Techniques for physical layer security based on path information

Abstract

Aspects described herein relate to a transmitting device and / or a receiving device securing or authenticating communications at a physical layer based on generated or received path information.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. patent application serial number 17 / 809,140, ​​filed on June 27, 2022, entitled “TECHNIQUES FOR PATH INFORMATION-BASED PHYSICAL LAYER SECURITY,” which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Background Art Technical Field

[0003] Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communication systems and, more particularly, to securing physical layer communications.

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. These systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple-access systems include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, and single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems.

[0005] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate at city, national, regional, and even global levels. For example, the fifth generation (5G) wireless communication technology, which may be referred to as 5G New Radio (5G NR), is designed to expand and support diverse usage scenarios and applications relative to current mobile network generations. On the one hand, 5G communication technology may include: enhanced mobile broadband addressing people-centric use cases for accessing multimedia content, services, and data; ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) with certain specifications for latency and reliability; and massive machine-type communications that may allow very large numbers of connected devices and the transmission of relatively small amounts of non-delay-sensitive information. Summary of the invention

[0006] A simplified summary of one or more aspects is presented below to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, and is neither intended to identify key or important elements of all aspects, nor to describe the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description presented later.

[0007] According to one aspect, a device for wireless communication is provided, the device comprising: a transceiver; a memory configured to store instructions; and one or more processors, the one or more processors being communicatively coupled to the memory and the transceiver. The one or more processors are configured to: generate path information for each of a plurality of reference signals received from a transmitting device through one of a plurality of different paths; and at least one of: decode communications received from the transmitting device based on the secret key generated from at least a portion of the path information of at least a portion of the plurality of reference signals; encode communications for transmission to the transmitting device based on the secret key generated from at least a portion of the path information of at least a portion of the plurality of reference signals; or authenticate the communications based on comparing received path information of communications received from the transmitting device with the path information of one of the plurality of different paths indicated for the communications.

[0008] In another aspect, an apparatus for wireless communication is provided, the apparatus comprising a transceiver; a memory configured to store instructions; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the memory and the transceiver. The one or more processors are configured to: send a plurality of reference signals to a receiving device via a plurality of different paths; receive path information for each of the plurality of reference signals from the receiving device; and at least one of: encode communications for transmission to the receiving device based on a secret key generated from at least a portion of the path information of at least a portion of the plurality of reference signals; decode communications received from the receiving device based on the secret key generated from at least a portion of the path information of at least a portion of the plurality of reference signals; or send communications to the receiving device via one of the plurality of different paths, wherein the communications include parameters indicating the one of the plurality of different paths through which the communications are transmitted.

[0009] On the other hand, a method for wireless communication is provided, the method comprising: generating, by a receiving device, path information for each of a plurality of reference signals received from a transmitting device via one of a plurality of different paths; and at least one of: decoding communications received from the transmitting device based on a secret key generated from at least a portion of the path information for at least a portion of the plurality of reference signals; encoding communications for transmission to the transmitting device based on the secret key generated from at least a portion of the path information for at least a portion of the plurality of reference signals; or authenticating the communications based on comparing received path information of communications received from the transmitting device with the path information for one of the plurality of different paths indicated for the communications.

[0010] On the other hand, a method for wireless communication is provided, the method comprising: sending multiple reference signals to a receiving device via multiple different paths; receiving path information of each of the multiple reference signals from the receiving device; and at least one of the following: encoding communications for sending to the receiving device based on a secret key generated from at least a portion of the path information of at least a portion of the multiple reference signals; decoding communications received from the receiving device based on the secret key generated from at least a portion of the path information of at least a portion of the multiple reference signals; or sending communications to the receiving device via one of the multiple different paths, wherein the communications include parameters indicating the one of the multiple different paths through which the communications are sent.

[0011] In a further aspect, an apparatus for wireless communication is provided, the apparatus comprising: a transceiver; a memory configured to store instructions; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory. The one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to perform the operations of the methods described herein. In another aspect, an apparatus for wireless communication is provided, the apparatus comprising means for performing the operations of the methods described herein. In yet another aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, the computer-readable medium comprising code executable by one or more processors to perform the operations of the methods described herein.

[0012] To achieve the foregoing and related ends, one or more aspects include the features fully described below and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the accompanying drawings set forth in detail some illustrative features of one or more aspects. However, these features are merely indicative of some of the various ways in which the principles of the various aspects can be employed, and this specification is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The disclosed aspects will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are provided to illustrate rather than limit the disclosed aspects, wherein like numerals represent like elements, and in which:

[0014] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system according to various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0015] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a decomposed base station architecture according to various aspects of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a user equipment (UE) according to various aspects of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 4is a block diagram illustrating an example of a base station according to various aspects of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 5 A flow chart illustrating an example of a method for securing physical layer communications using a secret key based on estimated path information according to aspects described herein;

[0019] Figure 6 A flow chart illustrating an example of a method for securing physical layer communications using a secret key based on received path information according to aspects described herein;

[0020] Figure 7 An example of a wireless communication system according to various aspects described herein is illustrated;

[0021] Figure 8 A flow chart illustrating an example of a method for authenticating physical layer communications based on estimated path information according to aspects described herein;

[0022] Fig. 9 A flowchart illustrating an example of a method for including information for authenticating physical layer communications based on received path information according to aspects described herein; and

[0023] Fig.10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication system including a base station and UEs according to various aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Various aspects are now described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, for the purpose of explanation, in order to provide a thorough understanding of one or more aspects, numerous specific details are described. However, it is apparent that such aspects can be practiced without these specific details.

[0025] The features described herein are generally related to securing wireless communications at the physical (PHY) layer based on path information. In some wireless communication technologies, such as fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR), some channels may not be secured, and some receivers may not have mechanisms for upper layer security, such as reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) controllers, passive Internet of Things (IoT) controllers, etc. However, secure communications may be important in wireless communication systems. Various aspects described herein provide for securing communications at the PHY layer, which may include generating secret keys for encoding and decoding communications based on path information or authenticating that communications are from an expected source. Therefore, regardless of whether RIS, passive IoT devices (e.g., radio frequency identification (RFID) tags), etc. are involved in facilitating communications between a transmitting device and a receiving device, communications can be secured.

[0026] For example, the path information may include a distance estimate based on signaling communicated between a transmitting device and a receiving device, a time of arrival (ToA) estimate based on signaling communicated between a transmitting device and a receiving device, a path loss estimate based on signaling communicated between a transmitting device and a receiving device, an angle of arrival (AoA) estimate based on signaling communicated between a transmitting device and a receiving device, and the like. In an example, one or more of these values ​​may be estimated for a plurality of reference signals. The value of the pattern of the reference signal may be used to generate a secret key for encoding and / or decoding wireless communications between a transmitting device and a receiving device. In another example, a transmitting device may transmit a communication to a receiving device, and the communication may indicate path information of a path through which the communication is transmitted. In this example, the receiving device may authenticate the communication based on comparing the indicated path information with the path information of the path through which the communication is received.

[0027] Using physical layer path information that has been estimated and / or communicated between devices can provide a low-overhead mechanism for securing and / or authenticating wireless communications between a transmitting device and a receiving device. Securing and authenticating communications can prevent data communicated between devices from being intercepted, can protect devices from being affected by unexpected or malicious communications received or processed by upper layers, and so on. This can improve the quality of communication between devices, which can correspondingly improve the user experience when using a UE.

[0028] The following will refer to Figures 1 to 9 The described features are presented in more detail.

[0029] As used in this application, the terms "component", "module", "system", etc. are intended to include computer-related entities, such as but not limited to hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to: a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable file, a thread of execution, a program, and / or a computer. By way of example, both an application running on a computing device and a computing device can be a component. One or more components may reside in a process and / or a thread of execution, and a component may be located on one computer and / or distributed between two or more computers. In addition, these components may be executed from various computer-readable media having various data structures stored thereon. Components may communicate by means of local and / or remote processes, such as according to signals having one or more data packets, such as data from a component that interacts with another component in a local system, a distributed system, and / or interacts with other systems across a network such as the Internet by means of signals.

[0030] The technology described herein can be used for various wireless communication systems, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA and other systems. The terms "system" and "network" can often be used interchangeably. A CDMA system can implement radio technologies such as CDMA2000, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), etc. CDMA2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95 and IS-856 standards. IS-2000 Release 0 and A are commonly referred to as CDMA2000 1X, 1X, etc. IS-856 (TIA-856) is commonly referred to as CDMA20001xEV-DO, High Speed ​​Packet Data (HRPD), etc. UTRA includes Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other variants of CDMA. A TDMA system can implement radio technologies such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). An OFDMA system may implement radio technologies such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE802.20, Flash-OFDM TM Etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Advanced LTE (LTE-A) are new releases of UMTS that use E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, and GSM are described in documents of an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP). CDMA2000 and UMB are described in documents of an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). The techniques described herein can be used for the above-mentioned systems and radio technologies as well as other systems and radio technologies, including cellular (e.g., LTE) communications on shared radio frequency spectrum bands. However, the following description describes an LTE / LTE-A system for example purposes, and LTE terminology is used in most of the following description, but these techniques are also applicable outside of LTE / LTE-A applications (e.g., to fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) networks or other next generation communication systems).

[0031] The following description provides examples, but does not limit the scope, applicability or examples set forth in the claims. The functions and arrangements of the elements discussed may be changed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Various processes or components may be omitted, replaced or added to each example as appropriate. For example, the described method may be performed in an order different from the order described, and various steps may be added, omitted or combined. In addition, the features described with respect to some examples may be combined in other examples.

[0032] Various aspects or features will be presented with respect to systems that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that the various systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all of the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the figures. Combinations of these methods may also be used.

[0033] Figure 1 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and access network 100. The wireless communication system (also referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include a network entity 102 (also referred to herein as a base station 102, including one or more components of a decomposed base station), a UE 104, an evolved packet core (EPC) 160, and / or a 5G core (5GC) 190. The base station 102 may include a macro cell (a high-power cellular base station) and / or a small cell (a low-power cellular base station). A macro cell may include a base station. A small cell may include a femto cell, a pico cell, and a micro cell. In an example, the base station 102 may also include a gNB 180, as further described herein. In one example, in accordance with various aspects described herein, some nodes of the wireless communication system may have a modem 240 and a UE communication component 342 for securing physical layer communications based on path information. In addition, in accordance with various aspects described herein, some nodes may have a modem 340 and a BS communication component 442 for securing physical layer communications. Although UE 104 is shown as having modem 240 and UE communication component 342, and base station 102 / gNB180 is shown as having modem 340 and BS communication component 442, this is an illustrative example, and substantially any node or node type may include modem 240 and UE communication component 342 and / or modem 340 and BS communication component 442 to provide the corresponding functionality described herein. In fact, in one example, another UE may include BS communication component 442 for securing sidelink communications with UE 104.

[0034] The base station 102 configured for 4G LTE (which may be collectively referred to as the Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)) may interface with the EPC 160 via a backhaul link 132 (e.g., using an S1 interface). The base station 102 configured for 5G NR (which may be collectively referred to as the Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN)) may interface with the 5GC 190 via a backhaul link 184. The base station 102 may perform one or more of the following functions, among other functions: transmission of user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, radio access network (RAN) sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through the EPC 160 or the 5GC 190) via a backhaul link 134 (e.g., using an X2 interface). The backhaul link 134 may be wired or wireless.

[0035] The base station 102 may communicate wirelessly with one or more UEs 104. Each of the base stations 102 may provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. There may be overlapping geographic coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell 102' may have a coverage area 110' that overlaps with the coverage area 110 of one or more macro base stations 102. A network including both small cells and macro cells may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include a home evolved Node B (eNB) (HeNB), which may provide services to a restricted group (which may be referred to as a closed subscriber group (CSG)). The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include an uplink (UL) (also referred to as a reverse link) transmission from the UE 104 to the base station 102 and / or a downlink (DL) (also referred to as a forward link) transmission from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 may use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming and / or transmit diversity. The communication link may be through one or more carriers. The base station 102 / UE 104 may use a spectrum of up to Y MHz (e.g., 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz, 20 MHz, 100 MHz, 400 MHz, etc.) bandwidth per carrier allocated in a carrier aggregation of up to Yx MHz (e.g., for x component carriers) for transmission in the DL and / or UL directions. These carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for DL ​​than for UL). The component carrier may include a primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers. The primary component carrier may be referred to as a primary cell (PCell) and the secondary component carrier may be referred to as a secondary cell (SCell).

[0036] In another example, some UEs 104 may communicate with each other using a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 158. The D2D communication link 158 may use DL / UL WWAN spectrum. The D2D communication link 158 may use one or more sidelink channels, such as a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), and a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH). The D2D communication may be through a variety of wireless D2D communication systems, such as, for example, FlashLinQ, WiMedia, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi based on IEEE 802.11 standards, LTE, or NR.

[0037] The wireless communication system may also include a Wi-Fi access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a Wi-Fi station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in the 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum. When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the STA 152 / AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) to determine whether the channel is available prior to communication.

[0038] The small cell 102' can operate in a licensed spectrum and / or an unlicensed spectrum. When operating in an unlicensed spectrum, the small cell 102' can employ NR and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum as the 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum used by the Wi-Fi AP 150. The small cell 102' employing NR in the unlicensed spectrum can improve the coverage of the access network and / or increase the capacity of the access network.

[0039] The base station 102 (whether a small cell 102' or a large cell (e.g., a macro base station)) may include an eNB, a gNodeB (gNB), or other types of base stations. Some base stations (such as gNB 180) may operate in traditional sub-6 GHz spectrum, millimeter wave (mmW) frequencies, and / or near mmW frequencies to communicate with UE 104. When the gNB 180 operates at mmW or near mmW frequencies, the gNB 180 may be referred to as a mmW base station. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is part of the RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength between 1 mm and 10 mm. The radio waves in this band may be referred to as millimeter waves. Near mmW can be extended down to a frequency of 3 GHz with a wavelength of 100 mm. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends to between 3 GHz and 30 GHz (also known as centimeter waves). Communications using the mmW / near mmW radio frequency bands have extremely high path loss and short range. The mmW base station 180 can utilize beamforming 182 with the UE 104 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. The base station 102 mentioned in this article may include a gNB 180.

[0040] The EPC 160 may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, a serving gateway 166, a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) gateway 168, a broadcast multicast service center (BM-SC) 170, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway 172. The MME 162 may communicate with a home subscriber server (HSS) 174. The MME 162 is a control node that handles signaling between the UE 104 and the EPC 160. In general, the MME 162 provides bearer and connection management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are transmitted through the serving gateway 166, which itself is connected to the PDN gateway 172. The PDN gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. The PDN gateway 172 and the BM-SC 170 are connected to IP services 176. The IP services 176 may include the Internet, an intranet, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), a PS streaming service, and / or other IP services. The BM-SC 170 may provide functionality for MBMS user service provisioning and delivery. The BM-SC 170 may serve as an entry point for content provider MBMS delivery, may be used to authorize and initiate MBMS bearer services in a public land mobile network (PLMN), and may be used to schedule MBMS delivery. The MBMS gateway 168 may be used to distribute MBMS services to base stations 102 belonging to a multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) area of ​​a broadcast specific service, and may be responsible for session management (start / stop) and for collecting eMBMS related billing information.

[0041] 5GC 190 may include an access and mobility management function (AMF) 192, other AMFs 193, a session management function (SMF) 194, and a user plane function (UPF) 195. AMF 192 may communicate with unified data management (UDM) 196. AMF 192 may be a control node that handles signaling between UE 104 and 5GC 190. Generally speaking, AMF 192 may provide QoS flow and session management. User Internet Protocol (IP) packets (e.g., from one or more UEs 104) may be transmitted through UPF 195. UPF 195 may provide UE IP address allocation and other functions for one or more UEs. UPF 195 is connected to IP services 197. IP services 197 may include the Internet, an intranet, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), a PS streaming service, and / or other IP services.

[0042] A network entity or base station may also be referred to as a gNB, a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNB), an access point, a transceiver base station, a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), a transmit receive point (TRP), or some other suitable term. Base station 102 provides an access point to EPC 160 or 5GC 190 for UE 104. Examples of UE 104 include a cellular phone, a smart phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a laptop, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a satellite radio, a global positioning system, a multimedia device, a video device, a digital audio player (e.g., an MP3 player), a camera, a game console, a tablet computer, a smart device, a wearable device, a vehicle, an electric meter, a gas pump, a large or small kitchen appliance, a healthcare device, an implant, a sensor / actuator, a display, or any other similarly functional device. Some of UE 104 may be referred to as IoT devices (e.g., a parking meter, a gas pump, a toaster, a vehicle, a heart monitor, etc.). IoT UEs may include machine type communication (MTC) / enhanced MTC (eMTC, also referred to as Category (CAT)-M or Cat M1) UEs, NB-IoT (also referred to as CAT NB1) UEs, and other types of UEs. In the present disclosure, eMTC and NB-IoT may refer to future technologies that may evolve from or be based on these technologies. For example, eMTC may include FeMTC (further eMTC), eFeMTC (enhanced further eMTC), mMTC (massive MTC), etc., and NB-IoT may include eNB-IoT (enhanced NB-IoT), FeNB-IoT (further enhanced NB-IoT), etc. UE 104 may also be referred to as a station, a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology.

[0043] In an example, in a 5G NR system or network, a network node, a network entity, a mobility element of a network, a radio access network (RAN) node, a core network node, a network element, or a network equipment (such as a base station (BS) or one or more units (or one or more components) that perform base station functionality) may be implemented in an aggregated or decomposed architecture. For example, a BS (such as a Node B (NB), an evolved NB (eNB), an NR BS, a 5G NB, an access point (AP), a transmit receive point (TRP) or a cell, etc.), including the base station 102 described above and further described herein, may be implemented as an aggregated base station (also referred to as an independent BS or a monolithic BS) or a decomposed base station.

[0044] A converged base station may be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node. A decomposed base station may be configured to utilize a protocol stack physically or logically distributed between two or more units, such as one or more central or centralized units (CUs), one or more distributed units (DUs), or one or more radio units (RUs). In some aspects, a CU may be implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs may be co-located with the CU, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed in one or more other RAN nodes. A DU may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of a CU, a DU, and a RU may also be implemented as a virtual unit, i.e., a virtual central unit (VCU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual radio unit (VRU).

[0045] Base station type operations or network designs may take into account the aggregated nature of base station functionality. For example, a disaggregated base station may be utilized in an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open radio access network (O-RAN (network configurations such as those initiated by the O-RAN Alliance)), or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN, also known as a cloud radio access network (C-RAN)). Decomposition may include distributing functionality across two or more units at various physical locations, as well as virtually distributing functionality of at least one unit, which may enable flexibility in network design. Individual units of a disaggregated base station or disaggregated RAN architecture may be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit.

[0046] In an example, the UE communication component 342 can receive signals from the base station 102 (or another UE) via multiple paths and can estimate path information for each of the signals (e.g., distance, path loss, received power, reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), amplitude or phase of the strongest time-domain channel tap, amplitude or phase of the average time-domain channel tap, number of channel taps greater than a threshold (which can be a layer 1 (L1) / layer 2 (L2) / layer 3 (L3) configurable threshold), signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) averaged for a particular tap or across all taps or a subset of taps (which can be selected by an L1 / L2 / L3 configurable threshold), ToA, AoA, etc.). The UE communication component 342 can communicate the path information to the base station 102 (or another UE) and can use the path information to generate a secret key for encoding or decoding communications with the base station 102 (or another UE), authenticate communications from the base station 102 (or another UE), etc., as further described herein. In an example, base station 102 (or another UE) may include a BS communication component 442, which may receive path information from UE communication component 342 of UE 104 and may use the information to similarly encode or decode communications with UE 104, authenticate communications sent to UE 104, and so on.

[0047] Figure 2 A diagram illustrating an example of a decomposed base station 200 architecture is shown, wherein, as noted above, when the term network entity or base station is used herein, one or more components of the decomposed base station architecture may be included. The decomposed base station 200 architecture may include one or more central units (CUs) 210, which may communicate directly with a core network 220 via a backhaul link, or indirectly with the core network 220 through one or more decomposed base station units (such as a near real-time (near RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 225 via an E2 link, or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC 215 associated with a service management and orchestration (SMO) framework 205, or both). The CU 210 may communicate with one or more distributed units (DUs) 230 via corresponding midhaul links (such as an F1 interface). The DU 230 may communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 240 via corresponding fronthaul links. The RU 240 may communicate with corresponding UEs 104 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, a UE 104 can be served by multiple RUs 240 simultaneously.

[0048] Each of the units (e.g., CU 210, DU 230, RU 240, and near-RT RIC 225, non-RT RIC 215, and SMO framework 205) may include or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or send signals, data, or information (collectively referred to as signals) via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each of these units or an associated processor or controller that provides instructions to the communication interface of these units may be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via a transmission medium. For example, these units may include a wired interface configured to receive or send signals to one or more of the other units via a wired transmission medium. Additionally, these units may include a wireless interface that may include a receiver, a transmitter, or a transceiver (such as a radio frequency (RF) transceiver) configured to receive or send signals, or both, to one or more of the other units on a wireless transmission medium.

[0049] In some aspects, CU 210 may host one or more higher layer control functions. Such control functions may include radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function may be implemented using an interface configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by CU 210. CU 210 may be configured to handle user plane functionality (i.e., central unit-user plane (CU-UP)), control plane functionality (i.e., central unit-control plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some specific implementations, CU 210 may be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP unit may communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP unit via an interface (such as an E1 interface). As needed, CU 210 may be implemented to communicate with DU 230 for network control and signaling.

[0050] DU 230 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RUs 240. In some aspects, DU 230 may host one or more of a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and one or more high physical (PHY) layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.) depending at least in part on functional splits such as those defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). In some aspects, DU 230 may further host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) may be implemented using an interface configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by DU 230 or with control functions hosted by CU 210.

[0051] The lower layer functionality may be implemented by one or more RUs 240. In some deployments, a RU 240 controlled by a DU 230 may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions or low PHY layer functions (such as performing Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, etc.), or both, based at least in part on a functional split (such as a lower layer functional split). In such an architecture, the RU 240 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 104. In some implementations, real-time and non-real-time aspects of control plane and user plane communications with the RU 240 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 230. In some scenarios, this configuration may enable the DU 230 and the CU 210 to be implemented in a cloud-based RAN architecture (such as a vRAN architecture).

[0052] The SMO framework 205 may be configured to support RAN deployment and configuration of non-virtualized network elements and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 205 may be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which may be managed via an operation and maintenance interface (such as an O1 interface). For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 205 may be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as an open cloud (O-Cloud) 290) to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as an O2 interface). Such virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, CU 210, DU 230, RU 240, and near-RT RIC 225. In some specific implementations, the SMO framework 205 may communicate with hardware aspects of the 4G RAN (such as an open eNB (O-eNB) 211) via the O1 interface. Additionally, in some specific implementations, the SMO framework 205 may communicate directly with one or more RUs 240 via the O1 interface. The SMO framework 205 may also include a non-RT RIC 215 configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 205 .

[0053] The non-RT RIC 215 may be configured to include logic functions that enable non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows including model training and updating, or policy-based guidance of applications / features in the near-RT RIC 225. The non-RT RIC 215 may be coupled to or in communication with the near-RT RIC 225 (such as via an A1 interface). The near-RT RIC 225 may be configured to include logic functions that enable near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions through an interface (such as via an E2 interface) that connects one or more CUs 210, one or more DUs 230, or both, and the O-eNB with the near-RT RIC 225.

[0054] In some implementations, in order to generate an AI / ML model to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 225, the non-RT RIC 215 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. Such information may be utilized by the near-RT RIC 225 and may be received from a non-network data source or from a network function at the SMO framework 205 or the non-RT RIC 215. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 215 or the near-RT RIC 225 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 215 may monitor long-term trends and patterns of performance and employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions through the SMO framework 205 (such as via reconfiguration of O1) or via the creation of RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0055] Now turn to Figures 3 to 10 , various aspects are described with reference to one or more components and one or more methods that can perform the actions or operations described herein, where various aspects in dashed lines may be optional. Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 8 and Fig. 9 The operations described in the description are presented in a particular order and / or as being performed by example components, but it should be understood that the ordering of these actions and the components that perform the actions may vary depending on the specific implementation. In addition, it should be understood that the following actions, functions, and / or components described may be performed by a specially programmed processor, a processor executing specially programmed software or computer-readable media, or any other combination of hardware components and / or software components capable of performing the described actions or functions.

[0056] refer to Figure 3 , an example of a specific implementation of the UE 104 may include various components, some of which have been described above and will be further described herein, including components such as one or more processors 312 and memory 316 and a transceiver 302 that communicate via one or more buses 344, which can operate in conjunction with a modem 340 and / or a UE communication component 342 to secure communications at the PHY layer based on path information in accordance with various aspects described herein.

[0057] In one aspect, the one or more processors 312 may include the modem 340 and / or may be part of the modem 340 using one or more modem processors. Thus, various functions associated with the UE communication component 342 may be included in the modem 340 and / or the processor 312, and in one aspect, may be performed by a single processor, while in other aspects, different ones of these functions may be performed by a combination of two or more different processors. For example, in one aspect, the one or more processors 312 may include any one or any combination of a modem processor, or a baseband processor, or a digital signal processor, or a transmit processor, or a receiver processor, or a transceiver processor associated with the transceiver 302. In other aspects, some of the features of the one or more processors 312 and / or the modem 340 associated with the UE communication component 342 may be performed by the transceiver 302.

[0058] In addition, the memory 316 may be configured to store local versions of the data and / or applications 375 used herein, or one or more of the UE communication components 342 and / or its subcomponents executed by the at least one processor 312. The memory 316 may include any type of computer-readable medium that can be used by a computer or at least one processor 312, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), tape, disk, optical disk, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and any combination thereof. In one aspect, for example, when the UE 104 is operating at least one processor 312 to execute one or more of the UE communication components 342 and / or its subcomponents, the memory 316 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores one or more computer-executable codes and / or data associated therewith that define the UE communication components 342 and / or its subcomponents.

[0059] The transceiver 302 may include at least one receiver 306 and at least one transmitter 308. The receiver 306 may include hardware, firmware, and / or software code executable by a processor for receiving data, the code including instructions and stored in a memory (e.g., a computer-readable medium). The receiver 306 may be, for example, a radio frequency (RF) receiver. In one aspect, the receiver 306 may receive signals transmitted by at least one base station 102 or another UE 104. Additionally, the receiver 306 may process such received signals and may also obtain measurements of these signals, such as but not limited to Ec / Io, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), reference signal received power (RSRP), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), etc. The transmitter 308 may include hardware, firmware, and / or software code executable by a processor for transmitting data, the code including instructions and stored in a memory (e.g., a computer-readable medium). Suitable examples of the transmitter 308 may include, but are not limited to, an RF transmitter.

[0060] In addition, in an aspect, the UE 104 may include an RF front end 388 that may operate in communication with one or more antennas 365 and the transceiver 302 for receiving and sending radio transmissions, such as wireless communications sent by at least one base station 102 or another UE 104 or wireless transmissions sent by the UE 104. The RF front end 388 may be connected to the one or more antennas 365 and may include one or more low noise amplifiers (LNAs) 390, one or more switches 392, one or more power amplifiers (PAs) 398, and one or more filters 396 for sending and receiving RF signals.

[0061] In one aspect, the LNA 390 can amplify the received signal at a desired output level. In one aspect, each LNA 390 can have a specified minimum gain value and a maximum gain value. In one aspect, the RF front end 388 can use one or more switches 392 to select a particular LNA 390 and its specified gain value based on the desired gain value for a particular application.

[0062] In addition, for example, the RF front end 388 can use one or more PAs 398 to amplify the signal for RF output at a desired output power level. In one aspect, each PA 398 can have a specified minimum gain value and a maximum gain value. In one aspect, the RF front end 388 can use one or more switches 392 to select a particular PA 398 and its specified gain value based on a desired gain value for a particular application.

[0063] In addition, for example, the RF front end 388 can use one or more filters 396 to filter the received signal to obtain an input RF signal. Similarly, in one aspect, for example, the output from the corresponding PA 398 can be filtered using a corresponding filter 396 to produce an output signal for transmission. In one aspect, each filter 396 can be connected to a specific LNA 390 and / or PA 398. In one aspect, the RF front end 388 can use one or more switches 392 to select a transmit path or a receive path using a specified filter 396, LNA 390, and / or PA 398 based on a configuration as specified by the transceiver 302 and / or the processor 312.

[0064] Thus, the transceiver 302 can be configured to transmit and receive wireless signals through one or more antennas 365 via the RF front end 388. In one aspect, the transceiver can be tuned to operate at a specified frequency so that the UE 104 can communicate with, for example, one or more base stations 102 or one or more cells associated with one or more base stations 102, or with one or more other UEs 104. In one aspect, for example, the modem 340 can configure the transceiver 302 to operate at a specified frequency and power level based on a UE configuration of the UE 104 and a communication protocol used by the modem 340.

[0065] In one aspect, the modem 340 may be a multi-band multi-mode modem that processes digital data and communicates with the transceiver 302 so that the digital data is transmitted and received using the transceiver 302. In one aspect, the modem 340 may be multi-band and configured to support multiple frequency bands for a specific communication protocol. In one aspect, the modem 340 may be multi-mode and configured to support multiple operating networks and communication protocols. In one aspect, the modem 340 may control one or more components (e.g., RF front end 388, transceiver 302) of the UE 104 to enable the sending and / or receiving of signals from the network based on a specified modem configuration. In one aspect, the modem configuration may be based on the mode of the modem and the frequency band used. In another aspect, the modem configuration may be based on UE configuration information associated with the UE 104 as provided by the network during cell selection and / or cell reselection.

[0066] In one aspect, in accordance with various aspects described herein, the UE communication component 342 may optionally include a path information component 352 for estimating path information between the UE 104 and the base station 102 (or another UE), a security protection component 354 for performing security protection (e.g., encoding or decoding) of communications at the PHY layer based on the path information, and / or an authentication component 356 for authenticating communications received from the base station 102 (or another UE) based on the path information.

[0067] In one aspect, processor 312 may correspond to combining Fig.10 Similarly, the memory 316 may correspond to one or more processors in conjunction with the UE described in the embodiment of the present invention. Fig.10 The memory described by the UE in.

[0068] refer to Figure 4 , one example of a specific implementation of a base station 102 (e.g., a base station 102 and / or a gNB 180 as described above, a monolithic base station, one or more components of a disaggregated base station, etc.) may include various components, some of which have been described above, but include components such as one or more processors 412 and memory 416 and a transceiver 402 communicating via one or more buses 444, which may operate in conjunction with a modem 440 and a BS communication component 442 for securing communications at the PHY layer based on path information in accordance with various aspects described herein. In another example, the BS communication component 442 may be implemented in a UE for sidelink communications with another UE 104 as described herein. In one example, a UE may have both a UE communication component 342 and a BS communication component 442 for securing and / or authenticating communications with another UE 104.

[0069] The transceiver 402, receiver 406, transmitter 408, one or more processors 412, memory 416, applications 475, bus 444, RF front end 488, LNA 490, switch 492, filter 496, PA 498 and one or more antennas 465 may be the same as or similar to the corresponding components of UE 104 described above, but are configured or otherwise programmed for base station operation rather than UE operation.

[0070] In one aspect, according to the aspects described herein, the BS communication component 442 may optionally include a path information processing component 452 for receiving and / or processing path information received from a UE, a security protection component 454 for performing security protection (e.g., encoding or decoding) on ​​communications at the PHY layer based on the path information, and / or an authentication information component 456 for including authentication information in communications sent to the UE.

[0071] In one aspect, processor 412 may correspond to combining Fig.10 Similarly, the memory 416 may correspond to one or more processors in conjunction with the base station described in the embodiment of the present invention. Fig.10 The memory described in the base station.

[0072] Figure 5A flow chart illustrating an example of a method 500 for securing physical layer communications using a secret key based on estimated path information in accordance with various aspects described herein. Figure 6 A flow chart illustrating an example of a method 600 for securing physical layer communications using a secret key based on received path information according to various aspects described herein. In the example, the UE 104 may use Figure 1 and Figure 3 One or more of the components described in the method 500 may be used to perform the functions described in the method 500, and the base station 102 or another UE (eg, in a sidelink communication with the UE 104) may use Figure 1 and Figure 4 One or more of the components described in the method 600 may be used to perform the functions described in the method 600. For ease of explanation, the methods 500 and 600 are described in conjunction with each other. However, these methods do not need to be performed in conjunction with each other, and different devices may be configured to perform these methods without other devices.

[0073] In method 600, at box 602, multiple reference signals can be sent to a receiving device via multiple different paths. In one aspect, the BS communication component 442 (e.g., in combination with the processor 412, the memory 416, the transceiver 402, etc.) can send multiple reference signals to the receiving device via multiple different paths. For example, the base station 102 (or other UE in sidelink communication) can use multiple different paths to transmit to the UE 104, which paths may include a direct path to the UE 104, a path through one or more forwarding components (such as a RIS, a passive IoT device such as an RFID tag, a relay device (e.g., an amplify and forward (AF) half-duplex (HD) or full-duplex (FD) relay device), etc.). Figure 7 An example is shown in .

[0074] Figure 7An example of a wireless communication system 700 including a UE 104-a and another UE 104-b is illustrated, but one or more of these UEs may be a base station 102 or other device, as described herein. The wireless communication includes a forwarding component 702 that may forward a signal received from one UE 104-a to another UE 104-b (or other device). For example, the forwarding component 702 may include one or more of a RIS, a passive IoT device such as an RFID tag, a relay device (e.g., an AF FD relay device), etc. In this regard, for example, UE 104-a may send a reference signal and / or other signal to UE 104-b using path 1, which may be based on a first beam 704 and traverse the forwarding component 702. In this example, UE 104-a may also send a reference signal and / or other signal to UE 104-b using path 2, which may be based on a second beam 706 and may not traverse the forwarding component, or may otherwise be directly located between UE 104-a and 104-b. In general, for example, UE 104-b may use information about the strongest path detected by UE 104-b to determine path information for communication between UEs 104-a and 104-b (e.g., distance, path loss, received power, RSRP, RSRQ, amplitude or phase of the strongest time-domain channel tap, amplitude or phase of the average time-domain channel tap, number of channel taps greater than an L1 / L2 / L3 configurable threshold, signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio, ToA, AoA for a particular tap or averaged across all taps or a subset of taps selected by an L1 / L2 / L3 configurable threshold).

[0075] In method 500, optionally at block 502, a plurality of reference signals may be received from a transmitting device via a plurality of different paths. In one aspect, UE communication component 342 (e.g., in conjunction with processor 312, memory 316, transceiver 302, etc.) may receive a plurality of reference signals from a transmitting device (e.g., base station 102 or another UE) via a plurality of different paths. For example, Figure 7As shown, the UE communication component 342 may receive multiple reference signals via a direct path, a path that traverses a forwarding component, etc. These paths may have different path characteristics (and thus estimated path information). For example, the potential path information may be {P1, P2, ..., PN} for N paths / routes, where each path is associated with certain information such as distance {d1, d2, ..., dN} and AoA {Phi1, Phi2, ..., PhiN}. In an example, the path / route information may be used to determine the secret key (SK) that the transmitting device wishes the receiving device to use when communicating with it. Therefore, in an example, the BS communication component 442 may transmit a set of time division multiplexed (TDM) reference signals (or TDM / frequency division multiplexed (FDM), where each subband is beamformed to a specific direction and reflected by a specific forwarding component), and / or the UE communication component 342 may receive the set of time division multiplexed (TDM) reference signals. Based on the desired SK, the transmitting device may transmit various RSs to generate the desired path information for generating the SK, as further described herein.

[0076] In the method 500, at block 504, path information may be generated for each of a plurality of reference signals received from a transmitting device via one of a plurality of different paths. In one aspect, the path information component 352 (e.g., in conjunction with the processor 312, the memory 316, the transceiver 302, the UE communication component 342, etc.) may generate path information for each of a plurality of reference signals received from a transmitting device via one of a plurality of different paths. For example, the path information component 352 may generate or estimate a distance metric between the UE 104 and the transmitting device or between the UE 104 and the forwarding component based on a signal strength or quality measurement of each of the plurality of reference signals. In another example, the path information component 352 may generate or estimate a time of arrival of each of the plurality of reference signals. In another example, the path information component 352 may generate or estimate a path loss for each of the plurality of reference signals (e.g., based at least in part on a difference between a time at which the signals were transmitted and a time at which the signals were received, as indicated in the signals). In another example, the path information component 352 can generate or estimate an angle of arrival for each of the plurality of reference signals at an antenna or RF element of the UE 104 .

[0077] In the method 500, optionally in block 506, the path information generated for each of the plurality of reference signals may be sent to the transmitting device. In one aspect, the path information component 352 (e.g., in conjunction with the processor 312, the memory 316, the transceiver 302, the UE communication component 342, etc.) may send the path information generated for each of the plurality of reference signals to the transmitting device. For example, the path information component 352 may send the path information as part of the feedback for the reference signal, based on which the transmitting device may determine one or more parameters for communicating with the PHY layer of the UE 104, such as a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), a rank indicator (RI), a precoding matrix indicator (PMI), etc. For example, UE104 as a receiving device can determine a set of (distinguishable) paths, can associate each path with an identifier (for example, a reference signal identifier indicated by a reference signal can be used), and can transmit path information (for example, distance, path loss, received power, RSRP, RSRQ, amplitude or phase of the strongest time-domain channel tap, amplitude or phase of the average time-domain channel tap, number of channel taps greater than an L1 / L2 / L3 configurable threshold, signal to interference plus noise ratio, ToA, AoA for a specific tap or averaged across all taps or a subset of taps (which is selected by an L1 / L2 / L3 configurable threshold)) or an identifier of only the best path to the transmitting device.

[0078] In the method 600, optionally in block 604, path information generated for each of the plurality of reference signals may be received from a receiving device. In one aspect, the path information processing component 452 (e.g., in conjunction with the processor 412, the memory 416, the transceiver 402, the BS communication component 442, etc.) may receive the path information generated for each of the plurality of reference signals from the receiving device. For example, the path information processing component 452 may receive the path information as part of the feedback for the reference signal, based on which the UE 104 as a transmitting device may determine one or more parameters for communicating with the PHY layer of the receiving device, such as MCS, RI, PMI, etc. In one example, as described, the path information may include only an identifier of the best path.

[0079] In this example, the transmitting device and the receiving device may have the same set of path information for each of the reference signals, which may include an identifier of the reference signal of the best path, a distance metric, ToA, path loss, AoA, etc. In any case, the transmitting device and the receiving device may use this information to (e.g., independently) generate a secret key for communication. In one example, the transmitting device may indicate a mode for applying the path information to generate the secret key, which may include indicating the ordering of the path information of the reference signals to be used to generate the secret key. For example, the transmitting device may indicate the ordering by transmitting the reference signals in a specific order, and the receiving device (and the transmitting device) may apply the path information of the reference signals according to the order in which the reference signals are transmitted / received.

[0080] For example, in method 600, optionally in block 606, an indication of an order of path information for applying two or more of the plurality of reference signals may be sent to a receiving device. In one aspect, BS communication component 442 (e.g., in conjunction with processor 412, memory 416, transceiver 402, etc.) may send an indication of an order of path information for applying two or more of the plurality of reference signals to a receiving device. For example, BS communication component 442 may send the indication in explicit signaling or may send the indication implicitly by sending reference signals to the receiving device in a particular order.

[0081] For example, in method 500, optionally in block 508, an indication of an order for path information for applying two or more of the plurality of reference signals may be received from a transmitting device. In one aspect, UE communication component 342 (e.g., in conjunction with processor 312, memory 316, transceiver 302, etc.) may receive an indication of an order for path information for applying two or more of the plurality of reference signals from a transmitting device. For example, UE communication component 342 may receive the indication in explicit signaling or may receive the indication implicitly by receiving reference signals from a transmitting device in a particular order, wherein the order may represent an order in which the path information is combined or applied to generate a secret key.

[0082] In this regard, for example, the transmitting device may transmit another indication (before or after transmitting the reference signal) for using specific path information / a subset of path information of a subset of reference signals to generate a secret key. This may help sort how the path information observed by each reference signal is used. In one example, the transmitting device may transmit a subset of reference signals in a specific pattern to be used to generate a secret key.

[0083] In method 500, optionally in box 510, a secret key may be generated based at least in part on a function of path information of two or more reference signals in a plurality of reference signals. In one aspect, a security protection component 354 (e.g., in conjunction with processor 312, memory 316, transceiver 302, UE communication component 342, etc.) may generate a secret key based at least in part on a function of path information of two or more reference signals in a plurality of reference signals. In an example, the security protection component 354 may apply a function of path information using an order of path information indicated by a transmitting device, as described above. In addition, for example, the security protection component 354 may apply a function of path information using certain values ​​that may be configured between devices or otherwise known. As described, for example, the security protection component 354 may generate a secret key using at least one of a value, a tag, or an identifier (e.g., a reference signal identifier) ​​of the exact path information sent to the transmitting device, or a combination thereof. In one example, the function may be a hash function using the path information value, such as a hashed message authentication code (HMAC) function, which may use a secure hash algorithm (SHA), such as SHA256 based on 256 bits. In an example, such a function may have a signature similar to the following:

[0084] HMAC-SHA256(key, timestamp, parameters).

[0085] In an example, a transmitting device may attempt to instruct a receiving device to use a specific secret key by transmitting a set of reference signals, each of which is transmitted using certain beams across all forwarding components, transmitting devices, and receiving devices (e.g., a receiving device may fix one beam). The receiving device may detect the distance of the reference signal. In a specific example, the distance may be d1, d4, dN, d2. The secret key may depend on the distance / AoA value measured on the reference signal, so that the value may produce a different secret key. For example, d1=10 may give a different secret key than d1=5. The order of distance / AoA - the order of estimated path information - may be based on the time when each reference signal is received (or based on an agreement between devices processing each RS). For example, a set of path information {P1, P2} may give a secret key different from {P2, P1}. The combination of paths {P1, P2} may give a secret key different from {P1, P3}.

[0086] In method 600, optionally in block 608, a secret key may be generated based at least in part on a function of path information of two or more reference signals in a plurality of reference signals. In one aspect, a security protection component 454 (e.g., in conjunction with processor 412, memory 416, transceiver 402, BS communication component 442, etc.) may generate a secret key based at least in part on a function of path information of two or more reference signals in a plurality of reference signals. In an example, the security protection component 454 may apply a function of path information using the order of path information indicated by UE 104 as a transmitting device when signaling reference signals or other information to a receiving device, as described above. In addition, for example, the security protection component 454 may apply a function of path information using certain values ​​that may be configured or otherwise known between devices. As described, for example, the security protection component 454 may generate a secret key using at least one of a value, a tag, or an identifier (e.g., a reference signal identifier) ​​of the exact path information sent to the transmitting device, or a combination thereof. In any case, for example, the sending device and the receiving device can use the same value and the same function to generate the secret key, which can result in the devices generating the same secret key. The secret key can then be used to secure communications between the devices.

[0087] For example, in method 600, optionally at block 610, communications for transmission to a receiving device may be encoded based on a secret key generated from at least a portion of the path information of at least a portion of the plurality of reference signals. In one aspect, security protection component 454 (e.g., in conjunction with processor 412, memory 416, transceiver 402, BS communication component 442, etc.) may encode communications for transmission to a receiving device based on a secret key generated from at least the portion of the path information of at least the portion of the plurality of reference signals. For example, security protection component 454 may sign communications at the PHY layer using the secret key to maintain authentication or integrity. In one example, the security protection component 454 may sign a hash value representing a path or path information, or may sign only the value of the path or path information without hashing, or may sign one or more quantities of the path (e.g., distance, path loss, AoA, ToA, etc.), or may jointly sign the value of the path together with certain path information (e.g., distance path loss, AoA, ToA, etc.) (without hashing or with hashing).

[0088] In one specific example, the security protection component 454 can use a commitment scheme (e.g., a cryptographic commitment) that can utilize a Pederson commitment (e.g., based on the difficulty of the discrete logarithm problem and / or unconditionally hides and computes binding) to encode the communication. In this example, as a prerequisite, public parameters (p, g, h) can be shared with the UE (e.g., via L1 / L2 / L3 signaling, where L3 can provide a certain level of security). In this example, p can be a large prime number, g can be a number in [2, p-1], and h can be an element in [2, p-1] such that log g h is unknown. In this example, the security protection component 454 can provide g ID h r mod p as a commitment of path information, where ID is the path information with a timestamp and / or scrambled ID from the network node (or from the controlling UE in sidelink communication). The sequence and r can be random numbers. The commitment of path information can be provided to the UE using L1 / L2 / L3 signaling. In this example, the security protection component 454 can broadcast r. In addition, the security protection component 454 can send r together with the corresponding channel bit transmission (e.g., for data or control channels that utilize channel decoding as probability amplitude shaping (PAS)). The UE can verify the submitted value after receiving the channel and r.

[0089] In another specific example, the security protection component 454 may encode the communication using a Pederson commitment with a Fiat-Shamir scheme that may utilize a zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) based on the difficulty of the discrete logarithm problem and / or unconditional hiding and computation binding, where the secret may not be shared with the UE. In this example, the security protection component 454 may have a private key x and a public value y=g x mod p, where g can be a generator of the multiplicative group of integers modulo p. The security protection component 454 can select a random v and can calculate t=g v The security protection component 454 can also calculate c = H (g, y, t, ID), where H () is a cryptographic hash function, and r = v-cx. The proof is a pair (t, r); (g v ,v-cx). In this example, the UE 104 when decoding the communication may calculate c=H(g,y,t,ID) and check if t=g r g xc =g vIf yes, then the UE can verify the communication. This can provide a flexible and secure operation, where each network node can compute c, and a dedicated function that holds the secret x can compute (t, r). This can be an efficient signature scheme in terms of the signature size considered (e.g., a Boneh Lynn Shacham (BLS) signature based on bilinear pairing on EC can require 256 bits).

[0090] In yet another specific example, the security protection component 454 can encode the communication using a digital signature using Rivest Shamir Adleman (RSA). In this example, for example, the message m can be encrypted and can include path loss information. For example, the security protection component 454 can calculate H m = Hash(m) to increase further security and reduce size. Security protection component 454 can m Sign, for example, m =(H m ) d mod n, and m and sign may be sent together with the encrypted data signal transmitted in the same direction of the path m In this example, UE 104 may decode / determine m, Hash m to obtain H m =Hash(m), determine the sign m , and apply the public key e, that is, (sign m ) e =(H m ) de mod n=H m If H m =(H m ) de modn, then the message m is authenticated as coming from a network node that possesses the private key d.

[0091] For example, in method 600, optionally at block 612, a communication can be sent to a receiving device. In one aspect, BS communication component 442 (eg, in conjunction with processor 412, memory 416, transceiver 402, etc.) can send a communication to a receiving device under security protection.

[0092] For example, in method 500, optionally at block 512, a communication may be received from a transmitting device. In one aspect, UE communication component 342 (e.g., in conjunction with processor 312, memory 316, transceiver 302, etc.) may receive a communication from a transmitting device under security protection. For example, in method 500, optionally at block 514, a communication received from a transmitting device may be decoded based on a secret key generated from at least a portion of path information of at least a portion of a plurality of reference signals. In one aspect, security protection component 354 (e.g., in conjunction with processor 312, memory 316, transceiver 302, UE communication component 342, etc.) may decode a communication received from a transmitting device based on a secret key generated from at least a portion of path information of at least a portion of a plurality of reference signals. For example, security protection component 354 may decode a communication received through a path at least in part by determining path information for transmitting the communication (e.g., by using an example DMRS associated with the communication). In an example, the security protection component 354 may determine the path based on determining distance, path loss, AoA, ToA, etc. and / or performing some comparison with an acceptable error (e.g., the security protection component 354 may be configured with some agreed-upon criteria, such as a minimum square error between a measured value and a stored value of a quantity). Since the UE 104 may have stored values ​​of path information for different paths, as described above, the security protection component 354 may compare the determined path to the signed communication (which indicates the path) to verify the communication. In an example, the security protection component 354 may decode the communication using one or more of the processes outlined above for cryptographic commitment, Pederson commitment with the Fiat-Shamir scheme, or digital signatures using RSA. This may maintain authentication or integrity for the communication.

[0093] In another example, in method 500, optionally at box 516, a communication for transmission to a transmitting device may be encoded based on a secret key generated from at least a portion of the path information of at least a portion of the multiple reference signals. In one aspect, the security protection component 354 (e.g., in conjunction with the processor 312, the memory 316, the transceiver 302, the UE communication component 342, etc.) may encode the communication for transmission to the transmitting device based on a secret key generated from at least the portion of the path information of at least the portion of the multiple reference signals. For example, the security protection component 354 may sign the communication at the PHY layer using the secret key. For example, in method 500, optionally at box 518, the communication may be transmitted to the transmitting device. In one aspect, the UE communication component 342 (e.g., in conjunction with the processor 312, the memory 316, the transceiver 302, etc.) may transmit the communication to the transmitting device under security protection.

[0094] For example, in method 600, optionally at block 614, a communication may be received from a receiving device. In one aspect, BS communication component 442 (e.g., in conjunction with processor 412, memory 416, transceiver 402, etc.) may receive a communication from a receiving device under security protection. For example, in method 600, optionally at block 616, a communication received from a receiving device may be decoded based on a secret key generated from at least a portion of path information for at least a portion of a plurality of reference signals. In one aspect, security protection component 454 (e.g., in conjunction with processor 412, memory 416, transceiver 402, BS communication component 442, etc.) may decode a communication received from a receiving device based on a secret key generated from at least a portion of path information for at least a portion of a plurality of reference signals.

[0095] Figure 8 A flow chart illustrating an example of a method 800 for authenticating physical layer communications based on estimated path information in accordance with various aspects described herein. Fig. 9 A flow chart illustrating an example of a method 900 for including information for authenticating physical layer communications based on received path information in accordance with various aspects described herein. In an example, UE 104 may use Figure 1 and Figure 3 One or more of the components described in the method 800 may be used to perform the functions described in the method 800, and the base station 102 or another UE (eg, in a sidelink communication with the UE 104) may use Figure 1 and Figure 4 One or more of the components described in the method 900 may be used to perform the functions described in the method 900. For ease of explanation, the methods 800 and 900 are described in conjunction with each other. However, these methods do not need to be performed in conjunction with each other, and different devices may be configured to perform these methods without other devices.

[0096] In method 900, at block 902, multiple reference signals may be sent to a receiving device via multiple different paths. In one aspect, BS communication component 442 (e.g., in conjunction with processor 412, memory 416, transceiver 402, etc.) may send multiple reference signals to a receiving device via multiple different paths, as described above with reference to Figure 6 602 in method 600.

[0097] In method 800, optionally at block 802, a plurality of reference signals may be received from a transmitting device via a plurality of different paths. In one aspect, UE communication component 342 (e.g., in conjunction with processor 312, memory 316, transceiver 302, etc.) may receive a plurality of reference signals from a transmitting device (e.g., base station 102 or another UE) via a plurality of different paths, as described above with reference to Figure 5 502 in method 500.

[0098] In the method 800, at block 804, path information may be generated for each of a plurality of reference signals received from a transmitting device via one of a plurality of different paths. In one aspect, the path information component 352 (e.g., in conjunction with the processor 312, the memory 316, the transceiver 302, the UE communication component 342, etc.) may generate the path information for each of the plurality of reference signals received from a transmitting device via one of a plurality of different paths, as described above with reference to Figure 5 504 in method 500.

[0099] In method 900, at block 904, communications may be sent to a receiving device via one of a plurality of different paths, wherein the communications include parameters indicating one of the plurality of different paths through which the communications are sent. In one aspect, BS communication component 442 (e.g., in conjunction with processor 412, memory 416, transceiver 402, etc.) may send communications to a receiving device via one of a plurality of different paths, wherein the communications may include parameters indicating one of the plurality of different paths through which the communications are sent. For example, authentication information component 456 may insert the parameter in the communication, the parameter indicating the path through which the communications are sent. For example, reference Figure 7 , authentication information component 456 can include parameters in the communication that indicate whether the communication was sent via path 1 or path 2 (or using the associated beam 704 or 706).

[0100] In this example, the path information can be used to authenticate the received message, as further described herein. For example, using each downlink control information (DCI), sidelink control information (SCI), physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), etc., the sending device can transmit route / path information to the final destination. For example, the sending device can use a beam that directs the signal to a forwarding signal, which can forward the signal in the direction of the receiving device and produce a specific overall distance / path loss X and a specific AoAY at the receiving device. This information can be used to verify that the signal came from the path indicated in the signal.

[0101] In method 800, at block 806, the communication may be authenticated based on comparing received path information of the communication received from the transmitting device with path information for one of a plurality of different paths indicated for the communication. In one aspect, authentication component 356 (e.g., in conjunction with processor 312, memory 316, transceiver 302, UE communication component 342, etc.) may authenticate the communication based on comparing received path information of the communication received from the transmitting device (e.g., observed path information of the communication) with path information for one of a plurality of different paths indicated for the communication (e.g., path information for the path indicated for the communication as generated at block 804). For example, authentication component 356 may generate path information for the received communication, such as distance, ToA, path loss, AoA, etc., and may determine whether the path information matches or is at least within a threshold difference of the path information generated at block 804 for the path indicated in the communication.

[0102] In method 800, optionally at block 808, a determination can be made as to whether there is a failure in authenticating the communication. In an aspect, authentication component 356 (e.g., in conjunction with processor 312, memory 316, transceiver 302, UE communication component 342, etc.) can determine whether there is a failure in authenticating the communication. For example, authentication component 356 can determine a failure if there is a difference (or at least a threshold difference) between path information previously generated for a path indicated in the communication and path information observed for the communication.

[0103] In an example, if a failure in authentication is detected at block 808 (optionally at block 810), the communication may be discarded. In one aspect, the authentication component 356 (e.g., in conjunction with the processor 312, the memory 316, the transceiver 302, the UE communication component 342, etc.) may discard the communication based on the authentication failure upon receipt. In another example, if a failure in authentication is detected at block 808 (optionally at block 812), a retransmission of the communication may be requested. In one aspect, the authentication component 356 (e.g., in conjunction with the processor 312, the memory 316, the transceiver 302, the UE communication component 342, etc.) may request a retransmission of the communication from the transmitting device based on the authentication failure. In another example, if a failure in authentication is detected at block 808 (optionally at block 814), a flag indication associated with an acknowledgement (ACK) / negative ACK (NACK) may be sent. In an aspect, authentication component 356 (e.g., in conjunction with processor 312, memory 316, transceiver 302, UE communication component 342, etc.) can send a flag indication associated with an ACK / NACK for the communication based on an authentication failure (if the communication is a data communication) or in a separate feedback resource. In these examples, UE 104 can discard the communication.

[0104] In this example, in method 900, optionally at block 906, an indication of a detected failure in authentication communication may be received from a receiving device. In one aspect, BS communication component 442 (e.g., in conjunction with processor 412, memory 416, transceiver 402, etc.) may receive an indication of a detected failure in authentication communication from a receiving device. For example, the indication may include a request for retransmission, a flag indication associated with an ACK / NACK of the communication, etc. In any case, for example, optionally at block 908, the communication may be retransmitted to the receiving device based on the indication. In one aspect, BS communication component 442 (e.g., in conjunction with processor 412, memory 416, transceiver 402, etc.) may retransmit the communication to the receiving device based on the indication.

[0105] In one example of method 900, optionally at block 910, a different path may be selected, a process may be reestablished, or more security layers may be added before sending a communication. On the one hand, BS communication component 442 (e.g., in conjunction with processor 412, memory 416, transceiver 402, etc.) may select a different path for communication (e.g., path 1 where a communication previously sent via path 2 is located), or a process for sending a communication may be reestablished, or more security layers may be added before retransmitting a communication. This may be in response to an indication of an authentication failure. In one example, in the case where the initial transmission at block 904 is not properly received, selecting a different path or reestablishing a process may improve the audibility of the retransmission. In another example, in the case where a receiving device receives communications from different transmitting devices (based on differences in observed path information), adding more security layers may further prevent malicious communications.

[0106] In another example, reference Figure 8 , the UE 104 as a receiving device may process the communication and may transmit an alert. In method 800, optionally at block 816, an alert may be sent. In one aspect, the authentication component 356 (e.g., in conjunction with the processor 312, the memory 316, the transceiver 302, the UE communication component 342, etc.) may send an alert to the sending device indicating a failure in authentication.

[0107] In one example, one or more of the actions in blocks 810, 812, 814, and 816 may be performed when there is a certain number of failures in authenticating a given communication (e.g., based on additional subsequent failures in retransmissions of authenticated communications). In method 800, optionally at block 818, it may be determined whether the number of failures reaches a threshold. If so, one or more of blocks 810, 812, 814, and 816 may be performed. For example, in the case where an alert is sent at block 816, the alert may be transmitted after each transmission associated with an ACK / NACK of a message (if the message is a data message) or in a separate feedback resource. In another example, in the case where a threshold value can be configured by a transmitting device for use by a receiving device, the alert may be transmitted after a threshold number of authentication failures. For example, the transmitting device may configure the threshold value as a parameter in a configuration of layer 1 (e.g., PHY layer, such as in downlink control information (DCI)), layer 2 (e.g., MAC layer, such as in a MAC-control element (CE)), layer 3 (e.g., RRC layer, such as in an RRC signal), and the like. In another example, in the event of a threshold number of authentication failures within a configured time window (e.g., in the event of a threshold number of failures at block 818 within a configured time window), an alert may be transmitted. For example, the configured time window may include a certain number of time slots, a certain number of milliseconds, etc. In an example, the sending device may configure the threshold and / or time window as a parameter in a layer 1, 2, or 3 configuration.

[0108] Fig.10 1 is a block diagram of a MIMO communication system 1000 including a base station 102 and a UE 104. The MIMO communication system 1000 may be exemplified with reference to Figure 1 The wireless communication access network 100 is described in detail. The base station 102 may be a reference Figure 1 Examples of various aspects of base station 102 are described. Base station 102 may be equipped with antennas 1034 and 1035, and UE 104 may be equipped with antennas 1052 and 1053. In MIMO communication system 1000, base station 102 may be able to transmit data over multiple communication links simultaneously. Each communication link may be referred to as a "layer", and the "rank" of a communication link may indicate the number of layers used for communication. For example, in a 2x2 MIMO communication system in which base station 102 transmits two "layers", the rank of the communication link between base station 102 and UE 104 is two.

[0109] At the base station 102, a transmit (Tx) processor 1020 may receive data from a data source. The transmit processor 1020 may process the data. The transmit processor 1020 may also generate a control symbol or a reference symbol. The transmit MIMO processor 1030 may perform spatial processing (e.g., pre-coding) on ​​the data symbol, the control symbol, or the reference symbol (if applicable), and may provide an output symbol stream to the transmit modulator / demodulator 1032 and 1033. Each modulator / demodulator 1032 to 1033 may process a corresponding output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator / demodulator 1032 to 1033 may further process the output sample stream (e.g., convert to simulate, amplify, filter, and up-convert the output sample stream) to obtain a DL signal. In an example, the DL signals from the modulator / demodulator 1032 and 1033 may be transmitted via antennas 1034 and 1035, respectively.

[0110] UE 104 may be a reference Figure 1 to Figure 2 Examples of various aspects of the described UE 104. At the UE 104, the UE antennas 1052 and 1053 can receive DL signals from the base station 102 and can provide received signals to modulators / demodulators 1054 and 1055, respectively. Each modulator / demodulator 1054 to 1055 can condition the corresponding received signal (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize the corresponding received signal) to obtain input samples. Each modulator / demodulator 1054 to 1055 can further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain received symbols. The MIMO detector 1056 can obtain received symbols from the modulators / demodulators 1054 and 1055, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols (if applicable), and provide detected symbols. The receive (Rx) processor 1058 may process (eg, demodulate, deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols to provide decoded data for the UE 104 to a data output and to provide decoded control information to a processor 1080 or memory 1082 .

[0111] In some cases, processor 1080 may execute stored instructions to instantiate UE communication component 342 (see, e.g., Figure 1 and Figure 2 ).

[0112] On the uplink (UL), at the UE 104, a transmit processor 1064 may receive data from a data source and process the data. The transmit processor 1064 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals. The symbols from the transmit processor 1064 may be pre-decoded by a transmit MIMO processor 1066 (if applicable), further processed by modulators / demodulators 1054 and 1055 (e.g., for SC-FDMA, etc.), and transmitted to the base station 102 according to the communication parameters received from the base station 102. At the base station 102, the UL signals from the UE 104 may be received by antennas 1034 and 1035, processed by modulators / demodulators 1032 and 1033, detected by a MIMO detector 1036 (if applicable), and further processed by a receive processor 1038. The receive processor 1038 may provide decoded data to a data output and to the processor 1040 or memory 1042.

[0113] In some cases, processor 1040 may execute stored instructions to instantiate BS communication component 442 (see, e.g., Figure 1 and Figure 3 ).

[0114] The components of the UE 104 may be implemented individually or collectively using one or more ASICs adapted to perform some or all of the applicable functions in hardware. Each of the modules indicated may be a component for performing one or more functions related to the operation of the MIMO communication system 1000. Similarly, the components of the base station 102 may be implemented individually or collectively using one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) adapted to perform some or all of the applicable functions in hardware. Each of the components indicated may be a component for performing one or more functions related to the operation of the MIMO communication system 1000.

[0115] The following aspects are merely illustrative, and aspects thereof may be combined with aspects of other embodiments or teachings described herein without limitation.

[0116] Aspect 1 is a method for wireless communication, the method comprising: generating, by a receiving device, path information for each of a plurality of reference signals received from a transmitting device via one of a plurality of different paths; and at least one of: decoding communications received from the transmitting device based on a secret key generated from at least a portion of the path information of at least a portion of the plurality of reference signals; encoding communications for transmission to the transmitting device based on the secret key generated from at least a portion of the path information of at least a portion of the plurality of reference signals; or authenticating the communication based on comparing received path information of the communication received from the transmitting device with the path information of one of the plurality of different paths indicated for the communication.

[0117] In aspect 2, the method according to aspect 1 includes: wherein the path information of a given reference signal among the multiple reference signals includes at least one of a path loss calculated for the given reference signal, an arrival time of the given reference signal, or an arrival angle of the given reference signal.

[0118] In aspect 3, the method according to any one of aspects 1 or 2 includes: sending the path information generated for each reference signal of the plurality of reference signals to the transmitting device.

[0119] In aspect 4, the method according to aspect 3 includes generating the secret key based at least in part on a function of applying the path information of two or more reference signals of the plurality of reference signals in sequence.

[0120] In aspect 5, the method according to aspect 4 includes: wherein the order is based on receiving each reference signal of the plurality of reference signals from the transmitting device.

[0121] In aspect 6, the method according to any one of aspects 4 or 5 comprises: receiving an indication of the order from the sending device.

[0122] In aspect 7, the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 6 comprises: wherein the communication comprises a parameter indicating the one of the plurality of different paths used to send the communication.

[0123] In aspect 8, the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 7 includes: wherein authenticating the communication includes detecting a failure in authentication when the received path information of the communication does not match the path information generated for the one path indicated for the communication among the multiple different paths.

[0124] In aspect 9, the method of aspect 8 includes discarding the communication based on detecting the failure in authentication.

[0125] In aspect 10, the method according to any one of aspects 8 or 9 comprises requesting a retransmission of the communication from the sending device based on detecting the failure in authentication.

[0126] In aspect 11, the method according to any one of aspects 8 to 10 comprises: sending a flag indication associated with ACK / NACK to the transmitting device based on detecting the failure in authentication.

[0127] In aspect 12, the method according to any one of aspects 8 to 11 comprises: based on detecting the failure in authenticating each transmission, sending an alert to the sending device after each transmission of the communication received based on transmission feedback.

[0128] In aspect 13, the method according to any one of aspects 8 to 12 includes: sending an alert to the sending device after detecting a failure in a certain number of transmissions to authenticate the communication, wherein the number is configured via downlink control information, MAC-CE or RRC signaling.

[0129] In aspect 14, the method according to any one of aspects 8 to 13 includes: sending an alert to the sending device after detecting a failure in a certain number of transmissions to authenticate the communication within a time window, wherein at least one of the number or the time window is configured via downlink control information, MAC-CE or RRC.

[0130] Aspect 15 is a method for wireless communication, the method comprising: sending multiple reference signals to a receiving device via multiple different paths; receiving path information of each of the multiple reference signals from the receiving device; and at least one of the following: encoding communications for sending to the receiving device based on a secret key generated from at least a portion of the path information of at least a portion of the multiple reference signals; decoding communications received from the receiving device based on the secret key generated from at least a portion of the path information of at least a portion of the multiple reference signals; or sending communications to the receiving device via one of the multiple different paths, wherein the communication includes parameters indicating the one of the multiple different paths through which the communication is sent.

[0131] In aspect 16, the method according to aspect 15 includes: wherein the path information of a given reference signal among the multiple reference signals includes at least one of a path loss calculated for the given reference signal, an arrival time of the given reference signal, or an arrival angle of the given reference signal.

[0132] In aspect 17, the method according to any one of aspects 15 or 16 comprises generating the secret key based at least in part on applying the path information of two or more of the plurality of reference signals in sequence via a function.

[0133] In aspect 18, the method of aspect 17 includes: wherein the order is based on transmitting each reference signal of the plurality of reference signals to the receiving device.

[0134] In aspect 19, the method according to any one of aspects 17 or 18 comprises sending an indication of the order to the receiving device.

[0135] In aspect 20, the method according to any one of aspects 15 to 19 comprises: receiving from the receiving device an indication of a detected failure in authenticating the communication; and resending the communication to the receiving device based on the indication.

[0136] In aspect 21, the method according to aspect 20 comprises sending to the receiving device a configuration indicating one or more parameters for triggering reporting of detection of the failure in authentication.

[0137] In aspect 22, the method according to aspect 21 includes: wherein the one or more parameters include one or more of the following: the number for which the failure in authentication is detected to trigger the sending of the report, or the time window within which the failure in authentication is detected for the number of sendings to trigger the report.

[0138] Aspect 23 is a device for wireless communication, the device comprising: a transceiver; a memory configured to store instructions; and one or more processors, the one or more processors being communicatively coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions so that the device performs any of the methods described in Aspects 1 to 22.

[0139] Aspect 24 is an apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising means for performing any of the methods according to aspects 1 to 22.

[0140] Aspect 25 is a computer-readable medium comprising code executable by one or more processors for wireless communication, the code comprising code for performing any of the methods according to aspects 1 to 22.

[0141] The above detailed descriptions set forth above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings describe examples and do not represent the only examples that can be implemented or fall within the scope of the claims. The term "example" when used in this specification means "used as an example, instance, or illustration," rather than "preferred" or "advantageous over other examples." The detailed description includes specific details for providing an understanding of the described techniques. However, these techniques may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

[0142] Information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and methods. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips mentioned in the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, computer executable codes or instructions stored on a computer readable medium, or any combination thereof.

[0143] The various illustrative blocks and components described in conjunction with the disclosure herein may be implemented or executed using a specially programmed device, such as, but not limited to, a processor for performing the functions described herein, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. Although the specially programmed processor may be a microprocessor, in an alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The specially programmed processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0144] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a non-transitory computer-readable medium or sent through it. Other examples and specific implementations fall within the scope and essence of the present disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described above may be implemented using hardware, firmware, hard wiring, software executed by a specially programmed processor, or a combination of any of these items. The features of the implementation functions may also be physically located at different locations, including being distributed so that the various parts of the functions are implemented at different physical locations. In addition, as used herein, including in the claims, "or" used in a list of items such as "at least one of" indicates a dispersed list, so that, for example, a list of "at least one of A, B, or C" means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C).

[0145] Computer-readable medium includes both computer storage medium and communication medium, including any medium that promotes computer program to be transferred from one place to another place. Storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by general or special-purpose computer. By way of example and not limitation, computer-readable medium can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage device, disk storage device or other magnetic storage device, or can be used for carrying or storing desired program code components and any other medium that can be accessed by general or special-purpose computer or general or special-purpose processor in the form of instruction or data structure. In addition, any connection is appropriately referred to as computer-readable medium. For example, if software is sent from website, server or other remote source using coaxial cable, optical fiber cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL) or wireless technology such as infrared, radio and microwave, then coaxial cable, optical fiber cable, twisted pair, DSL or wireless technology such as infrared, radio and microwave are included in the definition of medium. As used herein, disk and disc include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc, wherein disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0146] The previous description of the present disclosure is provided to enable those skilled in the art to implement or use the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the essence or scope of the present disclosure. In addition, although the elements of the described aspects and / or embodiments are described or claimed in the singular, the plural form may also be envisioned unless explicitly stated to be limited to the singular. Additionally, unless otherwise stated, all or part of any aspect and / or embodiment may be used together with all or part of any other aspect and / or embodiment. Thus, the present disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be granted the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A device for wireless communication, the device comprising: Transceiver; a memory configured to store instructions; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: generating path information for each of a plurality of reference signals received from a transmitting device via one of a plurality of different paths; as well as At least one of the following: decoding communications received from the transmitting device based on a secret key generated from at least a portion of the path information of at least a portion of the plurality of reference signals; encoding communications for transmission to the transmitting device based on the secret key generated from at least the portion of the path information for at least the portion of the plurality of reference signals; or The communication is authenticated based on comparing received path information of the communication received from the sending device with the path information of one of the plurality of different paths indicated for the communication.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the path information of a given reference signal among the plurality of reference signals comprises at least one of a path loss calculated for the given reference signal, an arrival time of the given reference signal, or an arrival angle of the given reference signal. 3 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: send the path information generated for each reference signal in the plurality of reference signals to the transmitting device. 4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to generate the secret key based at least in part on a function of sequentially applying the path information of two or more of the plurality of reference signals.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the order is based on receiving each of the plurality of reference signals from the transmitting device. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive an indication of the order from the sending device.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication includes a parameter indicating the one of the plurality of different paths used to send the communication.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to authenticate the communication, including detecting a failure in authentication if the received path information for the communication does not match the path information generated for the one of the plurality of different paths indicated for the communication.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to discard the communication based on detecting the failure in authentication.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are configured to request a retransmission of the communication from the sending device based on detecting the failure in authentication.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to send a flag indication associated with an acknowledgement (ACK) / negative ACK (NACK) to the sending device based on detecting the failure in authentication.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to, based on detecting the failure in authenticating each transmission, send an alert to the sending device after each transmission of the communication received based on transmission feedback.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to send an alert to the sending device after detecting a failure in a certain number of transmissions to authenticate the communication, wherein the number is configured via downlink control information, medium access control (MAC)-control element (CE), or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to send an alert to the sending device upon detecting a failure in a certain number of transmissions to authenticate the communication within a time window, wherein at least one of the number or the time window is configured via downlink control information, medium access control (MAC)-control element (CE), or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

15. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising: Transceiver; a memory configured to store instructions; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: sending a plurality of reference signals to a receiving device via a plurality of different paths; receiving path information of each reference signal of the plurality of reference signals from the receiving device; as well as At least one of the following: encoding a communication for transmission to the receiving device based on a secret key generated from at least a portion of the path information of at least a portion of the plurality of reference signals; decoding communications received from the receiving device based on the secret key generated from at least the portion of the path information for at least the portion of the plurality of reference signals; or A communication is sent to the receiving device via one of the plurality of different paths, wherein the communication includes a parameter indicative of the one of the plurality of different paths via which the communication is sent.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the path information of a given reference signal among the plurality of reference signals comprises at least one of a path loss calculated for the given reference signal, an arrival time of the given reference signal, or an arrival angle of the given reference signal.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to generate the secret key based at least in part on applying the path information of two or more of the plurality of reference signals in sequence via a function.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the order is based on transmitting each of the plurality of reference signals to the receiving device.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are configured to send an indication of the order to the receiving device.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: receiving from the receiving device an indication of a detected failure in authenticating the communication; and The communication is retransmitted to the receiving device based on the indication.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to send a configuration to the receiving device indicating one or more parameters for triggering reporting of detection of the failure in authentication.

22. An apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the one or more parameters include one or more of the following: a number for which the failure in authentication is detected to trigger the sending of the report, or a time window within which a failure in authentication is detected for the number of sendings to trigger the report.

23. A method for wireless communication, the method comprising: generating, by a receiving device, path information for each reference signal of a plurality of reference signals received from a transmitting device through one of a plurality of different paths; as well as At least one of the following: decoding communications received from the transmitting device based on a secret key generated from at least a portion of the path information of at least a portion of the plurality of reference signals; encoding communications for transmission to the transmitting device based on the secret key generated from at least the portion of the path information for at least the portion of the plurality of reference signals; or The communication is authenticated based on comparing received path information of the communication received from the sending device with the path information of one of the plurality of different paths indicated for the communication.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the path information of a given reference signal among the plurality of reference signals comprises at least one of a path loss calculated for the given reference signal, an arrival time of the given reference signal, or an arrival angle of the given reference signal.

25. The method according to claim 23, further comprising: The path information generated for each of the plurality of reference signals is transmitted to the transmitting device.

26. The method according to claim 25, further comprising: The secret key is generated based at least in part on a function of sequentially applying the path information of two or more reference signals of the plurality of reference signals.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the communication includes a parameter indicating the one of the plurality of different paths used to send the communication.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein authenticating the communication comprises detecting a failure in authentication if the received path information for the communication does not match the path information generated for the one of the plurality of different paths indicated for the communication.

29. A method for wireless communication, the method comprising: sending a plurality of reference signals to a receiving device via a plurality of different paths; receiving path information of each reference signal of the plurality of reference signals from the receiving device; as well as At least one of the following: encoding a communication for transmission to the receiving device based on a secret key generated from at least a portion of the path information of at least a portion of the plurality of reference signals; decoding communications received from the receiving device based on the secret key generated from at least the portion of the path information for at least the portion of the plurality of reference signals; or A communication is sent to the receiving device via one of the plurality of different paths, wherein the communication includes a parameter indicative of the one of the plurality of different paths via which the communication is sent.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the path information of a given reference signal among the plurality of reference signals comprises at least one of a path loss calculated for the given reference signal, a time of arrival of the given reference signal, or an angle of arrival of the given reference signal.

Images