Electronic device and method for use in wireless communication system

Abstract

The invention relates to an electronic device and a method for use in a wireless communication system. The present disclosure proposes a method for a first user equipment in a wireless communication system, the first user equipment having a demand for sensing fusion. The method comprises the following steps: first user equipment interacts information associated with sensing fusion with one or more user equipment in a wireless communication system, wherein the information at least comprises sensing related information, user equipment physical information and wireless transmission related information; and based on the interacted information associated with the sensing fusion, the first user equipment selects a third user equipment in the one or more user equipment for sensing fusion, and the matching degree of the information associated with the sensing fusion of the first user equipment and the third user equipment satisfies a predetermined condition.

Description

Electronic device and method for wireless communication system

[0001] Priority Declaration

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed on March 7, 2023, with application number 202310219854.8, and invention name “Electronic device and method for wireless communication system”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to electronic devices and methods for use in wireless communication systems, and particularly to techniques for wireless sensor fusion communications. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems can use a variety of protocols and standards for data transmission between devices. These protocols and standards have undergone long-term development and include, but are not limited to, the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) (e.g., 4G communications), 3GPP New Radio (NR) (e.g., 5G communications), and the IEEE 802.11 standard for wireless local area networks (WLANs), also commonly known as Wi-Fi.

[0005] As an example, in an LTE or NR system, the communication interfaces between user devices (also referred to herein as terminal devices) include PC5 interfaces, DSRC interfaces, and Uu interfaces. As an example, the PC5 interface can be used for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication (which may include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication, vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication, etc.), device-to-device (D2D) communication, and other scenarios where direct communication between user devices is possible. In the Internet of Vehicles communication scenario, user devices can perform wireless data transmission via sidelinks (SL).

[0006] With the development of the connected vehicle industry, autonomous driving technology has garnered increasing attention. Accordingly, sensor fusion, the technology upon which autonomous driving relies, has become a key research focus within both industry (e.g., organizations such as IEEE, ETSI, and 5GAA) and academia. Generally speaking, sensor fusion technologies can include single-vehicle sensor fusion and heterogeneous sensor fusion. Specifically, single-vehicle sensor fusion primarily involves the fusion of multiple sensors on a single vehicle. These sensors can be located at different locations on the vehicle and can be of different types (e.g., Lidar, radar, cameras, ultrasonic sensors, etc.). However, no matter how optimized, a single vehicle's sensors typically suffer from limited field of view. Therefore, compared to single-vehicle sensor fusion, heterogeneous sensor fusion, which leverages sensors from multiple devices to provide overlapping sensing ranges from different road locations, can offer greater benefits. Heterogeneous sensor fusion primarily involves the fusion of sensors on vehicles and / or roadside infrastructure / ROUs (e.g., control towers), encompassing scenarios such as sensor sharing between vehicles and between vehicles and RRUs / ROUs. Heterogeneous sensor fusion technology can fuse the features obtained by perceiving the same object in different directions and from different perspectives by using sensors in different directions to perceive the same object, thereby more accurately identifying the target. For example, Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of single-vehicle sensor fusion and heterogeneous sensor fusion. As an example, as shown in Figure 1, vehicle A cannot identify objects in the area in the direction of the arrow in the case of single-vehicle sensor fusion. On the contrary, vehicle A can perceive and identify multiple vehicles in the area in the case of heterogeneous sensor fusion (see the part surrounded by the dotted circle in Figure 1).

[0007] Current research on heterogeneous sensor fusion technology is still in its infancy, focusing mainly on pure sensor fusion technology of traditional single-type sensor devices. It lacks consideration of the actual wireless communication environment and therefore has certain limitations. For example, there may be long-term or short-term occlusions between multiple devices performing sensor fusion, resulting in non-line-of-sight (NLOS) transmission of wireless communication signals. In addition, when there are multiple user devices with sensor data sharing capabilities, the limited V2X dedicated frequency band cannot support multiple concurrent high-data-volume data sharing processes. Therefore, in order to address the above limitations, it is necessary to combine heterogeneous fusion technology with the wireless communication environment on the actual road to develop a system and method for triggering and managing user devices for sensor fusion.

[0008] Summary of the Invention

[0009] The present disclosure proposes an electronic device and method for use in a wireless communication system. The present disclosure proposes triggering and managing sensor fusion based on the matching degree between sensor fusion-related information of multiple user devices, thereby enhancing the reliability and effectiveness of the sensing technology.

[0010] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device for a first user device in a wireless communication system is provided, where the first user device has a need for sensor fusion. The electronic device includes a processing circuit, where the processing circuit is configured to enable the first user device to perform the following operations: interact with one or more user devices in the wireless communication system for information associated with sensor fusion, where the information includes at least sensor-related information, user device physical information, and wireless transmission-related information; and based on the interacted information associated with sensor fusion, select a third user device from the one or more user devices for sensor fusion, where the matching degree of the information associated with sensor fusion of the first user device and the third user device meets a predetermined condition.

[0011] Correspondingly, according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, a method for a first user device in a wireless communication system is also provided, wherein the first user device has a need for sensor fusion. The method comprises: exchanging information associated with sensor fusion with one or more user devices in the wireless communication system, the information comprising at least sensor-related information, user device physical information, and wireless transmission-related information; and selecting a third user device from the one or more user devices for sensor fusion based on the exchanged information associated with sensor fusion, wherein the matching degree of the information associated with sensor fusion between the first user device and the third user device satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0012] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device for a second user device in a wireless communication system is provided, the electronic device including a processing circuit, the processing circuit being configured to enable the second user device to perform the following operations: receive information associated with sensor fusion from a first user device in the wireless communication system that has a sensor fusion requirement, the information including at least sensor-related information, user device physical information, and wireless transmission-related information; receive information associated with sensor fusion of the corresponding user device from one or more user devices other than the first user device in the wireless communication system; and based on the received information associated with sensor fusion, select a third user device from the one or more user devices for performing sensor fusion with the first user device, wherein the matching degree of the information associated with sensor fusion of the first user device and the third user device meets a predetermined condition.

[0013] Correspondingly, according to the second aspect of the present disclosure, a method for a second user device in a wireless communication system is also provided. The method comprises: receiving information associated with sensor fusion from a first user device in the wireless communication system that has a sensor fusion requirement, the information including at least sensor-related information, user device physical information, and wireless transmission-related information; receiving information associated with sensor fusion of the corresponding user device from one or more user devices other than the first user device in the wireless communication system; and selecting a third user device from the one or more user devices based on the received information associated with sensor fusion for performing sensor fusion with the first user device, wherein the matching degree of the information associated with sensor fusion of the first user device and the third user device satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0014] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium storing one or more executable instructions is provided, which, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, enables the electronic device to perform methods according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided comprising executable instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors of a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0016] The above summary is provided to summarize some exemplary embodiments in order to provide a basic understanding of various aspects of the subject matter described herein. Therefore, the above features are merely examples and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the detailed description described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] A better understanding of the present disclosure may be obtained when the following detailed description of the embodiments is considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The same or similar reference numerals are used in the various drawings to represent the same or similar components. The accompanying drawings, together with the following detailed description, are incorporated into and form a part of this specification and are used to illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure and to explain the principles and advantages of the present disclosure. In particular:

[0018] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of single-vehicle sensor fusion technology and heterogeneous sensor fusion technology in the field of Internet of Vehicles.

[0019] FIG2 shows an example scenario diagram of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG3 shows an exemplary electronic device of a first user equipment for sensor fusion according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG4 shows an exemplary electronic device of a second user equipment for sensor fusion according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG5 shows an interactive diagram of a first example of triggering and managing sensor fusion of a user equipment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG6 shows an interaction diagram of switching a user equipment for sensor fusion in a first example scenario according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG7 shows an interaction diagram of a second example of triggering and managing sensor fusion of a user equipment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG8 shows a schematic diagram of interaction for switching user equipment for sensor fusion in a second example scenario according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG9 shows an interactive diagram of a third example of triggering and managing sensor fusion of a user equipment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG10 shows a schematic diagram of interaction for switching a user equipment for sensor fusion in a third example scenario according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG11 shows a schematic diagram of interaction for selecting and switching a user equipment for relaying according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG12 shows a flowchart of an example method of a first user equipment for sensing fusion according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG13 shows a flowchart of an example method of a second user equipment for sensing fusion according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] 14 is a block diagram of an example structure of a personal computer as an information processing device that can be employed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a smartphone to which the technology of the present disclosure can be applied.

[0033] FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a car navigation device to which the technology of the present disclosure can be applied.

[0034] While the embodiments described in this disclosure may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. However, it should be understood that the drawings and detailed description thereof are not intended to limit the embodiments to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intent is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The following describes representative applications of various aspects of the apparatus and method of the present disclosure. The description of these examples is only to add context and help understand the described embodiments. Therefore, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the embodiments described below can be implemented without some or all of the specific details. In other cases, well-known process steps are not described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the described embodiments. Other applications are also possible, and the solutions of the present disclosure are not limited to these examples.

[0036] In this disclosure, to facilitate description of the technical solutions involved in the embodiments, terms such as "first," "second," and "third" are used to distinguish between identical or similar items having substantially the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art should understand that terms such as "first," "second," and "third" do not limit the quantity, order of execution, or priority order, and that "first," "second," and "third" do not necessarily mean different items.

[0037] Typically, a wireless communication system may include network equipment and user equipment, and the network equipment may provide communication services for one or more user equipment.

[0038] In the present disclosure, the term "network device" (or "base station," "control device") has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is part of a wireless communication system or radio system to facilitate communication. As an example, the network device may be, for example, an eNB of the 4G communication standard, a gNB of the 5G communication standard, a remote radio head, a wireless access point, a drone control tower, or a communication device that performs similar functions. In the present disclosure, "network device," "base station," and "control device" may be used interchangeably, or a "network device" may be implemented as part of a "base station."

[0039] In the present disclosure, the term "user equipment (UE)" or "terminal device" has the full breadth of its usual meaning and includes at least a terminal device that is part of a wireless communication system or a radio system to facilitate communication. As an example, the user equipment can be, for example, a mobile phone, a laptop, a tablet computer, an in-vehicle device (for example, a car, a bicycle, an electric car, an airplane, a ship, a train, a high-speed rail, etc.), a virtual reality device, a workshop device, a wireless device in an unmanned driving, a wearable device, a sensor, or the like, or an element thereof. In the present disclosure, "user equipment" (hereinafter referred to as "UE") and "terminal device" can be used interchangeably, or "user equipment" can be implemented as part of a "terminal device". The following will describe the application example in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, taking the user equipment as an example.

[0040] In the present disclosure, the term "transmitter" has the full breadth of its usual meaning and generally refers to the side that sends data in a communication system, which can be the network device / base station side or the user device / terminal device side. Similarly, the term "receiver" has the full breadth of its usual meaning and can accordingly refer to the side that receives data in a communication system, which can be the user device / terminal side or the network device / base station side. In the following, the example in which both the transmitter and the receiver are user devices is used for explanation, but this should not be understood as a limitation of the present disclosure. In addition, in the present disclosure, the same device can act as both a transmitter and a receiver.

[0041] Figure 2 shows an example scenario diagram in a wireless communication system 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be understood that Figure 2 only shows one of many types and possible arrangements of wireless communication systems; the features of the present disclosure can be implemented in any of the various systems as needed.

[0042] As shown in Figure 2, the wireless communication system 200 includes side link communication, which involves communication between multiple user devices. As an example and not a limitation, the wireless communication system in Figure 2 includes a vehicle network system, and five user devices are shown in Figure 2: a first user device (shown in the figure as "UE 1"), a second user device (shown in the figure as "UE 2"), a third user device (shown in the figure as "UE 3"), a fourth user device (shown in the figure as "UE 4"), and a fifth user device (shown in the figure as "UE 5"). As shown in Figure 2, these user devices include vehicles (e.g., cars, trucks, buses, etc.) and roadside units (e.g., control towers, smart street lights, etc.), or these user devices can be installed on vehicles and road test units, and these user devices have sensing capabilities and wireless transmission capabilities (e.g., via PC5, DSRC, Uu, etc.). Any two of these user devices can communicate directly without going through a network device (i.e., both the sending end and the receiving end are user devices), and the communication link between the two is called a side link. It should be understood that different user equipment may be of the same type or of different types.

[0043] In sensor fusion in wireless communication systems, user devices (UEs) can send and receive sensor data signals (e.g., via antenna panels). For example, when a user device (e.g., UE 1) in the system requires sensor fusion, it can receive shared sensor data from one or more other user devices (e.g., UE 3 and / or UE 4) in the system to perform sensor fusion. This allows for better perception of the nearby road environment from multiple perspectives using sensors at multiple locations.

[0044] It should be understood that the scenario in Figure 2 is merely an example, and the communication system may contain a larger or smaller number of user devices. In particular, when a large number of user devices exist in system 200, the aimless sharing of sensor data between user devices can easily lead to significant waste of wireless resources, contention, and congestion. Therefore, efficiently triggering and managing sensor fusion communications between user devices is a significant challenge in heterogeneous sensor fusion technology.

[0045] Furthermore, after the sensor fusion between two user devices has been triggered, there are still many possible complex situations in the actual road communication environment. For example, in some embodiments, because user devices such as vehicles are mobile, the sensor fusion effect between two user devices (e.g., UE 1 and UE 3 traveling in opposite directions) may deteriorate after a period of time. Therefore, the user device with sensing needs (e.g., UE 1) needs to switch to another user device (e.g., UE 4) to maintain good sensor fusion communication performance. For example, in other embodiments, due to the possibility of obstruction between user devices (e.g., UE 5 is stationary between UE 1 and UE 3, blocking the line-of-sight (LOS) transmission path between the two), the sensor fusion effect deteriorates. In this regard, the user device with sensing needs (e.g., UE 1) may need to find a user device with relay capabilities (e.g., UE 2) as an intermediate device to share sensor data. For example, in some other embodiments, due to the limited capacity and data processing capabilities of certain user devices, which are insufficient to support the normal transmission of current sensor fusion data, it is necessary to consider using user devices with stronger data processing capabilities as management devices to coordinate the sharing of perception data between other user devices.

[0046] In order to improve the effectiveness and reliability of heterogeneous sensor fusion, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, based on at least the information associated with sensor fusion of user devices with sensor fusion requirements and user devices with sensor data sharing capabilities, multiple user devices with a high degree of matching are selected for sensor fusion. As a result, the user device with sensor fusion requirements receives sensor data from one or more user devices with a high degree of matching, so as to more accurately identify surrounding objects and road environments. In summary, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a variety of mechanisms for triggering and managing sensor fusion of user devices, and provide a method for switching user devices used for sensor fusion when needed under a variety of mechanisms, so as to maintain the continuity of heterogeneous sensor fusion.

[0047] FIG3 illustrates an exemplary electronic device for a first user device for sensor fusion according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The electronic device 300 shown in FIG3 may include various units to implement various embodiments according to the present disclosure. In this example, the electronic device 300 includes a communication unit 302 and a control unit 304. In one embodiment, the electronic device 300 is implemented as the first user device itself or a portion thereof, or as a device related to the first user device or a portion thereof. The various operations described below in conjunction with the first user device may be implemented by units 302 and 304 of the electronic device 300 or other possible units.

[0048] In an embodiment, there is a need for sensor fusion in the first user device. The communication unit 302 of the electronic device 300 of the first user device can be configured to interact with one or more user devices in the wireless communication system to exchange information associated with sensor fusion. The information may include at least sensor-related information, user device physical information, and wireless transmission-related information. Additionally, the information may also include management information or policy information. The control unit 304 of the electronic device 300 can be configured to select a third user device from the one or more user devices for sensor fusion based on the interacted information associated with sensor fusion. The matching degree of the information associated with sensor fusion of the first user device and the third user device meets a predetermined condition.

[0049] FIG4 illustrates an exemplary electronic device 400 for a second user device for sensor fusion according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The electronic device 400 shown in FIG4 may include various units to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this example, the electronic device 400 includes a communication unit 402 and a control unit 404. In one embodiment, the electronic device 400 is implemented as the second user device itself or a portion thereof, or as a device related to the second user device or a portion thereof. The various operations described below in conjunction with the second user device may be implemented by units 402 and 404 of the electronic device 400 or other possible units.

[0050] In an embodiment, the communication unit 402 of the electronic device 400 of the second user device may be configured to receive information associated with sensor fusion from a first user device in a wireless communication system that has a sensor fusion requirement. The information may include at least sensor-related information, user device physical information, and wireless transmission-related information. Additionally, the information may also include management information or policy information. The communication unit 402 may also be configured to receive information associated with sensor fusion of the corresponding user device from one or more user devices other than the first user device in the wireless communication system. Thereafter, the control unit 404 of the electronic device 400 may select a third user device from the one or more user devices for sensor fusion with the first user device based on the received information associated with sensor fusion. The matching degree of the information associated with sensor fusion of the first user device and the third user device meets a predetermined condition.

[0051] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second user device may be a user device for managing the sensor fusion of the first user device and the user device in the above-mentioned one or more user devices. According to some other embodiments of the present disclosure, the second user device may be a user device for relaying the sensor fusion of the first user device and the user device in the above-mentioned one or more user devices. It should be understood that in the scenario where the second user device is used for relaying, the control unit 404 of the electronic device 400 may be optional. This is because the user device for sensor fusion with the first user device can be selected by the second user device, and the relevant information (for example, information associated with sensor fusion of the above-mentioned one or more user devices, etc.) can also be forwarded to the first user device by the second user device, so that the first user device selects the user device for sensor fusion with it.

[0052] In some embodiments, electronic devices 300 and 400 may be implemented at the chip level, or may be implemented at the device level by including other external components (eg, radio links, antennas, etc.). For example, each electronic device may function as a communication device as a whole.

[0053] It should be noted that the above-mentioned units are only logical modules divided according to the specific functions implemented by them, rather than being used to limit the specific implementation mode. For example, they can be implemented in software, hardware or a combination of software and hardware. In actual implementation, the above-mentioned units can be implemented as independent physical entities, or can also be implemented by a single entity (for example, a processor (CPU or DSP, etc.), an integrated circuit, etc.). Among them, the processing circuit can refer to various implementations of a digital circuit system, an analog circuit system or a mixed signal (a combination of analog and digital) circuit system that performs functions in a computing system. The processing circuit may include, for example, circuits such as an integrated circuit (IC), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), part or circuit of a separate processor core, an entire processor core, a separate processor, a programmable hardware device such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and / or a system including multiple processors.

[0054] Sensor Fusion in Wireless Communication Systems

[0055] As described with reference to Figure 2 , in wireless communication systems such as connected vehicles (IoV), appropriately selecting user devices (e.g., vehicles, roadside units, etc.) to trigger and manage heterogeneous sensor fusion, and switching user devices for sensor fusion when needed, can improve overall perception performance. These operations are described in detail below using three examples.

[0056] First example of sensor fusion

[0057] In a first example of sensor fusion according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a wireless communication system includes a first user device that has a sensor fusion requirement and one or more user devices with sensor data sharing capabilities (also referred to herein as "candidate fusion user devices"). Data can be directly transmitted between these user devices, and the first user device has control functions (for example, decision-making and management capabilities). Figure 5 shows an interactive diagram of the first example of triggering and managing sensor fusion of user devices according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0058] In Figure 5 , the first user equipment requiring sensor fusion is shown as UE 1, and candidate fusion user equipments are shown as UE X and UE 3. It should be understood that UE X can represent one or more candidate fusion user equipments. It should also be understood that there may be only one candidate fusion user equipment in the system (e.g., only UE 3).

[0059] At 501 , UE 1 having a sensor fusion requirement may exchange respective sensor fusion-related information with one or more candidate fusion user equipments (including UE X and UE 3 ).

[0060] It should be understood that the trigger in the above interaction process is not limited to any one party. In some embodiments, the trigger may be a user equipment (e.g., UE 1) that has a sensor fusion requirement. In this case, the interaction process may include: UE 1 sending a request containing UE 1's information related to sensor fusion to UE X and UE 3, and then UE 1 receiving the sensor fusion information from UE X and UE 3. In other embodiments, the trigger may be a candidate fusion user equipment (e.g., UE X and / or UE 3) that can provide sensor data or sensor data processing results. In this case, the interaction process includes: UE 1 receiving the sensor fusion information from UE X and / or UE 3, and then UE 1 discovering that it has a sensor fusion requirement and sending the sensor fusion information to UE X and UE 3.

[0061] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the user equipment's information associated with sensor fusion may include at least: sensor-related information, user equipment physical information, and wireless transmission-related information. These information will be described in detail below.

[0062] ●Sensor-related information

[0063] According to the present disclosure, the sensing-related information of the user equipment may include one or more of the sensing fusion algorithm information, sensing information, and sensing fusion requirement information of the user equipment.

[0064] Sensor fusion algorithm information

[0065] The sensor fusion algorithm information may include the fusion algorithm type (for example, it can be identified by the name of the algorithm, the name of the algorithm model, or a specific identifier), the fusion layer position (sensor fusion is usually closely related to machine learning / artificial intelligence and neural network algorithms. The specific position where the fusion occurs in the neural network can be divided into early fusion, intermediate fusion, late fusion, hybrid fusion, etc. The fusion layer position can specify which layer in the neural network can be the fusion layer that receives external input based on specific algorithm information), the fusion frequency (fusion does not necessarily occur in every data frame. Depending on the specific algorithm information, the fusion frequency may be associated with the sensor data refresh rate of the user device, or it may not be associated with the sensor data refresh rate of the user device, but only meet the requirements of the specific algorithm for the freshness / timeliness of the data) and / or the fusion input and output variable format (for example, the data size, format, encoding and decoding parameters of the fusion layer input).

[0066] Additionally or alternatively, the sensor fusion algorithm information may also include requirements for the freshness / timeliness of the sensor information, the compatibility / adaptability of the sensor information, and other information. Generally speaking, when a user device runs a specific sensor fusion algorithm, the algorithm can perform sensing based on the user device's existing sensors, even if no surrounding user devices are transmitting data for fusion. The format of the external input accepted by the specific algorithm can be fixed or flexible. For example, a highly adaptable algorithm (neural network structure) may have multiple optional fusion layers. When the fusion data corresponding to any fusion layer (after being transmitted and parsed by the user device) is input into the neural network, the perception performance of the neural network algorithm can be enhanced. Furthermore, the user device can switch algorithms, or the algorithm can specifically change the position of the fusion layer to accept data in different formats to enhance adaptability. Therefore, the above parameters can all be expressed in the form of a list (plural), and the UE 1 can also additionally indicate the attributes of this list (e.g., switchable at any time, switchable only after instruction, etc.).

[0067] Sensor fusion information

[0068] Sensor fusion algorithm information may include sensor type, physical information and / or performance parameters, etc. Specifically, the sensor type may include information such as the sensor model and manufacturer. Physical information may include relatively fixed information such as the installation position and orientation of the sensor (relative to the vehicle, roadside unit, etc.) (for example, the relative coordinates of the sensor based on the geometric center / positioning point of the vehicle / roadside unit, and the azimuth / three-dimensional direction of the camera / sensor baseline, etc., so that the algorithm can fuse after correcting the position). It should be understood that a vehicle or a roadside unit may have multiple sensor devices of various types. Depending on the specific fusion requirements, one or more of these sensors may be selected to send sensor fusion data to other vehicles or roadside units. Performance parameters may include effective perception distance (generally speaking, a single sensor has its own focus. For example, ultrasonic sensors are usually only effective within a short range of more than ten meters or even a few meters, while lidar has different azimuth and elevation perception ranges under different device specifications and settings), field of view (FOV), generated point cloud data format (for example, it may include the entire original point cloud data, point cloud data of a specific object, intermediate results after point cloud data is processed by a neural network, etc.), and / or camera image data format.

[0069] Sensor fusion demand information

[0070] The sensor fusion requirement information may indicate information about areas requiring sensor fusion. Specifically, the sensor fusion requirement information may include areas with low sensor confidence (for example, factors such as weather and lighting may affect the sensor's perception confidence of a specific area or specific object), areas where sensor occlusion occurs (for example, blind spots caused by various obstacles such as vehicles, roadside trees, flower baskets, and fences on the road, which can be represented as areas with missing point cloud data for Lidar), and / or sensor matching information (the result calculated by a formula from the above multiple information, which can be represented, for example, in a matrix form, for convenient and rapid matching decisions).

[0071] When the sensor matching information is represented in matrix form, the matrix may include sensor information, location information, and optionally quality of service (QoS) information. As an example and not a limitation, a 3*3 matrix may be formed with the vehicle location as the center point. The elements around the matrix may represent the perception capabilities of the sensors in 8 directions. Additionally, the elements around the matrix may be multiplied by the QoS values ​​in the corresponding directions, respectively, thereby indicating the size of the accessibility of the perception sharing in that direction. The center position of the matrix may be empty, or it may indicate a parameter of the current user device (such as sensor type, sensor confidence, sensor refresh rate, etc.). Optionally, the matrix may also include a matrix (the included matrix may include sensor information of a smaller range within the subdivided direction range) to indicate more detailed sensor information.

[0072] ●User equipment physical information

[0073] According to the present disclosure, user device physical information may include at least one or more of the following: location information, movement information, posture information, and physical profile information of the user device. Additionally or alternatively, the user device physical information may also include information such as the type and color of the user device. When the user device is a vehicle or is mounted on a vehicle, the physical information may also include license plate information, travel information (e.g., planned route, destination, and operating instructions), etc.

[0074] It should be understood that the physical information of the user device can be used to assist in fusion calibration, fusion condition judgment, etc. As an example, the physical outline information and license plate information of a vehicle that is a candidate for fusion user device can facilitate the user device with sensing needs (e.g., UE 1) to determine the location of the fusion data point available for sharing in its own sensing system / coordinate system, and then determine whether to fuse the sensing data of the data sharing point into its own sensing system. As another example, the travel route between the user device with sensing fusion needs (e.g., UE 1) and the user device that may be fused can be analyzed, so that UE 1 can determine whether both are within the effective communication distance range within a specific time period and whether the other party's location has the possibility of meeting its own sensing fusion needs (e.g., in its own blind spot or close to its own blind spot).

[0075] Wireless transmission related information

[0076] According to the present disclosure, the wireless transmission related information of the user equipment may include one or more of the quality of service (QoS) information and converged service transmission requirements of the user equipment.

[0077] Quality of Service (QoS) information

[0078] Quality of Service (QoS) information is the wireless parameter requirement information for carrying sensor fusion services. Specifically, QoS information may include packet loss rate, transmission rate, and / or latency. It should be understood that QoS information can indicate transmission requirements in multiple scenarios, such as direct communication and relay communication.

[0079] Converged service transmission requirements

[0080] Converged service transmission requirements can include required transmission frames (highest priority), minimum service levels (e.g., minimum matrix packet transmission), and more. It should be understood that converged service transmission requirements can address the intermixed transmission of packets of multiple different service levels. In this case, the transmission result of the previous packet (e.g., whether it was fully received, whether it was delayed, signal quality measurement results, etc.) may affect parameters such as the data priority of the next packet transmission. To address this, the priority can be adjusted to adapt to the current communication quality. Alternatively, instead of changing the priority, the frame structure to be transmitted next can be determined based on the currently transmitted data frame structure, ensuring that at least a certain amount of high-definition data exists in multiple consecutive frames, thereby ensuring comprehensive perception of surrounding objects within a certain timeframe. Alternatively, similar to the structure used to distinguish between inter-frame predictive coded frames (P frames) and intra-frame coded frames (I frames), packet priorities can be differentiated, and the transmission priority of such packets can be increased if multiple low-priority packets have not yet been transmitted.

[0081] ●Policy information / management information

[0082] Additionally or optionally, according to the present disclosure, when the candidate fusion user equipment is a roadside unit, since the roadside unit can debug relevant sensors according to the environment when deployed (for example, debugging relevant sensors on the same smart tower) to achieve a state without blind spots, the roadside unit can publish a message including policy information / management information. The information in the message can indicate that all or part of the user equipment with heterogeneous sensor fusion requirements within the coverage area of ​​the roadside unit can consider receiving the sensor data sent by it, and can also indicate that other user equipment that can share sensor data within the coverage area do not share sensor data so as to dedicate air interface resources to the roadside unit for sharing sensor data. Therefore, in this case, the policy information / management information can be sent by broadcast or multicast (for example, multicast).

[0083] It should be understood that no matter which party initiates or triggers the interaction process in 501, this step requires both the user equipment with sensing needs and the user equipment with sensing data sharing capabilities to interact with the above information, so that the user equipment on the demand side can determine whether to establish sensor fusion communication in subsequent steps.

[0084] At 502, the first user equipment (UE 1) selects a matching user equipment for sensor fusion from one or more candidate fusion user equipment (including UE X and UE 3) based on the information related to sensor fusion exchanged at 501. As shown in Figure 5, UE 1 selects UE 3 for sensor fusion. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the matching degree of the sensor fusion information between UE 1 and UE 3 meets a predetermined condition. In other words, UE 1 and UE 3 have a high matching degree in terms of sensor fusion requirements and sharing capabilities.

[0085] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the degree of matching of the information associated with sensor fusion between UE 1 and UE 3 meeting a predetermined condition may include: the matching score between UE 1 and UE 3 being higher than a predetermined threshold, wherein the calculation of the matching score may be based at least on a weighted sum of the degree of matching of multiple information in the information associated with sensor fusion between UE 1 and UE 3 (for example, quantifiable as a matching level, percentage, etc.). It should be understood that the above-mentioned predetermined threshold may be a system default threshold or a threshold calculated based on prior experience. It should also be understood that the degree of matching of multiple information in the information associated with sensor fusion between two user devices may be indicated not only by a matching score, but also by a true (TRUE) / false (FALSE) form, or by a division of matching levels.

[0086] The following describes in detail how to determine whether multiple pieces of information associated with sensor fusion of two user equipments (for ease of understanding and simplified description, UE 1 will be used in the following examples to refer to a user equipment with sensor fusion requirements, and UE X will be used to refer to a candidate fusion user equipment) match.

[0087] As an example, criteria for determining the compatibility between UE 1 and UE X may include, but are not limited to: the degree of overlap between the area requiring sensor fusion of UE 1 and the sensor range currently covered by UE X; the compatibility between the sensor fusion algorithm supported by UE 1 and the sensor data provided by UE X; the degree of overlap between the driving route of UE 1 and the driving route of UE X; and / or whether the wireless transmission information currently provided by UE X meets the communication quality required by UE 1, etc.

[0088] As another example, the basis for determining the degree of matching may include calculating the fusion sensing gain of the two user equipments. When both UE 1 and UE X generate sensing matching information matrices, operations (such as matrix addition, subtraction, and multiplication (e.g., Hadamard product)) may be performed on the two matrices to obtain a new matrix or value. This matrix or value can be used to represent the sensing fusion gain of the two user equipments.

[0089] As another example, if UE X is a roadside unit (RSU), it may carry policy information / management information. UE 1 can choose whether to receive sensor data shared by UE X based on its own sensor fusion requirements. It should be understood that UE X can transmit sensor data to UE 1 via broadcast or multicast, but sensor data tailored to the heterogeneous sensor fusion algorithms used by different UEs can be provided. For example, UE X can group multiple UEs with sensing requirements based on the sensor fusion algorithm used by these UEs before performing multicast.

[0090] As another example, UE 1 can use data acquired by its own sensors and data received from one or more candidate fusion user equipment (UEs) acquired through their sensors to determine the surrounding road environment, including, for example, the types of surrounding vehicles and the locations and sizes of other objects on the road. Thus, UE 1 can determine the obstruction between itself and UE X (i.e., whether a Loss of Service (LOS) path exists), and even determine whether a vehicle is likely to intervene between them within a certain time period, causing obstruction. Therefore, based on this determination, UE 1 can estimate the effectiveness of sensor fusion between itself and UE X, serving as a basis for determining the degree of matching between the two.

[0091] It should be understood that in some special scenarios, the predetermined condition can be left blank. For example, if the sensing range of UE 1's own sensors is extremely limited, UE 1 experiences a malfunction, or UE 1 encounters extremely complex road conditions, sensor fusion can be performed directly with the candidate fusion user equipment UE X without calculating and determining the matching degree as in the above example. Additionally, when there are multiple candidate fusion user equipments, UE 1 can also preferentially select the roadside unit UE X that provides policy information / management information for sensor fusion.

[0092] After UE 1 selects UE 3 as the user equipment for sensor fusion, at step 503, UE 1 may send sensor fusion setting information (503a) to the third user equipment. The sensor fusion setting information includes information related to sensor fusion that is supported by both UE 1 and UE 3. Specifically, the sensor fusion setting information may include matching information from the information related to sensor fusion of UE 1 and UE 3. For example, the sensor fusion setting information may include information about the selected sensor fusion algorithm and wireless transmission requirements that are supported by both parties. This information indicates the sensor settings and transmission settings for UE 1 and UE 3 in subsequent sensor fusion. It should be understood that the sensor fusion setting information may be based on a negotiation between UE 1 and UE 3. For example, UE 1 may negotiate with UE 3 to have UE 3 specify a specific portion of its own point cloud data (such as a 90° area from the vehicle's bird's-eye view, centered on UE 3) as the sensor data area to be shared, and share this specific portion of data with UE 1 after processing it through a neural network algorithm / model.

[0093] Optionally, after receiving the sensing fusion setting information, UE 3 may send an acknowledgment (ACK) message to UE 1 (503b).

[0094] At 504, if, for example, UE 1 receives confirmation of the sensor fusion setting information from UE 3 or UE 1 does not receive a rejection message within a period of time after sending the sensor fusion setting information, UE 1 may perform heterogeneous sensor fusion with UE 3. Specifically, UE 1 and UE 3 may transmit sensor data based on the parameter settings associated with sensor fusion data communication determined at 503, where the main transmission direction is UE 3 sharing its own sensor data with UE 1. It should be appreciated that in addition to UE 3 sending sensor data to UE 1, UE 1 may also provide updated sensor requirements (e.g., increasing or decreasing the angle or distance of the range corresponding to the sensor data) to UE 3 in real time or periodically, thereby continuously adjusting the content of the shared sensor data.

[0095] Generally speaking, there is an initialization step in the process of sensor data communication. During the initialization process, a high degree of time synchronization and precise calibration (for example, coordinate system conversion) of the user devices of both parties are required. In addition to the user devices interacting with their own coordinate orientations (sensing source coordinates, azimuth, etc.) to determine the coordinate relationship, the user devices of both parties can also interact with the information of the objects they have currently identified (for example, object type information, location information, physical outline information, color information). Afterwards, objects that can be perceived by both user devices and have high confidence can be set as anchors, so as to further share the original data (for example, point cloud data, image data, etc.), and the coordinate system can be converted and calibrated based on multiple anchors.

[0096] Furthermore, during initialization, if UE 1 has adopted a heterogeneous sensor fusion neural network structure / algorithm with switchable fusion layers, the current fusion layer can be exchanged between UE 1 and UE 3. For example, UE 3 can indicate the fusion layer position of the current data packet in a transmitted data packet, or UE 1 can indicate the currently desired fusion layer position in a transmitted data packet / ACK / NACK message.

[0097] After steps 501 to 504, the user equipment with sensing needs (e.g., UE 1) is now able to communicate sensing data with the candidate fusion user equipment (e.g., UE 3) that has the capability to share sensing data. However, in an actual dynamic Internet of Vehicles environment, these user equipments may all be in a mobile state. The change in the relative position of the user equipment due to movement may at any time lead to changes in the matching degree between the sensing needs and the sensing capabilities, as well as changes in the wireless transmission channel, thereby bringing greater uncertainty to sensor fusion. Therefore, the user equipment can additionally monitor this situation. The additional monitoring process will be described in detail in 505 and 506 below.

[0098] Additionally or alternatively, at 505, because UE 1 is still uncertain whether UE 3 can provide appropriate sensing data, or is still uncertain whether the communication quality with UE 3 meets the transmission requirements, UE 1 may instruct to trigger the transmission of sensing reachability data between UE 1 and one or more user equipments other than UE 3 among the candidate converged user equipments (e.g., UE X (as described above, UE X represents one or more user equipments)). It should be understood that while processing the converged sensing algorithm, UE 1 may also trigger and maintain the transmission of sensing reachability data with other candidate converged user equipments UE X.

[0099] Example implementations and corresponding objectives of maintaining sensory availability data transmission include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following:

[0100] ● Within a certain time window, UE 1 can measure and collect statistics on the wireless communication quality between it and UE X in order to select a candidate converged user equipment with more reliable communication quality;

[0101] UE 1 may extract a list of environmental perception information contained in the sensory accessibility data received from different UEs X (the list may include abbreviated / compressed perception information) in order to reselect and switch to a new candidate fusion user equipment;

[0102] ●UE 1 can use a small amount of wireless bandwidth resources during the sensor accessibility data transmission process to realize the perception of objects in non-key areas.

[0103] Additionally or alternatively, at 506, UE X may send sensory availability data to UE 1 according to the instruction in 505. The sensory availability data sent by UE X may include one or more of the following:

[0104] A list of perceived objects and their mobility data;

[0105] ● Sensing matrix (similar to the sensor matching information matrix introduced in 502);

[0106] An indication of whether the surrounding streets and intersections can be perceived (e.g., whether a specific road section / intersection can be perceived, whether the road section / intersection is within the perceptible range of UE X, etc.);

[0107] ● Transmitting power of sensing data (so that UE 1 can determine whether there is any obstruction in the current transmission based on the transmitting power of the sensing data and its own receiving power).

[0108] It should be recognized that information associated with sensor fusion and sensor availability data each have different focuses. For example, the former can focus more on information related to sensor needs and sharing capabilities, while the latter can focus more on information related to the perception and transmission process. While the two are distinct, they also overlap (for example, both can include sensor matching information matrices).

[0109] It should be noted that the selection of UE 3 for sensor fusion by UE 1 shown in FIG5 is merely exemplary and is not intended to be limiting. In practice, UE 1 may select multiple user equipment for sensor fusion. As an example, UE 1 may also select another candidate fusion user equipment to share sensor data with itself based on the information associated with sensor fusion that is interacted. The matching degree between the user equipment and UE 1 is also higher than a predetermined condition (for example, the matching score is higher than a predetermined threshold), and the matching score between the user equipment and UE 1 may be lower than the matching score between UE 3 and UE 1. This is particularly useful in scenarios where UE 1 has multiple blind spots. For example, when UE 1 has sensor fusion requirements in multiple directions, multiple candidate fusion user equipment located in different directions transmit sensor data to UE 1, which can enrich the perception data of UE 1 and further improve the perception performance.

[0110] After executing 505 and 506, the first user device can find out whether the surrounding environment has changed significantly, and whether such change has caused the user device currently providing sensor data sharing to no longer be able to provide high-quality sensor fusion. In other words, sensor fusion data transmission may be an unstable process. In order to adapt to this dynamically changing network environment, the present disclosure accordingly proposes a mechanism for switching user devices for sensor fusion, which is used to find new possible user devices in a dynamic environment, so that user devices with sensing needs can switch to new user devices when needed. Figure 6 shows an interactive schematic diagram of switching user devices for sensor fusion in the first example scenario according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0111] In FIG6 , a first user equipment requiring sensor fusion is shown as UE 1, and user equipment with sensor data sharing capabilities (also referred to herein as "candidate fusion user equipment") are shown as UE X, UE 3, and UE 4. It should be understood that, similar to FIG5 , UE X is used to generally represent one or more candidate fusion user equipments. It should also be understood that only UE 3 and UE 4 may exist in the system, without any other UE X.

[0112] At 601 , UE 1 communicates sensor data with UE 3. This step is similar to 504 in FIG5 , where UE 3 can share data (eg, including raw data and / or processed data) acquired by its sensors with UE 1.

[0113] At 602, (e.g., in response to an instruction from UE 1), other user equipments (e.g., including UE X and UE 4) except UE 3 among one or more candidate converged user equipments in the system may transmit sensing reachability data to UE 1. This step is similar to (505 and) 506 in FIG5 .

[0114] Thereafter, at 603, UE 1 may determine to switch from UE 3 to another user equipment (e.g., UE 4 in FIG6 ) for sensor fusion based on its current sensing requirements and the received sensor accessibility data. Specifically, the UE's determination operation for switching user equipment (from UE 3 to UE 4) may include, but is not limited to, the following examples:

[0115] UE 1 determines that UE 4 has a more optimal communication path based on the transmission quality, received and sent signal strength, QoS parameters, etc. of each candidate converged user equipment (including at least UE 3 and UE 4) within a certain time window. UE 1 also has the ability to perceive the area of ​​interest / target area of ​​UE 1.

[0116] UE 1 determines that a new area of ​​interest / target area has appeared on itself, and UE 4 happens to have the ability to perceive this area;

[0117] UE 1 determines that UE 4 currently has a better perception capability for UE 1's existing area of ​​interest / target area than UE 3.

[0118] For example, when any one or more of the above conditions are met, UE 1 may send a sensing fusion activation indication (604a) to UE 4 and a sensing fusion deactivation indication (604b) to UE 3. It should be understood that the sensing fusion activation indication sent by UE 1 to UE 4 may also include sensing fusion setup information between UE 1 and UE 4 (similar to the sensing fusion setup information transmitted at 503 in FIG. 5 ). It should also be understood that UE 1 sending a sensing fusion deactivation indication to UE 3 is optional. In other words, if desired, UE 1 may not terminate the sensing fusion communication process with UE 3.

[0119] Accordingly, at 605, UE 1 may start communicating sensing data with UE 4, and at 606 continue to receive sensing reachability data transmissions from user equipments other than UE 4 (eg, including UE 3 and UE X) among one or more candidate converged user equipments in the system.

[0120] It should be noted that the interaction diagrams of the first example of heterogeneous sensor fusion of the present disclosure in Figures 5 and 6 are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. The diagrams may include more or fewer steps (e.g., 604b may be omitted), and the steps may be performed in a different order than depicted in the diagrams (e.g., 604a and 604b may be performed simultaneously or in reverse order).

[0121] Second example of sensor fusion

[0122] In a second example of sensor fusion according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a wireless communication system includes a first user device with a sensor fusion demand and one or more user devices with sensor data sharing capabilities (also referred to herein as "candidate fusion user devices"). Data can be transmitted directly between these user devices. Unlike the first example, the system of the second example includes sensor fusion that can be used to manage the first user device and the user devices in the one or more user devices mentioned above (the second user device is also referred to as a "manager user device" in this example). In other words, the second user device has a control function (for example, decision-making and management capabilities). Figure 7 shows an interactive schematic diagram of the second example of triggering and managing sensor fusion of user devices according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0123] In Figure 7 , the first user equipment with a sensor fusion requirement is shown as UE 1, the administrator user equipment is shown as UE 2, and candidate fusion user equipment are shown as UE X and UE 3. It should be understood that UE X can represent one or more candidate fusion user equipment. It should also be understood that there may be only one candidate fusion user equipment in the system (e.g., only UE 3). It should be recognized that UE 2 generally has strong data processing capabilities and can match user equipment, thereby promoting an efficient sensor fusion process. Specific examples of UE 2 include, but are not limited to: UEs of roadside units located at intersections, etc., UEs of lead vehicles in a fleet, UEs of road management parties, and UEs of police officers. In some special cases, UE 2 can even be a network device (in which case the wireless communication is no longer sidelink communication, but communication between a network device and a user equipment).

[0124] At 701, the administrator user equipment UE 2 may receive information associated with the sensor fusion of UE 1 from UE 1 that has a sensor fusion requirement in a wireless communication system. As previously mentioned, the information includes at least sensor-related information, user equipment physical information, and wireless transmission-related information. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, UE 1 may proactively send a request containing information associated with sensor fusion to UE 2. According to other embodiments of the present disclosure, when UE 2 has a global perspective, UE 2 may determine that UE 1 has a sensor fusion requirement (for example, there is a blind spot, an area of ​​interest, or a collision risk) after collecting information from other user equipment and analyzing the current road environment, thereby indicating to UE 1 that it needs sensor fusion from other user equipment, so that UE 1 sends a request containing the above information to UE 2.

[0125] At 702, the manager user equipment UE 2 may receive information related to sensor fusion from one or more candidate fusion user equipments (including UE X and UE 3). For example, these candidate fusion user equipments may proactively expose their information related to sensor fusion to UE 2. Additionally or alternatively, if the candidate fusion user equipment is a roadside unit (RSU), the information related to sensor fusion from the user equipment may also include policy information / management information.

[0126] At 703, based on the received information related to sensor fusion, the second user equipment (UE 2) selects a user equipment that matches UE 1 from one or more candidate fusion user equipments (including UE X and UE 3) for sensor fusion. As shown in Figure 7, UE 1 selects UE 3 for sensor fusion. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the matching degree of the sensor fusion information between UE 1 and UE 3 meets a predetermined condition. In other words, UE 1 and UE 3 have a high matching degree in terms of sensor fusion requirements and sharing capabilities.

[0127] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the degree of matching of the information associated with sensor fusion between UE 1 and UE 3 meeting a predetermined condition may include: the matching score between UE 1 and UE 3 being higher than a predetermined threshold, wherein the calculation of the matching score may be based at least on a weighted sum of the matching degrees of multiple information in the information associated with sensor fusion between UE 1 and UE 3. It should be understood that the predetermined threshold may be a system default threshold or a threshold calculated based on prior experience. It should also be understood that the degree of matching of multiple information in the information associated with sensor fusion between two user devices may be indicated not only by a matching score, but also by a true (TRUE) / false (FALSE) form, or by a classification of matching levels. For an example of how to determine whether multiple information in the information associated with sensor fusion between two user devices matches, reference may be made to the description of 502 in FIG. 5 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0128] After UE 2 selects UE 3 as the user equipment for sensor fusion with UE 1, at 704, UE 2 may send sensor fusion setting information (704a) to UE 1, and at 705, UE 2 may send sensor fusion setting information (705a) to UE 3. The sensor fusion setting information includes information associated with sensor fusion supported by both UE 1 and UE 3. Specifically, the sensor fusion setting information may include information that matches each other in the information associated with sensor fusion of UE 1 and UE 3. For example, the sensor fusion setting information may include selected sensor fusion algorithm information and wireless transmission requirement information supported by both parties. This information indicates the sensor settings and transmission settings of UE 1 and UE 3 in subsequent sensor fusion. It should be understood that the sensor fusion setting information may be based on negotiation between UE 1 and UE 3.

[0129] Optionally, after receiving the sensing fusion setting information, UE 1 may send an acknowledgment (ACK) message to UE 2 ( 704 b ); after receiving the sensing fusion setting information, UE 3 may send an acknowledgment (ACK) message to UE 2 ( 705 b ).

[0130] At 706, if, for example, UE 2 receives confirmation of the sensing fusion setup information from both UE 1 and UE 3, or if UE 2 does not receive a rejection message within a period of time after sending the sensing fusion setup information, UE 2 may instruct UE 1 and UE 3 to initiate heterogeneous sensing fusion. Specifically, UE 1 and UE 3 may transmit sensing data based on the parameter settings associated with sensing fusion data communication determined at 704 and 705. For an example of the sensing data communication process and its initialization process, reference may be made to the description of 504 in FIG. 5 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0131] Similar to the first example, in a dynamic, connected vehicle environment, user devices may be in motion. Changes in the relative position of user devices due to movement can cause changes in the matching degree between sensing requirements and sensing capabilities, as well as changes in the wireless transmission channel, resulting in significant uncertainty in sensor fusion. Therefore, user devices can additionally monitor these situations. The additional monitoring process is described below in 707 and 708.

[0132] Additionally or alternatively, at 707, UE 2 may instruct to trigger the transmission of sensory reachability data with one or more user equipment (e.g., UE X (as described above, UE X represents one or more user equipment)) among the candidate converged user equipments other than UE 3. It should be understood that UE 2, as a manager user equipment, may instruct the transmission of sensory reachability data to user equipment even in the absence of a demand-side user equipment. In other words, even in the absence of UE 1, UE 2 may, after receiving an instruction from UE X that it may provide sensory data, instruct UE X to transmit sensory reachability data, and UE 2 itself may serve as a receiver and processor of the sensory reachability data.

[0133] Additionally or alternatively, at 708 , UE X may send the sensor availability data to UE 2 according to the instruction in 707 .

[0134] It should be noted that in Figure 7 , UE 2 selecting UE 3 for sensor fusion with UE 1 is merely exemplary and not intended to be limiting. In practice, UE 2 may select multiple user equipments for sensor fusion with UE 1. For example, if UE 2 discovers that UE 1 requires sensor fusion in multiple directions, it may select and instruct multiple candidate fusion user equipments located in different directions to transmit sensor data to UE 1, thereby enriching UE 1's sensor data and further improving sensor performance.

[0135] After executing steps 707 and 708, the administrator user equipment UE 2 may determine whether it is necessary to switch the user equipment for sensor fusion for UE 1. The present disclosure accordingly proposes a mechanism for switching the user equipment for sensor fusion suitable for the second example scenario. FIG8 illustrates an interaction diagram for switching the user equipment for sensor fusion in the second example scenario according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0136] In Figure 8 , a first user equipment requiring sensor fusion is shown as UE 1, a manager user equipment is shown as UE 2, and candidate fusion user equipments are shown as UE X, UE 3, and UE 4. It should be understood that, similar to Figure 7 , UE X is used to generally represent one or more candidate fusion user equipments. It should also be understood that only UE 3 and UE 4 may exist in the system, without any other UE X.

[0137] At 801 , UE 1 communicates sensor fusion data with UE 3. This step is similar to 706 in FIG7 , where UE 3 can share data (eg, including raw data and / or processed data) acquired by its sensors with UE 1.

[0138] At 802, (e.g., in response to an instruction from UE 2), other user equipments (e.g., including UE X and UE 4) except UE 3 among one or more candidate converged user equipments in the system may transmit sensing reachability data to UE 2. This step is similar to (707 and) 708 in FIG. 7 .

[0139] Thereafter, at 803, UE 2 may determine to switch from UE 3 to another user equipment (e.g., UE 4 in FIG. 8 ) for sensor fusion based on the current sensing requirements of UE 1 and the received sensing accessibility data. Specifically, an example of the UE's determination operation for switching the user equipment (from UE 3 to UE 4) may be referred to the description in 603 of FIG. 6 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0140] When the switching condition is met, UE 2 may send a sensing fusion activation indication to UE 4 ( 804 a ), and send a sensing fusion deactivation indication to UE 3 ( 804 b ).

[0141] Accordingly, at 805, UE 1 may start communicating sensing data with UE 4, and at 806, UE 2 continues to receive sensing reachability data transmissions from user equipment other than UE 4 (e.g., including UE 3 and UE X) among one or more candidate fusion user equipments in the system.

[0142] It should be noted that the interaction diagrams of the second example of heterogeneous sensor fusion of the present disclosure in Figures 7 and 8 are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. The diagrams may include more or fewer steps (e.g., 704b and 705b may be omitted), and the steps may be performed in an order different from that depicted in the diagrams (e.g., 701 and 702 may be performed in reverse order, and 704 and 705 may also be performed in reverse order).

[0143] It should be recognized that the details of the various information or data appearing in Figures 7 and 8 (for example, information associated with sensor fusion, sensor fusion setting information, sensor accessibility data, etc.) and multiple operation steps (for example, matching steps, sensor data transmission steps, etc.) have been described in detail in Figures 5 and 6, and therefore are not repeated in the relevant descriptions of Figures 7 and 8.

[0144] A third example of sensor fusion

[0145] In the third example of sensor fusion according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the wireless communication system includes a first user device with a sensor fusion demand and one or more user devices with sensor data sharing capabilities (also referred to herein as "candidate fusion user devices"). Unlike the first and second examples in which data can be directly transmitted between these user devices, since the transmission road between these user devices in the actual road may be blocked by other vehicles or obstacles (the NLOS transmission channel caused by the blockage is prone to cause serious packet loss rate in higher frequency bands (such as sub-6G bands, millimeter wave bands, etc.)), in the system of the third example, the second user device can be used to relay the sensor fusion of the first user device and the user device in the above one or more user devices (the second user device is also referred to as "relay user device" in this example). Additionally or optionally, the second user device may have a control function (for example, decision-making and management capabilities). Figure 9 shows an interactive schematic diagram of the third example of triggering and managing sensor fusion of user devices according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0146] In FIG9 , a first user equipment requiring sensor fusion is shown as UE 1, a relay user equipment is shown as UE 2, and candidate fusion user equipments are shown as UE X and UE 3. It should be understood that UE X may represent one or more candidate fusion user equipments. It should also be understood that there may be only one candidate fusion user equipment (e.g., only UE 3) in the system.

[0147] It should be understood that UE 2 can be selected and designated by the user as a relay user equipment. Specific examples of UE 2 include, but are not limited to, a UE located on a roadside unit (RSU), a UE in the lead vehicle of a convoy, a UE belonging to a road management agency, and a UE belonging to a police officer. UE 2 acting as a relay can also generate benefits. It should also be understood that UE 2 can autonomously activate the relay function. Specifically, based on its own sensor data and / or sensor data / V2X messages received from other vehicles / RSUs, UE 2 can determine that it may be blocking V2X transmissions (e.g., being located between two intersecting vehicles / lanes, or blocking pedestrians on the roadside). Accordingly, UE 2 can activate the relay function to avoid accidents caused by blind spots created by other vehicles due to its own location and size. In some special cases, specialized vehicles (e.g., fuel tankers, cement tankers, fire trucks, and construction vehicles) can easily interfere with and block the surrounding wireless environment due to their size and contours, so the relay function can be activated for extended periods of time.

[0148] In FIG9 , a relay user equipment UE 2 may receive information associated with sensor fusion for UE 1 from UE 1, which has a sensor fusion requirement in a wireless communication system (901). UE 2 may receive information associated with sensor fusion for the corresponding user equipment from one or more candidate fusion user equipments (including UE X and UE 3) (902). Based on the received information associated with sensor fusion, UE 2 selects a user equipment that matches UE 1 from the one or more candidate fusion user equipments (including UE X and UE 3) for sensor fusion (903). As shown in FIG9 , UE 1 selects UE 3 for sensor fusion. After UE 2 selects UE 3 as the user equipment for sensor fusion with UE 1, at 904, UE 2 may send sensor fusion setup information to UE 1 (904a), and at 905, UE 2 may send sensor fusion setup information to UE 3 (905a). The sensor fusion setup information includes information associated with sensor fusion that is supported by both UE 1 and UE 3. Optionally, after receiving the sensing fusion setup information, UE 1 may send an acknowledgment (ACK) message to UE 2 (904b); and after receiving the sensing fusion setup information, UE 3 may send an acknowledgment (ACK) message to UE 2 (905b). At 906, if, for example, UE 2 receives acknowledgments of the sensing fusion setup information from both UE 1 and UE 3, or if UE 2 does not receive a rejection message within a period of time after sending the sensing fusion setup information, UE 2 may instruct UE 1 and UE 3 to begin heterogeneous sensing fusion via UE 2.

[0149] Similar to the first and second examples, in a dynamic, connected vehicle environment, user devices may be in motion, which introduces significant uncertainty into sensor fusion. Therefore, the user device can additionally monitor this situation. The additional monitoring process includes steps 907 and 908.

[0150] Additionally or alternatively, at 907 , UE 2 may instruct to trigger sensing reachability data transmission with one or more user equipments (eg, UE X (as described above, UE X represents one or more user equipments)) among the candidate fusion user equipments except UE 3.

[0151] Additionally or alternatively, at 908 , UE X may send sensory availability data to UE 2 according to the instruction in 907 .

[0152] It can be seen that steps 901-908 in FIG. 9 are very similar to steps 701-708 in FIG. 7 . The main difference is that the transmission of the sensing data in FIG. 9 needs to be transmitted between UE 1 and UE 3 via the relay of UE 2. For other details, please refer to the detailed description in FIG. 7 and will not be repeated here.

[0153] After executing steps 907 and 908, the relay user equipment UE 2 may determine whether it is necessary to switch the user equipment for sensor fusion for UE 1. The present disclosure accordingly proposes a mechanism for switching the user equipment for sensor fusion suitable for the third example scenario. FIG10 illustrates an interaction diagram for switching the user equipment for sensor fusion in the third example scenario according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0154] In Figure 10 , a first user equipment requiring sensor fusion is shown as UE 1, a relay user equipment is shown as UE 2, and candidate fusion user equipments are shown as UE X, UE 3, and UE 4. It should be understood that, similar to Figure 9 , UE X is used to generally represent one or more candidate fusion user equipments. It should also be understood that only UE 3 and UE 4 may exist in the system, without any other UE X.

[0155] In FIG10 , UE 1 and UE 3 communicate sensor fusion data via UE 2 ( 1001 ). (For example, in response to an instruction from UE 2 ), one or more candidate fusion user equipments in the system, other than UE 3 (for example, including UE X and UE 4 ), may transmit sensor accessibility data to UE 2 ( 1002 ). Thereafter, UE 2 may determine, based on UE 1's current sensing requirements and the received sensor accessibility data, to switch from UE 3 to another user equipment (for example, UE 4 in FIG10 ) for sensor fusion ( 1003 ). When the switching conditions are met, UE 2 may send a sensor fusion activation indication to UE 4 ( 1004 a ) and a sensor fusion deactivation indication to UE 3 ( 1004 b ). Accordingly, UE 1 may start communicating sensing data with UE 4 via UE 2 ( 1005 ), and UE 2 may continue to receive sensing reachability data transmissions from user equipment other than UE 4 (e.g., including UE 3 and UE X) among one or more candidate converged user equipments in the system ( 1006 ).

[0156] It can be seen that steps 1001-1006 in FIG10 are very similar to steps 801-806 in FIG8 . The main difference is that the transmission of the sensing data in FIG10 needs to be transmitted between UE 1 and UE 3 or between UE 1 and UE 4 via the relay of UE 2. For other details, please refer to the detailed description in FIG8 , which will not be repeated here.

[0157] It should be understood that, in some embodiments, UE 2, which serves as a relay user equipment, may not have a control function (e.g., a decision-making capability), and the corresponding control function may still be controlled by the user equipment UE 1 that has a transmission requirement. For example, UE 2 may forward the information associated with sensor fusion of the candidate fusion user equipment received at 902 to UE 1, so that the UE performs the operation in 903, for example, to select UE 3 for sensor fusion via UE 2. For example, UE 2 may forward the sensor accessibility data of the candidate fusion user equipment received at 1002 to UE 1, so that the UE performs the operation in 1003, for example, determining to switch from UE 3 to UE 4 for sensor fusion via UE 2.

[0158] It should be noted that the interaction diagrams of the third example of heterogeneous sensor fusion of the present disclosure in Figures 9 and 10 are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. The diagrams may include more or fewer steps (e.g., 904b and 905b may be omitted), and the steps may be performed in an order different from the order depicted in the diagrams (e.g., 901 and 902 may be performed in reverse order, and 904 and 905 may also be performed in reverse order).

[0159] It should be recognized that the details of the various information or data appearing in Figures 9 and 10 (for example, information associated with sensor fusion, sensor fusion setting information, sensor accessibility data, etc.) have been described in detail in Figures 5 and 6, and therefore are not repeated in the relevant descriptions of Figures 9 and 10.

[0160] In the third example shown in Figures 9 and 10, a relay user equipment (e.g., UE 2), as a device with known functions, proactively helps match a user equipment with sensing needs (e.g., UE 1) with a user equipment with sensing data sharing capabilities (e.g., UE X). In practice, after UE 1 and UE X have established stable sensor fusion data communication, they may need to find a user equipment with relay capabilities to serve as a relay user equipment to relay the sensor fusion data transmission between the two due to certain circumstances. These circumstances include, but are not limited to:

[0161] ● Direct data transmission between UE 1 and UE X (e.g., the scenarios shown in Figures 5-8 of this disclosure). When the direct data transmission path is blocked by an obstacle, a relay user equipment needs to be found;

[0162] UE 1 and UE X have already been relayed via a relay user equipment (for example, the scenarios shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 in this disclosure), but the previous relay transmission path is blocked by an obstacle and a new relay user equipment needs to be found.

[0163] In summary, UE 1 and UE X may need to search for a relay or switch relays. In both scenarios, UE 1 and UE X have already established sensor data communication. This disclosure will hereinafter describe a scenario where UE 1 and UE X jointly determine a relay user equipment (assuming one or more user equipment with relay functionality exists in the system). Figure 11 illustrates an interaction diagram for selecting and switching a user equipment for relaying, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0164] In Figure 11 , the first user equipment with a sensor fusion requirement is shown as UE 1, and the user equipment that has established a sensor fusion communication connection with UE 1 is shown as UE X. In addition, the system also includes one or more user equipments with a relay function (also referred to herein as "candidate relay user equipments"), illustrated as relay UE A and relay UE B in the figure.

[0165] At S1101 and S1102, candidate relay user equipment (e.g., relay UE A and relay UE B) can respectively expose (send) its own relay capability information to both user equipments (e.g., UE 1 and UE X) that are performing sensor fusion. As an example, the candidate relay user equipment can broadcast a message that it can serve as a relay user equipment to provide relaying for both parties in sensor fusion. At the same time, the candidate relay user equipment can also broadcast the following characteristics of itself:

[0166] Mobility characteristics, such as whether the vehicle is mobile and, if so, its path planning, speed, and current location;

[0167] ●Appearance characteristics, such as color, type, size, shape, (license plate) number and other information.

[0168] Next, at S1103 , UE 1 may determine a set of relay UEs that are valid for itself, and at S1104 , UE X may determine a set of relay UEs that are valid for itself.

[0169] It should be understood that both UE 1 (a sensor fusion demander) and UE X (a sensor fusion provider) can obtain the location information of the relay UE based on at least wireless parameters (e.g., signal strength parameters (such as Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) or Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)), QoS parameters (such as packet loss rate), sensor information (including information acquired by their own sensors and sensors of other user devices), and communication data (e.g., V2X messages). UE 1 and UE X can determine whether there are obstacles blocking the path between them and the relay UE (e.g., determining whether the transmission path is a Loss of Surface or Non-Locked Surface). For example, the appearance characteristics broadcast by the relay UE can assist UE 1 and UE X in determining the position of the relay UE in the coordinate system established by their own sensor systems by combining their own sensor information about the surrounding environment (e.g., information about surrounding vehicles acquired through Lidar). In addition to determining the current transmission path, UE 1 and UE X can also determine whether the LOS or NLOS transmission path is continuous (for example, whether new obstacles may appear within a short period of time) based on at least the relay UE's current location, path planning, and movement information, combined with information about other objects obtained in their own sensor coordinate systems. It should be understood that in addition to sensor fusion, many other application scenarios (for example, coordinated lane change, "green wave" traffic, and accident notification) can also use this method to trigger the data relay function.

[0170] Based on the above method, UE 1 and UE X can determine their own valid relay UE sets, and exchange their respective valid relay UE sets at S1105. It should be understood that the exchange information can be updated periodically.

[0171] Accordingly, at S1106, UE 1 and UE X may determine the optimal relay UE for both. In FIG11 , the optimal relay UE is shown as UE B. For example, UE B may be a user equipment with the optimal relay capability in the intersection of the valid relay user equipment sets of UE 1 and UE X. It should be understood that this step may be initiated by either UE 1 or UE X, as long as either UE 1 or UE X determines that the current direct sensing fusion data transmission or the sensing fusion data transmission via the current relay UE no longer meets the sensing fusion requirements.

[0172] At S1107 and S1108 , UE 1 and UE X may respectively send relay establishment requests to the determined relay UE B, and then perform sensor fusion communication via UE B.

[0173] It should be noted that the interaction diagram in FIG11 is merely an example and is not intended to be limiting. The diagram may include more or fewer steps, and the steps may be performed in a different order than depicted in the diagram. For example, S1101 and S1102 may be performed in a different order, and S1107 and S1108 may also be performed in a different order.

[0174] Advantageous Effects of the Present Disclosure

[0175] With respect to heterogeneous sensor fusion in wireless communication systems (e.g., Internet of Vehicles systems), the present disclosure proposes a mechanism for triggering and managing sensor fusion based on information associated with sensor fusion from user devices, and further proposes a mechanism for switching user devices used for sensor fusion when needed. It should be understood that the present disclosure proposes the above two mechanisms under multiple example scenarios, where the example scenarios include at least: matching and switching of sensor fusion directly between user devices (data transmission directly between user devices); matching and switching between user devices through a manager user device (data transmission directly between user devices); matching and switching between user devices through a relay user device (data transmission between user devices via a relay user device).

[0176] According to the inventive concept and technical solution proposed in the present disclosure, beneficial technical effects can be achieved. On the one hand, the present disclosure takes into account heterogeneous sensor fusion and wireless communication transmission environment, so that heterogeneous sensor fusion technology can be better applied to actual road environments, which can reduce traffic accidents caused by blind spots, etc. On the other hand, the present disclosure simplifies the process of user equipment triggering sensor fusion and managing sensor fusion, so that user equipment can quickly select and switch user equipment that shares sensor data. On the other hand, by proposing an adaptive sensor fusion mechanism, it is convenient to maintain the continuity of heterogeneous sensor fusion in a changing wireless communication environment. On the other hand, by simply and quickly selecting and switching relay user equipment, the occlusion problem caused by objects (for example, moving vehicles, etc.) can be greatly reduced at a lower cost. In general, the mechanism proposed in the present disclosure can enhance the reliability and effectiveness of the heterogeneous sensor fusion technology relied on in the field of Internet of Vehicles (especially autonomous driving).

[0177] Exemplary Methods

[0178] Figure 12 shows a flowchart of an example method for a first user device for sensor fusion according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method can be performed by a first user device (or more specifically, an electronic device 300) in a wireless communication system that has a sensor fusion demand. As shown in Figure 12, the method may include the first user device interacting with one or more user devices in the wireless communication system to exchange information associated with sensor fusion, the information including at least sensor-related information, user device physical information, and wireless transmission-related information (box S1201). At box S1202, the first user device may select a third user device from the one or more user devices for sensor fusion based on the interacted information associated with sensor fusion, wherein the matching degree of the information associated with sensor fusion of the first user device and the third user device meets a predetermined condition. The detailed example operation of the method can be referred to the above description of the operation of the first user device (or more specifically, the electronic device 300), which will not be repeated here.

[0179] FIG13 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for a second user device for sensor fusion according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method may be performed by a second user device (or more specifically, electronic device 400). As shown in FIG13 , the method may include the second user device receiving information associated with sensor fusion from a first user device in a wireless communication system that has a sensor fusion requirement, the information including at least sensor-related information, user device physical information, and wireless transmission-related information, as shown in block 1301. At block 1302, the second user device may receive information associated with sensor fusion from one or more user devices other than the first user device in the wireless communication system. Based on the received information associated with sensor fusion, the second user device selects a third user device from the one or more user devices for sensor fusion with the first user device, wherein the matching degree of the sensor fusion information of the first and third user devices satisfies a predetermined condition (block S1303). It should be understood that the second user device may be used to manage sensor fusion between the first user device and a user device in the one or more user devices, or may be used to relay sensor fusion between the first user device and a user device in the one or more user devices. The detailed example operations of the method can be referred to the above description of the operation of the second user equipment (or more specifically, the electronic device 400), which will not be repeated here.

[0180] The solution of the present disclosure may have the following configuration:

[0181] (1) An electronic device for a first user equipment in a wireless communication system, wherein the first user equipment has a need for sensor fusion, the electronic device comprising a processing circuit, wherein the processing circuit is configured to cause the first user equipment to perform the following operations:

[0182] Information associated with sensor fusion interaction with one or more user equipment in a wireless communication system, the information including at least sensor-related information, user equipment physical information, and wireless transmission-related information; and

[0183] Based on the interacted information associated with sensor fusion, a third user device among the one or more user devices is selected for sensor fusion, wherein a matching degree of the information associated with sensor fusion of the first user device and the third user device satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0184] (2) The electronic device according to claim (1), wherein the information associated with the interaction between the first user device and the one or more user devices and the sensor fusion includes:

[0185] The first user equipment sends a request containing the information associated with sensing fusion of the first user equipment to the one or more user equipments, and then the first user equipment receives the information associated with sensing fusion of the corresponding user equipment from the one or more user equipments; or

[0186] The first user device receives information associated with sensor fusion of the corresponding user device from the one or more user devices, and then the first user device finds that it has a need for sensor fusion, and sends the information associated with sensor fusion of the first user device to the one or more user devices.

[0187] (3) The electronic device according to claim (1), wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the first user device to perform the following operations:

[0188] Sending sensing fusion setting information to the third user equipment, wherein the sensing fusion setting information includes information associated with sensing fusion supported by both the first user equipment and the third user equipment; and

[0189] In response to receiving confirmation of the sensing fusion setting information from the third user equipment, sensing fusion is performed with the third user equipment.

[0190] (4) The electronic device according to claim (3), wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the first user device to perform the following operations:

[0191] After performing sensor fusion with the third user equipment, receiving sensor availability data from user equipment other than the third user equipment among the one or more devices;

[0192] Based on a current sensing requirement of the first user equipment and the received sensing accessibility data, determining to switch from the third user equipment to a fourth user equipment among the one or more user equipments for sensor fusion;

[0193] Sending a sensor fusion activation indication to the fourth user equipment;

[0194] sending a sensor fusion deactivation indication to the third user equipment; and

[0195] Perform sensor fusion with the fourth user equipment.

[0196] (5) The electronic device according to claim (1), wherein the degree of matching of the information associated with sensor fusion of the first user device and the third user device satisfies a predetermined condition comprises:

[0197] The matching score between the first user device and the third user device is higher than a predetermined threshold, wherein the matching score is calculated based on at least a weighted sum of matching degrees of multiple information in the information associated with sensor fusion between the first user device and the third user device.

[0198] (6) The electronic device according to claim (5), wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the first user device to perform the following operations:

[0199] Based on the interacted information associated with sensor fusion, a fourth user device among the one or more user devices is also selected for sensor fusion, wherein the matching score of the fourth user device with the first user device is higher than the predetermined threshold, and the matching score of the fourth user device with the first user device is lower than the matching score of the third user device with the first user device.

[0200] (7) The electronic device according to claim (1), wherein the sensing-related information of the user device includes at least one or more of the following:

[0201] The sensor fusion algorithm information of the user equipment, including fusion algorithm type, fusion layer location, fusion occurrence frequency, and / or fusion input and output variable format;

[0202] Sensor information of the user equipment, including sensor type, physical information and / or performance parameters; and

[0203] The sensor fusion requirement information of the user equipment includes low sensor confidence areas, sensor blocked areas, and / or sensor matching information.

[0204] (8) The electronic device according to claim (1), wherein the user device physical information includes at least one or more of the following:

[0205] The location information, movement information, posture information, and physical profile information of the user equipment.

[0206] (9) The electronic device according to claim (1), wherein the wireless transmission related information of the user equipment includes at least one or more of the following:

[0207] Quality of Service (QoS) information, including packet loss rate, transmission rate, and / or delay; and

[0208] Converged service transmission requirements, including required transmission frames, and / or minimum service levels.

[0209] (10) The electronic device according to claim (1), wherein the first user device includes a vehicle or a roadside unit, and the one or more user devices include a vehicle or a roadside unit different from the first user device.

[0210] (11) The electronic device according to claim (10), wherein the information associated with sensor fusion of the roadside unit further includes management information or policy information.

[0211] (12) An electronic device for a second user equipment in a wireless communication system, the electronic device comprising a processing circuit, the processing circuit being configured to cause the second user equipment to perform the following operations:

[0212] receiving information associated with sensor fusion from a first user equipment having a sensor fusion requirement in a wireless communication system, the information including at least sensor-related information, user equipment physical information, and wireless transmission-related information;

[0213] receiving, from one or more user equipments other than the first user equipment in the wireless communication system, information associated with sensing fusion of the corresponding user equipment; and

[0214] Based on the received information associated with sensor fusion, a third user device among the one or more user devices is selected for sensor fusion with the first user device, wherein a matching degree of the information associated with sensor fusion of the first user device and the third user device meets a predetermined condition.

[0215] (13) The electronic device according to claim (12), wherein the second user device is used to manage the sensing fusion of the first user device and the user devices in the one or more user devices.

[0216] (14) The electronic device according to claim (13), wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the second user device to perform the following operations:

[0217] Sending sensing fusion setting information to the first user equipment and the third user equipment, wherein the sensing fusion setting information includes information associated with sensing fusion supported by both the first user equipment and the third user equipment; and

[0218] In response to receiving confirmation of the sensing fusion setting information from both the first user equipment and the third user equipment, the first user equipment is instructed to perform sensing fusion with the third user equipment.

[0219] (15) The electronic device according to claim (14), wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the second user device to perform the following operations:

[0220] After the first user equipment and the third user equipment perform sensor fusion, receiving sensor accessibility data from user equipment other than the third user equipment among the one or more devices;

[0221] Based on a current sensing requirement of the first user equipment and the received sensing accessibility data, determining to switch from the third user equipment to a fourth user equipment among the one or more user equipments for sensor fusion;

[0222] sending a sensor fusion deactivation indication to a third user equipment;

[0223] Sending a sensing fusion activation indication to the fourth user equipment; and

[0224] Instruct the first user equipment and the fourth user equipment to perform sensor fusion.

[0225] (16) The electronic device according to claim (12), wherein the second user device is used to relay the sensing fusion of the first user device and the user device among the one or more user devices.

[0226] (17) The electronic device according to claim (16), wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the second user device to perform the following operations:

[0227] Sending sensing fusion setting information to the first user equipment and the third user equipment, wherein the sensing fusion setting information includes information associated with sensing fusion supported by both the first user equipment and the third user equipment; and

[0228] In response to receiving confirmation of the sensing fusion setting information from both the first user equipment and the third user equipment, the first user equipment and the third user equipment are instructed to perform sensing fusion via the second user equipment.

[0229] (18) The electronic device according to claim (17), wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the second user device to perform the following operations:

[0230] After the first user equipment and the third user equipment perform sensor fusion via the second user equipment, receiving sensor accessibility data from user equipment other than the third user equipment among the one or more devices;

[0231] Based on a current sensing requirement of the first user equipment and the received sensing accessibility data, determining to switch from the third user equipment to a fourth user equipment among the one or more user equipments for sensor fusion;

[0232] sending a sensor fusion deactivation indication to a third user equipment;

[0233] Sending a sensing fusion activation indication to the fourth user equipment; and

[0234] Instruct the first user equipment and the fourth user equipment to perform sensor fusion via the second user equipment.

[0235] (19) The electronic device according to claim (17), wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the second user device to perform the following operations:

[0236] After the first user equipment and the third user equipment perform sensor fusion via the second user equipment, receiving sensor accessibility data from user equipment other than the third user equipment among the one or more devices;

[0237] Forwarding the received sensor accessibility data to the first user equipment, so that the first user equipment determines to switch from the third user equipment to the fourth user equipment for sensor fusion based on the current sensor demand of the first user equipment and the received sensor accessibility data;

[0238] receiving, from the first user equipment, an instruction to switch from the third user equipment to the fourth user equipment for sensor fusion;

[0239] sending a sensor fusion deactivation indication to a third user equipment;

[0240] Sending a sensing fusion activation indication to the fourth user equipment; and

[0241] Instruct the first user equipment and the fourth user equipment to perform sensor fusion via the second user equipment.

[0242] (20) The electronic device of claim (17), wherein the second user device is configured to relay sensor fusion between the first user device and the third user device based at least in part on:

[0243] The first user equipment and the third user equipment receive relay capability information of corresponding user equipment from a plurality of user equipments having a relay function in the wireless communication system;

[0244] The first user equipment determines a set of relay user equipments valid for itself;

[0245] The third user equipment determines a set of relay user equipments that are valid for itself;

[0246] The first user equipment and the third user equipment exchange their respective relay user equipment sets, and determine that the second user equipment is a user equipment with the best relay capability in the intersection of the two relay user equipment sets; and

[0247] The first user equipment and the third user equipment send a relay establishment request to the second user equipment.

[0248] (21) A method for a first user equipment in a wireless communication system, wherein the first user equipment has a need for sensor fusion, the method comprising:

[0249] Information associated with sensor fusion interaction with one or more user equipment in a wireless communication system, the information including at least sensor-related information, user equipment physical information, and wireless transmission-related information; and

[0250] Based on the interacted information associated with sensor fusion, a third user device among the one or more user devices is selected for sensor fusion, wherein a matching degree of the information associated with sensor fusion of the first user device and the third user device satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0251] (22) A method for a second user equipment in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

[0252] receiving information associated with sensor fusion from a first user equipment having a sensor fusion requirement in a wireless communication system, the information including at least sensor-related information, user equipment physical information, and wireless transmission-related information;

[0253] receiving, from one or more user equipments other than the first user equipment in the wireless communication system, information associated with sensing fusion of the corresponding user equipment; and

[0254] Based on the received information associated with sensor fusion, a third user device among the one or more user devices is selected for sensor fusion with the first user device, wherein a matching degree of the information associated with sensor fusion of the first user device and the third user device meets a predetermined condition.

[0255] (23) A computer-readable storage medium storing one or more executable instructions, wherein the one or more executable instructions, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the method according to claim (21) or (22).

[0256] (24) A computer program product comprising executable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to claim (21) or (22).

[0257] It should be noted that the above application examples are merely illustrative. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented in any other appropriate manner in the above application examples, while still achieving the advantageous effects obtained by the embodiments of the present disclosure. Moreover, the embodiments of the present disclosure may also be applied to other similar application examples, while still achieving the advantageous effects obtained by the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0258] It should be understood that the machine-executable instructions in the machine-readable storage medium or program product according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can be configured to perform operations corresponding to the above-mentioned device and method embodiments. When referring to the above-mentioned device and method embodiments, the embodiments of the machine-readable storage medium or program product are clear to those skilled in the art and are therefore not described again. Machine-readable storage media and program products for carrying or including the above-mentioned machine-executable instructions also fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Such storage media may include, but are not limited to, floppy disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, memory cards, memory sticks, and the like.

[0259] In addition, it should be understood that the above series of processes and devices can also be implemented by software and / or firmware. In the case of implementation by software and / or firmware, the program constituting the software is installed from a storage medium or a network to a computer with a dedicated hardware structure, such as the general-purpose personal computer 1100 shown in Figure 14. When various programs are installed, the computer can perform various functions, etc. Figure 14 is a block diagram showing an example structure of a personal computer as an information processing device that can be used in an embodiment of the present disclosure. In one example, the personal computer can correspond to the above-mentioned exemplary terminal device according to the present disclosure.

[0260] 14 , a central processing unit (CPU) 1101 executes various processes according to a program stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 1102 or a program loaded from a storage section 1108 to a random access memory (RAM) 1103. In the RAM 1103, data required when the CPU 1101 executes various processes and the like is also stored as needed.

[0261] The CPU 1101, the ROM 1102, and the RAM 1103 are connected to one another via a bus 1104. An input / output interface 1105 is also connected to the bus 1104.

[0262] The following components are connected to the input / output interface 1105: an input section 1106 including a keyboard, a mouse, etc.; an output section 1107 including a display such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), etc., and a speaker, etc.; a storage section 1108 including a hard disk, etc.; and a communication section 1109 including a network interface card such as a LAN card, a modem, etc. The communication section 1109 performs communication processing via a network such as the Internet.

[0263] A drive 1110 is also connected to the input / output interface 1105 as needed. A removable medium 1111 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, etc. is mounted on the drive 1110 as needed so that a computer program read therefrom is installed in the storage section 1108 as needed.

[0264] In the case of realizing the above-described series of processing by software, a program constituting the software is installed from a network such as the Internet or a storage medium such as the removable medium 1111 .

[0265] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that such storage media are not limited to the removable media 1111 shown in FIG14 , which stores programs therein and is distributed separately from the device to provide the programs to users. Examples of the removable media 1111 include magnetic disks (including floppy disks (registered trademark)), optical disks (including compact disk read-only memories (CD-ROMs) and digital versatile disks (DVDs)), magneto-optical disks (including minidiscs (MDs) (registered trademark)), and semiconductor memories. Alternatively, the storage medium may be a ROM 1102, a hard disk included in the storage section 1108, or the like, in which the programs are stored and distributed to users together with the device containing them.

[0266] The technology disclosed herein can be applied to various products.

[0267] For example, the electronic devices 300 and 400 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented as various electronic devices / terminal devices or included in various electronic devices / terminal devices, and the methods shown in Figures 12 and / or 13 can also be performed by various electronic devices / terminal devices.

[0268] For example, the terminal devices mentioned in the present disclosure are also referred to as user equipment in some examples, and can be implemented as mobile terminals (such as smart phones, tablet personal computers (PCs), notebook PCs, portable game terminals, portable / dongle-type mobile routers, and digital camera devices) or vehicle-mounted terminals (such as car navigation devices). The user equipment can also be implemented as a terminal that performs machine-to-machine (M2M) communication (also referred to as a machine type communication (MTC) terminal). In addition, the user equipment can be a wireless communication module (such as an integrated circuit module including a single chip) installed on each of the above-mentioned terminals. In some cases, the user equipment can use multiple wireless communication technologies for communication. For example, the user equipment can be configured to communicate using two or more of GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, WiMAX, LTE, LTE-A, WLAN, NR, Bluetooth, etc. In some cases, the user equipment can also be configured to communicate using only one wireless communication technology.

[0269] An example according to the present disclosure will be described below with reference to FIG. 15 to FIG. 16 .

[0270] Example of a user device

[0271] First example

[0272] 15 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a smartphone 1200 to which the techniques of the present disclosure may be applied. The smartphone 1200 includes a processor 1201, a memory 1202, a storage device 1203, an external connection interface 1204, a camera 1206, a sensor 1207, a microphone 1208, an input device 1209, a display 1210, a speaker 1211, a wireless communication interface 1212, one or more antenna switches 1215, one or more antennas 1216, a bus 1217, a battery 1218, and an auxiliary controller 1219. In one implementation, the smartphone 1200 (or processor 1201) herein may correspond to a first user device (or more specifically, the electronic device 300) or a second user device (or more specifically, the electronic device 400) in the aforementioned wireless communication system.

[0273] The processor 1201 may be, for example, a CPU or a system on a chip (SoC), and controls the functions of the application layer and other layers of the smartphone 1200. The memory 1202 includes RAM and ROM, and stores data and programs executed by the processor 1201. The storage device 1203 may include storage media such as semiconductor memories and hard disks. The external connection interface 1204 is an interface for connecting external devices (such as memory cards and universal serial bus (USB) devices) to the smartphone 1200.

[0274] The camera 1206 includes an image sensor (such as a charge coupled device (CCD) and a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)) and generates a captured image. The sensor 1207 may include a group of sensors such as a measurement sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and an acceleration sensor. The microphone 1208 converts the sound input to the smartphone 1200 into an audio signal. The input device 1209 includes, for example, a touch sensor configured to detect a touch on the screen of the display device 1210, a keypad, a keyboard, a button, or a switch, and receives an operation or information input from the user. The display device 1210 includes a screen (such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) and an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display) and displays the output image of the smartphone 1200. The speaker 1211 converts the audio signal output from the smartphone 1200 into sound.

[0275] The wireless communication interface 1212 supports any cellular communication scheme (such as LTE and LTE-Advanced) and performs wireless communication. The wireless communication interface 1212 may generally include, for example, a BB processor 1213 and an RF circuit 1214. The BB processor 1213 may perform, for example, encoding / decoding, modulation / demodulation, and multiplexing / demultiplexing, and perform various types of signal processing for wireless communication. Meanwhile, the RF circuit 1214 may include, for example, a mixer, a filter, and an amplifier, and transmit and receive wireless signals via an antenna 1216. The wireless communication interface 1212 may be a chip module on which the BB processor 1213 and the RF circuit 1214 are integrated. As shown in FIG. 15 , the wireless communication interface 1212 may include multiple BB processors 1213 and multiple RF circuits 1214. Although FIG. 15 shows an example in which the wireless communication interface 1212 includes multiple BB processors 1213 and multiple RF circuits 1214, the wireless communication interface 1212 may also include a single BB processor 1213 or a single RF circuit 1214.

[0276] In addition, in addition to the cellular communication scheme, the wireless communication interface 1212 can support other types of wireless communication schemes, such as a short-range wireless communication scheme, a near-field communication scheme, and a wireless local area network (LAN) scheme. In this case, the wireless communication interface 1212 can include a BB processor 1213 and an RF circuit 1214 for each wireless communication scheme.

[0277] Each of the antenna switches 1215 switches the connection destination of the antenna 1216 between a plurality of circuits (eg, circuits for different wireless communication schemes) included in the wireless communication interface 1212 .

[0278] Each of the antennas 1216 includes a single or multiple antenna elements (such as multiple antenna elements included in a MIMO antenna) and is used for transmitting and receiving wireless signals via the wireless communication interface 1212. As shown in FIG15 , the smartphone 1200 may include multiple antennas 1216. Although FIG15 shows an example in which the smartphone 1200 includes multiple antennas 1216, the smartphone 1200 may also include a single antenna 1216.

[0279] In addition, the smartphone 1200 may include an antenna 1216 for each wireless communication scheme. In this case, the antenna switch 1215 may be omitted from the configuration of the smartphone 1200.

[0280] The bus 1217 connects the processor 1201, the memory 1202, the storage device 1203, the external connection interface 1204, the camera 1206, the sensor 1207, the microphone 1208, the input device 1209, the display device 1210, the speaker 1211, the wireless communication interface 1212, and the auxiliary controller 1219. The battery 1218 supplies power to the various blocks of the smartphone 1200 shown in FIG15 via feeders, which are partially shown as dashed lines in the figure. The auxiliary controller 1219 operates the minimum necessary functions of the smartphone 1200, for example, in sleep mode.

[0281] Second example

[0282] FIG16 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a car navigation device 1320 to which the techniques of the present disclosure may be applied. Car navigation device 1320 includes a processor 1321, a memory 1322, a global positioning system (GPS) module 1324, a sensor 1325, a data interface 1326, a content player 1327, a storage medium interface 1328, an input device 1329, a display device 1330, a speaker 1331, a wireless communication interface 1333, one or more antenna switches 1336, one or more antennas 1337, and a battery 1338. In one implementation, car navigation device 1320 (or processor 1321) herein may correspond to a first user device (or more specifically, electronic device 300) or a second user device (or more specifically, electronic device 400) in the aforementioned wireless communication system.

[0283] The processor 1321 may be, for example, a CPU or an SoC, and controls a navigation function and other functions of the car navigation device 1320. The memory 1322 includes a RAM and a ROM, and stores data and programs executed by the processor 1321.

[0284] The GPS module 1324 uses GPS signals received from GPS satellites to measure the location (such as latitude, longitude, and altitude) of the car navigation device 1320. The sensor 1325 may include a group of sensors such as a gyroscope sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and an air pressure sensor. The data interface 1326 is connected to, for example, the vehicle network 1341 via a terminal not shown, and acquires data generated by the vehicle (such as vehicle speed data).

[0285] The content player 1327 reproduces content stored in a storage medium (such as a CD or DVD) inserted into the storage medium interface 1328. The input device 1329 includes, for example, a touch sensor, button, or switch configured to detect a touch on the screen of the display device 1330, and receives an operation or information input from the user. The display device 1330 includes a screen such as an LCD or OLED display and displays an image of a navigation function or reproduced content. The speaker 1331 outputs the sound of the navigation function or the reproduced content.

[0286] The wireless communication interface 1333 supports any cellular communication scheme (such as LTE and LTE-Advanced) and performs wireless communication. The wireless communication interface 1333 may generally include, for example, a BB processor 1334 and an RF circuit 1335. The BB processor 1334 may perform, for example, encoding / decoding, modulation / demodulation, and multiplexing / demultiplexing, and perform various types of signal processing for wireless communication. Meanwhile, the RF circuit 1335 may include, for example, a mixer, a filter, and an amplifier, and transmit and receive wireless signals via an antenna 1337. The wireless communication interface 1333 may also be a chip module on which the BB processor 1334 and the RF circuit 1335 are integrated. As shown in FIG16 , the wireless communication interface 1333 may include multiple BB processors 1334 and multiple RF circuits 1335. Although FIG16 shows an example in which the wireless communication interface 1333 includes multiple BB processors 1334 and multiple RF circuits 1335, the wireless communication interface 1333 may also include a single BB processor 1334 or a single RF circuit 1335.

[0287] In addition, in addition to the cellular communication scheme, the wireless communication interface 1333 can support other types of wireless communication schemes, such as short-range wireless communication schemes, near field communication schemes, and wireless LAN schemes. In this case, for each wireless communication scheme, the wireless communication interface 1333 can include a BB processor 1334 and an RF circuit 1335.

[0288] Each of the antenna switches 1336 switches a connection destination of the antenna 1337 between a plurality of circuits included in the wireless communication interface 1333 , such as circuits for different wireless communication schemes.

[0289] Each of the antennas 1337 includes a single or multiple antenna elements (such as multiple antenna elements included in a MIMO antenna) and is used for transmitting and receiving wireless signals via the wireless communication interface 1333. As shown in FIG16, the car navigation device 1320 may include multiple antennas 1337. Although FIG16 shows an example in which the car navigation device 1320 includes multiple antennas 1337, the car navigation device 1320 may also include a single antenna 1337.

[0290] In addition, the car navigation device 1320 may include an antenna 1337 for each wireless communication scheme. In this case, the antenna switch 1336 may be omitted from the configuration of the car navigation device 1320.

[0291] The battery 1338 supplies power to the respective blocks of the car navigation device 1320 shown in Fig. 16 via a feeder line, which is partially shown as a dotted line in the figure. The battery 1338 accumulates the power supplied from the vehicle.

[0292] The technology of the present disclosure may also be implemented as an in-vehicle system (or vehicle) 1340 including a car navigation device 1320, an in-vehicle network 1341, and one or more blocks of a vehicle module 1342. The vehicle module 1342 generates vehicle data (such as vehicle speed, engine speed, and fault information) and outputs the generated data to the in-vehicle network 1341.

[0293] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present disclosure is certainly not limited to the above examples. Those skilled in the art may obtain various changes and modifications within the scope of the appended claims, and it should be understood that these changes and modifications will naturally fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0294] For example, a plurality of functions included in one unit in the above embodiments may be implemented by separate devices. Alternatively, a plurality of functions implemented by a plurality of units in the above embodiments may be implemented by separate devices, respectively. In addition, one of the above functions may be implemented by a plurality of units. Needless to say, such a configuration is included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0295] In this specification, the steps described in the flowchart include not only processing executed in time series in the order described, but also processing executed in parallel or individually rather than necessarily in time series. In addition, even in the steps processed in time series, it goes without saying that the order can be changed as appropriate.

[0296] Although the present disclosure and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and transformations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variations thereof in the embodiments of the present disclosure are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, such that a process, method, article, or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article, or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the statement "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or device comprising the element.

Claims

1. An electronic device for a first user equipment in a wireless communication system, the first user equipment having a need for sensor fusion, the electronic device comprising a processing circuit, the processing circuit being configured to enable the first user equipment to perform the following operations: Interacting with one or more user equipment in a wireless communication system and information associated with sensor fusion, the information including at least sensor-related information, user equipment physical information, and wireless transmission-related information; and Based on the interacted information associated with sensor fusion, a third user device among the one or more user devices is selected for sensor fusion, wherein a matching degree of the information associated with sensor fusion of the first user device and the third user device satisfies a predetermined condition.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the information associated with the interaction between the first user device and the one or more user devices and the sensor fusion comprises: The first user equipment sends a request containing the information associated with sensor fusion of the first user equipment to the one or more user equipments, and then the first user equipment receives the information associated with sensor fusion of the corresponding user equipment from the one or more user equipments; or The first user equipment receives the information associated with sensor fusion of the corresponding user equipment from the one or more user equipments, and then the first user equipment finds that it has a need for sensor fusion, and sends the information associated with sensor fusion of the first user equipment to the one or more user equipments.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the first user device to perform the following operations: Sending sensing fusion setting information to the third user equipment, wherein the sensing fusion setting information includes information associated with sensing fusion supported by both the first user equipment and the third user equipment; and In response to receiving confirmation of the sensing fusion setting information from the third user equipment, sensing fusion is performed with the third user equipment.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the first user device to perform the following operations: After performing sensor fusion with the third user equipment, receiving sensor accessibility data from user equipment other than the third user equipment among the one or more devices; Based on the current sensing demand of the first user equipment and the received sensing accessibility data, determine to switch from the third user equipment to a fourth user equipment among the one or more user equipments for sensing fusion; Sending a sensor fusion activation indication to a fourth user equipment; Sending a sensor fusion deactivation indication to a third user equipment; as well as Perform sensor fusion with a fourth user device.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the matching degree of the information associated with the sensor fusion of the first user device and the third user device satisfies a predetermined condition comprises: The matching score between the first user device and the third user device is higher than a predetermined threshold, wherein the matching score is calculated based at least on a weighted sum of matching degrees of multiple information in the information associated with sensor fusion between the first user device and the third user device.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the first user device to perform the following operations: Based on the interacted information associated with sensor fusion, a fourth user device among the one or more user devices is also selected for sensor fusion, wherein the matching score of the fourth user device with the first user device is higher than the predetermined threshold, and the matching score of the fourth user device with the first user device is lower than the matching score of the third user device with the first user device.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the sensing-related information of the user device comprises at least one or more of the following: The sensor fusion algorithm information of the user equipment includes the fusion algorithm type, fusion layer position, fusion occurrence frequency, and / or fusion input and output variable format; The sensor information of the user equipment includes sensor type, physical information and / or performance parameters; and The sensor fusion requirement information of the user equipment includes a low sensor confidence area, a sensor blocked area, and / or sensor matching information.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the user device physical information comprises at least one or more of the following: The location information, movement information, posture information, and physical profile information of the user equipment.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless transmission related information of the user equipment comprises at least one or more of the following: Quality of service (QoS) information, including packet loss rate, transmission rate, and / or delay; and Converged service delivery requirements, including required delivery frames, and / or minimum service levels.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first user device comprises a vehicle or a roadside unit, and the one or more user devices comprises a vehicle or a roadside unit different from the first user device. 11 . The electronic device according to claim 10 , wherein the information associated with sensor fusion of the roadside unit further includes management information or policy information.

12. An electronic device for a second user equipment in a wireless communication system, the electronic device comprising a processing circuit, the processing circuit being configured to cause the second user equipment to perform the following operations: receiving information associated with sensor fusion from a first user equipment having a sensor fusion requirement in a wireless communication system, the information including at least sensor-related information, user equipment physical information, and wireless transmission-related information; receiving, from one or more user equipments other than the first user equipment in the wireless communication system, information associated with sensing fusion of the corresponding user equipment; and Based on the received information associated with sensor fusion, a third user device among the one or more user devices is selected for sensor fusion with the first user device, wherein the matching degree of the information associated with sensor fusion of the first user device and the third user device meets a predetermined condition. 13 . The electronic device according to claim 12 , wherein the second user device is used to manage sensor fusion of the first user device and a user device among the one or more user devices.

14. The electronic device according to claim 13, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the second user device to perform the following operations: Sending sensing fusion setting information to the first user equipment and the third user equipment, wherein the sensing fusion setting information includes information associated with sensing fusion supported by both the first user equipment and the third user equipment; and In response to receiving confirmation of the sensing fusion setting information from both the first user device and the third user device, indicating The first user equipment and the third user equipment perform sensor fusion.

15. The electronic device according to claim 14, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the second user device to perform the following operations: After the first user equipment and the third user equipment perform sensor fusion, receiving sensor accessibility data from user equipment other than the third user equipment among the one or more devices; Based on the current sensing demand of the first user equipment and the received sensing accessibility data, determine to switch from the third user equipment to a fourth user equipment among the one or more user equipments for sensing fusion; Sending a sensor fusion deactivation indication to a third user equipment; Sending a sensor fusion activation indication to a fourth user equipment; as well as Instruct the first user equipment and the fourth user equipment to perform sensor fusion. 16 . The electronic device according to claim 12 , wherein the second user equipment is used to relay the sensing fusion of the first user equipment and a user equipment among the one or more user equipments.

17. The electronic device according to claim 16, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the second user device to perform the following operations: Sending sensing fusion setting information to the first user equipment and the third user equipment, wherein the sensing fusion setting information includes information associated with sensing fusion supported by both the first user equipment and the third user equipment; and In response to receiving confirmation of the sensing fusion setting information from both the first user equipment and the third user equipment, the first user equipment and the third user equipment are instructed to perform sensing fusion via the second user equipment.

18. The electronic device according to claim 17, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the second user device to perform the following operations: After the first user equipment and the third user equipment perform sensor fusion via the second user equipment, receiving sensor accessibility data from user equipment other than the third user equipment among the one or more devices; Based on the current sensing demand of the first user equipment and the received sensing accessibility data, determine to switch from the third user equipment to a fourth user equipment among the one or more user equipments for sensing fusion; Sending a sensor fusion deactivation indication to a third user equipment; Sending a sensor fusion activation indication to a fourth user equipment; as well as Instruct the first user equipment and the fourth user equipment to perform sensor fusion via the second user equipment.

19. The electronic device according to claim 17, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the second user device to perform the following operations: After the first user equipment and the third user equipment perform sensor fusion via the second user equipment, receiving sensor accessibility data from user equipment other than the third user equipment among the one or more devices; Forwarding the received sensor accessibility data to the first user equipment, so that the first user equipment determines to switch from the third user equipment to the fourth user equipment for sensor fusion based on the current sensor demand of the first user equipment and the received sensor accessibility data; receiving, from the first user equipment, an instruction to switch from the third user equipment to the fourth user equipment for sensor fusion; Sending a sensor fusion deactivation indication to a third user equipment; Sending a sensor fusion activation indication to a fourth user equipment; as well as Instruct the first user equipment and the fourth user equipment to perform sensor fusion via the second user equipment.

20. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the second user device is used to relay the sensor fusion between the first user device and the third user device based at least in part on: The first user equipment and the third user equipment receive relay capability information of corresponding user equipment from a plurality of user equipments having a relay function in the wireless communication system; The first user equipment determines a set of relay user equipments that are valid for itself; The third user equipment determines a set of relay user equipments that are valid for itself; The first user equipment and the third user equipment interact with their respective relay user equipment sets, and determine that the second user equipment is a user equipment with the best relay capability in the intersection of the relay user equipment sets of the first user equipment and the third user equipment; and The first user equipment and the third user equipment send a relay establishment request to the second user equipment.

21. A method for a first user equipment in a wireless communication system, wherein the first user equipment has a need for sensor fusion, the method comprising: Interacting with one or more user equipment in a wireless communication system and information associated with sensor fusion, the information including at least sensor-related information, user equipment physical information, and wireless transmission-related information; as well as Based on the interacted information associated with sensor fusion, a third user device among the one or more user devices is selected for performing sensor fusion, wherein the information associated with sensor fusion of both the first user device and the third user device is The matching degree of the information meets the predetermined conditions.

22. A method for a second user equipment in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: receiving information associated with sensor fusion from a first user equipment having a sensor fusion requirement in a wireless communication system, the information including at least sensor-related information, user equipment physical information, and wireless transmission-related information; receiving, from one or more user equipments other than the first user equipment in the wireless communication system, information associated with sensing fusion of the corresponding user equipment; as well as Based on the received information associated with sensor fusion, a third user device among the one or more user devices is selected for sensor fusion with the first user device, wherein the matching degree of the information associated with sensor fusion of the first user device and the third user device meets a predetermined condition.

23. A computer-readable storage medium storing one or more executable instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the method according to claim 21 or 22.

24. A computer program product comprising executable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to claim 21 or 22.

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