Environmental Sensing Using RF

Abstract

Disclosed is a technology for environmental sensing by an electronic device such as a user equipment (UE) or a base station. In one aspect, the electronic device uses a radio frequency (RF) signal for environmental sensing, which is configured to send information on an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol according to a wireless communication standard such as fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR). The electronic device configures one or more transmission parameters for the RF signal based on one or more factors related to the resolution to be provided by the RF signal, the type of application for which the environmental sensing RF signal is sent, the capabilities of the UE, etc. The electronic device then sends the environmental sensing RF signal on an uplink, downlink, or sidelink appropriate to the type of electronic device based on the one or more transmission parameters.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims priority under 35 USC §119 to International Patent Application No. PCT / CN2020 / 092000, entitled “ENVIRONMENT SENSING USING RADIO FREQUENCIES,” filed on May 25, 2020, and International Patent Application No. PCT / CN2020 / 092001, entitled “ENVIRONMENT SENSING USING RADIO FREQUENCIES CONFIGURED FOR WIRELESS COMMUNICATION,” filed on May 25, 2020, which have been assigned to the assignee of this application and are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to environmental sensing. More specifically, aspects of the present disclosure relate to environmental sensing using wireless signals transmitted according to a wireless communication standard. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems have evolved over several generations, including first generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including transitional 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third generation (3G) high speed data, Internet-enabled wireless services, and fourth generation (4G) services (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax). There are many different types of wireless communication systems in use today, including cellular and personal communications service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and the like.

[0005] The fifth-generation (5G) wireless standard, known as New Radio (NR), calls for higher data speeds, a greater number of connections, and better coverage, among other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, the 5G standard is designed to provide data rates of tens of megabits per second for each of tens of thousands of users and 1 gigabit per second for dozens of employees on an office floor. To support large sensor deployments, hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections should be supported. As a result, the spectrum efficiency of 5G mobile communications should be significantly improved compared to the current 4G standard. In addition, signaling efficiency should be improved and latency should be significantly reduced compared to the current standard.

[0006] 5G is able to use millimeter wave (mmW) radio frequency (RF) signals for wireless communication between network nodes, such as base stations, user equipment (UE), vehicles, factory automation machinery, etc. However, mmWave RF signals can also be used for other purposes. For example, mmWave RF signals can be used in weapon systems (e.g., as short-range fire control radars in tanks and aircraft), security inspection systems (e.g., scanners for detecting weapons and other dangerous items carried under clothing), medicine (e.g., treating diseases by altering cell growth), etc. Summary of the invention

[0007] The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects disclosed herein. Therefore, the following summary should not be regarded as an extensive overview related to all expected aspects, nor should it be regarded as identifying key or important elements related to all expected aspects or delineating the scope associated with any particular aspect. Therefore, the sole purpose of the following summary is to present certain concepts related to one or more aspects related to the mechanisms disclosed herein in a simplified form as a prelude to the detailed description presented below.

[0008] In one aspect, an environment sensing method performed by a user equipment (UE) includes: receiving one or more transmission parameters for an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal, the one or more transmission parameters being based on one or more factors, the environment sensing RF signal comprising an RF signal configured to send information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; and sending the environment sensing RF signal according to the one or more transmission parameters.

[0009] In one aspect, an environment sensing method performed by a base station includes sending one or more transmission parameters for an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal to a user equipment (UE), the one or more transmission parameters being based on one or more factors, the environment sensing RF signal including an RF signal configured to send information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; and receiving the environment sensing RF signal from the UE.

[0010] In one aspect, an environment sensing method performed by an electronic device includes sending an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal carrying information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; and receiving a reflected RF signal, the reflected RF signal including reflections of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in a path of the environment sensing RF signal.

[0011] In one aspect, an environment sensing method performed by a user equipment (UE) includes sending an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal including a physical random access channel (PRACH) preamble code to a base station; and receiving a reflected RF signal, the reflected RF signal including a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in a path of the environment sensing RF signal.

[0012] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes a memory; a communication device; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and the communication device, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive one or more transmission parameters for an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal via the communication device, the one or more transmission parameters being based on one or more factors, the environment sensing RF signal comprising an RF signal configured to send information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; and cause the communication device to send the environment sensing RF signal according to the one or more transmission parameters.

[0013] In one aspect, a base station includes a memory; a communication device; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and the communication device, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: cause the communication device to send one or more transmission parameters for an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal to a user equipment (UE), the one or more transmission parameters being based on one or more factors, the environment sensing RF signal comprising an RF signal configured to send information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; and receive the environment sensing RF signal from the UE via the communication device.

[0014] In one aspect, an electronic device includes a memory; a communication device; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and the communication device, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: cause the communication device to send an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal carrying information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; and receive a reflected RF signal via the communication device, the reflected RF signal comprising a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in a path of the environment sensing RF signal.

[0015] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes a memory; a communication device; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and the communication device, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: cause the communication device to send an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal including a physical random access channel (PRACH) preamble code to a base station; and receive a reflected RF signal via the communication device, the reflected RF signal including a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in a path of the environment sensing RF signal.

[0016] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes a unit for receiving one or more transmission parameters of an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal, the one or more transmission parameters being based on one or more factors, the environment sensing RF signal including an RF signal configured to send information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; and a unit for sending the environment sensing RF signal according to the one or more transmission parameters.

[0017] In one aspect, a base station includes a unit for sending one or more transmission parameters for an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal to a user equipment (UE), wherein the one or more transmission parameters are based on one or more factors, wherein the environment sensing RF signal includes an RF signal configured to send information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; and a unit for receiving the environment sensing RF signal from the UE.

[0018] In one aspect, an electronic device includes a unit for transmitting an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal carrying information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; and a unit for receiving a reflected RF signal, the reflected RF signal comprising reflections of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in a path of the environment sensing RF signal.

[0019] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes a unit for sending an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal including a physical random access channel (PRACH) preamble code to a base station; and a unit for receiving a reflected RF signal, the reflected RF signal including a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in a path of the environment sensing RF signal.

[0020] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive one or more transmission parameters for an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal, the one or more transmission parameters being based on one or more factors, the environment sensing RF signal comprising an RF signal configured to send information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; and send the environment sensing RF signal according to the one or more transmission parameters.

[0021] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a base station, cause the base station to: send one or more transmission parameters for an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal to a user equipment (UE), the one or more transmission parameters being based on one or more factors, the environment sensing RF signal comprising an RF signal configured to send information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; and receive the environment sensing RF signal from the UE.

[0022] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the following operations: transmit an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal carrying information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; and receive a reflected RF signal, the reflected RF signal comprising reflections of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in a path of the environment sensing RF signal.

[0023] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: send an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal including a physical random access channel (PRACH) preamble to a base station; and receive a reflected RF signal, the reflected RF signal including a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in a path of the environment sensing RF signal.

[0024] In one aspect, an environment sensing method performed by an electronic device includes: configuring one or more parameters for an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal based on one or more factors, the environment sensing RF signal including an RF signal configured to send information on an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, and sending the environment sensing RF signal according to the one or more parameters.

[0025] In one aspect, an electronic device includes a memory and at least one processor coupled to the memory, the memory and the at least one processor being configured to: configure one or more parameters for an environment sensing RF signal based on one or more factors, the environment sensing RF signal comprising an RF signal configured to send information on an OFDM symbol, and send the environment sensing RF signal according to the one or more parameters.

[0026] In one aspect, an electronic device includes means for configuring one or more transmission parameters for an environment sensing RF signal based on one or more factors, the environment sensing RF signal including an RF signal configured to send information on an OFDM symbol, and means for sending the environment sensing RF signal according to the one or more transmission parameters.

[0027] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions includes computer-executable instructions, which include at least one instruction instructing an electronic device to perform the following operations: configure one or more transmission parameters for an environment sensing RF signal based on one or more factors, wherein the environment sensing RF signal includes an RF signal configured to send information on an OFDM symbol; and at least one instruction instructing the electronic device to perform the following operations: send the environment sensing RF signal according to the one or more transmission parameters.

[0028] In one aspect, an environment sensing method performed by an electronic device includes: sending an environment sensing RF signal on one or more time and / or frequency resources, wherein the environment sensing RF signal is configured on one or more time and / or frequency resources according to a wireless communication standard, and receiving a reflected RF signal, wherein the reflected RF signal includes a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in a path of the environment sensing RF signal.

[0029] In one aspect, an electronic device includes a memory and at least one processor coupled to the memory, the memory and the at least one processor being configured to: send an environment sensing RF signal on one or more time and / or frequency resources, the environment sensing RF signal being configured on one or more time and / or frequency resources according to a wireless communication standard, and receive a reflected RF signal, the reflected RF signal comprising a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in a path of the environment sensing RF signal.

[0030] In one aspect, the electronic device includes a unit for transmitting an environment sensing RF signal on one or more time and / or frequency resources, wherein the environment sensing RF signal is configured on one or more time and / or frequency resources according to a wireless communication standard, and a unit for receiving a reflected RF signal, wherein the reflected RF signal includes a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in the path of the environment sensing RF signal.

[0031] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions includes computer-executable instructions, which include at least one instruction to instruct an electronic device to perform the following operations: send an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal on one or more time and / or frequency resources, wherein the environment sensing RF signal is configured on one or more time and / or frequency resources according to a wireless communication standard, and at least one instruction to instruct the electronic device to perform the following operations: receive a reflected RF signal, wherein the reflected RF signal includes a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in the path of the environment sensing RF signal.

[0032] Other objects and advantages associated with the aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] The accompanying drawings are provided to aid in describing various aspects of the disclosure and are provided solely for illustration of these aspects and not limitation thereof.

[0034] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0035] Figure 2A and 2B An example wireless network structure according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0036] Figure 2A Illustrated is a general process of transmitting and collecting millimeter wave (mmW) radio frequency (RF) signal data in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 2Bis a graph illustrating example waveforms of transmitted and received frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) RF signals according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0038] Figure 3 An example electronic device configured as an environment sensing device according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0039] Figure 4 is a diagram of various frequency bands above 24 GHz that can be used for wireless mobile communications.

[0040] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a radio frame structure according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0041] Figure 6 A comparison between a simple chirp waveform and a mmW orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) waveform according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0042] Figure 7 is a diagram of an example scenario in which a user's UE is within communication range of an access point according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0043] Figure 8 is a diagram of various uplink and downlink environmental sensing scenarios using mmW RF signals according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0044] Fig. 9 is a diagram of a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) / vehicle-to-everything (V2X) environment sensing scenario using mmW RF signals according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0045] Fig. 10A , 10B 11 show example methods for environment sensing according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0046] Figures 12 to 15 is a simplified block diagram of various devices configured to support environment sensing operations as taught herein.

[0047] Fig.16 An example of using an existing wideband sounding reference signal (SRS) as a radar signal for environment sensing according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0048] Fig.17A is a diagram illustrating an example pattern of random access preamble transmission according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0049] Fig. 17B and 17C is a diagram illustrating use of a random access preamble for environment sensing during various radio resource control (RRC) states according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0050] Fig.18A An example method of configuring a user equipment (UE) for uplink transmission according to a first mode disclosed herein is shown.

[0051] Fig.18B An example method of configuring a UE for uplink transmission according to the second mode disclosed herein is shown.

[0052] Fig.19 An example modification of random access preamble transmission for environment sensing according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0053] Fig. 20A , 20B 21 show example methods for environment sensing according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0054] Figures 22 to 25 is a simplified block diagram of various devices configured to support environment sensing operations as taught herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] In one aspect, an electronic device such as a user equipment (UE) or a base station uses a radio frequency (RF) signal to transmit information on an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol according to a wireless communication standard (e.g., the fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR)) for environmental sensing. That is, the RF signal used for communication according to the wireless communication standard can be reused as an environmental sensing signal. According to one example, the electronic device applies one or more transmission parameters to the RF signal based on one or more factors related to the resolution to be provided by the RF signal, the type of application to which the environmental sensing RF signal is being transmitted, the capabilities of the UE, etc. According to one example, the transmission parameters may include power control of the sensing waveform, a bandwidth configuration of the sensing waveform (i.e., a specific bandwidth value or a set of bandwidth values), a duration configuration of the sensing waveform (i.e., a specific duration value or a set of duration values), and / or an antenna configuration for the sensing waveform (i.e., a specific arrangement of the antenna of the electronic device (e.g., the number of antenna elements) or a set of arrangements). The electronic device may receive one or more transmission parameters from the base station or determine them on its own. Then, the electronic device transmits the environmental sensing RF signal on an uplink, downlink, or sidelink suitable for the type of electronic device according to the one or more transmission parameters.

[0056] On the one hand, the electronic device transmits an environment sensing RF signal on an uplink, downlink, or sidelink according to the type of the electronic device on one or more time and / or frequency resources (e.g., OFDM symbols, resource blocks, time slots, subframes, etc.). The environment sensing RF signal is transmitted on one or more time and / or frequency resources according to a wireless communication standard (e.g., 5G NR). The electronic device monitors and can receive a reflected RF signal, which is a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object (e.g., a person, a vehicle, a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS), etc.) in the path of the environment sensing RF signal. On the one hand, in the case where the electronic device is a UE, the UE can use an existing uplink OFDM waveform as an environment sensing RF signal. On the other hand, in the case where the environment sensing device is a UE, the UE can utilize a physical random access channel (PRACH) as an environment sensing RF signal. On the other hand, an indication of the environment sensing capability of the UE can be added to a capability report sent by the UE to the network. On the other hand, the serving base station of the UE can indicate the sensing waveform mode to the UE.

[0057] Using the disclosed techniques, wireless communication signals can be reused for environmental sensing.

[0058] Aspects of the present disclosure are provided in the following description and in the related drawings for various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects may be designed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, well-known elements of the present disclosure will not be described in detail or omitted to avoid confusing the relevant details of the present disclosure.

[0059] The words "exemplary" and / or "example" are used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" and / or "example" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Likewise, the term "aspects of the disclosure" does not require that all aspects of the disclosure include the discussed feature, advantage, or mode of operation.

[0060] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the information and signals described below may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the description below may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the specific application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, etc.

[0061] In addition, many aspects are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will be appreciated that the various actions described herein may be performed by specific circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of the two. In addition, the sequences of actions described herein may be considered to be fully embodied in any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a corresponding set of computer instructions stored therein, which, when executed, will cause or instruct the processor of the associated device to perform the functions described herein. Thus, various aspects of the present disclosure may be embodied in a variety of different forms, all of which are considered to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. In addition, for each aspect described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspect may be described herein as, for example, "logic configured to perform the described actions."

[0062] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the terms "user equipment" (UE) and "base station" are not intended to be specific or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT). In general, a UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, a router, a tablet, a laptop, a consumer asset location device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR)) headset, etc.), a vehicle (e.g., a car, a motorcycle, a bicycle, etc.), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by any user to communicate over a wireless communication network. The UE can be mobile or can be fixed (e.g., at certain times) and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" can be interchangeably referred to as an "access terminal" or "AT", "client device", "wireless device", "subscriber equipment", "subscriber terminal", "user station", "user terminal" or "UT", "mobile device", "mobile terminal", "mobile station" or variants thereof. In general, a UE can communicate with a core network through a RAN, and through the core network, the UE can connect to external networks such as the Internet and other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for the UE to connect to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible, such as through a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (e.g., based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 specification, etc.), etc.

[0063] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs for communicating with a UE according to the network in which it is deployed, and may be alternatively referred to as an access point (AP), a network node, a NodeB, an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), a new radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as a gNB or gNodeB), etc. A base station may be primarily used to support wireless access for a UE, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections for supported UEs. In some systems, a base station may provide a pure edge node signaling function, while in other systems it may provide additional control and / or network management functions. A communication link through which a UE may send a signal to a base station is referred to as an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). A communication link through which a base station may send a signal to a UE is referred to as a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) may refer to an uplink / reverse or downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0064] The term "base station" may refer to a single physical transmission-reception point (TRP) or multiple physical TRPs, which may or may not be co-located. For example, where the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be an antenna of the base station corresponding to the cell (or several cell sectors) of the base station. Where the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be an antenna array of the base station (e.g., in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or where the base station employs beamforming). Where the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transmission medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, a non-co-located physical TRP may be a serving base station that receives measurement reports from a UE and an adjacent base station whose reference radio frequency (RF) signal the UE is measuring. Because, as used herein, a TRP is a point at which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, references to transmissions from a base station or received transmissions at a base station will be understood to refer to a specific TRP of a base station.

[0065] In some embodiments supporting UE positioning, the base station may not support wireless access of the UE (e.g., may not support data, voice and / or signaling connections of the UE), but instead sends a reference signal to the UE for measurement by the UE, and / or may receive and measure a signal sent by the UE. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., when sending a signal to the UE) and / or as a position measurement unit (e.g., when receiving and measuring a signal from the UE).

[0066] "RF signals" include electromagnetic waves of a given frequency that transmit information through the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may send a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, a receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between a transmitter and a receiver may be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal. As used herein, RF signals may also be referred to as "wireless signals" or simply "signals", where it is clear from the context that the term "signal" refers to either wireless signals or RF signals.

[0067] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system 100 according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The wireless communication system 100 (which may also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 (labeled as "BS") and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macrocell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell cellular base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In one aspect, the macrocell base station may include an eNB and / or ng-eNB corresponding to an LTE network of the wireless communication system 100, or a gNB corresponding to an NR network of the wireless communication system 100, or a combination of the two, and the small cell base station may include a femtocell, a picocell, a microcell, etc.

[0068] The base stations 102 may collectively form a RAN and interface with a core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC)) via a backhaul link 122 and connect to one or more location servers 172 (e.g., a location management function (LMF) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP)) via the core network 170. The location server 172 may be part of the core network 170 or may be external to the core network 170. The base stations 102 may perform, among other functions, one or more functions related to transmitting user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), user and device tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (eg, via EPC / 5GC) via a backhaul link 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0069] Base station 102 can communicate wirelessly with UE 104. Each base station 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. In one aspect, one or more cells can be supported by base station 102 in each geographic coverage area 110. A "cell" is a logical communication entity for communicating with a base station (e.g., through some frequency resources, called carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, frequency band, etc.), and can be associated with an identifier (e.g., physical cell identifier (PCI), enhanced cell identifier (ECI), virtual cell identifier (VCI), cell global identifier (CGI), etc.) for distinguishing different cells operating via the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cell UEs can be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or other) that can provide access to different types of UEs. Because a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term "cell" can refer to one or both of the logical communication entity and the base station that supports it, depending on the context. In addition, because a TRP is usually a physical transmission point of a cell, the terms "cell" and "TRP" can be used interchangeably. In some cases, the term “cell” may also refer to a geographic coverage area (eg, a sector) of a base station, as long as a carrier frequency can be detected and used for communications within certain portions of the geographic coverage area 110 .

[0070] While the geographic coverage areas 110 of neighboring macrocell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in a handoff region), some geographic coverage areas 110 may substantially overlap with a larger geographic coverage area 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' (labeled "SC" for "small cell") may have a geographic coverage area 110' that substantially overlaps with the geographic coverage areas 110 of one or more macrocell base stations 102. A network including small cells and macrocell base stations may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include a home eNB (HeNB), which may provide services to a restricted group called a closed subscriber group (CSG).

[0071] The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include uplink (also referred to as reverse link) transmissions from the UE 104 to the base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also referred to as forward link) transmissions from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 may use MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may be over one or more carrier frequencies. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric for the downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for the downlink than for the uplink).

[0072] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a WLAN station (STA) 152 in an unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz) via a communication link 154. When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) or a listen before talk (LBT) process to determine whether a channel is available before communicating.

[0073] The small cell base station 102' can operate in a licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in an unlicensed spectrum, the small cell base station 102' can adopt LTE or NR technology and use the same 5GHz unlicensed spectrum as the spectrum used by the WLAN AP 150. The small cell base station 102' that adopts LTE / 5G in the unlicensed spectrum can improve the coverage of the access network and / or increase the capacity of the access network. NR in the unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as NR-U. LTE in the unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as LTE-U, License Assisted Access (LAA) or MulteFire.

[0074] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a millimeter wave (mmW) base station 180 that can operate at mmW frequencies and / or near mmW frequencies for communicating with UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is part of the RF in the electromagnetic wave spectrum. The range of EHF is 30GHz to 300GHz, and the wavelength is between 1 mm and 10 mm. The radio waves in this band can be called millimeter waves. Near mmW may extend down to a frequency of 3GHz with a wavelength of 100 mm. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3GHz and 30GHz, also known as centimeter waves. Communications using mmW / near mmW radio frequency bands have high path loss and a relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and UE 182 can utilize beamforming (transmitting and / or receiving) on ​​the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short distance. In addition, it should be understood that in an alternative configuration, one or more base stations 102 may also use mmW or near mmW and beamforming for transmission. Therefore, it should be understood that the foregoing description is merely exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0075] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing an RF signal in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectional). With transmit beamforming, the network node determines the location (relative to the transmitting network node) of a given target device (e.g., a UE) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thereby providing a faster (in terms of data rate) and stronger RF signal to the receiving device. In order to change the directionality of an RF signal while transmitting, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of the one or more transmitters that broadcast the RF signal. For example, a network node may use an antenna array (referred to as a "phased array" or "antenna array") that creates an RF wave beam that can be "steered" to point in different directions without actually moving the antenna. Specifically, the RF current from the transmitter is fed to a single antenna in the correct phase relationship so that the radio waves from the separate antennas add together to increase radiation in the desired direction while canceling to suppress radiation in undesirable directions.

[0076] The transmit beams can be quasi-colocated, meaning that they appear to have the same parameters to a receiver (e.g., a UE) regardless of whether the transmit antennas of the network nodes themselves are physically colocated. In NR, there are four types of quasi-colocated (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters about the second reference RF signal on the second beam can be derived from information about the source reference RF signal on the source beam. Therefore, if the source reference RF signal is QCL type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of the second reference RF signal sent on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal sent on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of the second reference RF signal sent on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type D, the receiver may use the source reference RF signal to estimate spatial reception parameters of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0077] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses receive beams to amplify RF signals detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver may increase the gain setting and / or adjust the phase setting of the antenna array in a particular direction to amplify the RF signals received from that direction (e.g., increase the gain level). Thus, when it is said that a receiver beamforms in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is high relative to the beam gain along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is maximum compared to the beam gain of all other receive beams available to the receiver in that direction. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), etc.) of the RF signal received from that direction.

[0078] The transmit and receive beams may be spatially correlated. The spatial relationship means that parameters of a second beam (e.g., a transmit beam or a receive beam) for a second reference signal may be derived from information about a first beam (e.g., a receive beam or a transmit beam) for a first reference signal. For example, a UE may use a particular receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE may then form a transmit beam for sending an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to the base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

[0079] Note that a "downlink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity that forms it. For example, if the base station is forming a downlink beam to send a reference signal to the UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if the UE is forming a downlink beam, it is a receive beam that receives the downlink reference signal. Similarly, an "uplink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity that forms it. For example, if the base station is forming an uplink beam, it is an uplink receive beam, and if the UE is forming an uplink beam, it is an uplink transmit beam.

[0080] The electromagnetic spectrum is often subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc. based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified with the frequency range names FR1 (410MHz-7.125GHz) and FR2 (24.25GHz–52.6GHz). It should be understood that FR1 is often referred to (interchangeably) as the “sub-6GHz” band in various documents and articles, even though a portion of FR1 is greater than 6GHz. A similar naming issue sometimes occurs with FR2, which is often referred to (interchangeably) as the “millimeter wave” band in documents and articles, even though it is different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30GHz–300GHz), which is defined as a “millimeter wave” band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

[0081] Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are generally referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR research has identified the operating bands for these mid-band frequencies as the frequency range designation FR3 (7.125 GHz-24.25 GHz). Frequency bands that fall within FR3 may inherit FR1 characteristics and / or FR2 characteristics, and thus may effectively extend the characteristics of FR1 and / or FR2 to mid-band frequencies. In addition, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend the operation of 5G NR above 52.6 GHz. For example, three higher operating frequency bands have been identified as the frequency range designations FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz-71 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz-114.25 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz-300 GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands falls within the EHF band.

[0082] In view of the above, unless otherwise explicitly stated, it should be understood that the term "sub-6 GHz" or the like as used herein may broadly refer to frequencies that may be less than 6 GHz, may be within FR1, or may include mid-band frequencies. In addition, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that the term "millimeter wave" or the like as used herein may broadly refer to frequencies that may include mid-band frequencies, may be within FR2, FR4, FR4-a or FR4-1, and / or within FR5, or may be within the EHF band.

[0083] In a multi-carrier system, such as 5G, one carrier frequency is referred to as the "primary carrier" or "anchor carrier" or "primary serving cell" or "PCell", and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers" or "secondary serving cells" or "SCells". In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is a carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) used by the UE 104 / 182 and the cell in which the UE 104 / 182 performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection reestablishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels and may be a carrier in a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case). A secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that may be configured once an RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier and may be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier may be a carrier in an unlicensed frequency. The secondary carrier may contain only necessary signaling information and signals, for example, those signaling information and signals that are UE-specific may not be present in the secondary carrier, because the primary uplink and downlink carriers are typically UE-specific. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell may have different downlink primary carriers. The same is true for the uplink primary carrier. The network is able to change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. For example, this is done to balance the load on different carriers. Because a "serving cell" (whether a PCell or an SCell) corresponds to a carrier frequency / component carrier on which a base station is communicating, the terms "cell", "serving cell", "component carrier", "carrier frequency", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0084] For example, still refer to Figure 1 , one of the frequencies used by macrocell base station 102 may be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and the other frequencies used by macrocell base station 102 and / or mmW base station 180 may be secondary carriers ("SCells"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers enables UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rate. For example, two 20 MHz aggregated carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically result in a two-fold increase in data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) compared to that achieved with a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0085] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a UE 164, which may communicate with a macrocell base station 102 via a communication link 120 and / or with an mmW base station 180 via a mmW communication link 184. For example, the macrocell base station 102 may support a PCell and one or more SCells for the UE 164, and the mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for the UE 164. The UE 164 may also communicate directly with one or more other UEs 104 via a wireless side link 162. A wireless side link (or simply a "side link") is an adaptation of a core cellular (e.g., LTE, NR) standard that allows direct communication between two or more UEs without communicating through a base station. The side link 162 may operate on a wireless communication medium of interest that may be shared with other vehicles and / or infrastructure access points and other wireless communications between other RATs. The "medium" may consist of one or more time, frequency, and / or spatial communication resources (e.g., covering one or more channels on one or more carriers) associated with wireless communications between one or more transmitter / receiver pairs. Sidelink communications can be unicast or multicast, and can be used for device-to-device (D2D) media sharing, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications (e.g., cellular V2X (cV2X) communications, enhanced V2X (eV2X) communications, etc.), emergency rescue applications, etc.

[0086] In one aspect, the UE 164 may include a sensing component 166 that may enable the UE 164 to perform the UE environment sensing operations described herein. Similarly, the base station 102 may include a sensing component 166 that may enable the base station 102 to perform the base station environment sensing operations described herein. Figure 1 Only UE 164, one UE 104 and one base station 102 are shown to include sensing components 166, but Figure 1 Any UE and base station in may include a sensing component 166 .

[0087] The wireless communication system 100 may also include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, which are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more D2D peer-to-peer (P2P) links. Figure 1In the example, UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of UEs 104 connected to one of base stations 102 (e.g., through which UE 190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity) and a D2D P2P link 194 with WLAN STA 152 connected to WLAN AP 150 (through which UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In the example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can be supported by any well-known D2D RAT, such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), wait.

[0088] Cellular communications can use RF signals at mmWave frequencies for wireless communication between network nodes such as base stations, UEs, vehicles, factory automation machinery, etc. However, mmWave RF signals can also be used for other purposes, such as weapon systems (e.g., as short-range fire control radars in tanks and aircraft), security inspection systems (e.g., scanners for detecting weapons and other dangerous objects under clothing), medicine (e.g., treating diseases by altering cell growth), etc. In addition, mmW RF signals can be used for environmental sensing, such as object detection and motion sensing.

[0089] RF signals at mmW frequencies can provide high bandwidth and large aperture to extract accurate distance, Doppler, and angle information for environmental sensing. Using mmW RF signals for environmental sensing can provide such functionality in a compact form factor, such as a small sensing component that can be conveniently loaded into a handheld device. Such a sensing component (e.g., a chip) can be a digital signal processor (DSP), a system on a chip (SoC), or other processing components that can be integrated into another device (host device) (e.g., UE, base station, IoT device, factory automation machine, etc.). In one aspect, the sensing component can be or can be incorporated into a modem for wireless communication, such as a 5G modem, a 60GHz WLAN modem, etc. A device including a sensing component may be referred to as a host device, an environmental sensing device, a sensing device, etc.

[0090] Figure 2A The general process of sending and collecting mmW RF signal data according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. Figure 2A In the example of Figure 1The sensing component 166 in the embodiment sends a mmW RF signal with a predefined waveform, such as frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW). In FMCW technology, an RF signal with a known stable frequency continuous wave (i.e., an RF signal with constant amplitude and frequency) varies up and down in frequency over a fixed time period according to a modulating signal. The mmW RF signal can be sent in a beam (e.g., using beamforming) and can be reflected from nearby objects within the beam (e.g., a face or hand). A portion of the transmitted RF signal is reflected back to the sensing component 200. At stage 220, the sensing component 200 receives / detects RF return data (i.e., reflections of the transmitted mmW RF signal).

[0091] At stage 230, the sensing component 200 performs a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) on the raw RF return data. The FFT converts the RF signal from its original domain (here, time) to a representation in the frequency domain, and vice versa. The frequency difference between the received RF signal and the transmitted RF signal increases with the delay (i.e., the time between transmission and reception), and therefore with the distance (range). The sensing component 200 correlates the reflected RF signal with the transmitted RF signal to obtain distance, Doppler, and angle information associated with the target object. The range is the distance to the object, the Doppler is the velocity of the object, and the angle is the horizontal and / or vertical distance between the detected object and the reference RF ray emitted by the sensing component 200 (e.g., the initial RF ray of the beam scan).

[0092] Based on the determined properties of the reflected RF signal, the sensing component 200 can determine information about the characteristics and behavior of the detected object, including the size, shape, direction, material, distance, and speed of the object. At stage 240, the sensing component 200 classifies the detected object and / or the detected motion of the object based on the determined characteristics. For example, the sensing component 200 can use machine learning to classify the detected object as a hand and classify the detected motion of the object as a twisting motion. At stage 250, based on the classification of stage 240, the sensing component 200 can cause the host device to perform an action, such as turning a virtual dial on the screen of the host device, such as Figure 2A as shown in the example.

[0093] Figure 2B is a graph 260 illustrating example waveforms of transmitted and received FMCW RF signals according to aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 2B An example of sawtooth modulation is shown, which is a common FMCW waveform where range is required. Range information is mixed with Doppler velocity using this technique. Modulation can be turned off on alternate scans to use the unmodulated carrier frequency shift to identify velocity. This allows a set of radars to be used to determine range and velocity.

[0094] like Figure 2BAs shown, the received RF waveform (lower diagonal line) is simply a delayed replica of the transmitted RF waveform (upper diagonal line). The frequency of the transmitted waveform is used to down-convert the received RF waveform to baseband (a signal with a frequency range close to zero), and the amount of frequency shift between the transmitted RF waveform and the reflected (received) RF waveform increases with the time delay between them. Therefore, the time delay is a measure of the distance of the target object. For example, reflections from nearby objects will produce a smaller frequency spread, while reflections from farther objects will produce a larger frequency spread, resulting in a longer time delay between the transmitted and received RF waveforms.

[0095] Figure 3 An example electronic device 300 configured as an environment sensing device (i.e., having components and functions capable of performing environment sensing as described herein) according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated, which may incorporate a sensing component as described herein. It should be noted that Figure 3 It is intended only to provide a general description of the various components, any or all of which may be used as appropriate. Figure 3 It is broadly described how the various system components can be implemented in a relatively separate or relatively more integrated manner. In addition, it can be noted that Figure 3 The components shown may be located in a single device and / or distributed among various networked devices that may be located in different physical or geographical locations. The electronic device 300 may be, or be incorporated into, any of a variety of devices, including a WLAN AP (e.g., Figure 1 WLAN AP 150 in the example), cellular base stations (e.g., base station 102, small cell base station 102', Figure 1 mmW base stations 180 in the network) or UEs, such as "smart" speakers (e.g., Amazon Echo, Google Home, Apple HomePod, etc.) or other IoT devices, mobile phones, tablets, personal computers (PCs), laptops, security equipment (e.g., cameras, floodlights, etc.), factory automation machines, etc.

[0096] The electronic device 300 is shown as including hardware elements that can be electrically (communicatively) coupled via a bus 305 (or can communicate in other ways, as the case may be). The hardware elements may include a processing system 310, which may include, but is not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors, one or more special-purpose processors (e.g., DSPs, ASICs, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.), one or more processing cores and / or other processing structures, which may be configured to perform the functions described herein. The electronic device 300 may also include one or more input devices 315, which may include, but are not limited to, a touch screen, a mouse, a keyboard, a camera, a microphone, etc.; and one or more output devices 320, which may include, but are not limited to, a display device (e.g., a touch screen, one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs), a printer, etc.).

[0097] The electronic device 300 may also include (and / or communicate with) one or more non-transitory storage devices 325, which may include, but are not limited to, local and / or network accessible memory, and / or may include, but are not limited to, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices, such as random access memory (RAM) and / or read-only memory (ROM), which may be programmable, flash-updatable, etc. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data storage, including, but not limited to, various file systems, database structures, etc.

[0098] The electronic device 300 may also include a wireless communication device 330, which may include support for one or more wireless communication technologies (e.g., 5G, IEEE 802.11ad). The wireless communication device 330 may include a sensing component 333 (e.g., Figure 1 The sensing component 166 or Figure 2A The wireless communication device 330 may include one or more input and / or output communication interfaces to allow data and signaling to be exchanged with a wireless network (e.g., a 5G network) or other wireless devices within the wireless network. In one aspect, the sensing component 333 may include or be coupled to a transmitter antenna array 334 and a receiver antenna array 336, and the circuits connected to the transmitter antenna array 334 and the receiver antenna array 336 may be used for both the environmental sensing techniques and wireless data communications described herein. For example, in some aspects, the wireless communication device 330 may include a 5G modem capable of performing the environmental sensing techniques and wireless data communications described herein.

[0099] In some embodiments, the wireless communication device 330 may include an integrated communication device (e.g., embodied as a transmitter circuit and a receiver circuit of a single communication device), while in other implementations, may include separate transmitter devices and separate receiver devices, or may be embodied in other ways in other embodiments. In one aspect, the transmitter may include multiple antennas, such as a transmitter antenna array 334, which allows the electronic device 300 to perform transmit "beamforming", as further described herein. Similarly, the receiver may include multiple antennas, such as a receiver antenna array 336, which allows the electronic device 300 to perform receive beamforming, as described herein.

[0100] The electronic device 300 may also include a working memory 335, which may include RAM and / or ROM devices. The software elements shown as being located within the working memory 335 may include an operating system 340, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or other code (e.g., application programs 345), which may include computer programs provided by various aspects, and / or may be designed to implement methods and / or configuration systems provided by other aspects, as described herein. By way of example only, one or more processes described with respect to the methods discussed below may be implemented as code and / or instructions stored (e.g., temporarily) in the working memory 335 and executable by a computer (and / or a processing unit within the computer, such as the processing system 310); then, in one aspect, such code and / or instructions may be used to configure and / or adjust a general-purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations according to the described methods.

[0101] A set of these instructions and / or codes may be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as the storage device 325 described above. In some cases, the storage medium may be incorporated into a computer system such as the electronic device 300. In other aspects, the storage medium may be separate from the computer system (e.g., a removable medium such as an optical disk) and / or provided in an installation package so that the storage medium can be used to program, configure, and / or adapt a general-purpose computer with the instructions / codes stored thereon. These instructions may take the form of executable code that can be executed by the electronic device 300 and / or may take the form of source code and / or installable code that, when compiled and / or installed on the electronic device 300 (e.g., using various commonly available compilers, installers, compression / decompression utilities, etc.), then takes the form of executable code.

[0102] Spectrum in the 30 GHz to 300 GHz band has been used for wireless data communications in 5G NR and 802.11ad networks (e.g., 60 GHz communication networks). Larger bandwidths (e.g., greater than or equal to 2 GHz) can achieve data rates of several gigabits per second. Figure 4FIG400 is a diagram of various frequency bands above 24 GHz that may be used for wireless mobile communications. Figure 4 As shown, there are frequency bands at, around, or between the following frequencies: 24,250, 27,500, 28,350, 29,100, 29,250, 31,000, 31,300, 37,000, 38,600, 40,000, 42,000, 42,500, 64,000, 71,000, 76,000, 81,000, 86,000, 102,200, and 109,500 MHz. Of particular interest for NR 5G operation are the frequency bands from 27,500 MHz to 31,000 MHz and 37,000 MHz to 42,500 MHz.

[0103] Various frame structures may be used to support downlink and uplink transmissions between network nodes (eg, base stations and UEs). Figure 5 is a diagram 500 illustrating an example of a radio frame structure according to aspects of the present disclosure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0104] 5G NR uses orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) on the downlink and single carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) or OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are also commonly referred to as tones, frequency bins, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. In general, modulation symbols are sent in the frequency domain with OFDM and in the time domain with SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the spacing of the subcarriers can be 15kHz, and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) can be 12 subcarriers (or 180kHz). Therefore, for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz), the nominal FFT size may be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048, respectively. The system bandwidth can also be divided into subbands. For example, one subband may cover 1.08 MHz (ie, 6 resource blocks), and for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, there may be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands, respectively.

[0105] LTE supports a single digital scheme (subcarrier spacing, symbol length, etc.). In contrast, 5G NR may support multiple parameters (μ), for example, 15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz, 120kHz, and 240kHz or larger subcarrier spacing (SCS) may be available. Table 1 provided below lists some of the different parameters for different NR parameters. As shown in Table 2, as the SCS becomes wider, the time slot length becomes shorter. For example, for a 240kHz SCS in 28GHz, there are only 250 microseconds (μs) per time slot, and the short time slot reduces latency.

[0106]

[0107] Table 1

[0108] Figure 5 The frame structure for the 240kHz digital scheme is described. Figure 5 In the figure, time is represented horizontally (e.g., on the X-axis), where time increases from left to right. In the time domain, a radio frame (e.g., 10 ms) is divided into 10 equally sized subframes, each of 1 millisecond (ms), and each subframe is divided into 16 time slots of 0.0625 ms each. Each time slot is divided into 14 symbols, each of 4.17 μs. One time slot in the time domain and 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain are called a resource block (RB). An RB is further divided into multiple resource elements (REs). One RE corresponds to one symbol length in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain.

[0109] Beamforming at mmW frequencies will benefit many scenarios, including industrial IoT, AR / VR, autonomous driving, gaming, and more. Each of these scenarios requires large data throughput, precise beam alignment, fine-grained positioning, and ultra-low latency. However, various problems may arise. For example, beam alignment for mobility (i.e., UEs on the move) greatly reduces spectral efficiency and involves additional latency. As another example, for positioning purposes, there is still a gap between current capabilities and the desire to meet the centimeter-level granularity required for industrial applications. Environmental sensing using 5G mmW RF signals can address these issues.

[0110] For environmental sensing in the 5G mmW frequency band, a broadband signal using multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) is required. MIMO is a technology that uses multiple transmit and receive antennas to increase the capacity of a radio link to exploit multipath propagation. If the only purpose of the transmitted RF signal is for environmental sensing, a simple chirped waveform can be used. However, due to the shorter wavelength, more complex OFDM waveforms in the 5G mmW band can be used for both communication (e.g., through a 5G network) and environmental sensing. Figure 6A comparison between a simple chirp waveform and a more complex mmW OFDM waveform according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. Specifically, Figure 6 A graph 610 of an example chirp waveform and a graph 650 of an example mmW OFDM waveform are shown.

[0111] When using OFDM waveforms for environmental sensing, both downlink and uplink waveforms can be used for sensing operations. Figure 7 700 is a diagram of an example scenario in which a user's UE 720 is within communication range of an AP 710 (or other type of base station) according to aspects of the present disclosure. The AP 710 and the UE 720 can communicate via a wireless communication link configured according to, for example, 5G NR or IEEE 802.11ad. In addition, in the downlink, the AP 710 can use environmental sensing to detect the user's presence, movement, and actions for, for example, improved communication link establishment (e.g., the direction of the transmit beam forming the communication link). In the uplink, the UE 720 can use environmental sensing to provide sensing of interaction (e.g., proximity) with the user and / or AP 710 and / or determine other personal information.

[0112] According to one or more examples, environmental sensing using mmW RF signals provides non-vision-based, low-power, always-on contextual sensing, meaning that the environmental sensing device can sense objects and / or actions under any lighting conditions, even when the objects are blocked from the field of view of the environmental sensing device. Environmental sensing based on mmW RF signals also provides contactless interaction, enabling a user to interact with the environmental sensing device without touching the user interface of the sensing device (e.g., a touch screen, keyboard, etc.). Applications of environmental sensing include imaging the environment, such as creating a three-dimensional (3D) map of the environment for VR use cases, high-resolution positioning for, for example, industrial IoT use cases, assisting communications by, for example, providing more accurate beam tracking, and machine learning by, for example, providing an effective interface between human users and machines.

[0113] Figure 8 800 is a diagram of various uplink and downlink environmental sensing scenarios using 5G mmW RF signals according to aspects of the present disclosure. As an example of a downlink-based sensing scenario, according to 5G operation APs can configure downlink mmW RF signals for environmental sensing and use them to image the local environment to locate users playing VR games. At the same time, and potentially using the same downlink 5G mmW RF signals, The AP can communicate with the gamer’s UE for data transmission. As an example of an uplink-based sensing scenario, the UE can send an uplink 5G mmW RF signal to the gamer’s UE. The AP communicates and simultaneously uses the RF signal to interact with the user through facial or motion (eg, hand motion).

[0114] Fig. 9 is a diagram 900 of a V2V / V2X environment sensing scenario using 5G mmW RF signals according to aspects of the present disclosure. Fig. 9 In the example of , multiple vehicles, referred to as "vehicle UEs" or "V-UEs", and pedestrian UEs (P-UEs) can communicate with each other via a sidelink communication link, which is a P2P / D2D communication link operating in accordance with the 5G communication standard. In the sidelink sensing scenario, the V-UE and / or P-UE transmit 5G mmW RF signals to provide information to nearby UEs, and in addition, measure the distance to neighboring objects (e.g., other V-UEs, roadside access points, P-UEs, etc.), and measure the possible relative positions of neighboring objects.

[0115] The present disclosure provides techniques for combining 5G communications at mmW frequencies with environmental sensing, thereby providing improved communications (e.g., by reducing the amount of time required for beam alignment) and additional dimensions for radar applications. In order to use 5G mmW RF signals used for communication for environmental sensing, the environmental sensing device needs to determine how to combine a sensing waveform (i.e., a 5G mmW RF signal used for environmental sensing) with an NR OFDM waveform (i.e., a millimeter wave RF signal used for communication in accordance with the 5G standard). The environmental sensing device also needs to determine how to send the sensing waveform. Parameters that affect these determinations include power control of the sensing waveform, bandwidth configuration of the sensing waveform, duration configuration of the sensing waveform, and / or antenna configuration of the sensing waveform.

[0116] Power control of the sensing waveform may be based on one or more factors. One factor may be related to sensing granularity. For example, if the environmental sensing device senses only within a short distance (e.g., 1 meter or less), the sensing device may configure (e.g., set) the effective transmit power of the sensing waveform so that it propagates only within a given range.

[0117] Another factor may be related to interference management. For example, for two environmental sensing devices within a threshold distance of each other, the transmit power of the sensing waveform should be low enough to avoid causing interference to nearby environmental sensing devices. In the case where the environmental sensing device is a UE, the uplink transmit power should not be increased or decreased so as to negatively impact the uplink reception at the base station or access point. Similarly, in the case where the environmental sensing device is a base station, the downlink transmit power should not be increased or decreased so as to negatively impact the reception at the UE.

[0118] Another factor may be related to the application scenario. For example, for an industrial IoT scenario that requires centimeter resolution for positioning, the transmit power should be configured (e.g., set) to avoid interference to IoT devices adjacent to the IoT device being sensed. As another example, for an indoor VR scenario, sensing is required throughout the room where the VR system is located, so the transmit power should be set high enough to provide sensing throughout the room.

[0119] Another factor controlling the power of the sensing waveform may be related to uplink transmit power. For example, the base station may indicate the uplink transmit power level allowed for environmental sensing, just as it indicates the uplink transmit power for communications.

[0120] The bandwidth selected for the sensing waveform can also be based on one or more factors. One factor may be related to the resolution of the sensing range. For example, the range resolution is given by c / 2B, where c is the speed of light and B is the bandwidth used. Larger values ​​of B result in higher resolution, but at a higher resource and computational cost.

[0121] Another factor may be related to the application scenario. For example, for industrial IoT scenarios, tracking the movement of a robotic arm may require centimeters or even millimeters of resolution, so the selected bandwidth will need to provide a high enough resolution to detect such small movements. As another example, for indoor VR scenarios, large gestures require meters or possibly centimeters of resolution, which does not require bandwidth as high as millimeter resolution.

[0122] Another factor may be related to the capabilities of the UE. For example, the UE may only support a maximum bandwidth of 100 MHz, and therefore, the bandwidth of the sensing waveform should not exceed 100 MHz.

[0123] The duration selected for the sensing waveform can also be based on one or more factors. One factor may be related to the Doppler resolution (also called "velocity resolution") required for environmental sensing. For example, Doppler resolution is given by λ / 2T, where λ is the wavelength and T is the duration selected for analyzing the Doppler effect. Larger values ​​of T will result in higher resolution, but at the expense of higher latency.

[0124] Another factor may be related to the application scenario. For example, for V2X scenarios, the V-UE needs a reasonably accurate Doppler estimate with low latency due to the high mobility of the V-UE. Therefore, a duration should be selected to balance the need for accurate Doppler estimation in a short time. As another example, for indoor VR scenarios, large gesture movements are usually slow. In this case, the Doppler resolution should be high enough to capture the motion, and high latency is allowed because the motion speed is low.

[0125] Another factor may be related to the capabilities of the UE. For example, the UE may not be able to perform the fast calculations and short-time estimation required for low-latency Doppler estimation, but may only be able to process a long period of time.

[0126] Another factor may be related to the available time / frequency resources for sensing the waveform. For example, if only 4% of the available resources are allowed to be used for environmental sensing, the time available for Doppler estimation will be limited.

[0127] The antenna configuration selected for sensing waveforms can also be based on one or more factors. One factor may be related to the angular resolution of environmental sensing. For example, the angular resolution is roughly given by λ / D, where λ is the wavelength and D is the size of the antenna array. Therefore, the larger the antenna array (i.e., the more antenna elements in the array), the finer the angular resolution.

[0128] Another factor may be related to the application scenario. For example, for an industrial IoT scenario, a robotic arm may require highly precise directional control, and therefore the environmental sensing device may need to be provided with a larger antenna array.

[0129] Another factor may be related to the capabilities of the UE. For example, the UE may be configured with only one specific antenna array, which will limit the angular resolution. For example, the UE may have been manufactured with only one antenna array, or may have only one antenna array that is capable of providing angular information.

[0130] As will be appreciated, in addition to the above-described NR-based solutions, the techniques described herein may also be used for unlicensed mmW WLAN bands (e.g., 60 GHz bands) and terahertz (THz) bands. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to mmW bands. In addition, in addition to determining parameters for environmental sensing using uplink RF signals, similar parameters may be used to determine parameters for environmental sensing using downlink RF signals, particularly in the case of small cell base stations or WLAN APs. Similarly, parameters for environmental sensing using sidelink transmissions may be determined similarly to parameters for environmental sensing using uplink RF signals.

[0131] Fig. 10A An example method 1000 for environment sensing according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The method 1000 may be performed by a UE (eg, electronic device 300) configured to perform environment sensing (eg, having the hardware and software required to implement environment sensing).

[0132] At 1010, the UE receives one or more transmission parameters for an environment sensing RF signal, the one or more transmission parameters being based on one or more factors, the environment sensing RF signal comprising an RF signal configured to send information on one or more OFDM symbols. The UE may receive the one or more transmission parameters from its serving base station. In one aspect, the one or more transmission parameters may be received in a configuration for the RF signal. In one aspect, operation 1010 may be performed by sensing component 333, wireless communication device 330, processing system 310, and / or working memory 335, any one or all of which may be considered as a unit for performing the operation.

[0133] At 1020, the UE transmits an environment sensing RF signal according to one or more transmission parameters. In one aspect, operation 1020 may be performed by sensing component 333, wireless communication device 330, processing system 310, and / or working memory 335, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing the operation.

[0134] Fig. 10B An example method 1050 for activity detection using radar according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The method 1050 may be performed by an electronic device such as the electronic device 300.

[0135] At 1060, the electronic device configures one or more transmission parameters for an environment sensing RF signal based on one or more factors, the environment sensing RF signal comprising an RF signal configured to send information on an OFDM symbol. In one aspect, operation 1060 may be performed by sensing component 333, wireless communication device 330, processing system 310, and / or working memory 335, any one or all of which may be considered a means for performing the operation.

[0136] At 1070, the electronic device transmits an environment sensing RF signal according to one or more transmission parameters. In one aspect, operation 1070 may be performed by sensing component 333, wireless communication device 330, processing system 310, and / or working memory 335, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing the operation.

[0137] Fig.11 An example method 1100 for environment sensing according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The method 1100 may be performed by a base station, such as the electronic device 300 (when configured as a base station).

[0138] At 1110, the base station sends one or more transmission parameters for an environment sensing RF signal to a UE (e.g., any UE described herein), the one or more transmission parameters being based on one or more factors, the environment sensing RF signal comprising an RF signal configured to transmit information on one or more OFDM symbols. In one aspect, operation 1110 may be performed by sensing component 333, wireless communication device 330, processing system 310, and / or working memory 335, any or all of which may be considered as a means for performing the operation.

[0139] At 1120, the base station receives an environment sensing RF signal from the UE. In one aspect, operation 1120 may be performed by sensing component 333, wireless communication device 330, processing system 310, and / or working memory 335, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing the operation.

[0140] As will be appreciated, methods 1000 and 1100 enable reusing 5G NR signals for environmental sensing.

[0141] Fig.12 An example user device 1200 according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The user device 1200 may include a memory 1210, a communication device 1220, and at least one processor 1230. The memory 1210, the communication device 1220, and the at least one processor 1230 may be coupled to each other via a data bus 1240. In one aspect, the memory 1210 may correspond to the storage device 325 and / or the working memory 335, the communication device 1220 may correspond to the wireless communication device 330 and / or the sensing component 333, and the at least one processor 1230 may correspond to the processing system 310 and / or the sensing component 333.

[0142] Fig.13 An example base station 1300 according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The base station 1300 may include a memory 1310, a communication device 1320, and at least one processor 1330. The memory 1310, the communication device 1320, and the at least one processor 1330 may be coupled to each other via a data bus 1340. In one aspect, the memory 1310 may correspond to a storage device 325 and / or a working memory 335, the communication device 1320 may correspond to a wireless communication device 330 and / or a sensing component 333, and the at least one processor 1330 may correspond to a processing system 310 and / or a sensing component 333.

[0143] Fig.14An example user device 1400 represented as a series of interrelated functional modules is illustrated. The user device 1400 may include a module 1410 for receiving and a module 1420 for transmitting. In one aspect, the module 1410 for receiving may correspond to the sensing component 333, the wireless communication device 330, the processing system 310, and / or the working memory 335, and the module 1420 for transmitting may correspond to the sensing component 333, the wireless communication device 330, the processing system 310, and / or the working memory 335.

[0144] Fig.15 An example base station 1500 represented as a series of interrelated functional modules is illustrated. The base station 1500 may include a module 1510 for transmitting and a module 1520 for receiving. In an aspect, the module 1510 for transmitting may correspond to the sensing component 333, the wireless communication device 330, the processing system 310, and / or the working memory 335, and the module 1520 for receiving may correspond to the sensing component 333, the wireless communication device 330, the processing system 310, and / or the working memory 335.

[0145] Fig.14 and 15 The functional modules of the present invention can be implemented in various ways consistent with the teachings of this article. In some designs, the functions of these modules can be implemented as one or more electronic components. In some designs, the functions of these blocks can be implemented as a processing system including one or more processor components. In some designs, the functions of these modules can be implemented using, for example, at least a portion of one or more integrated circuits (e.g., ASICs). As discussed herein, an integrated circuit may include a processor, software, other related components, or some combination thereof. Therefore, the functions of different modules can be implemented, for example, as different subsets of an integrated circuit, as different subsets of a set of software modules, or a combination thereof. In addition, it will be understood that a given subset (e.g., of an integrated circuit and / or a set of software modules) can provide at least a portion of the functionality for more than one module.

[0146] also, Fig.14 and Fig.15 The components and functions shown, as well as other components and functions described herein, may be implemented using any suitable means. Such means may also be implemented, at least in part, using corresponding structures as taught herein. For example, the above combined Fig.14 and Fig.15 The components of the "means for ..." components may also correspond to similarly designated "means for ..." functionality. Thus, in some aspects, one or more of such means may be implemented using one or more processor components, integrated circuits, or other suitable structures as taught herein.

[0147] Since both 5G communications and environmental sensing use mmW frequencies, it would be beneficial to reuse the 5G OFDM waveform as an environmental sensing waveform, providing improved communications (e.g., by reducing the time required for beam alignment) and an additional dimension for radar applications. In order to use the 5G mmW RF signals used for communications for environmental sensing, the environmental sensing device needs to determine how to combine the sensing waveform (i.e., the mmW RF signal used for environmental sensing) with the 5G OFDM waveform (i.e., the millimeter wave RF signal used for communication according to the 5G standard). The environmental sensing device also needs to determine how to send the sensing waveform.

[0148] The present disclosure provides a technology for environmental sensing using an existing 5G communication waveform (i.e., OFDM waveform) at mmW frequency. In the first solution, when the environmental sensing device is a UE, the UE can use the existing 5G uplink OFDM waveform for environmental sensing. In the second solution, also when the environmental sensing device is a UE, the UE can use the physical random access channel (PRACH) in 5G for environmental sensing. In the third solution, an indication of the environmental sensing capability of the UE can be added to the capability report sent by the UE to the network. In the fourth solution, the UE's serving base station can indicate the sensing waveform pattern to the UE.

[0149] Now referring to the first solution, the UE (as an environment sensing device) can use the existing uplink OFDM waveform, including the sounding reference signal (SRS), the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), as a radar signal (i.e., a millimeter wave RF signal) for environment sensing. The base station uses the SRS to obtain the channel state information (CSI) of the UE. The CSI describes how the RF signal propagates from the UE to the base station and represents the combined effects of scattering, fading, and power attenuation with distance. The base station uses the SRS for resource scheduling, link adaptation, MIMO, beam management, etc. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, CSI reports, channel quality indications (CQI), precoding matrix indicators (PMI), rank indicators (RI), and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback. The physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) carries data for the UE and can also be used to carry buffer status reports (BSRs), power headroom reports (PHRs), and / or UCI.

[0150] In order to use these existing channels for environmental sensing, the UE can send uplink RF signals (e.g., for uplink data transmission, channel estimation, etc.) on these channels configured by the serving base station, and then monitor the corresponding reflected RF signals. That is, the UE's serving base station at least indicates (i.e., configures) to the UE the time (e.g., symbol, time slot, radio frame, etc.) and frequency (e.g., physical resource block, subcarrier, bandwidth part, etc.) resources on which SRS, PUSCH and / or PUCCH are sent. The UE can send SRS, PUSCH and / or PUCCH according to the indicated time and frequency resources received from the base station (i.e., according to the configuration). The UE can then monitor the reflections of the sent SRS, PUSCH and / or PUCCH. Alternatively or additionally, the UE can only send uplink signals for environmental sensing that are configured as OFDM signals.

[0151] Fig.16 An example of using an existing wideband SRS as a radar signal for environmental sensing according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. Specifically, Fig.16 A time slot pattern 1600 for uplink communication and a radar pattern 1650 for environmental sensing are illustrated. The time slot pattern 1600 is a pattern of two downlink (labeled "DL") time slots followed by one uplink (labeled "UL") time slot. Within each uplink time slot is an SRS 1602 sent on one or more symbols that can be reused as an environmental sensing signal. The SRS 1602 in the uplink time slot is typically sent in a fixed and periodic pattern to enable the receiving base station to measure the properties of the uplink channel between the UE and the base station. The SRS pattern can be considered a radar pattern 1650. Therefore, the UE sends uplink data to the base station during the uplink time slot of the time slot pattern 1600, sends the SRS 1602 to the base station for channel estimation, and then monitors the reflection of the SRS 1602 to reuse the SRS 1602 for environmental sensing.

[0152] However, there are some disadvantages to using OFDM waveforms for environmental sensing. For example, there may be some radar accuracy loss due to the sensitivity to carrier frequency offset (CFO) using typical oscillators. To compensate, the UE's ability to use existing 5G RF signals for environmental sensing should include the UE's sensing hardware design, such as its oscillator capabilities.

[0153] Now referring to the second solution, the UE (as an environmental sensing device) can reuse the existing PRACH, also known as the random access channel (RACH), in 5G as a radar signal for environmental sensing. More specifically, the UE can use the PRACH preamble as a radar signal for environmental sensing. The PRACH procedure (also known as the "random access procedure") allows the UE to perform network access and achieve uplink synchronization. Specifically, during the PRACH procedure, the UE sends a specific pattern on the PRACH, called a preamble (also known as a "sequence"), to distinguish the UE's access request from access requests from other UEs. The preamble can be encoded based on the ZadoffChu sequence.

[0154] To use the PRACH preamble for environment sensing, the UE sends the PRACH preamble and monitors the corresponding reflected RF signal. The UE may send the PRACH preamble as part of the network access or network synchronization process, or only for environment sensing.

[0155] Fig.17A 1700 is a diagram illustrating an example pattern of PRACH preamble transmissions in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The periodic transmission of the PRACH preamble 1702 is assumed to be a pulse-based waveform, which means that the accuracy should be acceptable. The density of the PRACH preamble 1702 is lower than other uplink channels, with a narrower bandwidth (as shown by the PRACH preamble 1702 being shorter than the data payload shown). In addition, the PRACH preamble 1702 has a shorter length than the data payload.

[0156] Fig. 17B and 17C is a diagram illustrating the use of PRACH preambles for environmental sensing during various radio resource control (RRC) states according to aspects of the present disclosure. When the UE is powered on, it is initially in the RRC disconnected / idle state. After the PRACH procedure, the UE is in the RRC connected state. If the UE is inactive for a short period of time, it can suspend its session by moving to the RRC inactive state. The UE can resume its session by performing another PRACH procedure to transition back to the RRC connected state. Therefore, regardless of whether the UE is in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state, the UE needs to perform a PRACH procedure to transition to the RRC connected state.

[0157] Fig. 17B 1740 is a diagram illustrating a scenario in which a UE uses a PRACH preamble 1742 transmitted when the UE is in an RRC idle state for environment sensing. In the idle state, the UE will monitor the reflections of the PRACH preamble 1742 and process them to detect objects and / or motion of objects reflecting the PRACH preamble 1742.

[0158] Fig. 17C 1770 is a diagram illustrating a scenario in which a UE can use a PRACH preamble 1772 transmitted when the UE is in any RRC state for environmental sensing. Thus, whether in an idle state or a connected state, as shown, the transmitted PRACH preamble 1772 can be reused for environmental sensing. The UE can monitor reflections of the PRACH preamble 1772 and process them to detect objects and / or motion of objects reflecting the PRACH preamble 1772.

[0159] Now referring to the third solution disclosed herein, the UE may indicate to the network (e.g., a serving base station) its ability to perform environmental sensing. The indicated capability may be at least an indication of the UE's ability to perform environmental sensing using existing uplink 5G communication signals (e.g., SRS, PUSCH, PUCCH, PRACH). The indicated capability may be at least related to the hardware constraints of the UE supporting environmental sensing functions, such as the UE's ability to detect and process reflections of uplink RF signals for 5G communications. The indicated capability may also be related to the UE's sensing level, such as sensing granularity (i.e., the level of detail or resolution of the sensing), the bandwidth supported by the UE, and power control for the sensing signal.

[0160] Now referring to the fourth solution, where the network (e.g., serving base station) indicates the environmental sensing configuration, there are two modes of the sensing process. In the first mode, the UE can utilize the 5G uplink signal it sends for communication purposes to perform environmental sensing based on the UE's implementation. The uplink transmission configuration received from the network is only used for uplink transmission of 5G communication, and the UE is not configured to send or use uplink RF signals for environmental sensing.

[0161] Fig.18A An example method 1800 for configuring a UE for uplink transmission according to a first mode disclosed herein is illustrated. At 1802, a network entity (e.g., a serving base station of the UE) sends an uplink transmission configuration message to the UE. The uplink transmission configuration message may specify time and / or frequency resources that the UE may use for uplink transmission for communication purposes, such as time and / or frequency resources for SRS, PUCCH, or PUSCH.

[0162] At 1804, the UE sends uplink data on the configured uplink resources. For example, the UE may send an SRS on the configured resources, or may send data on the PUCCH and / or PUSCH. The uplink signal may be reflected from one or more objects 1808, and the UE may monitor reflections 1810 (i.e., reflected signals) of the transmitted uplink signal and process them to detect the object 1808 reflecting the uplink signal and / or the motion of the object 1808. Since the network does not configure the UE for environmental sensing, it performs environmental sensing based on, for example, manufacturer design or user instructions.

[0163] In the second mode, the network (e.g., a serving base station) may configure uplink time and / or frequency resources for the UE for environmental sensing. Specifically, the UE may send an environmental sensing request to the network, indicating that the UE is requesting resources configured for environmental sensing. The sensing request may include the UE's ability to use uplink communication signals for environmental sensing so that the network can configure appropriate resources for the UE. Alternatively or additionally, the sensing request may indicate the UE's maximum transmit power and / or the time and / or frequency resources on which the UE requests to send uplink RF signals for environmental sensing. For example, the request may identify or otherwise specify that the UE is requesting to use SRS, PUCCH, and / or PUSCH for environmental sensing.

[0164] The network may respond to the sensing request with an uplink transmission configuration that configures the UE with time and / or frequency resources on which to send uplink RF signals. The uplink transmission configuration may configure the UE with resources for environmental sensing only or for sensing and communication with the network.

[0165] Fig.18B An example method 1850 for configuring a UE for uplink transmission according to a second mode disclosed herein is shown. At 1852, the UE sends an environmental sensing request to a network (e.g., a serving base station of the UE). As described above, the sensing request may include the UE's ability to use uplink communication signals for environmental sensing and / or the UE's maximum transmit power and / or an indication of the time and / or frequency resources on which the UE requests to send uplink RF signals for environmental sensing. The UE may send a sensing request in response to user input or because the UE has been manufactured to perform environmental sensing using uplink 5G RF signals as described herein.

[0166] At 1854, the network sends an uplink transmission configuration message to the UE. The uplink transmission configuration message may specify time and / or frequency resources that the UE may use for uplink transmission, such as time and / or frequency resources for SRS, PUCCH, or PUSCH. The response may indicate that the UE will use the configured resources only for environmental sensing or for both environmental sensing and communication with the network.

[0167] At 1856, the UE sends an uplink RF signal on the configured uplink resources. For example, the UE may send an SRS on the configured resources, or may send data on the PUCCH and / or PUSCH. The uplink RF signal may be used only for environmental sensing, or for environmental sensing and communication with the network, depending on the configuration received from the network at 1854. The uplink RF signal may be reflected 1858 from an object, and the UE may monitor the transmitted uplink RF signal reflections 1860 (i.e., the reflected RF signal) and process it to detect the object 1858 reflecting the uplink RF signal and / or the motion of the object 1858.

[0168] Still referring to the fourth scheme described in this article, the network configures the resources to be used for environmental sensing for the UE, and the network can specifically configure uplink time and / or frequency resources for environmental sensing to make sensing more efficient. However, the configured resources are still 5G wireless communication resources used for data transmission (e.g., SRS, PUCCH, PUSCH) and network synchronization (e.g., PRACH). The uplink transmission configuration may include transmit power control information (e.g., specifying the uplink transmit power that the UE should use for environmental sensing), bandwidth configuration information (specifying the bandwidth that the UE should use for environmental sensing), and time division duplex (TDD) mode (specifying different time slots for uplink transmission and downlink reception). The transmission configuration may also include an indication that the UE will use the configured resources for environmental sensing.

[0169] For uplink resources to be used for environmental sensing, the parameters that the network can change include the bandwidth of the configured resources, the uplink transmit power to be used when sending on the configured resources, the TDD mode of the configured resources, and / or whether the configured resources are repeated. For example, the indicated sensing resources may have a larger bandwidth than resources used only for communication. As another example, the transmission configuration may indicate that the UE should use a lower transmit power when transmitting on the configured sensing resources. As another example, the indicated sensing resources may have a higher density TDD mode (e.g., more frequent uplink time slots). As another example, the indicated sensing resources may be a repetition of a previous uplink channel (e.g., a repetition of a previous PUCCH).

[0170] Fig.19An example modification of PRACH preamble transmission for environment sensing according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. Fig.19 In the example of FIG. 1 , a first series of PRACH preambles 1900 with a “normal” density is shown. In this case, the “normal” density is the density at which a UE sends a PRACH preamble in a 5G network for network access and / or network synchronization. Fig.19 A second series of PRACH preambles 1950 with increased density and shorter preamble length is further shown. Although the PRACH preambles in the second series of PRACH preambles 1950 are 5G PRACH preambles, their characteristics (here, density and length) have been modified to make them more effective for environmental sensing. Specifically, the higher density and shorter length make the PRACH preambles more similar to radar pulses, thereby improving the resolution of the sensing environment.

[0171] As will be appreciated, in addition to the above-mentioned NR-based solutions, the techniques described herein can also be used for unlicensed mmW WLAN bands (e.g., 60 GHz bands) and terahertz (THz) bands. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to mmW frequency bands. In addition, in addition to determining the resources of the uplink RF signal for environmental sensing, similar techniques can be used to determine the resources for environmental sensing using downlink RF signals, especially in the case of small cell base stations or WLAN APs. For example, such a base station can use a positioning reference signal (PRS), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a primary synchronization signal (PSS), or a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) for downlink environmental sensing. In addition, the resources for sidelink transmission for environmental sensing can be determined similarly to the resources for environmental sensing using uplink RF signals.

[0172] Fig. 20A An example method 2000 for environment sensing according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The method 2000 may be performed by an electronic device configured to perform environment sensing, such as the electronic device 300.

[0173] At 2010, the electronic device transmits an environment sensing RF signal carrying information on one or more OFDM symbols. In one aspect, operation 2010 may be performed by sensing component 333, wireless communication device 330, processing system 310, and / or working memory 335, any or all of which may be considered as a means for performing the operation.

[0174] At 2020, the electronic device receives a reflected RF signal, the reflected RF signal comprising a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in the path of the environment sensing RF signal. In one aspect, operation 2020 may be performed by sensing component 333, wireless communication device 330, processing system 310, and / or working memory 335, any or all of which may be considered as a means for performing the operation.

[0175] Fig. 20B An example method 2050 for environment sensing according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The method 2050 may be performed by an electronic device configured for environment sensing, such as the electronic device 300.

[0176] At 2060, the electronic device transmits an environment sensing RF signal on one or more time and / or frequency resources, the environment sensing RF signal being configured on one or more time and / or frequency resources according to a wireless communication standard. In one aspect, operation 2060 may be performed by sensing component 333, wireless communication device 330, processing system 310, and / or working memory 335, any one or all of which may be considered a unit for performing the operation.

[0177] At 2070, the electronic device receives a reflected RF signal, the reflected RF signal comprising a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in the path of the environment sensing RF signal. In one aspect, operation 2070 may be performed by sensing component 333, wireless communication device 330, processing system 310, and / or working memory 335, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing the operation.

[0178] Fig.21 An example method 2100 for environment sensing according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The method 2100 may be performed by a user equipment (UE), such as the electronic device 300, configured to perform environment sensing.

[0179] At 2110, the UE sends an environment sensing RF signal including a PRACH preamble to the base station. In one aspect, operation 2110 may be performed by sensing component 333, wireless communication device 330, processing system 310, and / or working memory 335, any one or all of which may be considered as a means for performing the operation.

[0180] At 2120, the UE receives a reflected RF signal, the reflected RF signal comprising a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in the path of the environment sensing RF signal. In one aspect, operation 2120 may be performed by sensing component 333, wireless communication device 330, processing system 310, and / or working memory 335, any one or all of which may be considered a means for performing the operation.

[0181] As will be appreciated, methods 2000 and 2100 are able to reuse 5G NR signals for environmental sensing.

[0182] Fig. 22 An example electronic device 2200 according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In one aspect, the electronic device 2200 may be a UE, a base station, etc. The electronic device 2200 may include a memory 2210, a communication device 2220, and at least one processor 2230. The memory 2210, the communication device 2220, and the at least one processor 2230 may be coupled to each other via a data bus 2240. In one aspect, the memory 2210 may correspond to a storage device 325 and / or a working memory 335, the communication device 2220 may correspond to a wireless communication device 330 and / or a sensing component 333, and the at least one processor 2230 may correspond to a processing system 310 and / or a sensing component 333.

[0183] Fig.23 An example user device 2300 according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The user device 2300 may include a memory 2310, a communication device 2320, and at least one processor 2330. The memory 2310, the communication device 2320, and the at least one processor 2330 may be coupled to each other via a data bus 2340. In one aspect, the memory 2310 may correspond to a storage device 325 and / or a working memory 335, the communication device 2320 may correspond to a wireless communication device 330 and / or a sensing component 333, and the at least one processor 2330 may correspond to a processing system 310 and / or a sensing component 333.

[0184] Fig.24 An example electronic device 2400 represented as a series of interrelated functional modules is illustrated. In one aspect, the electronic device 2400 may be a UE, a base station, etc. The electronic device 2400 may include a module 2410 for transmitting and a module 2420 for receiving. In one aspect, the module 2410 for transmitting may correspond to the sensing component 333, the wireless communication device 330, the processing system 310, and / or the working memory 335, and the module 2420 for receiving may correspond to the sensing component 333, the wireless communication device 330, the processing system 310, and / or the working memory 335.

[0185] Fig.25An example user device 2500 represented as a series of interrelated functional modules is illustrated. The user device 2500 may include a module for transmitting 2510 and a module for receiving 2520. In one aspect, the module for transmitting 2510 may correspond to the sensing component 333, the wireless communication device 330, the processing system 310 and / or the working memory 335, and the receiving module 2520 may correspond to the sensing component 333, the wireless communication device 330, the processing system 310 and / or the working memory 335.

[0186] Fig.24 and 25 The functions of the modules can be implemented in various ways consistent with the teachings of this article. In some designs, the functions of these modules can be implemented as one or more electronic components. In some designs, the functions of these blocks can be implemented as a processing system including one or more processor components. In some designs, the functions of these modules can be implemented using, for example, at least a portion of one or more integrated circuits (e.g., ASICs). As discussed herein, an integrated circuit may include a processor, software, other related components, or some combination thereof. Therefore, the functions of different modules can be implemented, for example, as different subsets of an integrated circuit, as different subsets of a set of software modules, or a combination thereof. In addition, it will be understood that a given subset (e.g., of an integrated circuit and / or a set of software modules) can provide at least a portion of the functions for more than one module.

[0187] Fig.24 and Fig.25 The components and functions shown, as well as other components and functions described herein, may be implemented using any suitable means. Such means may also be implemented, at least in part, using corresponding structures as taught herein. For example, the above combined Fig.24 and Fig.25 Components described as "means for..." may also correspond to similarly designated "means for..." functionality. Thus, in some aspects, one or more of such means may be implemented using one or more processor components, integrated circuits, or other suitable structures as taught herein.

[0188] It may be noted that although specific frequencies, integrated circuits (ICs), hardware, and other features are described in aspects herein, alternative aspects may vary. That is, alternative aspects may utilize additional or alternative frequencies (e.g., other 60 GHz and / or 28 GHz frequency bands), antenna elements (e.g., arrays of antenna elements of different sizes / shapes), scanning cycles (including static and dynamic scanning cycles), electronic devices (e.g., WLAN APs, cellular base stations, smart speakers, IoT devices, mobile phones, tablets, personal computers (PCs), etc.), and / or other functionality. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate such variations.

[0189] It should be understood that any reference to an element using names such as "first", "second" etc. herein does not generally limit the quantity or order of these elements. On the contrary, these names can be used as a convenient method to distinguish two or more elements or instances of elements in this article. Therefore, the reference to the first and second elements does not mean that only two elements can be used here or that the first element must be before the second element in some way. In addition, unless otherwise specified, a group of elements may include one or more elements. In addition, the term "at least one of A, B or C" or "one or more of A, B or C" or "at least one of the group consisting of A, B and C" in the specification or claims refers to "A or B or C or any combination of these elements". For example, the term may include A, or B, or C, or A and B, or A and C, or A and B and C, or 2A, or 2B, or 2C, etc.

[0190] In view of the above description and explanation, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits and algorithmic steps described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software or a combination of the two. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits and steps have been described above generally according to their functions. Whether this function is implemented as hardware or software depends on specific applications and the design constraints imposed on the entire system. A skilled person can implement the described functions in different ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing deviations from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0191] Thus, it will be understood that, for example, a device or any component of a device may be configured (or made operable or adapted) to provide functionality as taught herein. This may be accomplished, for example, by manufacturing (e.g., fabricating) the device or component so that it provides the functionality; by programming the device or component so that it provides the functionality; or by using some other suitable implementation technique. As an example, an integrated circuit may be manufactured to provide the necessary functionality. As another example, an integrated circuit may be manufactured to support the necessary functionality and then configured (e.g., by programming) to provide the necessary functionality. As yet another example, a processor circuit may execute code to provide the necessary functionality.

[0192] In addition, the methods, sequences and / or algorithms described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module may reside in a random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a compact disk ROM (CD-ROM), or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An example storage medium is coupled to a processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor (e.g., a cache memory).

[0193] Although the foregoing disclosure shows various illustrative aspects, it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made to the illustrated examples without departing from the scope defined by the appended claims. The present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the specifically illustrated examples. For example, unless otherwise stated, the functions, steps, and / or actions of the method claims according to the aspects of the present disclosure described herein do not need to be performed in any particular order. In addition, although certain aspects may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural form may be considered unless a limitation to the singular is explicitly stated.

[0194] It can be seen in the detailed description above that different features are combined together in the examples. This disclosure should not be interpreted as an intention that the example clauses have more features than those explicitly mentioned in each clause. On the contrary, various aspects of the present disclosure may include less than all the features of the disclosed single example clauses. Therefore, the following clauses should be deemed to be included in the specification, where each clause itself can be used as a separate example. Although each dependent clause can refer to a specific combination with one of the other clauses in the clause, the aspects of the dependent clause are not limited to a specific combination. It should be understood that other example clauses may also include a combination of the subject matter of the dependent clause with any other dependent clause or independent clause, or any feature with other dependent and independent clauses. Various aspects disclosed herein explicitly include these combinations, unless it is clearly expressed or it can be easily inferred that a specific combination is not intended (for example, contradictory aspects, such as defining an element as an insulator and a conductor). In addition, even if the clause is not directly dependent on the independent clause, various aspects of the clause may be included in any other independent clause.

[0195] Implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0196] Item 1. An environment sensing method performed by an electronic device, comprising: configuring one or more transmission parameters for an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal based on one or more factors, the environment sensing RF signal comprising an RF signal configured to send information on an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol; and sending the environment sensing RF signal according to the one or more transmission parameters.

[0197] Clause 2. A method according to clause 1, wherein the one or more transmission parameters include power control for an environment sensing RF signal, bandwidth configuration for an environment sensing RF signal, duration configuration for an environment sensing RF signal, antenna configuration for an environment sensing RF signal, or any combination thereof.

[0198] Clause 3. A method according to clause 2, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least: power control for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: the sensing granularity to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, the amount of interference allowed for the environment sensing RF signal, the type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, the transmission power allowed by the electronic device, or any combination thereof.

[0199] Clause 4. A method according to any one of clauses 2 to 3, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least a bandwidth configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: a sensing range resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, a type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is transmitted, a maximum bandwidth capability of the electronic device, or any combination thereof.

[0200] Clause 5. A method as described in any of clauses 2 to 4, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least a duration configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: the sensing Doppler resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, the type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, the Doppler calculation capability of the electronic device, the amount of time and frequency resources allocated to the environment sensing RF signal, or any combination thereof.

[0201] Clause 6. A method according to any one of clauses 2 to 5, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least an antenna configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: a sensing angular resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, a type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is transmitted, a size of an antenna array of an electronic device configured to transmit the environment sensing RF signal, or any combination thereof.

[0202] Clause 7. A method as described in any of clauses 1 to 6, wherein the environment sensing RF signal comprises an RF signal configured according to a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) wireless communication standard.

[0203] Clause 8. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 6, wherein the environment sensing RF signal comprises an RF signal configured in accordance with an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) wireless communications standard.

[0204] Clause 9. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 8, wherein the environment sensing RF signal is in a 60 gigahertz (GHz) frequency band, a millimeter wave (mmW) frequency band, or a terahertz (THz) frequency band.

[0205] Clause 10. A method as described in any of clauses 1 to 9, wherein: the electronic device is a user equipment (UE) and the UE sends an environment sensing RF signal to a base station during a communication session with the base station.

[0206] Clause 11. A method as described in any of clauses 1 to 9, wherein: the electronic device is a base station and the base station sends the environment sensing RF signal to a user equipment (UE) during a communication session with the UE.

[0207] Clause 12. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 9, wherein: the electronic device is a first user equipment (UE), and the first UE sends an environment sensing RF signal to the second UE via a sidelink communication link during a communication session with the second UE.

[0208] Clause 13. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 12, further comprising: receiving a reflected RF signal, the reflected RF signal comprising a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in a path of the environment sensing RF signal.

[0209] Clause 14. The method according to clause 13 further includes: classifying the object based on the reflected RF signal; classifying the motion state of the object based on the reflected RF signal; or classifying both the object and the motion state of the object based on the reflected RF signal.

[0210] Clause 15. An apparatus comprising a memory, a communication device, and at least one processor coupled to the memory and the communication device, the memory, the communication device, and the at least one processor configured to perform the method according to any of clauses 1-14.

[0211] Clause 16. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method according to any one of clauses 1 to 14.

[0212] Clause 17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions comprising at least one instruction for causing a computer or a processor to perform the method according to any one of clauses 1 to 14.

[0213] Item 18. An environment sensing method performed by an electronic device, comprising: sending an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal on one or more time and / or frequency resources, wherein the environment sensing RF signal is configured on one or more time and / or frequency resources according to a wireless communication standard; and receiving a reflected RF signal, wherein the reflected RF signal includes a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in the path of the environment sensing RF signal.

[0214] Clause 19. The method of clause 18, wherein the environment sensing RF signal carries information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols.

[0215] Clause 20. A method according to clause 19, wherein the one or more OFDM symbols are configured for transmission of a sounding reference signal (SRS), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0216] Clause 21. A method according to clause 19, wherein the one or more OFDM symbols are configured for transmission of a positioning reference signal (PRS), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0217] Clause 22. The method of clause 18, wherein the environment sensing RF signal comprises a physical random access channel (PRACH) preamble.

[0218] Clause 23. The method of clause 22, wherein the electronic device receives the reflected RF signal only when the electronic device is in a radio resource control (RRC) idle state or an RRC inactive state.

[0219] Clause 24. The method of clause 22, wherein the electronic device receives the reflected RF signal when the electronic device is in an RRC connected state.

[0220] Clause 25. A method according to clause 22, wherein the electronic device receives the reflected RF signal only when the electronic device is in a configuration mode, and wherein the configuration mode includes a time multiplexing mode, or a combination of an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state, or an RRC connected state.

[0221] Clause 26. The method of any one of clauses 18 to 25, further comprising: receiving a transmission configuration of one or more time and / or frequency resources for the environment sensing RF signal.

[0222] Clause 27. The method of clause 26, wherein the electronic device receives the transmission configuration from a serving base station based on the electronic device being a user equipment (UE).

[0223] Clause 28. The method of clause 26, wherein the electronic device receives the transmission configuration from a network entity based on the electronic device being a base station.

[0224] Clause 29. A method as described in any one of clauses 26 to 28, wherein the transmission configuration includes an indication that the one or more time and / or frequency resources are to be used for environment sensing RF signals.

[0225] Clause 30. A method according to any one of clauses 26 to 29, wherein the transmission configuration indicates that: an environmental sensing RF signal will be sent using a larger bandwidth than an RF signal configured for wireless communication according to a wireless communication standard, the environmental sensing RF signal will be sent at a lower transmission power than the RF signal configured for wireless communication according to a wireless communication standard, the environmental sensing RF signal will be sent in a time division duplex (TDD) mode with a higher density than the RF signal configured for wireless communication according to a wireless communication standard, the environmental sensing RF signal is a repetition of an RF signal configured for wireless communication according to a wireless communication standard, or any combination thereof.

[0226] Clause 31. The method of any one of clauses 26 to 30, further comprising: sending a request for time and / or frequency resources configured for the environment sensing RF signal, wherein the electronic device receives the transmission configuration in response to the request.

[0227] Clause 32. The method of clause 31, wherein the electronic device sends the request to a serving base station based on the electronic device being a user equipment (UE).

[0228] Clause 33. A method as set forth in any one of clauses 31 to 32, wherein the electronic device sends the request to a network entity based on the electronic device being a base station.

[0229] Clause 34. A method as described in any of clauses 31 to 33, wherein the transmission configuration includes an indication that the one or more time and / or frequency resources are to be used for environment sensing RF signals.

[0230] Clause 35. A method as described in any of clauses 31 to 34, wherein the transmission configuration includes an indication that the one or more time and / or frequency resources are to be used for environment sensing RF signals and for communications in accordance with a wireless communication standard.

[0231] Clause 36. A method as described in any of clauses 18 to 35, wherein the wireless communication standard is a fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR) wireless communication standard.

[0232] Clause 37. The method of any of clauses 18 to 35, wherein the wireless communication standard is an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) wireless communication standard.

[0233] Clause 38. The method of clause 37, wherein the environment sensing RF signal is in a 60 Gigahertz (GHz) frequency band, a Terahertz (THz) frequency band, or a millimeter wave (mmW) frequency band.

[0234] Clause 39. A method as described in any of clauses 18 to 38, wherein: the electronic device is a user equipment (UE) and the UE sends the environment sensing RF signal to a base station during a communication session with the base station.

[0235] Clause 40. The method of clause 39, further comprising: sending a capability report to the base station, the capability report indicating the capability of the UE to perform environment sensing using an environment sensing RF signal configured according to the wireless communication standard.

[0236] Clause 41. A method according to clause 40, wherein: the capability of the UE is related to hardware constraints of the UE to support environmental sensing, or the capability of the UE is related to the environmental sensing level of the UE.

[0237] Clause 42. The method of any one of clauses 18 to 38, wherein the electronic device is a base station and the base station transmits the environment sensing RF signal to a user equipment (UE) during a communication session with the UE.

[0238] Clause 43. A method according to any one of clauses 18 to 38, wherein: the electronic device is a first user equipment (UE), and the first UE sends an environment sensing RF signal to a second UE via a sidelink communication link during a communication session with the second UE.

[0239] Clause 44. The method according to any one of clauses 18 to 43 further includes: classifying objects based on the reflected RF signal; classifying the motion state of the object based on the reflected RF signal; or classifying the object and the motion state of the object based on the reflected RF signal.

[0240] Clause 45. An apparatus comprising a memory, a communication device, and at least one processor coupled to the memory and the communication device, the memory, the communication device, and the at least one processor configured to perform the method according to any of clauses 18-44.

[0241] Clause 46. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method according to any one of clauses 18 to 44.

[0242] Clause 47. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions comprising at least one instruction for causing a computer or a processor to perform the method according to any of clauses 18 to 44.

[0243] Clause 48. An environment sensing method performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving one or more transmission parameters for an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal, the one or more transmission parameters being based on one or more factors, the environment sensing RF signal comprising an RF signal configured to send information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; and sending the environment sensing RF signal according to the one or more transmission parameters.

[0244] Clause 49. A method according to clause 48, wherein the one or more transmission parameters include power control for the environment sensing RF signal, bandwidth configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, duration configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, antenna configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, or any combination thereof.

[0245] Clause 50. A method according to clause 49, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least: power control for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: the sensing granularity to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, the amount of interference allowed for the environment sensing RF signal, the type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, the transmission power allowed by the UE, or any combination thereof.

[0246] Clause 51. A method as described in any of clauses 49 to 50, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least a bandwidth configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: a sensing range resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, a type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, a maximum bandwidth capability of the UE, or any combination thereof.

[0247] Clause 52. A method according to any one of clauses 49 to 51, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least a duration configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: a sensing Doppler resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, a type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, a Doppler calculation capability of the UE, an amount of time and frequency resources allocated to the environment sensing RF signal, or any combination thereof.

[0248] Clause 53. A method according to any one of clauses 49 to 52, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least the antenna configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: the sensing angular resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, the type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, the size of the UE's antenna array, or any combination thereof.

[0249] Clause 54. A method as described in any of clauses 48 to 53, wherein the environment sensing RF signal comprises an RF signal configured according to a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) wireless communication standard.

[0250] Clause 55. The method of any one of clauses 48 to 53, wherein the environment sensing RF signal comprises an RF signal configured in accordance with an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) wireless communications standard.

[0251] Clause 56. The method of any one of clauses 48 to 55, wherein the environment sensing RF signal is in a 60 Gigahertz (GHz) frequency band, a millimeter wave (mmW) frequency band, or a terahertz (THz) frequency band.

[0252] Clause 57. A method as described in any of clauses 48 to 56, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters are received from a base station and the environment sensing RF signal is sent to the base station during a communication session with the base station.

[0253] Clause 58. A method as described in any of clauses 48 to 56, wherein the environment sensing RF signal is sent to the second UE over a sidelink communication link during a communication session with the second UE.

[0254] Clause 59. The method of any one of clauses 48 to 58, further comprising: receiving a reflected RF signal, the reflected RF signal comprising a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in a path of the environment sensing RF signal.

[0255] Clause 60. The method of clause 59 further comprises: classifying the object based on the reflected RF signal; classifying the motion state of the object based on the reflected RF signal; or classifying both the object and the motion state of the object based on the reflected RF signal.

[0256] Clause 61. An environment sensing method performed by a base station, comprising: sending one or more transmission parameters for an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal to a user equipment (UE), wherein the one or more transmission parameters are based on one or more factors, the environment sensing RF signal comprising an RF signal configured to send information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; and receiving the environment sensing RF signal from the UE.

[0257] Clause 62. A method according to clause 61, wherein the one or more transmission parameters include power control for the environment sensing RF signal, bandwidth configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, duration configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, antenna configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, or any combination thereof.

[0258] Clause 63. A method according to clause 62, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least: power control for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: the sensing granularity to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, the amount of interference allowed for the environment sensing RF signal, the type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, the transmission power allowed by the UE, or any combination thereof.

[0259] Clause 64. A method as described in any of clauses 62 to 63, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least a bandwidth configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: a sensing range resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, a type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, a maximum bandwidth capability of the UE, or any combination thereof.

[0260] Clause 65. A method according to any one of clauses 62 to 64, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least a duration configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: the sensing Doppler resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, the type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, the Doppler calculation capability of the UE, the amount of time and frequency resources allocated to the environment sensing RF signal, or any combination thereof.

[0261] Clause 66. A method according to any one of clauses 62 to 65, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least the antenna configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: the sensing angle resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, the type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, the size of the UE's antenna array, or any combination thereof.

[0262] Clause 67. A method as described in any of clauses 61 to 66, wherein the environment sensing RF signal comprises an RF signal configured according to a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) wireless communication standard.

[0263] Clause 68. The method of any one of clauses 61 to 66, wherein the environment sensing RF signal comprises an RF signal configured in accordance with an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) wireless communications standard.

[0264] Clause 69. The method of any one of clauses 61 to 68, wherein the environment sensing RF signal is in a 60 Gigahertz (GHz) frequency band, a millimeter wave (mmW) frequency band, or a terahertz (THz) frequency band.

[0265] Clause 70. The method of any one of clauses 61 to 69, further comprising: receiving a reflected RF signal, the reflected RF signal comprising a reflection of the ambient sensing RF signal from an object in a path of the ambient sensing RF signal.

[0266] Clause 71. The method of clause 70 further includes: classifying an object based on the reflected RF signal; classifying a motion state of an object based on the reflected RF signal; or classifying both the object and the motion state of the object based on the reflected RF signal.

[0267] Item 72. An environmental sensing method performed by an electronic device, comprising: sending an environmental sensing radio frequency (RF) signal carrying information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; and receiving a reflected RF signal, the reflected RF signal comprising reflections of the environmental sensing RF signal from an object in a path of the environmental sensing RF signal.

[0268] Clause 73. A method according to clause 72, wherein the one or more OFDM symbols are configured for transmission of a sounding reference signal (SRS), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0269] Clause 74. A method according to clause 72, wherein the one or more OFDM symbols are configured for transmission of a positioning reference signal (PRS), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0270] Clause 75. A method according to any one of clauses 72 to 74, further comprising: receiving a transmission configuration for the one or more OFDM symbols.

[0271] Clause 76. A method as described in clause 75, wherein the transmission configuration is received from a serving base station based on the electronic device being a user equipment (UE).

[0272] Clause 77. A method as described in any of clauses 75 to 76, wherein the transmission configuration is received from a network entity based on the electronic device being a base station.

[0273] Clause 78. A method as described in any of clauses 75 to 77, wherein the transmission configuration includes an indication that the one or more OFDM symbols are to be used for environment sensing RF signals.

[0274] Clause 79. A method as described in any of clauses 75 to 78, wherein the transmission configuration includes an indication that the one or more OFDM symbols are to be used for environment sensing RF signals and for wireless communication.

[0275] Clause 80. A method according to any one of clauses 75 to 79, wherein the transmission configuration indicates that: the environment sensing RF signal will be sent using a bandwidth higher than a bandwidth threshold, the bandwidth threshold is based on the bandwidth of the RF signal configured for wireless communication, the environment sensing RF signal will be sent at a transmit power lower than a transmit power threshold, the transmit power threshold is based on the transmit power threshold of the RF signal configured for wireless communication, the environment sensing RF signal will be sent using a time division duplex (TDD) density mode higher than a TDD density mode threshold, the TDD density mode threshold is based on the TDD density mode of the RF signal configured for wireless communication, the environment sensing RF signal is a repetition of the RF signal configured for wireless communication, or any combination thereof.

[0276] Clause 81. The method of any one of clauses 75 to 80, further comprising sending a request for time and / or frequency resources configured for the environment sensing RF signal, wherein the transmission configuration is received in response to the request.

[0277] Clause 82. The method of clause 81, wherein the request is sent to a serving base station based on the electronic device being a user equipment (UE).

[0278] Clause 83. The method of clause 81, wherein the request is sent to a network entity based on the electronic device being a base station.

[0279] Clause 84. A method as described in any of clauses 72 to 83, wherein the one or more OFDM symbols are configured in accordance with a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) wireless communication standard.

[0280] Clause 85. The method of any one of clauses 72 to 84, wherein the environment sensing RF signal is in a 60 Gigahertz (GHz) frequency band, a Terahertz (THz) frequency band, or a millimeter wave (mmW) frequency band.

[0281] Clause 86. A method as described in any of clauses 72 to 85, wherein: the electronic device is a user equipment (UE) and the environment sensing RF signal is sent to a base station during a communication session with the base station.

[0282] Clause 87. The method of clause 86, further comprising: sending a capability report to the base station, the capability report indicating the UE's ability to use the environment sensing RF signal carrying information on the OFDM symbol.

[0283] Clause 88. A method according to clause 87, wherein: the capability of the UE is related to hardware constraints of the UE to support environmental sensing, or the capability of the UE is related to the environmental sensing level of the UE.

[0284] Clause 89. A method as described in any of clauses 72 to 85, wherein: the electronic device is a base station and transmits the environment sensing RF signal to a user equipment (UE) during a communication session with the UE.

[0285] Clause 90. A method according to any one of clauses 72 to 85, wherein: the electronic device is a first user equipment (UE) and the environment sensing RF signal is sent to the second UE via a sidelink communication link during a communication session with the second UE.

[0286] Clause 91. The method according to any one of clauses 72 to 90 further includes: classifying an object based on the reflected RF signal; classifying a motion state of an object based on the reflected RF signal; or classifying both the object and the motion state of the object based on the reflected RF signal.

[0287] Item 92. An environment sensing method performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: sending an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal including a physical random access channel (PRACH) preamble code to a base station; and receiving a reflected RF signal, the reflected RF signal including a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in a path of the environment sensing RF signal.

[0288] Clause 93. The method of clause 92, wherein the reflected RF signal is received when the UE is in a radio resource control (RRC) idle state or an RRC inactive state.

[0289] Clause 94. The method of clause 92, wherein the reflected RF signal is received when the UE is in an RRC connected state.

[0290] Clause 95. A method according to any one of clauses 92 to 94, wherein: the reflected RF signal is received when the UE is in a configured mode, and wherein the configured mode includes a time multiplexing mode, or a combination of an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state, or an RRC connected state.

[0291] Clause 96. A method as described in any one of clauses 92 to 95, further comprising: receiving a transmission configuration of the PRACH preamble code from the base station.

[0292] Clause 97. The method of clause 96, wherein the transmission configuration includes an indication that a PRACH preamble is to be used for an environment sensing RF signal.

[0293] Clause 98. A method as described in any of clauses 96 to 97, wherein the transmission configuration includes an indication that the PRACH preamble is to be used for environment sensing RF signals and for wireless communications.

[0294] Clause 99. A method according to any one of clauses 96 to 98, wherein the transmission configuration indicates that: the environment sensing RF signal will be sent using a bandwidth higher than a bandwidth threshold, the bandwidth threshold is based on the bandwidth of the RF signal configured for wireless communication, the environment sensing RF signal will be sent at a transmit power lower than a transmit power threshold, the transmit power threshold is based on the transmit power threshold of the RF signal configured for wireless communication, the environment sensing RF signal will be sent using a time division duplex (TDD) density mode higher than a TDD density mode threshold, the TDD density mode threshold is based on the TDD density mode of the RF signal configured for wireless communication, the environment sensing RF signal is a repetition of the RF signal configured for wireless communication, or any combination thereof.

[0295] Clause 100. The method of any one of clauses 96 to 99, further comprising sending a request to the base station for time and / or frequency resources configured for the environment sensing RF signal, wherein the transmission configuration is received in response to the request.

[0296] Clause 101. A method as described in any of clauses 92 to 100, wherein the PRACH preamble code is configured according to a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) wireless communication standard.

[0297] Clause 102. The method of any one of clauses 92 to 101, wherein the environment sensing RF signal is in a 60 Gigahertz (GHz) frequency band, a Terahertz (THz) frequency band, or a millimeter wave (mmW) frequency band.

[0298] Clause 103. A method as described in any of clauses 92 to 102, further comprising: sending a capability report to the base station, the capability report indicating the UE's ability to use the PRACH preamble code as an environment sensing RF signal.

[0299] Clause 104. A method according to clause 103, wherein: the capability of the UE is related to hardware constraints of the UE to support environmental sensing, or the capability of the UE is related to the environmental sensing level of the UE.

[0300] Clause 105. The method according to any one of clauses 92 to 104 further includes: classifying objects based on reflected RF signals; classifying the motion state of objects based on reflected RF signals; or classifying objects and the motion state of objects based on reflected RF signals.

[0301] Clause 106. An apparatus comprising a memory and at least one processor coupled to the memory, the memory and the at least one processor configured to perform the method of any of clauses 48 to 105.

[0302] Clause 107. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method according to any of clauses 48 to 105.

[0303] Clause 108. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions comprising at least one instruction for causing a computer or a processor to perform the method according to any of clauses 48 to 105.

[0304] Implementation examples related to user equipment 1200 are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0305] Clause 109, memory 1210 and at least one processor 1230 are configured to receive, via a communication device 1220, one or more transmission parameters for an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal, the one or more transmission parameters being based on one or more factors, the environment sensing RF signal comprising an RF signal configured to transmit information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. The memory 1210 and at least one processor 1230 are further configured to cause the communication device 1220 to transmit the environment sensing RF signal in accordance with the one or more transmission parameters.

[0306] Clause 110. A user device 1200 according to clause 109, wherein the one or more transmission parameters include power control for an environment sensing RF signal, a bandwidth configuration for an environment sensing RF signal, a duration configuration for an environment sensing RF signal, an antenna configuration for an environment sensing RF signal, or any combination thereof.

[0307] Clause 111. A user device 1200 according to clause 110, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least: power control for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: the sensing granularity to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, the amount of interference allowed for the environment sensing RF signal, the type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, the transmission power allowed by the user device 1200, or any combination thereof.

[0308] Clause 112. A user device 1200 according to any one of clauses 110 to 111, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least a bandwidth configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: a sensing range resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, a type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, a maximum bandwidth capability of the user device 1200, or any combination thereof.

[0309] Clause 113. A user device 1200 according to any one of clauses 110 to 112, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least a duration configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: a sensing Doppler resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, a type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, a Doppler calculation capability of the user device 1200, an amount of time and frequency resources allocated to the environment sensing RF signal, or any combination thereof.

[0310] Clause 114. A user device 1200 according to any one of clauses 110 to 113, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least an antenna configuration for an environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: a sensing angular resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, a type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, a size of an antenna array of the user device 1200, or any combination thereof.

[0311] Clause 115. User equipment 1200 according to any of clauses 109 to 114, wherein the environment sensing RF signal comprises an RF signal configured according to a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) wireless communication standard.

[0312] Clause 116. User equipment 1200 as defined in any of clauses 109 to 114, wherein the environment sensing RF signal comprises an RF signal configured in accordance with an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) wireless communications standard.

[0313] Clause 117. User equipment 1200 according to any one of clauses 109 to 116, wherein the environment sensing RF signal is in a 60 gigahertz (GHz) frequency band, a millimeter wave (mmW) frequency band, or a terahertz (THz) frequency band.

[0314] Clause 118. User equipment 1200 according to any of clauses 109 to 117, wherein: one or more transmission parameters are received from a base station and environment sensing RF signals are sent to the base station during a communication session with the base station.

[0315] Clause 119. User equipment 1200 as set forth in any of clauses 109 to 117, wherein the environment sensing RF signal is sent to the second UE via a sidelink communications link during the communications session with the second UE.

[0316] Clause 120, a user device 1200 according to any one of clauses 109 to 119, wherein the memory 1210 and the at least one processor 1230 are also configured to receive a reflected RF signal via the communication device 1220, the reflected RF signal comprising a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in the path of the environment sensing RF signal.

[0317] Clause 121. A user device 1200 according to clause 120, wherein the memory 1210 and the at least one processor 1230 are further configured to: classify an object based on a reflected RF signal; classify a motion state of an object based on a reflected RF signal; or classify both an object and a motion state of the object based on a reflected RF signal.

[0318] Implementation examples related to the base station 1300 are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0319] Clause 122, memory 1310 and at least one processor 1330 are configured to cause the communication device 1320 to send one or more transmission parameters for an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal to a user equipment (UE), the one or more transmission parameters being based on one or more factors, the environment sensing RF signal comprising an RF signal configured to transmit information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. The memory 1310 and at least one processor 1330 are also configured to receive the environment sensing RF signal from the UE via the communication device 1320.

[0320] Clause 123. A base station 1300 according to clause 122, wherein the one or more transmission parameters include power control for an environment sensing RF signal, a bandwidth configuration for an environment sensing RF signal, a duration configuration for an environment sensing RF signal, an antenna configuration for an environment sensing RF signal, or any combination thereof.

[0321] Clause 124. A base station 1300 according to clause 123, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least: power control for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: the sensing granularity to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, the amount of interference allowed for the environment sensing RF signal, the type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, the transmission power allowed by the UE, or any combination thereof.

[0322] Clause 125. A base station 1300 according to any one of clauses 123 to 124, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least a bandwidth configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: a sensing range resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, a type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, a maximum bandwidth capability of the UE, or any combination thereof.

[0323] Clause 126. A base station 1300 according to any one of clauses 123 to 125, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least a duration configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: a sensing Doppler resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, a type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, a Doppler calculation capability of the UE, an amount of time and frequency resources allocated to the environment sensing RF signal, or any combination thereof.

[0324] Clause 127. A base station 1300 according to any one of clauses 123 to 126, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least an antenna configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: a sensing angular resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, a type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, a size of an antenna array of the UE, or any combination thereof.

[0325] Clause 128. A base station 1300 as described in any of clauses 122 to 127, wherein the environment sensing RF signal comprises an RF signal configured in accordance with a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) wireless communication standard.

[0326] Clause 129. The base station 1300 of any of clauses 122 to 127, wherein the environment sensing RF signal comprises an RF signal configured in accordance with an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) wireless communications standard.

[0327] Clause 130. The base station 1300 of any one of clauses 122 to 129, wherein the environment sensing RF signal is in a 60 Gigahertz (GHz) frequency band, a millimeter wave (mmW) frequency band, or a terahertz (THz) frequency band.

[0328] Clause 131. A base station 1300 according to any one of clauses 122 to 130, wherein the memory 1310 and the at least one processor 1330 are further configured to receive a reflected RF signal via the communication device 1320, the reflected RF signal comprising an environmental sensing RF signal reflected from an object in a path of the environmental sensing RF signal.

[0329] Clause 132. A base station 1300 according to clause 131, wherein the memory 1310 and the at least one processor 1330 are further configured to: classify an object based on the reflected RF signal; classify a motion state of an object based on the reflected RF signal; or classify both the object and the motion state of the object based on the reflected RF signal.

[0330] Implementation examples related to user equipment 1400 are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0331] Clause 133. Module 1410 for receiving provides means for receiving one or more transmission parameters for an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal, the one or more transmission parameters being based on one or more factors, the environment sensing RF signal comprising an RF signal configured to transmit information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. Module 1420 for transmitting provides means for transmitting the environment sensing RF signal in accordance with the one or more transmission parameters.

[0332] Clause 134. A user device 1400 according to clause 133, wherein the one or more transmission parameters include power control for an environment sensing RF signal, a bandwidth configuration for an environment sensing RF signal, a duration configuration for an environment sensing RF signal, an antenna configuration for an environment sensing RF signal, or any combination thereof.

[0333] Clause 135. A user device 1400 according to clause 134, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least: power control for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: the sensing granularity to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, the amount of interference allowed for the environment sensing RF signal, the type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, the transmission power allowed by the user device 1400, or any combination thereof.

[0334] Clause 136. A user device 1400 according to any one of clauses 134 to 135, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least a bandwidth configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: a sensing range resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, a type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, a maximum bandwidth capability of the user device 1400, or any combination thereof.

[0335] Clause 137. A user device 1400 according to any one of clauses 134 to 136, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least a duration configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: a sensing Doppler resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, a type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, a Doppler calculation capability of the user device 1400, an amount of time and frequency resources allocated to the environment sensing RF signal, or any combination thereof.

[0336] Clause 138. A user device 1400 according to any one of clauses 134 to 137, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least an antenna configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: a sensing angular resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, a type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, a size of an antenna array of the user device 1400, or any combination thereof.

[0337] Clause 139. User equipment 1400 according to any one of clauses 133 to 138, wherein the environment sensing RF signal comprises an RF signal configured according to a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) wireless communication standard.

[0338] Clause 140. User equipment 1400 as defined in any one of clauses 133 to 138, wherein the environment sensing RF signal comprises an RF signal configured in accordance with an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) wireless communications standard.

[0339] Clause 141. User equipment 1400 according to any one of clauses 133 to 140, wherein the environment sensing RF signal is in a 60 Gigahertz (GHz) frequency band, a millimeter wave (mmW) frequency band, or a terahertz (THz) frequency band.

[0340] Clause 142. User equipment 1400 according to any one of clauses 133 to 141, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters are received from a base station and the environment sensing RF signal is sent to the base station during a communication session with the base station.

[0341] Clause 143. User equipment 1400 as set forth in any of clauses 133 to 141, wherein the environment sensing RF signal is sent to the second UE over a sidelink communications link during a communications session with the second UE.

[0342] Clause 144. The user equipment 1400 of any one of clauses 133 to 143, further comprising: means for receiving a reflected RF signal, the reflected RF signal comprising a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in a path of the environment sensing RF signal.

[0343] Clause 145. The user device 1400 according to clause 144 further includes: a unit for classifying an object based on a reflected RF signal; a unit for classifying a motion state of an object based on a reflected RF signal; or a unit for classifying both an object and the motion state of the object based on a reflected RF signal.

[0344] Implementation examples related to base station 1500 are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0345] Clause 146, a module 1510 for transmitting provides a means for transmitting one or more transmission parameters for an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal to a user equipment (UE), the one or more transmission parameters being based on one or more factors, the environment sensing RF signal comprising an RF signal configured to transmit information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. A receiving module 1520 provides a means for receiving the environment sensing RF signal from the UE.

[0346] Clause 147. A base station 1500 according to clause 146, wherein the one or more transmission parameters include power control for an environment sensing RF signal, a bandwidth configuration for an environment sensing RF signal, a duration configuration for an environment sensing RF signal, an antenna configuration for an environment sensing RF signal, or any combination thereof.

[0347] Clause 148. A base station 1500 according to clause 147, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least: power control for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: the sensing granularity to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, the amount of interference allowed for the environment sensing RF signal, the type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, the transmission power allowed by the UE, or any combination thereof.

[0348] Clause 149. A base station 1500 according to any one of clauses 147 to 148, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least a bandwidth configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: a sensing range resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, a type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, a maximum bandwidth capability of the UE, or any combination thereof.

[0349] Clause 150, a base station 1500 according to any one of clauses 147 to 149, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least a duration configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: a sensing Doppler resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, a type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, a Doppler calculation capability of the UE, an amount of time and frequency resources allocated to the environment sensing RF signal, or any combination thereof.

[0350] Clause 151. A base station 1500 according to any one of clauses 147 to 150, wherein: the one or more transmission parameters include at least an antenna configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and the one or more factors include: a sensing angular resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, a type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, a size of an antenna array of the UE, or any combination thereof.

[0351] Clause 152. A base station 1500 as described in any of clauses 146 to 151, wherein the environment sensing RF signal comprises an RF signal configured in accordance with a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) wireless communication standard.

[0352] Clause 153. The base station 1500 of any of clauses 146 to 151, wherein the environment sensing RF signal comprises an RF signal configured in accordance with an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) wireless communications standard.

[0353] Clause 154. Base station 1500 as defined in any one of clauses 146 to 153, wherein the environment sensing RF signal is in a 60 Gigahertz (GHz) frequency band, a millimeter wave (mmW) frequency band, or a terahertz (THz) frequency band.

[0354] Clause 155. The base station 1500 of any of clauses 146 to 154, further comprising: means for receiving a reflected RF signal, the reflected RF signal comprising a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in a path of the environment sensing RF signal.

[0355] Clause 156. The base station 1500 according to clause 155 further includes: a unit for classifying objects based on reflected RF signals; a unit for classifying the motion state of objects based on reflected RF signals; or a unit for classifying objects and the motion state of objects based on reflected RF signals.

[0356] Implementation examples related to the electronic device 2200 are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0357] Clause 157, the memory 2210 and the at least one processor 2230 are configured to cause the communication device 2220 to transmit an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal carrying information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. The memory 2210 and the at least one processor 2230 are also configured to receive, via the communication device 2220, a reflected RF signal, the reflected RF signal comprising a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in a path of the environment sensing RF signal.

[0358] Clause 158. An electronic device 2200 according to clause 157, wherein the one or more OFDM symbols are configured for transmission of a sounding reference signal (SRS), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0359] Clause 159. An electronic device 2200 according to clause 157, wherein the one or more OFDM symbols are configured for transmission of a positioning reference signal (PRS), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0360] Clause 160. An electronic device 2200 according to any one of clauses 157 to 159, wherein the memory 2210 and the at least one processor 2230 are further configured to receive a transmission configuration of the one or more OFDM symbols via the communication device 2220.

[0361] Clause 161. An electronic device 2200 according to clause 160, wherein the transmission configuration is received from a serving base station based on the electronic device 2200 being a user equipment (UE).

[0362] Clause 162. The electronic device 2200 of clause 160, wherein the transmission configuration is received from a network entity based on the electronic device 2200 being a base station.

[0363] Clause 163. An electronic device 2200 as described in any of clauses 160 to 162, wherein the transmission configuration includes an indication that the one or more OFDM symbols are to be used for environment sensing RF signals.

[0364] Clause 164. An electronic device 2200 as described in any of clauses 160 to 163, wherein the transmission configuration includes an indication that the one or more OFDM symbols are to be used for environment sensing RF signals and for wireless communication.

[0365] Clause 165. An electronic device 2200 according to any one of clauses 160 to 164, wherein the transmission configuration indicates that: the environment sensing RF signal will be sent using a bandwidth higher than a bandwidth threshold, the bandwidth threshold is based on the bandwidth of the RF signal configured for wireless communication, the environment sensing RF signal will be sent at a transmission power lower than a transmission power threshold, the transmission power threshold is based on the transmission power threshold of the RF signal configured for wireless communication, the environment sensing RF signal will be sent using a time division duplex (TDD) density mode higher than a TDD density mode threshold, the TDD density mode threshold is based on the TDD density mode of the RF signal configured for wireless communication, the environment sensing RF signal is a repetition of the RF signal configured for wireless communication, or any combination thereof.

[0366] Clause 166. An electronic device 2200 according to any one of clauses 160 to 165, wherein the memory 2210 and the at least one processor 2230 are also configured to cause the communication device 2220 to send a request for time and / or frequency resources configured for the environment sensing RF signal, wherein the transmission configuration is received in response to the request.

[0367] Clause 167. An electronic device 2200 according to clause 166, wherein the request is sent to a serving base station based on the electronic device 2200 being a user equipment (UE).

[0368] Clause 168. The electronic device 2200 of clause 166, wherein the request is sent to a network entity based on the electronic device 2200 being a base station.

[0369] Clause 169. An electronic device 2200 according to any one of clauses 157 to 168, wherein the one or more OFDM symbols are configured according to a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) wireless communication standard.

[0370] Clause 170. An electronic device 2200 as described in any of clauses 157 to 169, wherein the environment sensing RF signal is in a 60 Gigahertz (GHz) frequency band, a Terahertz (THz) frequency band, or a millimeter wave (mmW) frequency band.

[0371] Clause 171. An electronic device 2200 as described in any of clauses 157 to 170, wherein: the electronic device 2200 is a user equipment (UE) and the environment sensing RF signal is sent to a base station during a communication session with the base station.

[0372] Clause 172. An electronic device 2200 according to clause 171, wherein the memory 2210 and the at least one processor 2230 are also configured to enable the communication device 2220 to send a capability report to the base station, wherein the capability report indicates the UE's ability to use an environment sensing RF signal that carries information on an OFDM symbol.

[0373] Clause 173. An electronic device 2200 as described in Clause 172, wherein: the capability of the UE is related to the hardware constraints of the UE to support environmental sensing, or the capability of the UE is related to the environmental sensing level of the UE.

[0374] Clause 174. An electronic device 2200 as described in any of clauses 157 to 170, wherein: the electronic device 2200 is a base station and sends the environment sensing RF signal to a user equipment (UE) during a communication session with the UE.

[0375] Clause 175. An electronic device 2200 according to any one of clauses 157 to 170, wherein: the electronic device 2200 is a first user equipment (UE) and the environment sensing RF signal is sent to the second UE via a sidelink communication link during a communication session with the second UE.

[0376] An electronic device 2200 of any one of clauses 176 and clauses 157 to 175, wherein the memory 2210 and at least one processor 2230 are further configured to: classify an object based on a reflected RF signal; classify a motion state of an object based on a reflected RF signal; or classify both an object and a motion state of the object based on a reflected RF signal.

[0377] Implementation examples related to user equipment 2300 are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0378] Clause 177, the memory 2310 and the at least one processor 2330 are configured to cause the communication device 2320 to transmit an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal including a physical random access channel (PRACH) preamble to a base station. The memory 2310 and the at least one processor 2330 are further configured to receive, via the communication device 2320, a reflected RF signal, the reflected RF signal including a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in a path of the environment sensing RF signal.

[0379] Clause 178. The user equipment 2300 of clause 177, wherein the reflected RF signal is received when the user equipment 2300 is in a radio resource control (RRC) idle state or an RRC inactive state.

[0380] Clause 179. The user equipment 2300 of clause 177, wherein when the user equipment 2300 is in an RRC connected state, the reflected RF signal is received

[0381] Clause 180. User equipment 2300 according to clause 177, wherein the reflected RF signal is received when the user equipment 2300 is in a configuration mode, and the configuration mode includes a time multiplexing mode, or a combination of an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state, or an RRC connected state.

[0382] Clause 181. A user equipment 2300 according to any one of clauses 177 to 180, wherein the memory 2310 and the at least one processor 2330 are further configured to receive a transmission configuration of a PRACH preamble code from the base station via the communication device 2320.

[0383] Clause 182. User equipment 2300 according to clause 181, wherein the transmission configuration includes an indication that a PRACH preamble is to be used for an environment sensing RF signal.

[0384] Clause 183. User equipment 2300 as set forth in any one of clauses 181 to 182, wherein the transmission configuration comprises an indication that the PRACH preamble is to be used for environment sensing RF signals and for wireless communications.

[0385] Clause 184. A user device 2300 according to any one of clauses 181 to 183, wherein the transmission configuration indicates that: the environment sensing RF signal will be sent using a bandwidth higher than a bandwidth threshold, the bandwidth threshold is based on the bandwidth of the RF signal configured for wireless communication, the environment sensing RF signal will be sent at a transmit power lower than a transmit power threshold, the transmit power threshold is based on the transmit power threshold of the RF signal configured for wireless communication, the environment sensing RF signal will be sent using a time division duplex (TDD) density mode higher than a TDD density mode threshold, the TDD density mode threshold is based on the TDD density mode of the RF signal configured for wireless communication, the environment sensing RF signal is a repetition of the RF signal configured for wireless communication, or any combination thereof.

[0386] Clause 185, a user device 2300 according to any one of clauses 181 to 184, wherein the memory 2310 and the at least one processor 2330 are also configured to cause the communication device 2320 to send a request to the base station for time and / or frequency resources configured for the environment sensing RF signal, wherein the transmission configuration is received in response to the request.

[0387] Clause 186. User equipment 2300 as set forth in any one of clauses 177 to 185, wherein the PRACH preamble is configured in accordance with a fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR) wireless communications standard.

[0388] Clause 187. User equipment 2300 according to any one of clauses 177 to 186, wherein the environment sensing RF signal is in a 60 Gigahertz (GHz) frequency band, a terahertz (THz) frequency band, or a millimeter wave (mmW) frequency band.

[0389] Clause 188. A user equipment 2300 according to any one of clauses 177 to 187, wherein the memory 2310 and the at least one processor 2330 are also configured to enable the communication device 2320 to send a capability report to the base station, wherein the capability report indicates the ability of the user equipment 2300 to use a PRACH preamble code as an environment sensing RF signal.

[0390] Clause 189. A user device 2300 according to clause 188, wherein: the capability of the user device 2300 is related to the hardware constraints of the user device 2300 in supporting environmental sensing, or the capability of the user device 2300 is related to the environmental sensing level of the user device 2300.

[0391] The user device 2300 of any one of clauses 190 and clauses 177 to 189, wherein the memory 2310 and at least one processor 2330 are further configured to: classify an object based on a reflected RF signal; classify a motion state of an object based on a reflected RF signal; or classify an object and the motion state of the object based on a reflected RF signal.

[0392] Implementation examples related to the electronic device 2400 are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0393] Clause 191. The module 2410 for transmitting provides means for transmitting an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal carrying information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. The module 2420 for receiving provides means for receiving a reflected RF signal, the reflected RF signal comprising reflections of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in a path of the environment sensing RF signal.

[0394] Clause 192. An electronic device 2400 according to clause 191, wherein the one or more OFDM symbols are configured for transmission of a sounding reference signal (SRS), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0395] Clause 193. An electronic device 2400 according to clause 191, wherein the one or more OFDM symbols are configured for transmission of a positioning reference signal (PRS), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0396] Clause 194. The electronic device 2400 according to any one of clauses 191 to 193, further comprising: a unit for receiving a transmission configuration of the one or more OFDM symbols.

[0397] Clause 195. An electronic device 2400 according to clause 194, wherein the transmission configuration is received from a serving base station based on the electronic device 2400 being a user equipment (UE).

[0398] Clause 196. An electronic device 2400 according to clause 194, wherein the transmission configuration is received from a network entity based on the electronic device 2400 being a base station.

[0399] Clause 197. An electronic device 2400 as described in any of clauses 194 to 196, wherein the transmission configuration includes an indication that the one or more OFDM symbols are to be used for environment sensing RF signals.

[0400] Clause 198. An electronic device 2400 according to any one of clauses 194 to 197, wherein the transmission configuration includes an indication that the one or more OFDM symbols are to be used for environment sensing RF signals and for wireless communications.

[0401] Clause 199. An electronic device 2400 according to any one of clauses 194 to 198, wherein the transmission configuration indicates that: the environment sensing RF signal will be sent using a bandwidth higher than a bandwidth threshold, the bandwidth threshold is based on the bandwidth of the RF signal configured for wireless communication, the environment sensing RF signal will be sent at a transmission power lower than a transmission power threshold, the transmission power threshold is based on the transmission power threshold of the RF signal configured for wireless communication, the environment sensing RF signal will be sent using a time division duplex (TDD) density mode higher than a TDD density mode threshold, the TDD density mode threshold is based on the TDD density mode of the RF signal configured for wireless communication, the environment sensing RF signal is a repetition of the RF signal configured for wireless communication, or any combination thereof.

[0402] Clause 200. An electronic device 2400 according to any one of clauses 194 to 199, further comprising: a unit for sending a request for time and / or frequency resources configured for the environment sensing RF signal, wherein the transmission configuration is received in response to the request.

[0403] Clause 201. An electronic device 2400 according to clause 200, wherein the request is sent to a serving base station based on the electronic device 2400 being a user equipment (UE).

[0404] Clause 202. The electronic device 2400 of clause 200, wherein the request is sent to a network entity based on the electronic device 2400 being a base station.

[0405] Clause 203. An electronic device 2400 according to any one of clauses 191 to 202, wherein the one or more OFDM symbols are configured according to a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) wireless communication standard.

[0406] Clause 204. An electronic device 2400 as described in any of clauses 191 to 203, wherein the environment sensing RF signal is in a 60 Gigahertz (GHz) frequency band, a Terahertz (THz) frequency band, or a millimeter wave (mmW) frequency band.

[0407] Clause 205. An electronic device 2400 as described in any of clauses 191 to 204, wherein: the electronic device 2400 is a user equipment (UE) and sends the environment sensing RF signal to the base station during a communication session with the base station.

[0408] Clause 206. The electronic device 2400 of clause 205, further comprising: means for sending a capability report to a base station, the capability report indicating the UE's capability to use an environment sensing RF signal carrying information on an OFDM symbol.

[0409] Clause 207. An electronic device 2400 according to clause 206, wherein: the capability of the UE is related to the hardware constraints of the UE to support environmental sensing, or the capability of the UE is related to the environmental sensing level of the UE.

[0410] Clause 208. An electronic device 2400 as described in any of clauses 191 to 204, wherein: the electronic device 2400 is a base station and sends the environment sensing RF signal to a user equipment (UE) during a communication session with the UE.

[0411] Clause 209. An electronic device 2400 according to any one of clauses 191 to 204, wherein: the electronic device 2400 is a first user equipment (UE) and the environment sensing RF signal is sent to the second UE via a sidelink communication link during a communication session with the second UE.

[0412] The electronic device 2400 of clause 210 and any one of clauses 191 to 209 further includes: a unit for classifying an object based on a reflected RF signal; a unit for classifying a motion state of an object based on a reflected RF signal; or a unit for classifying both an object and the motion state of the object based on a reflected RF signal.

[0413] Implementation examples related to user equipment 2500 are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0414] Clause 211. The module 2510 for transmitting provides means for transmitting an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal including a physical random access channel (PRACH) preamble to a base station. The module 2520 for receiving provides means for receiving a reflected RF signal, the reflected RF signal including a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in a path of the environment sensing RF signal.

[0415] Clause 212. User equipment 2500 according to clause 211, wherein the reflected RF signal is received when the user equipment 2500 is in a radio resource control (RRC) idle state or an RRC inactive state.

[0416] Clause 213. User equipment 2500 according to clause 211, wherein the reflected RF signal is received when the user equipment 2500 is in an RRC connected state.

[0417] Clause 214. User equipment 2500 according to clause 211, wherein: the reflected RF signal is received when the user equipment 2500 is in a configuration mode, and wherein the configuration mode includes a time multiplexing mode, or a combination of an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state, or an RRC connected state.

[0418] Clause 215. User equipment 2500 according to any one of clauses 211 to 214, further comprising: means for receiving a transmission configuration of a PRACH preamble code from the base station.

[0419] Clause 216. User equipment 2500 according to clause 215, wherein the transmission configuration includes an indication that a PRACH preamble is to be used for an environment sensing RF signal.

[0420] Clause 217. User equipment 2500 as set forth in any one of clauses 215 to 216, wherein the transmission configuration comprises an indication that the PRACH preamble is to be used for environment sensing RF signals and for wireless communications.

[0421] Clause 218. A user device 2500 according to any one of clauses 215 to 217, wherein the transmission configuration indicates that: the environment sensing RF signal will be sent using a bandwidth higher than a bandwidth threshold, the bandwidth threshold is based on the bandwidth of the RF signal configured for wireless communication, the environment sensing RF signal will be sent at a transmit power lower than a transmit power threshold, the transmit power threshold is based on the transmit power threshold of the RF signal configured for wireless communication, the environment sensing RF signal will be sent using a time division duplex (TDD) density mode higher than a TDD density mode threshold, the TDD density mode threshold is based on the TDD density mode of the RF signal configured for wireless communication, the environment sensing RF signal is a repetition of the RF signal configured for wireless communication, or any combination thereof.

[0422] Clause 219. The user equipment 2500 according to any one of clauses 215 to 218 further comprises: a unit for sending a request to the base station for time and / or frequency resources configured for the environment sensing RF signal, wherein the transmission configuration is received in response to the request.

[0423] Clause 220. User equipment 2500 as set forth in any of clauses 211 to 219, wherein the PRACH preamble is configured in accordance with a fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR) wireless communications standard.

[0424] Clause 221. User equipment 2500 according to any one of clauses 211 to 220, wherein the environment sensing RF signal is in a 60 Gigahertz (GHz) frequency band, a Terahertz (THz) frequency band, or a millimeter wave (mmW) frequency band.

[0425] The user equipment 2500 of clause 222 and any one of clauses 211 to 221 further comprises: a unit for sending a capability report to the base station, the capability report indicating the capability of the user equipment 2500 to use the PRACH preamble code as an environment sensing RF signal.

[0426] Clause 223. A user device 2500 according to clause 222, wherein: the capability of the user device 2500 is related to the hardware constraints of the user device 2500 in supporting environmental sensing, or the capability of the user device 2500 is related to the environmental sensing level of the user device 2500.

[0427] The user device 2500 of clause 224 and any one of clauses 211 to 223 further includes: a unit for classifying an object based on a reflected RF signal; a unit for classifying a motion state of an object based on a reflected RF signal; or a unit for classifying an object and the motion state of the object based on a reflected RF signal.

Claims

1. An environment sensing method performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving one or more transmission parameters for an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal comprising a radio frequency (RF) signal reused as an environment sensing signal, the RF signal configured to transmit information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, the one or more transmission parameters being based on one or more factors; as well as The environment sensing RF signal including the RF signal reused as the environment sensing signal is transmitted according to the one or more transmission parameters.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more transmission parameters include power control for the environment sensing RF signal, bandwidth configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, duration configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, antenna configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, or any combination thereof.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The one or more transmission parameters include at least a power control for the environment sensing RF signal, and The one or more factors include: the granularity of sensing to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, The amount of interference allowed to the environmental sensing RF signal, the type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, The transmit power allowed by the UE, or Any combination thereof.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The one or more transmission parameters include at least a bandwidth configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and The one or more factors include: the sensing range resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, the type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, The maximum bandwidth capability of the UE, or Any combination thereof.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The one or more transmission parameters include at least a duration configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and The one or more factors include: the sensing Doppler resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, the type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, The Doppler calculation capability of the UE, The amount of time and frequency resources allocated to the environment sensing RF signal, or Any combination thereof.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The one or more transmission parameters include at least an antenna configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and The one or more factors include: the sensing angular resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, the type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, the size of the UE's antenna array, or Any combination thereof.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The environment sensing RF signal is in a 60 Gigahertz (GHz) frequency band, a millimeter wave (mmW) frequency band, or a terahertz (THz) frequency band.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more transmission parameters are received from a base station, and The environment sensing RF signal is sent to the base station during a communication session with the base station.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The environment sensing RF signal is sent to a second UE over a sidelink communication link during a communication session with the second UE.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A reflected RF signal is received, the reflected RF signal comprising a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in a path of the environment sensing RF signal.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: classifying the object based on the reflected RF signal; classifying a motion state of the object based on the reflected RF signal; or Both the object and the motion state of the object are classified based on the reflected RF signal.

12. An environment sensing method performed by a base station, comprising: transmitting to a user equipment (UE) one or more transmission parameters for an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal including a radio frequency (RF) signal reused as an environment sensing signal, the RF signal being configured to transmit information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, the one or more transmission parameters being based on one or more factors; as well as The environment sensing RF signal including the RF signal reused as the environment sensing signal is received from the UE.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The one or more transmission parameters include power control for the environment sensing RF signal, bandwidth configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, duration configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, antenna configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, or any combination thereof.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein: The one or more transmission parameters include at least a power control for the environment sensing RF signal, and The one or more factors include: the granularity of sensing to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, The amount of interference allowed to the environmental sensing RF signal, the type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, The transmit power allowed by the UE, or Any combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein: The one or more transmission parameters include at least a bandwidth configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and The one or more factors include: the sensing range resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, the type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, The maximum bandwidth capability of the UE, or Any combination thereof.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein: The one or more transmission parameters include at least a duration configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and The one or more factors include: the sensing Doppler resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, the type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, The Doppler calculation capability of the UE, The amount of time and frequency resources allocated to the environment sensing RF signal, or Any combination thereof.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein: The one or more transmission parameters include at least an antenna configuration for the environment sensing RF signal, and The one or more factors include: the sensing angular resolution to be provided by the environment sensing RF signal, the type of application for which the environment sensing RF signal is sent, the size of the UE's antenna array, or Any combination thereof.

18. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The environment sensing RF signal is in a 60 Gigahertz (GHz) frequency band, a millimeter wave (mmW) frequency band, or a terahertz (THz) frequency band.

19. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: A reflected RF signal is received, the reflected RF signal comprising a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal from an object in a path of the environment sensing RF signal.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising: classifying the object based on the reflected RF signal; classifying a motion state of the object based on the reflected RF signal; or Both the object and the motion state of the object are classified based on the reflected RF signal.

21. An environment sensing method performed by an electronic device, comprising: transmitting an environment sensing radio frequency (RF) signal carrying information on one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, including a radio frequency (RF) signal reused as an environment sensing signal; as well as A reflected RF signal is received that is reused as the environment sensing signal, the reflected RF signal comprising a reflection of the environment sensing RF signal carrying information on the one or more OFDM symbols from an object in a path of the environment sensing RF signal.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein: The one or more OFDM symbols are configured for transmission of a sounding reference signal (SRS), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein: The one or more OFDM symbols are configured for transmission of a positioning reference signal (PRS), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising: A transmission configuration for the one or more OFDM symbols is received.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein: The transmission configuration indicates: The environment sensing RF signal is to be transmitted using a bandwidth above a bandwidth threshold based on a bandwidth of an RF signal configured for wireless communication, The environment sensing RF signal is to be transmitted at a transmission power lower than a transmission power threshold, the transmission power threshold being based on a transmission power threshold of an RF signal configured for wireless communication, the environment sensing RF signal is to be transmitted using a time division duplex (TDD) density pattern that is above a TDD density pattern threshold, the TDD density pattern threshold being based on a TDD density pattern of an RF signal configured for wireless communication, The environment sensing RF signal is a repetition of an RF signal configured for wireless communication, or Any combination thereof.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising: A request is sent for time and / or frequency resources configured for the environment sensing RF signal, wherein the transmission configuration is received in response to the request.

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