Method and apparatus for sidelink-based wireless sensing

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to a method and equipment for wireless sensing based on a side link. In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, a first user equipment (UE) may receive a request to perform PC5-based sensing from an upper layer, a base station (BS), or a network node of the first UE; and performing the PC5-based sensing with a second UE in response to the request to perform the PC5-based sensing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to communication technology, and more particularly, to sidelink-based wireless sensing in wireless communication systems. Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcast, etc. Wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources such as time, frequency, and power. Examples of wireless communication systems may include fourth generation (4G) systems such as long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth generation (5G) systems which may also be referred to as new radio (NR) systems.

[0003] Wireless sensing technology aims to obtain information about remote objects and their characteristics without physically contacting the objects. The sensed data of the objects can be used for analysis so that meaningful information about the objects and their characteristics can be obtained. Radar is a widely used wireless sensing technology that uses radio waves to determine the distance (range), angle, or instantaneous linear velocity of an object. There are other sensing technologies, including non-radio frequency (RF) sensors that have been used in other fields, such as time-of-flight (ToF) cameras, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and lidar.

[0004] Integrated sensing and communication may refer to the fact that sensing capabilities are provided by the same wireless communication system and infrastructure (e.g., 5G NR) as used for communication, and sensing information may be derived from RF-based and / or non-RF-based sensors. In general, it may involve scenarios of communication-assisted sensing, such as when a communication system (e.g., a 5G system) provides sensing services or sensing-assisted communication, or when sensing information related to a communication channel or environment is used to improve the communication services of the communication system itself or the sensing information can be used to assist in radio resource management, interference mitigation, beam management, mobility, etc.

[0005] Mobile operators can also play an important role in providing integrated sensing and communications (e.g., based on 5G systems) to customers, including, for example, the management and control of 5G-based sensing services.

[0006] Therefore, it is desirable to introduce integrated sensing and communication into wireless communication systems such as 5G systems. It is further desirable to introduce sidelink-based wireless sensing in wireless communication systems. Summary of the invention

[0007] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a first user equipment (UE). The first UE may include: a transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver. The processor may be configured to: receive a request to perform PC5-based sensing from an upper layer, a base station (BS), or a network node of the first UE; and perform the PC5-based sensing together with a second UE in response to the request to perform the PC5-based sensing.

[0008] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor may be further configured to transmit packets related to the PC5-based sensing to the second UE, and wherein transmitting the packets related to the PC5-based sensing includes at least one of the following: transmitting a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) packet including an indication indicating that the packet is a sensing-related packet to the second UE; or transmitting the packets related to the PC5-based sensing using a logical channel ID specific to sensing-related packets.

[0009] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor may be further configured to receive a sensing measurement report from the second UE, and wherein receiving the sensing measurement report includes identifying a packet corresponding to the sensing measurement report as a sensing-related packet by at least one of: an indication in a PDCP format of the packet corresponding to the sensing measurement report indicating that the packet is a sensing-related packet; or a logical channel ID associated with the packet corresponding to the sensing measurement report is specific to a sensing-related packet.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the indication may be a service data unit (SDU) type specific to the sensing-related packet or may be a reserved bit.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the priority of the logical channel used to carry the packets or the sensing measurement reports related to the PC5-based sensing may be predefined, may be the same as or different from the priority of the logical channel used to carry non-sensing related services, or may be determined based on sensing service requirements.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the PC5 interface between the first UE and the second UE may include a sensing layer positioned above a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a PC5-S layer, or a radio resource control (RRC) layer of the PC5 interface.

[0013] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a second user equipment (UE). The second UE may include: a transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver. The processor may be configured to: receive a configuration for PC5-based sensing from a first UE; and perform the PC5-based sensing with the first UE in response to receiving the configuration.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, performing the PC5-based sensing may include at least one of the following: receiving a sensing reference signal (RS) from the first UE via a PC5 interface between the first UE and the second UE; transmitting measurement results related to the sensing RS to the first UE; or transmitting the sensing RS to the first UE via the PC5 interface.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor may be further configured to establish a PC5 RRC connection between the first UE and the second UE, wherein the PC5 RRC connection is specific to the PC5-based sensing.

[0016] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, establishing the PC5 RRC connection may include receiving a request from the first UE to establish the PC5 RRC connection separate from an existing PC5 RRC connection between the first UE and the second UE. The request to establish the PC5 RRC connection may include an indication indicating the existing PC5 RRC connection. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the indication may indicate a pair of source ID and destination ID of the existing PC5 RRC connection.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the PC5 RRC connection may be associated with a destination ID specific to the PC5-based sensing.

[0018] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor may be further configured to perform at least one of: receiving area information indicating an area in which the PC5-based sensing is to be performed from the first UE; or transmitting a departure indication to the first UE when the second UE leaves the area.

[0019] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor may be further configured to receive a release message from the first UE to release a PC5 link between the first UE and the second UE in response to the leave indication.

[0020] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor may be further configured to receive at least one trigger condition for a sensing measurement report from the first UE. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the at least one trigger condition may include at least one of the following: a change in posture of an object of interest; a threshold value of the number of objects of interest within a period of time; or a threshold value of a change in channel quality of a channel between the first UE and the second UE.

[0021] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor may be further configured to identify the packet related to the PC5-based sensing as a sensing-related packet by at least one of the following: an indication in a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) format of the packet related to the PC5-based sensing indicating that the packet is a sensing-related packet; or a logical channel ID associated with the packet related to the PC5-based sensing is specific to the sensing-related packet.

[0022] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor may be further configured to transmit a sensing measurement report to the first UE. Transmitting the sensing measurement report may include at least one of: transmitting a PDCP packet including an indication that the packet is a sensing-related packet to the first UE; or transmitting the sensing measurement report using a logical channel ID specific to a sensing-related packet.

[0023] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the indication may be an SDU type specific to the sensing-related packet or a reserved bit.

[0024] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the priority of the logical channel used to carry the packets or the sensing measurement reports related to the PC5-based sensing may be predefined, may be the same as or different from the priority of the logical channel used to carry non-sensing related services, or may be determined based on sensing service requirements.

[0025] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the PC5 interface between the first UE and the second UE may include a sensing layer positioned above a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a PC5-S layer, or a radio resource control (RRC) layer of the PC5 interface.

[0026] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a network node. The network node may include: a transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver. The processor may be configured to: transmit a request for a PC5-based sensing service to a base station (BS), wherein the request for the PC5-based sensing service indicates at least one of the following: area information indicating an area in which the PC5-based sensing is to be performed; accuracy requirements for the PC5-based sensing service; the number of UEs that help a target UE perform the PC5-based sensing service; or an ID of the target UE; and receive measurement results related to the PC5-based sensing service from the BS.

[0027] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the network node may be an access and mobility management function (AMF). In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the network node may be a sensing function (SF), and the request for the PC5-based sensing service may be transmitted to the BS via the AMF.

[0028] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the number of UEs may be indicated as a range of values ​​or as a minimum number of UEs.

[0029] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method performed by a first UE. The method may include: receiving a request to perform PC5-based sensing from an upper layer, a base station (BS), or a network node of the first UE; and performing the PC5-based sensing together with a second UE in response to the request to perform the PC5-based sensing.

[0030] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method performed by a second UE. The method may include: receiving a configuration for PC5-based sensing from a first UE; and performing the PC5-based sensing with the first UE in response to receiving the configuration.

[0031] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method performed by a network node. The method may include: transmitting a request for a PC5-based sensing service to a base station (BS), wherein the request for the PC5-based sensing service indicates at least one of the following: area information indicating an area in which the PC5-based sensing is to be performed; accuracy requirements for the PC5-based sensing service; the number of UEs that help a target UE perform the PC5-based sensing service; or an ID of the target UE; and receiving measurement results related to the PC5-based sensing service from the BS.

[0032] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a device. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the device may include: at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon; at least one receiving circuit system; at least one transmitting circuit system; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, the at least one receiving circuit system, and the at least one transmitting circuit system, wherein the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium and the computer-executable instructions may be configured to cause the device to perform the method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure with the at least one processor.

[0033] Embodiments of the present application provide technical solutions for integrated sensing and communication and sidelink-based sensing, which can facilitate and improve the implementation of various communication technologies. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] In order to describe the manner in which the advantages and features of the present disclosure can be obtained, the description of the present disclosure is presented by reference to specific embodiments of the present disclosure illustrated in the accompanying drawings. These drawings depict only exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and therefore should not be considered to limit its scope.

[0035] Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating a wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 2 a flow chart illustrating an exemplary sensing procedure according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating a wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0038] Figure 4 A flow chart illustrating an exemplary sidelink-based sensing procedure according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0039] Figures 5A to 5D An example block diagram illustrating a protocol stack for sidelink-based sensing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0040] Figures 6 to 11 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary sidelink-based sensing procedure according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0041] Fig.12 A block diagram illustrating an exemplary apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The detailed description of the drawings is intended as a description of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present disclosure can be practiced. It should be understood that the same or equivalent functions can be achieved by different embodiments that are intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0043] Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. To facilitate understanding, embodiments are provided under specific network architectures and new service scenarios (e.g., 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5G (NR), 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) Release 8, etc.). It is considered that with the development of network architectures and new service scenarios, all embodiments in the present disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems; and in addition, the terms cited in the present disclosure may be changed, which should not affect the principles of the present disclosure.

[0044] With the development of communication technology, it is proposed to introduce sensing functions or sensing capabilities into 3GPP. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide solutions for implementing and improving integrated sensing and communication in a communication system. For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, sensing-related services may be requested and issued to entities in the communication system. The UE may perform sensing in response to the request. It may be necessary to enhance the interface between the UE, BS and the network node to implement the sensing function. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide signaling and procedures to implement and improve integrated sensing and communication.

[0045] Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating a wireless communication system 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0046] like Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1 , a wireless communication system 100 may include a base station (eg, BS 102) and some UEs 101 (eg, UEs 101A to 101E) located within a coverage area 105 of BS 102. Figure 1 A specific number of UEs 101 and BSs 102 are depicted in FIG. 1 , but it is contemplated that any number of UEs and BSs may be included in the wireless communication system 100 .

[0047] UE 101 may include a computing device, such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a smart TV (e.g., a TV connected to the Internet), a set-top box, a game console, a security system (including a security camera), a car computer, a network device (e.g., a router, a switch, and a modem), or the like. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, UE 101 may include a portable wireless communication device, a smart phone, a cellular phone, a flip phone, a device with a subscriber identity module, a personal computer, a selective call receiver, or any other device capable of sending and receiving communication signals on a wireless network. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, UE 101 may include a wearable device, such as a smart watch, a fitness bracelet, an optical head-mounted display, or the like. In addition, UE 101 may be referred to as a subscriber unit, a mobile device, a mobile station, a user, a terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a fixed terminal, a subscriber station, a user terminal, or a device, or described using other terms used in the art. UE 101 may communicate with BS 102 via an uplink (UL) communication signal.

[0048] UE 101 may be in one of the following states at a given time: RRC-IDLE state, RRC_CONNECTED state, or RRC_INACTIVE state (also referred to as idle, connected, or inactive states, respectively). The specific characteristics of the RRC-IDLE state, RRC_CONNECTED state, and RRC_INACTIVE state are defined in the 3GPP specifications.

[0049] BS 102 may be distributed throughout a geographic area. In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, BS 102 may also be referred to as an access point, access terminal, base, base unit, macro cell, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), gNB, home Node B, relay node or device, or described using other terms used in the art. BS 102 is typically part of a radio access network that may include one or more controllers communicatively coupled to one or more corresponding BS 102. BS 102 may communicate with UE 101 via downlink (DL) communication signals.

[0050] BS102 can communicate with the core network ( Figure 1 The core network (CN) may include multiple network nodes, such as a mobility management entity (MME) ( Figure 1 not shown) or Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) ( Figure 1 The CN can be used to enable the UE to access the Public Switched Telephone Network (PTSN) and / or other networks ( Figure 1In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the CN may further include a sensing function (SF) that can communicate with, for example, an AMF or a location management function (LMF).

[0051] The wireless communication system 100 may be compatible with any type of network capable of sending and receiving wireless communication signals. For example, the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with a wireless communication network, a cellular telephone network, a network based on time division multiple access (TDMA), a network based on code division multiple access (CDMA), a network based on orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), an LTE network, a network based on 3GPP, a 3GPP 5G network, a satellite communication network, a high altitude platform network, and / or other communication networks.

[0052] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with 5G NR of the 3GPP protocol. For example, the BS 102 may transmit data using an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM) modulation scheme on the DL, and the UE 101 may transmit data using a discrete Fourier transform-spread-orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM) or cyclic prefix-OFDM (CP-OFDM) scheme on the UL. However, more generally, the wireless communication system 100 may implement some other open or proprietary communication protocols, such as WiMAX and other protocols.

[0053] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, BS 102 and UE 101 may communicate using other communication protocols, such as the IEEE 802.11 series of wireless communication protocols. In addition, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, BS 102 and UE 101 may communicate via a licensed spectrum, while in some other embodiments, BS 102 and UE 101 may communicate via an unlicensed spectrum. The present disclosure is not intended to be limited to implementing any particular wireless communication system architecture or protocol.

[0054] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, BS 102 may want to sense a target (e.g., vehicle 103) in sensing area 106. For example, BS 102 may want to obtain the location, speed, or lane occupancy information of vehicle 103. This may also be referred to as "sensing by object". In some embodiments of the present disclosure, BS 102 may want to sense the radio environment of sensing area 106. This may also be referred to as "sensing by area". In some examples, BS 102 may select UE 101A and 101B to perform sensing because UE 101A and 101B are within sensing area 106. UE 101A and 101B may transmit corresponding signals to BS 102 for sensing.

[0055] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary sensing procedure 200 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The details described in all the previous embodiments of the present disclosure apply to Figure 2 The embodiments shown in .

[0056] The process 200 illustrates a general sensing process. The process can be performed by sensing area or by object. Figure 2 UE 201 and BS 202 can be used as Figure 1 UE 101 and BS 102 are shown in FIG. AMF 207 may communicate with SF 209 and BS 202. In some examples, SF 209 may or may not communicate directly with BS 202. In some examples, SF 209 may be part of LMF.

[0057] In operation 211, the AMF 207 may receive a request from, for example, a sensing service requester (e.g., an application function (AF) or an internal network element ( Figure 2 In operation 213, the AMF 207 may transmit the sensing request to the SF 209. In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, the sensing service requester may directly transmit the sensing request to the SF 209, and the SF 209 may then select a suitable AMF.

[0058] In response to receiving the request, SF 209 may determine the sensing method to be adopted. For example, in operation 215a, SF 209 may determine to adopt a RAN-based sensing sub-procedure. For example, in operation 215b, SF 209 may determine to adopt a UE-assisted sensing sub-procedure. For example, in operation 215c, SF 209 may determine to adopt a UE-based sensing sub-procedure. It should be noted that the sensing sub-procedure may involve more than one BS and / or more than one UE.

[0059] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the BS 202 and / or the UE 201 is capable of performing a sensing operation, a sensing response carrying a success indication may be transmitted to the SF 209 ; otherwise, a sensing response carrying a failure indication may be transmitted to the SF 209 .

[0060] In operation 217, SF 209 may perform sensing calculations based on sensing measurements from BS 202 and may obtain sensing results. In operation 219, SF 209 may transmit the sensing results to AMF 207. AMF 207 may transmit the sensing results to a sensing service requester (e.g., AF). In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, SF 209 may transmit the sensing results to a sensing service requester without AMF 207.

[0061] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the sequence of operations in the exemplary process 200 may be changed and some operations in the exemplary process 200 may be omitted or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0062] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure are described with respect to network nodes (e.g., AMF and SF), it is contemplated that other network nodes may be used to perform the operations of AMF and SF.

[0063] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating a wireless communication system 300 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0064] like Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , the wireless communication system 300 may support sidelink communication. The sidelink communication supports UE-to-UE direct communication. In the context of the present disclosure, the sidelink communication may be classified according to the wireless communication technology adopted. For example, the sidelink communication may include NR sidelink communication and V2X sidelink communication.

[0065] NR sidelink communication (e.g., specified in 3GPP specification TS 38.311) may refer to access stratum (AS) functionality that implements at least vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication defined in 3GPP specification TS 23.287 between neighboring UEs using NR technology but without traversing any network nodes. V2X sidelink communication (e.g., specified in 3GPP specification TS 36.311) may refer to AS functionality that implements V2X communication defined in 3GPP specification TS 23.285 between neighboring UEs using Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) (E-UTRA) technology but without traversing any network nodes. However, if not specified, "sidelink communication" may refer to NR sidelink communication, V2X sidelink communication, or any sidelink communication that employs other wireless communication technologies.

[0066] refer to Figure 3 , the wireless communication system 300 may include some base stations (such as BS 302 and BS 303) and some UEs (such as UE 301A, UE 301B and UE 301C). BS 302 and BS 303 may be used as Figure 1 BS102 shown in FIG. 1 , and UE 301A, UE 301B and UE 301C can be used as Figure 1 UE 101 is shown in FIG. Figure 3 A specific number of UEs and BSs are depicted in FIG. 3 , but it is contemplated that any number of UEs and BSs may be included in the wireless communication system 300 .

[0067] exist Figure 3In the example of, BS 302 and BS 303 may be included in a next generation radio access network (NG-RAN). In some embodiments of the present disclosure, BS 302 may be a gNB, and BS 303 may be an ng-eNB.

[0068] UE 301A and UE 301B may be within coverage (e.g., within NG-RAN). Figure 3 , UE 301A may be within the coverage of BS 302, and UE 301B may be within the coverage of BS 303. UE 301C may be out of coverage (e.g., out of the coverage of NG-RAN). Figure 3 , UE 301C may be outside the coverage of any BS (e.g., both BS 302 and BS 303). UE 301A and UE 301B may be connected to BS 302 and BS 303, respectively, via a network interface (e.g., a Uu interface specified in a 3GPP standard profile). The control plane protocol stack in the Uu interface may include a radio resource control (RRC) layer, which may be referred to as Uu RRC. The link established between a UE (e.g., UE 301A) and a BS (e.g., BS 302) may be referred to as a Uu link. BS 302 and BS 303 may be connected to each other via a network interface (e.g., an Xn interface specified in a 3GPP standard profile). UE 301A, UE 301B, and UE 301C may be connected to each other, respectively, via a PC5 interface, such as specified in a 3GPP standard profile. The control plane protocol stack in the PC5 interface may include a radio resource control (RRC) layer, which may be referred to as PC5 RRC. A link established between two UEs (eg, UE 301A and UE 301B) may be referred to as a PC5 link.

[0069] Support for V2X services via the PC5 interface may be provided by, for example, NR sidelink communications and / or V2X sidelink communications. NR sidelink communications may support one of the following three types of transmission modes for a pair of source layer 2 identifiers and destination layer 2 identifiers: unicast transmission, multicast transmission, and broadcast transmission. When the UE is within coverage or out of coverage, sidelink communication transmission and reception via the PC5 interface are supported. For example, UE 301A within the coverage of BS 302 may perform sidelink transmission and reception (e.g., sidelink unicast transmission, sidelink multicast transmission, or sidelink broadcast transmission) via the PC5 interface. UE 301C outside the coverage of both BS 302 and BS 303 may also perform sidelink transmission and reception via the PC5 interface.

[0070] A UE supporting sidelink communication and / or V2X communication may be referred to as a V2X UE. According to some other embodiments of the present disclosure, the V2X UE may be a mobile phone, a vehicle, a road map device, a computer, a laptop, an IoT (Internet of Things) device, or other types of devices.

[0071] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, sensing functionality may be implemented based on a sidelink. For example, a UE may help another UE perform sensing-related services. The two UEs may be in coverage or out of coverage. Various issues need to be addressed during this sidelink-based sensing procedure.

[0072] For example, the impact on the PC5 RRC connection between UEs when performing sidelink-based sensing should be considered. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a PC5 RRC connection dedicated to sensing can be established. Enhancements to such embodiments should be considered. For example, the impact on the AS layer should also be considered. For example, if the AS layer can be aware that sensing-related information is transmitted, it will be beneficial. For example, when the auxiliary UE leaves the area where sidelink-based sensing is performed, new UE behavior may be required. For example, a solution for triggering sensing measurement reports is needed. For example, the impact on the protocol stack should also be considered.

[0073] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide solutions for sidelink-based sensing (also referred to as "PC5-based sensing") that can at least address the above-mentioned issues. More details about embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in the following text in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0074] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary procedure 400 for sidelink-based sensing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The details described in all the previous embodiments of the present disclosure apply to Figure 4 The embodiments shown in .

[0075] refer to Figure 4 UE 401A and UE 401B can be used as Figures 1 to 3 UE shown in FIG. 4 , and BS 402 can be used as Figures 1 to 3 407 may communicate with SF 409 and BS 402. In some examples, SF 409 may or may not communicate directly with BS 402. AMF 407 and SF 409 may be used as Figure 2 AMF 207 and SF 209 on display.

[0076] In operation 411 (indicated as an option by a dashed arrow), SF 409 may transmit a request for a PC5-based sensing service to AMF 407. In some embodiments, the request for a PC5-based sensing service may indicate at least one of: area information indicating an area in which PC5-based sensing is to be performed; accuracy requirements for the PC5-based sensing service; the number of UEs (also referred to as "assistant UEs") that assist the target UE in performing the PC5-based sensing service; an ID of the target UE; or one or more sensing methods that are desired to be used. In some instances, the target UE may be referred to as a UE that is desired to perform a sensing task.

[0077] In some instances, the area information may be referred to as "range information". In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the area information may indicate an ID of a target area or a list of cells covering the target area. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the area information may indicate a threshold of an area or range between a target UE and an assisting UE. For example, it is expected that the assisting UE helps with sensing when the distance between the assisting UE and the target UE is within a threshold.

[0078] The number of assisting UEs (denoted as number #1) may refer to the number of UEs expected to perform measurements based on PC5 sensing. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, number #1 may be indicated as a range of values ​​(e.g., from a maximum value to a minimum value) of the minimum number of UEs. The indicated UE ID may be a layer 2 UE ID.

[0079] In response to receiving the request for the PC5-based sensing service, in operation 415, the AMF 407 may transmit the request to the BS 402. The AMF 407 may transmit this request to one or more BSs.

[0080] Despite Figure 4 In the example of , SF 409 determines the parameters in the request for PC5-based sensing service and transmits the request to AMF 407, but it is contemplated that in some other embodiments of the present disclosure, AMF 407 may determine the parameters. For example, operation 411 may be omitted. AMF 407 may determine the information in the request for PC5-based sensing service defined above, and then transmit the request to one or more BSs. It is also contemplated that in other embodiments of the present disclosure, BS 402 may determine the parameters. For example, operations 411 and 415 may be omitted.

[0081] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in response to receiving the request from AMF 407, in operation 417, BS 402 transmits a request to perform PC5-based sensing to a UE (e.g., UE 401A) with an indicated UE ID (this UE may also be referred to as a target UE). In some instances, the UE ID may be a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) or a layer 2 ID. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, BS 402 may select a target UE to perform a sensing task based on the request.

[0082] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a request may include a configuration for sensing based on PC 5. In some instances, the presence of such a configuration may imply a request to perform sensing.

[0083] For example, in the case where UE 401A is in a connected state, BS 402 may transmit a reconfiguration message or another message directly to UE 401A. The reconfiguration message may include a configuration for PC5-based sensing. For example, the configuration may include a PC5-based sensing reference signal (RS) configuration, a reporting configuration, or both. For example, in the case where UE 401A is in an idle or inactive state, BS 402 may first transmit a paging message to UE 401A. In response to receiving the paging message, UE 401A may transition to a connected state.

[0084] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the target UE may select some auxiliary UEs to help complete PC5-based sensing. For example, when the request includes number #1, the target UE (e.g., UE 401A) may select one or more auxiliary UEs based on number #1 to help perform PC5-based sensing.

[0085] In response to receiving the request to perform PC5-based sensing, UE 401A may perform PC5-based sensing together with another UE.

[0086] For example, in operation 419, UE 401A may select one or more UEs (e.g., UE 401B) via a discovery procedure to help complete the sensing service. In some embodiments, UE 401A may transmit a discovery message including sensing related information. The sensing related information may indicate at least the following: a cause value related to PC5-based sensing, a configuration for a PC5-based sensing RS, a capability related to a PC5-based sensing technology (e.g., a receiving UE is capable of performing a sensing technology, such as transmitting a sensing RS via a PC5 link), or area (or range) information. The definition of area information described above also applies here. In some instances, the range / area information may be configured by a network (e.g., a BS or a network node, such as an AMF or SF). In some instances, the range / area information may be determined by a target UE.

[0087] After discovering a UE for assisting the PC5-based sensing service, UE 401A may establish a PC5 RRC connection with the selected UE. For example, in the case where UE 401A selects a UE with which there is no existing PC5 RRC connection with UE 401A, UE 401A may establish a PC5 RRC connection with the selected UE. In some embodiments, the PC5 RRC connection may be specific to PC5-based sensing. For example, UE 401A may establish a PC5 RRC connection specific to PC5-based sensing with UE 401B in response to a request to perform PC5-based sensing.

[0088] In the case where UE 401A selects a UE with an existing PC5 RRC connection (also referred to as "original PC5 RRC connection") with UE 401A, a separate PC5 RRC connection (also referred to as "new PC5 RRC connection") may be established for PC5-based sensing. In some embodiments, the separate PC5 RRC connection may be specific to PC5-based sensing. For example, UE 401A may transmit a request to UE 401B to establish a PC5 RRC connection separate from the existing PC5 RRC connection between UE 401A and UE 401B. In some embodiments, the request to establish a PC5 RRC connection may include an indication indicating an existing PC5 RRC connection. In some embodiments, the indication may include a pair of source ID and destination ID of the existing PC5 RRC connection. The source ID may indicate the ID of UE 401A. Based on the indication, UE 401B may be aware of the existing PC5 RRC connection between UE 401A and UE 401B and may identify the same target UE.

[0089] In some embodiments, the determination of PC5 Radio Link Failure (RLF), which may be based on, for example, channel quality, may be reused between the two (ie, original and new) PC5 RRC connections.

[0090] In some embodiments, the new PC5 RRC connection may be associated with a destination ID specific to PC5-based sensing. For example, where two PC5 RRC connections are established, a separate destination ID (e.g., a destination L2 ID) may be allocated for the new PC5 RRC connection for sensing purposes. The destination ID may be allocated by a BS (e.g., BS 402) or a UE (e.g., UE 401A).

[0091] In some embodiments, the Sidelink-UE-Information (SUI) message may include an indication of a destination L2 ID that the transmit (TX) resource request and allocation from the network is focused on for sensing.

[0092] Using a L2 destination ID dedicated to sensing can advantageously facilitate distinguishing sensing transmissions from other transmissions. In addition, it can also facilitate determining whether other data can be multiplexed with sensing data, because only data of the same destination can be multiplexed in the same MAC protocol data unit (PDU).

[0093] In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, UE 401A and UE 401B may use an existing PC5 RRC connection for PC5-based sensing. A solution for identifying sensing transmissions in such embodiments will be described later.

[0094] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, after the PC5 RRC connection is established, the UE 401A may transmit a packet related to PC5-based sensing (eg, a configuration for PC5-based sensing) to the UE 401B.

[0095] In some embodiments, packets related to PC5-based sensing may be generated by the sensing layer of UE 401 A. After the sensing layer generates the configuration, the configuration is delivered to the lower layers, which will transmit the configuration to the peer UE (eg, UE 401B) via the PC5 link.

[0096] Figures 5A to 5D The method for enabling a UE (eg, Figure 4 401A and UE401B in FIG. 4 show an example block diagram of a protocol stack for performing PC5-based sensing. For example, Figure 4 UE 401A and UE 401B in the embodiment may adopt one of the protocol stacks 500A to 500D to perform PC5 transmission related to the sensing layer.

[0097] Figure 5A A user plane (UP) / control plane (CP) based solution is shown. The UP or CP protocol stack of UE 401A or UE 401B may include a sensing layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and a physical (PHY) layer. The sensing layer is placed above the PDCP layer at the PC5 interface. Sensing related data may be transmitted via a sidelink data radio bearer (SL-DRB) or a sidelink signaling radio bearer (SL-SRB).

[0098] Figure 5B A UP-based solution is shown. The protocol stack of UE 401A or UE 401B may include a sensing layer, a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a PDCP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and a PHY layer. The sensing layer is placed above the SDAP layer at the PC5 interface. Sensing-related data may be transmitted via SL-DRB.

[0099] Figure 5C A CP-based solution is shown. The protocol stack of UE 401A or UE 401B may include a sensing layer, a PC5-S layer, a PDCP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and a PHY layer. The sensing layer is placed above the PC5-S layer at the PC5 interface. Sensing-related data may be transmitted via SL-DRB.

[0100] In some embodiments, SL-DRB (e.g., SL-SRB2 defined in 3GPP standard profiles) may be used to transmit PC5-S messages (which are protected) after PC5-S security has been established. Sensing-related packets may be transmitted via SL-SRB2 or a SL-SRB specific to PC5-based sensing.

[0101] Figure 5D A CP-based solution is shown. The protocol stack of UE 401A or UE 401B may include a sensing layer, an RRC layer, a PDCP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and a PHY layer. The sensing layer is placed above the RRC layer at the PC5 interface. Sensing-related data may be transmitted via SL-DRB.

[0102] In some embodiments, SL-DRB (e.g., SL-SRB3 defined in 3GPP standard profiles) may be used to transmit PC5-RRC signaling or messages, which may be protected and sent only after PC5-S security has been established. Sensing-related packets may be transmitted via SL-SRB3 or a SL-SRB specific to PC5-based sensing.

[0103] It should be noted that Figures 5A to 5D The protocol stack shown in is for illustrative purposes only, and other protocol stacks may also be applicable.

[0104] In procedure 400, the network (eg, BS or network node, such as AMF or SF) may trigger a PC5-based sensing service. For example, procedure 400 may be performed when the target UE is within coverage. As will be described later, the UE may trigger a PC5-based sensing service.

[0105] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the sequence of operations in the exemplary process 400 may be changed and some operations in the exemplary process 400 may be omitted or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0106] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary procedure 600 for sidelink-based sensing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The details described in all the previous embodiments of the present disclosure apply to Figure 6 The embodiments shown in .

[0107] refer to Figure 6UE 601A and UE 601B can be used as Figures 1 to 5D In some embodiments, UE 601A and UE 601B may be in coverage or out of coverage. In exemplary procedure 600, UE may trigger a PC5-based sensing service.

[0108] In operation 611, the upper layer (e.g., sensing layer) of UE 601A may notify its AS layer (e.g., RRC layer) to perform PC5-based sensing service. For example, the upper layer may transmit a request to perform PC5-based sensing to the AS layer. Figure 4 The description of the request in operations 411 to 417 in may also be applicable here. For example, the request may indicate at least one of the following: area information indicating the area in which PC5-based sensing is to be performed; accuracy requirements for PC5-based sensing services; the number of UEs that assist UE 601A in performing PC5-based sensing services; or one or more sensing methods that are desired to be used. Figure 4 The description of regional information also applies here. Figure 4 The description of the number #1 may be applicable to the number of UEs assisting UE 601A. For example, the number of UEs assisting UE 601A may be indicated as a value range (e.g., from a maximum value to a minimum value) of the minimum number of UEs.

[0109] In response to receiving a request to perform PC5-based sensing from an upper layer, the UE 601A may perform PC5-based sensing together with another UE.

[0110] For example, in operation 619 , UE 601A may select one or more UEs (eg, UE 601B) through a discovery procedure to help complete the sensing service. Figure 4 The description of operation 419 in may apply to operation 619 .

[0111] For example, in some embodiments, UE 601A may transmit a discovery message including sensing related information. The sensing related information may indicate at least the following: a cause value related to PC5-based sensing, a configuration for a PC5-based sensing RS, a capability related to a PC5-based sensing technology (e.g., the receiving UE is capable of performing a sensing technology, such as transmitting a sensing RS via a PC5 link), or area (or range) information.

[0112] After discovering a UE for assisting the PC5-based sensing service, UE 601A may establish a PC5 RRC connection with the selected UE. For example, in the case where UE 601A selects a UE with which there is no existing PC5 RRC connection with UE 601A, UE 601A may establish a PC5 RRC connection with the selected UE. In some embodiments, the PC5 RRC connection may be specific to PC5-based sensing. For example, UE 601A may establish a PC5 RRC connection specific to PC5-based sensing with UE 601B in response to a request to perform PC5-based sensing.

[0113] In the case where UE 601A selects a UE with an existing PC5 RRC connection (original PC5 RRC connection) with UE 601A, a separate PC5 RRC connection (new PC5 RRC connection) may be established for PC5-based sensing. In some embodiments, a separate PC5 RRC connection may be specific to PC5-based sensing. For example, UE 601A may transmit a request to establish a PC5 RRC connection separated from an existing PC5 RRC connection between UE 601A and UE 601B to UE 601B. In some embodiments, the request to establish a PC5 RRC connection may include an indication indicating an existing PC5 RRC connection. In some embodiments, the indication may include a pair of source ID and destination ID of an existing PC5 RRC connection. The source ID may indicate the ID of UE 601A. Based on the indication, UE 601B may be aware of the existing PC5 RRC connection between UE 601A and UE 601B and may identify the same target UE.

[0114] In some embodiments, the determination of PC5 RLF may be reused between two (ie, original and new) PC5 RRC connections.

[0115] In some embodiments, the new PC5 RRC connection may be associated with a destination ID specific to PC5-based sensing. For example, where two PC5 RRC connections are established, a separate destination ID (e.g., a destination L2 ID) may be allocated for the new PC5 RRC connection for sensing purposes. The destination ID may be allocated by UE 601A.

[0116] In some embodiments, the SUI message may include an indication of the destination L2 ID that the TX resource request and allocation from the network is focused on for sensing.

[0117] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, after the PC5 RRC connection is established, the UE 601A may transmit a packet related to PC5-based sensing (eg, a configuration for PC5-based sensing) to the UE 601B.

[0118] In some embodiments, packets related to PC5-based sensing may be generated by the sensing layer of UE 601 A. After the sensing layer generates the configuration, the configuration is delivered to the lower layers, which will transmit the configuration to the peer UE (eg, UE 601B) via the PC5 link.

[0119] In some embodiments, Figures 5A to 5D The protocol stack shown in or other protocol stacks may be applied to UE 601A and UE 601B.

[0120] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the sequence of operations in the exemplary process 600 may be changed and some operations in the exemplary process 600 may be omitted or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0121] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary procedure 700 for sidelink-based sensing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The details described in all the previous embodiments of the present disclosure apply to Figure 7 The embodiments shown in .

[0122] refer to Figure 7 UE 701A and UE 701B can be used as Figures 1 to 6 In some embodiments, UE 701A and UE 701B may be within coverage or out of coverage.

[0123] In operation 711, an upper layer (e.g., a sensing layer) of UE 701A, a BS (e.g., a serving BS of UE 701A), or a network node (e.g., an AMF or SF) may request UE 701A to perform a PC5-based sensing service. For example, UE 701A may receive a request to perform PC5-based sensing. Figure 4 Operations 411 to 417 and Figure 6 The description of the request in operation 611 in 701A may also be applicable here. For example, the request to perform PC5-based sensing may indicate at least one of the following: area information indicating a PC5-based sensing area in which the PC5-based sensing service is to be performed; accuracy requirements for the PC5-based sensing service; the number of UEs that assist the UE 701A in performing the PC5-based sensing service; or one or more sensing methods that are desired to be used. For example, the number of UEs that assist the UE 701A may be indicated as a value range (e.g., from a maximum value to a minimum value) of the minimum number of UEs.

[0124] In response to receiving the request to perform PC5-based sensing, UE 701A may perform PC5-based sensing together with another UE.

[0125] For example, in operation 719, UE 701A may select one or more UEs (eg, UE 701B) through a discovery procedure to help complete the sensing service. Figure 4 Operation 419 and Figure 6 The description of operation 619 in may apply to operation 719.

[0126] For example, in some embodiments, UE 701A may transmit a discovery message including sensing related information. The sensing related information may indicate at least the following: a cause value related to PC5-based sensing, a configuration for a PC5-based sensing RS, a capability related to a PC5-based sensing technology (e.g., the receiving UE is capable of performing a sensing technology, such as transmitting a sensing RS via a PC5 link), or area (or range) information.

[0127] After discovering a UE for assisting the PC5-based sensing service, UE 701A may establish a PC5RRC connection with the selected UE. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, after the PC5 RRC connection is established, UE 701A may transmit a packet related to PC5-based sensing (e.g., a configuration for PC5-based sensing) to UE 701B. In some embodiments, area (or range) information indicating the area in which the PC5-based sensing is to be performed may be transmitted to UE 701B.

[0128] In response to receiving the configuration, UE 701B may perform PC5-based sensing together with UE 701A. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the PC5-based sensing service may include at least one of the following: the target UE transmits a sensing RS to the auxiliary UE via the PC5 interface; the auxiliary UE reports the measurement result to the target UE after receiving the sensing RS via the PC5 interface; or the target UE may request the auxiliary UE to transmit the sensing RS via the PC5 interface.

[0129] From the perspective of UE 701A (i.e., the target UE), performing PC5-based sensing may include at least one of the following: transmitting a sensing RS to UE 701B via a PC5 interface between UE 701A and UE 701B; receiving measurement results related to the sensing RS from UE 701B; or receiving a sensing RS from UE 701B via a PC5 interface.

[0130] From the perspective of UE 701B (i.e., the assisting UE), performing PC5-based sensing may include at least one of the following: receiving a sensing RS from UE 701A via a PC5 interface between UE 701A and UE 701B; transmitting measurement results related to the sensing RS to UE 701A; or transmitting the sensing RS to UE 701A via the PC5 interface.

[0131] In some embodiments, UE 701B may report the sensing measurement results to UE 701A (e.g., transmit a sensing measurement report to UE 701A) according to at least one trigger condition. The at least one trigger condition may be configured by UE 701A. For example, UE 701A may transmit at least one trigger condition of the sensing measurement report to UE 701B. In some examples, the trigger condition may be included in the configuration for PC5-based sensing.

[0132] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, at least one trigger condition may include at least one of the following: a change in posture of the object of interest (e.g., standing or sitting down or a change in hand position); a threshold value of the number of objects of interest within a time period; or a threshold value of a change in channel quality (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP)) of the channel between UE 701A and UE 701B.

[0133] For example, when the purpose of the sensing device is to capture changes in posture changes (such as standing or sitting or changes in hand position), the "posture change" trigger condition can be used. For example, when the purpose of the sensing service is to report the density of objects of interest, the "threshold of the number of objects of interest" trigger condition can be used. For example, the threshold of the number of objects of interest can refer to the number of cars in a shipping box. For example, when the purpose of the sensing service is to report the density of rainfall (such as whether it is heavy rain or light rain), the "threshold of channel quality change" trigger condition can be used.

[0134] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, UE 701B may leave the area in which PC5-based sensing should be performed. When UE 701B leaves the area, in operation 721, UE 701B may transmit a leaving indication to UE 701A. For example, the leaving indication may be transmitted via a notification message.

[0135] In response to receiving the leave indication or notification message, UE 701A may determine whether to release the PC5 link between UE 701A and UE 701B. If UE 701A determines to stop the sensing service with UE 701B, UE 701A may transmit a release message for releasing the PC5 link between UE 701A and UE 701B to UE 701B.

[0136] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the sequence of operations in the exemplary process 700 may be changed and some operations in the exemplary process 700 may be omitted or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0137] Figure 8A flowchart illustrating an exemplary procedure 800 for sidelink-based sensing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The details described in all the previous embodiments of the present disclosure apply to Figure 8 The embodiments shown in .

[0138] refer to Figure 8 UE 801A and UE 801B can be used as Figures 1 to 7 In some embodiments, UE 801A and UE 801B may be within coverage or out of coverage.

[0139] In operation 811, an upper layer (e.g., a sensing layer) of the UE 801A, a BS (e.g., a serving BS of the UE 801A), or a network node (e.g., an AMF or a SF) may request the UE 801A to perform a PC5-based sensing service. For example, the UE 801A may receive a request to perform PC5-based sensing. Figure 4 Operations 411 to 417 in Figure 6 Operation 611 and Figure 7 The description of the request in operation 711 in is also applicable here.

[0140] For example, the request to perform PC5-based sensing may indicate at least one of the following: area information indicating an area in which PC5-based sensing is to be performed; accuracy requirements for PC5-based sensing services; the number of UEs that assist UE 801A in performing PC5-based sensing services; or one or more sensing methods that are desired to be used. For example, the number of UEs that assist UE 801A may be indicated as a value range (e.g., from a maximum value to a minimum value) of the minimum number of UEs.

[0141] In response to receiving the request to perform PC5-based sensing, UE 801A may perform PC5-based sensing together with another UE.

[0142] For example, in operation 819, UE 801A may select one or more UEs (eg, UE 801B) through a discovery procedure to help complete the sensing service. Figure 4 Operation 419, Figure 6 Operation 619 and Figure 7 The description of operation 719 in may apply to operation 819.

[0143] For example, in some embodiments, UE 801A may transmit a discovery message including sensing related information. The sensing related information may indicate at least the following: a cause value related to PC5-based sensing, a configuration for a PC5-based sensing RS, a capability related to a PC5-based sensing technology (e.g., the receiving UE is capable of performing a sensing technology, such as transmitting a sensing RS via a PC5 link), or area (or range) information.

[0144] After discovering a UE for assisting the PC5-based sensing service, UE 801A may establish a PC5RRC connection with the selected UE. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, after the PC5 RRC connection is established, in operation 821, UE 801A may transmit a packet related to PC5-based sensing (e.g., a configuration for PC5-based sensing) to UE 801B. In some embodiments, area (or range) information indicating an area in which PC5-based sensing is to be performed may be transmitted to UE 801B.

[0145] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the PDCP format may include an indication that the packet is a sensing related packet. For example, a service data unit (SDU) type specific to the sensing related packet may be used to indicate that the PDCP PDU is for sensing. Alternatively, a reserved bit (e.g., an 'R' bit) in the PDCP format may be used to indicate that the PDCP PDU is for sensing. This indication may be indicated by the sensing layer. For example, the sensing layer may indicate whether a packet associated with sensing is delivered to the PDCP layer.

[0146] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a logical channel ID (LCID) specific to sensing-related packets may be retained in the MAC layer. For example, the LCID specific to sensing-related packets may be used to transmit packets related to PC5-based sensing.

[0147] For example, UE 801A may transmit a PDCP packet including an indication indicating that the packet is a sensing related packet to UE 801 B. For example, UE 801A may transmit a packet related to PC5-based sensing to UE 801B using an LCID specific to sensing related packets.

[0148] The UE 801B may identify the packet as a sensing-related packet by at least one of: an indication in the PDCP format of the packet indicating that the packet is a sensing-related packet; or an LCID associated with the packet being specific to a sensing-related packet.

[0149] Knowing the (relative) priority of the sensing data would be advantageous as it can help us assign AS layer priorities to the sensing messages (eg, for logical channel prioritization (LCP) and UL / SL prioritization).

[0150] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the priority of a logical channel used to carry sensing messages (e.g., packets related to PC5-based sensing or sensing measurement reports) may be predefined, may be the same as or different from the priority of a logical channel used to carry non-sensing related services, or may be determined according to sensing service requirements. For example, the logical channel priority of the sensing message may be the same as the current side link (SL) SRB, for example, set to a priority value = 1. For example, the logical channel priority of the sensing message may be different from the current SL SRB, for example, set to a priority value>1. For example, depending on the requirements for the sensing service, various priority values ​​may be set for the logical channel of the sensing message. A mapping table may be maintained at a target UE (e.g., UE 801A) for determining an appropriate priority value for a sensing message associated with a particular sensing service.

[0151] In operation 825 , the UE 801B may perform PC5-based sensing together with the UE 801A based on the configuration for PC5-based sensing.

[0152] From the perspective of UE 801A (i.e., the target UE), performing PC5-based sensing may include at least one of the following: transmitting a sensing RS to UE 801B via a PC5 interface between UE 801A and UE 801B; receiving measurement results related to the sensing RS from UE 801B; or receiving a sensing RS from UE 801B via a PC5 interface.

[0153] From the perspective of UE 801B (i.e., the assisting UE), performing PC5-based sensing may include at least one of the following: receiving a sensing RS from UE 801A via a PC5 interface between UE 801A and UE 801B; transmitting measurement results related to the sensing RS to UE 801A; or transmitting the sensing RS to UE 801A via the PC5 interface.

[0154] For example, in operation 827, UE 801B may transmit a sensing measurement report to UE 801A. Similarly, as described above, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, a PDCP packet corresponding to a sensing measurement report may include an indication that the packet is a sensing-related packet. For example, a service data unit (SDU) type specific to a sensing-related packet may be used to indicate that the PDCP PDU is for sensing. Alternatively, a reserved bit (e.g., an 'R' bit) in a PDCP format may be used to indicate that the PDCP PDU is for sensing. This indication may be indicated by a sensing layer. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, an LCID specific to a sensing-related packet may be used to transmit the packet.

[0155] For example, UE 801B may transmit a PDCP packet corresponding to the sensing measurement report including an indication indicating that the packet is a sensing related packet to UE 801 A. For example, UE 801B may transmit the sensing measurement report to UE 801A using a logical channel ID specific to the sensing related packet.

[0156] For example, the UE 801A may identify the packet as a sensing-related packet by at least one of: an indication in the PDCP format of the packet indicating that the packet is a sensing-related packet; or an LCID associated with the packet being specific to a sensing-related packet.

[0157] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the priority of the logical channel for carrying the sensing measurement report may be predefined, may be the same as or different from the priority of the logical channel for carrying the non-sensing related service, or may be determined according to the sensing service requirement. For example, the priority of the logical channel of the sensing measurement report may be the same as the current SL SRB, for example, set to a priority value = 1. For example, the priority of the logical channel of the sensing measurement report may be different from the current SL SRB, for example, set to a priority value>1. For example, depending on the requirements for the corresponding sensing service, various priority values ​​may be set for the logical channel of the sensing measurement report. As described above, a mapping table may be maintained at the UE 801A for determining the appropriate priority value.

[0158] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the sequence of operations in the exemplary process 800 may be changed and some operations in the exemplary process 800 may be omitted or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0159] Fig. 9 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary procedure 900 for sidelink-based sensing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The details described in all the previous embodiments of the present disclosure apply to Fig. 9 In some examples, the procedure may be performed by a UE.

[0160] refer to Fig. 9 In operation 911, a UE (labeled as "first UE" for clarity) may receive a request to perform PC5-based sensing from an upper layer of the first UE, a BS, or a network node. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the network node may be an AMF or a SF.

[0161] In operation 913 , the first UE may perform PC5-based sensing together with another UE (labeled as “second UE” for clarity) in response to the request to perform PC5-based sensing.

[0162] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, performing PC5-based sensing may include at least one of the following: transmitting a sensing RS to the second UE via a PC5 interface between the first UE and the second UE; receiving measurement results related to the sensing RS from the second UE; or receiving a sensing RS from the second UE via the PC5 interface.

[0163] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first UE may establish a PC5 RRC connection with the second UE in response to a request to perform PC5-based sensing, wherein the PC5 RRC connection is specific to the PC5-based sensing.

[0164] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, establishing a PC5 RRC connection may include transmitting a request to establish a PC5 RRC connection separate from an existing PC5 RRC connection between the first UE and the second UE to the second UE. The request to establish a PC5 RRC connection may include an indication of the existing PC5 RRC connection. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the indication indicates a pair of source ID and destination ID of the existing PC5 RRC connection.

[0165] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a PC5 RRC connection may be associated with a destination ID specific to PC5 based sensing.

[0166] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first UE may perform at least one of: transmitting area information indicating an area in which PC5-based sensing is to be performed to the second UE; or receiving a leave indication from the second UE, wherein the leave indication is based on the area information.

[0167] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first UE may determine whether to release the PC5 link between the first UE and the second UE based on the departure indication; or transmit a release message to release the PC5 link between the first UE and the second UE to the second UE in response to receiving the departure indication.

[0168] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first UE may transmit at least one trigger condition of the sensing measurement report to the second UE. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the at least one trigger condition may include at least one of the following: a change in posture of an object of interest; a threshold value of the number of objects of interest within a period of time; or a threshold value of a change in channel quality of a channel between the first UE and the second UE.

[0169] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first UE may transmit a packet related to PC5-based sensing to the second UE. Transmitting the packet related to PC5-based sensing may include at least one of: transmitting a PDCP packet including an indication that the packet is a sensing-related packet to the second UE; or transmitting the packet related to PC5-based sensing using a logical channel ID specific to the sensing-related packet.

[0170] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first UE may receive a sensing measurement report from the second UE. Receiving the sensing measurement report may include identifying a packet corresponding to the sensing measurement report as a sensing-related packet by at least one of: an indication in a PDCP format of the packet corresponding to the sensing measurement report indicating that the packet is a sensing-related packet; or a logical channel ID associated with the packet corresponding to the sensing measurement report being specific to the sensing-related packet.

[0171] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the indication may be an SDU type specific to the sensing-related packet or a reserved bit.

[0172] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the priority of the logical channel used to carry packets or sensing measurement reports related to PC5-based sensing may be predefined, may be the same as or different from the priority of the logical channel used to carry non-sensing related services, or may be determined based on the sensing service requirements.

[0173] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the PC5 interface between the first UE and the second UE may include a sensing layer positioned above the PDCP layer, the SDAP layer, the PC5-S layer, or the RRC layer of the PC5 interface.

[0174] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the sequence of operations in the exemplary process 900 may be changed and some operations in the exemplary process 900 may be omitted or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0175] Fig.10 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary procedure 1000 for sidelink-based sensing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The details described in all the previous embodiments of the present disclosure apply to Fig.10 In some examples, the procedure may be performed by a UE.

[0176] refer to Fig.10 In operation 1011, a UE (labeled as a "second UE" for clarity) may receive a configuration for PC5-based sensing from another UE (labeled as a "first UE" for clarity). In operation 1013, the second UE may perform PC5-based sensing together with the first UE in response to receiving the configuration.

[0177] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, performing PC5-based sensing may include at least one of the following: receiving a sensing RS from the first UE via a PC5 interface between the first UE and the second UE; transmitting measurement results related to the sensing RS to the first UE; or transmitting the sensing RS to the first UE via the PC5 interface.

[0178] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second UE may establish a PC5 RRC connection between the first UE and the second UE, wherein the PC5 RRC connection is specific to PC5-based sensing.

[0179] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, establishing a PC5 RRC connection may include receiving a request from the first UE to establish a PC5 RRC connection separate from an existing PC5 RRC connection between the first UE and the second UE. The request to establish the PC5 RRC connection may include an indication of the existing PC5 RRC connection. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the indication may indicate a pair of source ID and destination ID of the existing PC5 RRC connection.

[0180] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a PC5 RRC connection may be associated with a destination ID specific to PC5 based sensing.

[0181] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second UE may perform at least one of: receiving area information indicating an area in which PC5-based sensing is to be performed from the first UE; or transmitting a departure indication to the first UE when the second UE leaves the area.

[0182] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second UE may receive a release message from the first UE to release the PC5 link between the first UE and the second UE in response to the leave indication.

[0183] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second UE may receive at least one trigger condition for the sensing measurement report from the first UE. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the at least one trigger condition may include at least one of the following: a change in posture of an object of interest; a threshold value of the number of objects of interest within a period of time; or a threshold value of a change in channel quality of a channel between the first UE and the second UE.

[0184] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second UE may identify a packet related to PC5-based sensing as a sensing-related packet by at least one of the following: an indication in a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) format of a packet related to PC5-based sensing indicating that the packet is a sensing-related packet; or a logical channel ID associated with the packet related to PC5-based sensing is specific to the sensing-related packet.

[0185] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second UE may transmit a sensing measurement report to the first UE. Transmitting the sensing measurement report may include at least one of: transmitting a PDCP packet including an indication that the packet is a sensing-related packet to the first UE; or transmitting the sensing measurement report using a logical channel ID specific to the sensing-related packet.

[0186] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the indication may be an SDU type specific to the sensing-related packet or a reserved bit.

[0187] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the priority of the logical channel used to carry packets or sensing measurement reports related to PC5-based sensing may be predefined, may be the same as or different from the priority of the logical channel used to carry non-sensing related services, or may be determined based on the sensing service requirements.

[0188] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the PC5 interface between the first UE and the second UE may include a sensing layer positioned above the PDCP layer, the SDAP layer, the PC5-S layer, or the RRC layer of the PC5 interface.

[0189] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the sequence of operations in the exemplary process 1000 may be changed and some operations in the exemplary process 1000 may be omitted or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0190] Fig.11 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary procedure 1100 for sidelink-based sensing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The details described in all the previous embodiments of the present disclosure apply to Fig.11 In some examples, the program may be executed by a network node.

[0191] refer to Fig.11 , in operation 1111, the network node may transmit a request for a PC5-based sensing service to the BS. The request for the PC5-based sensing service may indicate at least one of the following: area information indicating an area in which the PC5-based sensing is to be performed; accuracy requirements for the PC5-based sensing service; the number of UEs that assist the target UE in performing the PC5-based sensing service; or an ID of the target UE.

[0192] In operation 1113 , the network node may receive a measurement result related to the PC5-based sensing service from the BS.

[0193] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the network node may be an AMF. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the network node may be an SF, and a request for a PC5-based sensing service may be transmitted to the BS via the AMF.

[0194] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the number of UEs may be indicated as a range of values ​​or as a minimum number of UEs.

[0195] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the sequence of operations in the exemplary procedure 1100 may be changed and some operations in the exemplary procedure 1100 may be omitted or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0196] The above embodiments and procedures are related to the sensing function. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that these embodiments and procedures may also be applicable to positioning situations (eg, positioning based on PC5).

[0197] For example, "positioning" can be considered a special case of "sensing". For example, the above embodiments and procedures can be reused for positioning by simply replacing the term "sensing" with the term "positioning". For example, in the case of positioning, position-related measurements can be performed instead of sensing-related measurements.

[0198] For example, the SF in the above embodiments and procedures may be replaced by another network node, such as a location management function (LMF). The LMF may transmit a request for PC5-based positioning of the target device to the AMF. Alternatively, the AMF may determine a request for positioning. The AMF may transmit a positioning request to one or more BSs.

[0199] The LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) terminates between a target device (UE in the control plane case or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Enabled Terminal (SET) in the user plane case) and a positioning server (LMF in the control plane case or SUPL Location Platform (SLP) in the user plane case). It may use either the control plane or user plane protocol as the underlying transport. The LPP defined data structure for assistance data information is reused to support the RRC broadcast of assistance data information embedded in the positioning System Information Block (SIB). This enables broadcasting assistance data using the same data structure used for point-to-point positioning. LPP Protocol Data Units (PDUs) are carried between the AMF and the UE in Non-Access Stratum (NAS) PDUs.

[0200] NR Positioning Protocol A (NRPPa) carries information between the Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node and the LMF. The NRPPa protocol is transparent to the AMF. The AMF transparently routes the NRPPa PDU based on the routing ID corresponding to the involved LMF via the NG-Control Plane (NG-C) interface without knowing the involved NRPPa transaction. It carries the NRPPa PDU via the NG-C interface in UE-associated mode or non-UE-associated mode.

[0201] Fig.12 12 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary device 1200 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig.12 , the apparatus 1200 may include at least one processor 1206 and at least one transceiver 1202 coupled to the processor 1206. The apparatus 1200 may be a UE, a BS, or a network node (eg, an AMF, a SF, or a LMF).

[0202] Although elements are described in the singular in this figure, such as at least one transceiver 1202 and a processor 1206, the plural form is contemplated unless limitation to the singular form is explicitly stated. In some embodiments of the present application, the transceiver 1202 may be divided into two devices, such as a receive circuit system and a transmit circuit system. In some embodiments of the present application, the device 1200 may further include an input device, a memory, and / or other components.

[0203] In some embodiments of the present application, the device 1200 may be a UE. The transceiver 1202 and the processor 1206 may interact with each other to perform Figures 1 to 11 In some embodiments of the present application, the device 1200 may be a BS. The transceiver 1202 and the processor 1206 may interact with each other to perform the operations described in Figures 1 to 11 In some embodiments of the present application, the device 1200 may be a network node. The transceiver 1202 and the processor 1206 may interact with each other to perform the operations described in Figures 1 to 11 The operations of network nodes are described in .

[0204] In some embodiments of the present application, the apparatus 1200 may further include at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0205] For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store computer-executable instructions to enable the processor 1206 to implement the method described above with respect to the UE. For example, when the computer-executable instructions are executed, the processor 1206 interacts with the transceiver 1202 to perform the Figures 1 to 11 The operations of the UE are described in .

[0206] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store computer-executable instructions to enable the processor 1206 to implement the method described above with respect to the BS. For example, when the computer-executable instructions are executed, the processor 1206 interacts with the transceiver 1202 to perform the following operations: Figures 1 to 11 The operation of BS is described in .

[0207] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store computer-executable instructions to enable the processor 1206 to implement the method described above with respect to the network node. For example, when the computer-executable instructions are executed, the processor 1206 interacts with the transceiver 1202 to perform Figures 1 to 11 The operations of network nodes are described in .

[0208] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the operations or steps of the methods described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Additionally, in some aspects, the operations or steps of the methods may reside as one or any combination or set of codes and / or instructions on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

[0209] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to specific embodiments of the present disclosure, it is apparent that many substitutions, modifications, and variations may be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the various components of the embodiments may be interchanged, added, or substituted in other embodiments. Moreover, all elements of each figure are not necessary for the operation of the disclosed embodiments. For example, it will enable a person of ordinary skill in the art of the disclosed embodiments to make and use the teachings of the present disclosure by simply adopting the elements of the independent claims. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure set forth herein are intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0210] In this file, the term "includes / including" or any other changes thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method, article or equipment containing a series of elements not only includes those elements but also may include other elements that are not explicitly listed or inherent to this process, method, article or equipment. The element starting with "a / an" or the like does not exclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article or equipment containing the element without more constraints. Moreover, the term "another" is defined as at least the second or more. As used herein, the term "having" and the like are defined as "including". For example, the expression of "A and / or B" or "at least one of A and B" may include any and all combinations of the words listed together with the expression. For example, the expression "A and / or B" or "at least one of A and B" may include A, B or both A and B. The wording "first", "second" or the like is only used to clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application, rather than to limit the essence of the present application.

Claims

1. A first user equipment UE, comprising: Transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: receiving a request to perform PC5-based sensing from an upper layer of the first UE, a base station BS or a network node; and The PC5-based sensing is performed with a second UE in response to the request to perform the PC5-based sensing.

2. The first UE of claim 1, wherein performing the PC5-based sensing comprises at least one of: Transmitting a sensing reference signal RS to the second UE via a PC5 interface between the first UE and the second UE; receiving, from the second UE, a measurement result related to the sensing RS; or A sensing RS is received from the second UE via the PC5 interface.

3. The first UE of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to establish a PC5 Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection with the second UE in response to the request to perform the PC5-based sensing, wherein the PC5 RRC connection is specific to the PC5-based sensing.

4. The first UE of claim 3, wherein establishing the PC5 RRC connection comprises transmitting a request to establish the PC5 RRC connection separate from an existing PC5 RRC connection between the first UE and the second UE to the second UE; and The request to establish the PC5 RRC connection includes an indication of the existing PC5 RRC connection.

5. The first UE according to claim 4, wherein the indication indicates a pair of source ID and destination ID of the existing PC5 RRC connection. 6 . The first UE of claim 3 , wherein the PC5 RRC connection is associated with a destination ID specific to the PC5-based sensing.

7. The first UE of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to perform at least one of the following: transmitting, to the second UE, area information indicating an area in which the PC5-based sensing is to be performed; or A leave indication is received from the second UE, wherein the leave indication is based on the area information.

8. The first UE of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to: Determine whether to release the PC5 link between the first UE and the second UE based on the leave indication; or In response to receiving the leave indication, a release message is transmitted to the second UE to release the PC5 link between the first UE and the second UE. 9 . The first UE of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to transmit at least one triggering condition for a sensing measurement report to the second UE.

10. The first UE according to claim 9, wherein the at least one trigger condition comprises at least one of the following: Postural changes of the object of interest; a threshold value for the number of objects of interest within a time period; or A threshold for a change in channel quality of a channel between the first UE and the second UE.

11. The first UE of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to transmit packets related to the PC5-based sensing to the second UE, and wherein transmitting the packets related to the PC5-based sensing comprises at least one of: transmitting a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) packet including an indication that the packet is a sensing related packet to the second UE; or The packets related to the PC5 based sensing are transmitted using a logical channel ID specific to the sensing related packets.

12. The first UE of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to receive a sensing measurement report from the second UE, and wherein receiving the sensing measurement report comprises identifying a packet corresponding to the sensing measurement report as a sensing-related packet by at least one of: the indication in the PDCP format of the packet corresponding to the sensing measurement report indicates that the packet is a sensing related packet; or The logical channel ID associated with the packet corresponding to the sensing measurement report is specific to sensing related packets.

13. The first UE according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the indication is a service data unit (SDU) type specific to the sensing-related packet or a reserved bit.

14. A second user equipment UE, comprising: Transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: receiving, from the first UE, a configuration for PC5-based sensing; and The PC5-based sensing is performed with the first UE in response to receiving the configuration.

15. A network node, comprising: Transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: A request for a PC5-based sensing service is transmitted to a base station BS, wherein the request for the PC5-based sensing service indicates at least one of the following: area information indicating an area in which the PC5-based sensing is to be performed; Accuracy requirements for the PC5-based sensing service; the number of UEs that help the target UE perform the PC5-based sensing service; or The ID of the target UE; and A measurement result related to the PC5-based sensing service is received from the BS.

Images