Electronic device, method and storage medium for wireless communication system

Abstract

The invention relates to an electronic device, a method and a storage medium for a wireless communication system. An electronic device for a control device side of a wireless communication system comprises: a processing circuit configured to send a multiplexing signal to a terminal device, the multiplexing signal multiplexing both a communication signal and a sensing signal, the sensing signal is at least used for sensing the distance between the terminal equipment and the electronic equipment, the angle between the terminal equipment and the electronic equipment and / or the moving speed of the terminal equipment so as to determine the position of the terminal equipment; and receiving an echo signal generated by at least reflecting, scattering and / or diffracting the sensing signal by the terminal device.

Description

Electronic device, method and storage medium for wireless communication system

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application is based on and claims priority from Chinese patent application No. 202210826602.7, filed on July 13, 2022, entitled “Electronic device, method and storage medium for wireless communication system,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] Technical Field

[0004] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communication systems, and more particularly to techniques related to communication and sensing integration. Background Art

[0005] Generally speaking, communication refers to the transmission of information between two or more parties. Perception generally refers to the detection of the state and characteristics of objects in the environment. Perception use cases vary depending on the application requirements of different industries, such as autonomous vehicle / drone detection, real-time environmental monitoring, and weather or air pollution monitoring. Perception objectives can include, for example, detecting obstacles, object location, object speed, and air humidity / particulate matter concentration.

[0006] Traditionally, communication and perception exist independently, and a solution that integrates communication and perception is needed.

[0007] Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present disclosure proposes a solution related to the integration of communication and perception. Specifically, the present disclosure provides an electronic device, method, and storage medium for a wireless communication system.

[0009] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to an electronic device for a control device side of a wireless communication system, comprising: a processing circuit, configured to: send a multiplexed signal to a terminal device, wherein the multiplexed signal multiplexes both a communication signal and a perception signal, the perception signal being used at least to perceive the distance between the terminal device and the electronic device, the angle between the terminal device and the electronic device and / or the moving speed of the terminal device to determine the position of the terminal device, and receive an echo signal generated by at least reflection, scattering and / or diffraction of the perception signal by the terminal device.

[0010] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for a control device side of a wireless communication system, comprising: sending a multiplexed signal to a terminal device, wherein the multiplexed signal multiplexes both a communication signal and a perception signal, the perception signal being used at least to perceive the distance between the terminal device and the electronic device, the angle between the terminal device and the electronic device and / or the moving speed of the terminal device to determine the position of the terminal device, and receiving an echo signal generated by at least reflection, scattering and / or diffraction of the perception signal by the terminal device.

[0011] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to an electronic device on the terminal device side of a wireless communication system, comprising: a processing circuit configured to receive a multiplexed signal from a base station, wherein the multiplexed signal multiplexes both a communication signal and a perception signal, wherein an echo signal generated by at least reflection, scattering and / or diffraction of the perception signal by the electronic device is propagated to one or more base stations including the base station, and wherein the perception signal is used at least to sense the distance between the electronic device and the base station, the angle between the electronic device and the base station and / or the moving speed of the electronic device to determine the position of the electronic device.

[0012] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for a terminal device side of a wireless communication system, comprising: receiving a multiplexed signal from a base station, wherein the multiplexed signal multiplexes both a communication signal and a perception signal, wherein an echo signal generated by at least reflection, scattering and / or diffraction of the perception signal by the electronic device is propagated to one or more base stations including the base station, and wherein the perception signal is used at least to sense the distance between the electronic device and the base station, the angle between the electronic device and the base station and / or the moving speed of the electronic device to determine the position of the electronic device.

[0013] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to an electronic device for a core network side of a wireless communication system, comprising: a processing circuit, configured to: receive from a base station information indicating an echo signal generated by at least reflection, scattering and / or diffraction of a perception signal by a terminal device, determine a perception result of the terminal device based at least on a difference between the perception signal and the echo signal, wherein the perception result includes a distance between the terminal device and the base station, an angle between the terminal device and the base station, a moving speed of the terminal device and / or a position of the terminal device, and send the perception result to the base station.

[0014] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for the core network side of a wireless communication system, comprising: receiving information from a base station indicating an echo signal generated by at least reflection, scattering and / or diffraction of a perception signal by a terminal device, determining a perception result of the terminal device based at least on a difference between the perception signal and the echo signal, wherein the perception result includes a distance between the terminal device and the base station, an angle between the terminal device and the base station, a moving speed of the terminal device and / or a position of the terminal device, and sending the perception result to the base station.

[0015] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions, which, when executed, implement the method as described in the above aspect.

[0016] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a device, which includes a processor and a storage device, wherein the storage device stores executable instructions, and when the executable instructions are executed, the method described above is implemented.

[0017] The above summary is provided to summarize some exemplary embodiments in order to provide a basic understanding of various aspects of the subject matter described herein. Therefore, the above features are merely examples and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the detailed description described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] A better understanding of the present disclosure may be obtained when the following detailed description of the embodiments is considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The same or similar reference numerals are used in the various drawings to represent the same or similar components. The accompanying drawings, together with the following detailed description, are incorporated into and form a part of this specification and are used to illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure and to explain the principles and advantages of the present disclosure. In particular:

[0019] Figure 1 schematically illustrates various sensing links under the integration of communication and perception;

[0020] FIG2A schematically illustrates an exemplary scenario of integrated communication and perception;

[0021] FIG2B schematically illustrates an exemplary application of integrated communication and perception;

[0022] FIG3 schematically illustrates a conceptual configuration of an electronic device on a control device side according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] FIG4 schematically illustrates a conceptual operation flow of an electronic device on a control device side according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] FIG5 schematically illustrates a schematic configuration of a multiplexed signal of a communication signal and a perception signal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] FIG6 schematically illustrates the mobile communication positioning technology used in 5G;

[0026] FIG7 schematically shows a conceptual configuration of an electronic device on a terminal device side according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] FIG8 schematically illustrates a conceptual operation flow of an electronic device on a terminal device side according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] FIG9 schematically shows a conceptual configuration of an electronic device on the core network side according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] FIG10 schematically illustrates a conceptual operation flow of an electronic device on the core network side according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] FIG11A schematically illustrates an exemplary sensing principle for sensing the location of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] FIG11B schematically illustrates an exemplary sensing principle for sensing the location of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] FIG12A schematically illustrates exemplary information interaction according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] FIG12B schematically illustrates exemplary information interaction according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] 13 is a block diagram showing an example structure of a computer as an information processing device that can be employed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] FIG14 is a block diagram illustrating a first example of a schematic configuration of a gNB to which the technology of the present disclosure may be applied;

[0036] FIG15 is a block diagram illustrating a second example of a schematic configuration of a gNB to which the technology of the present disclosure may be applied;

[0037] FIG16 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a smartphone to which the technology of the present disclosure can be applied; and

[0038] FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a car navigation device to which the technology of the present disclosure can be applied.

[0039] While the embodiments described in this disclosure may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. However, it should be understood that the drawings and detailed description thereof are not intended to limit the embodiments to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intent is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The following describes representative applications of various aspects of the apparatus and method of the present disclosure. The description of these examples is only to add context and help understand the described embodiments. Therefore, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the embodiments described below can be implemented without some or all of the specific details. In other cases, well-known process steps are not described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the described embodiments. Other applications are also possible, and the solutions of the present disclosure are not limited to these examples.

[0041] Typically, a wireless communication system includes at least a control device, a terminal device, and a core network side device.

[0042] In the present disclosure, the term "base station" or "control device" has the full breadth of its usual meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is part of a wireless communication system or radio system to facilitate communication. As an example, a base station can be, for example, an eNB of the 4G communication standard, a gNB of the 5G NR communication standard, a base station of the 6G communication standard, a remote radio head, a wireless access point, a drone control tower, or a communication device that performs similar functions. In the present disclosure, "base station" and "control device" can be used interchangeably, or the "control device" can be implemented as part of the "base station". The following will describe in detail the application examples of the base station / terminal device by taking the base station as an example and combining with the accompanying drawings.

[0043] In the present disclosure, the term "terminal device" or "user equipment (UE)" has the full breadth of its usual meaning and includes at least a terminal device that is part of a wireless communication system or radio system to facilitate communication. As an example, the terminal device may be a terminal device such as a mobile phone, a laptop, a tablet computer, an in-vehicle communication device, a wearable device, a sensor, or the like, or an element thereof. In the present disclosure, "terminal device" and "user equipment" (hereinafter referred to as "UE") may be used interchangeably, or a "terminal device" may be implemented as a part of a "user equipment".

[0044] In this disclosure, the terms "control device side" / "base station side" have their full breadth of ordinary meaning and generally refer to the side of a communication system that transmits data in a downlink. Similarly, the terms "terminal device side" / "user equipment side" have their full breadth of ordinary meaning and can accordingly refer to the side of a communication system that receives data in a downlink.

[0045] It should be noted that although the following description of the embodiments of the present disclosure is primarily based on a communication system including a base station and a user equipment, this description can be extended to the case of a communication system including any other type of control device side and terminal device side. For example, in the case of a downlink, the operation on the control device side can correspond to the operation of the base station, and the operation on the user equipment side can correspond to the operation of the terminal device.

[0046] In the present disclosure, the term "device on the core network side" or "entity on the core network side" has the full breadth of its usual meaning, and may be a network element device that provides one or more functions on the core network side, or, where appropriate, may be a software and / or hardware module that provides one or more functions on the core network side. In particular, where one or more functions on the core network side are provided in a distributed manner, "device on the core network side" or "entity on the core network side" may be a general term for devices and / or modules that implement these one or more functions. In the following, "device on the core network side" or "entity on the core network side" is sometimes also referred to as "core network" for short.

[0047] As introduced in the background technology section, traditionally, communication and perception exist independently. However, there are many drawbacks to the separation of communication and perception.

[0048] On the one hand, traditional perception technologies (e.g., wireless sensing technologies) themselves have many limitations. For example, under traditional perception technologies, when there are multiple devices performing perception in the same environment, interference will occur between devices using the same spectrum. For another example, traditional perception technologies involve dedicated components for dedicated systems, such as radar / lidar equipment, which requires higher equipment costs, and the dedicated systems are separated from actual service applications, making it difficult to utilize the perception results to provide service applications. For another example, the communication coverage network between traditional wireless sensing devices has a small coverage range, making it difficult to transmit and apply perception data over a large range. For another example, traditional perception technologies also have limitations in connectivity, and operators can only provide connectivity for the transmission of sensor data from UEs. In addition, the perception range of traditional perception technologies is limited, for example, only distance and angle can be perceived.

[0049] On the other hand, the separation of communication and perception requires each to occupy its own dedicated spectrum and / or hardware resources, resulting in a waste of resources. Furthermore, when a service combining communication and perception needs to be provided, the separation of communication and perception can also lead to higher latency.

[0050] The integration of communication and perception can advantageously overcome the drawbacks of the above-mentioned separation of communication and perception. For example, the integration of perception and communication can enable the sharing of air interface resources, thereby improving resource utilization. For another example, in the case of the integration of communication and perception, the spectrum / resource management in the existing wireless communication system can be used to minimize interference between perception devices. For another example, large-scale perception can be carried out with the help of existing wireless communication networks (e.g., cellular networks). In addition, local wireless networks also make it possible to support communication between wireless perception devices. Perception devices are no longer limited to lidar, millimeter wave radar, and ToF (Time of Flight) cameras using traditional perception technologies, and more devices can be called to participate in perception and provide a wider range of perception services. For another example, in the case of the integration of communication and perception, the radio frequency modules of the existing wireless communication system can be reused for perception, thereby reducing costs. For another example, the integration of communication and perception makes perception no longer separate from service applications, making it easy to access service applications.

[0051] In the case of integrated communication and perception, perception can be performed between multiple entities. Figure 1 schematically illustrates various perception links under the integration of communication and perception. As shown in Figure 1, for example, the perception link may specifically include: 1) base station echo perception link: the base station sends a perception signal and receives an echo signal generated by at least reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction of the perception signal by an object such as a car; 2) inter-base station perception link: base station 2 (or base station 1) receives the perception signal sent by base station 1 (or base station 2, respectively); 3) uplink perception link: the base station receives the perception signal sent by the UE; 4) downlink perception link: the UE receives the perception signal sent by the base station; 5) UE echo perception link: the UE sends a perception signal and receives an echo signal generated by at least reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction of the perception signal by an object such as a person; 6) inter-UE perception link: UE 2 (or UE 1) receives the perception signal sent by UE 1 (or UE 2, respectively). Each sensing link in Figure 1 uses a transmitting node and a receiving node as an example. In actual systems, different sensing links can be selected based on different sensing requirements. Each sensing link can have one or more transmitting nodes and one or more receiving nodes, and an actual sensing system can include multiple different sensing links. In addition, the base station sensing link and the UE sensing link in Figure 1 use people and cars as the sensing objects, but in reality, there can be a variety of sensing objects, such as buildings, obstacles on the road, animals, and so on. More specifically, various sensing links can be used to sense the medium (e.g., air) between the transmitting node and the receiving node.

[0052] Figure 1 also shows a perception server, which can collect perception-related data from base stations and process the data to obtain perception results. For example, the perception server can be located in the core network of a wireless communication system. For example, the perception server shown in Figure 1 can also serve as a location server, which will be described below, and can be, for example, an entity in the core network that provides a location management function (LMF).

[0053] Using the perception link shown in Figure 1, specific objects can be appropriately perceived in various scenarios. For example, the existence of obstacles, the location of specific objects, the moving speed of specific objects, the humidity / particle concentration of the air, etc. can be determined based on the perception results of various perception objects.

[0054] 2A and 2B schematically illustrate an exemplary scenario and an exemplary application of integrated communication and perception, respectively.

[0055] As shown in Figure 2A, a base station can establish communication links with some terminals (such as vehicle-mounted terminals, drones, and mobile phones shown as UEs in the figure). At the same time, there can also be perception links between the base station and terminals (such as vehicle-mounted terminals and drones as shown in Figure 2A), the base station and obstacles (such as trees as shown in Figure 2A), and between terminals and other objects. In such scenarios, a variety of applications can be realized, such as drone operations, autonomous driving, robot motion control, augmented reality, smart factories, smart logistics, and smart transportation.

[0056] Figure 2B illustrates an example application of intelligent transportation. For example, through a sensing link between a base station and a terminal on a vehicle (e.g., an onboard terminal or mobile communication device), the base station can sense the vehicle's location, speed, and direction of movement, thereby assisting in implementing functions such as traffic diversion and safety warnings.

[0057] More specifically, the present disclosure relates to an integrated communication and perception solution that utilizes a base station echo perception link with a UE as the perception object. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a method for transmitting a multiplexed signal that multiplexes a communication signal and a perception signal from a base station to a UE, enabling the perception signal to be used to perceive information related to positioning the UE (e.g., the distance between the base station and the UE, the angle between the base station and the UE, and / or the movement speed of the UE, etc.), thereby providing enhanced services (e.g., adjusting the transmission frequency of communication signals to improve resource utilization, provide more accurate and reliable positioning for the UE, reduce power consumption, etc.) using the information obtained through the perception signal.

[0058] Hereinafter, aspects of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0059] Structure and operation flow of a base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure

[0060] First, a conceptual structure of an electronic device 30 for controlling a device / base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 3 .

[0061] As shown in Figure 3, the electronic device 30 may include a processing circuit 302. The processing circuit 302 may be configured to send a multiplexed signal to the UE, where the multiplexed signal multiplexes both a communication signal and a sensing signal, the sensing signal being used to sense at least the distance between the UE and the electronic device 30, the angle between the UE and the electronic device 30, and / or the moving speed of the UE, thereby determining the position of the UE, and to receive an echo signal generated by at least reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction of the sensing signal by the UE.

[0062] Processing circuit 302 may be in the form of a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processing circuit, such as an ASIC. For example, processing circuit 302 may be constructed from a circuit (hardware) or a central processing device (such as a central processing unit (CPU)). In addition, processing circuit 302 may carry a program (software) for operating the circuit (hardware) or the central processing device. The program may be stored in a memory (such as disposed in memory 304) or in an externally connected external storage medium, or downloaded via a network (such as the Internet).

[0063] In one implementation, the processing circuit 302 may include a signal multiplexing unit. The signal multiplexing unit may multiplex the communication signal used for communication and the perception signal used for perception using an appropriate multiplexing method. For example, the communication signal and the perception signal may be multiplexed using a multiplexing method such as time division multiplexing, frequency division multiplexing, code division multiplexing, or space division multiplexing.

[0064] In one implementation, the processing circuit 302 may further include a communication control unit that controls communication with the UE (optionally via the communication unit 306) and, when necessary, with entities of the core network. The communication control unit may, for example, control the transmission of a multiplexed signal multiplexed with both the communication signal and the perception signal to the UE; control the reception of an echo signal generated by at least reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction of the perception signal by the UE from the UE; optionally control the transmission of control information (e.g., including but not limited to information indicating how the communication signal and the perception signal are multiplexed and information indicating the transmission frequency of a positioning-related reference signal) to the UE; and optionally control the transmission of information (e.g., including but not limited to information indicating the echo signal and request information requesting cooperative perception) to the core network, etc.

[0065] Optionally, the electronic device 30 may further include a memory 304 and a communication unit 306, both shown in dashed lines. Furthermore, the electronic device 30 may further include other components not shown, such as a radio frequency link, a baseband processing unit, a network interface, a processor, a controller, and the like. The processing circuit 302 may be associated with the memory 304 and / or the communication unit 306. For example, the processing circuit 302 may be directly or indirectly connected (e.g., with other components connected in between) to the memory 304 to access data. For another example, the processing circuit 302 may be directly or indirectly connected to the communication unit 306 to send and receive radio signals via the communication unit 306.

[0066] The memory 304 may store various information generated by the processing circuit 302 or used for the operation of the processing circuit 302 (e.g., information about echo signals received from UEs, information about multiplexing methods, and threshold information for adjusting the transmission frequency of reference signals related to positioning), programs and data used for the operation of the electronic device 30, data to be transmitted by the communication unit 306, etc. The memory 304 is drawn with a dotted line because it may be located within the processing circuit 302 or outside the electronic device 30. The memory 304 may be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. For example, the memory 304 may include, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), read-only memory (ROM), and flash memory.

[0067] The communication unit 306 may be configured to communicate with the terminal device under the control of the processing circuit 302 (eg, a communication control unit). In one example, the communication unit 306 may be implemented as a transmitter or a transceiver, including communication components such as an antenna array and / or a radio frequency link.

[0068] Although FIG3 shows that the processing circuit 302 is separate from the communication unit 306, the processing circuit 302 may also be implemented to include the communication unit 306, for example, in combination with the communication control unit. In addition, the processing circuit 302 may also be implemented to include one or more other components in the electronic device 30, or the processing circuit 302 may be implemented as the electronic device 30 itself. In actual implementation, the processing circuit 302 may be implemented as a chip (such as an integrated circuit module including a single die), a hardware component, or a complete product.

[0069] It should be noted that the aforementioned units are merely logical modules divided according to the specific functions they implement, and are not intended to limit specific implementation methods. For example, they may be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. In actual implementation, the aforementioned units may be implemented as independent physical entities, or may be implemented by a single entity (e.g., a processor (CPU or DSP, etc.), an integrated circuit, etc.). In addition, the aforementioned units are illustrated with dotted lines in the accompanying drawings to indicate that these units may not actually exist, and the operations / functions they implement may be implemented by the processing circuit itself.

[0070] Next, various operations performed by the electronic device 30 as a base station will be described in detail with reference to a conceptual operation flow 40 on the control device / base station side shown in FIG. 4 .

[0071] The operation of the base station starts at S402.

[0072] At S404, the base station transmits a multiplexed signal to the UE that multiplexes both the communication signal and the perception signal. Specifically, the base station may use beamforming to transmit the multiplexed signal, so that the multiplexed signal is directed toward a specific UE. This approach is particularly advantageous for utilizing the perception signal in the multiplexed signal to perceive a specific UE.

[0073] According to the present disclosure, a communication signal may be any signal used for wireless communication. In particular, a communication signal may include one or more of the following signals: a positioning reference signal (PRS), a data demodulation reference signal (DMRS), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a sounding reference signal (SRS), and a communication data signal (where PRS, DMRS, CSI-RS, and SRS may be used as positioning-related reference signals described below), and a perception signal may be multiplexed with any of the above communication signals. According to the present disclosure, a perception signal may be any appropriate signal for at least sensing the distance between a UE and a base station, the angle between the UE and the base station, and / or the moving speed of the UE, thereby determining the position of the UE. For example, the perception signal may not itself carry information that needs to be interpreted by a sensing object (e.g., a UE), but is intended to be at least reflected, scattered, and / or diffracted by the sensing object to generate an echo signal, thereby enabling, for example, determining a perception result based on the difference between the perception signal and the echo signal.

[0074] According to the present disclosure, communication signals and perception signals can be multiplexed using any appropriate multiplexing method. For example, communication signals and perception signals can be multiplexed using time division multiplexing, frequency division multiplexing, code division multiplexing, or space division multiplexing. Preferably, communication signals and perception signals can be time-division multiplexed on a symbol basis. Here, "symbol basis" can mean, for example, that within the same time slot, some symbols are used for communication signals and other symbols are used for perception signals. Advantageously, this multiplexing method is computationally simple and easy to implement, and can save resources such as spectrum overhead.

[0075] Figure 5 shows an exemplary multiplexing method for multiplexing communication signals and perception signals according to the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 5, taking 5G NR as an example, the duration of a radio frame is 10ms, and a radio frame may include 10 subframes of 1ms in length. Depending on different subcarrier spacings, a subframe may include different numbers (e.g., n) of time slots, and each time slot may include 14 symbols. According to the present disclosure, some symbols in the same time slot may be used for communication signals, and others for perception signals. As shown in Figure 5, symbols 0-5 and symbols 7-12 in a time slot may be used for communication, and symbols 6 and 13 may be used for perception.

[0076] Although FIG5 shows a specific scheme for dividing symbols within a time slot, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to this scheme. For example, several consecutive symbols can be used for perception signals, for example, symbols 0-10 can be used for communication and symbols 11-13 can be used for perception. For another example, perception signals can be arranged at several positions within a time slot at non-uniform intervals, for example, symbols 0-2, 4-8, 10-13 can be used for communication and symbols 3 and 9 can be used for perception. It should be understood that none of the above schemes are restrictive, and several symbols in a time slot can be selected for communication signals in any appropriate manner, and the remaining symbols can be used for perception signals. In addition, although FIG5 uses the frame structure of 5G NR as an example to introduce the multiplexing of perception signals and communication signals, the multiplexing method of the present disclosure can be applied to any frame structure, as long as the communication signal and the perception signal are time-division multiplexed in units of symbols.

[0077] According to the present disclosure, the multiplexing method for multiplexing the communication signal and the perception signal can be predetermined / agreed upon (e.g., a default multiplexing method specified in a relevant communication standard) or dynamically determined (e.g., based on a dynamically determined required perception signal transmission density). In the latter case, before step S404 shown in FIG. 4 , the base station can further transmit multiplexing information to the UE indicating how the communication signal and the perception signal are multiplexed. For example, the base station can transmit information to the UE indicating which multiplexing method is used, and in particular, when time division multiplexing is performed in symbol units, it can further specifically indicate which symbols in a time slot will be used for the perception signal.

[0078] Continuing with FIG4 , as the base station transmits the multiplexed signal to the UE at S404, the perception signal multiplexed in the multiplexed signal may be at least reflected, scattered, and / or diffracted by the UE. For ease of explanation in this disclosure, signals generated by at least reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction of the perception signal by the UE are collectively referred to as echo signals. The term "echo signal" should be understood broadly, referring to any signal that experiences path loss caused by the UE as the signal wave of the perception signal propagates through the UE to the base station.

[0079] At step S406 in Figure 4 , the base station receives the echo signal. By sending a multiplexed signal that multiplexes the communication signal and the perception signal, and receiving the echo signal of the perception signal, the integration of communication and perception can be achieved.

[0080] The conceptual operation flow of the base station ends at S408.

[0081] It should be noted that the base station operation steps shown in Figure 4 are merely illustrative. In practice, the base station operation may also include additional or alternative steps. For example, as described above, before sending the multiplexed signal, the base station may also send multiplexing information to the UE indicating how the communication signal and the perception signal are multiplexed. For another example, as described in detail below, after receiving the echo signal, the base station may also send information indicating the echo signal to the core network and receive information indicating the perception result from the core network.

[0082] The above describes the basic operations of a base station according to the present disclosure. It will be appreciated that by multiplexing communication signals and perception signals, communication and perception can be integrated. Based on this, the base station can utilize the perception results to provide enhanced services as appropriate. This will be explained in detail below.

[0083] Operation of the base station side of the first enhanced service according to the present disclosure

[0084] According to the first enhanced service of the present disclosure, the perception signal can be used to determine the moving speed of the UE, and the base station can dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of the reference signal related to positioning based on the mobile communication positioning technology (hereinafter referred to as the positioning-related reference signal or positioning-related reference signal) based on the moving speed of the UE determined by the perception, thereby providing higher positioning accuracy and reliability while improving resource utilization and reducing power consumption as much as possible. According to the present disclosure, the positioning-related reference signal can be a reference signal to be used when positioning the UE using the mobile communication positioning technology. For example, the positioning-related reference signal may include one or more of the following reference signals: positioning reference signal (PRS), demodulation reference signal (DMRS), channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) and sounding reference signal (SRS).

[0085] After receiving the echo signal of the perception signal, the base station may, for example, send information indicating the echo signal to the core network, so that the core network can perceive the UE, thereby obtaining perception results including, for example, one or more of the distance between the UE and the base station, the angle between the UE and the base station, the moving speed of the UE, and the position of the UE. For example, the information indicating the echo signal may include at least one or more of the following information: the amplitude of the echo signal, the phase of the echo signal, the frequency of the echo signal, the transmission time of the perception signal, the reception time of the echo signal, and the flight time from the transmission of the perception signal to the reception of the echo signal.

[0086] According to the present disclosure, a sensing result can be determined based on at least a difference between a sensing signal and an echo signal. This difference may include, for example, one or more of the following: Doppler shift, time of flight, amplitude change, frequency change, and phase change. The specific sensing principles will be described in detail below with reference to the operation of electronic devices in the core network.

[0087] It should be noted that although the core network preferably determines the perception result in this disclosure, in some implementations, the base station itself may perceive the distance, angle, movement speed, and / or position of the UE based on similar perception principles. In this case, the base station may not send information indicating the echo signal to the core network, but instead calculate the perception result based on the difference between the perception signal and the echo signal.

[0088] According to the first enhanced service of the present disclosure, the base station can determine the relationship between the moving speed of the UE and at least one threshold value based on the perception result, and based on the determination, dynamically adjust the sending frequency of the reference signal related to positioning. As described above, the perception result can directly include the moving speed of the UE, or it can include information indicating the location of the UE (for example, the distance between the UE and the base station, the angle between the UE and the base station, and / or the location of the UE) without explicitly including the moving speed of the UE. In the latter case, the base station can determine the moving speed of the UE based on the change amplitude between the two perception results (for example, the distance change amplitude and / or the angle change amplitude and / or the position change amplitude), or the change amplitude between the perception result and the previously determined distance between the UE and the base station / the angle between the UE and the base station and / or the location of the UE.

[0089] Specifically, in response to determining that the UE's moving speed is lower than or equal to a first threshold, the base station may reduce the frequency of transmitting reference signals related to positioning; in response to determining that the UE's moving speed is higher than the first threshold and lower than or equal to a second threshold, maintain the frequency of transmitting reference signals related to positioning; and in response to determining that the UE's moving speed is higher than the second threshold: increase the frequency of transmitting reference signals related to positioning, and / or send a request message to the core network to request one or more other base stations to cooperate to sense the UE (for example, to collaboratively determine the distance / angle between the UE and the UE, the UE's moving speed, and / or the UE's position). Preferably, the base stations performing collaborative sensing may be one or more base stations that participate in positioning the UE based on a mobile communication positioning technology (such as the mobile communication positioning technology described below with reference to FIG6 ). This makes it easier to schedule participation in collaborative sensing and improves the accuracy of the sensing results. Alternatively, the base stations performing collaborative sensing may also be selected by the core network based on the Reference Signal Receiving Power (RSRP) of each base station. For example, one or more base stations with the largest RSRP may be selected as the base stations to participate in collaborative sensing.

[0090] According to the present disclosure, the base station can determine the specific values ​​of each threshold value and the adjustment range of the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal according to the actual situation. Although the above text uses two threshold values ​​as an example to introduce the method of dynamically adjusting the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal, this is not restrictive, and finer or coarser granularity adjustments can be made according to actual needs. For example, it is also possible to set only one threshold value, and dynamically reduce the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal when the UE's moving speed is lower than the threshold value, and dynamically increase the transmission frequency when the UE's moving speed is higher than the threshold value. For another example, more threshold values ​​can be set, and the base station can adjust the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal with different adjustment ranges according to the threshold interval in which the UE's moving speed is located.

[0091] According to a specific implementation, increasing or decreasing the transmission frequency of positioning-related reference signals may include shortening or lengthening the transmission period of positioning-related reference signals. This is particularly applicable to situations where positioning-related reference signals are periodically transmitted. For example, when the base station determines that the frequency of transmitting positioning-related reference signals needs to be increased after determining the relationship between the moving speed of the UE and at least one threshold value, the base station may use a smaller transmission period than before to transmit the positioning-related reference signals. Similarly, for example, when the base station determines that the frequency of transmitting positioning-related reference signals needs to be reduced, the base station may use a longer transmission period than before to transmit the positioning-related reference signals.

[0092] According to a specific implementation, increasing or decreasing the transmission frequency of positioning-related reference signals may further include increasing or decreasing the density of symbols occupied by positioning-related reference signals. For example, when the base station determines that the transmission frequency of positioning-related reference signals needs to be increased, the positioning-related reference signals may be arranged in each symbol of a frame in a higher density manner, thereby increasing the number of symbols occupied by the positioning-related reference signals in a frame, thereby substantially increasing the transmission frequency of positioning-related reference signals within a predetermined time period (e.g., within one or more predetermined frames). Similarly, when the base station determines that the transmission frequency of positioning-related reference signals needs to be reduced, the positioning-related reference signals may be arranged in each symbol of a frame in a higher density manner, thereby substantially increasing the transmission frequency of positioning-related reference signals within the predetermined time period.

[0093] According to the present disclosure, when a base station determines that the frequency of transmitting positioning-related reference signals needs to be increased or decreased, the base station may send a message to the UE to notify the UE of the change. For example, the base station may notify the UE of the new transmission period of the positioning-related reference signals, or notify the UE of the new arrangement of the positioning-related reference signals within a frame.

[0094] The above describes the basic operations of the base station that uses the sensing results to provide the first enhanced service according to the present disclosure. According to the present disclosure, the base station that provides the first enhanced service may also perform some alternative or additional operations. This is described below.

[0095] According to one implementation, after obtaining a sensing result (for example, a sensing result obtained based on a sensing signal sent by a single base station (i.e., the base station) when the UE is moving at a low speed, or a collaborative sensing result obtained based on sensing signals sent by multiple base stations when the UE is moving at a high speed), the base station may further send the sensing result to the UE for the UE to verify the UE position indicated by the sensing result (the specific verification operation will be described below with reference to the UE operation description). Subsequently, the base station may receive the verification result from the UE and further dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based on the verification result.

[0096] Specifically, the UE can autonomously determine its own position, and send the difference between the autonomously determined position and the position determined by the sensing result received from the base station back to the base station as a verification result. The base station can, for example, reduce or maintain the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal when the position difference indicated by the verification result is less than a predetermined threshold, and increase the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal when the verification result indicates that the position difference is greater than the predetermined threshold. Alternatively, the UE can compare the calculated position difference with the predetermined threshold by itself, and only feed back information indicating that the current transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal should be maintained to the base station when the position difference is lower than the predetermined threshold, and feed back the value of the position difference to the base station when the position difference is greater than the predetermined threshold, so that the base station can dynamically increase the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal according to the size of the difference. Advantageously, this implementation method enables the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal to be adjusted more appropriately based on the feedback from the UE.

[0097] According to one implementation, the base station may also dynamically adjust the frequency of transmitting positioning-related reference signals based on the positioning requirements of the UE. For example, the base station may first receive information indicating the positioning requirements from the UE. For example, the information indicating the positioning requirements may be information directly indicating what kind of positioning accuracy the UE requires, or information indirectly indicating its positioning accuracy requirements, such as the application to be enabled by the UE (for example, an application involving a navigation function may indicate a higher positioning accuracy requirement). Subsequently, the base station may determine the UE's positioning accuracy requirements based on the information indicating the positioning requirements received from the UE. Next, the base station may dynamically adjust the frequency of transmitting positioning-related reference signals based on the determined UE's positioning accuracy requirements. For example, in response to determining that the UE has a low positioning accuracy requirement, the base station may maintain or reduce the frequency of transmitting positioning-related reference signals, and in response to determining that the UE has a high positioning accuracy requirement, may increase the frequency of transmitting positioning-related reference signals, and / or send a request message to an entity of the core network to request one or more other base stations to collaboratively sense the UE's position. As described above, preferably, the base stations performing collaborative sensing may be one or more base stations participating in positioning the UE based on mobile communication positioning technology.

[0098] It should be noted that the base station can dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based solely on the perception result, solely on the UE's requirement for positioning accuracy, or based on a combination of the perception result and the UE's requirement for positioning accuracy. In any of these three cases, the base station can further dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based on the UE's feedback on the positioning result as described above. In particular, in the implementation method in which the base station dynamically adjusts the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based on a combination of the perception result and the UE's requirement for positioning accuracy, for example, the base station can first determine one or more thresholds for dynamically adjusting the transmission frequency based on the mobile speed based on the UE's requirement for positioning accuracy, and then dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based on the perceived UE's mobile speed and the determined one or more thresholds at any time.

[0099] Operation of the base station side of the second enhanced service according to the present disclosure

[0100] According to the second enhanced service of the present disclosure, the sensing signal can be used to determine the position of the UE, and the base station can jointly apply the sensing positioning and positioning based on mobile communication positioning technology to determine the position of the UE, thereby providing more reliable and accurate positioning.

[0101] In traditional wireless communication systems, mobile communication positioning technology is relied upon to locate the UE. In the present disclosure, mobile communication positioning technology refers to the technology used for positioning in traditional wireless communication systems. For example, in 5G, mobile communication positioning technology may include Assisted Global Navigation Satellite System (A-GNSS), Downlink Time Difference of Arrival (DL-TDOA), Uplink Time Difference of Arrival (UL-TDOA), Downlink Angle of Departure (DL-AoD), Uplink Angle of Arrival (UL-AoA), Multi-Round Trip Time (Multi-RTT), New Radio Enhanced Cell ID (NR Enhanced Cell ID, E-CID), and positioning based on motion sensors such as gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers, etc.

[0102] Figure 6 schematically illustrates some mobile communication positioning technologies used in 5G. As shown in Figure 6, these mobile communication positioning technologies generally require the transmission of positioning-related reference signals between the base station and the UE, and the base station / UE measures the received positioning-related reference signals and, when necessary, reports the measurement results to the location server located in the core network and / or receives auxiliary positioning data from the location server to ultimately determine the UE's location. In addition, the mobile communication positioning technology shown in Figure 6 generally requires the UE's primary serving base station and one or more other base stations to jointly locate the UE. Table 1 below summarizes the mobile positioning technologies commonly used in 5G.

[0103] Table 1

[0104] With the development of various industries, various applications have emerged, demanding high positioning reliability and accuracy, such as the Internet of Vehicles, autonomous driving, intelligent manufacturing, smart logistics, drones, and asset tracking. Existing mobile communication positioning technologies alone may struggle to meet the positioning reliability and accuracy requirements of these application scenarios. The integrated communication and perception solution of this disclosure, combining perception positioning with traditional positioning technologies, can provide more reliable and accurate positioning.

[0105] According to the second enhanced service of the present disclosure, the base station can, on the one hand, obtain the first position of the UE (i.e., the position based on mobile communication positioning) based on mobile communication positioning technology (for example, one or more of A-GNSS, DL-TDOA, UL-TDOA, DL-AoD, UL-AOA, Multi-RTT, NR E-CID and motion sensor-based positioning introduced above); on the other hand, it can determine the second position of the UE (i.e., the position based on perception) based on the perception result; and weight the first position and the second position respectively to finally determine the position of the UE.

[0106] For example, the base station may determine the first location of the UE based on a mobile communication positioning technology by itself, or may receive information indicating the first location of the UE from a core network (eg, a location server).

[0107] As described above when introducing the first enhanced service, the base station may, for example, send information indicating an echo signal of a sensing signal to the core network, so that the core network can calculate a sensing result of the UE, thereby obtaining, for example, a sensing result including one or more of the distance between the UE and the base station, the angle between the UE and the base station, the moving speed of the UE, and the position of the UE. The base station may determine the second position of the UE based on the sensing result received from the core network. For example, in a case where the sensing result does not directly indicate the position of the UE, but indicates the distance between the UE and the base station, the angle between the UE and the base station, and / or the moving speed of the UE, the base station may determine the second position of the UE based on the distance, angle, and / or speed information of the UE, the last determined position of the UE, and any other available auxiliary information.

[0108] According to the present disclosure, the base station may use any appropriate method to determine the weights to be applied to the first and second locations. For example, when the communication signal and the sensing signal are time-division multiplexed, the weights of the first and second locations may be determined based on the ratio between the number of symbols occupied by the communication signal and the number of symbols occupied by the sensing signal in a predetermined time period. For example, the predetermined time period may be a time slot. As another example, the base station may also assign weights based on the accuracy of the first and second locations. For example, the base station may monitor the accuracy of mobile communication positioning and sensing positioning over a period of time based on feedback information from the UE on the location, and assign a higher weight to the location determined by the positioning method with higher accuracy. According to the present disclosure, the weights assigned to the first and second locations may be dynamically adjusted based on actual conditions (e.g., the multiplexing method used and / or the accuracy of the two positioning methods). Furthermore, in some cases (e.g., when the positioning result obtained using one of the positioning methods is very low in accuracy), the positioning result obtained using one of the positioning methods may even be assigned a zero value as its weight.

[0109] The above describes two enhanced services according to the present disclosure. In fact, these two enhanced services can also be implemented in combination. For example, the base station can dynamically adjust the sending frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based on the perceived moving speed of the UE and / or the positioning requirement of the UE. At the same time, the base station can determine the first position of the UE based on the positioning-related reference signal using an appropriate mobile communication positioning method, determine the second position of the UE using the perception result, and weight the first position and the second position respectively to determine the position of the UE. Further optionally, the base station can also feedback to the UE the position obtained by weighted calculation (i.e., the position obtained by joint positioning using the perception technology and the mobile communication positioning technology), and adjust the sending frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based on the UE's further feedback on the position.

[0110] Structure and operation flow of UE according to the present disclosure

[0111] The above describes in detail the exemplary structure and exemplary operation of the base station according to the present disclosure. Next, the exemplary structure and exemplary operation process of the terminal device according to the present disclosure will be described in conjunction with Figures 7 and 8.

[0112] First, a conceptual structure of an electronic device 70 for a terminal device / UE according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 7 .

[0113] As shown in FIG7 , the electronic device 70 may include a processing circuit 702. The processing circuit 702 may be configured to receive a multiplexed signal from a base station, wherein the multiplexed signal multiplexes both a communication signal and a sensing signal, wherein the sensing signal is at least reflected, scattered, and / or diffracted by the electronic device 70, and an echo signal generated thereby is propagated to one or more base stations including the base station, and wherein the sensing signal is used to at least sense the distance between the electronic device 70 and the base station, the angle between the electronic device 70 and the base station, and / or the moving speed of the electronic device 70, thereby determining the position of the electronic device 70.

[0114] The processing circuit 702 may be in the form of a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processing circuit, such as an ASIC. For example, the processing circuit 702 may be constructed from a circuit (hardware) or a central processing device (such as a central processing unit (CPU)). In addition, the processing circuit 702 may carry a program (software) for operating the circuit (hardware) or the central processing device. The program may be stored in a memory (such as disposed in the memory 704) or in an externally connected external storage medium, or downloaded via a network (such as the Internet).

[0115] In one implementation, the processing circuit 702 may include a communication control unit that controls communication with a base station (optionally via the communication unit 706). The communication control unit may, for example, control reception of a multiplexed signal multiplexed with both a communication signal and a perception signal from the base station; optionally, control reception of control information from the base station (e.g., including but not limited to information indicating how the communication signal and the perception signal are multiplexed and information indicating a transmission frequency of a positioning-related reference signal); and optionally, send information indicating its positioning requirements to the base station, etc.

[0116] In an optional implementation, the processing circuit 702 may further include a location determination unit. The location determination unit may autonomously determine the location of the electronic device 70 using applicable positioning technology. The location determination unit may also compare the autonomously determined location with the location indicated in the information received from the base station, determine the location difference between the two, and provide feedback to the base station based on the location difference, so that the base station can dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based on the feedback from the electronic device 70 as described above.

[0117] In addition, optionally, the electronic device 70 may further include a memory 704 and a communication unit 706, which are shown in dashed lines in the figure. In addition, the electronic device 70 may also include other components not shown, such as a radio frequency link, a baseband processing unit, a network interface, a processor, a controller, etc. The processing circuit 702 may be associated with the memory 704 and / or the communication unit 706. For example, the processing circuit 702 may be directly or indirectly connected to the memory 704 (for example, with other components connected in between) to access data. For another example, the processing circuit 702 may be directly or indirectly connected to the communication unit 706 to send radio signals via the communication unit 706 and receive radio signals via the communication unit 706.

[0118] The memory 704 can store various information generated by the processing circuit 702 or used for the operation of the processing circuit 702 (e.g., information about the positioning requirements of the electronic device 702, information about the multiplexing method, information about the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal, data used for autonomous positioning, etc.), programs and data used for the operation of the electronic device 700, data to be transmitted by the communication unit 706, etc. The memory 704 is drawn with a dotted line because it can also be located within the processing circuit 702 or outside the electronic device 70. The memory 704 can be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. For example, the memory 704 can include, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), read-only memory (ROM), and flash memory.

[0119] The communication unit 706 may be configured to communicate with a base station under the control of the processing circuit 702 (eg, a communication control unit). In one example, the communication unit 706 may be implemented as a transmitter or a transceiver, including communication components such as an antenna array and / or a radio frequency link.

[0120] Although FIG7 shows that the processing circuit 702 is separate from the communication unit 706, the processing circuit 702 may also be implemented to include the communication unit 706. In addition, the processing circuit 702 may also be implemented to include one or more other components in the electronic device 70, or the processing circuit 702 may be implemented as the electronic device 70 itself. In actual implementation, the processing circuit 702 may be implemented as a chip (such as an integrated circuit module including a single die), a hardware component, or a complete product.

[0121] It should be noted that the above-mentioned units are merely logical modules divided according to the specific functions they implement, and are not intended to limit specific implementation methods. For example, they can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. In actual implementation, the above-mentioned units can be implemented as independent physical entities, or can also be implemented by a single entity (for example, a processor (CPU or DSP, etc.), an integrated circuit, etc.). In addition, the above-mentioned units are shown with dotted lines in the accompanying drawings to indicate that these units may not actually exist, and the operations / functions they implement can be implemented by the processing circuit itself.

[0122] Next, a conceptual operation flow 80 of the electronic device 70 serving as a terminal device / UE side will be described with reference to FIG. 8 .

[0123] The operation of the UE starts at S802.

[0124] At S804, the UE receives the multiplexed signal described above that multiplexes both the communication signal and the perception signal from the base station. As described above, the multiplexed signal can be a signal multiplexed using any appropriate multiplexing method. As described above, the multiplexing method for multiplexing the communication signal and the perception signal can be predetermined / agreed (for example, a default multiplexing method specified in a relevant communication standard) or dynamically determined (for example, based on a dynamically determined required perception signal transmission density). In the former case, the UE can directly demultiplex the communication signal and the perception signal according to the predetermined / agreed multiplexing method. In the latter case, the UE can receive information indicating the multiplexing method from the base station in advance (for example, before S804).

[0125] As a UE receives a multiplexed signal from a base station, the perception signal within the multiplexed signal may naturally be at least reflected, scattered, and / or diffracted by the UE. The echo signal generated by at least the reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction of the perception signal by the UE may be propagated to one or more base stations, including the base station that transmitted the multiplexed signal, enabling these one or more base stations to sense the UE, particularly the distance between the UE and the base station, the angle between the UE and the base station, and / or the UE's movement speed, thereby determining the UE's location. It should be noted that the reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction of the perception signal by the UE occurs naturally and physically, i.e., is transparent to the UE. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE does not need to perform reception and analysis operations for the perception signal. However, if the UE has the capability to analyze the perception signal, it may also analyze the received perception signal to autonomously and / or assistively determine the perception result. Furthermore, in practice, the entire multiplexed signal will be reflected, scattered, and / or diffracted by the UE. However, the base station is only interested in changes in the perception signal caused by reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction, in order to sense the UE based on these changes.

[0126] The conceptual operation flow of the UE ends at S806.

[0127] It should be noted that the UE operation steps shown in FIG8 are merely illustrative. In practice, the UE operation may also include some additional or alternative steps. For example, as described above, before receiving the multiplexed signal, the UE may also receive multiplexing information from the base station indicating how the communication signal and the perception signal are multiplexed.

[0128] The above describes the basic operations of a UE according to the present disclosure. It will be appreciated that, through the multiplexing of communication signals and perception signals, integrated communication and perception can be achieved. As described in detail above, the present disclosure also provides enhanced services based on the integration of communication and perception. The technical concepts and features of these enhanced services have been described above with reference to base station operations. The specific operations on the UE side using these enhanced services will be described below.

[0129] As described above, according to the first enhanced service of the present disclosure, the perception signal can be used to determine the moving speed of the UE, and the base station can dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of the reference signal related to positioning based on the mobile communication positioning technology based on the moving speed of the UE determined by the perception. Under the first enhanced service, the UE can receive information indicating the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal from the base station. In particular, as described in detail above, the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal can be dynamically adjusted according to one or both of the following items: the perception result of the UE's moving speed based on the perception signal; and the requirement for positioning accuracy. In the latter case, the UE can send information indicating its positioning requirements to the base station in advance, so that the base station can determine the UE's positioning accuracy requirements based on the information. For example, the information indicating the positioning requirements can be information that directly indicates what kind of positioning accuracy requirements the UE needs, such as a specific accuracy requirement parameter, or an accuracy requirement level. Alternatively, the information indicating the positioning requirements can also be information that indirectly indicates its positioning accuracy requirements, such as an application to be enabled by the UE.

[0130] As described above, under the first enhanced service according to the present disclosure and the second enhanced service according to the present disclosure, the UE can receive information indicating the UE location from the base station, verify the location and feedback the verification result to the base station so that the base station can further adjust the sending frequency of the positioning-related reference signal.

[0131] Specifically, the information indicating the UE position received by the UE from the base station may include a perception result based on a perception signal or a joint positioning result. Here, as described above, the perception result may include the perceived distance between the UE and the base station, the angle between the UE and the base station, the moving speed of the UE and / or the position of the UE. The joint positioning result may include the position of the UE determined based on both the first position of the UE based on the mobile communication positioning technology and the second position based on the perception result as described in detail above. In particular, in the case where the perception result itself does not directly include the position of the UE, the UE may use the distance, position and / or moving speed information included in the perception result and any other applicable information, and use any applicable method to determine the position based on the perception result.

[0132] After receiving information indicating the location of the UE from the base station, the UE may determine its own location autonomously without using that information. The UE may select any applicable positioning method (e.g., supported by the UE) to determine its own location independently of the location information received from the base station. For example, the UE may include an estimate of the UE's location based on one or more of the following information: location information obtained based on RAT-only-DL positioning technology, location information based on A-GNSS, location information obtained based on the Global Positioning System (GPS), the last positioning result, and motion information of the UE determined based on a motion sensor.

[0133] After autonomously determining the UE's position, the UE may determine the difference between the autonomously determined position and the position indicated in the information received from the base station, and provide feedback to the base station based on the difference. For example, the UE may provide feedback to the base station on the difference itself as a verification result of the position indicated in the information received from the base station, so that the base station dynamically adjusts the transmission frequency of positioning-related reference signals based on the magnitude relationship between the position difference and a predetermined threshold. Alternatively, the UE may compare the calculated position difference with a predetermined threshold, and when the position difference is lower than the predetermined threshold, only provide feedback to the base station indicating that the current transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signals should be maintained, and when the position difference is greater than the predetermined threshold, provide feedback to the base station on the value of the position difference, so that the base station dynamically increases the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signals based on the magnitude of the difference.

[0134] The structure and operation process of the electronic device on the core network side according to the present disclosure

[0135] The above describes in detail the exemplary structures and exemplary operations of the base station and UE according to the present disclosure. Below, the exemplary structure and exemplary operation flow of the electronic device on the core network side according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 9 to 11.

[0136] First, the conceptual structure of an electronic device 90 for the core network side according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG9 . The core network side electronic device 90 according to the present disclosure can be an electronic device that provides both positioning services and awareness services. For example, the electronic device 90 can be used as the location server or awareness server mentioned above. In particular, the electronic device 90 can be used as an entity that provides a location management function (LMF).

[0137] As shown in FIG9 , the electronic device 90 may include a processing circuit 902. The processing circuit 902 may be configured to receive, from a base station, information indicating an echo signal generated by at least reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction of a perception signal by a UE; determine a perception result of the UE based on at least a difference between the perception signal and the echo signal, wherein the perception result includes a distance between the UE and the base station, an angle between the UE and the base station, a moving speed of the UE, and / or a position of the UE; and transmit the perception result to the base station.

[0138] The processing circuit 902 may be in the form of a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processing circuit, such as an ASIC. For example, the processing circuit 902 may be constructed from a circuit (hardware) or a central processing device (such as a central processing unit (CPU)). In addition, the processing circuit 902 may carry a program (software) for operating the circuit (hardware) or the central processing device. The program may be stored in a memory (such as disposed in the memory 904) or in an externally connected external storage medium, or downloaded via a network (such as the Internet).

[0139] In one implementation, the processing circuit 902 may include a communication control unit that controls communication with a base station (optionally via a communication unit 906). The communication control unit may, for example, control receiving, from the base station, information indicating the amplitude, frequency, and / or phase of an echo signal generated by at least reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction of a sensing signal by the UE; control sending a sensing result of the UE to the base station; and optionally, receive, from the base station, request information requesting one or more other base stations to cooperate in sensing the location of the UE, and so on.

[0140] In one implementation, the processing circuit 902 may further include a sensing result determination unit. The sensing result determination unit may determine a sensing result of the UE based on at least a difference between the sensing signal and the echo signal (e.g., one or more of Doppler shift, flight time, amplitude change, frequency change, and phase change). As described above, the sensing result includes the distance between the UE and the base station, the angle between the UE and the base station, the moving speed of the UE, and / or the position of the UE.

[0141] In addition, optionally, the electronic device 90 may further include a memory 904 and a communication unit 906, which are shown in dashed lines in the figure. In addition, the electronic device 90 may also include other components not shown, such as a network interface, a processor, a controller, etc. The processing circuit 902 may be associated with the memory 904 and / or the communication unit 906. For example, the processing circuit 902 may be directly or indirectly (for example, with other components connected in between) connected to the memory 904 to access data. For another example, the processing circuit 902 may be directly or indirectly connected to the communication unit 906 to send signals via the communication unit 906 and receive signals via the communication unit 906.

[0142] The memory 904 can store various information generated by the processing circuit 902 or used for the operation of the processing circuit 902 (e.g., information about the sensing signal and the echo signal, etc.), programs and data used for the operation of the electronic device 900, data to be transmitted by the communication unit 906, etc. The memory 904 is drawn with a dotted line because it can be located within the processing circuit 902 or outside the electronic device 90. The memory 904 can be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. For example, the memory 904 can include, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), read-only memory (ROM), and flash memory.

[0143] The communication unit 906 may be configured to communicate with the base station under the control of the processing circuit 902 (e.g., a communication control unit). In one example, the communication unit 906 may be implemented as a communication component that performs wired communication via a cable such as an optical fiber. In one example, the communication unit 906 may also include a communication component suitable for wireless communication.

[0144] Although FIG9 shows that the processing circuit 902 is separate from the communication unit 906, the processing circuit 902 may also be implemented to include the communication unit 906. In addition, the processing circuit 902 may also be implemented to include one or more other components in the electronic device 90, or the processing circuit 902 may be implemented as the electronic device 90 itself. In actual implementation, the processing circuit 902 may be implemented as a chip (such as an integrated circuit module including a single die), a hardware component, or a complete product.

[0145] It should be noted that the above-mentioned units are merely logical modules divided according to the specific functions they implement, and are not intended to limit specific implementation methods. For example, they can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. In actual implementation, the above-mentioned units can be implemented as independent physical entities, or can also be implemented by a single entity (for example, a processor (CPU or DSP, etc.), an integrated circuit, etc.). In addition, the above-mentioned units are shown with dotted lines in the accompanying drawings to indicate that these units may not actually exist, and the operations / functions they implement can be implemented by the processing circuit itself.

[0146] Next, a conceptual operation flow 100 of the electronic device 90 serving as the core network side will be described with reference to FIG. 10 .

[0147] The operation of the electronic device on the core network side starts at S1002.

[0148] At S1004, the electronic device on the core network side receives information from the base station regarding an echo signal generated by at least reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction of the sensing signal by the UE, so as to calculate a sensing result based on the information. For example, this information may include at least one or more of the following: the amplitude of the echo signal, the phase of the echo signal, the frequency of the echo signal, the transmission time of the sensing signal, the reception time of the echo signal, and the flight time between the base station transmitting the sensing signal and receiving the echo signal of the sensing signal. According to one implementation, the amplitude, frequency, phase, signal type, pattern, and / or sequence with which the base station transmits the sensing signal may be predetermined and known to the core network. In this case, the base station only needs to transmit the echo signal information to the electronic device on the core network side. According to another implementation, the electronic device on the core network side may also pre-receive (e.g., before or during S1004) information indicating the sensing signal itself from the base station, such as information indicating the amplitude, frequency, phase, signal type, pattern, and / or sequence of the sensing signal.

[0149] Subsequently, at S1006, the electronic device on the core network side may determine a perception result for the UE based at least on the difference between the perception signal and the echo signal. According to the present disclosure, this difference may include one or more of the following: Doppler shift, flight time, amplitude change, frequency change, and phase change. Figures 11A and 11B illustrate the basic principles of perception.

[0150] Figure 11A illustrates an exemplary principle of a single base station participating in sensing. When a single base station participates in sensing (for example, when the UE's moving speed is low or the UE has low positioning accuracy requirements as described above), the base station can act as both a transmitter of the sensing signal and a receiver of the sensing signal's echo signal. When the base station transmits a sensing signal to the UE, which acts as a reflector, the sensing signal undergoes at least reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction by the UE and is propagated back to the base station as an echo signal. After at least reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction by the UE, the amplitude, phase, and / or frequency of the echo signal may differ from the original sensing signal. Based on the changes in amplitude, phase, and / or frequency of the sensing signal and the echo signal, combined with the time of flight, the distance and angle between the base station and the UE can be determined, for example. In particular, when the UE moves at a certain speed, there will be a Doppler shift between the sensing signal and the echo signal. Based on the amplitude, phase, frequency, and time of flight, combined with the Doppler shift, the UE's moving speed can also be determined.

[0151] In the case shown in FIG11A , the base station may send information related to the received echo signal to the electronic device on the core network side, and the electronic device on the core network side calculates the distance, angle, and / or moving speed of the UE based on the principle shown in FIG11A . In addition, the electronic device on the core network side may also calculate the position of the UE based on the sensed distance, angle, and / or moving speed information, optionally with reference to any other available information (e.g., the position of the base station that sends the sensed signal and the stored previous position of the UE, etc.).

[0152] Figure 11B shows an exemplary principle of multiple base stations participating in perception. When multiple base stations participate in perception (for example, when the UE's moving speed is high or the UE has high requirements for positioning accuracy as described above), one base station can act as the transmitter of the perception signal, and one or more other base stations can act as the receiver of the echo signal. As shown in Figure 11B, when the transmitting base station sends a perception signal to the UE as a reflector, the perception signal is at least reflected, scattered and / or diffracted by the UE and can be propagated to the receiving base station as an echo signal. Similar to the description with reference to Figure 11A, after at least reflection, scattering and / or diffraction by the UE, the amplitude, phase and / or frequency of the echo signal will be different from the original perception signal and there may also be a Doppler shift between the perception signal and the echo signal. Based on the flight time, amplitude change, phase change, frequency change and / or Doppler shift, the distance and angle between the receiving base station and the UE and the moving speed of the UE can be determined, for example.

[0153] It should be noted that in the case of FIG11B , although not shown, the sensing signal may also be transmitted back to the transmitting base station as an echo signal after at least reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction by the UE. This scenario is similar to the principle of FIG11A . The transmitting base station may also transmit information about the received echo signal to the electronic device on the core network side for calculation of the sensing result.

[0154] Although Figure 11B shows only two base stations, more than two base stations may collaborate to sense the UE. In this case, the sensing signal sent by a base station may be transmitted as an echo signal to multiple receiving-end base stations after at least reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction by the UE. Each receiving-end base station participating in the collaborative sensing may send information indicating the echo signal it has received to the device on the core network side. In addition, when multiple base stations collaborate to sense the UE, each base station may send its own sensing signal to the UE. The device on the core network side may calculate the sensing result by combining at least the following information: information sent by each base station about the echo signal of the sensing signal it has sent to the UE, and information sent by each base station about the echo signal of the sensing signal sent to the UE by one or more other base stations.

[0155] Returning to FIG. 10 , after determining the perception result of the UE, the electronic device on the core network side may send the perception result to the base station in S1008 .

[0156] The conceptual operation flow of the electronic device on the core network side ends at S1010.

[0157] It should be noted that the operating steps of the electronic device on the core network side shown in FIG10 are merely illustrative. In practice, the operation of the electronic device on the core network side may also include some additional or alternative steps. For example, the electronic device on the core network side may also receive a request from a base station requesting one or more other base stations to collaboratively sense the location of the UE, and in response to the request, send information indicating participation in collaborative sensing to the one or more base stations. Preferably, the electronic device on the core network side may schedule one or more base stations participating in positioning the UE based on mobile communication positioning technologies to perform collaborative sensing. As described above, mobile communication positioning technologies may include, for example, DL-TDOA, UL-TDOA, DL-AoD, UL-AOA, Multi-RTT, and ID NR E-CID. For example, the electronic device on the core network side may send information indicating participation in collaborative sensing to one or more base stations participating in positioning the UE based on mobile communication positioning technologies. Subsequently, the electronic device may receive information indicating one or more echo signals from each base station, as described with reference to FIG11B, and sense the UE's location by combining the received information with any other available information.

[0158] The above describes the basic operations of the electronic device on the core network side according to the present disclosure. It should be understood that in the present disclosure, the electronic device on the core network side preferably performs the perception-related calculations. However, this is not restrictive, and the base station may also perform such calculations.

[0159] Interaction between base stations, UEs, and core networks

[0160] The above has been described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings to illustrate the schematic configuration and operation process of the base station, terminal device and core network side entity implemented according to the present disclosure. Below, with reference to Figures 12A and 12B, an exemplary interaction between the base station, UE and core network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

[0161] Figure 12A illustrates the interactions between the base station, the UE, and the core network when sensing is initiated by the base station. For example, upon determining that dynamic adjustment of the transmission frequency of positioning-related reference signals is necessary, the base station may begin transmitting a multiplexed signal to the UE that multiplexes communication and sensing signals. As shown in Figure 12A, gNB 1, serving as the primary serving base station for the UE, may transmit the multiplexed signal to the UE and receive an echo signal from the UE that includes the sensing signal within the multiplexed signal. gNB 1 may then transmit information regarding the echo signal to the LMF of the core network. The LMF may, as described in detail above, calculate the difference between the echo signal and the sensing signal and, based on at least this difference, determine a sensing result for the UE. As described above, the sensing result may include the distance between the UE and gNB 1, the angle between the UE and gNB 1, the UE's speed, and / or the UE's location. The LMF may then transmit the sensing result to gNB 1. gNB 1 may determine the UE's speed based on the sensing result and dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of positioning-related reference signals based on the UE's speed. gNB 1 may then notify the UE of the adjusted transmission frequency.

[0162] After gNB 1 receives the sensing results from the LMF, if gNB 1 determines based on the sensing results that it is necessary to request cooperative sensing from other base stations (for example, if gNB 1 determines that the UE's velocity is above a predetermined threshold), gNB 1 may also send a request to the LMF requesting one or more other base stations to cooperatively sense the UE's location. Upon receiving this request, the LMF may select appropriate base stations to participate in cooperative sensing (for example, those participating in UE positioning based on mobile communication positioning technologies) and send cooperative sensing instructions to these base stations (such as gNB 2 shown in Figure 12A). The participating base stations may then receive echo signals from the UE in response to sensing signals sent by gNB 1 (and other participating base stations), and / or transmit their own sensing signals to the UE and receive echo signals of these sensing signals, as described with reference to Figure 11B , and send information regarding these one or more echo signals to the LMF (for simplicity, these processes are not shown in Figure 12A ). After receiving information about the echo signal from each participating base station, the LMF can combine this information to determine the cooperative sensing result and send this result to the UE's primary serving base station gNB 1. gNB 1 can then dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of positioning-related reference signals based on this cooperative sensing result.

[0163] Optionally, as described above, gNB 1 may also send location information based on the sensing result, or location information determined jointly by sensing and mobile communication positioning technology, to the UE. The UE may verify the location indicated in the sensing result based on its autonomously determined location and feedback the verification result to gNB 1. gNB 1 may further dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of positioning-related reference signals based on the feedback and indicate the new transmission frequency to the UE.

[0164] Figure 12B illustrates the interactions between the base station, the UE, and the core network when UE-initiated sensing occurs. For example, the UE sends a positioning request to gNB 1, its primary serving base station, triggering gNB 1 to send a multiplexed signal to the UE that multiplexes a communication signal and a sensing signal. Subsequently, as described with reference to Figure 12B , gNB 1 may receive an echo signal of the sensing signal from the UE and transmit information indicating the echo signal to the LMF in the core network. The LMF may calculate a sensing result and transmit it to gNB 1. gNB 1 may dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of positioning-related reference signals based on both the UE's positioning accuracy requirements and the UE's mobility determined from the sensing result. gNB 1 may notify the UE of the adjusted transmission frequency.

[0165] After gNB 1 receives a positioning request from a UE, if gNB 1 determines based on the positioning request that it request cooperative sensing with other base stations (for example, if gNB 1 determines that the UE has high positioning accuracy requirements), gNB 1 may also send a request to the LMF requesting one or more other base stations to cooperatively sense the UE's location. Upon receiving this request, the LMF selects appropriate base stations to participate in cooperative sensing (for example, those participating in UE positioning based on mobile communication positioning technologies) and sends cooperative sensing instructions to these base stations (such as gNB 2 shown in Figure 12B ). The participating base stations may then receive the corresponding echo signals and send information about the echo signals to the LMF, as described with reference to Figures 11B and 12A . The LMF may then combine this information to determine a cooperative sensing result and send this result to gNB 1, the primary serving base station for the UE. gNB 1 may then dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of positioning-related reference signals based on this cooperative sensing result.

[0166] Similar to FIG12A , gNB 1 may optionally send location information based on sensing results, or location information determined jointly by sensing and mobile communication positioning technology, to the UE. The UE may verify the location indicated in the sensing results based on its autonomously determined location and provide feedback of the verification result to gNB 1. gNB 1 may further dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of positioning-related reference signals based on the feedback and indicate the new transmission frequency to the UE.

[0167] It should be noted that the interactions shown in Figures 12A and 12B are merely illustrative and not restrictive. For example, according to the present disclosure, a multiplexed signal that multiplexes the perception signal and the multiplexed signal may also be sent periodically, rather than being triggered by a base station or a UE.

[0168] The present disclosure has been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present disclosure enables the integration of communication and perception and provides enhanced services based on this.

[0169] It should be understood that the machine-executable instructions in the machine-readable storage medium or program product according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can be configured to perform operations corresponding to the above-mentioned device and method embodiments. When referring to the above-mentioned device and method embodiments, the embodiments of the machine-readable storage medium or program product are clear to those skilled in the art and are therefore not described again. Machine-readable storage media and program products for carrying or including the above-mentioned machine-executable instructions also fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Such storage media may include, but are not limited to, floppy disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, memory cards, memory sticks, and the like.

[0170] In addition, it should be understood that the above-mentioned series of processes and devices can also be implemented by software and / or firmware. In the case of implementation by software and / or firmware, the program constituting the software is installed from a storage medium or a network to a computer with a dedicated hardware structure, such as the general-purpose computer 1300 shown in Figure 13. When various programs are installed on the computer, it can perform various functions, etc. Figure 13 is a block diagram showing an example structure of a computer as an information processing device that can be adopted in the embodiments of the present disclosure. In one example, the computer may correspond to the device on the exemplary core network side according to the present disclosure. In another example, the computer may also correspond to the exemplary terminal device according to the present disclosure.

[0171] 13 , a central processing unit (CPU) 1301 executes various processes according to a program stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 1302 or a program loaded from a storage section 1308 to a random access memory (RAM) 1303. In the RAM 1303, data required when the CPU 1301 executes various processes and the like is also stored as needed.

[0172] The CPU 1301, the ROM 1302, and the RAM 1303 are connected to one another via a bus 1304. An input / output interface 1305 is also connected to the bus 1304.

[0173] The following components are connected to the input / output interface 1305: an input section 1306 including a keyboard, a mouse, etc.; an output section 1307 including a display such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), etc., and a speaker, etc.; a storage section 1308 including a hard disk, etc.; and a communication section 1309 including a network interface card such as a LAN card, a modem, etc. The communication section 1309 performs communication processing via a network such as the Internet.

[0174] A drive 1310 is also connected to the input / output interface 1305 as needed. A removable medium 1311 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, etc. is mounted on the drive 1310 as needed so that a computer program read therefrom is installed in the storage section 1308 as needed.

[0175] In the case of realizing the above-described series of processing by software, a program constituting the software is installed from a network such as the Internet or a storage medium such as the removable medium 1311 .

[0176] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that such storage media are not limited to the removable medium 1311 shown in FIG. 13 , which stores programs therein and is distributed separately from the device to provide the programs to users. Examples of the removable medium 1311 include magnetic disks (including floppy disks (registered trademark)), optical disks (including compact disk read-only memories (CD-ROMs) and digital versatile disks (DVDs)), magneto-optical disks (including minidiscs (MDs) (registered trademark)), and semiconductor memories. Alternatively, the storage medium may be a ROM 1302, a hard disk included in the storage section 1308, or the like, in which the programs are stored and distributed to users together with the device containing them.

[0177] The technology disclosed herein can be applied to various products.

[0178] For example, the electronic device 30 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be implemented as various control devices / base stations or included in various control devices / base stations, and the method shown in FIG4 may also be implemented by various control devices / base stations. For example, the electronic device 70 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be implemented as various terminal devices / user devices or included in various terminal devices / user devices, and the method shown in FIG8 may also be implemented by various terminal devices / user devices.

[0179] For example, the control device / base station mentioned in the present disclosure can be implemented as any type of base station, such as an evolved Node B (gNB), such as a macro gNB and a small gNB. A small gNB can be a gNB that covers a cell smaller than a macro cell, such as a pico gNB, a micro gNB, and a home (femto) gNB. Alternatively, the base station can be implemented as any other type of base station, such as a NodeB and a base transceiver station (BTS). A base station may include: a main body (also called a base station device) configured to control wireless communication; and one or more remote radio heads (RRHs) located at a location different from the main body. In addition, the various types of terminals described below can all operate as a base station by temporarily or semi-permanently performing base station functions.

[0180] For example, the terminal device mentioned in the present disclosure is also referred to as a user device in some examples, and can be implemented as a mobile terminal (such as a smart phone, a tablet computer (PC), a notebook PC, a portable game terminal, a portable / dongle-type mobile router, and a digital camera) or a vehicle-mounted terminal (such as a car navigation device). The user device can also be implemented as a terminal that performs machine-to-machine (M2M) communication (also known as a machine type communication (MTC) terminal). In addition, the user device can be a wireless communication module (such as an integrated circuit module including a single chip) installed on each of the above-mentioned terminals.

[0181] An example according to the present disclosure will be described below with reference to FIG. 14 to FIG. 17 .

[0182] [Example about base stations]

[0183] It should be understood that the term "base station" in the present disclosure has the full breadth of its usual meaning and at least includes a wireless communication station used as part of a wireless communication system or radio system to facilitate communication. Examples of base stations may include, but are not limited to, the following: a base station may be one or both of a base transceiver station (BTS) and a base station controller (BSC) in a GSM system, one or both of a radio network controller (RNC) and a Node B in a WCDMA system, an eNB in ​​an LTE and LTE-Advanced system, a gNB appearing in a 5G communication system, an eLTE eNB, etc., or a corresponding network node in a future communication system. Some of the functions in the base station of the present disclosure may also be implemented as an entity having a control function for communication in D2D, M2M, and V2V communication scenarios, or as an entity that plays a spectrum coordination role in a cognitive radio communication scenario.

[0184] First example

[0185] FIG14 is a block diagram illustrating a first example of a schematic configuration of a gNB to which the techniques of this disclosure may be applied. gNB 1400 includes multiple antennas 1410 and a base station device 1420. Base station device 1420 and each antenna 1410 may be connected to each other via an RF cable. In one implementation, gNB 1400 (or base station device 1420) may correspond to the electronic device 30 described above.

[0186] Each antenna 1410 includes a single or multiple antenna elements (such as multiple antenna elements included in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna) and is used for base station device 1420 to transmit and receive wireless signals. As shown in Figure 14, gNB 1400 may include multiple antennas 1410. For example, multiple antennas 1410 may be compatible with multiple frequency bands used by gNB 1400.

[0187] The base station device 1420 includes a controller 1421 , a memory 1422 , a network interface 1423 , and a wireless communication interface 1425 .

[0188] The controller 1421 may be, for example, a CPU or a DSP, and operates various higher-layer functions of the base station device 1420. For example, the controller 1421 generates data packets based on the data in the signal processed by the wireless communication interface 1425 and transmits the generated packets via the network interface 1423. The controller 1421 may bundle data from multiple baseband processors to generate bundled packets and transmit the generated bundled packets. The controller 1421 may have logic functions for performing control such as radio resource control, radio bearer control, mobility management, admission control, and scheduling. This control may be performed in conjunction with a nearby gNB or core network node. The memory 1422 includes RAM and ROM and stores programs executed by the controller 421 and various types of control data (such as terminal lists, transmission power data, and scheduling data).

[0189] The network interface 1423 is a communication interface for connecting the base station device 1420 to the core network 1424. The controller 1421 can communicate with the core network node or another gNB via the network interface 1423. In this case, the gNB 1400 and the core network node or other gNB can be connected to each other via a logical interface (such as an S1 interface and an X2 interface). The network interface 1423 can also be a wired communication interface or a wireless communication interface for wireless backhaul. If the network interface 1423 is a wireless communication interface, the network interface 1423 can use a higher frequency band for wireless communication than the frequency band used by the wireless communication interface 1425.

[0190] The wireless communication interface 1425 supports any cellular communication scheme, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced, and provides wireless connectivity to terminals located in the cell of the gNB 1400 via the antenna 1410. The wireless communication interface 1425 may typically include, for example, a baseband (BB) processor 1426 and RF circuitry 1427. The BB processor 1426 can perform various signal processing functions, such as encoding / decoding, modulation / demodulation, and multiplexing / demultiplexing, and performs various types of signal processing for layers such as Layer 1 (L1), Medium Access Control (MAC), Radio Link Control (RLC), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP). In place of the controller 1421, the BB processor 1426 may perform some or all of the aforementioned logical functions. The BB processor 1426 may be a memory storing communication control programs, or a module including a processor configured to execute programs and associated circuitry. Program updates can modify the functionality of the BB processor 1426. This module may be a card or blade inserted into a slot in the base station device 1420. Alternatively, it may be a chip mounted on the card or blade. Meanwhile, the RF circuit 1427 may include, for example, a mixer, a filter, and an amplifier, and transmits and receives wireless signals via the antenna 1410. Although FIG14 shows an example in which one RF circuit 1427 is connected to one antenna 1410, the present disclosure is not limited to this illustration, and one RF circuit 1427 may be connected to multiple antennas 1410 at the same time.

[0191] As shown in Figure 14 , the wireless communication interface 1425 may include multiple BB processors 1426. For example, multiple BB processors 1426 may be compatible with multiple frequency bands used by gNB 1400. As shown in Figure 14 , the wireless communication interface 1425 may include multiple RF circuits 1427. For example, multiple RF circuits 1427 may be compatible with multiple antenna elements. While Figure 14 illustrates an example in which the wireless communication interface 1425 includes multiple BB processors 1426 and multiple RF circuits 1427, the wireless communication interface 1425 may also include a single BB processor 1426 or a single RF circuit 1427.

[0192] Second example

[0193] FIG15 is a block diagram illustrating a second example of a schematic configuration of a gNB to which the techniques of this disclosure can be applied. A gNB 1530 includes multiple antennas 1540, a base station device 1550, and an RRH 1560. The RRH 1560 and each antenna 1540 can be connected to each other via an RF cable. The base station device 1550 and the RRH 1560 can be connected to each other via a high-speed line such as an optical fiber cable. In one implementation, the gNB 1530 (or base station device 1550) herein may correspond to the electronic device 30 described above.

[0194] Each antenna 1540 includes a single or multiple antenna elements (such as multiple antenna elements included in a MIMO antenna) and is used for RRH 1560 to transmit and receive wireless signals. As shown in Figure 15, gNB 1530 may include multiple antennas 1540. For example, multiple antennas 1540 may be compatible with multiple frequency bands used by gNB 1530.

[0195] Base station device 1550 includes a controller 1551, a memory 1552, a network interface 1553, a wireless communication interface 1555, and a connection interface 1557. Controller 1551, memory 1552, and network interface 1553 are the same as controller 1421, memory 1422, and network interface 1423 described with reference to FIG.

[0196] The wireless communication interface 1555 supports any cellular communication scheme (such as LTE and LTE-Advanced) and provides wireless communication to terminals located in the sector corresponding to the RRH 1560 via the RRH 1560 and the antenna 1540. The wireless communication interface 1555 may generally include, for example, a BB processor 1556. The BB processor 1556 is identical to the BB processor 1426 described with reference to FIG. 14 , except that the BB processor 1556 is connected to the RF circuit 1564 of the RRH 1560 via the connection interface 1557. As shown in FIG. 15 , the wireless communication interface 1555 may include multiple BB processors 1556. For example, multiple BB processors 1556 may be compatible with multiple frequency bands used by the gNB 1530. Although FIG. 15 illustrates an example in which the wireless communication interface 1555 includes multiple BB processors 1556, the wireless communication interface 1555 may also include a single BB processor 1556.

[0197] The connection interface 1557 is an interface for connecting the base station device 1550 (wireless communication interface 1555) to the RRH 1560. The connection interface 1557 may also be a communication module for connecting the base station device 1550 (wireless communication interface 1555) to the RRH 1560 for communication in the high-speed line.

[0198] The RRH 1560 includes a connection interface 1561 and a wireless communication interface 1563 .

[0199] The connection interface 1561 is an interface for connecting the RRH 1560 (wireless communication interface 1563) to the base station device 1550. The connection interface 1561 may also be a communication module for communication in the above-mentioned high-speed line.

[0200] The wireless communication interface 1563 transmits and receives wireless signals via the antenna 1540. The wireless communication interface 1563 may generally include, for example, an RF circuit 1564. The RF circuit 1564 may include, for example, a mixer, a filter, and an amplifier, and transmits and receives wireless signals via the antenna 1540. Although FIG. 15 shows an example in which one RF circuit 1564 is connected to one antenna 1540, the present disclosure is not limited to this illustration, and one RF circuit 1564 may be connected to multiple antennas 1540 simultaneously.

[0201] As shown in FIG15 , the wireless communication interface 1563 may include multiple RF circuits 1564. For example, multiple RF circuits 1564 may support multiple antenna elements. Although FIG15 shows an example in which the wireless communication interface 1563 includes multiple RF circuits 1564, the wireless communication interface 1563 may also include a single RF circuit 1564.

[0202] [Example about user equipment]

[0203] First example

[0204] 16 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a smartphone 1600 to which the techniques of the present disclosure may be applied. The smartphone 1600 includes a processor 1601, a memory 1602, a storage device 1603, an external connection interface 1604, a camera 1606, a sensor 1607, a microphone 1608, an input device 1609, a display 1610, a speaker 1611, a wireless communication interface 1612, one or more antenna switches 1615, one or more antennas 1616, a bus 1617, a battery 1618, and an auxiliary controller 1619. In one implementation, the smartphone 1600 (or processor 1601) herein may correspond to the electronic device 70 described above.

[0205] The processor 1601 may be, for example, a CPU or a system on a chip (SoC), and controls the functions of the application layer and other layers of the smartphone 1600. The memory 1602 includes RAM and ROM, and stores data and programs executed by the processor 1601. The storage device 1603 may include storage media such as semiconductor memories and hard disks. The external connection interface 1604 is an interface for connecting external devices (such as memory cards and universal serial bus (USB) devices) to the smartphone 1600.

[0206] The camera 1606 includes an image sensor (such as a charge coupled device (CCD) and a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)) and generates a captured image. The sensor 1607 may include a group of sensors such as a measurement sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and an acceleration sensor. The microphone 1608 converts the sound input to the smartphone 1600 into an audio signal. The input device 1609 includes, for example, a touch sensor, a keypad, a keyboard, a button, or a switch configured to detect a touch on the screen of the display device 1610, and receives an operation or information input from the user. The display device 1610 includes a screen (such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) and an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display) and displays the output image of the smartphone 1600. The speaker 1611 converts the audio signal output from the smartphone 1600 into sound.

[0207] The wireless communication interface 1612 supports any cellular communication scheme (such as LTE and LTE-Advanced) and performs wireless communication. The wireless communication interface 1612 may generally include, for example, a BB processor 1613 and an RF circuit 1619. The BB processor 1613 may perform, for example, encoding / decoding, modulation / demodulation, and multiplexing / demultiplexing, and perform various types of signal processing for wireless communication. Meanwhile, the RF circuit 1614 may include, for example, a mixer, a filter, and an amplifier, and transmit and receive wireless signals via an antenna 1616. The wireless communication interface 1612 may be a chip module on which the BB processor 1613 and the RF circuit 1614 are integrated. As shown in FIG16 , the wireless communication interface 1612 may include multiple BB processors 1613 and multiple RF circuits 1614. Although FIG16 shows an example in which the wireless communication interface 1612 includes multiple BB processors 1613 and multiple RF circuits 1614, the wireless communication interface 1612 may also include a single BB processor 1613 or a single RF circuit 1614.

[0208] In addition, in addition to the cellular communication scheme, the wireless communication interface 1612 can support other types of wireless communication schemes, such as a short-range wireless communication scheme, a near field communication scheme, and a wireless local area network (LAN) scheme. In this case, the wireless communication interface 1612 may include a BB processor 1613 and an RF circuit 1614 for each wireless communication scheme.

[0209] Each of the antenna switches 1615 switches the connection destination of the antenna 1616 between a plurality of circuits (eg, circuits for different wireless communication schemes) included in the wireless communication interface 1612 .

[0210] Each of the antennas 1616 includes a single or multiple antenna elements (such as multiple antenna elements included in a MIMO antenna) and is used for transmitting and receiving wireless signals via the wireless communication interface 1612. As shown in FIG16 , the smartphone 1600 may include multiple antennas 1616. Although FIG16 shows an example in which the smartphone 1600 includes multiple antennas 1616, the smartphone 1600 may also include a single antenna 1616.

[0211] In addition, the smartphone 1600 may include an antenna 1616 for each wireless communication scheme. In this case, the antenna switch 1615 may be omitted from the configuration of the smartphone 1600.

[0212] The bus 1617 connects the processor 1601, the memory 1602, the storage device 1603, the external connection interface 1604, the camera 1606, the sensor 1607, the microphone 1608, the input device 1609, the display device 1610, the speaker 1611, the wireless communication interface 1612, and the auxiliary controller 1619. The battery 1618 supplies power to the various blocks of the smartphone 1600 shown in FIG16 via feeders, which are partially shown as dashed lines in the figure. The auxiliary controller 1619 operates the minimum necessary functions of the smartphone 1600, for example, in sleep mode.

[0213] Second example

[0214] 17 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a car navigation device 1720 to which the techniques of the present disclosure may be applied. The car navigation device 1720 includes a processor 1721, a memory 1722, a global positioning system (GPS) module 1724, a sensor 1725, a data interface 1726, a content player 1727, a storage medium interface 1728, an input device 1729, a display device 1730, a speaker 1731, a wireless communication interface 1733, one or more antenna switches 1736, one or more antennas 1737, and a battery 1738. In one implementation, the car navigation device 1720 (or processor 1721) herein may correspond to the electronic device 50 and / or the electronic device 100 described above.

[0215] The processor 1721 may be, for example, a CPU or an SoC, and controls a navigation function and other functions of the car navigation device 1720. The memory 1722 includes a RAM and a ROM, and stores data and programs executed by the processor 1721.

[0216] The GPS module 1724 uses GPS signals received from GPS satellites to measure the position (such as latitude, longitude, and altitude) of the car navigation device 1720. The sensor 1725 may include a group of sensors such as a gyroscope sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and an air pressure sensor. The data interface 1726 is connected to, for example, the vehicle network 1741 via a terminal not shown, and obtains data generated by the vehicle (such as vehicle speed data).

[0217] The content player 1727 reproduces content stored in a storage medium (such as a CD or DVD) inserted into the storage medium interface 1728. The input device 1729 includes, for example, a touch sensor, button, or switch configured to detect a touch on the screen of the display device 1730, and receives operations or information input from the user. The display device 1730 includes a screen such as an LCD or OLED display and displays images of the navigation function or reproduced content. The speaker 1731 outputs sounds of the navigation function or reproduced content.

[0218] The wireless communication interface 1733 supports any cellular communication scheme (such as LTE and LTE-Advanced) and performs wireless communication. The wireless communication interface 1733 may generally include, for example, a BB processor 1734 and an RF circuit 1735. The BB processor 1734 may perform, for example, encoding / decoding, modulation / demodulation, and multiplexing / demultiplexing, and perform various types of signal processing for wireless communication. Meanwhile, the RF circuit 1735 may include, for example, a mixer, a filter, and an amplifier, and transmit and receive wireless signals via an antenna 1737. The wireless communication interface 1733 may also be a chip module on which the BB processor 1734 and the RF circuit 1735 are integrated. As shown in Figure 17, the wireless communication interface 1733 may include multiple BB processors 1734 and multiple RF circuits 1735. Although Figure 17 shows an example in which the wireless communication interface 1733 includes multiple BB processors 1734 and multiple RF circuits 1735, the wireless communication interface 1733 may also include a single BB processor 1734 or a single RF circuit 1735.

[0219] In addition, in addition to the cellular communication scheme, the wireless communication interface 1733 can support other types of wireless communication schemes, such as short-range wireless communication schemes, near field communication schemes, and wireless LAN schemes. In this case, for each wireless communication scheme, the wireless communication interface 1733 can include a BB processor 1734 and an RF circuit 1735.

[0220] Each of the antenna switches 1736 switches a connection destination of the antenna 1737 between a plurality of circuits included in the wireless communication interface 1733 , such as circuits for different wireless communication schemes.

[0221] Each of the antennas 1737 includes a single or multiple antenna elements (such as multiple antenna elements included in a MIMO antenna) and is used for transmitting and receiving wireless signals via the wireless communication interface 1733. As shown in FIG17 , the car navigation device 1720 may include multiple antennas 1737. Although FIG17 shows an example in which the car navigation device 1720 includes multiple antennas 1737, the car navigation device 1720 may also include a single antenna 1737.

[0222] In addition, the car navigation device 1720 may include an antenna 1737 for each wireless communication scheme. In this case, the antenna switch 1736 may be omitted from the configuration of the car navigation device 1720.

[0223] The battery 1738 supplies power to the respective blocks of the car navigation device 1720 shown in Fig. 17 via a feeder line, which is partially shown as a dotted line in the figure. The battery 1738 accumulates the power supplied from the vehicle.

[0224] The technology of the present disclosure may also be implemented as an in-vehicle system (or vehicle) 1740 including a car navigation device 1720, an in-vehicle network 1741, and one or more blocks of a vehicle module 1742. The vehicle module 1742 generates vehicle data (such as vehicle speed, engine speed, and fault information) and outputs the generated data to the in-vehicle network 1741.

[0225] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present disclosure is certainly not limited to the above examples. Those skilled in the art may obtain various changes and modifications within the scope of the appended claims, and it should be understood that these changes and modifications will naturally fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0226] It should be understood that the machine-executable instructions in the machine-readable storage medium or program product according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can be configured to perform operations corresponding to the above-mentioned device and method embodiments. When referring to the above-mentioned device and method embodiments, the embodiments of the machine-readable storage medium or program product are clear to those skilled in the art and are therefore not described again. Machine-readable storage media and program products for carrying or including the above-mentioned machine-executable instructions also fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Such storage media may include, but are not limited to, floppy disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, memory cards, memory sticks, and the like.

[0227] In addition, it should be understood that the above series of processes and devices can also be implemented by software and / or firmware. In the case of implementation by software and / or firmware, the corresponding program constituting the corresponding software is stored in the storage medium of the relevant device (for example, the memory 304, 704 or 904 of the electronic device 30 shown in Figure 3, the electronic device 70 shown in Figure 7 or the electronic device 90 shown in Figure 9), and when the program is executed, various functions can be performed.

[0228] For example, a plurality of functions included in one unit in the above embodiments may be implemented by separate devices. Alternatively, a plurality of functions implemented by a plurality of units in the above embodiments may be implemented by separate devices, respectively. In addition, one of the above functions may be implemented by a plurality of units. Needless to say, such a configuration is included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0229] In this specification, the steps described in the flowchart include not only processing executed in time series in the order described, but also processing executed in parallel or individually rather than necessarily in time series. In addition, even in the steps processed in time series, it goes without saying that the order can be changed as appropriate.

[0230] Although the present disclosure and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and transformations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variations thereof in the embodiments of the present disclosure are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, such that a process, method, article, or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article, or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the statement "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or device comprising the element.

[0231] In addition, the present disclosure may also have the following configurations:

[0232] (1) An electronic device for use on a control device side of a wireless communication system, comprising:

[0233] The processing circuit is configured to:

[0234] sending a multiplexed signal to a terminal device, wherein the multiplexed signal multiplexes both a communication signal and a sensing signal, the sensing signal being used to sense at least the distance between the terminal device and the electronic device, the angle between the terminal device and the electronic device, and / or the moving speed of the terminal device, thereby determining the location of the terminal device; and

[0235] An echo signal is received which is generated by at least reflection, scattering and / or diffraction of the sensing signal by the terminal device.

[0236] (2) The electronic device according to (1), wherein the communication signal and the perception signal are time-division multiplexed in units of symbols.

[0237] (3) The electronic device as described in (1) or (2), wherein the processing circuit is further configured to send multiplexing information indicating how the communication signal and the perception signal are multiplexed to the terminal device.

[0238] (4) The electronic device according to (1), wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

[0239] sending information at least indicating the echo signal to an entity of a core network, and

[0240] receiving a perception result from the entity, the perception result including the distance, the angle, the moving speed and / or the position of the terminal device,

[0241] The sensing result is determined based on at least a difference between the sensing signal and the echo signal, and the difference comprises one or more of: Doppler shift, flight time, amplitude change, frequency change, and phase change.

[0242] (5) The electronic device according to (4), wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

[0243] Determine the magnitude relationship between the moving speed of the terminal device and at least one threshold based on the perception result,

[0244] Based on the determination, a sending frequency of a reference signal related to positioning is dynamically adjusted.

[0245] (6) The electronic device according to (5), wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

[0246] In response to determining that the moving speed of the terminal device is lower than or equal to a first threshold, reducing the frequency of sending reference signals related to positioning,

[0247] In response to determining that the moving speed of the terminal device is higher than a first threshold and lower than or equal to a second threshold, maintaining the transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning, and

[0248] In response to determining that the moving speed of the terminal device is higher than a second threshold:

[0249] - Increase the frequency of sending reference signals related to positioning, and / or

[0250] - Sending request information to the entity of the core network to request one or more other electronic devices to cooperate to perceive the terminal device.

[0251] (7) The electronic device according to (6), wherein increasing or decreasing the transmission frequency of the reference signal related to positioning comprises:

[0252] - shorten or lengthen the reference signal transmission period, or

[0253] -Increasing or decreasing the symbol density occupied by the reference signal.

[0254] (8) The electronic device according to (1), wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

[0255] receiving information indicating a positioning requirement from the terminal device,

[0256] Determine the positioning accuracy requirements of the terminal device, and

[0257] Based on the determined positioning accuracy requirement of the terminal device, the sending frequency of the reference signal related to positioning is dynamically adjusted, wherein,

[0258] - in response to determining that the terminal device has a low requirement for positioning accuracy, maintaining or reducing the frequency of sending reference signals related to positioning, and

[0259] -In response to determining that the terminal device has a high requirement for positioning accuracy: increasing the sending frequency of positioning-related reference signals, and / or sending a request message to the entity of the core network to request one or more other electronic devices to collaborate in sensing the location of the terminal device.

[0260] (9) An electronic device as described in (6) or (8), wherein the one or more other electronic devices are one or more base stations participating in positioning the terminal device based on mobile communication positioning technology, wherein the mobile communication positioning technology includes one or more of the following: downlink arrival time difference DL-TDOA, uplink arrival time difference UL-TDOA, downlink departure angle DL-AoD, uplink arrival angle UL-AOA, multi-round trip delay Multi-RTT and new radio enhanced cell ID NR E-CID.

[0261] (10) The electronic device according to (4), wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

[0262] Obtaining a first position of the terminal device based on a mobile communication positioning technology, wherein the mobile communication positioning technology includes one or more of the following: assisted global satellite navigation system positioning A-GNSS, motion sensor-based positioning, DL-TDOA, UL-TDOA, DL-AoD, UL-AOA, Multi-RTT, and NR E-CID;

[0263] Determine a second location of the terminal device based on the sensing result; and

[0264] The first position and the second position are weighted respectively to determine the position of the terminal device.

[0265] (11) An electronic device as described in (10), wherein, when the communication signal and the perception signal are time-division multiplexed, the weights of the first position and the second position are determined based on the ratio between the number of symbols occupied by the communication signal and the number of symbols occupied by the perception signal in a predetermined time period.

[0266] (12) The electronic device according to (4) or (10), wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

[0267] Sending information indicating a location of the terminal device to the terminal device, wherein the information includes the sensing result or the location determined based on the first location and the second location; and

[0268] Based on the feedback of the terminal device on the information indicating the location of the terminal device, the sending frequency of the reference signal related to positioning is dynamically adjusted.

[0269] (13) An electronic device as described in (1), wherein the communication signal includes one or more of the following signals: a positioning reference signal PRS, a data demodulation reference signal DMRS, a channel state measurement reference signal CSI-RS, a sounding reference signal SRS and a communication data signal.

[0270] (14) An electronic device as described in (5) or (8), wherein the reference signal related to positioning includes one or more of the following reference signals: a positioning reference signal PRS, a demodulation reference signal DMRS, a channel state information reference signal CSI-RS, and a sounding reference signal SRS.

[0271] (15) A method for controlling a device side of a wireless communication system, comprising:

[0272] sending a multiplexed signal to a terminal device, wherein the multiplexed signal multiplexes both a communication signal and a sensing signal, the sensing signal being used to sense at least the distance between the terminal device and the electronic device, the angle between the terminal device and the electronic device, and / or the moving speed of the terminal device, thereby determining the location of the terminal device; and

[0273] An echo signal is received which is generated by at least reflection, scattering and / or diffraction of the sensing signal by the terminal device.

[0274] (16) An electronic device for a terminal device of a wireless communication system, comprising:

[0275] a processing circuit configured to receive a multiplexed signal from a base station,

[0276] The multiplexed signal multiplexes both the communication signal and the perception signal.

[0277] wherein the sensing signal is at least reflected, scattered and / or diffracted by the electronic device, and an echo signal generated thereby is propagated to one or more base stations including the base station; and

[0278] The sensing signal is at least used to sense the distance between the electronic device and the base station, the angle between the electronic device and the base station and / or the moving speed of the electronic device to determine the position of the electronic device.

[0279] (17) The electronic device described in (16), wherein the communication signal and the perception signal are time-division multiplexed in units of symbols.

[0280] (18) The electronic device described in (16) or (17), wherein the processing circuit is further configured to receive multiplexing information indicating how the communication signal and the perception signal are multiplexed from the base station.

[0281] (19) The electronic device according to (16) or (17), wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

[0282] Information indicating a transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning is received from the base station, wherein the transmission frequency of the reference signal is dynamically adjusted according to a result of sensing a moving speed of the electronic device based on the sensing signal.

[0283] (20) The electronic device according to (16) or (17), wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

[0284] sending information indicating positioning requirements to the base station, and

[0285] Information indicating a transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning is received from the base station, wherein the transmission frequency of the reference signal is dynamically adjusted according to a requirement for positioning accuracy.

[0286] (21) The electronic device according to (16) or (17), wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

[0287] receiving information indicating the location of the electronic device from the base station, wherein the information includes a perception result based on a perception signal or a joint positioning result, wherein the perception result includes the perceived distance, the angle, the moving speed, and / or the location of the electronic device, and the joint positioning result includes the location of the electronic device determined based on both a first location of the electronic device based on a mobile communication positioning technology and a second location based on the perception result;

[0288] autonomously determining the location of the electronic device, and

[0289] Feedback is provided to the base station based on the difference between the autonomously determined position and the position indicated in the information received from the base station.

[0290] (22) An electronic device as described in (21), wherein autonomously determining the position of the electronic device includes estimating the position of the electronic device based on one or more of the following information: position information obtained based on RAT-only-DL positioning technology, position information based on assisted global satellite navigation system positioning A-GNSS, position information obtained based on the global positioning system GPS, the last positioning result, and motion information of the electronic device determined based on a motion sensor.

[0291] (23) A method for a terminal device of a wireless communication system, comprising:

[0292] Receive the multiplexed signal from the base station,

[0293] The multiplexed signal multiplexes both the communication signal and the perception signal.

[0294] wherein the sensing signal is at least reflected, scattered and / or diffracted by the electronic device, and an echo signal generated thereby is propagated to one or more base stations including the base station; and

[0295] The sensing signal is at least used to sense the distance between the electronic device and the base station, the angle between the electronic device and the base station and / or the moving speed of the electronic device to determine the position of the electronic device.

[0296] (24) An electronic device for a core network side of a wireless communication system, comprising:

[0297] The processing circuit is configured to:

[0298] receiving information from the base station indicating an echo signal generated by at least reflection, scattering and / or diffraction of the sensing signal by the terminal device,

[0299] determining a perception result of the terminal device based at least on a difference between the perception signal and the echo signal, wherein the perception result includes a distance between the terminal device and the base station, an angle between the terminal device and the base station, a moving speed of the terminal device and / or a position of the terminal device, and

[0300] Sending the sensing result to the base station.

[0301] (25) An electronic device as described in (24), wherein the difference includes one or more of the following: Doppler shift, flight time, amplitude change, frequency change and phase change.

[0302] (26) The electronic device according to (24) or (25), wherein the circuit system is further configured to:

[0303] receiving, from the base station, requesting one or more other base stations to cooperate in sensing the location of the terminal device, and

[0304] Send information indicating participation in collaborative sensing to one or more base stations participating in positioning the terminal device based on mobile communication positioning technology, wherein the mobile communication positioning technology includes one or more of the following: assisted global satellite navigation system positioning A-GNSS, downlink arrival time difference DL-TDOA, uplink arrival time difference UL-TDOA, downlink departure angle DL-AoD, uplink arrival angle UL-AOA, multi-round trip delay Multi-RTT and new radio enhanced cell ID NR E-CID.

[0305] (27) A method for a core network side of a wireless communication system, comprising:

[0306] receiving information from the base station indicating an echo signal generated by at least reflection, scattering and / or diffraction of the sensing signal by the terminal device,

[0307] determining a perception result of the terminal device based at least on a difference between the perception signal and the echo signal, wherein the perception result includes a distance between the terminal device and the base station, an angle between the terminal device and the base station, a moving speed of the terminal device and / or a position of the terminal device, and

[0308] Sending the sensing result to the base station.

[0309] (28) A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions, which, when executed, implement the method as described in any one of (15), (23) and (27).

[0310] (29) An apparatus comprising:

[0311] processor,

[0312] A storage device storing executable instructions, wherein the executable instructions, when executed, implement the method as described in any one of (15), (23) and (27).

Claims

1. An electronic device for use on a control device side of a wireless communication system, comprising: The processing circuit is configured to: sending a multiplexed signal to a terminal device, wherein the multiplexed signal multiplexes both a communication signal and a sensing signal, the sensing signal being used to sense at least the distance between the terminal device and the electronic device, the angle between the terminal device and the electronic device, and / or the moving speed of the terminal device, thereby determining the location of the terminal device; and An echo signal is received which is generated by at least reflection, scattering and / or diffraction of the sensing signal by the terminal device.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein The communication signal and the sensing signal are time-division multiplexed in symbol units.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to send multiplexing information indicating how the communication signal and the perception signal are multiplexed to the terminal device.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein The processing circuit is further configured to: sending information at least indicating the echo signal to an entity of a core network, and receiving a perception result from the entity, the perception result including the distance, the angle, the moving speed and / or the position of the terminal device, The sensing result is determined based on at least a difference between the sensing signal and the echo signal, and the difference includes one or more of the following: Doppler shift, flight time, amplitude change, frequency change, and phase change.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to: Determine the magnitude relationship between the moving speed of the terminal device and at least one threshold based on the perception result, Based on the determination, a sending frequency of a reference signal related to positioning is dynamically adjusted.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to: In response to determining that the moving speed of the terminal device is lower than or equal to a first threshold, reducing the frequency of sending reference signals related to positioning, In response to determining that the moving speed of the terminal device is higher than a first threshold and lower than or equal to a second threshold, maintaining the transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning, and In response to determining that the moving speed of the terminal device is higher than a second threshold: - Increase the frequency of sending reference signals related to positioning, and / or - Sending request information to the entity of the core network to request one or more other electronic devices to cooperate to perceive the terminal device.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein: Increasing or decreasing the frequency of sending reference signals related to positioning includes: - shorten or lengthen the reference signal transmission period, or -Increasing or decreasing the symbol density occupied by the reference signal.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein The processing circuit is further configured to: receiving information indicating a positioning requirement from the terminal device, Determine the positioning accuracy requirements of the terminal device, and Based on the determined positioning accuracy requirement of the terminal device, the sending frequency of the reference signal related to positioning is dynamically adjusted, wherein, - in response to determining that the terminal device has a low requirement for positioning accuracy, maintaining or reducing the frequency of sending reference signals related to positioning, and -In response to determining that the terminal device has a high requirement for positioning accuracy: increasing the sending frequency of positioning-related reference signals, and / or sending a request message to the entity of the core network to request one or more other electronic devices to collaborate in sensing the location of the terminal device.

9. The electronic device according to claim 6 or 8, wherein: The one or more other electronic devices are one or more base stations that participate in positioning the terminal device based on mobile communication positioning technology, wherein the mobile communication positioning technology includes one or more of the following: downlink arrival time difference DL-TDOA, uplink arrival time difference UL-TDOA, downlink departure angle DL-AoD, uplink arrival angle UL-AOA, multi-round trip delay Multi-RTT and new radio enhanced cell ID NR E-CID.

10. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to: Obtaining a first position of the terminal device based on a mobile communication positioning technology, wherein the mobile communication positioning technology includes one or more of the following: A-GNSS, motion sensor-based positioning, DL-TDOA, UL-TDOA, DL-AoD, UL-AOA, Multi-RTT, and NR E-CID; Determine a second location of the terminal device based on the sensing result; and The first position and the second position are weighted respectively to determine the position of the terminal device.

11. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein: When the communication signal and the perception signal are time-division multiplexed, the weights of the first position and the second position are determined according to the ratio between the number of symbols occupied by the communication signal and the number of symbols occupied by the perception signal in a predetermined time period.

12. The electronic device according to claim 4 or 10, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to: Sending information indicating a location of the terminal device to the terminal device, wherein the information includes the sensing result or the location determined based on the first location and the second location; and Based on the feedback of the terminal device on the information indicating the location of the terminal device, the sending frequency of the reference signal related to positioning is dynamically adjusted.

13. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein The communication signal includes one or more of the following signals: a positioning reference signal PRS, a data demodulation reference signal DMRS, a channel state measurement reference signal CSI-RS, a sounding reference signal SRS and a communication data signal.

14. The electronic device according to claim 5 or 8, wherein: The reference signals related to positioning include one or more of the following reference signals: a positioning reference signal PRS, a demodulation reference signal DMRS, a channel state information reference signal CSI-RS, and a sounding reference signal SRS.

15. A method for controlling a device side of a wireless communication system, comprising: sending a multiplexed signal to a terminal device, wherein the multiplexed signal multiplexes both a communication signal and a sensing signal, the sensing signal being used to sense at least the distance between the terminal device and the electronic device, the angle between the terminal device and the electronic device, and / or the moving speed of the terminal device, thereby determining the location of the terminal device; and An echo signal is received which is generated by at least reflection, scattering and / or diffraction of the sensing signal by the terminal device.

16. An electronic device for a terminal device of a wireless communication system, comprising: a processing circuit configured to receive a multiplexed signal from a base station, The multiplexed signal multiplexes both the communication signal and the perception signal. wherein the sensing signal is at least reflected, scattered and / or diffracted by the electronic device, and an echo signal generated thereby is propagated to one or more base stations including the base station; and The sensing signal is at least used to sense the distance between the electronic device and the base station, the angle between the electronic device and the base station and / or the moving speed of the electronic device to determine the position of the electronic device.

17. The electronic device according to claim 16, wherein: The communication signal and the sensing signal are time-division multiplexed in symbol units.

18. The electronic device according to claim 16 or 17, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to receive multiplexing information from the base station indicating how the communication signal and the perception signal are multiplexed.

19. The electronic device according to claim 16 or 17, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to: Information indicating a transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning is received from the base station, wherein the transmission frequency of the reference signal is dynamically adjusted according to a result of sensing a moving speed of the electronic device based on the sensing signal.

20. The electronic device according to claim 16 or 17, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to: sending information indicating positioning requirements to the base station, and Information indicating a transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning is received from the base station, wherein the transmission frequency of the reference signal is dynamically adjusted according to a requirement for positioning accuracy.

21. The electronic device according to claim 16 or 17, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to: receiving information indicating the location of the electronic device from the base station, wherein the information includes a perception result based on a perception signal or a joint positioning result, wherein the perception result includes the perceived distance, the angle, the moving speed, and / or the location of the electronic device, and the joint positioning result includes the location of the electronic device determined based on both a first location of the electronic device based on a mobile communication positioning technology and a second location based on the perception result; autonomously determining the location of the electronic device, and Feedback is provided to the base station based on the difference between the autonomously determined position and the position indicated in the information received from the base station.

22. The electronic device according to claim 21, wherein Autonomously determining the position of the electronic device includes estimating the position of the electronic device based on one or more of the following information: position information obtained based on RAT-only-DL positioning technology, position information based on assisted global satellite navigation system positioning A-GNSS, position information obtained based on the global positioning system GPS, the last positioning result, and the motion information of the electronic device determined based on a motion sensor.

23. A method for a terminal device side of a wireless communication system, comprising: Receive the multiplexed signal from the base station, The multiplexed signal multiplexes both the communication signal and the perception signal. wherein the sensing signal is at least reflected, scattered and / or diffracted by the electronic device, and an echo signal generated thereby is propagated to one or more base stations including the base station; and The sensing signal is at least used to sense the distance between the electronic device and the base station, the angle between the electronic device and the base station and / or the moving speed of the electronic device to determine the position of the electronic device.

24. An electronic device for a core network side of a wireless communication system, comprising: The processing circuit is configured to: receiving information from the base station indicating an echo signal generated by at least reflection, scattering and / or diffraction of the sensing signal by the terminal device, determining a perception result of the terminal device based at least on a difference between the perception signal and the echo signal, wherein the perception result includes a distance between the terminal device and the base station, an angle between the terminal device and the base station, a moving speed of the terminal device and / or a position of the terminal device, and Sending the sensing result to the base station.

25. The electronic device according to claim 24, wherein The differences include one or more of: Doppler shift, time of flight, amplitude change, frequency change, and phase change.

26. The electronic device according to claim 24 or 25, wherein: The circuit system is further configured to: receiving, from the base station, requesting one or more other base stations to cooperate in sensing the location of the terminal device, and Send information indicating participation in collaborative sensing to one or more base stations participating in positioning the terminal device based on mobile communication positioning technology, wherein the mobile communication positioning technology includes one or more of the following: assisted global satellite navigation system positioning A-GNSS, downlink arrival time difference DL-TDOA, uplink arrival time difference UL-TDOA, downlink departure angle DL-AoD, uplink arrival angle UL-AOA, multi-round trip delay Multi-RTT and new radio enhanced cell ID NR E-CID.

27. A method for a core network side of a wireless communication system, comprising: receiving information from the base station indicating an echo signal generated by at least reflection, scattering and / or diffraction of the sensing signal by the terminal device, determining a perception result of the terminal device based at least on a difference between the perception signal and the echo signal, wherein the perception result includes a distance between the terminal device and the base station, an angle between the terminal device and the base station, a moving speed of the terminal device and / or a position of the terminal device, and Sending the sensing result to the base station.

28. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions, the executable instructions implementing the method of any one of claims 15, 23 and 27 when executed.

29. A device comprising: processor, A storage device storing executable instructions, wherein the executable instructions implement the method as described in any one of 15, 23 and 27 when executed.

30. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 15, 23 and 27.

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