight vector for weighted beam scanning can be defined in a way specific to sensing nodes.

[0161] In some implementations, beam scanning modes can be defined to meet specific requirements such as interference cancellation. In these implementations, for the permutation function Π(.), AoD(t) = Θ(Π(t)), where Π(.) can be mapped to the associated sensing node ID. The permutation function of multiple sensing nodes can be predefined and pre-configured by the network to reduce interference between different sensing nodes. The permutation function can also be updated by the network via semi-static or dynamic signaling and transmitted via RRC signaling, MAC-CE signaling, L1 signaling, and / or X2 / Xn signaling.

[0162] In communications, multiple antennas can improve communication performance by increasing diversity (e.g., increasing reliability) and / or by multiplexing gain (e.g., increasing data transmission rate). Similarly, multiple transmit antennas on the sensing node side can be used to improve sensing performance or quality. Depending on the number of transmit antennas and the signal processing capabilities of the sensing node, digital precoding can be used on the sensing node side to provide sensing diversity. Orthogonal configuration of sensing signals can provide approximately N T A kind of perceptual diversity, in which N TThis represents the number of transmit antennas. To achieve this orthogonal configuration, a unitary precoding matrix can be applied over the sensing signal configuration to generate multiple sensing signals mapped to each digital antenna port. Any of several different unitary transforms can be used for this purpose. The unitary matrix can be a fixed, general unitary precoding, or it can be a sensing node-specific matrix. Since the number of transmit antennas may vary between different sensing nodes, the dimension of the unitary matrix may differ. Therefore, scalable unitary precoding may be preferable to save signaling, etc. In some implementations, the Walsh-Hadamard transform can be used as scalable unitary precoding. In some embodiments, the transmit antennas on the sensing node side can be grouped into multiple sets, and unitary precoding can be applied to antennas within a set. Phase flipping can then be applied to different sets to achieve beam control.

[0163] After the sensing signal configuration is determined, at least a portion of the sensing signal configuration can be transmitted between network entities. Transmitting at least a portion of the sensing signal configuration may include sending signaling with one or more indicators that explicitly or implicitly carry sensing signal parameters. Potential benefits of transmitting the sensing signal configuration between network entities include managing interference between sensing signals transmitted by different sensing nodes, reducing the impact of sensing signals on communication, and reducing the impact of communication signals on sensing. For example, a sensing node may send at least a portion of the sensing signal configuration to another sensing node. This sensing signal configuration can be used by either sensing node to transmit sensing signals. Sensing nodes that do not use the sensing signal configuration to transmit sensing signals can still use the sensing signal configuration to at least partially avoid interfering with sensing signals.

[0164] In some embodiments, parameters for the sensing signal configuration are transmitted between base stations, between UEs, and / or between a base station and a UE. These parameters may include, but are not limited to:

[0165] • Symbol sequence;

[0166] • Resource allocation;

[0167] • Beam scanning mode;

[0168] • Precoding matrix.

[0169] The sensing signal configuration can be determined by the sensing node in any of a variety of different ways. For example, the sensing signal configuration can be generated by the sensing node and / or configured to the sensing node by another network entity. In some embodiments, there is an explicit indication of the sensing signal configuration assigned to a particular sensing node. The network can explicitly send all possible sensing signal configurations, which can then be stored in a lookup table. The lookup table can include any one or all combinations of multiple sensing signals with different symbol sequence lengths, sparsity patterns, time / frequency resolutions, and beam scanning patterns, etc. A mapping function can be used as input to the sensing node ID, beam scanning pattern, and / or parameters related to the desired sensing performance, and returns a sensing signal index that can be used to locate the sensing signal configuration in the lookup table. In some implementations, the sensing node can use the mapping function to determine the sensing signal index and use that index to locate the sensing signal configuration in the lookup table. In other implementations, the sensing node can receive an index from another network entity and use that index to locate the sensing signal configuration in the lookup table.

[0170] In situations with a large number of possible sensing signal configurations, implementing and storing lookup tables can be difficult or impractical. Therefore, in some embodiments, a general formula can be used to determine or generate the sensing signal configuration for a sensing node. In some implementations, this formula takes the sensing node ID, beam scanning mode, and / or parameters related to the desired sensing performance as input and generates the sensing signal configuration. This formula can be known to any or all sensing nodes and / or network entities in the network. Therefore, each sensing node can generate the same sensing signal configuration based on the same input parameters. In some implementations, the coefficients of the formula used for sensing signal configuration are sent to network entities via higher-layer signaling.

[0171] In some embodiments, the seed value can be generated based on a sensing node ID (SeID), or it can be based on other parameters, such as the slot index, symbol index, and beam index. Examples are as follows:

[0172]

[0173] In formula 3, c init It initializes the seed, n s l, b represent the time slot index, symbol index, and beam index, respectively, and coefficient a s a l a b Represents the seed value and n s The related ways of l and b. For example, if a s =0, then the seed is not based on the time slot index. The value of SeID is from the set {0,1,…,N}. seedIn the selection of N, K, m, and k are design parameters that can be chosen to provide appropriate performance (e.g., the desired level of randomization). In some embodiments, for a certain value of N, N seed =2 N -1.

[0174] Once the seed is determined, the actual symbols in the sequence can be determined by setting one or more parameters of the symbol sequence according to the seed. For example, if the pseudo-random sequence is defined by a binary golden sequence of length p, then the length is N. PN The output sequence c(n) can be written as:

[0175] c(n)=(x1(n+N C )+x2(n+N C ))mod 2 (Formula 4)

[0176]

[0177]

[0178] In formulas 4, 5, and 6, S 1,p and S 2,p N represents a subset of indices from 1 to p-1. C These are design parameters. In some embodiments, the first sequence x1(n) can be initialized as x1(0) = 1 and x1(n) = 0, n = 1, ..., p-1. According to the binary expansion (c... init mod 2 p The result, i.e., the seed value c init The second sequence x2(n), n = 0, ..., p-1 can be initialized as For example: p = 31, N C =1600, S 1,p ={3}, S 2,p ={1,2,3}.

[0179] In yet another illustrative example, the sequence of symbols can be of length N. ZC The ZC sequence is shown below:

[0180]

[0181] In Formula 7, u is the root of the sequence (a prime number of N); n′=(n+C s )mod N zc , where C s ∈{0,...,N ZC -1} represents the value of the circular shift; c f =N ZCmod 2; q is an integer. In some embodiments, since C s =c init mod N ZC Therefore, C s It can be mapped to a seed. Furthermore, since u = prime(c init mod N ZC Therefore, the sequence root u can be mapped to the seed, where prime(x) represents the largest prime number less than or equal to x.

[0182] In some embodiments, the sensing node is a TRP, and the sensing node ID and / or sensing signal configuration of the TRP are sent from the TRP to other network entities, or received by the TRP from other network entities. For example, the sensing signal configuration can be sent to / from other network nodes (including neighboring TRPs, SAs, etc.) via X2 / Xn signaling. X2 / Xn is the interconnection interface between two eNodeBs in the network and supports the control plane and user plane. The sensing signal configuration can also be sent to one or more UEs, or only via L1 signaling and / or higher-layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling and MAC CE signaling). L1 is the physical layer. The sensing signal configuration can be sent explicitly or implicitly. Signaling to the UE can be implicit because the complete sensing signal configuration may not be sent, but may include some indications about resources (time resources, frequency resources, spatial resources, or code resources, etc.) that the UE should avoid using for transmission to reduce interference with the sensing signal. The signaling may also include power control parameters. In addition, the signaling to the UE may include sensing signal configuration parameters received by neighboring sensing nodes via X2 / Xn signaling. In some implementations, signaling from the TRP is used to designate the UE as a sensing node. This signaling may include the UE's sensing node ID and at least a portion of the sensing signal configuration.

[0183] In some embodiments, the sensing node is the UE, and the UE's sensing node ID and / or sensing signal configuration are sent from the UE to other network entities, or received by the UE from other network entities. For example, the UE's sensing node ID can be sent from the network node to the UE via L1 signaling or higher-layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling and MAC CE signaling). In some implementations, the sensing node ID is assigned and / or pre-configured to the UE (e.g., via higher-layer signaling), and an indication that the UE should be used as a sensing node is sent by the network via L1 signaling. An example of such an indication could be called SeN_enable. The signaling to the UE may also include parameters of the sensing signal configuration, including beam scanning mode, resource configuration, symbol sequence, one or more indicators of desired sensing quality (explicit and / or implicit) and / or one or more indicators of the environment (e.g., based on previously measured target classification results), etc. Once the UE has determined the sensing signal configuration, the sensing signal configuration can be sent explicitly or implicitly to other network entities. These other network entities include neighboring TRPs and SAs, etc. Signaling to a network entity may only include parameters that are not explicitly defined for that network entity, because some parameters may have already been sent from the network to the UE to determine the sensing signal configuration. The sensing signal configuration may also be sent to other UEs, or only via L1 signaling and / or higher-layer signaling. Signaling to the UE may be implicit, as the complete sensing signal configuration may not be sent, but may include indications about resources (time resources, frequency resources, spatial resources, or code resources, etc.) that the UE should avoid using for transmission to reduce interference.

[0184] The following is for reference. Figure 7 and Figure 8 Describe an example of configuring and implementing sensing signals in a wireless communication network.

[0185] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of a method 700 provided in one embodiment of the present invention. Method 700 is performed by a network entity in a wireless communication network, which may be a UE, a base station, or an SA, etc. Method 700 includes multiple steps 702, 704, 706, 708, 710, 712, 714, and 716.

[0186] Step 702 includes determining the sensing node ID associated with the network entity, and step 704 includes determining a sensing signal configuration or sensing signal configuration information. The sensing signal configuration includes a resource configuration selected from a physical resource set associated with the wireless communication network and a symbol sequence based on the sensing node ID and dedicated to the network entity in the wireless communication network. Therefore, the sensing node ID can be used to determine the sensing signal configuration.

[0187] As detailed above, the "Determine" operation in steps 702 and 704 may include: the network entity configuring the sensing node ID and / or the sensing signal configuration. For example, the network entity may receive signaling including one or more indications (implicit or explicit) of the sensing node ID and / or the sensing signal configuration. The "Determine" operation in steps 702 and 704 may also include, or may only include: the network entity generating the sensing node ID and / or the sensing signal configuration. For example, the network entity may generate the sensing node ID and / or the sensing signal configuration using one or more of the following: pre-configured rules or parameters, lookup tables, desired sensing accuracy, and formulas.

[0188] In some implementations, the resource configuration includes a sparse pattern in at least one of the frequency and time domains. For example, such a sparse pattern may be based on at least one of the sensing node ID, the desired sensing accuracy of the sensing signal, the predetermined beam direction of the sensing signal, and the desired PAPR of the sensing signal.

[0189] In some implementations, the symbol sequence is or includes a Zadoff-Chu sequence. For example, step 704 may include generating the Zadoff-Chu sequence using the sensing node ID as the root of the Zadoff-Chu sequence and / or the phase shift value of the Zadoff-Chu sequence.

[0190] In some implementations, the symbol sequence is or includes a binary PN sequence. For example, step 704 may include generating the PN sequence using the sensing node ID, wherein the sensing node ID is associated with at least one of the polynomial of the PN sequence, the degree of the PN sequence, and the type of the PN sequence. In some implementations, the sensing node ID is associated with the generator polynomial and / or the degree of a sequence type.

[0191] Step 706 includes transmitting the sensing signal according to the sensing signal configuration. Optionally, the sensing signal is an OFDM signal. For example, the sensing signal configuration may include an OFDM waveform configuration.

[0192] In some implementations, the sensing signal configuration further includes a beam scanning pattern associated with the sensing node ID, and may also include a precoding matrix. The beam scanning pattern can define multiple beam directions to perform sensing within a predetermined area around the network entity; the precoding matrix can be applied over the sensing signal configuration to generate multiple sensing signals mapped to multiple transmit antennas. Therefore, method 700 may include transmitting multiple sensing signals according to the beam scanning pattern, including the sensing signals transmitted in step 706. In some implementations, transmitting multiple sensing signals includes performing analog beamforming, digital beamforming, or hybrid beamforming. Optionally, the resource configuration and / or the symbol sequence determined in step 704 are based on predetermined beam directions of the sensing signals to distinguish different sensing signals transmitted in different directions.

[0193] Step 708 is an optional step, including receiving the reflection of the sensed signal. In this case, the network entity performs single-site sensing because it both sends and receives the sensed signal. In addition to or instead of step 708, the network entity may receive information relating to the reflection of the sensed signal from another network entity in the wireless communication network in optional step 710. Step 710 is an example of dual-site sensing.

[0194] Following step 708 and / or step 710, the network entity may, in optional step 712, determine the attributes of an object based on the reflection of the sensed signal. The object may be a UE or a scatterer, etc. For example, a scatterer may at least partially block communication signals by scattering, reflecting, and / or absorbing them. The attributes of the object may include the object's distance, shape, position, and / or velocity, etc.

[0195] The information received in step 710 related to the reflection of the sensed signal may include attributes of the object. The information related to the reflection of the sensed signal may also include, or may only include, the time of flight of the sensed signal and / or the Doppler frequency offset of the reflected sensed signal and / or the angle of arrival of the reflected sensed signal, enabling the network entity to determine the attributes.

[0196] Optional step 714 includes transmitting a communication signal. In some implementations, the communication signal is configured based on the properties of the object. In one example, the object mentioned above is a UE, the location of which can be determined in step 712 and used to configure the narrow beamforming of the communication signal transmitted to the UE. In another example, the object mentioned above is a scatterer, the location of which can be determined in step 712 and used to configure the narrow beamforming of the communication signal to avoid the scatterer.

[0197] In some implementations, the communication signal is transmitted using a resource configuration selected from a resource set containing the resource configuration of the sensing signal (e.g., in-band sensing). In other implementations, the communication signal is transmitted using a resource configuration selected from a resource set where the resource configuration of the sensing signal (e.g., out-of-band sensing) is not located. In any of these implementations, the sensing signal may have the same frame structure and / or the same system parameters as the communication signal, and / or have a different frame structure and / or different system parameters.

[0198] Step 714 is an optional step, which includes sending at least a portion of the sensing signal configuration to another network entity in the wireless communication network. This transmission can be performed using L1 signaling, RRC signaling, or X2 / Xn signaling, etc. The other network entity can be a UE, a base station, or an SA, and the sensing signal configuration can be used to avoid interfering with the sensing signal.

[0199] The network entity executing method 700 may include at least a processor and a transmitter. The processor is used to determine the sensing node ID associated with the network entity and to determine the sensing signal configuration. The transmitter is used to transmit the sensing signal according to the sensing signal configuration. (See above for reference.) Figure 2A , 2B Examples of processors and transmitters are discussed in detail in section 2C. In some implementations, the transmitter includes multiple transmit antennas, and the sensing signal configuration includes a mapping relationship (e.g., a precoding matrix) to at least some of the transmit antennas.

[0200] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of method 800 provided in another embodiment of the present invention. Method 800 is performed by a first network entity in a wireless communication network and is an example of a method for configuring signals (sensing signals or communication signals) to at least partially avoid interference with sensing signals emitted from a second network entity. Method 800 includes multiple steps 802, 804, and 806.

[0201] Step 802 includes determining the sensing signal configuration of the second network entity in the wireless communication network. The sensing signal configuration includes at least a resource configuration selected from a set of physical resources associated with the wireless communication network. Optionally, the sensing signal configuration includes a sequence of symbols based on the sensing node ID of the second network entity and dedicated to the second network entity in the wireless communication network. Determining the sensing signal configuration may include an indication of receiving at least a portion of the sensing signal configuration from the second network entity. Determining the sensing signal configuration may also include, or may only include, generating or calculating at least a portion of the sensing signal configuration based on the sensing node ID of the second network entity and / or the sensing requirements of the second network entity.

[0202] Step 804 includes determining a signal configuration based on the sensing signal configuration, wherein the signal configuration at least partially avoids interference with sensing signals transmitted by the second network entity according to the sensing signal configuration. Then, step 806 includes transmitting a signal according to the signal configuration. The signal may be a communication signal or another sensing signal.

[0203] and Figure 7 Similar to steps 702 and 704, the "determine" operation in step 804 may include: the first network entity receiving signaling configuring the signal configuration. The "determine" operation in step 804 may also include, or may only include: the first network entity generating the signal configuration using one or more of pre-configured rules or parameters, lookup tables, desired sensing accuracy, and formulas.

[0204] It should be understood that one or more steps in the methods of the embodiments provided herein can be performed by corresponding units or modules. For example, a signal can be transmitted by a transmitting unit or transmitting module. A signal can be received by a receiving unit or receiving module. A signal can be processed by a processing unit or processing module. The corresponding units / modules can be hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more of the above units / modules can be integrated circuits, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). It should be understood that if these modules are software, then these modules can be retrieved by the processor, in whole or in part, individually or collectively, for processing as needed, or in one or more instances as needed, and these modules themselves can include instructions for further deployment and instantiation.

[0205] While combinations of features are shown in the illustrated embodiments, not all features need to be combined to achieve the advantages of the various embodiments of the invention. In other words, a system or method designed according to one embodiment of the invention does not necessarily include all features or portions shown schematically in any of the figures. Furthermore, selected features of one exemplary embodiment may be combined with selected features of other exemplary embodiments.

[0206] Although the invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments, this specification is not intended to be limiting. Various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments, as well as other embodiments of the invention, will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to this specification. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to cover any such modifications or embodiments.

Claims

1. A method for a network entity in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: The method comprises: determining a sensing node identifier (ID) associated with the network entity; determining a sensing signal configuration, wherein the sensing signal configuration comprises: a resource configuration selected from a set of physical resources associated with the wireless communication network and a symbol sequence based on the sensing node identifier and dedicated to the network entity in the wireless communication network; transmitting a sensing signal according to the sensing signal configuration; determining a property of an object from a reflection of the sensing signal; transmitting a communication signal comprising data, wherein the communication signal is configured according to the property of the object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving the reflection of the sensing signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving information related to the reflection of the sensing signal from another network entity in the wireless communication network, wherein the property of the object is determined from the information related to the reflection of the sensing signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, The object comprises at least one of a user equipment (UE) and a scatterer at least partially blocking a communication signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: transmitting a communication signal comprising data using at least some physical resources of the set of physical resources.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The sensing signal has a same frame structure and a same system parameter as the communication signal.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein, The sensing signal has a different frame structure and a same system parameter as the communication signal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, The set of physical resources is a first set of physical resources, the method further comprises: transmitting a communication signal comprising data using at least some physical resources of a second set of physical resources associated with the wireless communication network, wherein the second set of physical resources is different from the first set of physical resources.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, The sensing signal is an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein, The symbol sequence comprises a Zadoff-Chu sequence, the determining the sensing signal configuration comprises: generating the Zadoff-Chu sequence using the sensing node identifier as at least one of a root of the Zadoff-Chu sequence and a phase shift value of the Zadoff-Chu sequence.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein, The symbol sequence comprises a Pseudo Noise (PN) sequence, the determining the sensing signal configuration comprises generating the Pseudo Noise sequence using the sensing node identifier, wherein the sensing node identifier is associated with at least one of a polynomial of the Pseudo Noise sequence, a degree of the Pseudo Noise sequence and a type of the Pseudo Noise sequence.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein, The symbol sequence is further based on a predetermined beam direction of the sensing signal.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein, The resource configuration comprises a sparse pattern in at least one of a frequency domain and a time domain.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The sparse pattern is based on at least one of the sensing node identifier, a desired sensing accuracy of the sensing signal, a predetermined beam direction of the sensing signal and a desired peak-to-average power ratio of the sensing signal.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein, The sensing signal configuration further comprises a beam sweeping pattern associated with the sensing node identifier, the method further comprises: transmitting a plurality of sensing signals including the sensing signal according to the beam sweeping pattern.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, The transmitting the plurality of sensing signals comprises performing analog beamforming, digital beamforming or hybrid beamforming.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: transmitting at least a part of the sensing signal configuration to another network entity in the wireless communication network.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein, The network entity is a user equipment, a base station or a sensing agent.

19. A network entity in a wireless communication network, the network entity comprising: The network entity comprises: a processor configured to: determine a sensing node identifier (ID) associated with the network entity; determine a sensing signal configuration, wherein the sensing signal configuration comprises: a resource configuration selected from a set of physical resources associated with the wireless communication network and a symbol sequence based on the sensing node identifier and dedicated to the network entity in the wireless communication network; a transmitter configured to: transmit a sensing signal according to the sensing signal configuration; a determiner configured to: determine a property of an object from a reflection of the sensing signal; a transmitter configured to: transmit a communication signal including data, wherein the communication signal is configured according to the property of the object.

20. The network entity of claim 19, wherein, The transmitter comprises a plurality of transmit antennas, and the sensing signal configuration further comprises a mapping relationship with at least some antennas of the plurality of transmit antennas.

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