Distributed interference sensing

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to equipment, a method and a device for distributed interference sensing and a computer readable storage medium. An AP of a sub-network selects a first subset of terminal devices in the sub-network. The AP transmits a first configuration of the first interference measurement to a first subset of the terminal devices. The AP receives a first interference measurement report based on the first configuration from a first subset of the terminal devices. The first interference measurement report indicates first interference measured at a first subset of the terminal devices. The AP determines a second interference at a second subset of the terminal devices in the sub-network based on the first interference measurement report. The AP determines an action for managing the first interference and the second interference based on the first interference measurement report.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications and, in particular, to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for distributed interference sensing. Background Art

[0002] With the development of communication technologies, sub-networks (sub-NWs) have been introduced to meet the extreme performance requirements in terms of latency, reliability, and / or throughput envisioned for certain short-range scenarios. These sub-networks are typically deployed in specific entities, such as inside a vehicle, inside the body, or indoors, to provide life-critical data services with extreme performance through local micro-coverage. The deployment of sub-networks in the sixth-generation (6G) mobile network brings many new challenges, and the main challenge is the interference management between neighboring sub-networks, which needs to be properly addressed. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Generally, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for distributed interference sensing.

[0004] In a first aspect, an access point (AP) of a sub-NW is provided. The AP includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions. The instructions are configured to cause the AP, when executed by the at least one processor, to: select a first subset of terminal devices in the sub-NW; transmit a first configuration of a first interference measurement to the first subset of terminal devices; receive, from the first subset of terminal devices, a first interference measurement report based on the first configuration, the first interference measurement report indicating a first interference measured at the first subset of terminal devices; determine a second interference at a second subset of terminal devices in the sub-NW based on the first interference measurement report; and determine an action for managing the first interference and the second interference based on the first interference measurement report.

[0005] In a second aspect, a first terminal device in a sub-NW is provided. The first terminal device includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions. The instructions are configured to cause the first terminal device, when executed by the at least one processor, to: receive a first configuration of a first interference measurement from an AP of the sub-NW; perform a first interference measurement based on the first configuration; and transmit a first interference measurement report to the AP based on the first configuration. The first interference measurement report indicates a first interference measured at the first terminal device and causes the AP to determine a second interference at a second subset of terminal devices in the sub-NW.

[0006] In a third aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: at an AP of a sub-NW, selecting a first subset of terminal devices in the sub-NW; transmitting a first configuration of a first interference measurement to the first subset of terminal devices; receiving, from the first subset of terminal devices, a first interference measurement report based on the first configuration, the first interference measurement report indicating a first interference measured at the first subset of terminal devices; determining, based on the first interference measurement report, a second interference at a second subset of terminal devices in the sub-NW; and determining, based on the first interference measurement report, an action for managing the first interference and the second interference.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: at a first terminal device in a sub-NW, receiving a first configuration of a first interference measurement from an AP of the sub-NW; performing a first interference measurement based on the first configuration; and transmitting, based on the first configuration, a first interference measurement report to the AP, the first interference measurement report indicating a first interference measured at the first terminal device and enabling the AP to determine a second interference at a second subset of terminal devices in the sub-NW.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, a device is provided. The device includes: means for selecting a first subset of terminal devices in a sub-NW at an AP of the sub-NW; means for transmitting a first configuration of a first interference measurement to the first subset of terminal devices; means for receiving, from the first subset of terminal devices, a first interference measurement report based on the first configuration, the first interference measurement report indicating a first interference measured at the first subset of terminal devices; means for determining, based on the first interference measurement report, a second interference at a second subset of terminal devices in the sub-NW; and means for determining, based on the first interference measurement report, an action for managing the first interference and the second interference.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, a device is provided. The device includes: means for receiving a first configuration of a first interference measurement from an AP of a sub-NW at a first terminal device in the sub-NW; means for performing a first interference measurement based on the first configuration; and means for transmitting, based on the first configuration, a first interference measurement report to the AP, the first interference measurement report indicating a first interference measured at the first terminal device and enabling the AP to determine a second interference at a second subset of terminal devices in the sub-NW.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, which includes program instructions for causing a device to at least execute the method according to any one of the above third aspect or fourth aspect.

[0011] It should be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Through the following description, other features of the present disclosure will become readily understandable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0013] Figure 1 An example of a sub-NW in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown;

[0014] Figure 2 A signaling diagram illustrating an example process according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0015] Figure 3 A signaling diagram illustrating an example process according to other embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0016] Figure 4 A signaling diagram illustrating an example process according to still other embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0017] Figure 5 A signaling diagram illustrating an example process according to still other embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0018] Figure 6A and Figure 6B Examples of reporting IQ samples according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are shown, respectively;

[0019] Figure 7 A flowchart of a method implemented at an AP of a sub-NW according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0020] Figure 8 A flowchart of a method implemented at a terminal device in a sub-NW according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0021] Figure 9 A simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0022] Figure 10 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0023] In all the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes and help those skilled in the art understand and implement the present disclosure without implying any limitation to the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0025] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0026] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment", "an embodiment", "example embodiment", etc., indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not necessarily every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is considered within the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0027] It should be understood that although the terms "first" and "second" etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element may be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element may be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the example embodiment. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0028] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and are not intended to limit the example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises", "comprising", and / or "has", when used herein, specify the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. As used herein, "at least one of the following: <list of two or more elements>" and "at least one of <list of two or more elements>" and similar phrases, where the list of two or more elements is joined by "and" or "or", mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0029] As used in this application, the term "circuit" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) only hardware circuit implementations (such as only analog implementations and / or digital circuits) and (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, e.g., if applicable: (i) combinations of (multiple) analog and / or digital hardware circuits with software / firmware and (ii) any part of a (plural) hardware processor with software (including (plural) digital signal processors, software, and (plural) memories that work together to enable a device, such as a mobile phone or a server, to perform various functions) and (c) a (plural) hardware circuit and / or a (plural) processor, such as a (plural) microprocessor or a part of a (plural) microprocessor, which requires software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but the software may not be present when it is not required to operate.

[0030] This definition of a circuit applies to all uses of the term in this application (including any claims). As another example, as used in this application, the term circuit also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or a processor (or plural processors) or a part of a hardware circuit or a processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuit also covers, for example and if applicable to a particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or a processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network devices.

[0031] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that follows any suitable communication standard, such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN), etc. In addition, the communication between a terminal device and a network device in a communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocols, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, sixth generation (6G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocol known currently or developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communication, of course, there will also be future types of communication technologies and systems that can embody the present disclosure. It should not be regarded as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to the foregoing systems.

[0032] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. Depending on the terminology and technologies applied, the network device may refer to a base station (BS), e.g., Node B (Node B or NB), evolved Node B (e Node B or eNB), NR NB (also known as gNB), remote radio unit (RRU), radio header (RH), remote radio head (RRH), repeater, low-power node (such as femto, pico, non-terrestrial network (NTN)) or non-terrestrial network device (such as satellite network device, low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite, medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite, and geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellite), aircraft network device, etc.

[0033] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, the terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones, IP voice (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDA), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, game terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEE), laptop mounted devices (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premise equipment (CPE), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMD), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of an industrial and / or automated processing chain), consumer electronic devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment", and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0034] As used herein, the term "AP" refers to a device that serves and manages a sub-network. The AP may be connected to a gNB for a radio access network and provide wireless access services for terminal devices within the coverage of the AP.

[0035] Deploying the "small mobile supporting life-critical applications" sub-NW in 6G poses many new challenges from air interface design to architecture enabling technologies.

[0036] A main problem may be to manage the interference between neighboring sub-NWs, which needs to be properly handled. To manage the interference, the AP of the sub-network needs to know the interference sources from its surrounding environment, estimate the impact of such interference on the devices in the sub-NW, and take appropriate actions based on the acquired interference information and the knowledge of its impact.

[0037] More specifically, consider the following scenario where the AP of the sub-NW is the responsible device for managing the devices in the sub-NW, these devices are located within a sub-NW entity (e.g., a vehicle), and these devices satisfy services with potentially different service priorities. Then, the underlying challenge is that the AP needs the right tools to detect interference, determine the impact of the detected interference on the sub-NW services, and determine the right actions to mitigate or counter the detected interference.

[0038] The AP itself can, in principle, perform interference measurements, but it may not have a good grasp of how the interference affects the devices in the sub-NW. Additionally, these measurements will divert the resources of the AP from being used to maintain the sub-NW services.

[0039] The AP can also obtain interference measurements from all its sub-NW devices, which will give a complete picture but will be a very large overhead. Additionally, not all devices in the sub-NW are capable of performing these measurements.

[0040] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a solution for distributed interference sensing is provided. In this solution, the AP of the sub-NW selects a first subset of the terminal devices in the sub-NW and transmits a configuration for interference measurement to the first subset of the terminal devices. Then, the AP receives a first interference measurement report based on this configuration from the first subset of the terminal devices. The first interference measurement report indicates the first interference measured at the first subset of the terminal devices. The AP determines the second interference at a second subset of the terminal devices in the sub-NW based on the first interference measurement report. Further, the AP determines actions for managing the first interference and the second interference based on the first interference measurement report. The first subset and the second subset of the terminal devices may include one or more terminal devices in the sub-NW.

[0041] This solution allows the AP to know the surrounding interference sources by using the first subset of the terminal devices in the sub-NW (which can act as interference measurement reference devices); then use the input from these interference measurement reference devices to estimate the impact of the detected interference on other terminal devices in the sub-NW (i.e., the second subset of the terminal devices). Further, the AP can take appropriate actions to handle the interference (such as mitigating the interference or contacting the source). In this way, the interference measurement reference devices become the sentinels for other terminal devices in the sub-NW, which allows the AP to use the interference measurement reference devices to determine or predict the severity of the experienced interference and take appropriate actions.

[0042] Figure 1 FIG. 100 shows an example sub-NW in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The sub-NW 100 may include first terminal devices 110-1, 110-2, and 110-3, second terminal devices 120-1, 120-2, and 120-3, and an AP 130. Hereinafter, for simplicity, the first terminal devices 110-1, 110-2, and 110-3 may be collectively referred to as the first subset 110 of terminal devices or individually as the first terminal device 110. Similarly, the second terminal devices 120-1, 120-2, and 120-3 may be collectively referred to as the second subset 120 of terminal devices or individually as the second terminal device 120.

[0043] In some example embodiments, the AP 130 may be a specific terminal device that provides a connection between a network device (not shown) and the first subset 110 of terminal devices and the second subset 120 of terminal devices in the sub-NW 100.

[0044] In some example embodiments, the first subset 110 of terminal devices and the second subset 120 of terminal devices may receive interference signals from an interference source 140 outside the sub-NW 100, respectively. For example, the interference source 140 may be a transmitter in a neighboring sub-NW.

[0045] It should be understood that the number of terminal devices and APs is for illustrative purposes and does not imply any limitation. The sub-NW 100 may include any suitable number of terminal devices and APs adapted to implement embodiments of the present disclosure. Although not shown, it should be understood that one or more network devices may be located near the sub-NW 100.

[0046] Communication in the sub-NW 100 may be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol, including but not limited to the third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G), and sixth generation (6G) or higher, wireless local area network communication protocols (such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, etc.), and / or any other protocol known currently or developed in the future. In addition, the communication may utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplexing (FDD), time division duplexing (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other technology known currently or developed in the future.

[0047] The sub-NW 100 may be a promising component in 6G to meet the extreme performance requirements in terms of latency, reliability, and / or throughput envisioned for certain short-distance scenarios. The sub-NW 100 may be characterized by the following main features: - Support extreme performance requirements in the following aspects: latency (as low as 100 us), reliability (higher than 99.999%), and / or throughput (as high as Gbit / s / link); - Low transmit power, which means limited coverage (e.g., about a few meters); - Star topology or tree topology, which has an AP 130, a first subset 110 of terminal devices, and a second subset 120 of terminal devices, and is under the control of the AP 130; - Lack / limited mobility across different subnets: Although the subnets are mobile, the handover of devices across subnets may occur only under specific conditions and for specific use cases; - The sub-NW 100 can be connected to a radio access (wide area or enterprise) network, but can also continue to work when outside the coverage of this radio access network: More specifically, the AP 130 of the sub-NW 100 serves and manages the first subset 110 of terminal devices and the second subset 120 of terminal devices on the one hand, and connects to the network devices of the radio access network on the other hand. Therefore, the AP 130 represents a special terminal device within the radio access network. The sub-NW 100 will be able to operate in the following different modes. In some example embodiments, when the sub-NW 100 is connected to the overlay network, centralized resource selection (CRS) performed by the overlay next-generation node B (ngNB) can be implemented. The overlay ngNB can have a complete picture of the interference situation experienced by all subnets, and thus CRS has the potential to achieve near-optimal performance, limited only by the measured latency and the loss of information from the measurement to the ngNB. In some example embodiments, when the sub-NW 100 is not connected to the overlay network, it can act in a distributed resource selection (DRS) mode. Here, the sub-NW 100 will have to measure and initiate appropriate actions to counteract or mitigate interference. Although the information latency is lower compared to the CRS mode, the challenge here is how to achieve a comprehensive estimate of the sub-NW 100 and timely actions (before experiencing severe interference).

[0048] In some example embodiments, when the sub-NW 100 is connected to the overlay network but is only assisted by the overlay network and not fully managed by it, it will operate in a hybrid resource selection (HRS). This may be due to the (limited) overview / capability of the overlay network, or when signaling resources between the sub-NW 100 and the overlay network are preferably saved.

[0049]

[0050]

[0051] ​​​

[0052] The enabling technology component for providing extreme performance requirements is sub - band channelization of the carrier, i.e., the carrier bandwidth is divided into multiple sub - bands, and each sub - network operates in one or more sub - bands to provide extreme connectivity. In this case, the resource selection scheme is essentially about selecting which sub - bands are to be allocated to each sub - NW based on the available information.

[0053] Figure 2 A signaling diagram illustrating a process 200 for distributed interference sensing in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For purposes of discussion, process 200 will be described with reference to Figure 1 Process 200. Process 200 may involve Figure 1 a first subset 110 of terminal devices and an AP 130 in

[0054] As Figure 2 shown, the AP 130 selects 210 a first subset 110 of terminal devices in the sub - NW 100.

[0055] In some example embodiments, the AP 130 may select the first subset 110 of terminal devices such that they are representatives for a second subset 120 of terminal devices, meaning that the second subset 120 of terminal devices does not have to perform interference measurements.

[0056] In some example embodiments, if the average interference power of a subset of terminal devices in the sub - NW 100 is higher than an interference power threshold, the AP 130 may select that subset of terminal devices as the first subset 110 of terminal devices.

[0057] Alternatively or additionally, in some example embodiments, if the average signal - to - interference - plus - noise ratio (SINR) of a subset of terminal devices in the sub - NW 100 is lower than an SINR threshold, the AP 130 may select that subset of terminal devices as the first subset 110 of terminal devices.

[0058] Alternatively or additionally, in some example embodiments, if a subset of terminal devices in the sub - NW 100 has interference correlation with a second subset 120 of terminal devices in the sub - NW 100, the AP 130 may select that subset of terminal devices as the first subset 110 of terminal devices.

[0059] Consider an example of determining the interference correlation between a first subset 110 of terminal devices and a second subset 120 of terminal devices. In this example, the AP 130 receives a first set of RSSI measurements from the first subset 110 of terminal devices and a second set of RSSI measurements from the second subset 120 of terminal devices on the same time and the same frequency resources. After receiving the two sets of RSSI measurements, the AP 130 can determine whether the two sets of RSSI measurements change in a similar manner. When the first set of RSSI measurements increases by an average of 6 dB and the second set of RSSI measurements only increases by 5 dB, the AP 130 can determine that the first subset 110 of terminal devices has a strong interference correlation with the second subset 120 of terminal devices.

[0060] Another example of determining interference correlation will be described with reference to Figure 5 below.

[0061] It should be understood that there are statistical methods for determining the correlation between two sets of samples, and these methods can be implemented in the following ways: regarding the two sets of samples as time-varying sequences, or windowing the two sets of samples, and then calculating the correlation between the two sets of samples on the premise that the underlying distribution is a normal distribution.

[0062] Alternatively or additionally, in some example embodiments, if the resource utilization rate of a subset of the terminal devices in the sub-NW 100 is lower than the utilization threshold, the AP 130 may select this subset of the terminal devices as the first subset 110 of the terminal devices. For example, if the processing resource utilization rate of a subset of the terminal devices in the sub-NW 100 is lower than the corresponding utilization threshold, the AP 130 may select this subset of the terminal devices as the first subset 110 of the terminal devices. For another example, if the RF resource utilization rate of a subset of the terminal devices in the sub-NW 100 is lower than the corresponding utilization threshold, the AP 130 may select this subset of the terminal devices as the first subset 110 of the terminal devices. Examples of RF resources may include antenna elements, antenna panels, or transceivers.

[0063] Alternatively or additionally, in some example embodiments, if a subset of the terminal devices in the sub-NW 100 is located at the edge of the sub-NW 100, the AP 130 may select this subset of the terminal devices as the first subset 110 of the terminal devices.

[0064] Alternatively or additionally, in some example embodiments, if a subset of the terminal devices in the sub-NW 100 has the ability to perform a first interference measurement, the AP 130 may select this subset of the terminal devices as the first subset 110 of the terminal devices.

[0065] After selecting the first subset 110 of the terminal devices, the AP 130 transmits 220 a first configuration of a first interference measurement to the first subset 110 of the terminal devices.

[0066] In some example embodiments, the first configuration of the first interference measurement indicates at least one of the following: - The type of the first interference measurement to be performed; - The time resources and frequency resources for the first interference measurement, - The mode (e.g., period) for performing the first interference measurement, - At least one metric to be included in the first interference measurement report, or - The threshold level for transmitting the first interference measurement report.

[0067] In some example embodiments, the type of the first interference measurement may include a zero-power (ZP) measurement. In such example embodiments, the first configuration of the first interference measurement may indicate the time and frequency resources for the ZP measurement, such as zero-power channel state information reference signal (ZP CSI-RS) resources. The first subset 110 of the terminal devices may perform measurements on a set of resource elements (REs) associated with the ZP CSI-RS resources (where the AP 130 will not transmit). Thus, this gives a measurement of the energy level caused by other transmitters (such as neighbor sub-NWs).

[0068] In some example embodiments, the AP 130 may configure the first subset 110 of the terminal devices to perform ZP measurements on active sub-channels or on sub-channels to be made active.

[0069] In some example embodiments, the AP 130 may configure the ZP measurement to be performed at the same time and on the same set of resource elements (REs) for all the terminal devices in the first subset 110. Thus, the AP 130 is able to correlate the measurement results from all the terminal devices in the first subset 110.

[0070] Alternatively or additionally, in some example embodiments, the type of the first interference measurement may include a non-zero power (NZP) measurement. In such example embodiments, the first subset 110 of the terminal devices may perform NZP measurements using a set of known reference signals that may be used by neighbor sub-NWs. This type of measurement is meaningful for obtaining measurements from other sub-NWs.

[0071] In some example embodiments, at least one metric to be included in the first interference measurement report may include at least one of the following: - Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) - RSSI is an energy measurement on a sub - band, which can be used to measure the power present in the sub - band. The RSSI measurement is independent of whether the terminal device can decode the information. - Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) - RSRP can be used to estimate the signal power of a known reference signal being transmitted. This is useful when the interfering source 140 is known or when detecting whether the interfering source is known. Doing so can determine the interference intensity from another sub - NW. - Time of Arrival (ToA) - ToA gives valuable information on how to communicate with the interfering source 140 and identify its location. When the interfering source 140 is another sub - NW, ToA will be mainly useful because it may be inaccurate if the transmitted reference signal is unknown. - Angle of Arrival (AoA) - AoA can also be used to determine the location of the interfering source 140 and then gives valuable information on how to communicate with the interfering source 140. - In - Phase Quadrature (IQ) Sampling (or Quantized Version) - The reporting of IQ samples allows the sub - NW 100 to process the received samples from all terminal devices in the first subset 110 together. Although there is a relatively large overhead, this also has the potential to improve the accuracy of, for example, AoA estimation.

[0072] Continue to refer to Figure 2 the first subset 110 of terminal devices performs 230 first interference measurements based on the first configuration.

[0073] Furthermore, the first subset 110 of terminal devices transmits 240 a first interference measurement report to the AP 130 based on the first configuration. The first interference measurement report indicates the first interference measured at the first subset 110 of terminal devices. For example, the first interference can be caused by Figure 1 the interfering source 140 in

[0074] Accordingly, the AP 130 receives the first interference measurement report from the first subset 110 of terminal devices.

[0075] Then, the AP 130 determines 250 the second interference at the second subset 120 of terminal devices based on the first interference measurement report. Each terminal device in the second subset is different from each terminal device in the first subset.

[0076] In some example embodiments, the AP 130 may select another subset of terminal devices in the sub - NW 100 as the second subset 120 of terminal devices.

[0077] In some example embodiments, if at least one of the following conditions is satisfied, the AP 130 may select another subset of terminal devices in the sub - NW 100 as the second subset 120 of terminal devices: - The reliability required for this other subset of the terminal devices is higher than the reliability threshold, - The latency required for this other subset of the terminal devices is lower than the latency threshold, - The quality of service (QoS) priority of the service required for this other subset of the terminal devices is higher than the priority threshold, - The survival time of the service required for this other subset of the terminal devices is lower than the time threshold, or - The signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) required for this other subset of the terminal devices is higher than the SINR threshold.

[0078] Furthermore, the AP 130 determines 260 actions for managing the first interference and the second interference based on the first interference measurement report.

[0079] In some example embodiments, if the AP 130 determines that the first interference and the second interference are caused by another sub-NW, the AP 130 may communicate with at least one device in the another sub-NW to change radio access parameters for the another sub-NW.

[0080] In some example embodiments, at least one device in the another sub-NW may include an AP of the another sub-NW or a terminal device in the another sub-NW.

[0081] In some example embodiments, in order to change radio access parameters for the another sub-NW, the another sub-NW may perform at least one of the following: reduce transmission power, change subbands, perform beam realignment, or initiate a beam-based connection.

[0082] In some example embodiments, the AP 130 may communicate with at least one device in the another sub-NW based on at least one of the following: - The location of the AP 130 and the location of at least one device in the another sub-NW, - Network devices in the wide area network associated with the sub-NW 100 and the another sub-NW, or - The overlay network associated with the sub-NW 100 and the another sub-NW.

[0083] In some example embodiments, the overlay network may include a wide area public network or a private network.

[0084] In some example embodiments, if the AP 130 determines that the first interference and the second interference are not caused by the another sub-NW, the AP 130 may change radio access parameters for the sub-NW 100.

[0085] In some example embodiments, to change radio access parameters for the sub-NW 100, the AP 130 may perform at least one of the following: increase transmit power, reduce the modulation and coding scheme (MCS), initiate beam alignment or realignment, use narrow RX and TX beams, or increase the transmission bandwidth.

[0086] In some example embodiments, to determine actions for managing the first interference and the second interference, the AP 130 may estimate the link quality required by the first subset 110 of the terminal devices. Then, the AP 130 may determine an interference power threshold for the second subset 120 of the terminal devices based on the first interference measurement report and the estimated link quality.

[0087] Based on the interference power threshold for the second subset of the terminal devices, the AP 130 may determine whether at least one of the following conditions is not satisfied: - The reliability required by the second subset 120 of the terminal devices is higher than a reliability threshold, - The latency required by the second subset 120 of the terminal devices is lower than a latency threshold, - The QoS priority of the service required by the second subset 120 of the terminal devices is higher than a priority threshold, - The survival time of the service required by the second subset 120 of the terminal devices is lower than a time threshold, or - The SINR required by the second subset 120 of the terminal devices is higher than a SINR threshold.

[0088] If at least one of the above conditions is not satisfied, the AP 130 may determine actions for managing the first interference and the second interference in the sub-NW 100.

[0089] Consider an example of triggering actions for managing the first interference and the second interference. In this example, the second subset 120 of the terminal devices requires a reliability higher than 99.99%. In one scenario, this is achieved by 99.9999%. However, when the AP 130 determines based on the first interference measurement report that the second interference at the second subset 120 of the terminal devices has increased to a certain level, the AP 130 estimates the reliability to be 99.99%, which is acceptable but leaves no margin for error. Therefore, the AP 130 may trigger actions for managing the first interference and the second interference. For example, the AP 130 may change the transmission parameters.

[0090] Through process 200, the AP 130 can obtain sufficient interference awareness for the sub-NW 100 without having to perform measurements itself or configure all the terminal devices in the sub-NW 100 to perform measurements.

[0091] In addition, the AP 130 may determine a set of appropriate actions to handle the interference experienced by the sub-NW 100 based on a first interference measurement report from a first subset 110 of the terminal devices.

[0092] In addition, the AP 130 may select the first subset 110 of the terminal devices such that they are representatives of a second subset 120 of the terminal devices, which means that these devices do not have to perform interference measurements.

[0093] Hereinafter, some example implementations of the process 200 will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 5 Describe some example implementations of the process 200.

[0094] Figure 3 A signaling diagram illustrating a process 300 for distributed interference sensing according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, the process 300 will be described with reference to Figure 1 Describe the process 300. The process 300 may involve Figure 1 a first subset 110 of the terminal devices, a second subset 120 of the terminal devices, an AP 130, and an interference source 140 in

[0095] In some example embodiments, the process 300 may be used to initially identify the needs of and the configuration for the first subset 110 of the terminal devices.

[0096] As Figure 3 shown, the AP 130 identifies 310 the need for the first subset 110 of the terminal devices to act as interference measurement reference devices.

[0097] In some example embodiments, if the AP 130 identifies a large difference between its own measurements and other sub-network measurements based on its own insufficient capabilities, the AP 130 may determine the need for the first subset 110 of the terminal devices.

[0098] Then, the AP 130 selects 320 the first subset 110 of the terminal devices. The action 320 may be considered an example implementation of the action 210 in Figure 2 Therefore, for the sake of brevity, the details of the action 320 are omitted.

[0099] Furthermore, the AP 130 transmits 330 a first configuration for the first interference measurement to the first subset 110 of the terminal devices. The AP 130 transmits 335 a first configuration for the first interference measurement to the second subset 120 of the terminal devices.

[0100] The action 330 may be considered an example implementation of Figure 2Example implementation of action 220. For example, the AP 130 may request measurements of RSRP, RSSI, or SINR from a first subset 110 of the terminal devices by transmitting a first configuration of the first interference measurement. Action 335 is similar to action 330. For example, the AP 130 may request measurements of RSRP, RSSI, or SINR from a second subset 120 of the terminal devices by transmitting a first configuration of the first interference measurement. Therefore, for the sake of brevity, the details of actions 330 and 335 are omitted.

[0101] The first subset 110 of the terminal devices receives 340 interference signals from the interference source 140. The second subset 120 of the terminal devices receives 350 interference signals from the interference source 140.

[0102] The first subset 110 of the terminal devices performs 360 the first interference measurement based on the first configuration. The second subset 120 of the terminal devices performs 370 the first interference measurement based on the first configuration. Action 360 can be considered an Figure 2 example implementation of action 230 in. Action 375 is similar to action 360. Therefore, for the sake of brevity, the details of actions 360 and 370 are omitted.

[0103] In some example embodiments, based on the first configuration, the first subset 110 of the terminal devices may perform the first interference measurement periodically or aperiodically. An example scenario may be using a portion of the terminal devices 110 in the first subset 110 when the vehicle is on the highway and then requiring another portion of the terminal devices 110 in the first subset 110 when the vehicle is in the city. Another example scenario may be when the second subset 120 of the terminal devices is expanded or changed. In such example embodiments, the AP 130 may re - perform actions 320 and 330.

[0104] In such example embodiments, the AP 130 may activate or deactivate all or part of the terminal devices in the first subset 110 to perform the first interference measurement. This can be done by enabling or disabling the first configuration of the first interference measurement.

[0105] The first subset 110 of the terminal devices transmits 380 a first interference measurement report based on the first configuration to the AP 130. The first interference measurement report indicates the first interference measured at the first subset 110 of the terminal devices. The first interference may be caused by the interference signal from the interference source 140. Action 380 can be considered an Figure 2 example implementation of action 240 in. Therefore, for the sake of brevity, the details of action 380 are omitted.

[0106] A second subset 120 of the terminal devices transmits 390 an interference measurement report based on the first configuration to the AP 130. The interference measurement report indicates the interference measured at the second subset 120 of the terminal devices. The interference may be caused by an interference signal from an interference source 140. Action 390 is similar to action 380. Therefore, for the sake of brevity, the details of action 390 are omitted.

[0107] Figure 4 A signaling diagram illustrating a process 400 for distributed interference sensing in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For purposes of discussion, process 400 will be described with reference to Figure 1 Process 400 may involve Figure 1 a first subset 110 of the terminal devices, a second subset 120 of the terminal devices, an AP 130, and an interference source 140 in

[0108] In some example embodiments, process 400 may be used to further configure the first subset 110 of the terminal devices, determine an interference power threshold for the second subset 120 of the terminal devices, and determine actions for managing interference.

[0109] In some example embodiments, the interference power threshold for the second subset 120 of the terminal devices may be associated with the interference power threshold that the second subset 120 of the terminal devices can tolerate, i.e., the interference power threshold is similar to the maximum interference power level that still allows a link between the second subset 120 of the terminal devices and the AP 130 to have sufficient link quality (e.g., block error rate (BLER)).

[0110] In process 400, the AP 130 may determine the maximum interference power level based on interference measurement reports from the first subset 110 of the terminal devices and the second subset 120 of the terminal devices.

[0111] Specifically, the AP 130 may request measurements of RSRP or RSSI from the first subset 110 of the terminal devices and the second subset 120 of the terminal devices. The AP 130 may use a mapping function to identify the current SINR based on the measurements of RSRP or RSSI. Alternatively, the AP 130 may request measurements of SINR from the first subset 110 of the terminal devices and the second subset 120 of the terminal devices. Then, the AP 130 may estimate the gap between the current SINR and the SINR that the second subset 120 of the terminal devices can tolerate. Further, the AP 130 may determine the maximum interference power level based on the gap.

[0112] Alternatively, if the service is already running, the AP 130 may determine the maximum interference power level through its own link adaptation loop with the second subset 120 of the terminal devices.

[0113] Alternatively, the AP 130 can determine an interference power threshold for the second subset of the terminal devices by using CSI reports from the first subset 110 of the terminal devices. Specifically, the AP 130 requests CSI reports and transmits CSI-RS to the first subset 110 of the terminal devices. The first subset 110 of the terminal devices measures the CSI-RS and estimates the CQI and the rank indicator (RI). Then, the first subset 110 of the terminal devices reports the CQI and the RI to the AP 130. Then, the AP 130 can estimate the link quality required by the first subset 110 of the terminal devices and determine the SINR associated with the estimated link quality. This SINR can be referred to as the SINR that the second subset 120 of the terminal devices can tolerate. Further, the AP 130 can estimate the gap between the current SINR and the SINR that the second subset 120 of the terminal devices can tolerate. Then, the AP 130 can determine an interference power threshold similar to the maximum interference power level based on this gap.

[0114] After determining the maximum interference power level, the AP 130 can convert the maximum interference power level to RSSI, which is direct if the RSRP, RSSI, or SINR is reported by the second subset 120 of the terminal devices. The AP 130 can determine the interference power threshold 410 by adding a margin to the RSSI (if the measurement represents an idle / no interference measurement), and this margin can be estimated by the AP 130 based on interference variability, channel changes, etc.

[0115] Further, the AP 130 determines 420 a threshold level for transmitting the first interference measurement report based on the interference power threshold for the second subset 120 of the terminal devices. For example, the AP 130 can determine that the threshold level is equal to the interference power threshold for the second subset 120 of the terminal devices. As another example, the AP 130 can determine that the threshold level is slightly higher than the interference power threshold for the second subset of the terminal devices to allow for a margin of variation between the measurements at the first subset 110 of the terminal devices and the interference experienced at the second subset 120 of the terminal devices.

[0116] Further, the AP 130 transmits 430 a first configuration of the first interference measurement to the first subset 110 of the terminal devices. The first configuration of the first interference measurement can include the threshold level for transmitting the first interference measurement report. Action 430 can be considered an example implementation of Figure 2 action 220 in. Therefore, for the sake of brevity, the details of action 430 are omitted.

[0117] The first subset 110 of the terminal devices receives 440 interference signals from the interference source 140. The second subset 120 of the terminal devices receives 445 interference signals from the interference source 140.

[0118] The first subset 110 of the terminal device performs 450 a first interference measurement based on the first configuration. The action 450 can be considered as Figure 2 an example implementation of the action 230 in

[0119] Furthermore, the first subset 110 of the terminal device determines 460 whether a threshold level for transmitting the first interference measurement report is reached.

[0120] If the threshold level is reached, the first subset 110 of the terminal device further determines 465 whether the first interference is from a known radio access technology (RAT). For example, the first subset 110 of the terminal device further determines whether the first interference is from another sub-NW. If the first interference is from a known RAT, the first subset 110 of the terminal device transmits 470 a first interference measurement report based on the first configuration to the AP 130.

[0121] In some example implementations, the first configuration of the first interference measurement may indicate that: if the first subset 110 of the terminal device determines that the ZP-CSI RE contains a known reference signal with a certain probability, the first interference measurement report includes ToA, AoA, RSRP, and / or IQ sample values.

[0122] After receiving the first interference measurement report, the AP 130 determines 480 a second interference at the second subset 120 of the terminal device based on the first interference measurement report. The action 480 can be considered as Figure 2 an example implementation of the action 250 in

[0123] Then, the AP 130 determines 490 an action for managing the first interference and the second interference based on the first interference measurement report. The action 490 can be considered as Figure 2 an example implementation of the action 260 in

[0124] In some example embodiments, the AP 130 may configure the first subset 110 of the terminal device to perform the first interference measurement periodically or aperiodically. An example scenario can be when a vehicle implementing the sub-NW 100 uses a part of the terminal devices in the first subset 110 on a highway and then needs another part of the terminal devices in the first subset 110 when in the city. Another example scenario can be when the second subset 120 of the terminal device is extended or changed. In such example embodiments, the AP 130 may re-execute Figure 2 the actions 220 and 230 in

[0125] In such an example embodiment, the AP 130 may activate or deactivate all or some of the terminal devices in the first subset 110 to perform a first interference measurement. This may be done by enabling or disabling a first configuration for the first interference measurement.

[0126] Figure 5 A signaling diagram illustrating a process 500 for distributed interference sensing according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For purposes of discussion, process 500 will be described with reference to Figure 1 Process 500 may involve Figure 1 a first subset 110 of terminal devices, a second subset 120 of terminal devices, and an AP 130 in

[0127] In some example embodiments, process 500 may be used to re-evaluate the interference correlation between a first subset 110 of terminal devices and a second subset 110 of terminal devices.

[0128] As Figure 5 shown, the AP 130 transmits 510 a second configuration to the first subset 110 of terminal devices. The second configuration indicates a second interference measurement to be performed at the first subset 110 of terminal devices and the second subset 120 of terminal devices.

[0129] The AP 130 transmits 520 the second configuration to the second subset 120 of terminal devices.

[0130] After receiving the second configuration, the first subset 110 of terminal devices performs 530 a second interference measurement based on the second configuration.

[0131] After receiving the second configuration, the second subset 120 of terminal devices performs 540 a second interference measurement based on the second configuration.

[0132] Subsequently, the first subset 110 of terminal devices transmits 550 a second measurement report based on the second configuration to the AP 130. The second subset 120 of terminal devices transmits 560 a third measurement report based on the second configuration to the AP 130.

[0133] Each of the second measurement report and the third measurement report may include measurements of at least one of the following: RSSI, RSRP, ToA, AoA, or IQ samples.

[0134] Subsequently, based on the second measurement report and the third measurement report, the AP 130 estimates an interference correlation factor between the first subset 110 of terminal devices and the second subset 120 of terminal devices.

[0135] In some example embodiments, the AP 130 may transmit the second configuration to the first subset 110 of terminal devices and the second subset 120 of terminal devices based on determining at least one of the following: - The link quality from the second subset 120 of the terminal devices drops below the quality threshold, - The first interference measurement report is not received from the first subset 110 of the terminal devices, - The interference-related factor changes, or - At least one third terminal device joins the sub-NW 100, or - At least one terminal device leaves the sub-NW 100, or - At least one terminal device in the sub-NW 100 has changed its location.

[0136] In some example embodiments, the AP 130 may determine an interference power threshold for the second subset 120 of the terminal devices based at least on the interference-related factor.

[0137] As described above, at least one metric to be included in the first interference measurement report may include IQ samples. The first interference measurement report including IQ samples will allow the AP 130 to effectively use the first subset 110 of the terminal devices as a distributed antenna system (DAS). With this DAS, the AP 130 will use the information from the first subset 110 of the terminal devices and all its antennas to better estimate metrics such as AoA, ToA from the measurements. Reference will be made to the appended Figure 6A and Figure 6B to describe illustrative examples.

[0138] Figure 6A and Figure 6B respectively show examples of reporting IQ samples according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0139] In Figure 6A due to the small form factor (i.e., a limited number of active antenna elements), the first subset 110 of the terminal devices may estimate the AoA using only wide beams.

[0140] In Figure 6B the first subset 110 of the terminal devices operates as a DAS by reporting IQ samples to the AP 130. The first subset 110 of the terminal devices can be jointly used as a single larger array of irregularly placed antenna elements, which are able to estimate the AoA more precisely because they can create narrower beams.

[0141] In some example embodiments, the AP 130 may select a subset of the terminal devices in the sub-NW 100 as the first subset 110 of the terminal devices based on at least one of the following: - The synchronization accuracy of the subset of the terminal devices with the AP 130; - The position accuracy and stability of the subset of the terminal devices: The subset of the terminal devices should have a static relative position from the AP 130; or - Ability for interference measurement reporting.

[0142] In some example embodiments, the AP 130 may apply a synchronization enhancement process (e.g., increase the bandwidth of its synchronization reference signal) at least for a first subset 110 of the terminal devices.

[0143] Figure 7 A flowchart of an example method 700 implemented at an AP according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For purposes of discussion, method 700 will be described from the perspective of Figure 1 the AP 130.

[0144] At block 710, the AP 130 selects a first subset 110 of the terminal devices in the sub-NW 100.

[0145] At block 720, the AP 130 transmits a first configuration of a first interference measurement to the first subset 110 of the terminal devices.

[0146] At block 730, the AP 130 receives a first interference measurement report based on the first configuration from the first subset 110 of the terminal devices. The first interference measurement report indicates a first interference measured at the first subset 110 of the terminal devices.

[0147] At block 740, the AP 130 determines a second interference at a second subset 120 of the terminal devices in the sub-NW 100 based on the first interference measurement report.

[0148] At block 750, the AP 130 determines an action for managing the first interference and the second interference based on the first interference measurement report.

[0149] In some example embodiments, selecting the first subset of the terminal devices includes: selecting a subset of the terminal devices in the sub-network as the first subset of the terminal devices by determining at least one of the following: - The average interference power of this subset of the terminal devices is higher than an interference power threshold, - The average signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of this subset of the terminal devices is lower than an SINR threshold, - This subset of the terminal devices has interference correlation with a second subset of the terminal devices in the sub-network, - The resource utilization of this subset of the terminal devices is lower than a utilization threshold, - This subset of the terminal devices is located at the edge of the sub-network; - This subset of the terminal devices has the ability to perform the first interference measurement.

[0150] In some example embodiments, the first configuration of the first interference measurement indicates at least one of the following: - The type of the first interference measurement to be performed, - The time resources and frequency resources for the first interference measurement, - The mode for performing the first interference measurement, or - At least one metric to be included in the first interference measurement report.

[0151] In some example embodiments, the actions for managing the first interference and the second interference include at least one of the following: - Based on determining that the first interference and the second interference are caused by another subnetwork, communicating with at least one device in the another subnetwork to change radio access parameters for the another subnetwork; or - Based on determining that the first interference and the second interference are not caused by another subnetwork, changing radio access parameters for the subnetwork.

[0152] In some example embodiments, communicating with at least one device in the another subnetwork includes: communicating with at least one device in the another subnetwork based on at least one of the following: - The location of AP 130 and the location of at least one device in the another subnetwork, - Network devices in the wide area network associated with the subnetwork and the another subnetwork, or - The overlay network associated with the subnetwork and the another subnetwork.

[0153] In some example embodiments, method 700 further includes: estimating the link quality required by a first subset of terminal devices; and determining an interference power threshold for a second subset of terminal devices based on the first interference measurement report and the estimated link quality.

[0154] In some example embodiments, method 700 further includes: selecting another subset of terminal devices in the subnetwork as the second subset of terminal devices based on determining that at least one of the following conditions is satisfied: - The reliability required by the another subset of terminal devices is higher than a reliability threshold, - The latency required by the another subset of terminal devices is lower than a latency threshold, - The quality of service (QoS) priority of the service required by the another subset of terminal devices is higher than a priority threshold, - The survival time of the service required by the another subset of terminal devices is lower than a time threshold, or - The signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) required by the another subset of terminal devices is higher than an SINR threshold.

[0155] In some example embodiments, determining actions for managing a first interference and a second interference in a subnet includes: determining whether at least one of the conditions is not satisfied based on an interference power threshold for a second subset of terminal devices; and determining actions for managing the first interference and the second interference in the subnet based on determining that at least one of the conditions is not satisfied.

[0156] In some example embodiments, method 700 further includes: transmitting a second configuration to a first subset of terminal devices and a second subset of terminal devices, the second configuration indicating second interference measurements to be performed at the first subset of terminal devices and the second subset of terminal devices; receiving, from the first subset of terminal devices, a second measurement report based on the second configuration; receiving, from the second subset of terminal devices, a third measurement report based on the second configuration; and estimating an interference correlation factor between the first subset of terminal devices and the second subset of terminal devices based on the second measurement report and the third measurement report.

[0157] In some example embodiments, method 700 further includes: determining an interference power threshold for the second subset of terminal devices based at least on the interference correlation factor.

[0158] In some example embodiments, method 700 further includes: determining a threshold level for transmitting a first interference measurement based at least on the interference power threshold for the second subset of terminal devices.

[0159] In some example embodiments, a first configuration of a first interference measurement indicates a threshold level for transmitting a first interference measurement report.

[0160] In some example embodiments, transmitting the second configuration to the first subset of terminal devices and the second subset of terminal devices includes: transmitting the second configuration to the first subset of terminal devices and the second subset of terminal devices based on determining at least one of the following: - The link quality from the second subset of terminal devices drops below a quality threshold, - A first interference measurement report is not received from the first subset of terminal devices, - The interference correlation factor changes, or - At least one third terminal device joins the subnet, or - At least one terminal device among the terminal devices leaves the subnet, or - At least one terminal device among the terminal devices has changed its location.

[0161] In some example embodiments, method 700 further includes: activating or deactivating all or part of the terminal devices in the first subset to perform a first interference measurement.

[0162] Figure 8FIG. 800 is a flow chart of an example method implemented at a terminal device in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For purposes of discussion, method 800 will be described from the perspective of Figure 1 a first terminal device 110.

[0163] At block 810, the first terminal device 110 receives a first configuration of a first interference measurement from an AP 130 of a sub-NW 100.

[0164] At block 820, the first terminal device 110 performs the first interference measurement based on the first configuration.

[0165] At block 830, the first terminal device 110 transmits a first interference measurement report to the AP 130 based on the first configuration. The first interference measurement report indicates the first interference measured at the first terminal device 110 and enables the AP 130 to determine a second interference at a second subset 120 of terminal devices in the sub-NW 100.

[0166] In some example embodiments, the configuration of the interference measurement indicates at least one of the following: - the type of the first interference measurement to be performed, - the time resources and frequency resources for the first interference measurement, - the mode for performing the first interference measurement, or - at least one metric to be included in the first interference measurement report.

[0167] In some example embodiments, method 800 further includes: activating or deactivating the performance of the first interference measurement.

[0168] In some example embodiments, method 800 further includes performing the first interference measurement periodically or aperiodically.

[0169] In some example embodiments, the first configuration of the first interference measurement indicates a threshold level for transmitting the first interference measurement report.

[0170] In some example embodiments, method 800 further includes: receiving a second configuration indicating a second interference measurement from the AP; performing the second interference measurement based on the second configuration; and transmitting a second measurement report to the AP based on the second configuration. The second measurement report is used to estimate an interference-related factor between the first terminal device and the second subset of terminal devices at the AP.

[0171] In some example embodiments, a device (e.g., AP 130) capable of performing any of the methods in method 700 may include components for performing the corresponding operations of method 700. The device may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in circuitry or software modules. The device may be implemented as or included in AP 130. In some example embodiments, the components may include a processor and a memory.

[0172] In some example embodiments, the device includes: components for selecting a first subset of terminal devices in a subnetwork at an AP of the subnetwork; components for transmitting a first configuration of a first interference measurement to the first subset of terminal devices; components for receiving, from the first subset of terminal devices, a first interference measurement report based on the first configuration, the first interference measurement report indicating a first interference measured at the first subset of terminal devices; components for determining a second interference at a second subset of terminal devices in the subnetwork based on the first interference measurement report; and components for determining an action for managing the first interference and the second interference based on the first interference measurement report.

[0173] In some example embodiments, the components for selecting a first subset of terminal devices include: components for selecting a subset of terminal devices in the subnetwork as the first subset of terminal devices by determining at least one of the following: - The average interference power of the subset of terminal devices is higher than an interference power threshold, - The average signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of the subset of terminal devices is lower than an SINR threshold, - The subset of terminal devices has interference correlation with a second subset of terminal devices in the subnetwork, - The resource utilization of the subset of terminal devices is lower than a utilization threshold, - The subset of terminal devices is located at the edge of the subnetwork; - The subset of terminal devices has the ability to perform the first interference measurement.

[0174] In some example embodiments, the first configuration of the first interference measurement indicates at least one of the following: - The type of the first interference measurement to be performed, - The time resources and frequency resources for the first interference measurement, - The mode for performing the first interference measurement, or - At least one metric to be included in the first interference measurement report.

[0175] In some example embodiments, the actions for managing the first interference and the second interference include at least one of the following: - Based on determining that the first interference and the second interference are caused by another sub-network, communicate with at least one device in the other sub-network to change radio access parameters for the other sub-network; or - Based on determining that the first interference and the second interference are not caused by another sub-network, change radio access parameters for the sub-network.

[0176] In some example embodiments, the component for communicating with at least one device in the other sub-network includes: a component for communicating with at least one device in the other sub-network based on at least one of the following: - The location of the AP and the location of at least one device in the other sub-network, - A network device in a wide area network associated with the sub-network and the other sub-network, or - An overlay network associated with the sub-network and the other sub-network.

[0177] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a component for estimating the link quality required by a first subset of terminal devices; and a component for determining an interference power threshold for a second subset of terminal devices based on the first interference measurement report and the estimated link quality.

[0178] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a component for selecting another subset of terminal devices in the sub-network as the second subset of terminal devices based on determining that at least one of the following conditions is satisfied: - The reliability required by another subset of terminal devices is higher than a reliability threshold, - The latency required by another subset of terminal devices is lower than a latency threshold, - The quality of service (QoS) priority of the service required by another subset of terminal devices is higher than a priority threshold, - The survival time of the service required by another subset of terminal devices is lower than a time threshold, or - The signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) required by another subset of terminal devices is higher than an SINR threshold.

[0179] In some example embodiments, the component for determining actions for managing the first interference and the second interference in the sub-network includes: a component for determining whether at least one of the conditions based on the interference power threshold for the second subset of terminal devices is not satisfied; and a component for determining actions for managing the first interference and the second interference in the sub-network based on determining that at least one of the conditions is not satisfied.

[0180] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: means for transmitting a second configuration to a first subset of terminal devices and a second subset of terminal devices, the second configuration indicating second interference measurements to be performed at the first subset of terminal devices and the second subset of terminal devices; means for receiving, from the first subset of terminal devices, a second measurement report based on the second configuration; means for receiving, from the second subset of terminal devices, a third measurement report based on the second configuration; and means for estimating an interference correlation factor between the first subset of terminal devices and the second subset of terminal devices based on the second measurement report and the third measurement report.

[0181] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: means for determining an interference power threshold for the second subset of terminal devices based at least on the interference correlation factor.

[0182] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: means for determining a threshold level for transmitting a first interference measurement based at least on the interference power threshold for the second subset of terminal devices.

[0183] In some example embodiments, a first configuration of a first interference measurement indicates a threshold level for transmitting a first interference measurement report.

[0184] In some example embodiments, the means for transmitting a second configuration to a first subset of terminal devices and a second subset of terminal devices comprises: means for transmitting the second configuration to the first subset of terminal devices and the second subset of terminal devices based on determining at least one of the following: - the link quality from the second subset of terminal devices is lower than a quality threshold, - the first interference measurement report has not been received from the first subset of terminal devices, - the interference correlation factor changes, or - at least one third terminal device joins the subnetwork, or - at least one of the terminal devices leaves the subnetwork, or - at least one of the terminal devices has changed its location.

[0185] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: means for activating or deactivating all or part of the terminal devices in the first subset to perform a first interference measurement.

[0186] In some example embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., a first terminal device 110) capable of performing any method 800 may include means for performing the corresponding operations of method 800. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The apparatus may be implemented as or included in the first terminal device 110. In some example embodiments, the means may include a processor and a memory.

[0187] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: components for receiving, at a first terminal device in a subnet, a first configuration of a first interference measurement from an AP of the subnet; components for performing the first interference measurement based on the first configuration; and components for transmitting, to the AP, a first interference measurement report based on the first configuration, the first interference measurement report indicating a first interference measured at the first terminal device and enabling the AP to determine a second interference at a second subset of terminal devices in the subnet.

[0188] In some example embodiments, the configuration of the interference measurement indicates at least one of the following: - The type of the first interference measurement to be performed, - Time resources and frequency resources for the first interference measurement, - A mode for performing the first interference measurement, or - At least one metric to be included in the first interference measurement report.

[0189] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes: components for being activated or deactivated to perform the first interference measurement.

[0190] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for performing the first interference measurement periodically or aperiodically.

[0191] In some example embodiments, the first configuration of the first interference measurement indicates a threshold level for transmitting the first interference measurement report.

[0192] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes: components for receiving, from the AP, a second configuration indicating a second interference measurement; components for performing the second interference measurement based on the second configuration; and components for transmitting, to the AP, a second measurement report based on the second configuration. The second measurement report is used to estimate, at the AP, an interference correlation factor between the first terminal device and the second subset of terminal devices.

[0193] Figure 9 is a simplified block diagram of a device 900 suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 900 may be used to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1 the illustrated AP 130 or the first terminal device 110. As shown, the device 900 includes one or more processors 910, one or more memories 920 coupled to the processors 910, and one or more communication modules 940 coupled to the processors 910.

[0194] The communication module 940 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 940 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface can represent any interface necessary for communicating with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 940 may include at least one antenna.

[0195] The processor 910 can be of any type suitable for the local technical network and can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computer, dedicated computer, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture (as a non-limiting example). The device 900 can have multiple processors, such as an application-specific integrated circuit chip that is clocked subordinate to a synchronous master processor over time.

[0196] The memory 920 can include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 924, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, optical disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), optical disc, laserdisc, and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 922 and other volatile memories that will not last for a duration without power.

[0197] The computer program 930 includes computer-executable instructions that can be executed by the associated processor 910. The program 930 can be stored in the memory, such as ROM 924. The processor 910 can perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 930 into RAM 922.

[0198] Example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented by means of the program 930, such that the device 900 can execute any process of the present disclosure as discussed with reference to Figures 1 to 8 Example embodiments of the present disclosure can also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0199] In some example embodiments, the program 930 can be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, which can be included in the device 900 (such as in the memory 920) or other storage devices accessible to the device 900. The device 900 can load the program 930 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 922 for execution. The computer-readable medium can include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Figure 10 An example of a computer-readable medium 1000 that can be in the form of a CD, DVD, or other optical storage disc is shown. The program 930 is stored on the computer-readable medium.

[0200] Generally, the various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special-purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although the various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that, by way of non-limiting example, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, special-purpose circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers, or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0201] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules that are executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor to perform any of the methods described above with reference to the appended Figures 1 to 8 description. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functions of program modules may be combined or split as needed among program modules. The machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within local or distributed devices. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0202] The program code for performing the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, such that the program codes, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions / operations specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0203] In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier such that a device, apparatus, or processor can execute the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0204] A computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0205] It should be understood that although some embodiments may be implemented by / at an IAB node, the solutions including the methods and apparatuses presented in this disclosure may also be applied to other communication systems with similar technical problems. Additionally, although the operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be construed as requiring that the operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all of the illustrated operations be performed to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0206] Although the present disclosure has been described in terms of specific structural features and / or method acts, it should be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the above specific features or acts. Rather, the above specific features and acts are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. An access point for a subnet, comprising: At least one processor; And At least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the access point to at least: Select a first subset of terminal devices in the subnet; Transmit a first configuration of a first interference measurement to the first subset of terminal devices; Receive, from the first subset of terminal devices, a first interference measurement report based on the first configuration, the first interference measurement report indicating a first interference measured at the first subset of terminal devices; Based on the first interference measurement report, determine a second interference at a second subset of the terminal devices in the subnet; And Based on the first interference measurement report, determine an action for managing the first interference and the second interference.

2. The access point according to claim 1, wherein the access point is caused to select a subset of terminal devices in the subnet as the first subset of terminal devices by determining at least one of the following: The average interference power of the subset of terminal devices is higher than an interference power threshold, The average signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of the subset of terminal devices is lower than an SINR threshold, The subset of terminal devices has interference correlation with the second subset of the terminal devices in the subnet, The resource utilization rate of the subset of terminal devices is lower than a utilization threshold, The subset of terminal devices is located at the edge of the subnet, The subset of terminal devices has the ability to perform the first interference measurement.

3. The access point according to claim 1, wherein the first configuration of the first interference measurement indicates at least one of the following: The type of the first interference measurement to be performed, The time resources and frequency resources for the first interference measurement, The mode for performing the first interference measurement, or At least one metric to be included in the first interference measurement report.

4. The access point according to claim 1, wherein the action for managing the first interference and the second interference comprises at least one of the following: Based on determining that the first interference and the second interference are caused by another subnet, communicate with at least one device in the another subnet to change radio access parameters for the another subnet; or Based on determining that the first interference and the second interference are not caused by the another subnet, change radio access parameters for the subnet.

5. The access point according to claim 4, wherein the access point is caused to communicate with the at least one device in the another subnet based on at least one of the following: The location of the access point and the location of the at least one device in the another subnet, Network devices in a wide area network associated with the subnet and the another subnet, or An overlay network associated with the subnet and the another subnet.

6. The access point according to claim 1, wherein the access point is further caused to: Estimate the link quality required by the first subset of the terminal devices; Determine an interference power threshold for the second subset of the terminal devices based on the first interference measurement report and the estimated link quality.

7. The access point according to claim 6, wherein the access point is further caused to select another subset of the terminal devices in the subnetwork as the second subset of the terminal devices based on determining that at least one of the following conditions is met: The reliability required by the other subset of the terminal devices is higher than a reliability threshold, The latency required by the other subset of the terminal devices is lower than a latency threshold, The quality of service (QoS) priority of the service required by the other subset of the terminal devices is higher than a priority threshold, The survival time of the service required by the other subset of the terminal devices is lower than a time threshold, or The signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) required by the other subset of the terminal devices is higher than an SINR threshold.

8. The access point according to claim 7, wherein the access point is caused to determine the actions for managing the first interference and the second interference in the subnetwork by: Based on the interference power threshold for the second subset of the terminal devices, determining whether at least one of the conditions is not met; and Based on determining that at least one of the conditions is not met, determining the actions for managing the first interference and the second interference in the subnetwork.

9. The access point according to claim 1, wherein the access point is further caused to: Transmit a second configuration to the first subset of the terminal devices and the second subset of the terminal devices, the second configuration indicating second interference measurements to be performed at the first subset of the terminal devices and the second subset of the terminal devices; Receive a second measurement report based on the second configuration from the first subset of the terminal devices; Receive a third measurement report based on the second configuration from the second subset of the terminal devices; And Based on the second measurement report and the third measurement report, estimate an interference correlation factor between the first subset of the terminal devices and the second subset of the terminal devices.

10. The access point according to claim 9, wherein the access point is further caused to: Determine an interference power threshold for the second subset of the terminal devices based at least on the interference correlation factor.

11. The access point according to claim 6 or 10, wherein the access point is further caused to: Determine a threshold level for transmitting the first interference measurement based at least on the interference power threshold for the second subset of the terminal devices.

12. The access point according to claim 11, wherein the first configuration of the first interference measurement indicates the threshold level for transmitting the first interference measurement report.

13. The access point according to claim 9, wherein the access point is caused to transmit the second configuration to the first subset of the terminal devices and the second subset of the terminal devices based on determining at least one of the following: The link quality from the second subset of the terminal devices drops below a quality threshold, The first interference measurement report is not received from the first subset of the terminal devices, the interference-related factor changes, or at least one third terminal device joins the subnetwork, or at least one of the terminal devices leaves the subnetwork, or at least one of the terminal devices has changed its location.

14. The access point according to claim 1, wherein the access point is further configured to: activate or deactivate all or some of the terminal devices in the first subset to perform the first interference measurement.

15. A first terminal device in a subnetwork, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first terminal device to at least: receive a first configuration of a first interference measurement from an access point of the subnetwork; perform the first interference measurement based on the first configuration; and transmit a first interference measurement report to the access point based on the first configuration, the first interference measurement report indicating a first interference measured at the first terminal device and causing the access point to determine a second interference at a second subset of the terminal devices in the subnetwork.

16. The first terminal device according to claim 15, wherein the configuration of the interference measurement indicates at least one of the following: the type of the first interference measurement to be performed, time resources and frequency resources for the first interference measurement, a mode for performing the first interference measurement, or at least one metric to be included in the first interference measurement report.

17. The first terminal device according to claim 15, wherein the first terminal device is further configured to: be activated or deactivated to perform the first interference measurement.

18. The first terminal device according to claim 15, wherein the first terminal device is further configured to perform the first interference measurement periodically or aperiodically.

19. The first terminal device according to claim 15, wherein the first configuration of the first interference measurement indicates a threshold level for transmitting the first interference measurement report.

20. The first terminal device according to claim 15, wherein the first terminal device is further configured to: receive a second configuration indicating a second interference measurement from the access point; perform the second interference measurement based on the second configuration; and transmit a second measurement report to the access point based on the second configuration, the second measurement report being used to estimate an interference-related factor between the first terminal device and the second subset of the terminal devices at the access point.

21. A method, comprising: at an access point of a subnetwork, select a first subset of terminal devices in the subnetwork; transmit a first configuration of a first interference measurement to the first subset of terminal devices; receive a first interference measurement report based on the first configuration from the first subset of terminal devices, the first interference measurement report indicating a first interference measured at the first subset of terminal devices; Determine a second interference of a second subset of the terminal devices in the subnetwork based on the first interference measurement report; and Determine an action for managing the first interference and the second interference based on the first interference measurement report.

22. A method, comprising: At a first terminal device in a subnetwork, receive a first configuration of a first interference measurement from an access point of the subnetwork; Perform the first interference measurement based on the first configuration; and Based on the first configuration, transmit a first interference measurement report to the access point, the first interference measurement report indicating a first interference measured at the first terminal device and enabling the access point to determine a second interference at a second subset of terminal devices in the subnetwork.

23. An apparatus, comprising: Components for selecting a first subset of terminal devices in a subnetwork at an access point of the subnetwork; Components for transmitting a first configuration of a first interference measurement to the first subset of terminal devices; Components for receiving, from the first subset of terminal devices, a first interference measurement report based on the first configuration, the first interference measurement report indicating a first interference measured at the first subset of terminal devices; Components for determining a second interference at a second subset of the terminal devices in the subnetwork based on the first interference measurement report; and Components for determining an action for managing the first interference and the second interference based on the first interference measurement report.

24. An apparatus, comprising: Components for receiving, at a first terminal device in a subnetwork, a first configuration of a first interference measurement from an access point of the subnetwork; Components for performing the first interference measurement based on the first configuration; and Components for transmitting, based on the first configuration, a first interference measurement report to the access point, the first interference measurement report indicating a first interference measured at the first terminal device and enabling the access point to determine a second interference at a second subset of terminal devices in the subnetwork.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising program instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform at least the method according to claim 21 or claim 22.

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