Periodic integrated sensing with mobility support

Abstract

A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) having a processor and a memory may be configured to receive a sensing request. The sensing request may indicate one or more parameters for performing a sensing operation, a sensing operation trigger condition, and a reporting trigger condition. The WTRU may be configured to determine that the sensing operation trigger condition is satisfied. Upon determining that the sensing operation trigger condition is satisfied, the WTRU may be configured to perform a sensing operation indicated in the sensing request. The WTRU may be configured to determine that the report trigger condition is satisfied. Upon determining that the report trigger condition is satisfied, the WTRU may be configured to transmit a sensing report based on the report trigger condition and according to one or more sensing parameters indicated in the sensing request.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 435,907, filed on December 29, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] Sensing operations may include techniques for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting movement or environment-induced patterns in received electromagnetic signals. For example, sensing may be used to determine the presence of an object based on measurement and / or interpretation of wireless signals.

[0004] Because electromagnetic signals are ubiquitous via cellular communication systems, RF sensing has the potential to become a universal sensing mechanism with applications in smart homes, retail, location-based positioning, gesture recognition, intrusion detection, and more. Specifically, existing cellular network installations can be used for both communication and sensing. This fusion of communication and sensing is envisioned for future communication networks. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The method and apparatus may include performing periodic sensing services. The sensing service request from the AF is for periodic sensing events and / or event-triggered sensing events. In an example, the 5GC may provide one or more periodic sensing reports in response to the AF's request, for example, based on a sensing area that may be a fixed location or may vary according to sensing time.

[0006] The methods and apparatus may include wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) initiated sensing operations, which may be initiated by the WTRU's application itself and / or as a response to pending periodic sensing events and / or event-triggered sensing events.

[0007] For example, a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) having a processor and a memory may be configured to receive a sensing request. The sensing request may indicate one or more parameters for performing a sensing operation, a sensing operation trigger condition, and a reporting trigger condition. The WTRU may be configured to determine that the sensing operation trigger condition is satisfied. Upon determining that the sensing operation trigger condition is satisfied, the WTRU may be configured to perform the sensing operation indicated in the sensing request. The WTRU may be configured to determine that a reporting trigger condition is satisfied. Upon determining that the reporting trigger condition is satisfied, the WTRU may be configured to send a sensing report based on the reporting trigger condition and in accordance with the one or more sensing parameters indicated in the sensing request.

[0008] In an example, the sensing operation triggering condition may be associated with one or more of a predetermined periodicity or one or more events. In an example, the sensing operation triggering condition may include one or more of the following: a sensing period, entering a specific sensing service area location, and leaving a specific sensing service area location.

[0009] In an example, the reporting triggering condition may include one or more of the following: a sensing cycle, entering a specific sensing service area location, leaving a specific sensing service area location, and detection of an event. The detection of an event may be based on a result of a sensing operation.

[0010] In an example, the sensing operation may include collecting sensing measurement data associated with the one or more wireless signals according to one or more sensing parameters indicated in the sensing request.

[0011] In an example, the one or more parameters may include one or more of: a periodicity for sending the sensing report, a start time for sending the sensing report, an end time for sending the sensing report, and a periodicity for performing the sensing operation.

[0012] In one example, the one or more parameters may include a sensing request type, area information associated with the sensing operation, information associated with the target WTRU, quality of service (QoS) requirements associated with the sensing operation, or a sensing report type.

[0013] The sensing report type may be a periodic sensing report, and the sensing request further includes a sensing report start time, a sensing report end time, and the periodicity of the sensing report.

[0014] The sensing report type may be an event-triggered sensing report, and the sensing request may further include a sensing report start time, a sensing report end time, and a sensing report triggering condition.

[0015] QoS requirements associated with sensing operations may include sensing accuracy, latency, sensing frequency, or resolution.

[0016] In one example, a method implemented by a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) may include receiving a sensing request. The sensing request may indicate one or more parameters for performing a sensing operation, a sensing operation trigger condition, and a reporting trigger condition. The method may include determining that the sensing operation trigger condition is satisfied.

[0017] The method may further include, when determining that a sensing operation triggering condition is satisfied, performing the sensing operation indicated in the sensing request. The method may further include determining that a reporting triggering condition is satisfied.

[0018] The method may further include, when it is determined that the report trigger condition is met, sending the sensing report based on the report trigger condition and in accordance with one or more sensing parameters indicated in the sensing request. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1A is a system diagram illustrating an example communication system within which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented.

[0020] Figure 1B is a diagram showing the embodiment of the invention. Figure 1A A system diagram of an exemplary wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) for use within a communication system is shown.

[0021] Figure 1C is a diagram showing that according to an embodiment, Figure 1A A system diagram of an example radio access network (RAN) and an example core network (CN) for use within a communication system is shown in FIG.

[0022] Figure 1D is a diagram showing that according to an embodiment, Figure 1A A system diagram of another example RAN and another example CN used within the communication system shown in .

[0023] Figure 2 A diagram depicting an example of a reference model for 5G / next generation networks.

[0024] Figure 3 A diagram depicting an example of pedestrian / animal intrusion detection.

[0025] Figure 4 A diagram illustrating an example of intruder detection around a smart home.

[0026] Figure 5 A diagram depicting an example of sensing services in vehicle navigation.

[0027] Figure 6 A flow chart illustrating an example of a periodic sensing request with a target service area is depicted.

[0028] Figure 7 A flow chart illustrating an example of a periodic sensing request with a target WTRU is described.

[0029] Figure 8 A flow chart illustrating an example of a WTRU-initiated sensing request is described. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Figure 1Ais a diagram illustrating an example communication system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communication system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content, such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc., to multiple wireless users. The communication system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content by sharing system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communication system 100 may employ one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero-tailing unique word DFT spread OFDM (ZT-UW DTS-s OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block filtered OFDM, filter bank multi-carrier (FBMC), etc.

[0031] like Figure 1A As shown, the communication system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, RAN 104 / 113, CN 106 / 115, public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112. However, it will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d (any of which may be referred to as a “station” and / or “STA”) may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and may include user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscription-based unit, a pager, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or MiFi device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical equipment and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or automated process chain environment), a consumer electronic device, a device operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, etc. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d may be interchangeably referred to as a WTRU.

[0032] The communication system 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly connect to at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the CN 106 / 115, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be base transceiver stations (BTSs), NodeBs, eNodeBs, Home NodeBs, Home eNodeBs, gNBs, NRNodeBs, site controllers, access points (APs), wireless routers, and the like. While the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0033] Base station 114a may be part of RAN 104 / 113, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), relay nodes, etc. Base station 114a and / or base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as cells (not shown). These frequencies may be in licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide wireless service coverage to a specific geographic area, which may be relatively fixed or may change over time. A cell may be further divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, base station 114a may include three transceivers, one for each sector of the cell. In one embodiment, base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology and may use multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to transmit and / or receive signals in a desired spatial direction.

[0034] The base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0035] More specifically, as described above, the communication system 100 may be a multiple-access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and the like. For example, the base station 114a in the RAN 104 / 113 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may use Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) to establish the air interface 115 / 116 / 117. WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High Speed Downlink (DL) Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High Speed UL Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0036] In one embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and / or LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-APro).

[0037] In one embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as NR radio access, which may establish the air interface 116 using New Radio (NR).

[0038] In one embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement both LTE radio access and NR radio access, for example, using dual connectivity (DC) principles. Thus, the air interface used by the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions to / from multiple types of base stations, such as eNBs and gNBs.

[0039] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the wireless transmit / receive units 102a, 102b, 102c may implement wireless technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi)), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA 2000 1X, CDMA 2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), etc.

[0040] Figure 1A The base station 114b in the may be, for example, a wireless router, a Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or an access point, and may utilize any suitable RAT to facilitate wireless connectivity in a local area, such as a business place, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a road, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE-A, LTE-APro, NR, etc.) to establish a picocell or a femtocell. Figure 1A As shown, base station 114b may have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Thus, base station 114b may not need to access the Internet 110 via CN 106 / 115.

[0041] The RAN 104 / 113 may be in communication with the CN 106 / 115, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. Data may have varying quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as different throughput requirements, latency requirements, fault tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, etc. The CN 106 / 115 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, prepaid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform advanced security functions (e.g., user authentication). Although in Figure 1AAlthough not shown, it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 / 113 and / or the CN 106 / 115 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104 / 113, which may utilize NR radio technology, the CN 106 / 115 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) that employs GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0042] The CN 106 / 115 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include a circuit-switched telephone network that provides plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), the User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and / or the Internet Protocol (IP) from the TCP / IP Internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired and / or wireless communication networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may use the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT.

[0043] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communication system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers to communicate with different wireless networks via different wireless links). Figure 1A The WTRU 102c shown may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with the base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0044] Figure 1B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. Figure 1B As shown, the WTRU 102 may include, among other things, a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power supply 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may include any subcombination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0045] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) circuit, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, etc. The processor 118 may perform signal decoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. Although Figure 1B The processor 118 and the transceiver 120 are depicted as separate components, but it will be appreciated that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0046] The transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit signals to or receive signals from a base station (e.g., base station 114a) via the air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive, for example, IR, UV, or visible light signals. In another embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive both RF and light signals. It should be appreciated that the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0047] Although the transmit / receive element 122 is Figure 1B Although depicted as a single element in the embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[0048] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate signals to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and demodulate signals received by the transmit / receive element 122. As described above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers to enable the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.11.

[0049] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to and may receive user input data from a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, and / or a display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. Furthermore, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in any suitable type of memory, such as non-removable memory 130 and / or removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0050] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134 and may be configured to distribute and / or control power to the other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, etc.

[0051] The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to or as an alternative to the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) over the air interface 116 and / or determine its location based on the timing of signals received from two or more neighboring base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with the embodiments.

[0052] The processor 118 may also be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality, and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an electronic compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photos and / or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands-free headset, module, a frequency modulation (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an internet browser, a virtual reality and / or augmented reality (VR / AR) device, an activity tracker, etc. The peripheral device 138 may include one or more sensors, which may be one or more of the following: a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a Hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, an orientation sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor; a geolocation sensor; an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, and / or a humidity sensor.

[0053] The WTRU 102 may include a full-duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., signals associated with particular subframes for uplink (e.g., for transmission) and downlink (e.g., for reception)) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous. The full-duplex radio may include an interference management unit 139 to reduce and / or substantially eliminate self-interference through hardware (e.g., a choke) or through signal processing by a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or the processor 118). In one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include a half-duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., signals associated with particular subframes for uplink (e.g., for transmission) or downlink (e.g., for reception)) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous.

[0054] Figure 1C 1 is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ an E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0055] The RAN 104 may include eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, for example, the eNode-B 160a may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to and / or receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a.

[0056] Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, user scheduling in UL and / or DL, etc. Figure 1C As shown in FIG, eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another via an X2 interface.

[0057] Figure 1C The CN 106 shown in FIG may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, a serving gateway (SGW) 164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway (or PGW) 166. While each of the foregoing elements is depicted as part of the CN 106, it should be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0058] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 162a, 162b, 162c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during an initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like. The MME 162 may also provide a control plane function for facilitating switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0059] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface. The SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164 may perform other functions, such as anchoring the user plane during inter-eNode B handovers, triggering paging when downlink data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102B, 102c, managing and storing the context of the WTRUs 102a, 102B, 102c, and the like.

[0060] The SGW 164 may be connected to the PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0061] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices. For example, the CN 106 may include, or may be in communication with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0062] Although the WTRU Figures 1A-1D Although described as a wireless terminal, it is contemplated that in certain representative embodiments, such a terminal may utilize a wired communication interface with a communication network (eg, temporarily or permanently).

[0063] In a representative embodiment, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0064] A WLAN in infrastructure basic service set (BSS) mode may have an access point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP may have access or an interface to a distribution system (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic entering and / or leaving the BSS. Traffic originating from outside the BSS and destined for a STA may arrive through the AP and be delivered to the STA. Traffic originating from a STA destined for a destination outside the BSS may be sent to the AP for delivery to the corresponding destination. Traffic between STAs within a BSS may be sent through the AP, for example, where a source STA may send traffic to the AP, and the AP may deliver the traffic to the destination STA. Traffic between STAs within a BSS may be considered and / or referred to as peer-to-peer traffic. The peer-to-peer traffic may be sent between a source and destination STA (e.g., directly between the source and destination STAs) using a direct link setup (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use 802.11e DLS or 802.11z tunneled DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an independent BSS (IBSS) mode cannot have an AP, and STAs (eg, all STAs) within or using the IBSS can communicate directly with each other. The IBSS communication mode may sometimes be referred to herein as an "ad-hoc" communication mode.

[0065] When using 802.11ac infrastructure operation mode or a similar operation mode, the AP can send beacons on a fixed channel (such as a primary channel). The primary channel can be a fixed width (e.g., a 20 MHz wide bandwidth) or a width dynamically set via signaling. The primary channel can be the operating channel of the BSS and can be used by STAs to establish a connection with the AP. In certain representative embodiments, such as in an 802.11 system, carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) can be implemented. For CSMA / CA, STAs (e.g., each STA) including the AP can sense the primary channel. If the primary channel is sensed / detected and / or determined to be busy by a specific STA, the specific STA can back off. One STA (e.g., only one station) can transmit at any given time in a given BSS.

[0066] High throughput (HT) STAs may communicate using a 40 MHz wide channel, for example, by combining a primary 20 MHz channel with adjacent or non-adjacent 20 MHz channels to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[0067] Very high throughput (VHT) STAs can support 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz and / or 160MHz wide channels. 40MHz and / or 80MHz channels can be formed by combining consecutive 20MHz channels. A 160MHz channel can be formed by combining 8 consecutive 20MHz channels, or by combining two discontinuous 80MHz channels, which can be referred to as an 80+80 configuration. For the 80+80 configuration, after channel coding, the data can pass through a segment parser that can divide the data into two streams. Each stream can be subjected to inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) processing and time domain processing respectively. The streams can be mapped onto two 80MHz channels, and the data can be transmitted by the transmitting STA. At the receiver of the receiving STA, the operation of the above-mentioned 80+80 configuration can be reversed, and the combined data can be sent to the media access control (MAC).

[0068] Sub-1 GHz operating modes are supported by 802.11af and 802.11ah. The channel operating bandwidth and carrier frequency are reduced in 802.11af and 802.11ah relative to the channel operating bandwidth and carrier frequency used in 802.11n and 802.11ac. 802.11af supports 5 MHz, 10 MHz, and 20 MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, while 802.11ah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.11ah may support meter type control / machine type communications, such as MTC devices in macro coverage areas. MTC devices may have certain capabilities, for example, limited capabilities including support for certain and / or limited bandwidths (e.g., only support). MTC devices may include batteries with battery life above a threshold (e.g., to maintain very long battery life).

[0069] WLAN systems that can support multiple channels and channel bandwidths (e.g., 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11af, and 802.11ah) include a channel that can be designated as a primary channel. The primary channel can have a bandwidth equal to the maximum common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel can be set and / or limited by the STA that supports the smallest bandwidth operating mode among all STAs operating in the BSS. In the example of 802.11ah, for a STA that supports (e.g., only supports) 1 MHz mode (e.g., an MTC-type device), the primary channel can be 1 MHz wide, even if the AP and other STAs in the BSS support 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 16 MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and / or network allocation vector (NAV) settings can depend on the status of the primary channel. If the primary channel is busy, for example, due to a STA (which only supports 1 MHz operating mode) transmitting to the AP, the entire available frequency band can be considered busy, even if most of the frequency band remains idle and available.

[0070] In the United States, the available frequency band for 802.11ah is from 902 MHz to 928 MHz. In South Korea, the available frequency band is from 917.5 MHz to 923.5 MHz. In Japan, the available frequency band is from 916.5 MHz to 927.5 MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11ah ranges from 6 MHz to 26 MHz, depending on the country code.

[0071] Figure 1D1 is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 113 and the CN 115 according to an embodiment. As described above, the RAN 113 may employ NR wireless technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 113 may also be in communication with the CN 115.

[0072] The RAN 113 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 113 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c includes one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, the gNBs 180a and 180b may utilize beamforming to transmit and / or receive signals to and from the gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a may, for example, use multiple antennas to transmit and / or receive wireless signals to and from the WTRU 102a. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c may implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, the gNB 180a may transmit multiple component carriers to the WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on unlicensed spectrum, while the remaining component carriers may be on licensed spectrum. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c may implement coordinated multi-point (CoMP) technology. For example, the WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from gNB 180a and gNB 180b (and / or gNB 180c).

[0073] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with scalable numerology. For example, the OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframes or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of varying or scalable lengths (e.g., containing a varying number of OFDM symbols and / or an absolute time duration of varying length).

[0074] The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be configured to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in a standalone configuration and / or a non-standalone configuration. In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c without also accessing other RANs (e.g., the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c). In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may utilize one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c as mobility anchor points. In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using signals in an unlicensed band. In a non-standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate / connect with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c while also communicating / connecting with another RAN, such as the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c. For example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement DC principles to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c and one or more eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c substantially simultaneously. In a non-standalone configuration, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may serve as mobility anchors for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, while the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may provide additional coverage and / or throughput to serve the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0075] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, user scheduling in UL and / or DL, support for network slicing, dual connectivity, interworking between NR and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data to a user plane function (UPF) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information to an access and mobility management function (AMF) 182a, 182b, etc. Figure 1D As shown, gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c can communicate with each other via the Xn interface.

[0076] Figure 1DThe CN 115 shown in FIG may include at least one AMF 182 a, 182 b, at least one UPF 184 a, 184 b, at least one session management function (SMF) 183 a, 183 b, and may include a data network (DN) 185 a, 185 b. Although each of the aforementioned elements is depicted as part of the CN 115, it should be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0077] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via the N2 interface and may act as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c, supporting network slicing (e.g., handling different PDU sessions with different requirements), selecting a specific SMF 183a, 183b, managing registration areas, terminating NAS signaling, mobility management, and the like. The AMF 182a, 182b may use network slicing to customize CN support for the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c based on the type of service being used by the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c. For example, different network slices may be established for different use cases, such as services relying on ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) access, services relying on enhanced massive mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services for machine-type communication (MTC) access, and the like. The AMF 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 113 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro and / or non-3GPP access technologies (e.g., WiFi).

[0078] The SMF 183a, 183b may connect to the AMF 182a, 182b in the CN 115 via the N11 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may also connect to the UPF 184a, 184b in the CN 115 via the N4 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may select and control the UPF 184a, 184b and configure traffic routing through the UPF 184a, 184b. The SMF 183a, 183b may perform other functions, such as managing and allocating WTRU IP addresses, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, providing downlink data notification, etc. The PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP-based, Ethernet-based, etc.

[0079] The UPF 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via an N3 interface, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The UPF 184, 184b may perform other functions, such as routing and forwarding packets, enforcing user plane policies, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering downlink packets, providing mobility anchoring, etc.

[0080] The CN 115 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 115 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 115 and the PSTN 108. Furthermore, the CN 115 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. In one embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to local data networks (DNs) 185a, 185b through the UPFs 184a, 184b via the N3 interface to the UPFs 184a, 184b and the N6 interface between the UPFs 184a, 184b and the DNs 185a, 185b.

[0081] Given that Figures 1A-1D and Figures 1A-1D

[0015] As described herein, one or more or all of the functionality described herein with respect to one or more of the following may be performed by one or more emulated devices (not shown): the WTRUs 102a-d, base stations 114a-b, eNode-Bs 160a-c, MMEs 162, SGWs 164, PGWs 166, gNBs 180a-c, AMFs 182a-b, UPFs 184a-b, SMFs 183a-b, DNs 185a-b, and / or any other devices described herein. An emulated device may be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more or all of the functionality described herein. For example, an emulated device may be used to test other devices and / or simulate network and / or WTRU functionality.

[0082] The simulation device can be designed to implement one or more tests of other devices in a laboratory environment and / or an operator network environment. For example, one or more simulation devices can perform one or more or all functions while being fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network in order to test other devices within the communication network. The one or more simulation devices can perform one or more or all functions while being temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The simulation device can be directly coupled to another device for testing purposes and / or can use over-the-air wireless communication to perform testing.

[0083] One or more emulation devices can perform one or more functions (including all functions) without being implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, the emulation device can be used in a test scenario in a test lab and / or a wired and / or wireless communication network that is not deployed (e.g., testing) to enable testing of one or more components. The one or more emulation devices can be test devices. The emulation device can transmit and / or receive data using direct RF coupling and / or wireless communication via RF circuitry (e.g., which can include one or more antennas).

[0084] Figure 2 An example of a reference model of a potential architecture 200 for 5G and / or next generation networks may be described. Here, RAN may refer to a radio access network based on 5G RAT and / or evolved E-UTRA connected to a next generation core network. The access control and mobility management function (AMF) may include one or more of the following functions: registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, etc. The session management function (SMF) may include one or more of the following functions: session management (e.g., including session establishment, modification and / or release), WTRU IP address allocation, selection and / or control of UP functions, etc. The user plane function (UPF) may include one or more of the following functions: packet routing and / or forwarding, packet inspection, traffic usage reporting, etc.

[0085] Enhancements to the 5G system may include integrated sensing. Integrated sensing may include providing sensing services that address different target verticals and / or applications (e.g., autonomous / assisted driving, V2X, UAV, 3D map reconstruction, smart cities, smart homes, factories, healthcare, maritime sectors). For integrated sensing, there may be a process for collecting sensing measurement data. The sensing measurement data may include collected data about radio / wireless signals affected by objects of interest and / or the environment (e.g., reflection, refraction, diffraction) for sensing purposes. The sensing data may include deriving sensing results from processing the sensing measurement data. Integrated sensing may include an area defined for sensing. The area defined for sensing may be referred to as a sensing service area location. The 5G system may provide a certain quality of sensing service within the sensing service area location. Integrated sensing may include other N3GPP entities. The sensing measurement data may be considered transparent to the 5GS so that the data can be transmitted to an interface included in the 5GS using a protocol.

[0086] Integrated sensing can be performed in one or more use cases. A use case for integrated sensing can be object detection. For example, use cases can include object detection for pedestrian / animal intrusion detection on highways and / or intruder detection around smart homes.

[0087] Figure 3 A diagram illustrating an example of a use case for pedestrian / animal intrusion detection 300 is depicted. Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrates an example use case for intruder detection 400 around a smart home. In this example, a base station (BS) and / or a WTRU can detect intrusion into the base station's sensing area, either by itself and / or through collaboration between the WTRU and the base station. As used herein, the term WTRU may refer to user equipment and / or base station equipment configured to perform sensing operations. Sensing measurements may be transmitted to a network and / or further processed into sensing results.

[0088] One or more use cases for periodic sensing service(s) may include sensing including periodic information updates. For example, weather condition monitoring (e.g., rain, snow) in a sensing service area may include sensing information being periodically monitored by associated base stations and / or WTRUs in the sensing service area.

[0089] Another example of a periodic sensing service(s) that may include periodically updated information is traffic condition monitoring. Traffic condition monitoring may be used as a driving aid for a vehicle and / or navigation system. Traffic conditions may be periodically updated and / or provided based on the vehicle's updated location and / or intended route. In an example, for each sensing event, the vehicle's location may vary based on the user's route selection for each traffic condition, and the sensing service area and / or the base stations and / or WTRUs involved may be included for review.

[0090] Figure 5 A diagram depicts an example of a sensing service 500 for vehicle navigation. For example, a vehicle may be on a route from its original location to its destination. The original location may be New York. The destination may be Philadelphia. During the route, the vehicle may encounter traffic conditions. In this example, traffic condition monitoring may include traffic jams, accidents, road hazards, etc. Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle encountering a traffic jam and an accident while traveling from New York to Philadelphia.

[0091] Providing periodic sensing may include the 5GC system being able to provide one or more mechanisms to address one or more of: how application functions request periodic sensing services to be understandable at the 5GC; how to support periodic sensing services with fixed sensing service areas within the 5GC; and / or how to support periodic sensing services with variable sensing service areas within the 5GC.

[0092] The method and apparatus may include operations for periodic sensing events. The method and apparatus may include cases where the service area for sensing is fixed. The method and apparatus may include operations for periodic sensing when the service area is determined at the time of sensing.

[0093] The methods and apparatus may include WTRU-initiated sensing operations, which may be initiated by the WTRU's applications themselves and / or in response to pending periodic sensing events.

[0094] The method and apparatus for processing sensing services may include the presence of several network functions, such as an integrated sensing assistance NF (ISANF) and a sensing operations management function (SOMF). The ISANF and / or SOMF may be logical entities and / or may be collocated with another entity. For example, the NEF, ISANF, and SOMF may be implemented on the same entity. The SOMF may include a processor.

[0095] The ISANF may monitor interactions with application functions for sensing services. The ISANF may understand service requests from application functions and / or may derive corresponding requested sensing mechanisms. Additionally or alternatively, the ISANF may forward the request to the AMF, which, for example, services the requested area and / or requested entity after determining the requested sensing mechanism. The ISANF may receive reports on sensing directly from the AMF and / or from other network entities (e.g., a sensing operations management function (SOMF)), and / or the ISANF may report the results to the application functions.

[0096] For example, when the application function is a 3rd party application, which is not a trusted entity of 5GS, the application function and ISANF may communicate through NEF (Network Exposure Function).

[0097] The SOMF may handle the coordination of sensing operations between the BS and the WTRU. The SOMF may receive a sensing request initiated by the WTRU from a network node. The sensing request initiated by the WTRU may include a requested sensing area, a requested service area, a WTRU location, information associated with the SOMF, and / or a periodic service request. Based on the information received from the AMF (e.g., the requested sensing area (e.g., a list of BSs and WTRUs), and / or a requested sensing mechanism with QoS requirements), the SOMF may obtain coordination information for the sensing operation. The SOMF may select a WTRU to perform the sensing operation based on the sensing request initiated by the WTRU. For example, the SOMF may determine the roles of the sensing operation, such as the transmitter(s) of the sensing signal(s), the receiver(s) of the sensing signal(s), the entity collecting the sensing measurement data, and / or the entity calculating the sensing results. For example, the SOMF may determine the sensing period, the waveform of the sensing signal, and / or the required BS(s) and / or transmitter resource allocation(s) for sending the sensing signal(s) during the sensing period.

[0098] The service request from the AF may include different types of sensing reports, such as a one-time sensing report, a periodic sensing service report, and / or an event-triggered sensing service report.

[0099] For a service request requesting multiple sensing reports, such as a periodic sensing service report and / or an event-triggered sensing service report, each sensing report may request sensing results at a different sensing service area location.

[0100] Periodic sensing may include making a request using a target service area.

[0101] Figure 6 A flowchart 600 depicting an example of periodic sensing utilizing a target service area is shown. At 601, the AF may send a message to the ISANF. The message may include a service request or a sensing request for sensing. For example, when the service request for sensing or sensing request is from the AF, the service request or sensing request may include a specific type of sensing request (e.g., intrusion detection, rain detection, drone detection, etc.) and / or area information in which the sensing may be performed. The message may include information of the WTRU that may perform the sensing (e.g., collect sensing measurement data). The service request or sensing request may include specific QoS requirements regarding the sensing service, such as sensing accuracy, latency, sensing frequency, resolution, etc.

[0102] The service request or sensing request may include a sensing report type, such as a one-time service report, a periodic sensing service report, and / or an event-triggered sensing service report.

[0103] For example, when a periodic sensing service report is requested, the periodic service report may include a sensing report start time, a sensing report end time, and / or a periodicity of the sensing report.

[0104] For example, when an event-triggered sensing service report is requested, the event-triggered sensing service report may include a sensing report start time, a sensing report end time, and / or a sensing report triggering condition (e.g., entering a specific sensing service area location, leaving a specific sensing service area location, detection of events such as intrusion detection, rain detection, etc.).

[0105] A WTRU's request in the application layer may trigger a service request for sensing or a sensing request from the AF. The WTRU's application may send a sensing request to the AF and / or an application server. The sensing request may include parameters such as a requested sensing area, a requested sensing service type, and / or information about a target WTRU. The service request for sensing or the sensing request may include a time interval, a target service area, and / or a target WTRU. For example, based on the WTRU's request, the AF may construct a service request for sensing message or a sensing request to be sent to the ISANF.

[0106] At 602, the assisting NF may convert the service request or sensing request into a requested sensing mechanism included in the 5GS to be performed (e.g., BS-based sensing only, BS and WTRU collaboration-based sensing, WTRU-based sensing only, etc.).

[0107] Additionally or alternatively, ISANF may refer to a policy control function (PCF) to check the service level agreement (SLA) requested by the AF and / or decide whether the requested sensing service or sensing request can be supported and / or which QoS determination or requirement regarding the requested sensing service or sensing request.

[0108] For example, if the request is for sensing data over a fixed sensing service area location, the ISANF may derive a candidate list of BSs and / or WTRUs that perform sensing mechanisms over the requested area.

[0109] Alternatively or additionally, the ISANF may request the AMF to derive a sensing service area based on the location of the target WTRU and / or provide a list (e.g., a complete list) of Tracking Area Identities (TAIs) and / or a list of BSs (e.g., gNB IDs) for one or more (e.g., all) associated sensing-capable WTRUs. For example, based on the reported location of the target WTRU, the ISANF may determine the sensing service area and / or the ISANF may select and / or derive a candidate list of BSs and / or WTRUs that perform sensing mechanisms on the determined sensing service area. Additionally or alternatively, the ISANF may request the AMF to provide a candidate list of BSs and / or WTRUs that are capable of sensing based on the requested sensing service area and / or based on the identity and / or location of the target WTRU. In an example, there may be additional signaling between the ISANF and the AMF to query the sensing service area information and / or the list of BSs and / or WTRUs per sensing service area and / or the location of the target WTRU.

[0110] Additionally or alternatively, based on the capabilities of each BS and / or WTRU, for example, the ISANF may determine a sensing mechanism and / or a list of BSs and / or WTRUs for performing the sensing mechanism. For example, if there are any WTRUs that support N3GPP sensing methods, one or more N3GPP sensing capabilities may also be considered to select an appropriate sensing mechanism that can utilize N3GPP sensing data.

[0111] At 603, the ISANF may send a NisaNF_Sensing request message to the AMF that serves the target WTRU and / or serves the requested area and / or connects with and / or controls the BS and / or WTRU(s) in the BS and / or WTRU list to perform sensing. The sensing request may include the requested sensing report type, requested sensing area information (e.g., TAI list, cell ID list), BS (e.g., gNB ID) list and / or WTRU list, application ID, and / or requested sensing mechanism with QoS determination or requirement.

[0112] Alternatively or additionally, the ISANF may include the target SOMF in the message, for example, when the ISANF knows the service area of the SOMF.

[0113] For example, when the requested sensing report type is for periodic sensing service reporting and / or event-triggered sensing service reporting, the service request or sensing request may include one or more relevant parameters for the requested sensing report type. For example, for periodic sensing service reporting, the sensing report start time, sensing report end time and / or sensing report periodicity may be included. Parameters for periodic sensing may include sensing start time, end time and / or periodicity. For example, when the sensing report type is periodic sensing reporting, the sensing request may include sensing report start time, sensing report end time and sensing report periodicity. For example, for event-triggered sensing service reporting, the sensing report start time, sensing report end time and / or sensing report triggering condition may be included. For example, when the sent report is an event-triggered sensing report, the sensing request may include sensing report start time, sensing report end time and sensing report triggering condition.

[0114] The one or more parameters of the sensing request may include a periodicity for sending the sensing report, a start time for sending the sensing report, an end time for sending the sensing report, and / or a periodicity for performing the sensing operation.

[0115] The sensing request may include a periodicity for performing sensing operations, a periodicity for sending sensing responses, and / or a requested sensing mechanism.

[0116] The ISANF may manage the service request ID so that the ISANF may map the requested sensing service or sensing request and / or the recipient of the sensing service, and / or the service request ID may be included in the Nisanf_Sensing request message.

[0117] At 604, the AMF may send a Namf_Sensing request message to the SOMF, for example, after receiving a Nisanf_Sensing request from the ISANF. The Namf_Sensing request message may include the requested sensing report type and / or one or more related parameters, a service request ID, a requested sensing mechanism with QoS determination or requirement, a list of involved BSs and / or WTRUs, an application ID, and / or a target area.

[0118] Alternatively or additionally, the list of BSs and WTRUs and / or the sensing mechanism may be decided by the SOMF and / or the AMF. For example, when the AMF / SOMF decides the sensing mechanism and / or the list of BSs and / or WTRUs, the AMF / SOMF may determine the list of candidate BSs and / or WTRUs based on the requested sensing area information. Alternatively or additionally, the AMF / SOMF may determine the sensing mechanism and / or the list of target BSs and / or WTRUs based on, for example, the requested sensing mechanism with QoS determination or requirement, and / or the capabilities of the entity, and / or the list of allowed and / or restricted applications for sensing each entity (one or more) in the candidate list. In an example, the ISAF / AMF may include the requested sensing area information but not the list of BSs and WTRUs and / or the sensing mechanism in the Nisanf_Sensing request and / or the Namf_Sensing request. The requested sensing mechanism may be an event-based QoS determination or requirement.

[0119] The list of BSs and / or WTRUs involved in the Namf_Sensing request may be different from the list of BSs and WTRUs in the Nisanf_Sensing request message, because the AMF may make a down-select based on the status and / or circumstances of the WTRU and / or BS, such as resource load, WTRU's capability in sensing operations, and WTRU's mobility state (e.g., idle mode, connected mode, and / or connected but RRC inactive mode).

[0120] The AMF may coordinate with the PCF and / or Unified Data Management (UDM) to check the policy configuration regarding candidate WTRU capabilities, such as a list of allowed and / or disallowed application IDs for sensing operations performed by the WTRU. Based on the coordination with the PCF and / or UDM, the AMF may select down the list of WTRUs for sensing operations.

[0121] At 605, the SOMF may develop coordination information for controlling the sensing operations of the BSs and / or WTRUs in the list based on the requested sensing mechanism and / or QoS determination or requirement, for example, the SOMF may determine the roles of the sensing operations, such as the sender(s) of the sensing signals(s), the receiver(s) of the sensing signals(s), etc., and / or may determine the sensing period and / or the waveform of the sensing signal.

[0122] Alternatively or additionally, for example if a list of BSs and / or WTRUs may not be provided, the SOMF may derive a list of BSs and / or WTRUs for sensing operations based on the requested sensing service area, and / or may determine or require development of coordination information for controlling sensing operations for the BSs and / or WTRUs in the list based on the requested sensing mechanism and / or QoS.

[0123] The SOMF may coordinate with the PCF and / or UDM to check policy configuration regarding candidate WTRU capabilities, such as a list of allowed and / or disallowed application IDs for sensing operations performed by the WTRU. Based on coordination with the PCF and / or UDM, the SOMF may select a list of WTRUs to perform sensing operations.

[0124] The SOMF may request the BS(s) for resource allocation for sending sensing signals during a sensing period.When requesting resource allocation for periodic sensing operation, the time period and / or periodicity may be included in the request.

[0125] Alternatively or additionally, resource allocation for sending sensing signals may be determined by the BS(s) sensing signals and / or may be notified to another entity (eg, a BS and / or WTRU in a list).

[0126] At 606, the SOMF may send a sensing request to one or more entities involved in the sensing operation, such as a WTRU. For example, when sending a sensing request to a WTRU, the SOMF may send the sensing request through the AMF using a non-access stratum (NAS) container. For example, when sending a sensing request to a BS involved, the SOMF may send the sensing request using direct communication between the SOMF and the BS and / or using an N2 connection through the AMF. The sensing request may include a time interval, a periodicity, a service request ID, a requested sensing mechanism, a WTRU / BS list, and / or a configuration for sensing. The sensing request message may include the ID or address of the SOMF as information of the serving SOMF. The sensing request may indicate parameters for performing the sensing operation, a sensing operation trigger condition, and a reporting trigger condition.

[0127] The sensing request message for the WTRU and / or the sensing request message for the BS may include different information. For example, the sensing request message for the WTRU may include the sensing area that the WTRU may use for sensing and / or the BS information that the WTRU may monitor. For example, the sensing request message for the BS may include some configuration information (e.g., frame structure, resource allocation information, etc.) and / or a list of BS information for coordinating the transmission of sensing signals. The sensing request may include a list of WTRUs, a list of base stations, and / or configuration information for performing sensing.

[0128] For example, when the requested sensing report type is a periodic sensing service report and / or an event-triggered sensing service report, the sensing request may include one or more parameters for periodic sensing (e.g., start time, end time, sensing periodicity), so that the BS and / or WTRU involved may perform periodic sensing operations based on the coordination information. For example, when a service request ID is received in a sensing request, the service request ID may be included in the sensing request. The sensing request message may include the ID or address of the SOMF serving the SOMF information. The sensing request may include two types of trigger conditions. The WTRU may determine that a sensing operation trigger condition is met. Upon determining that the sensing operation trigger condition is met, the WTRU may perform the sensing operation indicated in the sensing request. The WTRU may also determine that a report trigger condition is met. Upon determining that the report trigger condition is met, the WTRU may send a sensing report based on the report trigger condition and in accordance with the sensing parameters indicated in the sensing request.

[0129] The sensing request may include a periodicity for sending sensing reports, a start time for sending sensing reports, an end time for sending sensing reports, a periodicity for performing sensing operations, a sensing request type, area information associated with the sensing operation, information associated with the target WTRU, quality of service (QoS) requirements associated with the sensing operation, or a sensing report type.

[0130] For example, when the sensing report type is a periodic sensing report, the sensing request may include the sensing report start time, the sensing report end time, and the periodicity of the sensing report. For example, when the sensing report type is an event-triggered sensing report, the sensing request may include the sensing report start time, the sensing report end time, and the sensing report trigger condition. QoS requirements associated with the sensing operation may include sensing accuracy, latency, sensing frequency, or resolution.

[0131] At 607, the BS and / or WTRU may perform collection of sensing measurement data, for example, based on coordination from the SOMF. The sensing operation triggering condition may be associated with one or more predetermined periodicities or one or more events. The sensing operation triggering condition may include one or more of a sensing period, entering a specific sensing service area location, or leaving a specific sensing service area location. The sensing operation may include collecting sensing measurement data associated with the wireless signal according to the sensing parameters indicated in the sensing request. For example, the sensing operation may include any combination of the following: at one or more BSs and / or WTRUs, sending sensing signals from multiple BSs and / or WTRUs, and / or receiving sensing signals and measuring characteristics of the received sensing signals. The sensing measurement data may include measured characteristics of one or more sensing signals, such as signal strength, channel state information (CSI), transmission delay, and / or the number of multiple paths.

[0132] At 608, the BS and / or WTRU may send a sensing response including the collected sensing measurement data to the SOMF. The sensing response sent to the SOMF may include a service request ID. For example, if service SOMF information is received in the sensing request by one or more entities involved in the sensing operation, the sensing response may be sent to the SOMF indicated by the service SOMF information. The collected sensing measurement data may be collocated at the WTRU and / or BS, and / or the sensing response including the collocated sensing measurement data may be sent to the SOMF. The entity collecting the sensing measurement data may be indicated in the coordination information.

[0133] When a reporting trigger condition is met, the WTRU may send a sensing response to the SOMF. The reporting trigger condition may include one or more of a sensing period, entry into a specific sensing service area location, exit from a specific sensing service area location, and / or detection of an event. The detection of an event may be based on the result of the sensing operation. The sensing response may include parameters related to the collected sensing measurement data, such as the start time of the sensing measurement, the end time of the sensing measurement, the periodicity of the sensing measurement, the start time of the sensing report, the end time of the sensing report, and / or the identity of the network element and / or WTRU that performed the sensing measurement (e.g., BS ID or WTRU ID).

[0134] At 609 , the SOMF may employ the received collected sensing measurement data to calculate sensing results.

[0135] At 610, the SOMF may send the sensing result to the AMF via a Namf_Sensing response. For example, if the service request ID is received by the SOMF in the collected sensing measurement data, the service request ID may be included. The SOMF may send the sensing response to the WTRU that initiated the WTRU-initiated sensing request via the network node.

[0136] For example, when the SOMF requests a periodic sensing operation, the BS and / or WTRU may perform a sensing operation and / or send a sensing response to the SOMF at the requested time interval and / or periodically. Additionally or alternatively, whenever a sensing response is received from the WTRU and / or BS, the SOMF may calculate a sensing result and / or send a sensing response to the AMF. The sensing response may include a sensing result and / or a service / sensing request.

[0137] Alternatively or additionally, one or more other entities (e.g., one of the BS and / or WTRU in the list) and / or other dedicated network functions may calculate the sensing results. For example, if the BS calculates the sensing results, the collected sensing measurement data may be sent to the BS and / or the calculation results may be sent by the BS to the SOMF. If the BS calculates the sensing results, the SOMF may not calculate the sensing results.

[0138] At 611 and 612, the AMF may report the sensing result to the ISANF via a Nisanf_Sensing response, for example, after receiving the sensing result. Additionally or alternatively, the ISANF may report the sensing result to the AF via a service response. The ISANF may determine the recipient AF based on the service request ID, which may be included in the mapping between the sensing report and / or managed service request ID from the AMF and the recipient AF.

[0139] Alternatively or additionally, if the calculation of the sensing results is performed by the AMF and / or ISANF, the SOMF may not perform the calculation of the sensing results and / or the collected sensing measurement data may be sent to the AMF via the Namf_Sensing response in the sensing response.

[0140] Periodic sensing 600 utilizing a target service area may include updating a list of BSs and / or WTRUs according to the mobility of the target WTRU. If the sensing service area is derived from the location of the target WTRU, for example, whenever the target WTRU moves, the list of WTRUs and / or BSs used for sensing operations may be updated (e.g., based on the location of the target WTRU). For example, when the WTRU switches to another BS and / or moves to another sensing service area, the WTRU's event (e.g., switching to another BS, moving to another sensing service area) and / or new location information may be notified to the AMF and / or SOMF (e.g., through a new serving BS and / or through an old serving BS). Additionally or alternatively, based on the updated location of the target WTRU, for example, the AMF and / or SOMF may update the list of BSs and / or WTRUs used for sensing operations, and / or updated coordination information may be distributed to the BSs and / or WTRUs involved in the sensing. Alternatively or additionally, during the handover procedure and / or after the handover, the old serving base station and / or the new serving base station for the WTRU may exchange one or more messages to update a list of BSs and / or WTRUs for sensing operations.

[0141] Periodic sensing 600 utilizing a target service area may include controlling a periodic sensing operation. Periodic sensing may be controlled using RAN coordination. The ISANF and / or one or more other entities may notify a periodic sensing operation ID as an alternative to and / or in addition to the periodic sensing parameter. For example, there may be separate signaling in a broadcast manner (e.g., from a SIB in the RAN and / or by using MBS to indicate which sensing operation may be performed). This signaling may include a sensing operation ID, which may indicate that the sensing operation is to be enabled and / or disabled, and / or the sensing operation ID may be associated with the sensing service area.

[0142] The methods and apparatus may include a periodic sensing request with a target WTRU.

[0143] Figure 7 A flowchart 700 is described showing an example of a periodic sensing request with a target WTRU. At 701, the service request for sensing or sensing request may include a specific type of sensing request (e.g., intrusion detection, traffic monitoring, rain detection, drone detection, etc.), for example, when the service request for sensing or sensing request is from the AF. The service request or sensing request may include specific QoS determinations or requirements for the sensing service (e.g., sensing accuracy, latency, sensing frequency, resolution, etc.). The QoS requirements associated with the sensing operation may include sensing accuracy, latency, sensing frequency, and / or resolution.

[0144] For example, when a sensing service is requested for a fixed sensing service area, the sensing service area may be included. For example, when the sensing service is targeted at a WTRU (e.g., a target WTRU), target WTRU information may be included. When performing a sensing operation (e.g., when target WTRU information is included but the sensing service area is not included), the sensing service area may be determined based on the location of the target WTRU.

[0145] A service request or sensing request may include a sensing report type, such as a one-time service report, a periodic sensing service report, and / or an event-triggered sensing service report. The sensing report type may be a one-time sensing report, a periodic sensing report, and / or an event-triggered sensing report. For example, when requesting a periodic sensing service report, the sensing report start time, the sensing report end time, and / or the periodicity of the sensing report may be included. A service request or sensing request for sensing may include a time interval, a periodicity, and / or a target WTRU.

[0146] For example, when requesting an event-triggered sensing service report, the sensing report start time, sensing report end time, and sensing report triggering conditions (for example, entering a specific sensing service area location, leaving a specific sensing service area location, detection of events such as intrusion detection, rain detection, etc.) may be included.

[0147] For example, when periodic sensing service reporting and / or event-triggered sensing service reporting is requested without a sensing service area, for each sensing event, the sensing service area may be determined based on the location of the target WTRU.

[0148] The WTRU may determine that a sensing operation trigger condition is satisfied. The sensing operation trigger condition may be associated with a predetermined periodicity or event. The sensing operation condition may include detection of a sensing period, entry into a specific sensing service area location, exit from a specific sensing service area location, or an event.

[0149] At 702, the NF may perform a determination of a sensing mechanism. The NF may be an ISANF. The assisting NF may convert the service request or sensing request into a requested sensing mechanism to be performed in the 5GS (e.g., BS-based sensing only, BS and WTRU cooperative sensing based, WTRU-based sensing only, etc.). Additionally or alternatively, the ISANF may refer to the PCF to check the SLA for the service requested by the AF and / or determine whether the requested sensing service or sensing request can be supported and / or which QoS determination or requirement can be supported for the requested sensing service or sensing request.

[0150] At 703, the ISANF may send a NisaNF_Sensing request message to the AMF serving the target WTRU. The sensing request may include the requested sensing report type, requested sensing area information, target WTRU ID, application ID, and / or requested sensing mechanism with QoS determination or requirement. The sensing request may include a service request ID, time interval, periodicity, target WTRU, and / or sensing mechanism.

[0151] The sensing request may include a sensing request type, area information associated with the sensing operation, information associated with a target WTRU, quality of service (QoS) requirements associated with the sensing operation, and / or a sensing report type.

[0152] When the requested sensing report type is a periodic sensing service report (periodic sensing report) and / or an event-triggered sensing service report (event-triggered sensing report), the service request or sensing request may include one or more relevant parameters for the requested sensing report type. For example, for a periodic sensing service report, the sensing report start time, the sensing report end time, and / or the periodicity of the sensing report may be included. For an event-triggered sensing service report, the sensing report start time, the sensing report end time, and / or the sensing report triggering condition may be included. The sensing report may include a time interval, a periodicity, a service request ID, and / or the requested sensing mechanism.

[0153] The ISANF may manage the service request ID so that the ISANF may map the requested sensing service and / or the recipient of the sensing service, and / or the service request ID may be included in the Nisanf_Sensing request message.

[0154] At 704, the AMF may send a Namf_Sensing request message to the SOMF, for example, after receiving a Nisanf_Sensing request from the ISANF. The Namf_Sensing request message may include the requested sensing report type and / or one or more related parameters, a service request ID, a requested sensing mechanism with QoS determination or requirement, an application ID, and / or a target WTRU ID.

[0155] At 705, when a sensing operation is performed based on a request regarding relevant parameters of a periodic sensing service report and / or an event-triggered sensing service report (for example, when the requested sensing report type is a periodic sensing service report and / or an event-triggered sensing service report without a sensing service area and / or a list of BSs and / or WTRUs for providing the sensing operation), the requested sensing service area may be determined.

[0156] For example, when the requested sensing is periodic sensing or event-triggered sensing with a sensing service area at the target WTRU location, the SOMF may send a sensing request to the target WTRU to perform a WTRU-initiated sensing process for periodic sensing and / or event-triggered sensing.

[0157] The sensing request message may include the requested sensing report type and / or indication / related parameter(s) (e.g., for periodic sensing, such as the start time, end time, and periodicity of sensing), a service request ID, serving SOMF information, a requested sensing mechanism with QoS determination or requirement, an application ID, and / or a target WTRU ID. A WTRU-initiated sensing request may include the requested sensing report type, parameters for periodic sensing, a service request ID, a requested sensing mechanism with QoS requirement, a list of involved base stations and WTRUs, an application ID, a target area, and / or an address of the SOMF. An indication of the target area or list of WTRUs / BSs may be received from the AMF.

[0158] For example, when a service request ID is received from the AMF, the service request ID may be included in the sensing request sent from the SOMF. The sensing request message may include the ID and / or address of the SOMF as the serving SOMF information.

[0159] For example, when sending a sensing request to a target WTRU, the SOMF may send the sensing request through the AMF using a NAS container.

[0160] At 706, the target WTRU may send a sensing response. The sensing response may include a service request ID and / or an acknowledgement of the requested sensing service or sensing request (e.g., a periodic request). The sensing response may be sent to the AMF and / or SMF (e.g., if a PDU session exists) and / or forwarded to the SOMF.

[0161] At 707, for example, after receiving a sensing response that may confirm that the request for a periodic sensing report and / or the event-triggered sensing report is accepted, the SOMF may send a sensing response including a service request ID and / or a confirmation to the AMF. At 708 and 709, the AMF may send a sensing response (e.g., a confirmation) to the ISANF and / or the ISANF may send a confirmation to the AF.

[0162] The method and apparatus may include a WTRU-initiated sensing request. The WTRU may request sensing services from the AMF. The sensing service request or sensing request may be delivered to the AMF via an UL NAS transport.

[0163] For example, when the WTRU has a pending request for periodic sensing reporting and / or event-triggered sensing reporting, the WTRU may be triggered for a WTRU-initiated sensing request based on one or more triggering conditions(s) for the request for periodic sensing reporting and / or event-triggered sensing reporting. The service request for sensing may include a requested sensing service or sensing request, a requested service area and / or WTRU location, service SOMF information, and / or a service request ID.

[0164] For example, if the sensing request initiated by the WTRU is for a pending periodic sensing report and / or event-triggered sensing report that is associated with a service request ID received during a sensing request procedure as described in the methods and apparatus, the WTRU may include the service request ID. Additionally or alternatively, for example, if SOMF information is received during negotiation for periodic sensing reports and / or event-triggered sensing reports (e.g., if SOMF information is received during a sensing request procedure as described in the methods and apparatus for periodic sensing requests with a target WTRU), the WTRU may include the service SOMF information.

[0165] Figure 8 A flowchart 800 illustrating an example of a WTRU-initiated sensing request is described. At 801, a WTRU may send a service request or sensing request for sensing. The service request or sensing request for sensing may be included in an UL NAS transmission message. The service request or sensing request for sensing may include a specific type of sensing request (e.g., intrusion detection, rain detection, drone detection, etc., the WTRU's ID, and / or information about the area in which sensing may be performed or the WTRU's location information). The service request or sensing request may include specific QoS determinations or requirements for the sensing service, such as sensing accuracy, latency, sensing frequency, resolution, etc.

[0166] For example, if the request is related to a pending periodic sensing report and / or event-triggered sensing report indicated by the service request ID, the WTRU may include the service request ID. Additionally or alternatively, the WTRU may include the service SOMF information and / or sensing mechanism, for example, if the SOMF information and / or sensing mechanism was received during negotiation for the periodic sensing report and / or event-triggered sensing report.

[0167] Additionally or alternatively, the WTRU may include the recipient of the sensing service if the recipient of the sensing service is not for the WTRU itself and / or the service request ID is not included in the service request or sensing request.

[0168] At 802, in an example, other processes may receive location information of a WTRU.

[0169] At 803, based on the sensing mechanism and / or sensing service area, the AMF may determine a list of BSs and / or WTRUs on which to perform sensing operations. For example, if the sensing mechanism is not included in the service request or sensing request for sensing, the AMF may decide that the sensing mechanism can be performed in the 5GS.

[0170] Alternatively or additionally, the AMF may request the ISANF to determine the sensing mechanism based on the requested service and / or provide a list of BSs and / or WTRUs based on the sensing mechanism and / or the requested sensing service area. Additionally or alternatively, the AMF may request the ISANF to determine the sensing mechanism and / or provide a list of BSs and / or WTRUs as a separate process (e.g., before sending a sensing request to the SOMF).

[0171] Alternatively or additionally, the AMF and / or ISANF may determine the sensing mechanism and / or list of BSs and / or WTRUs to perform the sensing mechanism based on the capabilities of the BSs and / or WTRUs in the candidate list and / or the requested sensing service with QoS determination or requirement, for example, after obtaining the candidate list of BSs and / or WTRUs in the requested sensing service area. For example, if there are any WTRUs that support N3GPP sensing methods, the N3GPP sensing capability(ies) may also be considered to select an appropriate sensing mechanism that can utilize the N3GPP sensing data.

[0172] The AMF may send a Namf_Sensing request message to the SOMF. The Namf_Sensing request message may include a service request ID, a requested sensing mechanism with QoS determination or requirement, a list of involved BSs and / or WTRUs, an application ID, and a target area.

[0173] For example, if serving SOMF information is received in a service request or sensing request for sensing, the sensing service request or sensing request may be sent to the SOMF indicated in the serving SOMF information. Alternatively or additionally, if the other SOMF is capable of performing sensing operations, the sensing service request or sensing request may be sent to the other SOMF. For example, based on the current location of the WTRU, the requested sensing service area, and / or per-SOMF conditions such as load conditions, the other SOMF may include a higher sensing quality and / or higher sensing performance than the SOMF indicated by the serving SOMF information.

[0174] Alternatively or additionally, the list of BSs and / or WTRUs and / or the sensing mechanism may be determined by the SOMF. In an example, the SOMF may determine the list of candidate BSs and / or WTRUs based on the requested sensing area information, and / or determine the sensing mechanism and / or the list of target BSs and / or WTRUs based on the QoS determination or requirement of the requested sensing service, and / or the capabilities of the entity and / or a list of allowed and / or restricted applications for sensing each entity in the candidate list.

[0175] At 804, the SOMF may develop coordination information for controlling sensing operations of the BSs and / or WTRUs in the list based on the requested sensing mechanism and / or QoS determination or requirement. For example, the SOMF may determine the roles of the sensing operation (such as sender(s) of sensing signal(s), receiver(s) of sensing signal(s), etc.), and / or may determine the sensing period and / or waveform of the sensing signal. The SOMF may generate coordination information for controlling sensing operations of one or more WTRUs in the WTRU list based on the requested sensing mechanism and QoS requirement. The sensing operation may determine the sender of the sensing signal, determine the receiver of the sensing signal, determine the sensing period, and / or determine the waveform of the sensing signal.

[0176] The SOMF may include a processor. The SOMF may receive a WTRU-initiated sensing request from a network node. The WTRU-initiated sensing request may include one or more of a requested sensing area, a requested service area, a WTRU location, information associated with the serving SOMF, and a periodic service request. The SOMF may select one or more WTRUs to perform a sensing operation based on the WTRU-initiated sensing request. The SOMF may send one or more sensing requests to the one or more selected WTRUs. The one or more sensing requests may include one or more of a periodicity for performing the sensing operation, a periodicity for sending a sensing response, and a requested sensing mechanism. The SOMF may receive one or more sensing responses from the one or more WTRUs. The one or more sensing responses may include sensing data. The SOMF may send the sensing response to the WTRU that initiated the WTRU-initiated sensing request via the network node.

[0177] Alternatively or additionally, for example, if no list of BSs and / or WTRUs is provided, the SOMF may derive a list of BSs and / or WTRUs for sensing operations based on the requested sensing service area, and / or may develop coordination information for controlling sensing operations of the BSs and / or WTRUs in the list based on the requested sensing mechanism and / or QoS determination or requirement.

[0178] The requested sensing mechanism may be an event-based QoS determination.The one or more sensing requests sent to the one or more WTRUs may include one or more of a WTRU list, a base station list, and configuration information for performing sensing.

[0179] Alternatively or additionally, the resource allocation for sending the sensing signal may be determined by the BS(s) sensing signal and / or may be notified to other entities(s) (e.g., the BS and / or WTRU in the list). The WTRU-initiated sensing request may be received from the WTRU via the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0180] At 805, the SOMF may send a sensing request to one or more entities involved in the sensing operation. For example, when sending a sensing request to the involved WTRU, the SOMF may send the sensing request through the AMF using a NAS container. For example, when sending a sensing request to the involved BS, the SOMF may send the sensing request using direct communication between the SOMF and the BS and / or using an N2 connection through the AMF.

[0181] The sensing request message for the WTRU and / or the sensing request message for the BS may include different information. For example, the sensing request message for the WTRU may include information about the sensing area that the WTRU can sense, information about the BS that the WTRU can monitor, etc. For example, the sensing request message for the BS may include some configuration information (e.g., frame structure, resource allocation information, etc.) for coordinating the transmission of sensing signals and / or a list of BS information. The configuration information for performing sensing may be the frame structure or resource allocation information.

[0182] The sensing request initiated by the WTRU may include the requested sensing report type, parameters for periodic sensing, a service request ID, a requested sensing mechanism with QoS requirements, a list of base stations and WTRUs involved, an application ID, a target area, or the address of the SOMF. The requested sensing report type may be a periodic service report or an event-triggered sensing service report. The parameters for periodic sensing may include the start time, end time, or periodicity of sensing. The processor of the SOMF may receive an indication of the target area or the WTRU / BS list from the AMF. The processor of the SOMF may generate coordination information for controlling sensing operations of one or more WTRUs in the WTRU list based on the requested sensing mechanism and QoS requirements. The sensing operation may include determining a sender of a sensing signal, determining a receiver of a sensing signal, determining a sensing period, or determining a waveform of a sensing signal.

[0183] For example, when a service request ID is received in coordination of a sensing operation, the service request ID may be included in the sensing request.The sensing request message may include an ID and / or an address of a SOMF as service SOMF information.

[0184] At 806, based on the coordination from the SOMF, the BS and / or WTRU may perform collection of sensing measurement data. The collected sensing measurement data may be sent to the SOMF. At 807, the collected sensing measurement data may be sent via the AMF. For example, when a service request ID is received in a sensing request, the service request ID may be included in the report to the SOMF.

[0185] The sensing operation may include collecting sensing measurement data associated with the wireless signal according to the sensing parameters indicated in the sensing request.

[0186] If serving SOMF information is received in a sensing request from a SOMF, the report may be sent to the SOMF (e.g., the so-called serving SOMF), which may be indicated by the serving SOMF information. Otherwise, the report may be sent to the SOMF that sent the sensing request. Alternatively or additionally, the report may be sent to the SOMF that sent the sensing request and / or may be forwarded to the serving SOMF during the sensing result calculation process.

[0187] At 808, the SOMF may calculate a sensing result using the collected sensing measurement data received in the sensing response. For example, if the SOMF is different from the serving SOMF, the collected sensing data and / or the calculated sensing result may be forwarded to the serving SOMF. For example, if the serving SOMF receives the collected data but does not receive the sensing result, the serving SOMF may calculate the sensing result.

[0188] At 809, the SOMF may send a sensing response to the AMF. The sensing response may include the sensing result. The SOMF may send the sensing response to the AMF via a Namf_Sensing response. If a service request ID is received in the sensing response sent from the WTRU and / or BS, the sensing response may include the service request ID.

[0189] At 810a and 810b, if the recipient of the sensing service is included in the service request for sensing or the request received in the sensing request, the AMF may forward the sensing result to the recipient of the sensing service. For example, if the sensing result includes a service request ID, the AMF may forward the sensing result and / or the service request ID to the ISANF. For example, if the sensing service is for the WTRU itself, the sensing result may be sent to the WTRU and / or the sensing result may be sent to the WTRU via NAS transport.

[0190] The ISANF may decide the recipient AF based on the service request ID, which may be included in the mapping between the sensing report from the AMF and / or the managed service request ID and / or the recipient AF, and / or may send the sensing results to the decided AF.

[0191] The methods and apparatus may include consideration of SOMF deployment. In an example, the SOMF may be deployed outside the AMF, and / or communications with the SOMF and / or WTRU may be via the AMF, and / or sensing results from the SOMF may be reported to the ISAN F, AF, and / or WTRU via the AMF.

[0192] Additionally or alternatively, the SOMF may be deployed as a server, which may allow WTRUs to access via the user plane. In an example, each WTRU involved in sensing may access the SOMF via a data connection to retrieve coordination information (e.g., the role of each WTRU, a list of BSs involved, the role of each BS, signal information that needs to be monitored, etc.). The collected sensing data may be sent via the data connection, for example, after the sensing data is collected. For example, when the SOMF is deployed as a server, sensing requests sent from the SOMF via the AMF to the WTRU / BS and / or sensing responses sent from the target WTRU to the SOMF via the AMF and / or sensing reports sent from the WTRU to the SOMF via the AMF may be performed in the data connection between the SOMF and the WTRU, and between the SOMF and the target WTRU.

[0193] Additionally or alternatively, the SOMF may connect directly to the ISANF. The direct connection may be based on the fact that the service area of the SOMF is large enough and / or the ISANF may know the service area of each SOMF. In an example, the ISANF may select the SOMF when sending a sensing service request or a sensing request to the AMF, and / or have the AMF send a sensing request with a list of WTRUs and / or BSs for sensing to the SOMF. Alternatively or additionally, the ISANF may send a sensing request directly to the selected SOMF, and / or the SOMF may query the WTRU information available to the AMF registered at the AMF for sensing in order to build a list of WTRUs and / or BSs for sensing. When the SOMF reports the sensing result, the SOMF may send the report directly to the ISANF.

[0194] Regarding periodic sensing requests with the target service area, one or more of the following may be replaced with a direct signaling exchange between the SOMF and ISANF, and / or an interaction between the SOMF and AMF may be added for retrieving a list of BSs and WTRUs and / or any relevant information: a sensing request sent from the ISANF to the AMF, a sensing request sent from the AMF to the SOMF, a sensing response sent from the SOMF to the AMF, and a sensing response sent from the AMF to the ISANF.

[0195] Regarding periodic sensing requests with a target WTRU, one or more of the following may be replaced with a direct signaling exchange between the SOMF and ISANF, and / or an interaction between the SOMF and AMF may be added for retrieving a list of BSs and WTRUs and / or any related information: a sensing request sent from the ISANF to the AMF, a sensing request sent from the AMF to the SOMF, a sensing response sent from the SOMF to the AMF, and a sensing response sent from the AMF to the ISANF.

Claims

1. A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), comprising: A processor and a memory, wherein the processor and the memory are configured to: receiving a sensing request indicating one or more parameters for performing a sensing operation, a sensing operation triggering condition, and a reporting triggering condition; Determining that the sensing operation trigger condition is satisfied; When it is determined that the sensing operation triggering condition is met, performing the sensing operation indicated in the sensing request; Determining that the report triggering condition is satisfied; as well as When it is determined that the report triggering condition is met, a sensing report is sent based on the report triggering condition and according to the one or more sensing parameters indicated in the sensing request.

2. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the sensing operation triggering condition is associated with one or more of a predetermined periodicity and one or more events.

3. The WTRU of claim 2, wherein the sensing operation triggering condition comprises one or more of a sensing period, entering a specific sensing service area location, and leaving a specific sensing service area location.

4. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the reporting trigger condition comprises one or more of a sensing period, entering a specific sensing service area location, leaving a specific sensing service area location, and detection of an event; and Wherein said detecting of said event is based on a result of said sensing operation.

5. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the sensing operation comprises collecting sensing measurement data associated with one or more wireless signals according to the one or more sensing parameters indicated in the sensing request.

6. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the one or more parameters include one or more of a periodicity for sending a sensing report, a start time for sending the sensing report, an end time for sending the sensing report, and a periodicity for performing a sensing operation.

7. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the one or more parameters include a sensing request type, area information associated with the sensing operation, information associated with a target WTRU, a quality of service (QoS) requirement associated with the sensing operation, or a sensing report type.

8. The WTRU of claim 7, wherein the sensing report type is a periodic sensing report, and the sensing request further includes a sensing report start time, a sensing report end time, and a periodicity of the sensing report.

9. The WTRU of claim 7, wherein the sensing report type is an event-triggered sensing report, and the sensing request further includes a sensing report start time, a sensing report end time, and the sensing report triggering condition.

10. The WTRU of claim 7, wherein the QoS requirements associated with the sensing operation include sensing accuracy, latency, sensing frequency, or resolution.

11. A method implemented by a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), the method comprising: receiving a sensing request indicating one or more parameters for performing a sensing operation, a sensing operation triggering condition, and a reporting triggering condition; Determining that the sensing operation trigger condition is satisfied; When it is determined that the sensing operation triggering condition is met, performing the sensing operation indicated in the sensing request; Determining that the report triggering condition is satisfied; as well as When it is determined that the report triggering condition is met, a sensing report is sent based on the report triggering condition and according to the one or more sensing parameters indicated in the sensing request. 12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the sensing operation triggering condition is associated with one or more of a predetermined periodicity and one or more events. 13 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein the sensing operation triggering condition comprises one or more of a sensing cycle, entering a specific sensing service area location, and leaving a specific sensing service area location.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the report triggering condition comprises one or more of a sensing cycle, entering a specific sensing service area location, leaving a specific sensing service area location, and detection of an event; and Wherein said detecting of said event is based on a result of said sensing operation.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the sensing operation comprises collecting sensing measurement data associated with one or more wireless signals according to the one or more sensing parameters indicated in the sensing request.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more parameters include one or more of a periodicity for sending a sensing report, a start time for sending the sensing report, an end time for sending the sensing report, or a periodicity for performing a sensing operation.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more parameters include a sensing request type, area information associated with the sensing operation, information associated with a target WTRU, a quality of service (QoS) requirement associated with the sensing operation, or a sensing report type. 18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the sensing report type is a periodic sensing report, and the sensing request further includes a sensing report start time, a sensing report end time, and a periodicity of the sensing report. 19 . The method according to claim 17 , wherein the sensing report type is an event-triggered sensing report, and the sensing request further includes a sensing report start time, a sensing report end time, and the sensing report triggering condition.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the QoS requirements associated with the sensing operation include sensing accuracy, latency, sensing frequency, or resolution.

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