Simultaneous reflection and sensing modes for reconfigurable smart surfaces

Abstract

A reconfigurable smart surface (RIS) may send a capability report associated with the RIS. Capability reports may be associated with reflections and sensing capabilities of the RIS. The network node may obtain a capability report associated with the RIS. The network node may transmit a first configuration of resources associated with the at least one RS and a second configuration of at least one pattern associated with reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS. At least one pattern may be associated with at least one RS. The at least one mode may include a hybrid sensing and reflective mode. The RIS may receive a first configuration of resources associated with the at least one RS and a second configuration of at least one mode associated with reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems, and more particularly, to a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) system. Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of telecommunication services, such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcast. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources. Examples of such multiple access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, and time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems.

[0003] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate at a city, country, region, and even global level. An example telecommunication standard is 5G New Radio (NR). 5G NR is part of the continuous mobile broadband evolution released by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to meet new requirements and other requirements associated with latency, reliability, security, scalability (e.g., with the Internet of Things (IoT)). 5G NR includes services associated with enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC). Some aspects of 5G NR may be based on 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards. There is a need for further improvements to 5G NR technology. These improvements may also be applicable to other multiple access technologies and telecommunication standards that employ these technologies. Summary of the invention

[0004] A brief summary of one or more aspects is given below to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all expected aspects. This summary neither identifies the key or important elements of all aspects, nor describes the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description presented later.

[0005] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method, a computer-readable medium, and an apparatus are provided. The apparatus may have a memory at a network node and at least one processor coupled to the memory. Based at least in part on information stored in the memory, the at least one processor may be configured to obtain a capability report associated with a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS). The capability report may be associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS. Based at least in part on information stored in the memory, the at least one processor may be configured to send a first configuration of resources associated with at least one reference signal (RS) and a second configuration of at least one mode associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS. At least one mode may be associated with at least one RS. At least one mode may include a hybrid sensing and reflection mode.

[0006] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method, a computer readable medium, and an apparatus are provided. The apparatus may have a memory at a RIS and at least one processor coupled to the memory. Based at least in part on information stored in the memory, the at least one processor may be configured to send a capability report associated with the RIS. The capability report may be associated with a reflection and sensing capability of the RIS. Based at least in part on information stored in the memory, the at least one processor may be configured to receive a first configuration of resources associated with at least one RS and a second configuration of at least one mode associated with the reflection and sensing capability of the RIS. At least one mode may be associated with at least one RS. At least one mode may include a hybrid sensing and reflection mode.

[0007] To achieve the foregoing and related ends, one or more aspects include features fully described below and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the accompanying drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative features of one or more aspects. However, these features are only indicative of some of the various ways in which the principles of the various aspects can be employed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and an access network.

[0009] Figure 2A is a diagram illustrating an example of a first frame according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0010] Figure 2B is a diagram illustrating an example of downlink (DL) channels within a subframe according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 2C is a diagram illustrating an example of a second frame according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 2Dis a diagram illustrating an example of uplink (UL) channels within a subframe according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a base station and a user equipment (UE) in an access network.

[0014] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a RIS configured to reflect, sense, or reflect and sense one or more reference signals (RS) from a network node according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system model of a RIS according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 6 is a connection flow diagram illustrating an example of a RIS configured to reflect, sense, or reflect and sense one or more reference signals (RS) configured by a network node in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 7 is another connection flow diagram illustrating an example of a RIS configured to reflect, sense, or reflect and sense one or more reference signals (RS) from a network node in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0018] Fig. 8A is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration for multiple RIS modes according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 8B is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration for multiple RIS modes according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] Fig. 9 is a flow chart of a method of wireless communication.

[0021] Fig.10 is another flow chart of a method of wireless communication.

[0022] Fig.11 is another flow chart of a method of wireless communication.

[0023] Fig.12 is another flow chart of a method of wireless communication.

[0024] Fig.13 is another flow chart of a method of wireless communication.

[0025] Fig.14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an example network entity.

[0026] Fig.15is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an example network entity. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The detailed description set forth below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings describes various configurations and does not represent the only configuration in which the concepts described herein can be practiced. For the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the various concepts, the detailed description includes specific details. However, these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid blurring these concepts.

[0028] Several aspects of telecommunication systems are presented with reference to various apparatus and methods. These apparatus and methods are described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, components, circuits, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements"). These elements may be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether these elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0029] As an example, an element, or any part of an element, or any combination of elements can be implemented as a "processing system" including one or more processors. Examples of processors include microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), application processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, systems on chip (SoCs), baseband processors, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gating logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform various functions described throughout the present disclosure. One or more processors in a processing system can execute software. Whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or other terms, software should be broadly interpreted as meaning instructions, instruction sets, codes, code segments, program codes, programs, subroutines, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, processes, functions, or any combination thereof.

[0030] Therefore, in one or more example aspects, embodiments, and / or use cases, the described functions can be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions can be stored on a computer-readable medium or encoded as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media. Storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. For example, such computer-readable media can include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, combinations of types of computer-readable media, or any other media that can be used to store computer-executable code in the form of instructions or data structures that can be accessed by a computer.

[0031] Although various aspects, embodiments and / or use cases are described in this application by the description of some examples, additional or different aspects, embodiments and / or use cases may occur in many different arrangements and scenarios. The aspects, embodiments and / or use cases described herein may be implemented across many different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes and packaging arrangements. For example, various aspects, embodiments and / or use cases may be generated via integrated chip embodiments and other devices based on non-module components (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial equipment, retail / purchase equipment, medical equipment, devices supporting artificial intelligence (AI), etc.). Although some examples may or may not be specifically for use cases or applications, various applicability of the described examples may occur. The scope of various aspects, embodiments and / or use cases may range from chip-level or modular components to non-modular, non-chip-level embodiments, and further to aggregated, distributed or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) devices or systems that merge one or more technologies herein. In some practical settings, the device in combination with the described aspects and features may also include additional components and features for the embodiments and practices of the claimed and described aspects. For example, the transmission and reception of wireless signals must include multiple components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components including antennas, RF chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processor(s), interleavers, adders / summers, etc.) The techniques described herein can be practiced in various devices of various sizes, shapes, and configurations, chip-level components, systems, distributed arrangements, aggregated or disaggregated components, end-user devices, etc.

[0032] The deployment of a communication system (such as a 5G NR system) can be arranged in a variety of ways with various components or components. In a 5G NR system or network, a network node, a network entity, a mobility element of a network, a radio access network (RAN) node, a core network node, a network element or a network device (such as a base station (BS)) or one or more units (or one or more components) performing base station functions can be implemented in an aggregated or deaggregated architecture. For example, a BS (such as a B node (NB), an evolved NB (eNB), an NR BS, a 5G NB, an access point (AP), a transmit receive point (TRP) or a cell, etc.) can be implemented as an aggregated base station (also called an independent BS or a monolithic BS) or a deaggregated base station.

[0033] An aggregated base station may be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node. A deaggregated base station may be configured to utilize a protocol stack physically or logically distributed between two or more units, such as one or more central or centralized units (CUs), one or more distributed units (DUs), or one or more radio units (RUs). In some aspects, a CU may be implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs may be co-located with the CU, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed across one or more other RAN nodes. A DU may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of a CU, a DU, and a RU may be implemented as a virtual unit, i.e., a virtual central unit (VCU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual radio unit (VRU).

[0034] Base station operations or network design may take into account the aggregated nature of base station functions. For example, a disaggregated base station may be utilized in an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open radio access network (O-RAN (such as a network configuration sponsored by the O-RAN Alliance)), or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN, also known as a cloud radio access network (C-RAN)). Disaggregation may include distributing functions across two or more units at various physical locations, as well as distributing functions for at least one unit virtually, which may enable flexibility in network design. Individual units of a disaggregated base station or disaggregated RAN architecture may be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit.

[0035] Figure 11 is a diagram 100 illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and an access network. The wireless communication system illustrated includes a disaggregated base station architecture. The disaggregated base station architecture may include one or more CUs 110, which may communicate directly with a core network 120 via a backhaul link, or indirectly with a core network 120 through one or more disaggregated base station units, such as a near real-time (near RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 125 via an E2 link, or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC 115 associated with a service management and orchestration (SMO) framework 105, or both. The CU 110 may communicate with one or more DUs 130 via corresponding midhaul links (e.g., F1 interfaces). The DU 130 may communicate with one or more RUs 140 via corresponding fronthaul links. The RU 140 may communicate with corresponding UEs 104 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some embodiments, a UE 104 may be served simultaneously by multiple RUs 140.

[0036] Each unit (i.e., CU 110, DU 130, RU 140, and near-RT RIC 125, non-RT RIC 115, and SMO framework 105) may include one or more interfaces, or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or send signals, data, or information (collectively, signals) via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each of the units or an associated processor or controller that provides instructions to the communication interface of the unit may be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via a transmission medium. For example, a unit may include a wired interface that is configured to receive signals or send signals to one or more other units via a wired transmission medium. In addition, a unit may include a wireless interface that may include a receiver, a transmitter, or a transceiver (such as an RF transceiver) that is configured to receive or send signals or both to one or more other units via a wireless transmission medium.

[0037] In some aspects, CU 110 may host one or more higher-layer control functions. Such control functions may include radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function may be implemented using an interface configured to transmit signals to other control functions hosted by CU 110. CU 110 may be configured to handle user plane functions (i.e., central unit-user plane (CU-UP)), control plane functions (i.e., central unit-control plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, CU 110 may be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP unit may communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP unit via an interface (such as an E1 interface). CU 110 may be implemented to communicate with DU130 as needed for network control and signaling.

[0038] DU 130 may correspond to a logical unit including one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RU 140. In some aspects, DU 130 may host one or more of a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and one or more high physical (PHY) layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation, demodulation, etc.) depending at least in part on a functional partitioning (such as that defined by 3GPP). In some aspects, DU 130 may also host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) may be implemented using an interface configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by DU 130 or with control functions hosted by CU 110.

[0039] The lower layer functions may be implemented by one or more RUs 140. In some deployments, the RUs 140 controlled by the DUs 130 may correspond to logical nodes that host RF processing functions or low PHY layer functions (such as performing Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Inverse FFT (iFFT), Digital Beamforming, Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, etc.), or both, based at least in part on functional partitioning (such as lower layer functional partitioning). In such an architecture, (multiple) RUs 140 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 104. In some embodiments, real-time and non-real-time aspects of control and user plane communications with (multiple) RUs 140 may be controlled by the corresponding DUs 130. In some scenarios, this configuration may enable (multiple) DUs 130 and CUs 110 to be implemented in a cloud-based RAN architecture (such as a vRAN architecture).

[0040] The SMO framework 105 may be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of non-virtualized and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 105 may be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which may be managed via an operation and maintenance interface, such as an O1 interface. For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 105 may be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform, such as an open cloud (O-cloud) 190, to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiation of virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface, such as an O2 interface. Such virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, CU 110, DU 130, RU 140, and near RTRIC 125. In some embodiments, the SMO framework 105 may communicate with hardware aspects of the 4G RAN, such as an open eNB (O-eNB) 111, via an O1 interface. Additionally, in some embodiments, the SMO framework 105 may communicate directly with one or more RUs 140 via an O1 interface. The SMO framework 105 may also include a non-RT RIC 115 configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 105 .

[0041] The non-RT RIC 115 may be configured to include logic functions that implement non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML) (AI / ML) workflows including model training and updating, or policy-based guidance of applications / features in the near-RT RIC 125. The non-RT RIC 115 may be coupled to or in communication with the near-RT RIC 125 (such as via an A1 interface). The near-RT RIC 125 may be configured to include logic functions that implement near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources through data collection and actions via an interface that connects one or more CUs 110, one or more DUs 130, or both, and O-eNBs to the near-RT RIC 125 (such as via an E2 interface).

[0042] In some embodiments, in order to generate an AI / ML model to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 125, the non-RT RIC 115 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. Such information may be utilized by the near-RT RIC 125 and may be received from a non-network data source or from a network function at the SMO framework 105 or the non-RT RIC 115. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 115 or the near-RT RIC 125 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 115 may monitor long-term trends and patterns of performance and employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions through the SMO framework 105 (such as via reconfiguration of O1) or via the creation of RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0043] At least one of the CU 110, the DU 130, and the RU 140 may be referred to as a base station 102. Therefore, the base station 102 may include one or more of the CU 110, the DU 130, and the RU 140 (each component is indicated by a dotted line to indicate that each component may be included in the base station 102 or may not be included in the base station 102). The base station 102 provides an access point to the core network 120 for the UE 104. The base station 102 may include a macro cell (a high-power cellular base station) and / or a small cell (a low-power cellular base station). Small cells include femto cells, pico cells, and micro cells. A network including both small cells and macro cells may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include a home evolved Node B (eNB) (HeNB) which may provide services to a restricted group referred to as a closed subscriber group (CSG). The communication link between RU 140 and UE 104 may include an uplink (UL) (also referred to as a reverse link) transmission from UE 104 to RU 140 and / or a downlink (DL) (also referred to as a forward link) transmission from RU 140 to UE 104. The communication link may use multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming and / or transmit diversity. The communication link may be through one or more carriers. Base station 102 / UE 104 may use a spectrum of up to Y MHz (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 100, 400, etc. MHz) bandwidth per carrier allocated in a carrier aggregation of up to Yx MHz (x component carriers) for transmission in each direction. The carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for DL ​​compared to UL). Component carriers may include a primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers. The primary component carrier may be referred to as a primary cell (PCell), and the secondary component carrier may be referred to as a secondary cell (SCell).

[0044] Some UEs 104 may communicate with each other using a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 158. The D2D communication link 158 may use DL / UL wireless wide area network (WWAN) spectrum. The D2D communication link 158 may use one or more sub-link channels, such as a physical sub-link broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sub-link discovery channel (PSDCH), a physical sub-link shared channel (PSSCH), and a physical sub-link control channel (PSCCH). The D2D communication may be through various wireless D2D communication systems, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, LTE, or NR.

[0045] The wireless communication system may also include a Wi-Fi AP 150 that communicates with a UE 104 (also referred to as a Wi-Fi station (STA)) via a communication link 154 (e.g., in a 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum, etc.). When communicating in an unlicensed spectrum, the UE 104 / AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) prior to communicating to determine whether a channel is available.

[0046] The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc. based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified as frequency ranges named FR1 (410 MHz–7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz–52.6 GHz). Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the “sub-6 GHz” band in various literature and articles. A similar naming issue sometimes occurs with respect to FR2, which is often (interchangeably) referred to as the “millimeter wave” band in literature and articles, although it is different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz-300 GHz) identified as the “millimeter wave” band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

[0047] Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are generally referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR research has identified the operating bands of these mid-band frequencies as the frequency range designation FR3 (7.125GHz-24.25GHz). The frequency bands falling within FR3 can inherit FR1 characteristics and / or FR2 characteristics, and therefore the features of FR1 and / or FR2 can be effectively extended to mid-band frequencies. In addition, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operations to more than 52.6GHz. For example, three higher operating bands have been identified as the frequency range designations FR2-2 (52.6GHz-71 GHz), FR4 (71GHz-114.25GHz), and FR5 (114.25GHz-300GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands falls within the EHF band.

[0048] In view of the above aspects, unless otherwise specifically stated, the term "sub-6 GHz" and the like (if used herein) may broadly refer to frequencies that may be less than 6 GHz, may be within FR1, or may include mid-band frequencies. In addition, unless otherwise specifically stated, the term "millimeter wave" and the like (if used herein) may broadly refer to frequencies that may include mid-band frequencies, may be within FR2, FR4, FR2-2 and / or FR5, or may be within the EHF band.

[0049] The base station 102 and the UE 104 may each include multiple antennas (such as antenna elements, antenna panels, and / or antenna arrays) to facilitate beamforming. The base station 102 may send a beamformed signal 182 to the UE 104 in one or more transmit directions. The UE 104 may receive the beamformed signal from the base station 102 in one or more receive directions. The UE 104 may also send a beamformed signal 184 to the base station 102 in one or more transmit directions. The base station 102 may receive the beamformed signal from the UE 104 in one or more receive directions. The base station 102 / UE 104 may perform beam training to determine the best receive and transmit directions for each of the base station 102 / UE 104. The transmit direction and receive direction of the base station 102 may be the same or different. The transmit direction and receive direction of the UE 104 may be the same or different.

[0050] The base station 102 may include and / or be referred to as a gNB, a Node B, an eNB, an access point, a base transceiver station, a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), a transmit receive point (TRP), a network node, a network entity, a network equipment, or some other suitable term. The base station 102 may be implemented as an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a relay node, a side link node, an aggregated (monolithic) base station with a baseband unit (BBU) (including a CU and a DU) and a RU, or as a disaggregated base station including one or more of a CU, a DU, and / or a RU. A set of base stations that may include disaggregated base stations and / or aggregated base stations may be referred to as a next generation (NG) RAN (NG-RAN).

[0051] The core network 120 may include an access and mobility management function (AMF) 161, a session management function (SMF) 162, a user plane function (UPF) 163, a unified data management (UDM) 164, one or more location servers 168, and other functional entities. AMF 161 is a control node that handles signaling between UE 104 and the core network 120. AMF 161 supports registration management, connection management, mobility management, and other functions. SMF 162 supports session management and other functions. UPF 163 supports packet routing, packet forwarding, and other functions. UDM 164 supports the generation of authentication and key agreement (AKA) credentials, user identity processing, access authorization, and subscription management. One or more location servers 168 are shown as including a gateway mobile location center (GMLC) 165 and a location management function (LMF) 166. However, in general, one or more location servers 168 may include one or more location / positioning servers, which may include one or more of GMLC 165, LMF 166, position determination entity (PDE), serving mobile location center (SMLC), mobile positioning center (MPC), etc. GMLC 165 and LMF 166 support UE location services. GMLC 165 provides an interface for clients / applications (e.g., emergency services) to access UE positioning information. LMF 166 receives measurement and assistance information from NG-RAN and UE 104 via AMF 161 to calculate the location of UE 104. NG-RAN can determine the location of UE 104 using one or more positioning methods. Positioning UE 104 may involve signal measurements, position estimation, and optional speed calculation based on measurements. Signal measurements may be performed by UE 104 and / or serving base station 102. The measured signals may be based on one or more of: a satellite positioning system (SPS) 170 (e.g., one or more of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), a global positioning system (GPS), a non-terrestrial network (NTN), or other satellite positioning / positioning systems), LTE signals, wireless local area network (WLAN) signals, Bluetooth signals, a terrestrial beacon system (TBS), sensor-based information (e.g., a pressure sensor, a motion sensor), a NR enhanced cell ID (NR E-CID) method, NR signals (e.g., multi-round trip time (multi-RTT), DL angle of departure (DL-AoD), DL time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA), UL time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA), and UL angle of arrival (UL-AoA) positioning), and / or other systems / signals / sensors.

[0052] Examples of UE 104 include cellular phones, smart phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), satellite radios, global positioning systems, multimedia devices, video devices, digital audio players (e.g., MP3 players), cameras, game consoles, tablet computers, smart devices, wearable devices, vehicles, electric meters, gas pumps, large or small kitchen appliances, healthcare equipment, implants, sensors / actuators, displays, or any other similarly functional devices. Some of the UEs 104 may be referred to as IoT devices (e.g., parking meters, gas pumps, toasters, vehicles, heart monitors, etc.). UE 104 may also be referred to as stations, mobile stations, subscriber stations, mobile units, subscriber units, wireless units, remote units, mobile devices, wireless devices, wireless communication devices, remote devices, mobile subscriber stations, access terminals, mobile terminals, wireless terminals, remote terminals, handsets, user agents, mobile clients, clients, or some other suitable terminology. In some scenarios, the term UE may also be applied to one or more companion devices such as in a device constellation arrangement. One or more of these devices may access the network collectively and / or individually.

[0053] The RIS 106 may be a meta-surface configured to receive an incident wave from the base station 102 or the RU 140 of the base station 102. The RIS 106 may be configured to reflect the incident wave to a desired direction, sense one or more properties of the incident wave, or reflect a portion of the incident wave and sense one or more properties of the portion of the incident wave. The one or more properties may include, for example, an angle of arrival (AoA), a phase, or an amplitude of the incident wave or a portion of the incident wave.

[0054] Refer again Figure 1In some aspects, the RIS 106 may have a reflection and sensing application component 198 configured to send a capability report associated with the RIS. The capability report may be associated with the reflection and sensing capability of the RIS. The reflection and sensing application component 198 may be configured to receive a first configuration of resources associated with at least one RS and a second configuration of at least one mode associated with the reflection and sensing capability of the RIS. At least one mode may be associated with at least one RS. At least one mode may include a hybrid sensing and reflection mode. In some aspects, the base station 102 may have a reflection and sensing configuration component 199 configured to obtain a capability report associated with the RIS. The capability report may be associated with the reflection and sensing capability of the RI. The reflection and sensing configuration component 199 may be configured to send a first configuration of resources associated with at least one RS and a second configuration of at least one mode associated with the reflection and sensing capability of the RIS. At least one mode may be associated with at least one RS. At least one mode may include a hybrid sensing and reflection mode. Although the following description may focus on RIS devices, the concepts described herein may be applicable to any device capable of sensing a portion of an incident wave and reflecting a portion of the incident wave. Although the following description may focus on 5G NR, the concepts described herein may be applicable to other similar areas such as LTE, LTE-A, CDMA, GSM, and other wireless technologies capable of transmitting wireless signals that can be reflected and / or sensed by a RIS device or similar RIS devices.

[0055] Figure 2A 200 is a diagram illustrating an example of a first subframe within a 5G NR frame structure. Figure 2B 230 is a diagram showing an example of DL channels within a 5G NR subframe. Figure 2C 250 is a diagram illustrating an example of a second subframe within a 5G NR frame structure. Figure 2D 280 is a diagram illustrating an example of UL channels within a 5G NR subframe. The 5G NR frame structure may be frequency division duplex (FDD), where for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), a subframe within a subcarrier set is dedicated to either DL or UL, or may be time division duplex (TDD), where for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), a subframe within a subcarrier set is dedicated to both DL and UL. Figure 2A , Figure 2CIn the example provided, it is assumed that the 5G NR frame structure is TDD, where subframe 4 is configured with slot format 28 (primarily DL), where D is DL, U is UL, and F is flexibly used between DL / UL, and subframe 3 is configured with slot format 1 (all UL). Although subframes 3 and 4 are shown as having slot formats 1 and 28, respectively, any particular subframe can be configured with any of the various available slot formats 0-61. Slot formats 0 and 1 are all DL and UL, respectively. Other slot formats 2-61 include a mix of DL, UL and flexible symbols. The UE is configured with the slot format by receiving a slot format indicator (SFI) (dynamically through DL control information (DCI) or semi-statically / statically through radio resource control (RRC) signaling). Note that the description below also applies to the 5G NR frame structure as TDD.

[0056] Figure 2A-2D The frame structure is shown, and various aspects of the present disclosure are applicable to other wireless communication technologies that may have different frame structures and / or different channels. A frame (10ms) may be divided into 10 equally sized subframes (1ms). Each subframe may include one or more time slots. A subframe may also include a microslot, which may include 7, 4, or 2 symbols. Each time slot may include 14 or 12 symbols, depending on whether the cyclic prefix (CP) is normal or extended. For a normal CP, each time slot may include 14 symbols, and for an extended CP, each time slot may include 12 symbols. The symbol on the DL may be a CP orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) (CP-OFDM) symbol. The symbol on the UL may be a CP-OFDM symbol (for high throughput scenarios) or a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) extended OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbol (also known as a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) symbol) (for power-limited scenarios, limited to single stream transmission). The number of time slots within a subframe is based on the CP and parameter set (numerology). The parameter set defines the subcarrier spacing (SCS) and effectively defines the symbol length / duration, which is equal to 1 / SCS.

[0057]

[0058] For normal CP (14 symbols / slot), different parameter sets μ to 4 allow 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 slots per subframe, respectively. For extended CP, parameter set 2 allows 4 slots per subframe. Thus, for normal CP and parameter set μ, there are 14 symbols / slot and 2 μ timeslots / subframe. The subcarrier spacing can be equal to 2 μ*15kHz, where μ is parameter set 0 to 4. Thus, parameter set μ has a subcarrier spacing of 15kHz and parameter set μ has a subcarrier spacing of 240kHz. The symbol length / duration is inversely proportional to the subcarrier spacing. Figure 2A-2D An example of a normal CP is provided, with 14 symbols per slot and parameter set μ symbols, with 4 slots per subframe. The slot duration is 0.25 ms, the subcarrier spacing is 60 kHz, and the symbol duration is approximately 16.67 μs. Within a frame set, there may be one or more different bandwidth parts (BWPs) that are frequency-division multiplexed (see Figure 2B ). Each BWP can have a specific parameter set and CP (normal or extended).

[0059] A resource grid may be used to represent a frame structure. Each slot includes a resource block (RB) (also called a physical RB (PRB)) extending 12 consecutive subcarriers. The resource grid is divided into a number of resource elements (REs). The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0060] like Figure 2A As shown, some of the REs carry reference (pilot) signals (RS) for the UE. The RS may include a demodulation RS (DM-RS) (indicated as R for one specific configuration, but other DM-RS configurations are possible) and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) for channel estimation at the UE. The RS may also include a beam measurement RS (BRS), a beam refinement RS (BRRS), and a phase tracking RS (PT-RS).

[0061] Figure 2BExamples of various DL channels within a subframe of a frame are shown. A physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries DCI within one or more control channel elements (CCEs) (e.g., 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 CCEs), each CCE including six RE groups (REGs), each REG including 12 consecutive REs in an OFDM symbol of an RB. A PDCCH within a BWP may be referred to as a control resource set (CORESET). The UE is configured to monitor PDCCH candidates in a PDCCH search space (e.g., a common search space, a UE-specific search space) during a PDCCH monitoring opportunity on a CORESET, wherein the PDCCH candidates have different DCI formats and different aggregation levels. Additional BWPs may be located at higher and / or lower frequencies across the channel bandwidth. A primary synchronization signal (PSS) may be within symbol 2 of a particular subframe of a frame. UE 104 uses the PSS to determine subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identification. A secondary synchronization signal (SSS) may be within symbol 4 of a particular subframe of a frame. The UE uses the SSS to determine the physical layer cell identification group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identity and the physical layer cell identity group number, the UE can determine the physical cell identifier (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the DM-RS. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying the master information block (MIB) can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form a synchronization signal (SS) / PBCH block (also called SS block (SSB)). The MIB provides the number of RBs in the system bandwidth and the system frame number (SFN). The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information (such as system information blocks (SIBs)) that is not sent through the PBCH, and paging messages.

[0062] like Figure 2C As shown, some of the REs carry DM-RS for channel estimation at the base station (indicated as R for one specific configuration, but other DM-RS configurations are possible). The UE may send DM-RS for a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and DM-RS for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). The PUSCH DM-RS may be sent in the first or first two symbols of the PUSCH. The PUCCH DM-RS may be sent in different configurations, depending on whether a short PUCCH or a long PUCCH is sent and on the specific PUCCH format used. The UE may send a sounding reference signal (SRS). The SRS may be sent in the last symbol of the subframe. The SRS may have a comb structure, and the UE may send the SRS on one of the teeth of the comb. The SRS may be used by the base station for channel quality estimation to achieve frequency-dependent scheduling on the UL.

[0063] Figure 2DExamples of various UL channels within a subframe of a frame are shown. The PUCCH may be positioned as indicated in a configuration. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, channel quality indicators (CQI), precoding matrix indicators (PMI), rank indicators (RI), and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement (ACK) (HARQ-ACK) feedback (i.e., one or more HARQ ACK bits indicating one or more ACKs and / or negative ACKs (NACKs)). The PUSCH carries data and may additionally be used to carry buffer status reports (BSRs), power headroom reports (PHRs), and / or UCI.

[0064] Figure 3 370 is a block diagram of a base station 310 communicating with a UE 350 in an access network. In the DL, Internet Protocol (IP) packets may be provided to a controller / processor 375. The controller / processor 375 implements layer 3 and layer 2 functions. Layer 3 includes a radio resource control (RRC) layer, and layer 2 includes a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a medium access control (MAC) layer. The controller / processor 375 provides RRC layer functionality associated with broadcasting of system information (e.g., MIB, SIB), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-radio access technology (RAT) mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with upper layer packet data unit (PDU) transmission, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0065] The transmit (Tx) processor 316 and the receive (Rx) processor 370 implement layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1 including the physical (PHY) layer may include error detection on the transmission channel, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of the transmission channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. The Tx processor 316 processes the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), M-order quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols can then be split into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to an OFDM subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time domain and / or frequency domain, and then combined together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to generate a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM stream is spatially precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator 374 may be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes and for spatial processing. The channel estimates may be derived based on a reference signal and / or channel condition feedback sent by the UE 350. Each spatial stream may then be provided to a different antenna 320 via a separate transmitter 318Tx. Each transmitter 318Tx may modulate a radio frequency (RF) carrier with a corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0066] At the UE 350, each receiver 354Rx receives a signal through its corresponding antenna 352. Each receiver 354Rx recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to a receive (Rx) processor 356. The Tx processor 368 and the Rx processor 356 implement layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. The Rx processor 356 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial stream destined for the UE 350. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 350, the Rx processor 356 can combine them into a single OFDM symbol stream. The Rx processor 356 then transforms the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain using a fast Fourier transform (FFT). The frequency domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols and reference signals on each subcarrier are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation point sent by the base station 310. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates calculated by the channel estimator 358. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally sent on the physical channel by base station 310. The data and control signals are then provided to controller / processor 359, which implements layer 3 and layer 2 functions.

[0067] The controller / processor 359 may be associated with a memory 360 that stores program codes and data. The memory 360 may be referred to as a computer readable medium. In the UL, the controller / processor 359 provides demultiplexing between transport channels and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets. The controller / processor 359 is also responsible for error detection using ACK and / or NACK protocols to support HARQ operations.

[0068] Similar to the functions described in conjunction with DL transmissions performed by the base station 310, the controller / processor 359 provides: RRC layer functions associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functions associated with transmission of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto TBs, demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0069] The Tx processor 368 may select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme, and facilitate spatial processing using channel estimates derived by the channel estimator 358 based on a reference signal or feedback sent by the base station 310. The spatial streams generated by the Tx processor 368 may be provided to different antennas 352 via separate transmitters 354Tx. Each transmitter 354Tx may modulate an RF carrier with a corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0070] UL transmissions are processed at the base station 310 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with the receiver functionality at the UE 350. Each receiver 318Rx receives a signal through its respective antenna 320. Each receiver 318Rx recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to an Rx processor 370.

[0071] The controller / processor 375 may be associated with a memory 376 that stores program codes and data. The memory 376 may be referred to as a computer readable medium. In the UL, the controller / processor 375 provides demultiplexing between transport channels and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, control signal processing to recover IP packets. The controller / processor 375 is also responsible for error detection using ACK and / or NACK protocols to support HARQ operations.

[0072] At least one of the Tx processor 316, the Rx processor 370, and the controller / processor 375 may be configured to combine Figure 1 The reflection and sensing configuration component 199 is used to perform various aspects.

[0073] Figure 4 is a diagram 400 showing an example of a RIS 406 configured to receive a signal 403 from a network node 402 and reflect a reflected signal 405 to a UE 404. One or more of the metaelements 407 of the metasurface of the RIS 406 may have a sensing mode, a reflection mode, or a hybrid sensing and reflection mode.

[0074] When the meta-element 407 is switched to the reflection mode, the meta-element 407 can be configured to reflect the signal 403 to the desired direction. The configuration of one or more reflection elements (such as the meta-element 407) can be used to aim the signal 403 in the desired direction. For example, one or more reflection coefficients of the meta-element 407 can be changed to change the direction in which the reflected signal 405 is centered. For example, the first coefficient can be changed to change the amplitude of the reflected signal 405 from the meta-element 407, and the second coefficient can be changed to shift the phase of the reflected signal 405 from the meta-element 407. The configuration of the meta-element 407 of the RIS 406 can depend on the knowledge of the direction of the incident wave of the signal 403. In other words, information about the direction in which the signal 403 approaches the meta-element 407 or the AoA of the signal 403 relative to the meta-element 407 can be used to increase the accuracy with which the meta-element 407 centers or aims the reflected signal 405. However, if the superelement 407 is configured to have a reflection mode rather than a sensing mode, it may be difficult for components of the RIS 406 to estimate the incident wave direction, and therefore one or more reflection coefficients of the superelement 407 .

[0075] When the superelement 407 is switched to a sensing mode, the superelement 407 can be configured to sense one or more properties of the signal 403. The superelement can sense the signal 403 using a waveguide coupled to each meta-atom of the superelement 407. Each waveguide can be connected to an RF chain, allowing the RIS 406 to locally process a portion of the received signal in the digital domain. By evaluating one or more phases of the waveguide signal associated with one or more superelements (e.g., a group of superelements), the RIS 406 can calculate the AoA of the arriving signal. In one aspect, when multiple waveguides are arranged linearly, the AoAθ can satisfy Where φ may be the inter-waveguide phase difference, d may be the inter-waveguide distance, and λ may be the wavelength of the received signal. Based on the calculated AoA, RIS 406 may determine one or more reflection coefficients for each superelement 407 for DL ​​transmission (e.g., a signal from network node 402 reflected from RIS 406 to UE 404) or UL transmission (e.g., a signal from UE 404 reflected from RIS 406 to network node 402).

[0076] When one or more super-elements 407 of the RIS 406 are switched to the reflection mode, it may be difficult for the RIS 406 to determine the appropriate reflection coefficients for each super-element 407 to focus the direction of the reflected signal 405 to be centered on the antenna of the UE 404. When one or more super-elements 407 of the RIS 406 are switched to the sensing mode, the RIS 406 may be able to determine one or more reflection coefficients of the signal 403 to focus the direction of the reflected signal 405, but the super-elements 407 in the sensing mode cannot reflect the signal 403. One or more super-elements 407 of the RIS 406 can be configured to have reflection and sensing capabilities, so that the metasurface of the RIS 406 can reflect a portion of the impinging signal in a controllable manner while sensing another portion of the impinging signal. In other words, one or more super-elements 407 can have a hybrid sensing and reflection mode. In some aspects, one or more super-elements 407 can be switched to the sensing mode, while one or more other super-elements can be switched to the reflection mode. Such sensing capabilities can enable the RIS 406 to perform both channel estimation and positioning. Based on the results of processing received signals (such as signal 403) using the sensing mode, RIS 406 can determine one or more reflection coefficients for each superelement 407 to optimize the direction of reflected signal 405 so that reflected signal 405 is centered on UE 404 or an antenna of UE 404.

[0077] The network node 402 may have a reflection and sensing configuration component 199. The reflection and sensing configuration component 199 may be configured to obtain a capability report associated with the RIS. The capability report may be associated with the reflection and sensing capability of the RIS. The reflection and sensing configuration component 199 may be configured to send a first configuration of resources associated with at least one RS and a second configuration of at least one mode associated with the reflection and sensing capability of the RIS. The at least one mode may be associated with the at least one RS. The at least one mode may include a hybrid sensing and reflection mode.

[0078] RIS 406 may have a reflection and sensing application component 198. Reflection and sensing application component 198 may be configured to send a capability report associated with the RIS. The capability report may be associated with the reflection and sensing capability of the RIS. Reflection and sensing application component 198 may be configured to receive a first configuration of resources associated with at least one RS and a second configuration of at least one mode associated with the reflection and sensing capability of the RIS. At least one mode may be associated with at least one RS. At least one mode may include a hybrid sensing and reflection mode.

[0079] As described above, the reflection and sensing application component 198 is configured to send a capability report associated with the RIS. The capability report may be associated with the reflection and sensing capability of the RIS. The reflection and sensing application component 198 may be configured to receive a first configuration of resources associated with at least one RS and a second configuration of at least one mode associated with the reflection and sensing capability of the RIS. At least one mode may be associated with at least one RS. At least one mode may include a hybrid sensing and reflection mode. The reflection and sensing application component 198 may be within a processor of the RIS 406. The reflection and sensing application component 198 may be one or more hardware components specifically configured to perform the stated process / algorithm, implemented by one or more processors configured to perform the stated process / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium for one or more processors to implement, or some combination thereof. In one configuration, the RIS 406 includes a means for sending a capability report associated with the RIS. The RIS 406 may include a means for receiving a first configuration of resources associated with at least one RS and a second configuration of at least one mode associated with the reflection and sensing capability of the RIS. The RIS 406 may include a means for activating at least one mode based on the second configuration of at least one mode. RIS 406 may include means for activating at least one mode based on a second configuration of the at least one mode by activating at least one of a sensing mode or a reflection mode. RIS 406 may include means for activating the at least one mode based on a second configuration of the at least one mode by activating a sensing mode associated with a first time period. RIS 406 may include means for activating the at least one mode based on a second configuration of the at least one mode by activating a hybrid sensing and reflection mode associated with a second time period. RIS 406 may include means for activating the at least one mode based on a second configuration of the at least one mode by activating a reflection mode during a third time period between the first time period and the second time period. RIS 406 may include means for activating the at least one mode based on a second configuration of the at least one mode by activating a second sensing mode associated with a fourth time period. RIS 406 may include means for activating the at least one mode based on a second configuration of the at least one mode by activating a second hybrid sensing and reflection mode associated with a fifth time period. RIS 406 may include means for activating the at least one mode based on a second configuration of the at least one mode by activating a sensing mode during an overlapping time period in response to the first time period overlapping with the second time period during the overlapping time period. The RIS 406 may include means for activating the at least one mode based on a second configuration of the at least one mode by periodically activating the at least one mode.RIS 406 may include a component for applying a first sensing power and a reflection power ratio to a hybrid sensing and reflection mode in response to an SNR performance of at least one RS being greater than or equal to an SNR threshold. RIS 406 may include a component for applying a second sensing power and a reflection power ratio to a hybrid sensing and reflection mode in response to an SNR performance of at least one RS being less than or equal to an SNR threshold. RIS 406 may include a component for estimating an AoA of at least one RS based on a first configuration of resources during at least one of a sensing mode or a hybrid sensing and reflection mode in at least one mode. RIS 406 may include a component for adjusting a superelement reflection coefficient based on an estimate of the AoA. RIS 406 may include a component for reflecting at least one RS during at least one of a hybrid sensing and reflection mode or a reflection mode in at least one mode. The component may be a reflection and sensing application component 198 of RIS 406, which is configured to perform the functions recited by the component.

[0080] Figure 5 5 is a diagram 500 illustrating an example of a system model of a RIS having a metasurface 510 configured to sense an incident signal 502 and reflect the incident signal 502 to create a reflected signal 504. The metasurface 510 may have a plurality of metaelements numbered from metaelement 1 520 to metaelement N 540. The metasurface 510 may be configured to operate in at least one mode associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS, such as a reflection mode, a sensing mode, or a hybrid sensing and reflection mode.

[0081] A portion of the incident signal 502 may be received by superelement 1 520, which receives the incident signal at element 1 521 via receiving antenna 522. If superelement 1 520 operates in a hybrid sensing and reflection mode, the hybrid RIS may divide the arriving signal power such that part of the power is reflected and part of the power is received. A power divider 523 may separate the received incident signal at element 1 521 such that ρ1 of the power is directed toward meter 524 for reflection, and 1-ρ1 of the power is directed toward meters 525 to 526 for sensing, where ρ1≤1. If ρ1=0, superelement 1 520 may be configured to operate in a sensing mode. If ρ1=1, superelement 1 520 may be configured to operate in a reflection mode. If 0<ρ1<1, superelement 1 520 may be configured to operate in a hybrid sensing and reflection mode.

[0082] A portion of the incident signal at element 1 521 that is directed toward meter 524 may be reflected via antenna 531 as a reflected signal at element 1 532. One or more reflection coefficients of antenna 531 may be used to direct the reflected signal at element 1 532 toward a target device such as a Figure 4 Network node 402 or Figure 4 UE 404 in focus.

[0083] A portion of the incident signal at element 1 521 directed to meter 525 may be accumulated by accumulator 527 to feed to RF chain 528. Accumulator 527 may also receive a portion of the incident signal at element N 541 directed to meter 545. The received signal accumulated by accumulator 527 may be used to enhance the sensing signal power by connecting multiple super elements to a common waveguide at RF chain 528 to generate a sensing signal at RF chain 1 529. The RF chain may have an analog-to-digital converter to convert the sensing signal at RF chain 1 529 to a digital signal. Multiple channel outputs may be propagated to multiple ports in a microstrip to feed to a digital controller 580, which may sense one or more properties of the accumulated signal, such as a phase difference between waveguides or a wavelength of the received signal. The digital controller 580 may provide feedback to power divider 523 to control the power distribution. The digital controller 580 may provide feedback to one or more of meters 524, 525, and 526 to control the phase shift of the received signal.

[0084] A portion of the incident signal 502 may be received by superelement N 540, which receives the incident signal at element N 541 via receive antenna 542. If superelement N 540 operates in a hybrid sensing and reflection mode, the hybrid RIS may divide the arriving signal power such that part of the power is reflected and part of the power is received. A power divider 543 may separate the received incident signal at element N 541 such that p N The power is directed toward meter 544 for reflection, and 1-ρ N The power is directed to meters 545 to 546 for sensing, where ρ N ≤1. If ρ N =0, the superelement N540 may be configured to operate in the sensing mode. N =1, the superelement N 540 may be configured to operate in reflective mode. N <1, the superelement N 540 may be configured to operate in a hybrid sensing and reflection mode.

[0085] A portion of the incident signal at element N 541 directed toward meter 544 may be reflected via antenna 551 as a reflected signal at element N 552. One or more reflection coefficients of antenna 551 may be used to direct the reflected signal at element N 552 toward a target device such as a Figure 4 Network node 402 or Figure 4 UE 404 in focus.

[0086] A portion of the incident signal at element N 541 directed toward meter 545 may be accumulated by accumulator 547 to feed to RF chain 548. Accumulator 547 may also receive a portion of the incident signal directed toward meter 525 at element 1 521. The received signal accumulated by accumulator 547 may be used to enhance the sensing signal power by connecting multiple superelements to a common waveguide at RF chain 548 to generate a sensing signal at RF chain 1 549. The RF chain may have an analog-to-digital converter to convert the sensing signal at RF chain 1 549 to a digital signal. Multiple channel outputs may be propagated to multiple ports in the microwave transmission strip to feed to digital controller 580, which may sense one or more properties of the accumulated signal, such as the inter-waveguide phase difference or the wavelength of the received signal. Digital controller 580 may provide feedback to power divider 543 to control the power distribution. Digital controller 580 may provide feedback to one or more of meters 544, 545, and 546 to control the phase shift of the received signal. The digital controller 580 may be configured to perform the same operations as described above, for example, by activating the RIS mode. Figure 1 Aspects related to reflection and sensing application component 198.

[0087] Each of the superelements 1 520 through N 540 may be configured to individually and independently operate in one of three modes, or the metasurfaces 510 of the superelements 1 through N 540 may be configured to operate together as a group of superelements in one of three modes.

[0088] The sensing mode can use all received power for sensing (e.g., 1-N =0). Using the sensing mode, the metasurface 510 can be used to estimate the AoA of the received incident signal 502. The sensing mode can be used to initially detect a transmitting device (such as Figure 44 or UE 404 in the AoA). Based on the direction of the AoA, the reflection and sensing application component 198 can determine the appropriate reflection coefficient (e.g., phase value) for each of the super elements 1 520 to N 540 of the metasurface 510. Thus, the reflection and sensing application component 198 can maximize the power received by the network node in the UL or by the UE in the DL. The sensing mode can be used when the received signal strength from the transmitting device (such as a new UE) is unknown, allowing all the received power of the incident signal at element 1 521 to be used for sensing.

[0089] Reflection mode can use all received power to reflect (e.g., 1-N =1). Using the reflection mode, after sensing is performed by the RIS, the metasurface 510 can be used for data transmission between two wireless devices (such as a network node and a UE).

[0090] The hybrid sensing and reflection mode may divide part of the received power into sensing and part of the received power into reflection, respectively. The hybrid sensing and reflection mode may be used to track the movement of the UE. The hybrid sensing and reflection mode may use some of the received power for sensing and some of the received power for reflection (e.g., 0 < p 1-N <1). When the received signal strength from the transmitting device (such as a UE) is known, the hybrid sensing and reflection mode can be used. The RIS can be able to successfully sense the properties of the incident signal at element 1 521 with less power dedicated to sensing in sensing, allowing the unused portion of the power to be reflected to improve throughput and spectral efficiency. The protocol and signaling messages can be used by the reflection and sensing application component 198 to determine which mode to switch to, the power division in the hybrid sensing and reflection mode, and the reflection coefficients of the super elements 1 520 to N 540.

[0091] Figure 6 6 is a connection flow diagram 600 illustrating an example of a RIS 604 configured to reflect, sense, or reflect and sense one or more reference signals (RS) configured by a network node 602 for a UE 606 .

[0092] RIS 604 may send capability report 608 to network node 602. Network node 602 may receive capability report 608 from RIS 604. Capability report 608 may include an indication that RIS 604 supports sensing mode or an indication that RIS 604 does not support sensing mode. Capability report 608 may include an indication that RIS 604 supports hybrid sensing and reflection mode or an indication that RIS 604 does not support hybrid sensing and reflection mode. If RIS 604 is switched to sensing mode or switched to hybrid sensing and reflection mode, capability report 608 may include an indication of a time domain length for completing sensing. If RIS 604 is switched to sensing mode or switched to hybrid sensing and reflection mode, capability report 608 may include an indication of a wait time for completing sensing.

[0093] At 610, the network node 602 may configure one or more RS resources for reflection by the RIS 604 or may configure one or more RS resources for transmission by the UE 606. At 610, the network node 602 may also configure one or more RIS modes for the RIS 604 to switch to during one or more time periods. In one aspect, the network node 602 may configure UL reference signal resources (e.g., SRS) with associated attributes that indicate to the RIS 604 that the RIS 604 should switch to a mode such as a reflection mode, a sensing mode, or a hybrid sensing and reflection mode. In addition to configuring UL reference signal parameters for transmission (e.g., for transmission by the UE 606 to the network node 602), the network node 602 may also configure UL reference signal parameters for reception (e.g., for reception by the RIS 604 from the UE 606). The time domain length of the UL reference signal for the sensing mode or the hybrid sensing and reflection mode may be based on the sensing capability of the RIS 604. In other words, the time domain length of the UL reference signal for the sensing mode or the hybrid sensing and reflection mode may be based on the capability report 608 received by the network node 602 from the RIS 604 .

[0094] In one aspect, the network node 602 may configure a DL reference signal (e.g., CSI-RS) with associated attributes that indicate to the RIS 604 that the RIS 604 should switch to a mode such as a reflection mode, a sensing mode, or a hybrid sensing and reflection mode. In addition to configuring DL reference signal parameters for transmission (e.g., for transmission by the network node 602 to the UE 606), the network node 602 may also configure DL reference signal parameters for reception (e.g., for reception by the RIS 604 from the network node 602). The time domain length of the DL reference signal for the sensing mode or the hybrid sensing and reflection mode may be based on the sensing capability of the RIS 604. In other words, the time domain length of the DL reference signal for the sensing mode or the hybrid sensing and reflection mode may be based on the capability report 608 received by the network node 602 from the RIS 604.

[0095] The one or more RS resource configurations 612 may include, for example, a DCI or a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE) that schedules UL or DL ​​reference signals. The one or more RS resource configurations 612 may include, for example, an indication that the RIS 604 switches to a mode (such as a sensing mode, a reflection mode, or a hybrid sensing and reflection mode) for a period of time. The indication may be in a field or a portion of a field of the DCI or MAC-CE. The network node 602 may be configured to schedule UL reference signals or DL ​​reference signals during a time period when the network node 602 schedules the RIS 604 to be set to the reflection mode. The network node 602 may be configured to schedule UL reference signals without scheduling DL reference signals during a time period when the network node 602 schedules the RIS 604 to be set to the sensing mode or the hybrid sensing and reflection mode. The one or more RS resource configurations 612 may schedule a periodic pattern or aperiodic trigger for mode switching of the RIS 604. In other words, one or more patterns may be scheduled to repeat periodically, or may be scheduled for a specific time period. The one or more RS resource configurations 612 may schedule resources for multiple UEs. The one or more RS resource configurations 612 may include a transmission grant for the UE 606. The one or more RS resource configurations 612 may include a resource identifier, such as an SRS resource identifier. Such an identifier may be useful in a system with multiple UEs transmitting or receiving data during overlapping time periods.

[0096] The one or more RS resource configurations 614 may be the same as the one or more RS resource configurations 612. In one aspect, the one or more RS resource configurations 612 and the one or more RS resource configurations 614 may include a DCI or MAC-CE scheduling a UL reference signal or a DL reference signal for the UE 606. The one or more RS resource configurations 614 may be different from the one or more RS resource configurations 612. In one aspect, the one or more RS resource configurations 614 may include a DCI or MAC-CE scheduling a UL reference signal or a DL reference signal for the UE 606, and the one or more RS resource configurations 612 may include a signal containing one or more indicators of one or more attributes or parameters of the one or more RS 622.

[0097] The network node 602 may send one or more RS resource configurations 614 to the UE 606. The UE 606 may receive one or more RS resource configurations 614 from the network node 602. The UE 606 may use the one or more RS resource configurations 614 to send UL reference signals to the network node 602 via the RIS 604 or to receive DL reference signals from the network node 602 via the RIS 604.

[0098] The network node 602 may send one or more RS resource configurations 612 to the RI 604. The RIS 604 may receive the one or more RS resource configurations 612 from the network node 602. The RIS 604 may use the one or more RS resource configurations 612 to configure one or more parameters for reflection of one or more RS 622 sent by the UE 606 to the RIS 604.

[0099] At 616, the network node 602 may configure one or more RIS modes of the RIS 604. The network node 602 may send one or more RIS mode configurations 618 to the RIS 604. The RIS 604 may receive the one or more RIS mode configurations 618 from the network node 602. In one aspect, the one or more RIS mode configurations 618 may be the same as the one or more RS resource configurations 612. For example, the one or more RS resource configurations 612 and the one or more RIS mode configurations 618 may include a DCI or MAC-CE scheduling one or more UL reference signals or DL ​​reference signals for the UE 606, which may also include an indicator for the RIS 604 to switch to a mode during the scheduled transmission. For example, a sensing mode for a first UL transmission and a hybrid sensing and reflection mode for a second UL transmission.

[0100] At 620, the RIS 604 may activate a RIS mode. If the mode is a sensing mode, the RIS 604 may perform sensing, but may not perform reflection of one or more RS 622. If the mode is a reflection mode, the RIS 604 may perform reflection of one or more RS 622 from the UE 606 to generate one or more reflected RS 624 to the network node 602. If the mode is a hybrid sensing and reflection mode, the RIS 604 may use a portion of the power of the one or more RS 622 to perform sensing on the one or more RS 622, and may use a portion of the power of the one or more RS 622 to reflect the one or more RS 622 to generate one or more reflected RS 624. In some aspects, the RIS 604 may periodically activate a mode (e.g., sensing mode or reflection mode) for a number of cycles after a period of time.

[0101] In one aspect, when RIS 604 is in hybrid sensing and reflection mode, RIS 604 can change the divided power for sensing based on the change of the incident signal. For example, in response to the movement of UE 606, the change of the strength of the arrival signal from one or more RS 622, or the change of the number and / or distribution of multiple arrival paths to RIS 604, RIS 604 can be configured to change the ratio between the power used for sensing and the power used for reflection. The sensing mode of RIS 604 can include estimating the direction or AoA of one or more RS 622 from UE 606. Such estimation can be performed by RIS 604 based on Rx beam scanning, multi-signal classification (MUSIC), compressed sensing or machine learning algorithms. In one aspect, RIS 604 can be configured to increase SNR based on the number of UEs communicating with RIS 604, the number of propagation paths, the distance of UE 606 repositioned from RIS 604, or the speed at which UE 606 moves.

[0102] In one aspect, the RIS 604 may be configured to redetermine the power division between reflection and sensing, and use the new power ratio for reflection and sensing. For example, the RIS 604 may be configured to update the power division based on sensing performance. If the sensing performance deteriorates (e.g., the SNR of the sensed signal is lower than or equal to a threshold), the RIS 604 may divide more power in sensing (e.g., reduce the p value). If the sensing performance gets better (e.g., the SNR of the sensed signal is higher or equal to a threshold), the RIS 604 may divide less power in sensing (e.g., increase the p value). In one aspect, the network node 602 may be configured to detect the SNR from the RIS 604, and provide feedback to the RIS 604 in one or more RIS mode configurations 618 at 616. The network node 602 may be configured to determine the UL transmission format based on the most recent received power of one or more reflection RS 624 (e.g., SRS) when the RIS 604 is in a hybrid sensing and reflection mode. For example, the network node 602 may determine the PUSCH format, which may include a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), the number of layers of the format, or a precoding matrix of the format.

[0103] In one aspect, if RIS 604 operates in reflection mode or hybrid transmit and reflect mode, RIS 604 may reflect one or more RS 622 using reflection coefficients determined when RIS 604 is in sensing mode or when RIS 604 is in hybrid transmit and reflect mode.

[0104] The UE 606 may send one or more RS 622 to the RI 604 based on the one or more RS resource configurations 614. The UE 606 may send one or more RS 622 to the RIS 604 when the RIS 604 is in the sensing mode or when the RIS 604 is in the hybrid sensing and reflection mode. When the RIS 604 is in the sensing mode or in the hybrid sensing and reflection mode, the RIS 604 may measure one or more properties of the one or more RS 622, which may be used to calculate the AoA of the arriving signal. When the RIS 604 is in the sensing mode, the RIS 604 may perform sensing at all received powers of the one or more RS 622 to estimate the AoA of the one or more RS 622 and determine the reflection coefficient of each super element of the RIS 604. When the RIS 604 is in the hybrid sensing and reflection mode, the RIS 604 may perform sensing at part of the received powers of the one or more RS 622 to estimate the AoA of the one or more RS 622 and determine the reflection coefficient of each super element of the RIS 604. If the RIS 604 is in sensing mode or in hybrid sensing and reflection mode, when the UE 606 transmits or receives a reference signal, the RIS 604 may use the stored directions sensed by the RIS 604 to generate corresponding DL / UL reflection coefficients for one or more super elements of the RIS 604. If the RIS 604 is in hybrid sensing and reflection mode, the RIS 604 may determine the power allocation between reflection and sensing based on the received signal power and / or sensing conditions. The RIS 604 may reflect one or more reflection RSs 624 at the determined reflection power.

[0105] In one aspect, if UE 606 sends one or more RS 622 (such as SRS) to RIS 604, and no other UE sends any signal to RIS 604, RIS 604 can sense a direction or path set associated with one or more RS 622. In response, RIS 604 can determine one or more reflection coefficients based on the sensed direction or main path. On the other hand, if there are multiple UEs that send signals received by RIS 604, and one of the multiple UEs is UE 606 that sends one or more RS 622 to RIS 604, RIS 604 can sense multiple directions or paths associated with multiple UEs. RIS 604 can estimate and store the direction or AoA of each reference signal (e.g., each SRS resource), which can be equivalent to associating each direction or AoA with a discrete UE in multiple UEs. In other words, if RIS 604 receives several SRS resources, RIS 604 can link each SRS resource to one UE. When the UE 606 transmits one or more RS 622, the RIS 604 may use the stored UE direction or AoA to generate the corresponding UL reflection coefficient of the super-element. As a corollary, if the RIS 604 is to receive a set of RSs from a network node, the RIS 604 may use the stored UE direction or AoA to generate the corresponding DL reflection coefficient of the super-element of the RIS 604.

[0106] In one aspect, if the RIS 604 operates in the reflection mode, then in the DL or UL time slots or symbols, the RIS 604 can be configured to use the corresponding reflection coefficients for the DL or UL, respectively. On the other hand, if the RIS 604 operates in the hybrid sensing and reflection mode, then the RIS 604 can reflect one or more RS 622 using the corresponding reflection coefficients for the UL. Because the RIS 604 performs sensing to determine the appropriate reflection coefficients, the RIS 604 can also be configured to use the corresponding reflection coefficients for the UL, respectively.

[0107] When the RIS 604 is in the reflection mode or in the hybrid sensing and reflection mode, the RIS 604 may use a reflection coefficient based on one or more properties of the one or more RS 622. The RIS 604 may be able to perform sensing in its sensing mode to determine the appropriate reflection coefficient of the super element of the RIS 604, so that the SNR of the one or more reflected RS 624 can be improved. When the RIS 604 is in the hybrid sensing and reflection mode, the RIS 604 may use part of the received power for its sensing operation, and the remaining received power may be reflected to transmit one or more reflected RS 624, so that the spectrum efficiency may be improved. This hybrid mode also provides latency for tracking the movement of the UE 606.

[0108] At 626, the network node 602 may process the one or more reflected RSs 624, such as by measuring a reference signal received power (RSRP) of the one or more reflected RSs 624 or by measuring a phase shift of the one or more reflected RSs 624. The network node 602 may generate one or more updated RS resource configurations based on the processing of the one or more reflected RSs 624. For example, the network node 602 may update a transmission format of the RIS 604 based on the measured RSRP of the one or more reflected RSs 624.

[0109] Figure 7 700 is a connection flow diagram illustrating an example of a RIS 704 configured to reflect, sense, or reflect and sense one or more reference signals (RS) from a UE 706 to a network node 702. At 708, the RIS 704 may activate a sensing mode. The UE 706 may send one or more RS 710 to the RIS 704. The RIS 704 may receive one or more RS 710 from the UE 706. At 712, the RIS 704 may perform sensing on the one or more RS 710 to sense one or more properties (e.g., wavelength, inter-waveguide phase difference) of the one or more RS 710 sent from the UE 706 to the RIS 704. The RIS 704 may calculate one or more reflection coefficients based on the sensed properties. At 714, the RIS 704 may activate a reflection mode. The UE 706 may send one or more RS 716 to the RIS 704. The RIS 704 may receive one or more RS 716 from the UE 706. At 712, the RIS 704 may reflect the one or more RS 716 using the one or more reflection coefficients calculated based on the sensed attributes. The RIS 704 may receive the one or more RS 716 and may reflect the one or more RS 716 using full power and the one or more reflection coefficients calculated at 712 to generate one or more reflected RSs that are sent to the network node 702. The network node 702 may receive the one or more reflected RSs 718 and may process the one or more reflected RSs 718 at 720.

[0110] At 722, the RIS 704 may activate a hybrid sensing and reflection mode. The RIS 704 may use a reflection coefficient calculated based on the properties calculated at 712 during the sensing mode of the RIS 704. The UE 706 may send one or more RS 724 to the RIS 704. The RIS 704 may receive the one or more RS 724 from the UE 706. The RIS 704 may use a portion of the received power of the one or more RS 724 to reflect one or more reflected RS 728. At 726, the RIS 704 may use a portion of the received power of the one or more RS 724 to sense properties of the one or more RS 724, such as a new AoA or the speed at which the UE 706 is traveling. The RIS 704 may continue to update one or more properties of the one or more RS 724 to update any reflection coefficients that the RIS 704 may use. The RIS 704 may reflect the one or more RS 724 using the updated reflection coefficients to generate one or more reflected RS 728. The RIS 704 may send or reflect one or more reflected RS 728 to the network node 702. The network node 702 may receive the one or more reflected RS 728. At 730, the network node 702 may process the one or more reflected RS 728.

[0111] Fig. 8A 8 is a diagram 800 showing an example of a configuration for multiple RIS modes. Diagram 800 may represent a configuration received by a RIS, such as Figure 6 8. The configuration may include, for example, a sensing pattern 802 that starts at time 0 and may be periodic and repeat every six time slots, such as a sensing pattern 806 at time 6. The configuration may also include a hybrid sensing and reflection pattern 804 at time slots 3 and 4, and a hybrid sensing and reflection pattern 808 at time slot 7. Sensing patterns 802 and 806 may be considered periodic RIS patterns that repeat every six time slots. Hybrid sensing and reflection patterns 804 and 808 may be considered dynamic or non-periodic RIS patterns that do not repeat.

[0112] Periodic or semi-persistent pattern patterns can be used by network nodes such as Figure 6 RIS 604 may be configured to apply the sensing mode during the overlap. Fig. 8AIn the diagram 800 in FIG. 8 , the configuration may not have a reflective mode. The RIS may be configured to apply a reflective mode between two sensing modes, between two hybrid sensing and reflective modes, or in any interval between a sensing mode and a hybrid sensing and reflective mode.

[0113] Figure 8B 8 is a diagram 850 showing an example of an updated configuration of diagram 500 for multiple RIS modes. Diagram 850 illustrates a sensing mode 802 at time 0, a reflection mode 803 applied at times 1 and 2 between the sensing mode 802 and the hybrid sensing and reflection mode 804, and a hybrid sensing and reflection mode 804 at times 3 and 4. Diagram 850 also shows that the sensing mode 806 can be periodic and repeat at time 6, and between the sensing mode 806 at time 5 and the hybrid sensing and reflection mode 804 at time 4, the RIS can apply a reflection mode 805. The RIS can also apply a reflection mode 809 after any scheduled sensing mode or hybrid sensing and reflection mode. If the network node detects that the receive SNR is deteriorating, the network node can configure a dynamic or aperiodic sensing mode or a hybrid sensing and reflection mode to readjust the reflection coefficient of the RIS.

[0114] Fig. 9 900 is a flow chart of a method of wireless communication. The method may be performed by a network node (e.g., base station 102, base station 310, network node 402, network node 602, network node 702, network entity 1402, network entity 1560). At 902, the network node may obtain a capability report associated with a RIS. The capability report may be associated with a reflective and sensing capability of the RIS. For example, 902 may be performed by Figure 6 The network node 602 in , which may obtain a capability report 608 from the RIS 604 associated with the RIS 604. The capability report 608 may be associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS. In addition, 902 may be performed by Fig.14 or Fig.15 Component 199 in is used for execution.

[0115] At 904, the network node may send a first configuration of resources associated with at least one RS. The network node may send a second configuration of at least one mode associated with reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS. The at least one mode may be associated with the at least one RS. The at least one mode may include a hybrid sensing and reflection mode. For example, 904 may be Figure 6The network node 602 in the embodiment may be executed by sending one or more RS resource configurations 612 associated with one or more RS 622 to the RIS 604, or sending one or more RS resource configurations 614 associated with one or more RS 622 to the UE 606. The network node 602 may send one or more RIS mode configurations 618 of at least one mode associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS 604 to the RIS 604. At least one mode may be associated with the RIS 604. At least one mode may include a hybrid sensing and reflection mode. In addition, 904 may be performed by Fig.14 or Fig.15 Component 199 in is used for execution.

[0116] Fig.10 1000 is a flow chart of a method of wireless communication. The method may be performed by a network node (e.g., base station 102, base station 310, network node 402, network node 602, network node 702, network entity 1402, network entity 1560). At 1002, the network node may obtain a capability report associated with a RIS. The capability report may be associated with a reflective and sensing capability of the RIS. For example, 1002 may be performed by Figure 6 1002 may be performed by a network node 602 in the example, which may obtain a capability report 608 from a RIS 604 associated with the RIS 604. The capability report 608 may be associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS. Fig.14 or Fig.15 Component 199 in is used for execution.

[0117] At 1004, the network node may send a first configuration of resources associated with at least one RS and a second configuration of at least one mode associated with reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS, wherein the at least one mode may be associated with the at least one RS. The at least one mode may include a hybrid sensing and reflection mode. For example, 1004 may be performed by Figure 6 The network node 602 in the embodiment may be executed by sending one or more RS resource configurations 612 associated with one or more RS 622 to the RIS 604, or sending one or more RS resource configurations 614 associated with one or more RS 622 to the UE 606. The network node 602 may send one or more RIS mode configurations 618 of at least one mode associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS 604 to the RIS 604. The at least one mode may be associated with the RIS 604. The at least one mode may include a hybrid sensing and reflection mode. In addition, 1004 may be performed by Fig.14 or Fig.15 Component 199 in is used for execution.

[0118] At 1001, a network node may configure resources associated with at least one RS and at least one mode associated with at least one RS based on a capability report. For example, 1001 may be configured by Figure 6 The network node 602 in the embodiment may configure RS resources associated with one or more RS 622 and at least one mode associated with one or more RS 622 at 610 based on the capability report 608. In addition, 1001 may be performed by Fig.14 or Fig.15 Component 199 in is used for execution.

[0119] At 1008, the network node may receive a reflected RS from the RIS. The first configuration of resources associated with the at least one RS may include a transmission format based on an RSRP measurement of the reflected RS. For example, 1008 may be Figure 6 624. At 626, the network node 602 may process the one or more reflected RS 624. The network node 602 may update one or more RS resource configurations 612 associated with the one or more RS 622 with an updated transmission format based on RSRP measurements of the one or more reflected RS 624. In addition, 1008 may be performed by Fig.14 or Fig.15 Component 199 in is used for execution.

[0120] Fig.11 1100 is a flow chart of a method for wireless communication at a RIS. At 902, the RIS may send a capability report associated with the RIS. The capability report may be associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS. For example, 1102 may be performed by Figure 6 1102 may be performed by RIS 604 in the network node 602, and RIS 604 may send a capability report 608 associated with RIS 604 to the network node 602. Capability report 608 may be associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of RIS 604. In addition, 1102 may be performed by Figure 4 or Figure 5 Component 198 in is executed.

[0121] At 1104, the RIS may receive a first configuration of resources associated with at least one RS. The RIS may receive a second configuration of at least one mode associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS. The at least one mode may be associated with the at least one RS. The at least one mode may include a hybrid sensing and reflection mode. For example, 1104 may be performed by the RIS 604, which may receive one or more RS resource configurations 612 associated with one or more RSs 622 from the network node 602. The RIS 604 may receive one or more RIS mode configurations 618 of at least one mode associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS 604. The at least one mode may be associated with the one or more RSs 622. Additionally, 1104 may be performed by Figure 4 or Figure 5 Component 198 in is used to execute.

[0122] Fig.12 1200 is a flow chart of a method for wireless communication at a RIS. At 1202, the RIS may send a capability report associated with the RIS. The capability report may be associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS. For example, 1202 may be performed by Figure 6 1202 may be performed by RIS 604 in the network node 602, and RIS 604 may send a capability report 608 associated with RIS 604 to the network node 602. Capability report 608 may be associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of RIS 604. In addition, 1202 may be performed by RIS 604 in the network node 602, and RIS 604 may send a capability report 608 associated with RIS 604 to the network node 602. Capability report 608 may be associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of RIS 604. Figure 4 or Figure 5 Component 198 in is used to execute.

[0123] At 1204, the RIS may receive a first configuration of resources associated with at least one RS and a second configuration of at least one mode associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS. The at least one mode may be associated with the at least one RS. The at least one mode may include a hybrid sensing and reflection mode. For example, 1204 may be performed by the RIS 604, which may receive one or more RS resource configurations 612 associated with one or more RSs 622 from the network node 602. The RIS 604 may receive one or more RIS mode configurations 618 of at least one mode associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS 604. The at least one mode may be associated with the one or more RSs 622. Additionally, 1204 may be performed by Figure 4 or Figure 5 Component 198 in is used to execute.

[0124] At 1206, the RIS activates at least one mode based on a second configuration of the at least one mode. For example, 1206 may be performed by Figure 6RIS 604 in the RIS 604 can be executed, and RIS 604 can activate at least one mode at 620 based on one or more RIS mode configurations 618. In addition, 1206 can be performed by Figure 4 or Figure 5 Component 198 in is used to execute.

[0125] At 1208, the RIS may activate at least one of a sensing mode or a reflective mode. For example, 1208 may be performed by Figure 6 1208 may also be performed by RIS 604 in the embodiment, which may activate at least one of the sensing mode or the reflection mode at 620. Figure 7 1208 may be performed by RIS 704 in the embodiment, which may activate the sensing mode at 708 or the reflection mode at 714. Figure 4 or Figure 5 Component 198 in is used to execute.

[0126] At 1210, the RIS may periodically activate at least one mode. For example, 1210 may be performed by Figure 6 RIS 604 in the embodiment of the present invention may periodically activate at least one mode at 620. In addition, 1210 may be performed by Fig.14 or Figure 5 Component 198 in is executed.

[0127] At 1212, the RIS may activate a sensing mode associated with the first time period. For example, 1212 may be performed by Figure 6 RIS 604 may be used to perform the process of activating a sensing mode associated with a first time period at 620. For example, Fig. 8A The sensing mode 802 in the embodiment continues for a period of time. In addition, 1212 can be Figure 4 or Figure 5 Component 198 in is used to execute.

[0128] At 1214, the RIS may activate a hybrid sensing and reflection mode associated with the second time period. For example, 1214 may be performed by Figure 6 RIS 604 can activate a hybrid sensing and reflection mode associated with the second time period. Fig. 8A In the hybrid sensing and reflection mode 804. In addition, 1214 can be composed of Figure 4 or Figure 5 Component 198 in is used to execute.

[0129] At 1216, the RIS may activate the reflective mode during a third time period between the first time period and the second time period. For example, 1216 may be performed by Figure 6RIS 604 may activate the reflective mode during a third time period between the first time period and the second time period. Figure 8B The reflection mode 803 in the embodiment is between the sensing mode 802 and the hybrid sensing and reflection mode 804. In addition, 1216 can be composed of Figure 4 or Figure 5 Component 198 in is used to execute.

[0130] At 1218, the RIS may activate a second sensing mode associated with a fourth time period. For example, 1218 may be performed by Figure 6 RIS 604 can be used to perform the second sensing mode associated with the fourth time period. Fig. 8A In the sensing mode 806. In addition, 1218 can be composed of Figure 4 or Figure 5 Component 198 in is used to execute.

[0131] At 1220, the RIS may activate a second hybrid sensing and reflection mode associated with the fifth time period. The fourth time period and the fifth time period may be consecutive. For example, 1220 may be Figure 6 RIS 604 can activate a second hybrid sensing and reflection mode associated with a fifth time period. Fig. 8A The time period of the sensing mode 806 may be continuous with the time period of the hybrid sensing and reflection mode 808. In addition, 1220 may be composed of Figure 4 or Figure 5 Component 198 in is used to execute.

[0132] Fig.13 1300 is a flow chart of a method for wireless communication at a RIS. At 1302, the RIS may send a capability report associated with the RIS. The capability report may be associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS. For example, 1302 may be performed by Figure 6 1302 may be performed by RIS 604 in the network node 602, and RIS 604 may send a capability report 608 associated with RIS 604 to the network node 602. Capability report 608 may be associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of RIS 604. In addition, 1302 may be performed by Figure 4 or Figure 5 Component 198 in is used to execute.

[0133] At 1304, the RIS may receive a first configuration of resources associated with at least one RS and a second configuration of at least one mode associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS. The at least one mode may be associated with the at least one RS. The at least one mode may include a hybrid sensing and reflection mode. For example, 1304 may be performed by the RIS 604, which may receive one or more RS resource configurations 612 associated with one or more RSs 622 from the network node 602. The RIS 604 may receive one or more RIS mode configurations 618 of at least one mode associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS 604. The at least one mode may be associated with the one or more RSs 622. Additionally, 1304 may be performed by Figure 4 or Figure 5 Component 198 in is used to execute.

[0134] At 1306, the RIS may activate the sensing mode during the overlapping time period in response to the first time period corresponding to the sensing mode overlapping the second time period corresponding to the hybrid sensing and reflection mode. The second configuration of the at least one mode may include a first indication for activating the sensing mode associated with the first time period and a second indication for activating the hybrid sensing and reflection mode associated with the second time period. During the overlapping time period, the first time period overlaps the second time period. For example, 1306 may be composed of Figure 6 The RIS 604 may be executed in the RIS 604, and the RIS 604 may activate the sensing mode during the overlapping time period in response to the first time period corresponding to the sensing mode overlapping the second time period corresponding to the hybrid sensing and reflection mode. The second configuration of at least one mode may include a first indication for activating the sensing mode associated with the first time period and a second indication for activating the hybrid sensing and reflection mode associated with the second time period. During the overlapping time period, the first time period overlaps the second time period. In addition, 1306 may be performed by Figure 4 or Figure 5 Component 198 in is used to execute.

[0135] At 1308, in response to the SNR performance of the at least one RS being greater than or equal to the SNR threshold, the RIS may apply the first sensing power and reflection power ratio to the hybrid sensing and reflection mode. The second configuration of the at least one mode may include an indication of the sensing power and reflection power ratio associated with the hybrid sensing and reflection mode of the at least one mode based on a comparison of the SNR performance associated with the at least one RS and the SNR threshold. For example, 1308 may be performed by Figure 61308 may be performed by RIS 604 in the hybrid sensing and reflection mode, and RIS 604 may apply the first sensing power and reflection power ratio to the hybrid sensing and reflection mode in response to the SNR performance of the at least one RS being greater than or equal to the SNR threshold. The second configuration of the at least one mode may include: based on a comparison of the SNR performance associated with the at least one RS and the SNR threshold, an indication of the sensing power and reflection power ratio associated with the hybrid sensing and reflection mode of the at least one mode. In addition, 1308 may be performed by Figure 4 or Figure 5 Component 198 in is used to execute.

[0136] At 1310, in response to the SNR performance of at least one RS being less than or equal to the SNR threshold, the RIS may apply a second sensing power and reflection power ratio to the hybrid sensing and reflection mode. Figure 6 RIS 604 in the embodiment may be executed, and RIS 604 may apply a second sensing power and reflection power ratio to the hybrid sensing and reflection mode in response to the SNR performance of at least one RS being less than or equal to the SNR threshold. In addition, 13010 may be performed by Figure 4 or Figure 5 Component 198 in is used to execute.

[0137] Fig.141400 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a network entity 1402. The network entity 1402 may be a BS, a component of a BS, or may implement BS functionality. The network entity 1402 may include at least one of a CU 1410, a DU 1430, or a RU 1440. For example, depending on the layer functionality handled by the component 199, the network entity 1402 may include a CU 1410; both a CU 1410 and a DU 1430; each of the CU 1410, the DU 1430, and the RU 1440; the DU 1430; both a DU 1430 and a RU 1440; or a RU 1440. The CU 1410 may include a CU processor 1412. The CU processor 1412 may include an on-chip memory 1412'. In some aspects, the CU 1410 may also include an additional memory module 1414 and a communication interface 1418. CU1410 communicates with DU 1430 via a midhaul link such as an F1 interface. DU 1430 may include a DU processor 1432. DU processor 1432 may include on-chip memory 1432'. In some aspects, DU 1430 may also include additional memory modules 1434 and communication interfaces 1438. DU 1430 communicates with RU 1440 via a fronthaul link. RU 1440 may include a RU processor 1442. RU processor 1442 may include on-chip memory 1442'. In some aspects, RU 1440 may also include additional memory modules 1444, one or more transceivers 1446, antenna 1480, and communication interface 1448. RU 1440 communicates with UE 104. On-chip memory 1412', 1432', 1442' and additional memory modules 1414, 1434, 1444 may each be considered a computer-readable medium / memory. Each computer-readable medium / memory may be non-transitory. Each of processors 1412, 1432, 1442 is responsible for general processing, including executing software stored on the computer-readable medium / memory. The software, when executed by the corresponding processor(s), causes the processor(s) to perform the various functions described above. The computer-readable medium / memory may also be used to store data manipulated by the processor(s) when executing the software.

[0138] As described above, component 199 is configured to obtain a capability report associated with a RIS. The capability report may be associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS. Component 199 may be configured to send a first configuration of resources associated with at least one RS and a second configuration of at least one mode associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS. At least one mode may be associated with at least one RS. At least one mode may include a hybrid sensing and reflection mode. Component 199 may be within one or more processors of one or more of CU 1410, DU 1430, and RU 1440. Component 199 may be one or more hardware components specifically configured to execute the process / algorithm, implemented by one or more processors configured to execute the process / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium for implementation by one or more processors, or some combination thereof. Network entity 1402 may include various components configured for various functions. In one configuration, network entity 1402 includes a component for obtaining a capability report associated with a RIS. Network entity 1402 may include a component for sending a first configuration of resources associated with at least one RS and a second configuration of at least one mode associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS. The network entity 1402 may include a component for configuring resources associated with at least one RS and at least one mode associated with at least one RS based on the capability report. The network entity 1402 may include a component for receiving a reflected RS from a RIS. The component may be a component 199 of the network entity 1402 configured to perform the functions recited by the component. As described above, the network entity 1402 may include a Tx processor 316, an Rx processor 370, and a controller / processor 375. Thus, in one configuration, the component may be a Tx processor 316, an Rx processor 370, and / or a controller / processor 375 configured to perform the functions recited by the component.

[0139] Fig.151500 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware implementation for a network entity 1560. In one example, the network entity 1560 may be within the core network 120. The network entity 1560 may include a network processor 1512. The network processor 1512 may include an on-chip memory 1512'. In some aspects, the network entity 1560 may also include an additional memory module 1514. The network entity 1560 communicates with the CU 1502 directly (e.g., a backhaul link) or indirectly (e.g., through the RIC) via a network interface 1580. The on-chip memory 1512' and the additional memory module 1514 may each be considered a computer-readable medium / memory. Each computer-readable medium / memory may be non-transitory. The processor 1512 is responsible for general processing, including executing software stored on a computer-readable medium / memory. The software causes the (multiple) processors to perform the various functions described above when executed by (multiple) corresponding processors. The computer-readable medium / memory may also be used to store data manipulated by the processor when executing the software.

[0140] As described above, component 199 is configured to obtain a capability report associated with the RIS. The capability report may be associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS. Component 199 may be configured to send a first configuration of resources associated with at least one RS and a second configuration of at least one mode associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS. At least one mode may be associated with at least one RS. At least one mode may include a hybrid sensing and reflection mode. Component 199 may be within processor 1512. Component 199 may be one or more hardware components specifically configured to perform the process / algorithm, implemented by one or more processors configured to perform the process / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium for one or more processors to implement, or some combination thereof. Network entity 1560 may include various components configured for various functions. In one configuration, network entity 1560 includes a component for obtaining a capability report associated with the RIS. Network entity 1560 may include a component for sending a first configuration of resources associated with at least one RS and a second configuration of at least one mode associated with the reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS. The network entity 1560 may include means for configuring resources associated with at least one RS and at least one mode associated with at least one RS based on the capability report. The network entity 1560 may include means for receiving a reflected RS from the RIS. The means may be a component 199 of the network entity 1560 configured to perform the functions recited by the means.

[0141] A RIS (such as a Figure 6A system of RIS 604 in the embodiment of the present invention enables a network node to adjust the mode of the RIS to dynamically adjust its performance for optimization purposes. In one aspect, a RIS that switches between a sensing mode and a reflection mode to derive a reflection coefficient and reflect an incident signal, respectively, can have a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for sensing at the RIS or for data reception at a UE or network node that receives the reflected signal. However, if the channel state changes slowly (e.g., the channel state changes once every 5 periodic sensing modes), frequent sensing may result in low spectral efficiency. In addition, when the channel state changes rapidly, infrequent sensing may result in delayed reflection coefficient updates. In one aspect, a RIS using a hybrid sensing and reflection mode can have a good balance between real-time sensing and high data transmission throughput. However, a RIS using a hybrid sensing and reflection mode can have a low SNR for sensing at the RIS or a low SNR for data reception at a UE or network node that receives the reflected signal. By allowing the network node to dynamically change the mode of RIS between sensing mode, reflection mode, and hybrid sensing and reflection mode, the network node can optimize the ability of RIS to maximize SNR while also maintaining a good balance between real-time sensing and high data transmission throughput.

[0142] It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of the blocks in the disclosed process / flowchart is an illustration of an example approach. Based on design preferences, it should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of the blocks in the process / flowchart can be rearranged. In addition, some blocks can be combined or omitted. The attached method claims present the elements of the various blocks in a sample order and are not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0143] The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not limited to the aspects described herein, but are to be consistent with the full scope of the language claims. Unless otherwise specified, reference to singular elements does not mean "one and only one", but "one or more". Terms such as "if", "when ... " and "while ... " do not mean an immediate time relationship or reaction. That is, these phrases (e.g., "when ... ") do not imply an immediate action in response to the occurrence of an action or during the occurrence of an action, but simply imply that if a condition is met, the action will occur, but no specific or immediate time constraint is required for the action to occur. The word "exemplary" used herein means "used as an example, instance or illustration". Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily interpreted as being preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Unless otherwise specifically stated, the term "some" refers to one or more. Combinations such as "at least one of A, B, or C", "one or more of A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B and C", "one or more of A, B, and C", and "A, B, C, or any combination thereof" include any combination of A, B, and / or C, and may include multiples of A, multiples of B, or multiples of C. Specifically, combinations such as "at least one of A, B, or C", "one or more of A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", "one or more of A, B, and C", and "A, B, C, or any combination thereof" may be only A, only B, only C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, wherein any such combination may contain one or more members of A, B, or C. A set should be interpreted as a set of elements, wherein the elements are numbered one or more. Thus, for a set of X, X will include one or more elements. If a first device receives data from or sends data to a second device, the data may be received / sent directly between the first device and the second device, or indirectly between the first device and the second device through a set of devices. All structural and functional equivalents of elements throughout the various aspects of the disclosure description that are known or will be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are covered by the claims. In addition, none of the contents disclosed herein are dedicated to the public, regardless of whether such disclosures are explicitly described in the claims. The words "module", "mechanism", "element", "equipment" etc. may not be substitutes for the words "components". In this way, no claim element is to be interpreted as a component plus function, unless the phrase "component for ..." is used to expressly record the element.

[0144] As used herein, the phrase "based on" should not be interpreted as a reference to a closed set of information, one or more conditions, one or more factors, etc. In other words, the phrase "based on A" (where "A" can be information, conditions, factors, etc.) should be interpreted as "based at least on A" unless explicitly stated otherwise.

[0145] A device configured to "output" data (such as a transmission, signal, or message) may, for example, utilize a transceiver to send the data, or may send the data to a device that sends the data. A device configured to "obtain" data (such as a transmission, signal, or message) may, for example, utilize a transceiver to receive the data, or may obtain the data from a device that receives the data.

[0146] The following aspects are merely illustrative and may be combined with other aspects or teachings described herein without being limited thereto.

[0147] Aspect 1 is a method for wireless communication at a UE, wherein the method may include: obtaining a capability report associated with a RIS. The capability report may be associated with a reflection and sensing capability of the RIS. The method may include sending a first configuration of resources associated with at least one RS and a second configuration of at least one mode associated with the reflection and sensing capability of the RIS. The at least one mode may be associated with the at least one RS. The at least one mode may include a hybrid sensing and reflection mode.

[0148] Aspect 2 is a method according to aspect 1, wherein the method may include: configuring resources associated with at least one RS and at least one mode associated with at least one RS based on the capability report.

[0149] Aspect 3 is a method as described in any one of aspects 1 to 2, wherein at least one mode may further include at least one of a sensing mode or a reflection mode.

[0150] Aspect 4 is a method as described in any one of Aspects 1 to 3, wherein the second configuration of at least one mode may include a first indication for activating a sensing mode associated with a first time period and a second indication for activating a hybrid sensing and reflection mode associated with a second time period.

[0151] Aspect 5 is a method according to aspect 4, wherein at least one of the first time period or the second time period may have a start time that is the same as a start time of UL transmission of at least one RS associated with the first configuration of resources.

[0152] Aspect 6 is a method as described in any one of aspects 1 to 5, wherein the first configuration of resources does not include DL transmission resources overlapping with a time period of a sensing mode or a hybrid sensing and reflection mode of a second configuration of at least one mode.

[0153] Aspect 7 is a method as described in any one of aspects 1 to 6, wherein the second configuration of at least one mode may include an indication for periodically activating at least one mode.

[0154] Aspect 8 is a method as described in any one of Aspects 1 to 7, wherein the second configuration of at least one mode may include an indication of a ratio of sensing power and reflection power associated with a hybrid sensing and reflection mode of at least one mode based on a comparison of SNR performance associated with at least one RS and an SNR threshold.

[0155] Aspect 9 is a method as described in any one of aspects 1 to 8, wherein the method may include: receiving a reflected RS from the RIS. The first configuration of resources associated with the at least one RS may include a transmission format based on RSRP measurement of the reflected RS.

[0156] Aspect 10 is a method as described in any one of aspects 1 to 9, wherein the first configuration of resources associated with at least one RS may include at least one parameter associated with at least one RS. The at least one parameter may include one or more of the following: at least one resource set associated with at least one RS, at least one grant associated with at least one RS, or at least one RS identifier associated with at least one RS.

[0157] Aspect 11 is a method as described in any one of aspects 1 to 10, wherein the capability report may include a first time domain length associated with the RIS for completing the sensing. The first configuration of the resource may include a second time domain length associated with at least one RS based on the first time domain length.

[0158] Aspect 12 is a method of wirelessly communicating at a RIS, wherein the method may include: sending a capability report associated with the RIS. The capability report may be associated with a reflection and sensing capability of the RIS. The method may include receiving a first configuration of resources associated with at least one RS and a second configuration of at least one mode associated with the reflection and sensing capability of the RIS. The at least one mode may be associated with the at least one RS. The at least one mode may include a hybrid sensing and reflection mode.

[0159] Aspect 13 is the method of aspect 12, wherein the method may include activating at least one mode based on the second configuration of the at least one mode.

[0160] Aspect 14 is the method of aspect 13, wherein activating at least one mode based on the second configuration of the at least one mode may include activating at least one of a sensing mode or a reflective mode.

[0161] Aspect 15 is a method as described in any one of aspects 13 to 14, wherein activating at least one mode based on the second configuration of at least one mode may include activating a sensing mode associated with the first time period. Activating at least one mode based on the second configuration of at least one mode may include activating a hybrid sensing and reflection mode associated with the second time period.

[0162] Aspect 16 is the method of aspect 15, wherein at least one of the first time period or the second time period has a start time that is the same as a start time of a UL transmission of the first configuration of resources.

[0163] Aspect 17 is a method as described in any one of aspects 15 to 16, wherein activating at least one mode based on the second configuration of the at least one mode may include activating the reflective mode during a third time period between the first time period and the second time period.

[0164] Aspect 18 is a method as described in aspect 17, wherein activating at least one mode based on the second configuration of the at least one mode may include activating a second sensing mode associated with a fourth time period. Activating at least one mode based on the second configuration of the at least one mode may include activating a second hybrid sensing and reflection mode associated with a fifth time period. The fourth time period and the fifth time period may be continuous.

[0165] Aspect 19 is a method as described in any one of aspects 13 to 18, wherein the second configuration of at least one mode may include a first indication for activating a sensing mode associated with a first time period and a second indication for activating a hybrid sensing and reflection mode associated with a second time period. During the overlapping time period, the first time period may overlap with the second time period. Activating at least one mode based on the second configuration of at least one mode may include activating the sensing mode during the overlapping time period in response to the first time period overlapping with the second time period during the overlapping time period.

[0166] Aspect 20 is a method as described in any one of aspects 13 to 19, wherein the first configuration of resources may not include DL transmission resources overlapping with a time period of a sensing mode or a hybrid sensing and reflection mode of the second configuration of at least one mode.

[0167] Aspect 21 is a method as described in any one of aspects 13 to 20, wherein activating at least one mode based on the second configuration of the at least one mode may include periodically activating the at least one mode.

[0168] Aspect 22 is a method as described in any one of Aspects 12 to 21, wherein the second configuration of at least one mode may include: an indication of a ratio of sensing power and reflection power associated with a hybrid sensing and reflection mode of at least one mode based on a comparison of SNR performance associated with at least one RS and an SNR threshold.

[0169] Aspect 23 is a method as described in aspect 22, wherein the method may include applying a first sensing power and a reflection power ratio to a hybrid sensing and reflection mode in response to an SNR performance of at least one RS being greater than or equal to an SNR threshold. The method may include applying a second sensing power and a reflection power ratio to a hybrid sensing and reflection mode in response to an SNR performance of at least one RS being less than or equal to an SNR threshold.

[0170] Aspect 24 is a method as described in any one of aspects 13 to 23, wherein the first configuration of resources may include at least one parameter associated with at least one RS. The at least one parameter may include one or more of the following: at least one resource set associated with at least one RS, at least one grant associated with at least one RS, at least one RS identifier associated with at least one RS, or at least one transmission format associated with at least one RS.

[0171] Aspect 25 is a method as described in any one of Aspects 13 to 24, wherein the capability report may include at least one of the following: a first indication for supporting a sensing mode, a second indication for supporting a hybrid sensing and reflection mode, or a first time domain length for the RIS to complete sensing.

[0172] Aspect 26 is a method as described in any one of aspects 13 to 25, wherein the method may include estimating the AoA of at least one RS based on the first configuration of the resource during at least one of the sensing mode or the hybrid sensing and reflection mode of at least one mode. The method may include adjusting the superelement reflection coefficient based on the estimate of the AoA. The method may include reflecting at least one RS during at least one of the hybrid sensing and reflection mode or the reflection mode of at least one mode.

[0173] Aspect 27 is the method of aspect 26, wherein adjusting the superelement reflectance may include adjusting the superelement reflectance during the hybrid sensing and reflection mode based on an estimate of the AoA received during the hybrid sensing and reflection mode.

[0174] Aspect 28 is a method as described in any one of aspects 26 to 27, wherein the first configuration of resources may include at least one RS identifier associated with the at least one RS. Reflecting the at least one RS may include reflecting the at least one RS based on the at least one RS identifier associated with the at least one RS.

[0175] Aspect 29 is an apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: a memory; and at least one processor coupled to the memory, and based at least in part on information stored in the memory, the at least one processor is configured to implement any one of aspects 1 to 28.

[0176] Aspect 29 is the apparatus of aspect 28, further comprising at least one of an antenna or a transceiver coupled to the at least one processor.

[0177] Aspect 30 is an apparatus for wireless communication, comprising means for implementing any one of aspects 1 to 28.

[0178] Aspect 31 is a computer-readable medium (eg, a non-transitory computer-readable medium) storing computer-executable code, wherein the code, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to implement any one of Aspects 1 to 28.

Claims

1. An apparatus for wireless communication at a network node, comprising: Memory; as well as at least one processor coupled to the memory and based at least in part on the information stored in the memory, the at least one processor configured to: obtaining a capability report associated with a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS), wherein the capability report is associated with reflective and sensing capabilities of the RIS; and A first configuration of resources associated with at least one reference signal (RS) and a second configuration of at least one mode associated with reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS are transmitted, wherein the at least one mode is associated with the at least one RS, wherein the at least one mode includes a hybrid sensing and reflection mode.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to: The resources associated with the at least one RS and the at least one mode associated with the at least one RS are configured based on the capability report.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one mode further includes at least one of a first sensing mode or a first reflecting mode.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The second configuration of the at least one mode includes a first indication for activating the sensing mode associated with a first time period and a second indication for activating the hybrid sensing and reflectance mode associated with a second time period.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein: At least one of the first time period or the second time period has a start time that is the same as a start time of an uplink (UL) transmission of the at least one RS associated with the first configuration of the resources.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The first configuration of the resources does not include downlink (DL) transmission resources overlapping with a time period of a sensing mode or the hybrid sensing and reflection mode of the second configuration of the at least one mode.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The second configuration of the at least one mode comprises an indication for periodically activating the at least one mode.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The second configuration of the at least one mode includes an indication of a ratio of sensed power and reflected power associated with the hybrid sensing and reflection mode of the at least one mode based on a comparison of a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) performance associated with the at least one RS and an SNR threshold.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to: A reflected RS is received from the RIS, wherein the first configuration of the resources associated with the at least one RS includes a transmission format based on a reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement of the reflected RS.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a transceiver coupled to the at least one processor, wherein: The first configuration of sending resources includes: sending the first configuration of resources using the transceiver, wherein the first configuration of the resources associated with the at least one RS includes at least one parameter associated with the at least one RS, wherein the at least one parameter includes one or more of the following: at least one resource set associated with the at least one RS, at least one grant associated with the at least one RS, or at least one RS identifier associated with the at least one RS.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The capability report includes a first time domain length associated with the RIS for completing sensing, wherein the first configuration of the resources includes a second time domain length associated with the at least one RS based on the first time domain length.

12. An apparatus for wireless communication at a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS), comprising: Memory; as well as at least one processor coupled to the memory and based at least in part on the information stored in the memory, the at least one processor configured to: sending a capability report associated with the RIS, wherein the capability report is associated with reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS; and A first configuration of resources associated with at least one reference signal (RS) and a second configuration of at least one mode associated with reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS are received, wherein the at least one mode is associated with the at least one RS, wherein the at least one mode includes a hybrid sensing and reflection mode.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to: The at least one mode is activated based on the second configuration of the at least one mode.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein: To activate the at least one mode based on the second configuration of the at least one mode, the at least one processor is further configured to: At least one of the first sensing mode or the first reflective mode is activated.

15. The device according to claim 13, wherein: To activate the at least one mode based on the second configuration of the at least one mode, the at least one processor is further configured to: activating a sensing mode associated with a first time period; and The hybrid sensing and reflective mode associated with a second time period is activated.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein: At least one of the first time period or the second time period has a start time that is the same as a start time of an uplink (UL) transmission of the first configuration of the resources.

17. The device according to claim 15, wherein: To activate the at least one mode based on the second configuration of the at least one mode, the at least one processor is further configured to: The first reflective mode is activated during a third time period between the first time period and the second time period.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein: To activate the at least one mode based on the second configuration of the at least one mode, the at least one processor is further configured to: activating a second sensing mode associated with a fourth time period; and A second hybrid sensing and reflecting mode associated with a fifth time period is activated, wherein the fourth time period and the fifth time period are consecutive.

19. The device according to claim 13, wherein: The second configuration of the at least one mode comprises a first indication for activating a sensing mode associated with a first time period and a second indication for activating the hybrid sensing and reflectance mode associated with a second time period, wherein the first time period overlaps with the second time period during an overlap time period, wherein to activate the at least one mode based on the second configuration of the at least one mode, the at least one processor is further configured to: In response to the first time period overlapping with the second time period during the overlapping time period, the sensing mode is activated during the overlapping time period.

20. The device according to claim 13, wherein: The first configuration of the resources does not include downlink (DL) transmission resources overlapping with a time period of a sensing mode or the hybrid sensing and reflection mode of the second configuration of the at least one mode.

21. The device according to claim 13, wherein: To activate the at least one mode based on the second configuration of the at least one mode, the at least one processor is further configured to: The at least one mode is activated periodically.

22. The device according to claim 12, wherein: The second configuration of the at least one mode includes an indication of a ratio of sensed power and reflected power associated with the hybrid sensing and reflection mode of the at least one mode based on a comparison of a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) performance associated with the at least one RS and an SNR threshold.

23. The device according to claim 22, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to: In response to the SNR performance associated with the at least one RS being greater than or equal to the SNR threshold, applying a first sensing power and reflection power ratio to the hybrid sensing and reflection mode; as well as In response to the SNR performance associated with the at least one RS being less than or equal to the SNR threshold, applying a second sensing power and reflection power ratio to the hybrid sensing and reflection mode.

24. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a transceiver coupled to the at least one processor, wherein: In order to receive the first configuration of resources, the at least one processor is also configured to receive the first configuration of resources using the transceiver, wherein the first configuration of resources includes at least one parameter associated with the at least one RS, wherein the at least one parameter includes one or more of the following: at least one resource set associated with the at least one RS, at least one grant associated with the at least one RS, at least one RS identifier associated with the at least one RS, or at least one transmission format associated with the at least one RS.

25. The device according to claim 12, wherein: The capability report includes at least one of the following: a first indication for supporting a sensing mode, a second indication for supporting the hybrid sensing and reflection mode, or a first time domain length for the RIS to complete sensing.

26. The device according to claim 12, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to: estimating an angle of arrival (AoA) of the at least one RS based on the first configuration of the resources during at least one of a sensing mode of the at least one mode or the hybrid sensing and reflection mode; adjusting a superelement reflectance based on the estimate of the AoA; as well as The at least one RS is reflected during at least one of the hybrid sensing and reflection mode or a first reflection mode of the at least one mode.

27. The device according to claim 26, wherein: To adjust the superelement reflectance, the at least one processor is further configured to: The superelement reflectance is adjusted during the hybrid sensing and reflection mode based on an estimate of the AoA received during the hybrid sensing and reflection mode.

28. The device according to claim 26, wherein The first configuration of the resources comprises at least one RS identifier associated with the at least one RS, wherein, to reflect the at least one RS, the at least one processor is further configured to: The at least one RS is reflected based on the at least one RS identifier associated with the at least one RS.

29. A method of wireless communication at a network node, comprising: obtaining a capability report associated with a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS), wherein the capability report is associated with reflective and sensing capabilities of the RIS; and A first configuration of resources associated with at least one reference signal (RS) and a second configuration of at least one mode associated with reflection and sensing capabilities of the RI are transmitted, wherein the at least one mode is associated with the at least one RS, wherein the at least one mode includes a hybrid sensing and reflection mode.

30. A method of wireless communication at a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS), comprising: sending a capability report associated with the RIS, wherein the capability report is associated with reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS; and A first configuration of resources associated with at least one reference signal (RS) and a second configuration of at least one mode associated with reflection and sensing capabilities of the RIS are received, wherein the at least one mode is associated with the at least one RS, wherein the at least one mode includes a hybrid sensing and reflection mode.

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