Network-assisted sensing of passive objects in target area

Abstract

A device (1, 2, 3) for sensing an object in a target area (4) is disclosed. A first device (1) may be used to send (104), to a second device (2) connectable with the first device (1), an indication of one or more reference signal (RS) resources (RSi) associated with a respective beam of the second device (2), an indication of two or more angular offsets ([phi] LOS, [phi] NLOS) with respect to a spatial direction of the respective beam associated with the one or more RS resources (RSi). The two or more angle offsets ([phi] LOS, [phi] NLOS) comprise a line-of-sight (line-of-sight, LOS) angle offset ([phi] LOS) of a line-of-sight (line-of-sight, LOS) link condition between the first device (1) and the second device (2); a non-line-of-sight (non-line-of-sight, NLOS) angle offset ([phi] NLOS) of a non-line-of-sight (non-line-of-sight, NLOS) link condition between the first device (1) and the second device (2) is provided. This avoids the use of multiple RS resources to sense targets, and utilizes the capabilities of the UE to make a more accurate and latest estimation of BS-UE link conditions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of mobile communications, and more particularly to network-assisted sensing of passive objects in a target area. Background Art

[0002] Current communication systems, such as the Third Generation Partnership Project (3 rd The 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) and New Radio (NR) support positioning of active devices (i.e., devices that participate in the transmission (Tx) or reception (Rx) of signals used for positioning). However, it is foreseeable that the function of sensing passive objects (i.e., objects that do not participate in the Tx / Rx of signals used for sensing) will be integrated with the communication function of upcoming communication systems (e.g., 5G Advanced or 6G). Sensing as used in this article can refer not only to the estimation of the position of an object, but also to the detection of an object, as well as the shape of an object and even the material of an object.

[0003] From the perspective of transceiver deployment, there are two different sensing approaches. Single-station sensing can refer to the fact that the sensing transmitter and receiver are co-located and the device can sense its environment. In this case, full-duplex operation is required. In the case of multi-station sensing, the sensing transmitter and receiver are located at different locations, and the sensing measurements require network-dependent operations. Since this approach does not require full-duplex operation and can reuse existing communication waveforms such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and discrete Fourier transform-spread-OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), this approach can be more easily integrated into current specifications. Figures 1 to 3 Different variations of multi-station sensing are shown.

[0004] For the sake of illustration, consider Figure 1 or Figure 2The uplink (UL) or sidelink (SL) multi-station sensing scenario shown, where a given target area to be sensed is known to a base station (BS) (e.g., next-generation NodeB (gNB)) and / or a location server (LS) (e.g., location management function (LMF)), and a set of user equipments (UEs) has been selected to illuminate the target area by transmitting beamforming signals in the direction of the target area. If the azimuth and location of the UE are available at the UE, the BS can indicate the coordinates of the target area to the UE, and the UE can accordingly select its spatial filter / beam. However, some UEs may not know their azimuth. It should be noted that even if the BS / LS knows the UE's codebook, since the UE azimuth is unknown, it is also not known where each beam points.

[0005] To reduce the need for azimuth information, the BS / LS can use beam correspondence to configure the UE's transmission. The beam correspondence concept is defined as follows: The BS / LS can indicate to the UE to transmit on a beam / spatial filter a specific reference signal (RS) resource that the UE has previously received through that beam / spatial filter, such as a synchronization signal block (SSB), a channel state information-RS (CSI-RS), or a specific RS transmitted, such as an uplink sounding reference signal (UL-SRS). Generally, the RS resource can refer to a set of time-frequency resource units that form part of the RS transmission and are usually coupled to the specific spatial filter through which the transmission is made. Thus, in the case where the UE azimuth is unknown at the BS / LS and the UE, the BS / LS can configure the UE's transmission to the target area with respect to the reference beam / direction indicated by the RS resource. The reception configuration of the UE's spatial filter for receiving signals from the target direction follows a similar principle: In the DL and / or SL of the system, the BS / LS can use a reference resource that can be indicated by quasi-colocation (QCL) type D information to configure the UE's Rx spatial filter without the need to know the UE azimuth at the BS / LS and the UE. If RS resource A and RS resource B are of QCL type D, it means that the same spatial filter is applicable to receive RS resource A and RS resource B respectively.

[0006] Thus, the target region can be indicated to the UE as an angular offset relative to a reference beam / direction indicated by the RS resources that have been used in a previous transmission.

[0007] If the BS / LS knows the BS-UE link condition, i.e., whether the link is line of sight (LOS) or non-line of sight (NLOS), then prior art solutions can be successfully applied to the sensing setup. Depending on the link condition, the BS can calculate an appropriate offset relative to the reference beam so that the UE transmission illuminates the target region. In a practical application, the BS / LS may not know whether the link is LOS or NLOS. If the BS / LS incorrectly assumes a particular link condition (LOS / NLOS), the BS / LS will incorrectly calculate the UE beam to be used to illuminate the target region.

[0008] Therefore, a more robust solution with respect to the BS-UE link condition is needed for configuring beamforming transmissions from the UE when azimuth information is not available. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The aim is to overcome the above and other drawbacks. The above and other aims are achieved by the features of the independent claims. Other implementations are apparent from the dependent claims, the description, and the drawings.

[0010] According to a first aspect, a first device for sensing an object in a target region is provided. The first device can be used to send an indication of one or more reference signal (RS) resources associated with a corresponding beam of a second device that can be connected to the first device, an indication of two or more angular offsets relative to the spatial direction of the corresponding beam associated with the one or more RS resources. The two or more angular offsets include a LOS angular offset for a LOS link condition between the first device and the second device, and a NLOS angular offset for a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) link condition between the first device and the second device.

[0011] The target region used herein may refer to a part of the coverage area of a mobile communication system.

[0012] The reference signal (RS) resources used herein may refer to a set of time-frequency resource units that form part of the RS transmission in a mobile communication system and are typically coupled to a specific spatial filter through which the transmission is made. The RS can consist of multiple resources.

[0013] A beam or spatial filter that can be used interchangeably in this document may refer to the result of beamforming or spatial filtering, i.e., a signal processing technique for directional signal transmission or reception (spatial directivity / selectivity), which combines the oscillators in an antenna array in such a way that signals at a specific angle experience constructive interference while signals at other angles experience destructive interference.

[0014] The angular offset used in this document may refer to the angle between two vectors in the same plane.

[0015] The line-of-sight (LOS) link condition used in this document may refer to the situation where radio waves propagate from a transmitter to a receiver in a straight line.

[0016] The non-line-of-sight (NLOS) link condition used in this document may refer to the situation where radio waves do not propagate from a transmitter to a receiver in a straight line.

[0017] By providing multiple spatial relationships and corresponding angular offsets with respect to one or more RS resources to configure the spatial filter of a UE for transmission / reception of a single RS resource, the present disclosure:

[0018] Avoids using multiple resources to sense objects in a target area, thereby reducing resource overhead;

[0019] Utilizes the ability of the UE to more accurately and up-to-date estimate the BS-UE link condition through the RS resource (compared with the LS / BS resource) and select an appropriate offset to sense objects in the target area;

[0020] Finds that the confidence of the UE in the BS-UE link condition through a specific reference resource may be higher than that through other reference resources.

[0021] In a possible implementation, the first device may also be used to receive a report from the second device.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the first device may also be used to receive one or more of the following from a third device that can be connected to the first device: an indication of the one or more RS resources and an indication of the two or more angular offsets; and send a report to the third device.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the first device may also be used to provide an indication of the link condition between the first device and the second device for each of the two or more angular offsets.

[0024] Indicating the BS-UE link condition through the RS resource corresponding to the angle offset enables the UE to utilize the LOS / NLOS probability of the BS-UE link estimated by it through the RS resource and determine whether the angle offset is useful for sensing an object in the target area.

[0025] According to a second aspect, a third device for sensing an object in a target area is provided. The third device can be used to send one or more of the following to a first device connectable to the third device: an indication of one or more reference signal (RS) resources associated with respective beams of a second device, an indication of two or more angle offsets with respect to the spatial directions of the respective beams associated with the one or more RS resources. The two or more angle offsets include a LOS angle offset of a line-of-sight (LOS) link condition between the first device and the second device, and a NLOS angle offset of a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) link condition between the first device and the second device.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the third device can also be used to receive a report from the first device.

[0027] In a possible implementation, the third device can include a location server (LS).

[0028] The location server (LS) used herein may refer to the location management function (LMF) of a mobile communication system.

[0029] In a possible implementation, the first device or the third device can also be used to calculate the LOS angle offset based on one or more of the following: the location of the first device, the location of the second device, and the location information associated with the target area.

[0030] The location used herein may refer to a geographical location specified by geographical coordinates.

[0031] The location information used herein may refer to a geographical location exemplarily represented by geographical coordinates.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the first device or the third device may also be used to calculate the NLOS angle offset based on one or more of the following: the position of the first device, the position of the second device, the position information associated with the target area, the measurement associated with the propagation distance of the NLOS path between the first device and the second device, and the measurement associated with the deflection angle of the NLOS path relative to the aiming direction at the first device.

[0033] The aiming direction used in this document may be the axis that specifies the maximum gain (maximum radiated power) of the directional antenna system. For most antennas, the aiming direction is the axis of symmetry of the antenna.

[0034] In a possible implementation, the first device may also be used to receive from the second device one or more of the following: an indication that one RS resource among the one or more RS resources is associated with the spatial filter of the second device, an indication that one of the two or more than two angle offsets is associated with the spatial filter of the second device, and an indication that the LOS probability is associated with one indicated RS resource among the one or more RS resources.

[0035] In a possible implementation, the first device may include one of the following: a base station and a user equipment.

[0036] The base station (BS) used in this document may refer to a fixed cell site of a mobile communication system, which is used to provide a spatial orientation / selective connection with a mobile communication station (i.e., a mobile terminal) of the mobile communication system. Examples include gNB (5G base station) and eNB (4G base station).

[0037] The user equipment (UE) used in this document may refer to a mobile terminal of a mobile communication system.

[0038] According to a third aspect, a second device for sensing an object in a target area is provided. The second device can be used to receive an indication of one or more reference signal (RS) resources associated with corresponding beams of the second device, and an indication of two or more angular offsets with respect to the spatial direction of the corresponding beams associated with the one or more RS resources, from a first device that can be connected to the second device. The two or more angular offsets include a line-of-sight (LOS) angular offset of the LOS link condition between the first device and the second device, and a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) angular offset of the NLOS link condition between the first device and the second device; configure a spatial filter of the second device in a spatial direction towards the target area according to the actual link condition observed by the second device between the first device and the second device, based on one of the one or more RS resources, and based on one of the two or more angular offsets; and detect the target area using the configured spatial filter.

[0039] The process by which the UE selects one of the provided offsets and the corresponding reference resource for configuring its Tx / Rx spatial filter based on its estimation of the LOS / NLOS probability of the BS-UE link through the provided reference resources makes use of the UE's ability to make a more accurate and up-to-date estimation of the BS-UE link through the reference resources and select an appropriate angular offset to sense an object in the target area.

[0040] In a possible implementation, the second device can also be used to: send a report to the first device.

[0041] In a possible implementation, the second device can include one of the following: a base station or a transmission / reception point in downlink communication, a user equipment in uplink communication, and a user equipment in sidelink communication. The second device can also be used to detect the target area using the configured spatial filter by transmitting a detection signal.

[0042] The transmission / reception point (TRP or TRxP) used herein can refer to a fixed antenna array (i.e., an array of antenna elements) of a mobile communication system.

[0043] The downlink (DL) communication used herein can refer to the transmission from a BS to a UE in a mobile communication system.

[0044] The uplink (UL) communication used herein can refer to the transmission from a UE to a BS in a mobile communication system.

[0045] The sidelink (SL) communication used in this document may refer to the direct transmission between UEs in a mobile communication system.

[0046] The sounding signal used in this document may refer to a wireless signal for downlink communication, uplink communication, or sidelink communication.

[0047] In a possible implementation, the second device may include one of the following: a user equipment in downlink communication, a base station, or a transmission / reception point in uplink communication and a user equipment in sidelink communication. The second device may also be used to detect the target area by receiving the sounding signal and using the configured spatial filter.

[0048] In a possible implementation, the second device may also be used to receive, for each of the two or more angular offsets, an indication of the link condition between the first device and the second device from the first device.

[0049] In a possible implementation, the second device may also be used to provide to the first device one or more of the following: an indication that one of the one or more RS resources is associated with the spatial filter of the second device, an indication that one of the two or more angular offsets is associated with the spatial filter of the second device, an indication that the LOS probability is associated with the indicated one of the one or more RS resources.

[0050] The process by which the UE reports, via the corresponding RS resource, the angular offset it has selected from the provided list and its estimate of the LOS / NLOS probability of the BS-UE link can utilize this information in the sensing task-related calculations of the LS / BS (e.g., in calculating the position of a passive object).

[0051] In a possible implementation, the one or more RS resources may each include one of the following: a synchronization signal block (SSB) in downlink communication; a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) in downlink communication; an uplink sounding reference signal (UL-SRS) in uplink communication.

[0052] The synchronization signal block (SSB) used in this document may refer to the RS resource for indicating the physical cell identifier (PCI) and carrying important broadcast information in the downlink communication of the 5G mobile communication system.

[0053] The channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) used in this document may refer to the RS resource for channel sounding in the downlink communication of the 5G mobile communication system.

[0054] The uplink sounding reference signal (UL-SRS) used in this document may refer to the RS resource for channel sounding in the uplink communication of the 5G mobile communication system.

[0055] In a possible implementation, the LOS angle offset and the NLOS angle offset may each include one or more of the following: horizontal angle offset and vertical angle offset.

[0056] The horizontal angle offset used in this document may refer to the angle between two vectors in the horizontal plane.

[0057] The vertical angle offset used in this document may refer to the angle between two vectors in the vertical plane, where the vertical plane is perpendicular to the aforementioned horizontal plane.

[0058] According to a fourth aspect, a system is provided, the system including the first device according to the first aspect or any implementation thereof; and two or more than two second devices according to the third aspect or any implementation thereof.

[0059] In a possible implementation, the system may further include a third device according to the second aspect or any implementation thereof. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0060] The above aspects and implementations are explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings, where like or similar reference numerals represent like or similar elements.

[0061] The drawings should be regarded as schematic illustrations, and the elements shown in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Instead, the various elements are shown to make their functions and general uses apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0062] Figure 1 An exemplary UL multi-station sensing scenario according to the present disclosure is shown.

[0063] Figure 2Shows an exemplary SL multi-station sensing scenario according to the present disclosure.

[0064] Figure 3 Shows an exemplary DL multi-station sensing scenario according to the present disclosure.

[0065] Figure 4 Shows the LOS link condition between the first device and the second device.

[0066] Figure 5 Shows the NLOS link condition between the first device and the second device.

[0067] Figure 6 Shows a system according to the present disclosure.

[0068] Figure 7 Shows an exemplary multi-station sensing scenario related to a moving second device according to the present disclosure. Detailed Description

[0069] In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part of the present disclosure, and which illustrate, by way of illustration, specific aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure or specific aspects in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be used. It should be understood that the present disclosure may be used in other aspects and may include structural or logical changes not described in the drawings. Therefore, the following detailed description should not be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

[0070] For example, it should be understood that the disclosure related to a described method may equally apply to a corresponding apparatus or system for performing the method, and vice versa. For example, if one or more specific method steps are described, the corresponding device may include one or more units (e.g., functional units) to perform the one or more described method steps (e.g., one unit performs one or more steps, or multiple units each perform one or more of the multiple steps), even if such one or more units are not explicitly described or illustrated in the drawings. On the other hand, for example, if a specific device is described based on one or more units (e.g., functional units), the corresponding method may include a step to perform the functions of the one or more units (e.g., one step performs the functions of one or more units, or multiple steps each perform the functions of one or more of the multiple units), even if such one or more steps are not explicitly described or shown in the drawings. Additionally, it should be understood that unless otherwise explicitly stated, the features of the various exemplary embodiments and / or aspects described herein may be combined with each other.

[0071] Since multi-station sensing is compatible with the architecture of current mobile communication systems, it is easy to integrate into the architecture of current mobile communication systems. Therefore, multi-station sensing (where the UE acts as a transmitter and / or receiver) is expected to be used in many envisioned sensing use cases implemented in 3GPP 5G-Advanced systems and 6G systems. Exemplary use cases include environmental mapping, protecting vulnerable road users, intruder detection, remote health monitoring (such as respiration / heart rate measurement, fall detection), etc. Taking the intruder detection use case as an example, the beam used in mobile communication can be steered towards the direction of a possible intrusion point to detect any changes in the detection signal due to the presence of an intruder and trigger an alarm.

[0072] This disclosure is directed to UEs that participate in multi-station sensing tasks in the DL, UL, or SL of a communication system (e.g., see Figures 1 to 3 ), and may not have azimuth information or the azimuth information is not very reliable, including handheld terminal devices, vehicle-mounted devices, and robots.

[0073] Figure 1 An exemplary UL multi-station sensing scenario according to this disclosure is shown.

[0074] A non-limiting exemplary system 1, 2, 3 is shown, including a first device 1 according to the first aspect of this disclosure or any implementation thereof, five (i.e., two or more than two) second devices 2 according to the third aspect of this disclosure or any implementation thereof, and optionally a third device 3 according to the second aspect of this disclosure or any implementation thereof.

[0075] According to the expected UL multi-station sensing, the third device 3 (if provided) includes an LS, the first device 1 includes a BS, and the corresponding second devices 2 include UEs in UL transmission or BSs in UL reception.

[0076] The UEs in the second devices 2 have been selected to irradiate the target area 4 by transmitting beamformed detection signals in the direction of the target area 4. The selection of the second devices 2 participating in sensing is beyond the scope of this disclosure.

[0077] It should be noted that one of the BSs combines the first device 1 and one of the second devices 2, so it can be used to indicate / configure the second device 2 to perform sensing, and in this case, it can also participate in sensing by receiving the detection signal.

[0078] The position of the target area 4 to be sensed and the second devices 2 is known to the first device 1 (or the third device 3, if provided).

[0079] Figure 2 An exemplary SL multi-station sensing scenario according to this disclosure is shown.

[0080] The non-limiting exemplary systems 1, 2, 3 shown now include a first device 1, three (i.e., two or more than two) second devices 2, and optionally a third device 3.

[0081] According to the expected SL multi-station sensing, the third device 3 (if provided) includes an LS, the first device 1 includes a BS, and the corresponding second devices 2 include a UE in SL transmission or a UE in SL reception.

[0082] UEs in the second devices 2 have been selected to irradiate the target area 4 by sending beamformed sounding signals in the direction of the target area 4, or to receive any sounding signals incident from the direction of the target area 4.

[0083] Also, the position of the target area 4 to be sensed and the second devices 2 are known to the first device 1 (or the third device 3, if provided).

[0084] Figure 3 An exemplary DL multi-station sensing scenario according to the present disclosure is shown.

[0085] The non-limiting exemplary systems 1, 2, 3 now include a first device 1, five (i.e., two or more than two) second devices 2, and optionally a third device 3.

[0086] According to the expected DL multi-station sensing, the third device 3 (if provided) includes an LS, the first device 1 includes a BS, and the corresponding second devices 2 include a BS in DL transmission or a UE in DL reception.

[0087] The BS in the second device 2 has been selected to irradiate the target area 4 by sending beamformed sounding signals in the direction of the target area 4, and the UE in the second device 2 has been selected to receive any sounding signals incident from the direction of the target area 4.

[0088] It should be noted that one of the BSs combines the first device 1 and one of the second devices 2, so it can be used to indicate / configure the second device 2 to perform sensing, and in this case, it can also participate in sensing by sending sounding signals.

[0089] Also, the position of the target area 4 to be sensed and the second devices 2 are known to the first device 1 (or the third device 3, if provided).

[0090] Figure 4 The LOS link condition between the first device 1 and the second device 2 is shown.

[0091] In this non-limiting example, the first device 1 includes a BS and the second device 2 includes a UE.

[0092] The position p of the first device 1 1= [p 1,x p 1,y , the position p of the second device 2 2 = [p 2,x p 2,y and the position information p associated with the target area 4 (e.g., its center) tar = [p tar,x p tar,y are known for the first device 1 (or the third device 3, if provided). Therefore, the first device 1 (or the third device 3) can calculate the spatial direction that the second device 2 will use to detect the target area 4. Similarly, the position can also be represented in non-Cartesian coordinates (e.g., polar coordinates). For example, in the case of three-dimensional calculations, the position can be represented in Cartesian coordinates (i.e., including the z coordinate component) or in spherical coordinates.

[0093] RS resource RS LOS can be associated with the beam of the second device 2 (represented by the cross-hatched ellipsis in Figure 4 ), which was used in the previous transmission.

[0094] Considering the LOS link between the first device 1 and the second device 2 (represented by the thick solid line in Figure 4 ), the first device 1 (or the third device 3) can calculate the LOS angle offset φ with respect to the spatial direction of the beam associated with the RS resource RS LOS , as follows:[[]] LOS :

[0095] φ LOS = atan(p tar,y - p 2,y , p tar,x - p 2,x ) - atan(p 1,y - p 2,y , p 1,x - p 2,x ) (1)

[0096] where atan is the four-quadrant arctangent function. Three-dimensional calculations may involve an additional third term related to the z coordinate component in equation (1).

[0097] Figure 5 shows the NLOS link condition between the first device 1 and the second device 2.

[0098] Similarly, the position p of the first device 1 1 = [p 1,x p 1,y , the position p of the second device 2 2 = [p 2,x p 2,yand position information p associated with the target area 4 (e.g., its center) tar = [p tar,x p tar,y is known for both the first device 1 (or the third device 3, if provided). Thus, the first device 1 (or the third device 3) can calculate the spatial direction that the second device 2 will use to detect the target area 4. Previous specifications regarding other coordinate systems also apply.

[0099] RS resource RS NLOS can be associated with the beam of the second device 2 (represented by the cross-hatched ellipsis in Figure 5 ) that was used in a previous transmission.

[0100] Considering the NLOS link between the first device 1 and the second device 2 (represented by the thick solid broken line in Figure 5 ), applying the LOS angle offset φ with respect to the spatial direction of the beam LOS will result in an incorrect result.

[0101] Therefore, the first device 1 (or the third device 3) must utilize some additional information to calculate the correct NLOS angle offset φ with respect to the spatial direction of the beam associated with the RS resource RS NLOS . NLOS .

[0102] More specifically, the calculation can be further based on geometric considerations involving the following items:

[0103] a measured RTT associated with the propagation distance (e.g., round trip time (RTT)) of the NLOS path between the first device 1 and the corresponding second device 2,

[0104] a measured θ associated with the deflection angle of the NLOS path at the first device 1 with respect to the aiming direction θ b (e.g., angle of arrival (AOA) and / or angle of departure (AOD) at the first device 1): 1 :

[0105] φ NLOS = atan(p tar,y - p 2,y , p tar,x - p 2,x ) - atan(p S,y - p 2,y , p S,x - p 2,x ) (2)

[0106] Among them, the potential scattering / reflection point p of the NLOS path S = [p S,x p S,y can be derived according to geometric relationships:

[0107] ‖p 1 - p S ‖ + ‖p 2 - p S ‖ = RTT / 2 (3)

[0108]

[0109] Three-dimensional calculations may involve an additional third term in equations (2) to (4) related to the z-coordinate component.

[0110] For example, the measured RTT associated with the propagation distance of the NLOS path may include one of the following: Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio (SINR), Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), Relative Time Of Arrival (RTOA), and Rx-Tx time difference measurement.

[0111] For example, the measured θ associated with the deflection angle of the NLOS path 1 may include one of the following: RSRP and Uplink Angle-Of-Arrival (UL-AOA) measurement.

[0112] Figure 6 Systems 1, 2, 3 according to the present disclosure are shown.

[0113] Non-limiting exemplary systems 1, 2, 3 include a first device 1 for sensing an object in a target area 4 according to the first aspect or any implementation thereof, and further include two or more than two second devices 2 for sensing an object in the target area 4 according to the third aspect or any implementation thereof. For simplicity, only one second device 2 is shown, and according to the second aspect or any implementation thereof, a third device 3 for sensing an object in the target area 4 may be further included.

[0114] The third device 3( Figure 6The upper left corner of) may include an LS, such as an LMF of a 3GPP mobile communication system, and may be used to centrally indicate / configure the second device 2 to sense an object in the target area 4 with the participation of the first device 1.

[0115] If provided, and when a sensing measurement request is received from another network entity, the third device 3 may be used to calculate 301 the LOS angle offset φ of the line-of-sight (LOS) link condition between the first device 1 and the corresponding second device 2 based on one or more of the following: LOS : The position p of the first device 1 1 = [p 1,x p 1,y , the position p of the corresponding second device 2 2 = [p 2,x p 2,y , the position information p associated with the target area 4 tar = [p tar,x p tar,y (see Equation (1) above).

[0116] The third device 3 may also be used to calculate 302 the NLOS angle offset φ of the non-line-of-sight (NLOS) link condition between the first device 1 and the corresponding second device 2 based on one or more of the following: NLOS : The position p of the first device 1 1 = [p 1,x p 1,y , the position p of the corresponding second device 2 2 = [p 2,x p 2,y , the position information p associated with the target area 4 (e.g., its center) tar = [p tar,x p tar,y , the measured RTT associated with the propagation distance of the NLOS path between the first device 1 and the corresponding second device 2, the measured θ associated with the deflection angle of the NLOS path at the first device 1 relative to the aiming direction 1 :

[0117] The LOS angle offset φ LOS and the NLOS angle offset φ NLOS may each include one or more of the following: horizontal angle offset and vertical angle offset.

[0118] The third device 3 can also be used to send one or more of the following items 303 to the first device 1 that can be connected to the third device 3: one or more reference signal (RS) resources RS associated with the corresponding beam of the corresponding second device 2 i indications of, relative to the one or more RS resources RS i two or more angular offsets φ of the spatial direction of the corresponding beam associated therewith LOS 、φ NLOS (abbreviated as φ in Figure 6 ). Indications of two or more angular offsets φ j 、φ LOS 、φ NLOS include the LOS angular offset φ for the LOS link condition between the first device 1 and the corresponding second device 2 LOS , and the NLOS angular offset φ for the NLOS link condition between the first device 1 and the corresponding second device 2 NLOS .

[0119] One or more RS resources RS i may each include one of the following: a synchronization signal block (SSB) in downlink communication; a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) in downlink communication; an uplink sounding reference signal (UL-SRS) in uplink communication.

[0120] Therefore, the third device 3 can use the beam correspondence to configure the second device 2 to sense an object in the target area 4 by instructing the corresponding second device 2 to transmit / receive on the beam / space filter through which it has previously received a specific RS resource. The beam correspondence is defined for each RS resource and has been standardized in 3GPP for UL-SRS procedures and UL-MIMO procedures. For example, for UL-SRS configuration, the indication of the (reference) beam is provided in the SpatialRelation-SRS or SpatialRelation-SRSPos information element (IE) by indicating a specific RS.

[0121] The third device 3 can also be used to receive 310 a report from the first device 2 regarding sensing an object in the target area 4.

[0122] The first device 1( Figure 6The middle of the top) may include one of a user equipment and a base station (shown in gray), and may be used to indicate / configure the second device 2 to sense an object in the target area 4.

[0123] Assuming that the third device 3 participates in the sensing of the object in the target area 4, the first device 1 may be used to receive one or more of the following from the provided third device 3 that can be connected to the first device 1: one or more RS resources RS i Indications, two or more angular offsets φ LOS , φ NLOS Indications.

[0124] Assuming that the third device 3 does not participate in the sensing, the first device 1 may be used to calculate the LOS angular offset φ by itself based on one or more of the following LOS : The position p of the first device 1 1 = [p 1,x p 1,y , the position p of the corresponding second device 2 2 = [p 2,x p 2,y , the position information p associated with the target area 4 tar = [p tar,x p tar,y (see Equation (1) above); it may also be used to calculate the NLOS angular offset φ by itself based on one or more of the following NLOS φ LOS : The position p of the first device 1 1 = [p 1,x p 1,y , the position p of the corresponding second device 2 2 = [p 2,x p 2,y , the position information p associated with the target area 4 tar = [p tar,x p tar,y , the measured RTT associated with the propagation distance of the NLOS path between the first device 1 and the corresponding second device 2, the measured θ associated with the deflection angle of the NLOS path at the first device 1 relative to the aiming direction 1 (see Equation (1) above).

[0125] In any case, the first device 1 may be used to send 104 to the corresponding second device 2 that can be connected to the first device 1: one or more RS resources RS associated with the corresponding beam of the corresponding second device 2 i Indications, two or more angular offsets φ relative to the spatial direction of the corresponding beam associated with one or more RS resources RS i ​LOS and an indication of φ NLOS .

[0126] The first device 1 can also be used to provide an indication of the link condition between the first device 1 and the corresponding second device 2 for each of two or more angular offsets φ LOS , φ NLOS .

[0127] The indication of the link condition between the first device 1 and the corresponding second device 2 (“LOS / NLOS indicator”) can be defined according to the RS resource.

[0128] The concept that each of the above RS resources indicates two offsets can be extended to the case where each RS resource indicates multiple offsets with respect to multiple reference beams. The first device 1 can provide the corresponding second device 2 with a list of angular offsets, as well as the reference beams associated with the list of angular offsets and an indication of whether the list of angular offsets corresponds to the LOS / NLOS link condition. The reason for extending to multiple angular offsets with respect to multiple reference beams may be beneficial is that the corresponding second device 2 may have a higher confidence in the link condition of some RS resources compared to the first device 1 (or the third device 3, if provided).

[0129] An exemplary indication of multiple offsets with respect to multiple reference beams from the first device 1 (or from the third device 3, if provided, via the first device 1) to the second device is shown in Table 1, and an exemplary confidence of the second device 2 in the link condition of the reference resource / beam is shown in Table 2:

[0130] Reference Offset (degrees) LOS(1) / NLOS(0) SSB#1 10 1 SSB#1 25 0 CSI-RS#1 5 1

[0131] Table 1

[0132] Reference LOS / NLOS Probability SSB#1 0.1 CSI-RS#1 0.7

[0133] Table 2

[0134] Each row of Table 1 includes the reference beam / resource, the angular offset with respect to the reference beam, and an indication of whether the angular offset corresponds to the LOS or NLOS link condition. For example, the first row of Table 1 tells the second device 2 to use the spatial filter for receiving the SSB resource #1 as the reference beam, and assuming the link condition is LOS, the second device 2 should use an angular offset of 10 degrees with respect to the reference beam in order to turn its beam towards the direction of the target area 4. The second device 2 has its own LOS / NLOS link condition information for the reference beam / resource provided in Table 1, as shown in Table 2. For example, the first row of Table 2 indicates that for the SSB resource #1, the second device 2 estimates the LOS link condition (i.e., probability) to be 0.1.

[0135] The second device 2 can configure its spatial filter using the information in Table 1 and Table 2. For example, according to the first row of Table 2, the second device 2 estimates that for SSB#1, the link condition is NLOS with a probability of 0.9, which is the highest confidence it can have for the link conditions of the available reference beams. Therefore, according to the second row of Table 1, the second device 2 uses an offset of 25 degrees relative to the beam used to receive SSB#1 to direct its beam in the direction of the target area 4.

[0136] According to the first implementation, a network entity that configures the signal transmission from the second device 2 or the signal reception at the second device (such as the first device 1 or the third device 3, if provided) indicates two angular offsets relative to a reference beam or direction used for the reception or transmission of RS resources, indicating which offset corresponds to the LOS link condition and which offset corresponds to the NLOS link condition between the BS and the UE via the RS resources. The RS resources can be based on previous transmissions between the first device 1 and the corresponding second device 2 or obtained through information about the positions and environments of the first device 1 and the corresponding second device 2.

[0137] For example, there is such an indication where the LOS-NLOS-angularOffsetA IE includes two angular offsets, the first corresponding to the LOS link condition and the second corresponding to the NLOS link condition, as follows:

[0138]

[0139] In this example, the indication of the LOS / NLOS correspondence for each angular offset is implicit and is derived by the order of the indicated offsets, i.e., the first offset corresponds to LOS and the second offset corresponds to NLOS.

[0140] For example, in the case of the spatial configuration of UL-SRS resource transmission, the indication can be included as an additional field in the SRS-SpatialRelationInfo IE, as follows:

[0141]

[0142] As another example, in the case of the spatial configuration of DL-PRS resource reception, the indication can be included as an additional field in the DL-PRS-QCL-Info-r16 IE, as follows:

[0143]

[0144] The corresponding second device 2 can utilize the indicated angular offsets and its information about the link conditions to determine the spatial filter for its intended transmission or reception.

[0145] According to the second implementation, a network entity that configures signal transmission from the second device 2 or signal reception at the second device (e.g., the first device 1 or the third device 3, if provided) indicates an angular offset relative to a reference beam or direction used for reception or transmission of RS resources, thereby providing at least two RS resources, where a 1-bit indicates whether the provided angular offset corresponds to LOS or NLOS link conditions between the first device 1 and the second device 2 via the RS resources. For example, there is such an indication where the LOS-NLOS-angularOffsetB IE includes the angular offset and a secondary bit indicating the corresponding link condition via the reference beam, as follows:

[0146]

[0147] Similar to the first implementation, the LOS-NLOS-angularOffsetB IE can, for example, be included as an additional field in the SRS-SpatialRelationInfo IE for the spatial configuration of UL-SRS resource transmission, or be included as an additional field in the DL-PRS-QCL-Info-r16 for the spatial configuration of DL-PRS resource reception.

[0148] The corresponding second device 2 can utilize the indicated offset and its information regarding the link condition to determine a spatial filter for its intended transmission or reception.

[0149] According to the third implementation, a network entity that configures transmission or reception of the corresponding second device 2 indicates one or more angular offsets relative to one or more reference beams or directions, where one or two offsets can be indicated for each reference beam, as described in Implementations 1 and 2 respectively.

[0150] The corresponding second device 2 can utilize the indicated one or more offsets and its information regarding the link condition via each reference beam to determine a spatial filter for its intended transmission or reception.

[0151] According to the fourth implementation, certain types of second devices 2 (e.g., robots) can move along a trajectory known to a network entity that configures transmission or reception of the corresponding second device 2 when performing a sensing task. The movement of these devices may or may not be related to the sensing task, such as illuminating a target area 4 from different angles / positions.

[0152] Let be the set of positions of the second device 2 along the trajectory, as Figure 7As shown, an exemplary multi-station sensing scenario of a second device 2 related to mobility according to the present disclosure is shown. A network entity 1 configured to transmit or receive for the corresponding second device 2, after knowing the trajectory and objects that may exist in the environment (such as Figure 7 the reflector shown on the right), can indicate, for each position p along the trajectory 2,n one or more angular offsets relative to one or more reference beams used for receiving or transmitting RS resources, as described in the third implementation. The network entity 1 can transmit, at positions along the trajectory, the angular offset signals to be used before the moving second device 2 reaches these positions. For example, when the second device 2 is in its initial position, the first device 1 can transmit all the angular offset signals to be used along the trajectory of the second device 2. When the second device 2 reaches each position, the second device 2 can select the relevant angular offset. In Figure 7 the example shown and Table 3 below, SSB resources are used as RS resources, and offsets are defined relative to the reference beams used for receiving these RS resources. For example, for UE position #N, the first device 1 provides an angular offset relative to the reference beam used for receiving SSB #5, indicating that this angular offset corresponds to LOS link conditions; an angular offset relative to the reference beam used for receiving SSB #8, indicating that this offset corresponds to NLOS link conditions.

[0153]

[0154] Table 3

[0155] The first device 1 can also be used to receive from the corresponding second device 2 one or more of the following: an indication that one of the one or more RS resources RS i in RS is associated with the spatial filter of the corresponding second device 2, an indication that one of the two or more angular offsets φ LOS 、φ NLOS in is associated with the spatial filter of the corresponding second device 2, an indication that the LOS probability is associated with an indication of one of the one or more RS resources RS i in.

[0156] The first device 1 can also be used to receive from the corresponding second device 2 a report on the objects in the sensing target area 4.

[0157] The first device 1 can also be used to send a report on the objects in the sensing target area 4 to a third device 3.

[0158] According to the multi-station sensing scheme, the second device 2 (in Figure 6As shown in the upper right corner) may include a base station (or a transmission / reception point) and / or a user equipment (shown in gray), and may perform sensing of an object in the target area 4 by transmitting or receiving a sounding signal.

[0159] The corresponding second device 2 may be used to receive 204 from the first device 1 that can be connected to the corresponding second device 2: one or more RS resources RS associated with the corresponding beam of the corresponding second device 2 i An indication of, with respect to one or more RS resources RS i Two or more angular offsets φ of the spatial direction of the corresponding beam associated with LOS 、φ NLOS An indication of. Two or more angular offsets φ LOS 、φ NLOS Includes the LOS angular offset φ for the LOS link condition between the first device 1 and the corresponding second device 2 LOS And the NLOS angular offset φ for the NLOS link condition between the first device 1 and the corresponding second device 2 NLOS .

[0160] The corresponding second device 2 may also be used for two or more angular offsets φ LOS 、φ NLOS For each angular offset among, receive 205 from the first device 1 an indication of the link condition between the first device 1 and the corresponding second device 2.

[0161] The corresponding second device 2 may also be used to, based on one of the RS resources among one or more RS resources RS i Observed by the corresponding second device 2, and based on two or more angular offsets φ LOS 、φ NLOS Configure 206 the spatial filter of the corresponding second device 2 in the spatial direction towards the target area 4 for one of the angular offsets among.

[0162] The corresponding second device 2 may also use the configured spatial filter to detect 207 the target area 4.

[0163] More specifically, the corresponding second device 2 may be used to use the configured spatial filter to detect 207T the target area 4 by transmitting a sounding signal. In this case, the corresponding second device 2 may include one of the following: a base station (or a transmission / reception point) in downlink communication, a user equipment in uplink communication, and a user equipment in sidelink communication.

[0164] Alternatively, the corresponding second device 2 can be used to detect the target region 4 using the configured spatial filter by receiving a detection signal. In this case, the corresponding second device 2 can include one of the following: a user equipment in downlink communication, a base station (or a transmission / reception point) in uplink communication, and a user equipment in sidelink communication.

[0165] The corresponding second device 2 can also be used to provide 208 to the first device 1 one or more of the following: one or more RS resources RS i an indication that one of the RS resources in the RS is associated with the spatial filter of the corresponding second device 2, two or more angle offsets φ LOS 、φ NLOS an indication that one of the angle offsets in the angle offsets is associated with the spatial filter of the corresponding second device 2, a LOS probability associated with one of the RS resources in the one or more RS resources RS i an indication associated with an indication of an RS resource.

[0166] The corresponding second device 2 can also be used to: send 209 to the first device 1 a report on sensing an object in the target region 4. Specifically, sending 209 the report can include providing 208 the indication.

[0167] The present disclosure has been described in connection with various exemplary implementations. However, upon study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the independent claims, other variations can be understood and implemented by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed subject matter. In the claims as well as the specification, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single element or other unit can fulfill the functions of several entities or items recited in the claims. The fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. A computer program can be stored or distributed on a suitable medium (e.g., an optical storage medium or a solid-state medium provided together with other hardware or as part of other hardware), and can also be distributed in other forms, such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless telecommunication systems.

Claims

1. A first device (1) for sensing an object in a target area (4), the first device (1) being configured to: Send (104) to a second device (2) connectable to the first device (1): An indication of one or more reference signal RS resources associated with respective beams of the second device (2); An indication of two or more angular offsets with respect to the spatial direction of the respective beams associated with the one or more RS resources, Wherein, The two or more angular offsets include: A LOS angular offset for a LOS link condition between the first device (1) and the second device (2); A NLOS angular offset for a NLOS link condition between the first device (1) and the second device (2).

2. The first device (1) according to claim 1, further configured to: Receive (109) a report from the second device (2).

3. The first device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, further configured to: Receive (103) from a third device (3) connectable to the first device (1) one or more of the following: The indication of the one or more RS resources; The indication of the two or more angular offsets; Send (110) a report to the third device (3).

4. The first device (1) according to any of the above claims, further configured to: Provide (105) to the second device (2): An indication of the link condition between the first device (1) and the second device (2) for each of the two or more angular offsets.

5. A third device (3) for sensing an object in a target area (4), the third device (3) being configured to: Send (303) to a first device (1) connectable to the third device (3) one or more of the following: An indication of one or more reference signal RS resources associated with respective beams of a second device (2); An indication of two or more angular offsets with respect to the spatial direction of the respective beams associated with the one or more RS resources, Wherein, The two or more angular offsets include: A LOS angular offset for a LOS link condition between the first device (1) and the second device (2); A NLOS angular offset for a NLOS link condition between the first device (1) and the second device (2).

6. The third device (3) according to claim 5, further configured to: Receive (309) a report from the first device (2).

7. The first device (1) according to any of the above claims or the third device (3) according to any of the above claims, further configured to: Calculate (101; 301) the LOS angular offset based on one or more of the following: The position of the first device (1); The position of the second device (2); Position information associated with the target area (4).

8. The first device (1) or the third device (3) according to claim 7 can also be used for: Calculate (102; 302) the NLOS angle offset (φ LOS ) based on one or more of the following: The position of the first device (1); The position of the second device (2); The position information associated with the target area (4); Measurements associated with the propagation distance of the NLOS path between the first device (1) and the second device (2); Measurements associated with the deflection angle of the NLOS path at the first device (1) relative to the aiming direction.

9. The first device (1) according to any one of the above claims can also be used for: Receiving (108) from the second device (2) one or more of the following: An indication that one RS resource among the one or more RS resources is associated with the spatial filter of the second device (2); An indication that one of the two or more angle offsets is associated with the spatial filter of the second device (2); An indication that the LOS probability is associated with one indicated RS resource among the one or more RS resources.

10. The first device (1) according to any one of the above claims includes one of the following: A base station; A user equipment.

11. A second device (2) for sensing an object in a target area (4), the second device (2) can be used for: Receiving (204) from a first device (1) connectable to the second device (2): An indication of one or more reference signal RS resources associated with the corresponding beam of the second device (2); An indication of two or more angle offsets relative to the spatial direction of the corresponding beam associated with the one or more RS resources, where The two or more angle offsets include: The LOS angle offset of the line-of-sight LOS link condition between the first device (1) and the second device (2); The NLOS angle offset of the non-line-of-sight NLOS link condition between the first device (1) and the second device (2); Configuring (206) the spatial filter of the second device (2) in the spatial direction towards the target area (4) based on: One RS resource among the one or more RS resources; One of the two or more angle offsets according to the actual link condition observed by the second device (2) between the first device (1) and the second device (2); Probing (207) the target area (4) using the configured spatial filter.

12. The second device (2) according to claim 11 can also be used for: Sending (209) a report to the first device (1).

13. The second device (2) according to claim 11 or 12 includes one of the following: A base station or a transmission / reception point in downlink communication; A user equipment in uplink communication; A user equipment in sidelink communication; The second device (2) can also be used for: Probing (207T) the target area (4) using the configured spatial filter by sending a probing signal.

14. The second device (2) according to claim 11 or 12, comprising one of the following: A user equipment in downlink communication; A base station or a transmission / reception point in uplink communication; A user equipment in sidelink communication; The second device (2) may also be used for: By receiving the sounding signal, detecting (207R) the target area (4) using the configured spatial filter.

15. The second device (2) according to any one of the above claims may also be used for: Receiving (205) from the first device (1): For each of the two or more angular offsets, an indication of the link condition between the first device (1) and the second device (2).

16. The second device (2) according to any one of the above claims may also be used for: Providing (208) to the first device (1) one or more of the following: An indication that one of the one or more RS resources is associated with the spatial filter of the second device (2); An indication that one of the two or more angular offsets is associated with the spatial filter of the second device (2); An indication that the LOS probability is associated with the indicated one of the one or more RS resources.

17. The first device (1) according to any one of the above claims or the second device (2) according to any one of the above claims, wherein the one or more RS resources each comprise one of the following: A synchronization signal block SSB in downlink communication; A channel state information reference signal CSI-RS in downlink communication; An uplink sounding reference signal UL-SRS in uplink communication.

18. The first device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims or the second device (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the LOS angle offset and the NLOS angle offset (φ LOS ) each include one or more of the following: Horizontal angular offset; Vertical angular offset.

19. A system (1, 2), Comprising: The first device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 5 to 8, 14 to 15; Two or more second devices (2) according to any one of claims 9 to 15.

20. The system (1, 2, 3) according to claim 19, further Comprising: The third device (3) according to any one of claims 4 to 6.

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