Apparatus and method for joint communication and sensing system

Abstract

The invention relates to a device and a method for configuring a system for joint communication and radar. The system includes a first terminal having radar and communication capabilities and a second terminal having only communication capabilities. A network device for providing a list to the first terminal is disclosed. The list includes pilot signal information allocated to the first terminal and the second terminal. Each piece of pilot signal information allocated to the corresponding terminal comprises a pilot sequence ID, a terminal ID and timing synchronization information. The first terminal receiving the list is used to perform radar sensing based on the list. For example, a first terminal can detect pilot signals transmitted from a second terminal and reflections thereof. Radar sensing (e.g., object detection) may then be performed on this basis. In this way, multi-node radar sensing is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to devices and methods in the field of radar and wireless communication. In particular, the present disclosure relates to devices and methods for mitigating interference between radar and communication. Background Art

[0002] Radar systems are typically used to detect objects (sensing). For example, autonomous vehicles may be equipped with radars for a variety of purposes, such as autonomous driving, parking assistance, and collision avoidance. In order to limit the adverse effects of mutual interference between on-board radars, typical radar designs employ various frequency ranges, modulation schemes, transmit powers, and / or radiation patterns in order to minimize the occurrence of wireless interference. In addition, various signal processing algorithms need to be implemented in order to increase the resilience of the detection algorithm when interference from other radar transmitters cannot be adequately suppressed from the incoming wireless signal. In the present disclosure, a radar system may also be referred to as a sensing system.

[0003] While these techniques are relatively effective in common situations, they have a higher level of design complexity, which increases production and maintenance costs. In addition, these techniques are not designed to address the root causes of interference, but are actually anti-jamming techniques that do their best to operate in the presence of unknown interference sources on the radar system. As a result, the need to implement multiple methods to mitigate interference in automotive applications is due to the lack of global consensus among radar vendors.

[0004] Recently, the concept of integrating sensing and communication has attracted a lot of attention. For example, an autonomous vehicle may have radar and communication capabilities. For example, the communication can be vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. This suggests that communication equipment may also contain sensing functions, such as radar functions, and the two functions may either coexist or benefit from each other. For example, joint communications and radar (JCR) technology, joint radar and communications (JRC) technology, joint communications and radar sensing (JCRS) technology, joint communications and sensing (JCAS or JCS) technology, or dual-function radar-communications (DFRC) technology have been proposed.

[0005] On one hand, communication signals can be used for sensing purposes, helping to achieve high-precision positioning, activity sensing, or environmental reconnaissance. On the other hand, the sensing function can be used to achieve better interference mitigation, channel prediction, or beam steering / focusing / alignment to improve the quality of service and communication performance. Another reason is that communication and sensing signal processing can share common resources. In radar, a predetermined waveform signal is used for sensing. In communication, the transceiver utilizes a predetermined pilot signal (also called a pilot sequence or pilot) to estimate the time-varying channel.

[0006] A pilot signal is a signal known to its target receiver and occupies a known subset of wireless resources of the wireless system, such as time-frequency code space resources. The space resources are in the spatial domain. The spatial domain can be called the beam domain or the antenna domain. Different pilot signals occupy different subsets of resources. For example, the pilots used to estimate multi-antenna channels in current cellular standards are beamforming signals, each beamforming signal has different beamforming pointing in different departure angle directions, and each beamforming signal occupies a different set of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarriers. In a communication system, the allocation of different pilots to different transmitters in a cell area is usually determined by the base station (BS) serving the area. Summary of the invention

[0007] In a joint radar and communication system, radar and communication can share overlapping operating frequencies, such as above 6GHz or 10GHz. For example, the operating frequency of automotive radar can be in the range of 24GHz to 79GHz. Some communication systems can operate at millimeter wave (mmWave) frequencies. Since the data transmission of communication coexists with radar sensing, interference can reduce the transmission reliability of data communication. The accuracy of radar sensing can also be adversely affected.

[0008] Furthermore, the lack of consensus among radar designers means that radar designers need to consider a variety of techniques to mitigate radar interference, but cannot guarantee successful obstacle detection in all cases.

[0009] In view of the above problems and shortcomings, the present disclosure is directed to solving the interference mitigation problem in a joint communication and sensing system in a coordinated manner.

[0010] These and other objects are achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Other implementations are apparent from the dependent claims, the description and the drawings.

[0011] The idea described in this disclosure is to provide a mechanism to provide information of pilot signals of other terminals to terminals with radar and communication capabilities so that the terminals with radar and communication capabilities can detect these pilot signals for radar sensing and filter out interference signals.

[0012] A first aspect of the present disclosure provides a network device for configuring a system for joint communication and radar. The system includes one or more first terminals with radar and communication capabilities and one or more second terminals with only communication capabilities (i.e., without radar capabilities). The one or more first terminals and the one or more second terminals can be connected to the network device. The network device is used to obtain a list of pilot signal information assigned to the one or more first terminals and the one or more second terminals, and provide the list to at least one of the one or more first terminals.

[0013] Each pilot signal information allocated to the corresponding terminal includes the following information:

[0014] - an identification (ID) of a pilot sequence allocated to the corresponding terminal;

[0015] - Timing synchronization information between the corresponding terminal and the network device;

[0016] - The ID of the corresponding terminal.

[0017] Optionally, the pilot signal information allocated to the corresponding first terminal may be related to a pilot signal that can be used for communication and / or radar. In other words, the pilot signal of the corresponding first terminal may be a communication pilot and / or a radar pilot.

[0018] Optionally, the ID of the pilot sequence (or simply referred to as "pilot ID") may be a pilot key code. The pilot key code may index a unique signal sequence in a codebook set. The codebook set (or simply referred to as codebook) may be a codebook predetermined or preloaded in the system. For example, the codebook may be predefined by a standard followed by the network device and each terminal (including each first terminal and second terminal).

[0019] Optionally, the network device may also be used to determine pilot signals of the terminals (including the one or more first terminals and the one or more second terminals) to minimize interference between the terminals. The pilot sequences between the terminals are orthogonal.

[0020] Optionally, the timing synchronization information may include a timing advance value associated with each pilot ID. The timing advance value may be used for frame transmission synchronization between the network device and the corresponding terminal.

[0021] Optionally, the ID of the corresponding terminal (or simply referred to as "terminal ID") may be any identification code that can uniquely identify the corresponding terminal in the system. For example, the ID may be an IP address, a medium access control (MAC) address, an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) or an international mobile equipment identity (IMEI). It should be noted that the terminal ID is not limited to these examples. Other suitable values ​​may also be used as the terminal ID.

[0022] In this way, since the network device provides the list to at least one of the one or more first terminals, interference during radar sensing can be mitigated. In a monostatic radar solution, radar pilots and / or communication pilots transmitted from other terminals and echoes associated therewith are considered interference. Since the network device provides the list, the at least one first terminal receiving the list can easily distinguish (or identify, detect) radio irradiation transmitted from other adjacent terminals. These radio irradiations can be reflections of pilot signals and / or pilot signals, wherein the pilot signals are coordinated by the network device for communication and / or radar. These pilot signals can be selected from a set of predefined orthogonal pilot signals (e.g., from a predefined codebook) designed to minimize mutual interference in a communication link.

[0023] Furthermore, no hardware modification is required to mitigate radar interference. Therefore, the design complexity and production cost of the at least one first terminal can be kept relatively low compared to other hardware solutions for mitigating radar interference.

[0024] In an implementation manner of the first aspect, the pilot signal information may further include location information of the corresponding terminal.

[0025] In this way, the at least one first terminal receiving the list can perform radar sensing based on the pilot signal from other terminals and / or the reflection of the pilot signal (also called radio illumination) and the position of other terminals. Therefore, a multi-static radar scheme can be implemented. In the multi-static radar scheme, the at least one first terminal receiving the list can utilize the radio illumination emitted from other adjacent terminals. Thanks to the increased spatial diversity of the radar and the expanded maximum range, the multi-static radar scheme can provide sensing performance that is superior to a single-base radar scheme. The radio illumination can include signals directly emitted from other terminals and reflections (or echoes) of the signals directly emitted from other terminals.

[0026] In an implementation manner of the first aspect, the pilot signal information may further include an expiration time of the pilot signal information.

[0027] This may make the sensing flexible. For example, some or all of the terminals may be moving. Based on the moving speed of the corresponding terminal, the network device may be used to determine the corresponding expiration time.

[0028] In an implementation manner of the first aspect, the ID of the corresponding terminal may include a temporary and / or anonymized ID code.

[0029] This may involve privacy. Compared with using a real ID to identify the corresponding terminal, using the temporary and / or anonymized ID code can protect privacy.

[0030] Optionally, the network device may be used to store a record indicating a relationship between the temporary (and / or anonymized) ID code and a real terminal ID of the corresponding terminal. The real terminal ID may be any one of an IP address, a medium access control (MAC) address, an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI), an international mobile equipment identity (IMEI), etc.

[0031] In an implementation manner of the first aspect, the network device may also be configured to determine one or more clusters based on a beam direction of a pilot and / or location information of the one or more first terminals and the one or more second terminals.

[0032] That is, the network device may also be used to group the terminals into clusters (or simply "clustering"). The clustering may be based on, but not limited to, the proximity of connected terminals, a parameterizable distance criterion, and / or the terminals within the corresponding beam orientation (e.g., beam main lobe direction) of the network device.

[0033] The list may include pilot signal information associated with the terminals in the corresponding cluster. That is, the network device may be configured to send pilot signal information only for the terminals in the same cluster.

[0034] In this way, the number of entries in the list may be reduced. This may reduce the search space used to determine the corresponding (matching) pilot signal on the at least one first terminal receiving the list.

[0035] In an implementation manner of the first aspect, the pilot signal information may further include a cluster ID of the corresponding terminal.

[0036] In this way, the at least one first terminal receiving the list can be used to determine which terminals are in the same cluster based on the cluster ID, and then perform radar sensing based on pilot signals from the terminals in the same cluster.

[0037] In an implementation manner of the first aspect, the pilot signal information may further include a network device ID.

[0038] In this way, cooperation between network devices can be facilitated. For example, the network device can also be used to provide the list to another first terminal in an adjacent cell (e.g., in an overlapping area) or currently connected to an adjacent network device. The other first terminal can also perform radar sensing using the pilot signal information included in the list.

[0039] In an implementation manner of the first aspect, the network device may also be configured to send one or more pilot signals, and the list further includes pilot signal information sent by the network device.

[0040] Since the network device generally has a wider signal coverage range than any terminal, the radar sensing coverage area of ​​the at least one first terminal receiving the list can be expanded.

[0041] In an implementation manner of the first aspect, before providing the list to the at least one of the one or more first terminals, the network device may also be configured to receive a request for the list from the at least one of the one or more first terminals.

[0042] Optionally, the request may be a radar sensing collaboration (or enhancement) request, which may be used to instruct the at least one terminal to request collaboration from a network device in radar sensing to be performed by the at least one terminal. In order to collaborate in the radar sensing, the network device is used to provide the list in response to the request.

[0043] In this way, the network device can know when to provide the list to the at least first terminal, and can promptly provide the latest list to the at least one first terminal that requests the list.

[0044] In an implementation manner of the first aspect, the network device may also be configured to send a request to update and / or delete part or all of the pilot signal information included in the list to each of the one or more first terminals.

[0045] It should be noted that each of the one or more first terminals here may refer to any first terminal that receives the list from the network device.

[0046] In this way, the pilot signal information included in the list can be updated in a timely manner or erased in a timely manner when no longer needed.

[0047] In an implementation manner of the first aspect, the network device may also be used to:

[0048] - providing said list to another network device; and / or

[0049] - receiving another list from said another network device.

[0050] Optionally, the another list may include one or more entries carrying pilot signal information coordinated by the another network device to the terminal associated therewith.

[0051] Optionally, the network device and the another network device may communicate via a dedicated interface such as an X2 interface.

[0052] In this way, cooperation between network devices is facilitated and the radar range can be extended, for example, to a neighboring cell area managed by the other network device.

[0053] A second aspect of the present disclosure provides a first terminal for configuring a system for joint communication and radar. The system includes a network device and one or more second terminals having only communication capabilities. The first terminal and the one or more second terminals are capable of connecting to the network device. The first terminal has radar and communication capabilities, and is used to receive from the network device a list of pilot signal information assigned to the first terminal and at least one of the one or more second terminals. The first terminal is also used to perform radar sensing based on the pilot signal information included in the list.

[0054] Each pilot signal information allocated to the corresponding terminal includes the following information:

[0055] - an ID of a pilot sequence allocated to the corresponding terminal;

[0056] - Timing synchronization information between the corresponding terminal and the network device;

[0057] - The ID of the corresponding terminal.

[0058] Optionally, the pilot signal assigned to the first terminal may be a communication pilot and / or a radar pilot. That is, the first terminal may also be used to send one or more pilot signals based on the assigned pilot signal information in the list. Alternatively or additionally, the first terminal may be used to send one or more radar signals based on the assigned pilot signal information. In other words, the first terminal may be used to send a pilot signal based on the assigned pilot signal information in the list, wherein the pilot signal may be used for channel estimation purposes and / or for radar sensing purposes.

[0059] Optionally, the ID of the pilot sequence (or pilot ID) may be a pilot key code. The pilot key code may directly index a unique signal sequence of a codebook set. The codebook may be a codebook predetermined or preloaded in the system. For example, the codebook may be predefined by a standard followed by the network device and each terminal (including the first terminal and the second terminal).

[0060] Optionally, the timing synchronization information may include a timing advance value associated with each pilot ID. The timing advance value may be used for frame transmission synchronization.

[0061] Optionally, the ID (or terminal ID) of the corresponding terminal may be any identification code in the system that can uniquely identify the corresponding terminal. For example, the ID may be an IP address, a MAC address, an IMSI, or an IMEI. It should be noted that the terminal ID is not limited to these examples. Other suitable values ​​may also be used.

[0062] In this way, since the network device provides the list to at least one of the one or more first terminals, interference during radar sensing can be mitigated. In a single-base radar solution, radar pilots and / or communication pilots transmitted from other terminals and echoes associated therewith are considered interference. Since the network device provides the list, the at least one first terminal with radar capability can easily distinguish radar illuminations transmitted from other adjacent terminals. These radar illuminations can be pilot signals coordinated by the network device for communication and / or radar. These pilot signals can be selected from a set of predefined orthogonal pilot signals designed to minimize mutual interference between UEs in a communication link.

[0063] Furthermore, no hardware modification is required to mitigate radar interference. Therefore, the design complexity and production cost of the at least one first terminal can be kept relatively low compared to other hardware solutions for mitigating interference during radar sensing.

[0064] In an implementation manner of the second aspect, in order to perform the radar sensing, the first terminal may be used to:

[0065] - receiving one or more echo signals by radar;

[0066] - determining whether said one or more echo signals match one or more pilot signals defined in said list.

[0067] It should be noted that the one or more echo signals received by the radar can be understood as radio radiation received by the radar. The radio radiation can include signals directly transmitted from other terminals (except the first terminal receiving the list) and reflections of the signals directly transmitted from other terminals.

[0068] In an implementation manner of the second aspect, in order to perform the radar sensing, the first terminal may also be configured to send a pilot signal through a radar based on the pilot signal information included in the list and allocated to the first terminal.

[0069] Optionally, the pilot signal transmitted by the radar is used for radar sensing. In this way, due to the orthogonality between the pilot signals, the radar signal transmitted from the first terminal causes interference to other terminals.

[0070] In an implementation of the second aspect, after determining that there are one or more echo signals among the one or more echo signals that match the one or more pilot signals defined in the list (referred to as "one or more matching echo signals"), the first terminal can be used to perform radar sensing based on the matching one or more echo signals.

[0071] Optionally, after determining that there are one or more unmatched echo signals that do not match any pilot signal defined in the list, the first terminal can be used to discard the one or more unmatched echo signals received by the radar. In other words, the one or more unmatched echo signals can be filtered out and are not considered for radar sensing.

[0072] In this way, the first terminal can selectively filter out interference signals from all echo signals received by the radar. Therefore, the radar sensing performance can be enhanced and the accuracy of radar sensing can be improved.

[0073] In an implementation manner of the second aspect, the first terminal may also be configured to provide location information to the network device.

[0074] Optionally, the location information of the first terminal may be used as a reference point for radar sensing of other terminals. In this way, the radar sensing may be performed in a coordinated manner and multistatic radar sensing may be implemented in the system.

[0075] In an implementation manner of the second aspect, the first terminal may also be used to:

[0076] - receiving a request from the network device to update and / or delete part or all of the pilot signal information included in the list;

[0077] - updating and / or deleting part or all of the pilot signal information included in the list according to the request.

[0078] In this way, the list can be maintained flexibly.

[0079] A third aspect of the present disclosure provides a system comprising one or more network devices according to the first aspect or any implementation thereof, one or more first terminals according to the second aspect or any implementation thereof, and one or more second terminals having only communication capability.

[0080] A fourth aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for configuring a system for joint communication and radar. The system includes one or more first terminals with radar and communication capabilities and one or more second terminals with only communication capabilities. The one or more first terminals and the one or more second terminals are capable of connecting to a network device. The method includes the following steps:

[0081] - obtaining, by a network device, a list including pilot signal information allocated to the one or more first terminals and the one or more second terminals;

[0082] - providing, by the network device, the list to at least one of the one or more first terminals.

[0083] Each pilot signal information allocated to the corresponding terminal includes the following information:

[0084] - an ID of a pilot sequence allocated to the corresponding terminal;

[0085] - Timing synchronization information between the corresponding terminal and the network device;

[0086] - The ID of the corresponding terminal.

[0087] In an implementation manner of the fourth aspect, the pilot signal information may also include location information of the corresponding terminal.

[0088] In an implementation manner of the fourth aspect, the pilot signal information may further include an expiration time of the pilot signal information.

[0089] In an implementation manner of the fourth aspect, the ID of the corresponding terminal may include a temporary and / or anonymized ID code.

[0090] In an implementation manner of the fourth aspect, the method may further include: determining, by the network device, one or more clusters based on a beam direction of a pilot and / or location information of the one or more first terminals and the one or more second terminals.

[0091] In an implementation manner of the fourth aspect, the pilot signal information may further include a cluster ID of the corresponding terminal.

[0092] In an implementation manner of the third aspect, the pilot signal information may further include a network device ID.

[0093] In an implementation manner of the fourth aspect, the method may further include: the network device sending one or more pilot signals, and the list also includes pilot signal information sent by the network device.

[0094] In an implementation of the fourth aspect, before providing the list to the at least one of the one or more first terminals, the method may further include receiving, by the network device, a request for the list from the at least one of the one or more first terminals.

[0095] In an implementation manner of the fourth aspect, the method may further include sending, by the network device to each of the one or more first terminals, a request to update and / or delete part or all of the pilot signal information included in the list.

[0096] In an implementation of the fourth aspect, the method may further include the following steps:

[0097] - providing said list by said network device to another network device; and / or

[0098] - receiving, by the network device, a further list from the further network device.

[0099] The method according to the fourth aspect and its implementation manner may share the same optional features and achieve the same advantages and effects as those described above for the network device according to the first aspect and its implementation manner.

[0100] A fifth aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for configuring a system for joint communication and radar. The method is performed by a first terminal having radar and communication capabilities. The system includes a network device and one or more second terminals having only communication capabilities. The first terminal and the one or more second terminals are capable of connecting to the network device. The method includes the following steps:

[0101] - receiving, by the first terminal from the network device, a list including pilot signal information allocated to the first terminal and each of the one or more second terminals;

[0102] - performing radar sensing by the first terminal according to the pilot signal information included in the list.

[0103] Each pilot signal information allocated to the corresponding terminal includes:

[0104] - an identification ID of a pilot sequence allocated to the corresponding terminal;

[0105] - Timing synchronization information between the corresponding terminal and the network device;

[0106] - The ID of the corresponding terminal.

[0107] In an implementation manner of the fifth aspect, the step of performing the radar sensing may include the following steps:

[0108] - receiving one or more echo signals by the first terminal through radar;

[0109] - Determining, by the first terminal, whether the one or more echo signals match one or more pilot signals defined in the list.

[0110] In an implementation manner of the fifth aspect, the step of performing the radar sensing may also include: the first terminal sending a pilot signal through a radar based on the pilot signal information included in the list and allocated to the first terminal.

[0111] In an implementation of the fifth aspect, after determining that there are one or more echo signals among the one or more echo signals that match the one or more pilot signals defined in the list, the method may include: the first terminal performing radar sensing based on the matching one or more echo signals received by the radar.

[0112] In an implementation manner of the fifth aspect, the method may further include providing location information to the network device by the first terminal.

[0113] In an implementation of the fifth aspect, the method may further include the following steps:

[0114] - receiving, by the first terminal from the network device, a request to update and / or delete part or all of the pilot signal information included in the list;

[0115] - Updating and / or deleting part or all of the pilot signal information included in the list by the first terminal according to the request.

[0116] The method according to the fifth aspect and its implementation manner may share the same optional features and achieve the same advantages and effects as those described above for the first terminal according to the second aspect and its implementation manner.

[0117] A sixth aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer program product, comprising: a program code, which is used to execute the method according to the fourth aspect or any implementation thereof when executed on a computer.

[0118] A seventh aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer program product, comprising: a program code, for executing the method according to the fifth aspect or any implementation thereof when executed on a computer.

[0119] An eighth aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a method according to any one of the fourth aspect or any implementation thereof.

[0120] A ninth aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a method according to any one of the fifth aspect or any implementation thereof.

[0121] A tenth aspect of the present disclosure provides a chipset, comprising instructions, which, when executed by the chipset, cause the chipset to perform a method according to any one of the fourth aspect or any implementation manner thereof.

[0122] An eleventh aspect of the present disclosure provides a chipset, comprising instructions, which, when executed by the chipset, cause the chipset to execute a method according to any one of the fifth aspect or any implementation manner thereof.

[0123] It should be noted that all devices, terminals, elements, units and devices described in this application can be implemented in software or hardware elements or any type of combination thereof. All steps performed by various entities described in this application and the functions described to be performed by various entities are intended to indicate that the corresponding entities are suitable for or used to perform the corresponding steps and functions. Although in the following description, the specific functions or steps to be performed by the external entity are not reflected in the description of the specific detailed elements of the entity performing the specific steps or functions, it should be clear to the technician that these methods and functions can be implemented in the corresponding software or hardware elements or any type of combination thereof. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0124] The following description will illustrate the above aspects and implementation methods in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0125] Figure 1 An example of a network device and a first terminal according to the present disclosure is shown;

[0126] Figure 2 Another example of a network device and a first terminal according to the present disclosure is shown;

[0127] Figure 3 An example of network devices exchanging pilot signal information according to the present disclosure is shown;

[0128] Figure 4 An example of an application scenario according to the present disclosure is shown;

[0129] Figure 5A An example of clustering based on location information of terminals is shown;

[0130] Figure 5B An example of clustering based on main beam lobe direction is shown;

[0131] Figure 6 A diagram showing a method 600 according to the present disclosure;

[0132] Figure 7 A diagram illustrating another method 700 according to the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0133] exist Figure 1-7 In the embodiment, corresponding elements may have the same features and may have similar functions.

[0134] Figure 1 An example of a network device and a first terminal according to the present disclosure is shown. Figure 1 The first terminal is exemplarily described as a base station (BS) 110. Figure 1 The user equipment (UE) 130 (labeled as UE) having radar and communication capabilities is exemplarily described in radar ). Figure 1 Also shown is a UE (labeled as UE 1) depicted as having only communication capabilities. comm ) 150. The communication capability in the present disclosure may include, but is not limited to, support for fourth generation (4G) mobile communications, 5G, 6G, V2X, Internet of Things (IoT), etc. In general, the communication capability may refer to any communication system that supports channel estimation using a pilot signal.

[0135] In this disclosure, for simplicity, UE radar and UE_radar can be used interchangeably; UE comm and UE_comm can be used interchangeably. It should be noted that although Figure 1 One UE_radar and one UE_comm are described and mentioned, but there may be more than one UE_radar and / or more than one UE_comm. It should also be noted that the network device in the present disclosure may be a BS, an E-UTRAN Node B (eNode B, or eNB), a gNB, or an access point. Hereinafter, the term "BS" may refer to a network device; the term "UE_radar" may refer to a first terminal; and the term "UE_comm" may refer to a second terminal. The term "communication" is abbreviated as "comm" in the accompanying drawings.

[0136] like Figure 1 As exemplarily shown in FIG. 1 , BS 110 is used to obtain a list 120 including pilot signal information allocated to UE_radar 130 and UE_comm 150, and provide the list 120 to UE_radar 130. Each pilot signal information allocated to a corresponding terminal includes at least one ID of a pilot sequence, a corresponding terminal ID, and timing synchronization information.

[0137] Optionally, the ID of the pilot sequence may be a pilot identification key code, which may directly index a unique radio frequency (RF) signal sequence (or pilot sequence) in a known codebook set (or codebook). The codebook may be predefined, for example, according to a standard adopted by BS 110, UE_radar 130, and UE_comm 150. For example, the codebook may be defined in a 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) technical specification.

[0138] Optionally, the terminal ID may be anonymized and / or a temporary transmitter identification code.The terminal ID may be associated with one or more pilot identification key codes.

[0139] Optionally, the pilot signal information may further include an expiration time of each pilot ID.

[0140] Optionally, the timing synchronization information may include a corresponding timing advance value used for frame transmission synchronization between the network device and the corresponding terminal.

[0141] Optionally, the timing advance value of each pilot signal can be used for synchronization between terminals, for example, as multi-base radar nodes. That is, the first terminal can determine the delay between its own signal frame timing and the signal frame timing of other terminals. With this information, the first terminal can estimate the delay between the moment when any of these pilots is sent and the moment when the first terminal receives the pilot (possibly after being reflected or scattered by a target or object to be detected).

[0142] Optionally, the pilot signal information may also include positioning data (or location information) of the corresponding terminal (if such data is known and shared by the BS 110).

[0143] Optionally, BS 110 may include a storage unit 111 for storing pilot signal information of all connected terminals, for example, in a database format. UE_radar 130 may include a storage unit 131 for storing list 120. It should be noted that storage units 111, 131 may be internal storage media or external storage media. The present disclosure does not limit this.

[0144] For UE_radar 130, list 130 includes not only pilot signal information allocated to UE_radar 130, but also pilot signal information allocated to other terminals (UE_comm 150 in this case). In this way, UE_comm 150 can contribute to radar sensing performed by UE_radar 130 as a multi-base radar node. Based on the list, UE_radar 130 can be aware of the pilots transmitted from UE_comm 150. In a multi-base radar scheme, UE_radar 130 can additionally detect radio illumination of signals transmitted from other terminals (e.g., UE_comm 150 in this case). As Figure 1 As shown in , UE_radar 130 can not only receive the echo of the radar signal transmitted from itself, but also receive the pilot signal and its echo transmitted from UE_comm 150. In this way, more information can be obtained for radar sensing (e.g., object detection), and the accuracy of radar sensing can be improved. In addition, the range of radar sensing can also be expanded. For example, the pilot signal directly transmitted from UE_comm 150 received by UE_radar 130 can be used as a reference pilot signal for radar sensing based on the echo or reflection of the same pilot signal.

[0145] Due to the orthogonality between the pilot sequences, the communication waveform and the radar waveform are substantially orthogonal to each other. Therefore, interference between communication and radar sensing in the same (joint) system can be reduced. It should be noted that the joint system can be any of (for example but not limited to) JCR, JRC, JCRS, JCAS, JCS and DFRC systems.

[0146] Optionally, UE_radar 130 can distinguish useful echoes and interference received during radar sensing. Useful echoes can be echoes of pilot signals transmitted from other terminals defined in the list. Useful echoes can be used as additional inputs for detecting objects. That is, UE_radar 130 can also be used to determine whether one or more signals received by radar match any pilot signal defined in the list. If the received signal matches the pilot signal defined in the list, UE_radar 130 can perform radar sensing according to the received signal. If the received signal does not match any pilot signal defined in the list, UE_radar 130 can be used to discard the received signal and not consider using the received signal for radar sensing. In this way, interference can be effectively filtered out during radar sensing, and the performance of radar sensing can be improved.

[0147] Optionally, before the list is provided by BS110 to UE_radar 130, UE_radar 130 may be used to send a request message to BS110. The request message may be used to request assistance (or collaboration) from BS100 in order to enhance the radar sensing to be performed by UE_radar130. Therefore, the request message may be referred to as a radar sensing collaboration request or a radar sensing enhancement request. In response to the request message, BS100 may be used to provide a list to BS_radar 130. Optionally, each radar sensing may be performed as a session, and for each session, UE_radar 130 may be used to send a corresponding request to BS110 and receive a corresponding list from BS110.

[0148] An example of the list provided by BS 110 may be shown in Table 1.

[0149]

[0150] Table 1: Example of a list including pilot signal information

[0151] It should be noted that transmitter ID 1 in Table 1 may correspond to UE_radar 130, and transmitter ID 2 in Table 1 may correspond to UE_comm 150. For simplicity, other optional transmitters are not shown in Figure 1 Shown in.

[0152] When clustering is performed by BS 110, the cluster ID may be included in the list. For example, transmitter ID 1 (UE_radar 130) and transmitter ID 2 (UE_comm 150) are in the same cluster. In this case, BS 110 may only provide these two entries as another list for transmitter ID 1. Optionally, the list may include the positioning data if the positioning data is known to BS 110.

[0153] It should be noted that Table 1 only gives a possible example of a list that BS 100 may provide to UE_radar. The list can be constructed based on different combinations of the entries in Table 1. The fields in the list can also be arranged flexibly.

[0154] Figure 2 Another example of a network device (BS) and a first terminal (UE_radar) according to the present disclosure is shown. Figure 2 The BS and UE_radar in Figure 1 The BS110 and UE_radar 130 are built on top of each other and should therefore also share the same features and capabilities.

[0155] exist Figure 2In the embodiment, the BS may be used to send a pilot signal. The pilot signal (eg, an echo) reflected (or scattered) by the object may be detected by the UE_radar.

[0156] In this case, the list provided by the BS to the UE may also include pilot signal information associated with the BS. Then, the BS ID is used instead of the terminal ID. Therefore, the terminal ID included in the list may be alternatively referred to as a "transmitter ID" to indicate the transmitter that transmits the pilot signal.

[0157] Since the coverage area of ​​a BS is usually larger than that of any terminal, the range of radar sensing can be extended in this way.

[0158] It should be noted that Figure 2 The features disclosed in can be used as Figure 1 or, Figure 2 The features disclosed in can be implemented in an independent manner, for example as Figure 1 Alternatives to the features disclosed in .

[0159] Figure 3 An example of network devices exchanging pilot signal information according to the present disclosure is shown.

[0160] exist Figure 3 In the example, UE_comm is able to connect to BS2 (or within the coverage area of ​​BS2) and UE_radar is able to connect to BS 1. BS1 and BS2 may be network devices covering adjacent areas. Adjacent areas may share overlapping areas. In this case, BS2 may share with BS1 a list including pilot signal information assigned to UE_comm. As an alternative to sharing the list, the pilot signal information assigned to UE_comm may be shared only with BS1. BS1 may include pilot signal information assigned to UE_common in the list. The list may also include pilot signal information assigned to UE_radar by BS1. BS1 may be used to provide a list to UE_radar. Therefore, UE_radar may perform radar sensing to detect objects within the signal coverage area of ​​UE_comm. Therefore, the coverage area of ​​radar sensing may be expanded.

[0161] Similarly, when there are other UE_radars in the coverage area of ​​BS2, BS1 may be configured to provide a list including pilot signal information to BS2.

[0162] This may be particularly useful when the UE_radar is in the overlapping area of ​​two base stations.

[0163] Figure 4 An example of an application scenario according to the present disclosure is shown.

[0164] exist Figure 4 In the example, terminal AF is able to connect to BS1 (or within the coverage area of ​​BS1), while terminals G and H are able to connect to BS2. In addition, terminals E and F are within the overlapping coverage area of ​​BS1 and BS2. Terminal AF includes at least one first terminal (UE_radar) and at least one second terminal (UE_comm) of the present disclosure. In this example, it is assumed that terminal E is the first terminal with radar and communication capabilities. In this case, terminal E obtains a list including pilot signal information from BS1. Similarly, for BS2, it is assumed that terminal G is the first terminal of a terminal with radar and communication capabilities, and receives a list including pilot signal information from BS2.

[0165] As a network device according to the present disclosure, BS1 may optionally be used to determine one or more clusters based on the beam direction of the pilot and / or the location information of one or more first terminals and one or more second terminals. Figure 4 As exemplarily described in , BS1 determines three clusters. The terminals may be clustered based on a proximity criterion, which may be a maximum distance between the terminals or the same main beam lobe direction from the perspective of the network device. Each cluster may be assigned a cluster ID. The cluster ID may be included in a list associated with the corresponding terminal.

[0166] For example, in the list, terminals C and D may be associated with cluster ID 1; terminals A and B may be associated with cluster 2; and terminals E and F may be associated with cluster 3.

[0167] The terminal receiving the list can be used to limit the search space to the same cluster. For example, terminal E can limit the search space to the cluster with cluster ID 3 to reduce the search space and improve the radar sensing speed. Alternatively or additionally, when terminal E needs to expand the range of radar sensing, terminal E can be used to expand the search space to other clusters.

[0168] Optionally, with Figure 3 Similar to the case in , BS1 and BS2 may exchange pilot signal information and / or a list including pilot signal information of corresponding terminals.

[0169] For example, BS1 may be used to share the list with BS2. Alternatively, BS1 may share the pilot signal information of the terminals in the overlapping area with BS2. That is, BS1 may also share the pilot signal information allocated to terminals E and F with BS2.

[0170] BS2 may merge the shared pilot signal information (or shared list) and provide terminal G with a list including pilot signal information of terminals E, F, G, and H. In this case, terminal G may detect echoes transmitted from E and F located in the overlapping area.

[0171] An example of the list provided by BS1 and / or BS2 may be as shown in Table 2.

[0172]

[0173]

[0174] Table 2: Example of a list provided by a network device

[0175] It can be seen that in this example, BS1 can be used to share with BS2 the pilot signal information allocated to terminals E and F. BS 2 can be used to provide a list including pilot signal information allocated to terminals E, F, and G to terminal G. This allows terminal G to identify pilots transmitted from terminals E and F in nearby cells (e.g., the overlapping area between BS1 and BS2).

[0176] It should be noted that transmitter IDs AH correspond to terminals AH, respectively. BS1 may be configured to provide a list of pilot information including transmitter IDs AF to terminal E. BS1 may be configured to share pilot information of transmitter IDs E and F with BS2. BS2 may be configured to provide a list of pilot information including transmitter ID FH to terminal G.

[0177] It should be noted that Table 2 only gives possible examples of lists that BS1 and BS2 may provide. The list can be constructed based on different combinations of entries in Table 2. The fields in the list can also be arranged flexibly.

[0178] FIG. 5 shows an example of clustering performed by a network device according to the present disclosure.

[0179] Figure 5A An example of clustering based on location information of a terminal (UE) is shown. The terminals here include at least one first terminal and at least one second terminal. Optionally, at least one first terminal and / or at least one second terminal can be used to provide location information to a network device. Accordingly, the network device can include location information in a list provided to at least one first terminal.

[0180] Figure 5B An example of clustering based on main beam lobe direction is shown. UEs that are in the same main beam lobe direction relative to the network device can be clustered. This can be particularly useful when communicating using MIMO.

[0181] Figure 6 A diagram of a method 600 according to the present disclosure is shown.

[0182] Method 600 is used to configure a system for joint communication and radar, and is performed by a network device. The system includes one or more first terminals with radar and communication capabilities and one or more second terminals with only communication capabilities. One or more first terminals and one or more second terminals can be connected to the network device. Method 600 includes the following steps:

[0183] - Step 601: A network device obtains a list including pilot signal information allocated to one or more first terminals and one or more second terminals;

[0184] - Step 602: Providing, by the network device, a list to at least one of the one or more first terminals.

[0185] Each pilot signal information allocated to the corresponding terminal includes:

[0186] - The ID of the pilot sequence assigned to the corresponding terminal;

[0187] - Timing synchronization information between corresponding terminals and network devices;

[0188] - ID of the corresponding terminal.

[0189] Figure 7 A diagram illustrating another method 700 according to the present disclosure is shown.

[0190] Method 700 is used to configure a system for joint communication and radar, performed by a first terminal having radar and communication capabilities. The system includes a network device and one or more second terminals having only communication capabilities. The first terminal and the one or more second terminals are capable of connecting to the network device. Method 700 includes the following steps:

[0191] - Step 701: A first terminal receives a list including pilot signal information allocated to the first terminal and each of the one or more second terminals from a network device;

[0192] - Step 702: The first terminal performs radar sensing according to the pilot signal information included in the list.

[0193] Each pilot signal information allocated to the corresponding terminal includes:

[0194] - The ID of the pilot sequence assigned to the corresponding terminal;

[0195] - Timing synchronization information between corresponding terminals and network devices;

[0196] - ID of the corresponding terminal.

[0197] It should be noted that from the above Figure 1 From the perspective of -5, the steps of methods 600 and 700 may share the same functions and details.

[0198] An example of a workflow according to the present disclosure may be as follows.

[0199] Step 1: Multiple UEs establish communication links with the BS, some of which have radar and communication capabilities (e.g., DFRCUE) and some of which only have communication capabilities. The BS has allocated one or more orthogonal communication pilot signals (e.g., pilot preambles) to each UE, which will be transmitted from the corresponding UE to the corresponding communication link. The pilot signals allocated to different UEs may occupy the same orthogonal time-frequency resources.

[0200] Step 2: Optionally, the DFRC UE may send a request to the BS to start radar sensing (eg, multi-base radar service) and wait for confirmation from the BS.

[0201] Step 3: Optionally, upon receiving the request, the BS may start a session for the DFRC UE that issued the request. The session may be referred to as an active session. Optionally, the BS may find an existing cluster or allocate a new cluster for the DFRC UE from the estimated location or reported location of the DFRC UE so that the DFRC UE can join. The BS may send a confirmation message response to the DFRC UE.

[0202] Step 4: The BS sends a list containing the following information to the DFRC UE:

[0203] - one or more pilot codebook key codes currently assigned to the connected UE (or UEs connected to the same cluster);

[0204] - Information on timing synchronization between the corresponding UE and the BS for each of the above-mentioned pilot codebook key codes;

[0205] - a transmitter identification code associated with each of the one or more pilot codebook key codes.

[0206] Alternatively, the list may be sent periodically by the BS in every active session.

[0207] Step 5: After receiving the above list from the BS, the DFRC UE can update the local database using the pilot signal information received in the list.

[0208] Step 6: The DFRC UE performs radar sensing and evaluates the received echo signal as shown below.

[0209] Step 6.1: If the echo signal matches (or corresponds to) one of the pilot signals defined in the list, the DFRC UE performs radar signal processing according to the received echo signal.

[0210] Step 6.2: If the echo signal does not match any pilot signal defined in the list, the DFRCUE may optionally look for a matching pilot signal in a local database.

[0211] Step 6.3: If a match is found, the DFRC UE performs radar signal processing based on the received echo signal.

[0212] Step 6.4: If there is no match, the DFRC UE discards the echo signal.

[0213] Step 7: Optionally, the DFRC UE may periodically check the validity of each entry in the local database and delete expired entries according to the expiration time.

[0214] Step 8: Optionally, the BS may check cluster consistency by verifying that each UE known position is consistent with the current clustering strategy.

[0215] Step 9: Optionally, the BS may periodically check the pilot allocation consistency. If the UE is no longer connected, the BS releases the allocated pilot signal and notifies the relevant DFRC UEs in the cluster.

[0216] Step 10: Optionally, when the DFRC UE is no longer connected to the BS, if there is an active session, the BS may end the active session.

[0217] Optionally, the BS can share its pilot signal information with other BSs (e.g., neighboring BSs). That is, the base stations can exchange their pilot signal information with each other. b)

[0218] Alternatively, the BS itself can send the pilot signal. In this case, the BS can include itself as a pilot transmitter in the list provided to the DFRC UE. In this way, the BS itself also contributes to the multi-base radar solution.

[0219] Optionally, in order to maintain the communication link (eg, to avoid pilot pollution), the BS may reallocate pilot attributes to a certain UE. The BS may update its local database and notify the DFRC UEs it serves and other BSs for which it has exchanged pilot signal information.

[0220] Optionally, the BS may send a message to the DFRC UE it serves to forcibly clear part or all of the pilot signal information stored on the served DFRC UE. The partial deletion may be based on the transmitter or the pilot.

[0221] Optionally, the served DFRC UE may notify the BS at any time that it will leave the active session. After leaving the active session, the DFRC UE may still maintain a communication link with the BS.

[0222] Optionally, the BS may terminate an active session at any time. The BS may notify the DFRC UE before the session is terminated.

[0223] Optionally, the DFRC UE may determine that the received pilot signal from another transmitter meets the line-of-sight condition, for example, by comparing the power of the received pilot signal with a certain threshold. That is, the pilot signal is transmitted directly from the other transmitter and is directly received by the DFRC UE. The direct pilot signal may be used as a reference for estimating the position based on a reflected pilot signal (e.g., an echo / reflection of the pilot signal) from the same other transmitter.

[0224] Optionally, the connected UE may periodically update the location information to the BS. Alternatively or additionally, the BS may obtain the UE location information based on any means known in the art for estimating the UE location, such as based on signal strength. The location information may include one or more of the following:

[0225] - absolute coordinates, such as GPS coordinates;

[0226] -Relative positioning data, such as departure angle or arrival angle, delay of the main signal path, speed of the UE, etc.;

[0227] - beam direction of the pilot transmitted by the UE;

[0228] - Logical information, such as cluster proximity.

[0229] It should be noted that, optionally, the features presented in this workflow can be applied to the above Figure 1-7 corresponding components.

[0230] The application scenario of the present invention may be to facilitate radar sensing performed by one or more autonomous vehicles in an area. The autonomous vehicle is equipped with a radar unit and has V2X communication capabilities. In this scenario, network devices such as road-side units (RSUs) and roadside base stations provide a list to the autonomous vehicle. The list includes pilot signal information assigned to multiple terminals including the autonomous vehicle. The multiple terminals also include terminals with only communication capabilities, such as mobile phones. The mobile phone transmits a pilot signal for channel estimation. At the same time, the pilot signal transmitted from the mobile phone also assists in radar sensing performed by the autonomous vehicle. The autonomous vehicle can receive (or detect) the pilot signal transmitted from the mobile phone and any reflection / echo thereof, and perform radar sensing on this basis. In addition, the autonomous vehicle can also be used to transmit radar signals based on the pilot signal assigned to it. Due to the orthogonality between the pilot signals, the pilot signal transmitted from the mobile device and the pilot signal transmitted from the autonomous vehicle are also orthogonal. In this way, interference between radar and communication in the network can be mitigated.

[0231] It should be noted that the devices in the present disclosure (i.e., the network device and the first terminal) may include processing circuits for respectively performing, implementing or initiating various device operations described herein. The processing circuits may include hardware and software. The hardware may include analog circuits or digital circuits, or both analog circuits and digital circuits. The digital circuits may include components such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), or multi-purpose processors. Optionally, the processing circuit includes one or more processors and a non-transitory memory connected to the one or more processors. The non-transitory memory may carry executable program codes, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the device to respectively perform, implement or initiate the operations or methods described herein. For example, optionally, the first terminal may include a radar unit for performing steps related to radar sensing, and a communication unit for performing steps related to communication (e.g., receiving a list). The radar unit and the communication unit may be connected and controlled by one or more processors of the first terminal, and may be used to act according to the program code carried in the non-transitory memory of the first terminal.

[0232] The present disclosure has been described in conjunction with various aspects as examples and implementations. However, other variations will be understood and implemented by those skilled in the art and those skilled in the art who practice the claimed subject matter, based on a study of the drawings, the present disclosure and the independent claims. In the claims and in the specification, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single element or another unit may fulfil the functions of several entities or items set forth in a claim. The fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not in itself indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be advantageously implemented.

Claims

1. A network device (110) for configuring a system for joint communication and radar, characterized in that The system comprises one or more first terminals (130) having radar and communication capabilities and one or more second terminals having only communication capabilities, wherein the one or more first terminals (130) and the one or more second terminals (150) are connectable to the network device (110), and the network device (110) is used to: Acquiring a list (120) including pilot signal information allocated to the one or more first terminals (130) and the one or more second terminals (150); providing the list (120) to at least one of the one or more first terminals (130), Each pilot signal information allocated to the corresponding terminal includes: - an identification ID of a pilot sequence allocated to the corresponding terminal; - timing synchronization information between the corresponding terminal and the network device (110); - The ID of the corresponding terminal.

2. The network device (110) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pilot signal information also includes location information of the corresponding terminal.

3. The network device (110) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The pilot signal information further includes an expiration time of the pilot signal information.

4. The network device (110) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The ID of the corresponding terminal includes a temporary and / or anonymous ID code.

5. The network device (110) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The network device (110) is further configured to determine one or more clusters based on the beam direction of the pilot and / or location information of the one or more first terminals (130) and the one or more second terminals (150).

6. The network device (110) according to claim 5, characterized in that: The pilot signal information also includes a cluster ID of the corresponding terminal.

7. The network device (110) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The pilot signal information also includes a network device ID.

8. The network device (110) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The network device (110) is further configured to send one or more pilot signals, and the list (120) further includes information of the pilot signals sent by the network device (110).

9. The network device (110) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: Before providing the list (120) to the at least one of the one or more first terminals (130), the network device (110) is further configured to receive a request for the list from the at least one of the one or more first terminals (130).

10. The network device (110) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The network device (110) is further configured to send a request to update and / or delete part or all of the pilot signal information included in the list to each of the one or more first terminals (130).

11. The network device (110) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: The network device (110) is also used for: providing the list (120) to another network device (110); and / or Another list is received from the other network device (120).

12. A first terminal (130) for configuring a system for joint communication and radar, characterized in that: The system comprises a network device (110) and one or more second terminals (150) having only communication capability, wherein the first terminal (130) and the one or more second terminals (150) are connectable to the network device (110), the first terminal (130) having radar and communication capability, for: Receiving, from the network device (110), a list (120) including pilot signal information allocated to the first terminal (130) and at least one of the one or more second terminals (150); performing radar sensing according to the pilot signal information included in the list, Each pilot signal information allocated to the corresponding terminal includes: - an identification ID of a pilot sequence allocated to the corresponding terminal; - timing synchronization information between the corresponding terminal and the network device (110); - The ID of the corresponding terminal.

13. The first terminal (130) according to claim 12, characterized in that: In order to perform the radar sensing, the first terminal (130) is further configured to: receiving one or more echo signals by radar; A determination is made as to whether the one or more echo signals match one or more pilot signals defined in the list.

14. The first terminal (130) according to claim 13, characterized in that: In order to perform the radar sensing, the first terminal (130) is further configured to transmit a pilot signal through a radar based on the pilot signal information included in the list (120) and allocated to the first terminal (130).

15. The first terminal (130) according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that: After determining that there are one or more echo signals among the one or more echo signals that match the one or more pilot signals defined in the list, the first terminal (130) is configured to: Radar sensing is performed based on the matching one or more echo signals received by the radar.

16. The first terminal (130) according to any one of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that: The first terminal (130) is also used to provide location information to the network device (110).

17. The first terminal (130) according to any one of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that: The first terminal (130) is further used for: receiving a request from the network device (110) to update and / or delete part or all of the pilot signal information included in the list; Part or all of the pilot signal information included in the list (120) is updated and / or deleted according to the request.

18. A system, characterized in that: The invention comprises one or more network devices (110) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, one or more first terminals (130) according to any one of claims 12 to 17, and one or more second terminals (150) having only communication capability.

19. A method (600) for configuring a system for joint communications and radar, characterized in that The system includes one or more first terminals having radar and communication capabilities, and one or more second terminals having only communication capabilities, wherein the one or more first terminals and the one or more second terminals are capable of connecting to a network device, and the method includes: Acquiring (601) by a network device a list including pilot signal information allocated to the one or more first terminals and the one or more second terminals; providing (602), by the network device, the list to at least one of the one or more first terminals; Each pilot signal information allocated to the corresponding terminal includes: - an identification ID of a pilot sequence allocated to the corresponding terminal; - Timing synchronization information between the corresponding terminal and the network device; - The ID of the corresponding terminal.

20. A method (700) for configuring a system for joint communications and radar, characterized in that The method is performed by a first terminal having radar and communication capabilities, the system comprises a network device and one or more second terminals having only communication capabilities, wherein the first terminal and the one or more second terminals are capable of connecting to the network device, and the method comprises: Receiving (701) by the first terminal from the network device a list including pilot signal information allocated to the first terminal and each of the one or more second terminals; performing (702) radar sensing by the first terminal according to the pilot signal information included in the list, Each pilot signal information allocated to the corresponding terminal includes: - an identification ID of a pilot sequence allocated to the corresponding terminal; - Timing synchronization information between the corresponding terminal and the network device; - The ID of the corresponding terminal.

21. A computer program product, characterized in that The program comprises instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to execute the method according to claim 19 or 20.

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