Devices, systems, and methods for joint communication and awareness

Abstract

The invention relates to joint communication and awareness. A system is disclosed that includes a first AP as a sensing AP, a second AP as a communication AP, and a network device as a controller. Both the communication AP and the sensing AP receive uplink signals from a UE. The communication AP is configured to send the processed form of the signal to the controller. The controller then provides the processed form of the signal (e.g., decoded payload) to the perceiving device. And the sensing AP performs channel estimation according to the processed form of the signal and the received uplink signal. The perceptual AP may provide results of the channel estimation to the controller to monitor the UE or environment. In this way, awareness with zero wireless communication cost can be achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to devices and methods in the field of wireless communications. For example, the present disclosure relates to devices and methods for joint communication and sensing. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, there has been growing interest in the field of combined communication and sensing, such as Integrated Sensing And Communication (ISAC). Both communication and sensing functions use the same frequency resources and common hardware and software components. Advantages of ISAC systems can include reduced production costs and improved performance through the mutual assistance of radio frequency (RF) sensing and communication. For example, the communication system can use the estimated location of each active user equipment (UE) to perform beamforming to each UE separately, thereby improving the communication link (e.g., increasing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)) while reducing unnecessary interference to other users. On the other hand, RF sensors can use communication signaling for RF sensing under certain conditions.

[0003] Figure X shows an example of a distributed antenna wireless communication network. The network consists of M distributed access points (APs) and K active UEs (or users). The APs are distributed in a public environment and connected to a central unit process (CPU) via a reliable high-capacity backhaul link. Each AP and UE can be equipped with a single antenna or multiple antennas. In uplink (UL) communication, the signal observed by the AP can be expressed as:

[0004]

[0005] Among them, x k is the signal (payload) sent by UEk, h ik is the channel between APi and UEk, n is the channel with zero mean and variance σ 2 Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN). In order to transmit the signal x k To decode, the receiver API needs to obtain the channel state information (CSI). The receiver can obtain CSI by receiving some pilot signals from the UE, as shown below:

[0006]

[0007] Among them, p k It is the pilot signal sent by UEk and is known to both the transmitter and the receiver.

[0008] For RF sensing, pilot signals are also used, similar to those used for communication. However, the pilot signal lengths required for RF sensing and communication are different. For communication, a rough channel estimate is often sufficient for message decoding. However, for RF sensing, a more accurate channel estimate leads to better terminal / environmental awareness performance. Generally speaking, the pilot signals required for RF sensing are longer than those required for communication. Summary of the Invention

[0009] For joint communication and sensing, one traditional solution is based on time / frequency / space division between communication and sensing, while another traditional solution is based on single-base sensing.

[0010] However, solutions based on time division, frequency division, and space division suffer from inefficient utilization of wireless resources. For example, in time division, some time slots are allocated for sensing, during which communication is unavailable. This reduces network throughput. Solutions based on frequency division and space division also face similar issues.

[0011] With single-base sensing, the transmitter communicates in full-duplex mode and performs sensing based on the received echo (the echo of the transmitted signal). In this case, communication and sensing occur at the same time and frequency. A challenge with single-base sensing is self-interference. In principle, there should be a certain degree of isolation between the transmitting and receiving antennas. Furthermore, only the transmitter is used for sensing. This means there is only one observation point for sensing, which reduces sensing accuracy.

[0012] In light of the above-mentioned problems and shortcomings, the present disclosure aims to improve joint communication and perception. For example, one goal of the present disclosure may be to improve network throughput while maintaining perception accuracy, or vice versa. Another goal may be to (more) efficiently use network (radio) resources for joint communication and perception.

[0013] These and other objects are achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Further implementations are apparent from the dependent claims, the description and the drawings.

[0014] A first aspect of the present disclosure provides a first AP. The first AP is configured to receive a signal from a terminal. The first AP is further configured to receive data from a network device, wherein the data corresponds to a processed form of the signal. The first AP is then configured to perform channel estimation based on the received signal and the data.

[0015] Alternatively, the signal may be referred to as an uplink signal. The data may be referred to as a processed uplink signal. The data or the processed uplink signal may include any information obtained to decode the uplink signal. For example, the data may include one or more of a decoded message in the signal, a demodulated form of the signal, a compressed form of the signal, a digital representation of a baseband representation of the signal, a probabilistic representation of the baseband representation of the signal, and a probabilistic representation of the message included in the signal.

[0016] It should be noted that the first AP may be a perception AP. By receiving processed uplink signals from a network device, the perception AP can use the processed uplink signals to determine channel parameters. The determined channel parameters may be useful for perception. For example, the channel parameters may also be sent to the network device so that the network device can monitor the terminal or environment. In this way, due to the reuse of uplink signals, perception can be achieved with zero wireless communication cost.

[0017] In an implementation manner of the first aspect, the channel estimation result may include channel response information (CSI).

[0018] Optionally, the first AP may be configured to perform sensing based on a result of the channel estimation.

[0019] A second aspect of the present disclosure provides a network device. The network device is configured to acquire data. The data corresponds to a processed form of a signal transmitted by a terminal and received by one or more second APs. The one or more second APs are configured to communicate (or have communication capabilities). The network device is then configured to transmit the data to one or more first APs configured for sensing.

[0020] It should be noted that the “processed form of the signal sent by the terminal and received by one or more second APs” may be referred to as a processed uplink signal.

[0021] By sending the processed uplink signal to one or more sensing APs, the uplink signal can be reused for sensing, thus achieving sensing with zero wireless communication cost.

[0022] In an implementation of the second aspect, the network device may be configured to obtain the data by receiving the data from the one or more second APs. The data may correspond to a decoded payload of the signal.

[0023] It should be noted that, in this case, the one or more second APs (as communication APs) have decoding capabilities.

[0024] In another implementation of the second aspect, the network device can be used to obtain the data in the following manner: receiving the signal or the preprocessed signal from each second AP, and decoding the payload from the signal or the preprocessed signal to obtain the data.

[0025] It should be noted that, in this case, the one or more second APs (as communication APs) may not have decoding capabilities. Therefore, decoding of the uplink signal is performed on the network device side.

[0026] In another implementation of the second aspect, the network device can be used to send the data to the one or more first APs in the following manner: sending a portion of the data to the one or more first APs based on one or more of the perception requirements, traffic information and memory constraints of the one or more first APs.

[0027] A third aspect of the present disclosure provides a system for sensing and communication. The system includes a network device, one or more first access points (APs) for sensing, and one or more second APs for communication. The network device is configured to acquire data, wherein the data corresponds to a processed form of a signal. The signal is transmitted by a terminal and received by the one or more second APs. The network device is configured to transmit the data to the one or more first APs. Each first AP is configured to receive the signal from the terminal, receive the data from the network device, and perform channel estimation based on the received signal and the data.

[0028] Alternatively, the signal may be referred to as an uplink signal. The processed form of the signal may be referred to as a processed uplink signal. In contrast, the unprocessed uplink signal may be referred to as an original uplink signal.

[0029] Optionally, the original uplink signal may be processed by the corresponding second AP, or by the network device, or by both the corresponding second AP and the network device.

[0030] This allows for sensing with zero wireless communication cost, as the uplink signal can be reused for sensing without requiring the use of a different or separate signal for sensing.

[0031] In one implementation of the third aspect, the processed form of the signal may include one or more of a decoded message in the signal, a demodulated form of the signal, a compressed form of the signal, a digital representation of a baseband representation of the signal, a probabilistic representation of the baseband representation of the signal, and a probabilistic representation of the message included in the signal.

[0032] In another implementation of the third aspect, each first AP may also be configured to perform sensing based on a result of the channel estimation.

[0033] In another implementation of the third aspect, each first AP may be further configured to send a result of the channel estimation to the network device. The network device may be further configured to receive one or more results of the channel estimation from the one or more first APs and perform sensing based on the one or more results of the channel estimation.

[0034] When there are multiple first APs, multiple observation points can be provided for sensing, which can improve the accuracy of sensing.

[0035] In another implementation of the third aspect, at least a portion of the one or more second APs may also be used as a portion of the one or more first APs.

[0036] Optionally, the one or more second APs may be a subset of the one or more first APs.

[0037] In another implementation of the third aspect, each second AP may be configured to preprocess the received signal and send the preprocessed signal to the network device. The network device may be configured to obtain the data by receiving the preprocessed signal from the one or more second APs.

[0038] In another implementation of the third aspect, the network device may be configured to obtain the data in the following manner:

[0039] - receiving the signal or pre-processed signal from each second AP;

[0040] - decoding a payload from said signal or said processed form of said signal to obtain said data.

[0041] In another implementation manner of the third aspect, the channel estimation result may include CSI.

[0042] In another implementation of the third aspect, the network device can be used to send the data to the one or more first APs in the following manner: sending at least a portion of the data to the one or more first APs based on one or more of the perception requirements, traffic information and memory constraints of the one or more first APs.

[0043] A fourth aspect of the present disclosure provides a method. The method comprises the following steps:

[0044] -The first AP receives a signal from the terminal;

[0045] - the first AP receives data from a network device, wherein the data corresponds to a processed form of the signal;

[0046] -The first AP performs channel estimation based on the received signal and the data.

[0047] A fifth aspect of the present disclosure provides a method. The method comprises the following steps:

[0048] - the network device acquires data, wherein the data corresponds to a processed form of a signal sent by the terminal and received by one or more second APs for communication;

[0049] - The network device sends the data to one or more first APs for sensing.

[0050] A sixth aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for sensing and communicating. The method comprises the following steps:

[0051] - the network device acquires data, wherein the data corresponds to a processed form of a signal sent by the terminal and received by one or more second APs for communication;

[0052] - the network device sends the data to one or more first APs for sensing;

[0053] - Each first AP receives the signal from the terminal;

[0054] - Each first AP receives the data from the network device;

[0055] - Each first AP performs channel estimation based on the received signal and the data.

[0056] In one implementation of the sixth aspect, the processed form of the signal may include one or more of a decoded message in the signal, a demodulated form of the signal, a compressed form of the signal, a digital representation of a baseband representation of the signal, a probabilistic representation of the baseband representation of the signal, and a probabilistic representation of the message included in the signal.

[0057] In another implementation of the sixth aspect, the method may further include: each first AP performs perception based on a result of the channel estimation.

[0058] In another implementation of the sixth aspect, the method may further include:

[0059] - Each first AP sends the channel estimation result to the network device;

[0060] - receiving, by the network device, a result of the channel estimation from the one or more first APs;

[0061] - the network device performing sensing based on the one or more results of the channel estimation.

[0062] In another implementation of the sixth aspect, at least a portion of the one or more second APs may also be used as a portion of the one or more first APs.

[0063] Optionally, the one or more second APs may be a subset of the one or more first APs.

[0064] In another implementation of the sixth aspect, the method may further include:

[0065] - Each second AP pre-processes the received signal;

[0066] - Each second AP sends the pre-processed signal to the network device;

[0067] - The network device obtains the data by receiving the pre-processed signal from the one or more second APs.

[0068] In another implementation of the sixth aspect, the network device may be configured to obtain the data in the following manner:

[0069] - receiving the signal or pre-processed signal from each second AP;

[0070] - decoding the payload from the signal or the pre-processed signal to obtain the data.

[0071] In another implementation of the sixth aspect, the result of the channel estimation may include CSI.

[0072] In another implementation of the sixth aspect, the network device can be used to send the data to the one or more first APs in the following manner: sending at least a portion of the data to the one or more first APs based on one or more of the perception requirements, traffic information and memory constraints of the one or more first APs.

[0073] The method of the sixth aspect and its implementation may have the same features and advantages as the system of the third aspect and its implementation.

[0074] A seventh aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer program comprising instructions. When the program is executed by a first computer, the instructions cause the first computer to perform the method according to the fourth aspect or any implementation thereof.

[0075] An eighth aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer program comprising instructions. When the program is executed by a second computer, the instructions cause the second computer to perform the method according to the fifth aspect or any implementation thereof.

[0076] A ninth aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable medium comprising instructions. When the instructions are executed by a first computer, the instructions cause the first computer to perform the method according to the fourth aspect or any implementation thereof.

[0077] A tenth aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable medium comprising instructions. When the instructions are executed by a second computer, the instructions cause the second computer to perform the method according to the fifth aspect or any implementation thereof.

[0078] According to an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a first chipset comprising instructions. When the instructions are executed by the first chipset, the instructions cause the first chipset to perform the method according to the fourth aspect or any implementation thereof.

[0079] A twelfth aspect of the present disclosure provides a second chipset comprising instructions. When the instructions are executed by the second chipset, the instructions cause the second chipset to perform the method according to the fifth aspect or any implementation thereof.

[0080] It should be noted that all devices, terminals, elements, units and devices described in this application can be implemented in software or hardware elements or any type of combination thereof. All steps performed by the various entities described in this application and the functions described to be performed by the various entities are intended to indicate that the respective entities are suitable for or used to perform the respective steps and functions. Although in the following description, the specific functions or steps performed by the external entities are not reflected in the description of the specific detailed elements of the entities performing the specific steps or functions, it should be clear to the technician that these methods and functions can be implemented by corresponding software or hardware elements or any combination thereof. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0081] The following description will illustrate the above aspects and various implementations in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0082] Figure 1 A system for communication and perception provided by the present disclosure is shown.

[0083] Figure 2 shows a signaling diagram of the uplink framework provided by the present disclosure;

[0084] Figure 3 An example of a flowchart provided by the present disclosure is shown;

[0085] Figure 4 An example of a system provided by the present disclosure is shown;

[0086] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a method provided by the present disclosure is shown;

[0087] Figure 6 An example of a distributed antenna network structure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0088] This disclosure considers an application scenario in which K active UEs perform uplink communication with a system consisting of M distributed antenna nodes. K and M are positive integers, with M greater than 1. The system can be a distributed antenna system (DAS), a distributed antenna network (DAN), or a cell-free system. Antenna nodes can also be referred to as APs, RF nodes, antenna units, or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0089] The system can be used for integrated sensing and communications (ISAC). The M distributed antenna nodes in the system can be managed by a controller unit. Because the system adopts a distributed antenna structure, users can experience a more uniform quality of service. Therefore, the system has great potential in communication. Antenna nodes that can be used to provide communication can be called communication APs. On the other hand, the expected distance between the antenna nodes closest to the UE in the system is extremely short (for example, shorter than traditional cellular networks), which may lead to better channel estimation. In addition, each UE can regularly experience a fairly good channel state with multiple antenna nodes at the same time. This can provide multiple observation points for perception. Therefore, the system also has great potential in perception. Antenna nodes that can be used to perform perception can be called perception APs. It should be noted that a single antenna node can be used to perform perception and communication simultaneously (or a single antenna node can have both perception and communication capabilities).

[0090] In general, the present disclosure proposes an uplink framework that enables one or more APs to perform sensing based on data (payload) transmissions without the need for additional radio resource allocation. This can be achieved by a network controller providing one or more processed uplink signals (such as, but not limited to, decoded data payloads) to the one or more sensing APs via a backhaul link. After receiving the one or more processed uplink signals, the one or more sensing APs can treat the corresponding one or more data payload transmissions as one or more pilot signals and perform channel parameter estimation (e.g., to determine delay, Doppler shift, and angle of arrival). Since radio resources are limited and valuable, it is beneficial to provide sensing capabilities with zero additional radio resources.

[0091] In the following Figures 1 to 6 , corresponding elements may have the same features and functions.

[0092] Figure 1 1 shows a system 100 for communication and perception provided by the present disclosure. The system 100 includes one or more first APs 110 for perception, one or more second APs 120 for communication, and a network device 190. For ease of reading, in the present disclosure, the first AP for perception may be referred to as perception AP 110; the second AP for communication may be referred to as communication AP (communications AP or comm. AP) 120; and the network device 190 may be referred to as a controller unit (or simply controller) 190. Optionally, the system 100 may be a DAS. Figure 1 , one awareness AP 110 and one communication AP are exemplarily shown. There may be multiple awareness APs and / or multiple communication APs in the system 100.

[0093] Controller 190 is configured to obtain data 191. Data 191 corresponds to a processed form 121 of an (uplink) signal 151. Signal 151 is transmitted by terminal (or UE) 150 and received by communication AP 120. For example, signal 151 can be considered the original uplink signal. In contrast, data 191 can be the processed form 121 of the original uplink signal 151. Controller 190 is then configured to transmit data 191 to perception AP 110.

[0094] The sensing AP 110 is configured to receive a signal 151 from the UE 150 and data 191 from the controller 190. The sensing AP 110 is then configured to perform channel estimation based on the received signal 151 and data 191.

[0095] It should be noted that, optionally (or as an alternative to performing channel estimation), the perception AP 110 can be configured to perform perception (or one or more perception-related tasks) based on the received signals 151 and data 191. For example, based on the received signals 151 and data 191, the perception AP 110 can infer or estimate one or more locations of a device (e.g., UE 150) and / or one or more obstacles. For one or more obstacles, the size of the one or more obstacles can also be inferred. In this case, the perception AP 110 does not need to perform channel estimation. If channel estimation is performed, the results of the channel estimation (e.g., CSI) can also be used to perform perception.

[0096] Optionally, communication AP 120 may also be configured to at least partially decode signal 151 received from UE 150. During the decoding of signal 151, communication AP 120 may obtain various intermediate information. Data 191 may include any information that can be processed from signal 151 to decode a data payload (or message) from signal 151. Therefore, data 191 corresponds to a processed form 121 of signal 151.

[0097] For example, the communication AP 120 may be configured to process the signal 151 to obtain a first processed version 121 of the signal 151. The communication AP may then send the first processed version 121 of the signal 151 to the controller 190.

[0098] Optionally, the communication AP may be configured to forward the first processed form 121 of the signal 151 to the awareness AP 110 as data 191. In this case, the first processed form may be, for example, but not limited to, any of the following: a decoded message (or decoded payload) in the signal, a demodulated form of the signal, a compressed form of the signal, a digital representation of a baseband representation of the signal, a probabilistic representation of the baseband representation of the signal, and a probabilistic representation of a message included in the signal. Alternatively, the communication AP may be configured to process (e.g., at least partially decode) the first processed form 121 of the signal 151 to obtain a second processed form of the signal 151. In this case, the controller 190 may be configured to send the second processed form of the signal 151 to the awareness AP as data 191. The second processed form may be, for example, but not limited to, any of the following: a decoded message (or decoded payload) in the signal, a demodulated form of the signal, a compressed form of the signal, a digital representation of a baseband representation of the signal, a probabilistic representation of the baseband representation of the signal, and a probabilistic representation of a message included in the signal.

[0099] Generally speaking, at least one of the controller 190 and the communication AP 120 is operable to process the signal 151 to obtain data 191, which is sent by the controller 190 to the perception AP 110. The data 191 may be a processed form of the signal 151 processed by the communication AP 120, or by the controller 190, or by both the communication AP 120 and the controller 190.

[0100] Alternatively, communication AP 120 may be configured to send a portion of the processed form of signal 151 to perception AP 110 as data 191. This is because the complete processed form of signal 151 may not be required for perception. A portion of the processed form of signal 151 may be sufficient for perception. This may further reduce communication costs on one or more backhaul links.

[0101] Optionally, when multiple communication APs receive the same signal 151 from a UE, each communication AP can provide a corresponding processed version of signal 151. The corresponding processed versions from the multiple communication APs can be the same or different. The controller is configured to obtain data 191 from the multiple communication APs. Data 191 can include multiple processed versions 121 of signal 151.

[0102] Optionally, data 121 may include one or more of a demodulated form of signal 151, a compressed form of signal 151, a digital representation of a baseband representation of signal 151, a probabilistic representation of a baseband representation of signal 151, a probabilistic representation of a message included in signal 151, and a message decoded from signal 151.

[0103] Optionally, decoding of the signal 151 may be performed by the controller 190. To this end, the controller 190 may be configured to receive the signal 151 and / or the processed form 121 of the signal 151 from the communication AP 120 and decode the signal 151 and / or the processed form 121 of the signal 151 to obtain data 191. The controller 190 may then be configured to send the data 191 to the perception AP 110.

[0104] Optionally, the sensing AP 110 may also be configured to perform sensing based on the channel estimation result. The sensing AP 110 may also be configured to send the channel estimation result to the communication AP 120 via the controller 190 or the like. The communication AP 120 may also be configured to optimize its communication with the UE 150 based on the sensing result. Optionally, the channel estimation result may include CSI.

[0105] Optionally or alternatively, sensing can be performed at the controller 190 (in addition to or in lieu of performing sensing at the sensing AP 110). For example, the sensing AP 110 can also be configured to send a channel estimation result 111 (e.g., CSI) to the controller 190. The controller 190 can also be configured to receive the channel estimation result 111 and perform sensing based on the result. When multiple sensing APs each provide the channel estimation result 111 to the controller 190, the controller can be configured to perform sensing based on the multiple channel estimation results in combination. In this way, multiple observation points can be used to sense the terminal, and the performance (e.g., accuracy) of sensing can be improved.

[0106] Figure 2 The signaling diagram of the uplink framework provided by the present disclosure is shown. The signaling diagram depicts a system (corresponding to Figure 1 An example of the signal flow of the system 100 in FIG. Figure 2 The system includes a terminal (or UE) 250, at least one perception AP 210, at least one communication AP 220, and a controller 290. Another AP 230 shown in the figure is only for comparison and is not an essential element for the present disclosure. Figure 1 and Figure 2 Corresponding elements in may have the same characteristics or functions.

[0107] The signaling may include the following steps 201 to 208:

[0108] Step 201: UE 250 sends one or more pilot signals 252 to multiple distributed APs 210, 220, and 230 in the system.

[0109] Step 202: Each AP 210, 220, 230 that receives the one or more pilot signals measures the channel between itself and the UE 250 and sends its own channel information 212, 222, 232 to the controller 290 via a backhaul link. Alternatively, instead of sending the channel information to the controller 290, one or more of the APs 210, 220, 230 may send a processed version of the one or more pilot signals to the controller 290.

[0110] Step 203: The controller 290 determines one or more APs for communication, which can be called a communication set. The controller 290 can determine the communication set based on other factors such as channel conditions, communication requirements, and traffic status of each AP. In addition, the controller 290 also determines one or more APs for sensing, which can be called a sensing set. The two sets, the communication set and the sensing set, may have common elements. That is, a sensing AP can also be used as a communication AP. In some optional cases, the communication set can be a subset of the sensing set. This may be because the AP that communicates normally should also have good channel conditions. The controller 290 announces the communication set and the sensing set via the backhaul link. Figure 2 , AP 220 is selected as a sensing and communication AP, and AP 210 is selected as a sensing-only AP. Therefore, the controller 290 can send notifications 292 and 293 accordingly. AP 230 is neither selected for communication nor for sensing. Therefore, the controller 290 will not send anything to AP 230. Alternatively, the controller 290 can broadcast the communication set and the sensing set in the system, and the AP can determine whether it is selected for communication and / or sensing. It should be noted that the selection of AP 220 for both communication and perception does not conflict with its role as a communication AP. Any AP that can communicate can be called a communication AP. Any AP that can sense can be called a sensing AP. The tasks of communication and perception are not contradictory and can be performed by a single AP.

[0111] It should also be noted that for the present disclosure, the above steps 201 to 203 are not necessary and are completely optional. The above steps 201 to 203 do not need to be performed every time. For example, when the controller 290 (for example, through historical or previous communications and channel estimation) already has knowledge / information about the channel conditions of each AP, there is no need for the AP to perform another round of pilot-based channel estimation. For another example, the pilot-based channel estimation can be performed once, and the channel information collected by the controller 290 can be stored for future use. Therefore, steps 201, 202 and 203 are optional.

[0112] Step 204: The UE performs uplink transmission and sends a signal 251 in the system. The APs in the system form a distributed antenna structure, and each AP can receive the signal 251 (if radio conditions permit).

[0113] Step 205: Any AP in the sensing set (i.e., sensing AP) is used to record the signal received from UE 210. Figure 2In the example, AP 210 and AP 220 record the signals they receive, which can be represented as Y_1 and Y_2. AP 230 is not a sensing AP and does not record signals. Any AP in the communication set (i.e., communication AP) can be used to pre-process the received signal and send the processed signal to the controller. Pre-processing the signal can be any one or more of the multiple steps for decoding the data payload from the signal. The multiple steps can include but are not limited to: noise reduction, demodulation, analog / digital (A / D) conversion, channel decoding, source decoding, D / A conversion. That is, in Figure 2 In the example of FIG, AP 220 sends a processed version 221 of the signal to controller 290 (e.g., via a backhaul link). From the perspective of controller 290, controller 290 simply receives data 221 from communicating AP 220. This data corresponds to a processed version of signal 251.

[0114] Step 206: Controller 290 can be configured to decode the signal. For example, controller 290 can use channel information between AP 220 and UE 250 to decode the signal based on the processed form of the signal. Since the controller can be considered a management unit in the system, the channel information can be provided to the controller in advance or obtained through the above-mentioned step 202. Therefore, controller 209 can obtain decoded payload 291 of signal 251. Controller 209 can be configured to send decoded payload 291 to sensing AP 210. Optionally, decoded payload 291 can also be provided to AP 220. Generally speaking, in this step, controller 290 can be configured to decode the payload from the received processed signal 221 through any one or more APs in the communication set and distribute the decoded payload 291 to any one or more APs in the sensing set. Decoded payload 291 can be represented as X_est.

[0115] It should be noted that step 206 is entirely optional. Controller 290 is not necessarily configured to decode the signal based on its processed form. Instead, controller 290 may be configured to provide the processed form of signal 251 to any one or more APs in the sensing set. Alternatively, controller 290 may be configured to process processed signal 221 received from AP 220 to obtain a further processed signal. Controller 290 may then be configured to provide the further processed signal to any one or more APs in the sensing set (e.g., AP 210).

[0116] It should be noted that the decoded payload 291 can also be considered as an example of a processed form of the signal 251. Therefore, generally speaking, the sensing AP (eg, AP 210) is configured to receive the processed form of the signal from the controller 290.

[0117] Step 207 (207'): Any one or more APs in the sensing set perform channel estimation after receiving the decoded payload (or processed form) of the signal 251 from the controller 290. For example, the channel parameters (or channel information) of each transmission path (e.g., delay, Doppler shift, and angle of arrival) can be calculated. For example, AP 210 can determine the CSI based on the recorded signal Y_1 and the decoded payload X_est. AP 220 can also determine the CSI based on Y_1 and X_est. Then, one or more APs send the estimated channel parameters to the controller 290 via the backhaul link. Figure 2 In the example of FIG, AP 210 and AP 220 send estimated channel parameters 212, 222 to controller 290. Alternatively, the sensing AP itself can determine the sensing result based on the estimated channel parameters. In this case, the sensing AP can be used to provide the sensing result to controller 290.

[0118] Step 208: After controller 290 collects estimated channel parameters from each sensing AP, it can use them to perform sensing. For example, controller 290 can analyze the estimated channel parameters to monitor the UE or environment. Optionally, when controller 290 receives sensing results from the sensing AP, it can consider the sensing results as possible observation points for monitoring the UE or environment.

[0119] The above steps 201 to 208 are possible examples of uplink framework. In the case of multiple UEs, Figure 2 Steps 201 to 208 in FIG. 5 may be varied as follows.

[0120] (Optional) Step 201-A: Multiple UEs send pilot signals 252 to multiple distributed APs 210, 220, 230 in orthogonal time domains, frequency domains, or code domains.

[0121] (Optional) Step 202-A: APs 210, 220, 230 measure the channels with the UEs respectively, and send their channel information 212, 222, 232 to the controller 290 via the backhaul link. It should be noted that each UE and AP pair may correspond to a corresponding piece of channel information.

[0122] (Optional) Step 203 -A: The controller 290 determines a specific communication set and a specific sensing set for each UE, similar to the above step 203 .

[0123] Step 204-A: Each UE performs uplink transmission and sends its own signal 251, which is similar to the above step 204.

[0124] Step 205-A: Similar to step 205 above, any sensing AP 210, 220 records the received signals. Any communicating AP 220 sends a processed version 221 of each signal to controller 290. The recorded signals at AP 210 and AP 220 can be represented as Y_11, Y_12, Y_21, and Y_22, which can represent the signals transmitted by UE 1 and UE 2 and received by AP 210 and AP 220, respectively.

[0125] Step 206-A: Similar to step 206 above, the controller 290 may optionally be configured to decode the payload from the processed signals received by the APs in the communication set. The controller 290 is configured to distribute the processed form of each signal (or decoded payload) to the APs in the sensing set.

[0126] Step 207-A: Similar to the above step 207, any one or more APs in the sensing set may be used to perform channel estimation.

[0127] Step 208-A: Similar to the above step 208.

[0128] Optionally, one or more APs in the system may have decoding capabilities. In this case, the above steps 205 (including 205-A) and 206 (including 206-A) may have the following variations:

[0129] Step 205-B: Each AP in the communication set that has decoding capability (e.g., Figure 2 The AP 220 in the communication set can be used to decode the received signal to obtain a decoded payload 221. Optionally, multiple APs in the communication set can be used to collaboratively decode the payload (e.g., by partial decoding or iterative decoding) from the signal. Figure 2 For example, each communicating AP may be operable to decode at least a portion of the payload of the signal and provide the decoded portion to the controller.

[0130] Step 206-B: The controller 290 may be configured to distribute the decoded payload 291 in the sensing set. When receiving partial decoded payloads from multiple communication APs, the controller 290 may be configured to merge the multiple partial decoded payloads to obtain a complete decoded payload.

[0131] The other steps may have the same characteristics as described above.

[0132] Figure 3An example of a flow chart provided by the present disclosure is shown. Steps 301 to 308 in the flow chart may have the same features as steps 201 to 208 (including their variations) described above. Therefore, they will not be described in detail herein.

[0133] Figure 4 An example of the system 400 provided by the present disclosure is shown. The system 400 can be based on Figure 1 System 100 and / or Figure 2 The system 400 includes a first AP 410, a second AP 420 and a network device (controller) 490. Figure 4 As shown, each device 410, 420, and 490 may include one or more processors and a memory. The memory is connected to the one or more processors and may carry executable program code. When the executable program code is executed by the one or more processors, the above-mentioned device performs, performs, or initiates the operations or steps described in the present disclosure.

[0134] It should be noted that Figure 4 Only a schematic diagram of possible hardware structures of the first AP, the second AP and the network device provided by the present disclosure is provided. Figure 4 The devices shown in FIG. 5 may have more or fewer components, and may also have different component configurations or arrangements. For example, the first AP, the second AP, and the network device may optionally and additionally each include a transceiver unit.

[0135] Optionally, each AP 410, 420 may be connected to the controller 490 via a backhaul link 419, 429, respectively. The backhaul link may be relatively reliable and have a large capacity (considering the wireless channel between the AP and the UE). Optionally, the one or more signals transmitted in the backhaul link 419, 429 may be digital signals, analog signals, or a combination (or hybrid) of digital and analog signals.

[0136] To reduce the traffic added to the backhaul links 419, 429 due to exchanging processed versions of uplink signals over the backhaul links 419, 429, the controller 490 may be configured to send a portion of the processed version of the signal (or decoded payload) to the sensing AP over the corresponding backhaul link.

[0137] For example, if the network needs to utilize a portion of the data payload for sensing due to satisfying sensing constraints, the controller 490 can be used to determine a portion of the processed signal (or decoded payload) to be used for sensing based on the sensing constraints and channel information of the AP. The controller 490 notifies the APs in the sensing set to send only a portion of the processed signal (or decoded payload). The controller 490 then distributes only that portion of the processed signal (or decoded payload) to one or more sensing APs. This is a trade-off that aims to reduce the additional traffic on the backhaul link, but at the expense of giving up the portion of the processed signal (or decoded payload) used for sensing. The amount of data payload distributed to the APs in the sensing set can be optimized based on the sensing requirements and traffic status in the backhaul link.

[0138] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a method 500 provided by the present disclosure is shown.

[0139] The method 500 includes the following steps:

[0140] Step 501: The network device obtains data corresponding to a signal, wherein the signal is sent by a terminal and received by one or more second APs used for communication;

[0141] -Step 502: The network device sends data to one or more first APs for sensing;

[0142] -Step 503: Each first AP receives a signal from a terminal;

[0143] -Step 504: Each first AP receives data from the network device;

[0144] - Step 505: Each first AP performs channel estimation based on the received signals and data.

[0145] It should be noted that, from the above Figures 1 to 4 From this perspective, the steps of method 500 may have the same functions and details.

[0146] In summary, this disclosure provides a framework (or protocol) between a controller and an AP, including:

[0147] -The controller assigns communication and sensing tasks to the corresponding AP set based on channel conditions, etc.

[0148] - One or more communicating APs provide the processed uplink signal (or the decoded payload of the uplink signal) to the controller via a backhaul link.

[0149] -The controller distributes the processed uplink signal (or decoded payload) to one or more sensing APs via the backhaul link;

[0150] - One or more sensing APs send channel estimation parameters to the controller.

[0151] In this way, perception can be achieved with zero wireless communication cost. In addition, when there are multiple communication APs and / or multiple perception APs, multiple observation points can be provided for perception, which can further improve the accuracy of perception.

[0152] Figure 6 An example of a distributed antenna network structure is shown. Figures 1 to 5 Each system disclosed may be based on the distributed antenna network structure.

[0153] A distributed antenna network includes a controller (or central server) and multiple APs. A UE can be configured to communicate with multiple APs simultaneously (eg, using multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) technology).

[0154] The present disclosure can be applied to any communication network with a similar structure to a distributed antenna network. For example, the present disclosure can be applied to a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) network. The AP can be a roadside unit (RSU). A vehicle or a communication component of a vehicle can be considered a UE. As another example, the present disclosure can be applied to an Internet of Things (IoT) network, such as an Industry 4.0 network, in which multiple sensors / transceivers are distributed in a factory, and the mobile robots therein can be considered UEs. The present disclosure can also be applied to massive MIMO systems.

[0155] It should also be noted that the present disclosure is applicable not only to uplink transmission, but also to other transmissions, such as sidelink transmission or device-to-device (D2D) transmission. In sidelink transmission, each sidelink UE can be used as an AP of the present disclosure, and the communication UE can be used as a UE of the present disclosure.

[0156] It should be noted that the devices in the present disclosure (i.e., the first AP, the second AP, and the network device) may include a processing circuit, which is used to respectively execute, perform, or start the various operations of the devices described herein. The processing circuit may include hardware and software. The hardware may include analog circuits or digital circuits, or both. The digital circuit may include components such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), or a multi-purpose processor. Optionally, the processing circuit includes one or more processors and a non-transitory memory connected to the one or more processors. The non-transitory memory may carry executable program code, which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the above-mentioned devices to respectively execute, perform, or start the operations or methods described herein.

[0157] The present disclosure has been described with reference to various aspects as examples and implementations. However, those skilled in the art will be able to understand and implement other variations when implementing the claimed subject matter based on a study of the drawings, the present disclosure and the independent claims. In the claims and the specification, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single element or other unit may fulfil the functions of several entities or items described in the claims. The enumeration of certain measures in different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used in an advantageous implementation.

Claims

1. A first access point (110), configured to: receiving a signal (151) from a terminal (150); Receive data (191) from a network device (190), wherein The data (191) corresponds to a processed form (121) of the signal (151); Channel estimation is performed based on the acquired signal (151) and the data (191).

2. The first access point (110) according to claim 1, wherein The result of the channel estimation includes channel response information.

3. A network device (190) for: Get data (191), where The data (191) corresponds to a processed form (121) of a signal (151) transmitted by a terminal (150) and received by one or more second access points (120) for communication; The data (191) is sent to one or more first access points (110) for sensing.

4. The network device (190) according to claim 3, wherein: The network device (190) is configured to obtain the data (191) by receiving the data (191) from the one or more second access points, the data (191) corresponding to the decoded payload (121) of the signal (151).

5. The network device (190) according to claim 3, wherein: The network device (190) is used to obtain the data (191) in the following manner: receiving the signal or the pre-processed signal (121) from each second access point (120); The payload is decoded from the signal or the pre-processed signal (121) to obtain the data (191).

6. The network device (190) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The network device (190) is configured to send the data (191) to the one or more first access points (110) in the following manner: sending a portion of the data (191) to the one or more first access points (110) according to one or more of sensing requirements, traffic information, and memory constraints of the one or more first access points (110).

7. A system (100) for sensing and communicating, wherein: The system (100) includes a network device (190), one or more first access points (110) for sensing, and one or more second access points (120) for communication. The network device (190) is used for: - acquiring data (191), wherein said data (191) corresponds to a processed form (121) of the signal (151), The signal (151) is sent by the terminal (150) and received by the one or more second access points (150); - sending said data (191) to said one or more first access points (110); Each first access point (110) is configured to: - receiving said signal (151) from said terminal (150); - receiving said data (191) from said network device (190); - performing channel estimation based on said received signal (151) and said data (191).

8. The system (100) according to claim 7, wherein The processed form (121) of the signal (151) includes one or more of a decoded message in the signal, a demodulated form of the signal, a compressed form of the signal, a digital representation of a baseband representation of the signal, a probabilistic representation of the baseband representation of the signal, and a probabilistic representation of the message included in the signal.

9. The system (100) according to claim 7 or 8, wherein: Each first access point (110) is further configured to perform sensing according to a result of the channel estimation.

10. The system (100) according to claim 7 or 8, wherein Each first access point (110) is further configured to send the channel estimation result (111) to the network device (190), and the network device (190) is further configured to: - receiving one or more results (111) of the channel estimation from the one or more first access points (110); - performing sensing based on said one or more results (111) of said channel estimation.

11. The system (100) according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein: At least a portion of the one or more second access points (120) is also configured to function as a portion of the one or more first access points (110).

12. The system (100) according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein: Each second access point (120) is configured to pre-process the received signal (151) and send the pre-processed signal (121) to the network device, and the network device is configured to obtain the data (191) by receiving the pre-processed signal (121) from the one or more second access points (120).

13. The system (100) according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein: The network device (190) is used to obtain the data (191) in the following manner: receiving the signal or the pre-processed signal (121) from each second access point (120); The payload is decoded from the signal or the pre-processed signal (121) to obtain the data (191).

14. The system (100) according to any one of claims 7 to 13, wherein: The result of the channel estimation includes channel response information.

15. The system (100) according to any one of claims 7 to 14, wherein: In order to send the data (191) to the one or more first access points (110), the network device (190) is configured to send at least a portion of the data (191) to the one or more first access points (110) according to one or more of the sensing requirements, traffic information, and memory constraints of the one or more first access points (110).

16. A method comprising: The first access point receives (503) a signal from the terminal; The first access point receives (504) data from a network device, wherein the data corresponds to a processed form of the signal; The first access point performs (505) channel estimation based on the acquired signal and the data.

17. A method comprising: The network device acquires (501) data, wherein the data corresponds to a processed form of a signal sent by a terminal and received by one or more second access points for communication; The network device sends (502) the data to one or more first access points for sensing.

18. A method (500) comprising: The network device acquires (501) data, wherein the data corresponds to a processed form of a signal sent by a terminal and received by one or more second access points for communication; The network device sends (502) the data to one or more first access points for sensing; Each first access point receives (503) the signal from the terminal; Each first access point receives (504) the data from the network device; Each first access point performs (505) channel estimation based on the acquired signal and the data.

19. A computer program comprising instructions, wherein When the program is executed by a first computer, the instructions cause the first computer to perform the method according to claim 16 .

20. A computer program comprising instructions, wherein When the program is executed by a second computer, the instructions cause the second computer to perform the method according to claim 17 .

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