Sensing method and apparatus

Abstract

This application provides a sensing method and apparatus, relating to the field of communication sensing technology. The method includes: a first communication device sending description information of a sensing task to discover communication devices supporting the execution of the sensing task; determining at least one second communication device supporting the execution of the sensing task from among the discovered at least one communication device based on capability information of the at least one discovered communication device; and establishing an intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device; establishing a communication link between the first communication device and some or all of the at least one second communication device to facilitate the transmission of sensing information for the sensing task. Thus, the first communication device subsequently determines the sensing result based on the sensing information acquired when the at least one second communication device performs the sensing task, which is beneficial for improving sensing accuracy when the sensing capabilities of the terminal device are limited, and helps to meet the requirements of the sensing task.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication sensing technology, and in particular to a sensing method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] In an integrated communication and sensing scenario, the transmitting end can send sensing signals in a specific direction. These signals are reflected by the sensing target and received by the responding end. The responding end can process the received signals to obtain information such as the position, speed, and type of the sensing target.

[0003] Currently, terminal devices can act as transmitters to send sensing signals and perform sensing tasks. However, in some scenarios, the sensing capabilities of terminal devices are limited, which can lead to sensing accuracy failing to meet the requirements of the sensing task.

[0004] For example, in scenarios where there are many obstacles obstructing the view between the terminal device and the target, the sensing signal is easily blocked or multipath interference occurs, resulting in insufficient sensing accuracy to meet the requirements of the sensing task. When the distance between the terminal device and the target is large, exceeding the terminal device's sensing radius, signal propagation loss weakens the echo intensity, leading to insufficient sensing accuracy. In scenarios where there is only one terminal device within the cell, without other terminal devices to assist in extending the coverage area, the sensing accuracy also fails to meet the requirements of the sensing task. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a sensing method and apparatus that can improve the sensing accuracy of terminal devices when their sensing capabilities are limited.

[0006] Firstly, a sensing method is provided, which can be applied to a first communication device. The first communication device can be a terminal device, a module within the terminal device, or a circuit or chip within the terminal device (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip). The following description uses the first communication device as an example.

[0007] The method includes: sending description information of a sensing task; determining at least one second communication device that supports the execution of the sensing task from at least one communication device based on capability information of at least one communication device, and an intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device; establishing a communication link between the first communication device and some or all of the at least one second communication device, the communication link being used to transmit sensing information of the sensing task.

[0008] Based on the sensing method provided in the embodiments of this application, the first communication device determines at least one second communication device that supports the execution of the sensing task from at least one communication device, and the intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device, and establishes a communication link between the first communication device and some or all of the at least one second communication device. This is beneficial for subsequently using at least one second communication device that supports the execution of the sensing task to perform the sensing task, and can improve the sensing accuracy when the sensing capability of the terminal device is limited, thereby meeting the requirements of the sensing task.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the descriptive information of the aforementioned sensing task includes attribute information of the sensing task and / or attribute information of the sensing target of the sensing task. Thus, the first communication device sending the attribute information of the sensing task and / or the attribute information of the sensing target of the sensing task facilitates the first communication device's accurate discovery of communication devices supporting the sensing task.

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the attribute information of the aforementioned perception task includes the priority information of the perception task and / or the confidence information of the perception task.

[0011] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the attribute information of the aforementioned sensing target includes one or more of the following: the type of the sensing target, the size of the sensing target, the spatial range of the sensing target, or an estimate of the dynamics of the sensing target. This facilitates the first communication device in accurately identifying communication devices that support sensing the sensing target, and thus determining whether a communication device supports performing the sensing task.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the aforementioned capability information includes whether the device possesses the capability to perform a sensing task, and / or whether it possesses relay capability. This facilitates the first communication device in identifying at least one second communication device that supports the performance of the sensing task, and an intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device.

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving capability information of at least one third communication device; receiving first information of some or all of the at least one third communication device, the first information indicating capability information of at least one fourth communication device, wherein some or all of the third communication devices have relay capabilities; and determining capability information of at least one communication device based on the capability information of at least one third communication device and the first information of some or all of the third communication devices, wherein the at least one communication device includes at least one third communication device and at least one fourth communication device. Thus, based on the capability information of at least one third communication device and the first information, the first communication device can determine the capability information of at least one communication device, which is beneficial for subsequently determining the second communication device and the intermediate node for data transmission with the second communication device.

[0014] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes, before receiving the first information from some or all of the third communication devices, sending second information to some or all of the third communication devices, the second information indicating one or more of the following: the third communication device is a relay detection device, the return path of the first information, the time-frequency resources for discovering the fourth communication device, or the parameters for discovering the fourth communication device.

[0015] In this way, the first communication device sends the second information to some or all of the third communication devices so as to instruct some or all of the fourth communication devices to discover other communication devices, which is beneficial to obtaining the capability information of the fourth communication devices.

[0016] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the parameters for discovering the fourth communication device include one or more of the following: the remaining detectable hop count, the identifier of the already discovered communication device, or an upper limit on the number of communication devices that can be discovered in the next hop. Thus, by sending the parameters for discovering the fourth communication device to some or all of the third communication devices, the first communication device can constrain the behavior of some or all of the third communication devices in discovering other communication devices, which is beneficial for obtaining information about the desired communication devices.

[0017] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving third information from at least one third communication device, the third information indicating the location of the third communication device and / or the link quality between the third communication device and the first communication device; and determining the third communication device as a communication device among at least one communication device when the location of the third communication device is in a first region and / or the link quality between the third communication device and the first communication device reaches a first quality threshold.

[0018] In this way, before determining the second communication device and intermediate node to perform the sensing task, the first communication device filters based on the location and / or link quality of the communication device, which helps to improve the sensing accuracy of the first communication device and / or improve the stability of the sensing information transmission.

[0019] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: if no third information is received within a first time period, transmitting a description of the sensing task via a first power and / or on a first time-frequency resource, wherein the third information is used to indicate the location of the third communication device and / or the link quality between the third communication device and the first communication device, the first power is greater than the power of the last transmission of the description of the sensing task, and the first time-frequency resource is greater than the time-frequency resource used for the last transmission of the description of the sensing task.

[0020] Thus, increasing the power of transmitting descriptive information for the sensing task, and / or increasing the resources for transmitting descriptive information for the sensing task, is beneficial to increasing the probability of receiving third information.

[0021] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: monitoring third information within a second duration, where the second duration is longer than the first duration. This increases the duration of the monitoring window, which helps to improve the probability of receiving the third information.

[0022] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the above-mentioned determination of at least one second communication device supporting the execution of a sensing task from at least one communication device based on the capability information of at least one communication device, and intermediate nodes for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device, includes: determining at least one second communication device supporting the execution of a sensing task from at least one communication device based on the capability information of at least one communication device and the sensing confidence level of at least one communication device, and intermediate nodes for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device.

[0023] In this way, when the first communication device determines at least one second communication device that supports the execution of the sensing task, and the intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device, measuring the capability information and sensing confidence of the communication device helps to more accurately determine at least one second communication device that supports the execution of the sensing task, and the intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device.

[0024] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, at least one communication device includes a third communication device; the method further includes: sending fourth information to the third communication device, the fourth information being used to indicate waveform characteristics of the sensing signal and / or a first duration, the first duration being used to detect the echo of the sensing signal; sending the sensing signal to the sensing target of the sensing task; and receiving the sensing confidence level of the third communication device.

[0025] In this way, the first communication device can directly obtain the perception confidence of the third communication device without having to calculate the perception confidence of the third communication device, which helps to save computational costs.

[0026] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, at least one communication device includes a third communication device; the method further includes: sending information to the third communication device to indicate the echo of the reported sensing signal; sending the sensing signal to the sensing target of the sensing task; receiving the echo of the sensing signal; and determining the sensing confidence level of the third communication device based on the sensing signal and the echo of the sensing signal. Thus, the first communication device determines the sensing confidence level of the third communication device, resulting in higher autonomy and initiative.

[0027] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second communication device has the ability to support the sensing task, and the sensing confidence of the second communication device is greater than or equal to the first confidence threshold; the intermediate node does not have the ability to support the sensing task, but has the relay capability, or the intermediate node has the ability to support the sensing task and has the relay capability, but the sensing confidence of the intermediate node is less than the first confidence threshold.

[0028] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, establishing a communication link between the first communication device and some or all of the at least one second communication device includes: establishing a communication link between the first communication device and some or all of the at least one second communication device when the communication link between the first communication device and some or all of the at least one second communication device satisfies one or more of the following conditions: the sensing gain is greater than or equal to a gain threshold, the sensing confidence is greater than or equal to a second confidence threshold, the transmission delay of the sensing information is less than or equal to a delay threshold, the number of hops in the transmission of the sensing information is less than or equal to a hop count threshold, the time-frequency resources required for the transmission of the sensing information are less than or equal to a resource threshold, or the coverage area is within a preset range.

[0029] In this way, when the second communication device assists the first communication device in sensing, it is beneficial to improve the sensing accuracy of the first communication device and / or the transmission delay of sensing information.

[0030] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the communication links between the first communication device and some or all of the at least one second communication device satisfy the following conditions: the structural difference between different communication links is greater than or equal to a structural difference threshold, and / or, the path difference between different communication links is greater than or equal to a path difference threshold. This results in a larger difference between different communication links, which is beneficial for enhancing multi-view observation capabilities.

[0031] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, some or all of the second communication devices are located at different orientations of the sensing target of the sensing task. Thus, the different second communication devices in the established communication link are located at different orientations of the sensing target of the sensing task, which is beneficial for enhancing multi-view observation capabilities.

[0032] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device includes a fifth communication device; the aforementioned establishment of a communication link between the first communication device and at least some or all of the second communication devices includes: sending fifth information to the fifth communication device, the fifth information indicating the position and role of the fifth communication device in the communication link between the second communication device and the first communication device, the identifier of the next-hop communication device, and the feedback path of the sensed information. This facilitates the establishment of a communication link between the first communication device and the fifth communication device.

[0033] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the aforementioned fifth information is also used to indicate one or more of the following: the identifier of the intermediate node and the identifier of the second communication device, the maximum number of hops in the communication link between the second communication device and the first communication device, or the identifier of the communication link between the second communication device and the first communication device.

[0034] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving sixth information, the sixth information being used to instruct the fifth communication device to accept the fifth information. Thus, the first communication device can determine, based on the sixth information, that communication between the first communication device and the fifth communication device has been successfully established.

[0035] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the aforementioned sixth information includes one or more of the following: accepting the location and role of the fifth communication device in the communication link between the second communication device and the first communication device, and being ready to send configuration to the next-hop communication device.

[0036] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving a seventh message, the seventh message being used to instruct the fifth communication device to refuse to accept the fifth message; and determining, based on the seventh message, information indicating a link establishment failure, the link establishment failure information including one or more of the following: the reason for the failure to establish the communication link, the number of hops of the fifth communication device in the failed communication link, the role of the fifth communication device in the failed communication link, or, the identifier of the failed communication link.

[0037] This helps the first communication device determine if the link establishment has failed, and thus determine whether reconfiguration is needed.

[0038] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the sensing information of the sensing task transmitted in the communication link is used to determine the sensing result of the sensing task. The sensing result includes the type of the sensing target of the sensing task and / or the confidence level of the detection of the sensing target. This is beneficial for realizing the sensing task.

[0039] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the sensing information of the sensing task transmitted in the communication link is also used to determine the effective duration of the sensing result. This is beneficial for determining the reliability of the sensing result.

[0040] Secondly, a communication device is provided for performing the method in any of the possible implementations of the above aspects.

[0041] In one design, the communication device may include modules that perform the methods / operations / steps / actions described in any of the above aspects. These modules may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0042] In another design, the communication device is a communication chip, which may include input circuits or interfaces for transmitting information or data, and output circuits or interfaces for receiving information or data.

[0043] In another design, the communication device is a first communication device, which may include a transmitter for sending information or data and a receiver for receiving information or data.

[0044] In another design, the communication device is used to perform the method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects, and the device may be configured in the first communication device.

[0045] Thirdly, a communication device is provided, including a processor coupled to a memory for executing instructions in the memory to implement the methods in any of the possible implementations of the foregoing aspects. Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface, to which the processor is coupled.

[0046] In one implementation, the aforementioned communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0047] Fourthly, a processor is provided, comprising: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is used to receive signals through the input circuit and transmit signals through the output circuit, causing the processor to execute the method in any possible implementation of the above aspects.

[0048] In the specific implementation process, the processor can be a chip, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the processing circuit can be a transistor, gate circuit, flip-flop, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example, but not limited to, a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit can be output to, for example, but not limited to, a transmitter and transmitted by the transmitter. Furthermore, the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0049] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, including a processor. The processor can receive signals via a receiver and transmit signals via a transmitter to execute the methods in any of the possible implementations of the above aspects. The communication device may have one or more processors.

[0050] Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory. The processor can be used to read instructions stored in the memory and can receive signals via a receiver and transmit signals via a transmitter to execute the methods in any of the possible implementations of the above aspects. The memory may consist of one or more units.

[0051] Alternatively, the memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory can be set up separately from the processor.

[0052] In the specific implementation process, the memory can be a non-transitory memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), which can be integrated with the processor on the same chip or set on different chips. This application does not limit the type of memory or the way the memory and processor are set.

[0053] It should be understood that the relevant data interaction process, such as sending instruction information, can be a process of outputting instruction information from the processor, and receiving capability information can be a process of the processor receiving input capability information. Specifically, the processed output data can be output to the transmitter, and the input data received by the processor can come from the receiver. Here, the transmitter and receiver can be collectively referred to as transceivers.

[0054] The communication device in the fifth aspect above can be a chip. The processor can be implemented in hardware or software. When implemented in hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, integrated circuit, etc. When implemented in software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor that reads software code stored in memory. The memory can be integrated into the processor or located outside the processor and exist independently.

[0055] In a sixth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run, causes a computer to perform a method in any of the possible implementations of the above aspects.

[0056] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods in any of the possible implementations of the foregoing aspects.

[0057] It should be understood that the second to seventh aspects of the embodiments of this application correspond to the technical solutions of the first aspect of this application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation are similar, and will not be described again. Attached Figure Description

[0058] Figure 1 These are schematic diagrams illustrating different sensing modes applicable to the embodiments of this application;

[0059] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of this application;

[0060] Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart of a sensing method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0061] Figures 4 to 8 This is a schematic interactive diagram of the perception method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0062] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of another communication system to which the embodiments of this application are applicable;

[0063] Figures 10 to 14 This is a schematic interactive diagram of the perception method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0064] Figure 15 and Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0065] To facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the following explanation is provided first:

[0066] First, in the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used to distinguish identical or similar items with substantially the same function and effect. For example, "first communication device" and "second communication device" are used only to distinguish different communication devices and do not limit their order. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and that "first" and "second" do not necessarily imply that they are different.

[0067] Second, in the embodiments of this application, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that they are examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design options. Specifically, the use of the words "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0068] Third, in the embodiments of this application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, a--c, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0069] In the embodiments of this application, the terminal equipment may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), station, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user device, etc.

[0070] Terminal devices can be devices that provide voice / data connectivity to users, such as handheld devices with wireless connectivity, in-vehicle devices, etc. Currently, examples of terminal devices include: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals with cloud gaming capabilities, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to wireless modems, in-vehicle devices, wearable devices, and 5G (5th generation) wireless communication devices. The embodiments of this application are not limited to terminal devices in 5G networks or terminal devices in future public land mobile networks (PLMNs).

[0071] Network devices can include access network devices and core network devices. Access network devices are radio access network (RAN) nodes (or devices) that connect terminal devices to the wireless network. For ease of description, the following explanation uses an RAN node as an example.

[0072] In one possible scenario, a RAN node can be a base station, a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in 5G, or a base station in future mobile communication systems. A RAN node can be a macro base station, a micro base station or indoor station, a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. A RAN node can also be a device that functions as a base station in device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, drone communication, or machine-to-machine (M2M) communication. Optionally, a RAN node can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology, the RAN node can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0073] In different systems, RAN nodes may have different names. For example, in an O-RAN system, a CU can be called an open CU (O-CU), a DU can be called an open DU (O-DU), and a RU can be called an open RU (O-RU).

[0074] Core network equipment is a collective term for various functional entities used to manage users, data transmission, and access network equipment configuration. Core network equipment may include one or more network elements. For example, in a 5G system, core network equipment may include access and mobility management functions (AMF), user plane functions (UPF), session management functions (SMF), and unified data management (UDM), etc.

[0075] Integrated communication and sensing technology is one of the technologies that can expand the service capabilities of mobile communication networks. The core idea of ​​this technology is to add sensing capabilities to the mobile communication network, building the ability to detect and image targets, thereby integrating communication and sensing capabilities into a single network, achieving harmonious coexistence, and even mutual benefit.

[0076] The technical principles of sensing differ somewhat from those of communication. In communication, the transmitting end modulates information onto radio waves and sends it to the receiving end, which then demodulates the signal to obtain the information. Sensing, however, requires the transmitting end to send radio waves in a specific direction. When these radio waves strike a target surface, they are reflected, and the receiving end receives and processes these reflected waves to obtain information such as the target's position, speed, and type.

[0077] Sensing can generally be divided into two modes: single-site sensing and dual-site sensing. In single-site sensing, the transmitting and receiving ends of the sensing signal are the same device. From the signal flow perspective, the sensing station both transmits and receives the signal reflected from the target surface; therefore, single-site sensing is also called the self-transmitting and self-receiving mode. In dual-site sensing, the transmitting and receiving ends of the sensing signal are two different devices. From the signal flow perspective, after sensing station A transmits the sensing signal, the signal reflected from the target surface is received by sensing station B; therefore, dual-site sensing is also called the A-transmitting and B-receiving mode.

[0078] In the integrated communication and sensing scenario, the following six sub-scenarios can be included from the perspective of sensing modes. Figure 1 A schematic diagram of different perception modes is shown. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the perceived target is a vehicle, but the perceived target in this embodiment is not limited to a vehicle. It can also be a low-altitude drone, a pedestrian, or other moving or stationary objects. The perceived target can also be a terminal device with communication functions.

[0079] like Figure 1 As shown in 'a', the network device needs to both send and receive sensing signals reflected from the target surface, which is a self-transmitting and self-receiving mechanism of the network device. Figure 1 As shown in b, the terminal device needs to both send and receive sensing signals reflected from the target surface, which is a self-transmitting and self-receiving mechanism for the terminal device. Figure 1 As shown in c, after network device 1 sends a sensing signal, the signal reflected from the target surface is received by network device 2, which is the transmission from network device 1 and reception from network device 2. Figure 1 As shown in d, after terminal device 1 sends a sensing signal, the signal reflected from the target surface is received by terminal device 2, which is the transmission from terminal device 1 and reception from terminal device 2. Figure 1 As shown in 'e', ​​after the network device sends a sensing signal, the signal reflected from the target surface is received by the terminal device; this is the process of the network device sending and the terminal device receiving. For example... Figure 1 As shown in f, after the terminal device sends a sensing signal, the signal reflected on the target surface is received by the network device, which is the signal sent by the terminal device and received by the network device.

[0080] This application focuses on scenarios where a terminal device sends sensing signals and performs sensing tasks. Before introducing the applicable scenarios of this application, the terminology used in this application will be explained.

[0081] 1. Perceived target: refers to the object being perceived, such as objects in an image, sound sources in a sound, and events in the environment.

[0082] 2. Types of perceived targets: Classification of perceived targets, such as pedestrians, vehicles, and animals.

[0083] 3. Size of the perceived target: refers to the physical size characteristics of the perceived target, which can be quantified by dimensions such as length, width, height, area or volume.

[0084] 4. Spatial range of the perceived target: refers to the spatial range with boundaries to which the physical location of the perceived target belongs, which can be defined by coordinates (such as the bounding box in a two-dimensional image or the coordinate range in three-dimensional space).

[0085] 5. Dynamic estimation of the perceived target: This refers to the inference of the motion state of the perceived target. The dynamic estimation of the perceived target can be a high-precision estimate, such as the speed, acceleration, and trajectory trend, or it can be a coarse estimate, such as whether it is in motion (i.e., static and dynamic), and the intensity level of motion (slow, slow, fast, relatively fast, etc.).

[0086] 6. Structural differences between different communication links: refers to the degree of difference in the connection relationships between nodes and the number of nodes in different communication links.

[0087] 7. Path difference between different communication links: This refers to the overlap rate of nodes in different communication links. The higher the node overlap rate, the smaller the path difference; conversely, the lower the node overlap rate, the greater the path difference.

[0088] 8. Coverage of the communication link: The geographical or spatial range formed by the signal transmission between the sending end and the receiving end.

[0089] Currently, in some scenarios, the sensing capabilities of terminal devices are limited, which can lead to sensing accuracy failing to meet the requirements of sensing tasks.

[0090] For example, in scenarios where there are many obstacles obstructing the view between the terminal device and the target, the sensing signal is easily blocked or multipath interference occurs, resulting in insufficient sensing accuracy to meet the requirements of the sensing task. When the distance between the terminal device and the target is large, exceeding the terminal device's sensing radius, signal propagation loss weakens the echo intensity, leading to insufficient sensing accuracy. In scenarios where there is only one terminal device within the cell, without other terminal devices to assist in extending the coverage area, the sensing accuracy also fails to meet the requirements of the sensing task.

[0091] To better understand the scenarios to which the embodiments of this application are applicable, a specific scenario will be described below.

[0092] For example, Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a communication system to which an embodiment of this application applies is shown. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the communication system includes terminal device 210, terminal device 220, terminal device 230, access network device 240, core network device 250, and sensing target 260. Terminal device 210 is within the coverage area of ​​access network device 240, while terminal devices 220 and 230 are outside the coverage area of ​​access network device 240. Other terminal devices may also be included outside the coverage area of ​​access network device 240; this embodiment does not limit this. Terminal device 210 can access the network through access network device 240 and communicate with core network device 250 through access network device 240.

[0093] exist Figure 2 In the communication system shown, the terminal device 210 senses the sensing target 260 through a self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing method, or by transmitting through the terminal device 210 and receiving through the access network device 240.

[0094] In this situation, if the sensing capability of terminal device 210 cannot meet the requirements of the sensing task, since there are no other terminal devices within the coverage area of ​​access network device 240, access network device 240 cannot configure other terminal devices to assist terminal device 210 in sensing. Therefore, the sensing accuracy will not meet the requirements of the sensing task.

[0095] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a sensing method in which a first communication device (e.g., the terminal device 210 described above) sends description information of a sensing task to discover other communication devices (e.g., the terminal devices 220 and 230 described above) that support the execution of the sensing task. Based on the capability information of the discovered at least one communication device, at least one second communication device that supports the execution of the sensing task is determined from the at least one communication device, and an intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device is identified. A communication link is established between the first communication device and some or all of the at least one second communication device to facilitate the transmission of sensing information of the sensing task. In this way, the first communication device discovers and utilizes at least one second communication device that supports the execution of the sensing task to perform the sensing task, which is beneficial to improving sensing accuracy when the sensing capability of the terminal device is limited, and is beneficial to meeting the requirements of the sensing task.

[0096] The sensing method provided in this application can be applied to one or more of the following scenarios: urban corners, traffic safety at tunnel entrances, indoor / post-disaster search and rescue (scenarios without public network or with public network congestion), railway, pipeline or port infrastructure inspection, industrial parks, or warehouse blind spot sensing.

[0097] To better understand the embodiments of this application, the following is in conjunction with... Figures 3 to 14 The methods provided in the embodiments of this application are described in detail. The embodiments shown in this application illustrate the methods provided in the embodiments of this application from the perspective of device interaction. The specific forms and quantities of the devices shown are merely examples and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation of the methods provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0098] The method of this application embodiment will be described in detail below, taking the first communication device as the execution subject.

[0099] It should be understood that the first communication device may be the first communication device itself, or a chip, chip system or processor that supports the first communication device in implementing the methods provided in the embodiments of this application, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the first communication device.

[0100] For example, Figure 3 A schematic flowchart illustrating a sensing method provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. This method can be applied to the above-mentioned... Figure 2 The communication system shown is not limited to this embodiment. Figure 3 As shown, the method may include the following steps:

[0101] S301, The first communication device sends description information of the sensing task.

[0102] The description information of the sensing task is used to describe the sensing task so that other communication devices (i.e., the communication devices that receive the description information of the sensing task) can determine whether they support executing the sensing task based on the description information. The first communication device sending the description information of the sensing task helps to discover communication devices that support the sensing task, and then utilize the communication devices that support the sensing task for collaborative sensing.

[0103] Optionally, the descriptive information of the perception task includes the attribute information of the perception task and / or the attribute information of the perception target of the perception task.

[0104] In one example, the first communication device broadcasts attribute information of the sensing task so that other communication devices can determine whether they support performing the sensing task based on this attribute information. This helps the first communication device accurately discover communication devices that support the sensing task.

[0105] In one example, the first communication device broadcasts attribute information of the sensing target for the sensing task, so that other communication devices can determine whether they support sensing the target and, consequently, whether they support executing the sensing task based on the attribute information. This helps the first communication device accurately identify communication devices that support the sensing task.

[0106] In some examples, the first communication device broadcasts attribute information of the sensing task and attribute information of the sensing target, so that other communication devices can determine whether they support performing the sensing task based on these attributes. In this way, broadcasting the attribute information of the sensing task and the sensing target by the first communication device helps to more accurately identify communication devices that support the sensing task.

[0107] Optionally, the attribute information of the perception task may include the priority information of the perception task and / or the confidence information of the perception task.

[0108] Priority information for the sensing task describes its priority. For example, the priority information could be a priority level, such as very low, low, relatively low, medium, relatively high, high, or very high. The first communication device broadcasts the priority information of the sensing task so that other communication devices can determine whether they can execute the sensing task according to that priority. This helps the first communication device accurately discover communication devices that support the sensing task.

[0109] The confidence information of the sensing task describes the confidence requirements that the sensing task needs to meet. For example, the confidence information of the sensing task can be the minimum confidence required by the sensing task, or the confidence range that the sensing task can satisfy. The first communication device broadcasts the confidence information of the sensing task so that other communication devices can determine whether the confidence requirements of the sensing task can be met when performing the sensing task. This helps the first communication device to accurately discover communication devices that support the sensing task.

[0110] If the attribute information of the sensing task includes the priority information and / or the confidence information of the sensing task, it will help the first communication device to more accurately discover the communication device that supports the sensing task.

[0111] Optionally, the attribute information of the perceived target includes one or more of the following: the type of the perceived target, the size of the perceived target, the spatial range of the perceived target, or an estimate of the dynamics of the perceived target.

[0112] The first communication device broadcasts the type of the target to be sensed, so that other communication devices can determine whether to support sensing the target based on the type of the target and the types of targets they can support.

[0113] The first communication device broadcasts the size of the target to be sensed, so that other communication devices can determine whether to sense the target based on its size and the size of other targets they can support.

[0114] The first communication device broadcasts the spatial range of the sensing target, so that other communication devices can determine whether to support sensing the sensing target based on the spatial range of the sensing target and the spatial range that it can support sensing.

[0115] The first communication device broadcasts a dynamic estimate of the target to enable other communication devices to determine whether to support sensing the target based on the dynamic estimate and the target's motion state.

[0116] In this way, the attribute information of the perceived target includes one or more of the following: the type of the perceived target, the size of the perceived target, the spatial range of the perceived target, or the dynamic estimate of the perceived target. This helps the first communication device to accurately discover the communication device that supports the perceived target, and thus accurately determine the communication device that performs the sensing task.

[0117] Optionally, the descriptive information of the perception task can be encapsulated in a field such as targetProfile.

[0118] For example, the `targetProfile` field is used to indicate descriptive information about the sensing task, including attribute information of the sensing task and / or attribute information of the sensing target. The attribute information of the sensing task includes priority information and confidence information. The attribute information of the sensing target includes the type of the sensing target, the size of the sensing target, the spatial range of the sensing target, and an estimate of the dynamics of the sensing target.

[0119] For example, the specific way the targetProfile field indicates the descriptive information of the perception task can be shown in Table 1.

[0120] Table 1

[0121]

[0122] The first communication device can broadcast a description of the sensing task to facilitate the discovery of other communication devices that support the execution of the sensing task.

[0123] When the first communication device is a terminal device, the first communication device can transmit the description information of the sensing task through side link (SL) technology (e.g., side link technology in new radio (NR)).

[0124] S302. The first communication device determines, based on the capability information of at least one communication device, at least one second communication device that supports the execution of the sensing task, and an intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device.

[0125] At least one communication device is a communication device that responds to descriptive information of a sensing task. The first communication device can acquire capability information of the at least one communication device. This capability information reflects the capabilities of the communication device.

[0126] In some examples, capability information includes whether the device has the capability to perform sensing tasks and / or whether it has relay capabilities, so that the first communication device can determine, based on the capability information, which communication devices support performing sensing tasks and which support relaying. Relay capability can also be referred to as bidirectional forwarding capability, and this application embodiment does not limit this terminology. A communication device supporting relaying can also be referred to as a relay device or relay apparatus, and this application embodiment does not limit this terminology.

[0127] Intermediate nodes are used to forward data between the second communication device and the first communication device. The number of intermediate nodes between the second and first communication devices can be greater than or equal to 0. It is understood that if the number of intermediate nodes between the second and first communication devices is 0, it indicates a direct connection between them, i.e., direct communication. If the number of intermediate nodes between the second and first communication devices is greater than 0, it indicates an indirect connection between them.

[0128] S303, the first communication device establishes a communication link between the first communication device and some or all of the second communication devices, the communication link being used to transmit sensing information of the sensing task.

[0129] The sensing method provided in this application establishes a communication link between a first communication device and a second communication device that supports the execution of a sensing task, so that the sensing task can be executed through the second communication device, and the sensing result can be determined based on the sensing information of the sensing task by the second communication device, which is beneficial to improving the sensing accuracy of the first communication device.

[0130] Optionally, the first communication device can perform the above-mentioned actions when its sensing capabilities are limited. Figure 3 S301, as shown, is the sending of description information for the sensing task.

[0131] For example, such as Figure 3 As shown, prior to S301, the above method further includes the following steps:

[0132] S11. The first communication device determines the sensing task. The sensing task determined by the first communication device may be indicated by the network device or determined based on the service requirements of the first communication device; this embodiment does not limit this.

[0133] S12. The first communication device senses data and obtains the sensing results through a self-transmitting and self-receiving method.

[0134] S13. The first communication device determines whether the sensing result meets the accuracy requirements of the sensing task, and / or determines whether the delay of the obtained sensing result meets the delay requirements of the sensing task.

[0135] If the sensing result does not meet the accuracy requirements of the sensing task, and / or the latency of obtaining the sensing result does not meet the latency requirements of the sensing task, then S301 is executed, that is, the description information of the sensing task is sent in order to discover other communication devices that support cooperative sensing.

[0136] This is beneficial for improving the sensing accuracy of the first communication device when its sensing capabilities are limited.

[0137] It should be noted that the above-described S12 method of the first communication device sensing by self-transmission and self-reception is only one example. In some other examples, the first communication device may also sense by self-transmission and reception by other devices to obtain sensing results.

[0138] In the above Figure 3 In the method shown, the first communication device can acquire capability information of at least one communication device. The method by which the first communication device acquires capability information of at least one communication device is described below.

[0139] For example, the above Figure 3 The method may further include: a first communication device receiving capability information of at least one third communication device; the first communication device receiving first information of some or all of the at least one third communication device, the first information being used to indicate capability information of at least one fourth communication device, some or all of the third communication devices having relay capability; the first communication device determining capability information of at least one communication device based on the capability information of at least one third communication device and the first information of some or all of the third communication devices, wherein the at least one communication device includes at least one third communication device and at least one fourth communication device.

[0140] If at least one third communication device in at least one communication device communicates directly with the first communication device, then the first communication device can directly receive capability information from at least one third communication device. After receiving description information of the sensing task, the third communication device can send its own capability information to the first communication device.

[0141] If at least one fourth communication device communicates with the first communication device through some or all of the third communication devices, then the first communication device obtains the capability information of the at least one fourth communication device through some or all of the third communication devices. In other words, after obtaining the capability information of the at least one fourth communication device, the third communication device forwards it to the first communication device. The number of intermediate nodes for data transmission between the fourth and third communication devices is greater than or equal to zero.

[0142] If the number of intermediate nodes for data transmission between the fourth communication device and the third communication device is 0, the process by which the third communication device obtains the capability information of the fourth communication device may include: the third communication device sending a description of the sensing task; the fourth communication device sending its capability information to the third communication device after receiving the description of the sensing task; and the third communication device forwarding the capability information of the fourth communication device to the first communication device.

[0143] If the number of intermediate nodes for data transmission between the fourth communication device and the third communication device is greater than 0, the third communication device can obtain the capability information of the fourth communication device through the intermediate nodes between the fourth communication device and the third communication device.

[0144] This allows the first communication device to determine the capability information of at least one communication device, so as to identify the second communication device and the intermediate node for data transmission with the second communication device.

[0145] Optionally, in the above method, the first communication device may instruct some or all of the at least one third communication device to discover other communication devices in order to obtain capability information of the at least one fourth communication device.

[0146] For example, before the first communication device receives first information from some or all of the at least one third communication device, the method further includes: the first communication device sending second information to some or all of the third communication devices, the second information indicating one or more of the following: the third communication device is a relay detection device, the return path of the first information, time-frequency resources for discovering the fourth communication device, or parameters for discovering the fourth communication device. Based on the second information, some or all of the third communication devices obtain capability information of at least one fourth communication device and send the first information to the first communication device, the first information indicating the capability information of at least one fourth communication device.

[0147] The second information is used to indicate that the third communication device is a relay detection device. In other words, the second information is used to indicate that the third communication device is a relay detection device so that the third communication device can detect other communication devices.

[0148] When the second information is used to indicate that the third communication device is a relay detection device, the third communication device determines its role as a relay detection device based on the second information and sends a description of the sensing task to obtain capability information of at least one fourth communication device.

[0149] The second information is used to indicate the return path of the first information. In other words, the second information is used to instruct the third communication device to send the capability information of the discovered communication device to the first communication device.

[0150] When the second information is used to indicate the return path of the first information, the third communication device determines its role as a relay detection device based on the second information, sends a description of the sensing task to obtain the capability information of at least one fourth communication device, and sends the capability information of at least one fourth communication device to the first communication device.

[0151] The second information is used to instruct the time-frequency resources used to discover the fourth communication device; that is, the second information is used to instruct the third communication device to use the time-frequency resources to discover other communication devices.

[0152] When the second information is used to indicate the time-frequency resources for discovering the fourth communication device, the third communication device obtains the time-frequency resources based on the second information and sends description information of the sensing task on the time-frequency resources to obtain capability information of at least one fourth communication device.

[0153] The second information is used to indicate the parameters for discovering the fourth communication device; that is, the second information is used to instruct the third communication device to discover other communication devices (such as the fourth communication device) through these parameters.

[0154] When the second information is used to indicate the parameters for discovering the fourth communication device, the third communication device determines its role as a relay detection device based on the second information, and discovers other communication devices based on the parameters for discovering other communication devices, so as to obtain capability information of at least one fourth communication device.

[0155] If the second information is used to indicate that the third communication device is a relay detection device, the return path of the first information, the time and frequency resources used to discover the fourth communication device, or multiple parameters used to discover the fourth communication device, it will be more beneficial for the third communication device to determine its role as a relay detection device, discover other communication devices, and reduce the probability of false discovery.

[0156] In some examples, the aforementioned second information may be carried in the SL configuration cell of a radio resource control reconfiguration side link (RRC Reconfiguration) message.

[0157] Optionally, the parameters for discovering the fourth communication device may include one or more of the following: the remaining number of detectable hops, the identifier of the communication device that has been discovered, or an upper limit on the number of communication devices that can be discovered in the next hop.

[0158] If the parameters used to detect the fourth communication device include the remaining detectable hops, then the third communication device can detect other communication devices within the remaining detectable hops. The remaining detectable hops are greater than or equal to 1.

[0159] For example, if the remaining detectable hop count is 1, the third communication device discovers other communication devices without discovering additional communication devices through the communication devices that have relay capabilities among the discovered communication devices.

[0160] For example, if the remaining detectable hop count is greater than 1, the third communication device discovers other communication devices, and through the communication devices with relay capabilities among the discovered communication devices, it discovers additional other communication devices until the remaining detectable hop count is equal to 0.

[0161] If the parameters used to discover the fourth communication device include the identifiers of already discovered communication devices, the third communication device can discover communication devices other than these, which helps avoid the same communication device being discovered repeatedly and saves processing resources. The identifiers of already discovered communication devices can be represented in the form of a list, table, or matrix; this application embodiment does not limit this representation.

[0162] For example, the first communication device discovers communication device 1 and communication device 2, that is, it receives the capability information of communication device 1 and the capability information of communication device 2. If communication device 1 does not have relay capability, but communication device 2 does have relay capability, then the first communication device can send the identifier of communication device 1 to communication device 2, indicating that communication device 1 has been discovered and does not need to be discovered again.

[0163] If the parameters used to discover the fourth communication device include an upper limit on the number of next-hop communication devices that can be discovered, the third communication device can determine the upper limit on the number of communication devices to be discovered. If the upper limit is reached, it will not continue to discover additional communication devices through communication devices with relay capabilities among the discovered communication devices. This helps to avoid being in a state of constantly discovering other communication devices and saves power consumption.

[0164] Thus, the parameters used to discover the fourth communication device include one or more of the following: the remaining detectable hops, the identifier of the communication device that has been discovered, or the upper limit of the number of communication devices that can be discovered in the next hop, which helps the third communication device to discover the required communication device more accurately.

[0165] To better understand how the first communication device acquires capability information of at least one communication device, a specific example is provided below.

[0166] For example, Figure 4 A schematic interactive diagram of a perception method provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the method includes the above-described S301. Following S301, the method further includes the following steps:

[0167] S401. Based on the description information of the sensing task, at least one third communication device sends capability information of the third communication device to the first communication device. This capability information includes whether the device has the capability to perform the sensing task and whether it has relay capability.

[0168] S402. The first communication device determines a third communication device capable of performing a sensing task based on capability information of at least one third communication device, and determines a third communication device capable of relaying.

[0169] The first communication device identifies a third communication device capable of performing a sensing task, which can be understood as the first communication device discovering a communication device that supports performing a sensing task. The first communication device identifies a third communication device with relay capabilities so that it can subsequently instruct the third communication device to discover other communication devices that support performing sensing tasks.

[0170] exist Figure 4 The example shown uses a third communication device with relay capabilities for illustration. This third communication device with relay capabilities may also be referred to as a relay node, and this embodiment of the application does not limit this terminology.

[0171] S403, the first communication device sends second information to the third communication device, the second information being used to indicate one or more of the following: the third communication device is a relay detection device, the return path of the first information, the time and frequency resources for discovering the fourth communication device, or the parameters for discovering the fourth communication device.

[0172] The first communication device sends a second message to the third communication device, instructing the third communication device to discover other communication devices that support the performance of sensing tasks.

[0173] S404. Based on the second information, the third communication device sends a description of the sensing task to at least one fourth communication device.

[0174] The third communication device can broadcast a description of the sensing task, and at least one fourth communication device can receive the description of the sensing task.

[0175] S405. At least one fourth communication device sends capability information of the fourth communication device to the first communication device. This capability information includes whether it has the capability to perform sensing tasks and whether it has relay capabilities.

[0176] S406. The third communication device sends first information to the first communication device, the first information being used to indicate the capability information of at least one fourth communication device.

[0177] The third communication device can determine the fourth communication device capable of performing sensing tasks and the fourth communication device capable of relaying, based on the capability information of at least one fourth communication device.

[0178] S407. Based on the first information and the capability information of at least one third communication device, the first communication device can determine the capability information of at least one communication device, wherein the at least one communication device includes at least one third communication device and at least one fourth communication device.

[0179] It is understandable that S401 to S407 are in Figure 3 The actions between S301 and S302 shown are performed so that the first communication device can determine the capability information of at least one communication device.

[0180] Optionally, the second information mentioned above is also used to indicate one or more of the following: the identifier of the sensing task, the identifier of the sensing phase, and the sensing type. The identifier of the sensing task is used to distinguish different sensing tasks. The identifier of the sensing phase is used to determine whether the current phase is the discovery task phase (or simply the discovery phase), the configuration distribution phase, or the sensing task execution phase. Figure 4 In the example shown, the second information indicates that the perception phase is identified as the discovery task phase. The perception type is used to determine whether the current perception task is the multi-hop cooperative perception method provided in this application embodiment, or an existing perception method such as network device configuration. In the above... Figure 4 In the example shown, the second information indicates a multi-hop collaborative sensing mode.

[0181] In this way, the probability of confusion when the third communication device performs multiple sensing tasks is low, which is beneficial to maintaining the stability of the system.

[0182] To better understand the second piece of information, the following explanation is based on Table 2.

[0183] For example, the second information is carried in the SL configuration information element of the Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message. This information element may include multiple fields, which are used to indicate the identifier of the sensing task, the identifier of the sensing phase, the sensing type, whether the third communication device is a relay detection device, the return path of the first information, the number of next-hop communication devices supported for discovery, and the identifier of the discovered communication devices. For example, the information indicated by different fields in this information element may be as shown in Table 2.

[0184] Table 2

[0185]

[0186] The SL configuration cell of the Radio Resource Control reconfiguration message may also include other fields indicating the time-frequency resources and / or remaining detectable hops for discovering a fourth communication device, which will not be elaborated here.

[0187] Optionally, in the above Figure 4In the method shown, before the third communication device sends the description information of the sensing task to at least one fourth communication device in S404, the method may further include: S21, the third communication device sends a feedback message to the first communication device, the feedback message indicating whether the third communication device is a relay detection device and / or whether it is ready to perform detection. This helps the first communication device determine whether the third communication device can discover other communication devices supporting cooperative sensing for the relay detection device.

[0188] If the feedback message indicates that the third communication device is a relay detection device and / or is ready to perform detection, the third communication device may also execute S404 as described above. If the feedback message indicates that the third communication device is not a relay detection device, or that the third communication device can be a relay detection device but is not ready to perform detection, or that no feedback message is received within a certain period of time, the first communication device may abandon the third communication device as a relay detection device and select another communication device.

[0189] Optionally, the feedback message may also indicate one or more of the following: an identifier for the sensing task, an identifier for the sensing phase, or a sensing type. The identifier for the sensing phase is the discovery task phase, and the sensing type is a multi-hop collaborative sensing mode. This facilitates the first communication device in determining whether the third communication device has obtained one or more of the following information: the identifier for the sensing task, the identifier for the sensing phase, or the sensing type.

[0190] In some examples, the feedback message can be carried in the SL configuration cell of the radio resource control reconfiguration complete (RRC Reconfiguration Complete) message.

[0191] If the feedback message is carried in the SL configuration cell of the Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration completion message, this cell may include multiple fields. These fields are used to indicate the identifier of the sensing task, the identifier of the sensing phase, the sensing type, whether the third communication device is a relay detection device, and whether it is ready to perform detection. For example, the information indicated by different fields in this cell can be shown in Table 3.

[0192] Table 3

[0193]

[0194] The `discoveryAccepted` field indicates whether the third communication device is a relay detection device, or in other words, whether the third communication device has accepted the task of this sensing phase (i.e., discovering other communication devices). The `capabilityReady` field indicates whether the third communication device is ready to perform detection, or in other words, whether the third communication device is ready to perform the task of this sensing phase.

[0195] In the above Figure 4 In the method shown, in step S403, the first communication device sends second information to the third communication device. Prior to S403, the first communication device may also select a suitable relay node from among the third communication devices with relay capabilities, based on the link quality between the first and third communication devices and / or the location of the third communication device, to send the second information to it.

[0196] In some examples, the closer the third communication device is to the sensing target, the more suitable it is to serve as a relay node. This facilitates the discovery of communication devices more suitable for performing sensing tasks through this relay node.

[0197] In some examples, the higher the link quality between the third communication device and the first communication device, the more suitable it is as a relay node. This helps improve data transmission efficiency and reduce latency in performing sensing tasks.

[0198] In some examples, the first communication device comprehensively evaluates the third communication device based on its location and the link quality between the third communication device and the first communication device, and selects the communication device with the highest evaluation or the highest ranking as the relay node.

[0199] For example, the location of the third communication device corresponds to weight 1, the link quality between the third communication device and the first communication device corresponds to weight 2, and the sum of weight 1 and weight 2 is 1. The third communication device is scored according to its location, weight 1, link quality between the third communication device and the first communication device, and weight 2. The scores are then sorted, and the communication device with the highest score or the highest score is selected as the relay node.

[0200] This approach facilitates the discovery of communication devices more suitable for performing sensing tasks through the relay node, while also improving data transmission efficiency and reducing latency in performing sensing tasks.

[0201] In the above Figure 3In the method shown, in step S302, based on the capability information of at least one communication device, the first communication device determines at least one second communication device that supports the sensing task, and an intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device. Prior to step S302, the first communication device needs to determine at least one communication device. The method by which the first communication device determines at least one communication device is described below.

[0202] For example, Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a sensing method provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. Figure 5 As shown, the method includes the above-described S301. Following S301, the method further includes the following steps:

[0203] S501. Based on the description information of the sensing task, at least one third communication device sends third information to the first communication device, the third information being used to indicate the location of the third communication device and / or the link quality between the third communication device and the first communication device.

[0204] After receiving the description information of the sensing task, the third communication device can determine whether it supports executing the sensing task. If it supports executing the sensing task, it sends third information to the first communication device so that the first communication device can determine whether it should use it for collaborative sensing.

[0205] In some examples, if the description of the sensing task is carried in a sidelink discovery (SL-Discovery) message, then the third information can be carried in a sidelink discovery response (SL-Discovery Response) message.

[0206] If the description information of the sensing task is carried in the sidelink discovery message, then one or more fields in the sidelink discovery message can be used to indicate the description information of the sensing task. The description information of the sensing task includes the attribute information of the sensing task and / or the attribute information of the sensing target.

[0207] Optionally, while sending the description information of the sensing task, the first communication device may also instruct the communication device receiving the description information of the sensing task to return a response message and / or a sensing type. The sensing type can be multi-hop cooperative sensing.

[0208] Optionally, the first communication device may also indicate information that should be included in the response message, such as location and link quality.

[0209] If the first communication device sends a sidelink discovery message, and this sidelink discovery message includes sensing type, sensing task description information, information 1, and information 2, where information 1 is used to indicate that the communication device receiving the sensing task description information needs to return a response message, and information 2 is used to indicate the information that should be included in the response message, then the sidelink discovery message may include multiple fields, which are used to respectively indicate the information included in the sidelink discovery message. For example, the information indicated by different fields in the sidelink discovery message can be as shown in Table 4.

[0210] Table 4

[0211]

[0212] If the third information is carried in the sidelink discovery response message, one or more fields in the sidelink discovery response message can be used to indicate the third information.

[0213] Optionally, the aforementioned third information may also be used to indicate the sensing type and / or the identifier of the third communication device.

[0214] The third information and the capability information of the aforementioned third communication device can be carried in the same message (e.g., a sidelink discovery response message).

[0215] If the first communication device sends a sidelink discovery response message, and this sidelink discovery response message includes the sensing type, the identifier of the third communication device, the location of the third communication device, the link quality between the third communication device and the first communication device, and the capability information of the third communication device, then the sidelink discovery response message may include multiple fields. These multiple fields are used to indicate the information included in the sidelink discovery response message respectively. For example, the information indicated by different fields in the sidelink discovery response message can be as shown in Table 5.

[0216] Table 5

[0217]

[0218] In some examples, if the first communication device broadcasts a description of the sensing task via a protocol format (e.g., PC5-S) of a proximity communication interface (PC5), then the third communication device sends third information to the first communication device via PC5-S unicast.

[0219] S502. When the location of the third communication device is in the first area, and / or the link quality between the third communication device and the first communication device reaches a first quality threshold, the first communication device determines that the third communication device is a communication device among at least one communication device.

[0220] The first region can be determined based on the location of the target being sensed. The fact that the third communication device is located in the first region indicates that the third communication device is relatively close to the target being sensed. If the third communication device is used for collaborative sensing, it will help improve the sensing accuracy of the first communication device.

[0221] The link quality between the third communication device and the first communication device reaches the first quality threshold, indicating that the link quality is relatively good, which is beneficial for ensuring data transmission. Utilizing the third communication device for collaborative sensing will improve the stability of sensing information transmission.

[0222] When the third communication device is located in the first area, and / or the link quality between the third communication device and the first communication device reaches a first quality threshold, the first communication device determines that the third communication device is a communication device among at least one communication device, and determines it as a communication device or relay device supporting the sensing task based on the capability information of the third communication device. That is, S501 and S502 are executed before S301 and S302, or in other words, S501 and S502 are executed before S402.

[0223] In this way, screening by the location and / or link quality of the communication devices before determining the second communication device and intermediate node to perform the sensing task is beneficial to improving the sensing accuracy of the first communication device and / or improving the stability of the sensing information transmission.

[0224] In the above Figure 5 In the example shown, before at least one third communication device receives the description information of the sensing task, at least one third communication device can complete time-frequency synchronization with the first communication device so that at least one third communication device can receive the information broadcast by the first communication device on the correct time-frequency resources, which helps to avoid the probability of signal demodulation errors caused by time-frequency deviation.

[0225] For example, such as Figure 5 As shown, prior to S301, the method may further include the following steps:

[0226] S31. The first communication device and at least one third communication device complete SL pre-configuration so that the first communication device and at least one third communication device can use SL technology.

[0227] S32, At least one third communication device monitors SL broadcasts.

[0228] After at least one third communication device completes SL pre-configuration, it can monitor SL broadcasts. It is understood that after the first communication device completes SL pre-configuration, it can also monitor SL broadcasts. This application embodiment uses at least one third communication device as an example for illustration.

[0229] S33. At least one third communication device detects the sidelink synchronization signal (SLSS) and master information block sidelink (SL) signaling.

[0230] After determining the description information of the sensing task, the first communication device can send SLSS signaling and main information block SL signaling so that the communication device monitoring the SL broadcast can achieve time-frequency synchronization with it.

[0231] S34. At least one third communication device completes time-frequency synchronization based on SLSS signaling and main information block SL signaling.

[0232] In this way, after at least one third communication device can achieve time-frequency synchronization with the first communication device, the at least one third communication device can receive the information broadcast by the first communication device on the correct time-frequency resources, which helps to avoid the probability of signal demodulation errors caused by time-frequency deviation.

[0233] In the above Figure 5 In the example shown, the first communication device can receive third information sent by the third communication device. If no response is received within a certain period of time, the discovery is determined to have failed, and it can be rediscovered.

[0234] For example, Figure 6 A schematic interactive diagram of a perception method provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. For example... Figure 6 As shown, the method includes S31 to S34 as described above, and S301. After S301, the method further includes the following steps:

[0235] If the aforementioned third information is not received within the first time period, the first communication device executes S601, that is, it transmits the description information of the sensing task through a first power and / or on a first time-frequency resource, wherein the first power is greater than the power of the previous transmission of the description information of the sensing task (i.e., the first communication device transmits the description information of the sensing task in 301), and the first time-frequency resource is greater than the time-frequency resource used in the previous transmission of the description information of the sensing task.

[0236] The first duration can be understood as the duration of the monitoring window. The first time-frequency resource can be represented by a resource pool or a sub-channel, but this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0237] Thus, increasing the power of transmitting descriptive information for the sensing task, and / or increasing the resources for transmitting descriptive information for the sensing task, is beneficial to increasing the probability of receiving third information.

[0238] Optionally, such as Figure 6As shown, the method further includes: S602, monitoring third information within a second duration, where the second duration is longer than the first duration. This increases the duration of the monitoring window, which helps improve the probability of receiving the third information.

[0239] In this embodiment of the application, there are limitations on the number of retries and / or the preset discovery duration, which helps to avoid being in a state of constant rediscovery.

[0240] For example, in the above Figure 6 The method shown further includes, between steps S601: S41, if no third information is received within a first time period, the first communication device determines whether the retry count has been reached, and / or whether a preset time period has been reached. If the retry count has not been reached, and / or the preset detection time period has not been reached, the first communication device executes step S601 as described above.

[0241] Once the number of retries is reached, or the preset discovery time is reached, the first communication device will no longer attempt to rediscover.

[0242] Optionally, such as Figure 6 As shown, if the first communication device is a relay device, when the number of retries is reached, or the preset discovery duration is reached, the method further includes: S51, the first communication device sends an anomaly report to the sensing task initiating device. This anomaly report includes one or more of the following: the identifier of the sensing task, the total number of retries, the duration of the monitoring information (e.g., the first duration or the second duration mentioned above), and / or the transmission power (e.g., the first power mentioned above). This allows the sensing task initiating device to make a decision (e.g., not to perform a re-discovery, or to use other methods for discovery), or the sensing task initiating device forwards the anomaly report to the network device for decision-making.

[0243] In the above Figure 3 In the method shown, the first communication device can determine, based on capability information of at least one communication device, at least one second communication device supporting the performance of the sensing task, and an intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device. In some other examples, when the first communication device determines at least one second communication device supporting the performance of the sensing task, and an intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device, it may also consider the sensing confidence of at least one communication device.

[0244] For example, the first communication device in S302 described above can determine, based on the capability information of at least one communication device, at least one second communication device that supports the execution of a sensing task, and an intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device, including: the first communication device determines, based on the capability information of at least one communication device and the sensing confidence level of at least one communication device, at least one second communication device that supports the execution of a sensing task, and an intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device.

[0245] In this way, when the first communication device determines at least one second communication device that supports the execution of the sensing task, and the intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device, measuring the capability information and sensing confidence of the communication device helps to more accurately determine at least one second communication device that supports the execution of the sensing task, and the intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device.

[0246] In the above example, the first communication device can acquire the perceived confidence level of at least one communication device. The at least one communication device may include a third communication device. The following description uses the third communication device as an example to illustrate the specific implementation method of the first communication device acquiring the perceived confidence level of at least one communication device. It should be noted that the specific implementation method of the first communication device acquiring the perceived confidence level of at least one communication device is executed between S301 and S302 above.

[0247] In one possible implementation, the third communication device sends the perceived confidence level of the third communication device to the first communication device.

[0248] For example, Figure 7 A schematic interactive diagram of a perception method is shown. (For example...) Figure 7 As shown, the method may include the following steps:

[0249] S701, the first communication device sends fourth information to the third communication device, the fourth information being used to indicate the waveform characteristics of the sensing signal and / or a first duration, the first duration being used to detect the echo of the sensing signal.

[0250] S702, The first communication device sends a sensing signal to the sensing target of the sensing task.

[0251] S703. The third communication device receives the echo of the sensing signal and determines the sensing confidence level based on the waveform characteristics of the sensing signal and the waveform characteristics of the echo of the sensing signal.

[0252] If the fourth information is used to indicate the waveform characteristics of the sensed signal, then the third communication device can monitor the echo of the sensed signal based on the fourth information. Upon receiving the echo of the sensed signal, the third communication device determines the sensing confidence level based on the waveform characteristics of the sensed signal and the waveform characteristics of the echo of the sensed signal.

[0253] For example, the third communication device compares the structural matching degree between the waveform characteristics of the echo of the sensed signal and the waveform characteristics of the sensed signal, and determines the sensed confidence degree based on the structural matching degree.

[0254] For example, the third communication device determines the peak contrast of the waveform characteristics of the sensed signal and the waveform characteristics of the echo of the sensed signal, and determines the confidence level of the sensed signal based on the peak contrast.

[0255] If the fourth information is used to indicate the first duration, then according to the fourth information, the third communication device monitors the echo of the sensing signal within the first duration, and determines the waveform characteristics of the sensing signal corresponding to the first duration based on the first duration and the relationship between the duration and the waveform characteristics of the signal. If an echo of the sensing signal is received within the first duration, the third communication device determines the sensing confidence level based on the waveform characteristics of the sensing signal and the waveform characteristics of the echo of the sensing signal.

[0256] If the fourth information is used to indicate the waveform characteristics and first duration of the sensed signal, then the third communication device monitors the echo of the sensed signal within the first duration based on the fourth information. If the echo of the sensed signal is received within the first duration, the third communication device determines the sense confidence level based on the waveform characteristics of the sensed signal and the waveform characteristics of the echo of the sensed signal.

[0257] S704, The third communication device sends the perception confidence level of the third communication device to the first communication device.

[0258] In this way, the first communication device does not need to calculate the perceived confidence of the third communication device, which helps to save computational costs.

[0259] Optionally, if the third communication device does not receive an echo of the sensing signal, the third communication device may not send feedback to the first communication device, or it may send feedback to the first communication device to indicate that no echo of the sensing signal has been received. If no feedback is received from the third communication device within a certain period of time, or if feedback is received to indicate that no echo of the sensing signal has been received, the first communication device determines that the third communication device does not meet the requirements, or adjusts the parameters such as the direction or power of the aforementioned sensing signal transmission, or increases the aforementioned first period of time. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0260] In some examples, the fourth piece of information mentioned above can be carried in a custom side link echo measurement request message.

[0261] In some examples, the perceived confidence of the aforementioned third communication device can be carried in a custom side link echo measurement response message.

[0262] Optionally, the fourth information may also be used to instruct the third communication device on how to feed back the perceived confidence level. For example, the fourth information may also instruct the third communication device to feed back the perceived confidence level via PC5-S unicast. In this way, the first communication device can control how the third communication device feeds back the perceived confidence level, providing greater flexibility.

[0263] Optionally, the aforementioned fourth information is further used to indicate a confidence threshold, which is related to the perception task. The third communication device is based on the above... Figure 7 After determining the perceived confidence level using the method shown, the perceived confidence level is compared with a confidence threshold to obtain a comparison result. For example, the perceived confidence level is greater than the confidence threshold, less than the confidence threshold, or equal to the confidence threshold. The comparison result is then fed back to the first communication device. The first communication device evaluates the perceived confidence level of the third communication device based on the comparison result.

[0264] Optionally, the aforementioned fourth piece of information is also used to indicate the identifier of the perception task. In this way, in scenarios with multiple perception tasks, it is beneficial to distinguish the perception confidence under different perception tasks.

[0265] In some examples, the fourth information is carried in a custom sidelink echo measurement request message. This fourth information indicates the waveform characteristics of the sensed signal, the first duration, the identifier of the sensed task, the method by which the third communication device feeds back the sensed confidence level, and the confidence level threshold. Thus, the sidelink echo measurement request message can include multiple fields, which can respectively indicate the waveform characteristics of the sensed signal, the first duration, the method by which the third communication device feeds back the sensed confidence level, and the confidence level threshold. For example, the information indicated by different fields in the sidelink echo measurement request message can be shown in Table 6.

[0266] Table 6

[0267]

[0268] In the above Figure 7In the example shown, the third communication device in S704 sends the perception confidence level of the third communication device to the first communication device. In some other examples, the third communication device may also send one or more of the following to the first communication device: an identifier of the sensing task, the detection of an echo of the sensing signal, the structural matching degree between the waveform characteristics of the echo of the sensing signal and the waveform characteristics of the sensing signal, or the peak contrast between the waveform characteristics of the echo of the sensing signal and the waveform characteristics of the sensing signal.

[0269] The third communication device can also send the identifier of the sensing task to the first communication device. In this way, in scenarios with multiple sensing tasks, it is helpful to distinguish the sensing confidence under different sensing tasks.

[0270] The third communication device can also send an echo of the detected sensing signal to the first communication device. This helps the first communication device to determine whether the third communication device has detected the echo of the sensing signal.

[0271] The third communication device can also send to the first communication device the degree of structural matching between the waveform characteristics of the echo of the sensing signal and the waveform characteristics of the sensing signal, and / or the peak contrast between the waveform characteristics of the echo of the sensing signal and the waveform characteristics of the sensing signal. In this way, the first communication device can determine the accuracy of the sensing confidence level based on the degree of structural matching and / or the peak contrast, which is beneficial for verifying the sensing confidence level of the third communication device.

[0272] In some examples, information such as the sensing confidence level, structural matching degree, peak contrast, identification of the sensing task, and the detected echo of the sensing signal from the third communication device are carried in the side-link echo measurement response message. The side-link echo measurement response message may include multiple fields, each indicating this information. For example, the information indicated by different fields in the side-link echo measurement response message can be shown in Table 7.

[0273] Table 7

[0274]

[0275] Optionally, if the first communication device is a relay device, the first communication device may also forward the perception confidence level of the third communication device and the identifier of the first communication device to the perception task initiating device, so that the perception task initiating device can obtain the perception confidence level of the third communication device and determine the transmission path of the perception confidence level of the third communication device.

[0276] It is understandable that if there are other relay devices between the first communication device and the sensing task initiating device, the sensing initiating device can also obtain the identifiers of the other relay devices to determine the transmission path of the sensing confidence of the third communication device.

[0277] In some examples, the viaRelay field can indicate the identifier of the relay device through which the perceived confidence of the third communication device passes.

[0278] In another possible implementation, the first communication device determines the perceived confidence level of the third communication device.

[0279] For example, Figure 8 A schematic interactive diagram of a perception method is shown. (For example...) Figure 8 As shown, the method includes the following steps:

[0280] S801, The first communication device sends information to the third communication device to indicate the echo of the reported sensing signal.

[0281] S802, The first communication device sends a sensing signal to the sensing target of the sensing task.

[0282] S804, The third communication device receives the echo of the sensing signal.

[0283] S805, the third communication device sends an echo of the sensing signal to the first communication device.

[0284] S806. The first communication device determines the sensing confidence level of the third communication device based on the sensing signal and the echo of the sensing signal.

[0285] In this way, the first communication device can determine the perception confidence level of the third communication device, thus achieving greater autonomy and initiative.

[0286] The aforementioned first communication device can determine, based on the capability information and perception confidence level of at least one communication device, at least one second communication device supporting the execution of the perception task, and an intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device. The specific implementation method is described below.

[0287] The first communication device can identify communication devices that support sensing tasks and have a sensing confidence level greater than or equal to a first confidence threshold as second communication devices supporting the execution of sensing tasks. Communication devices that do not support sensing tasks but have relay capabilities, or those that support sensing tasks and have relay capabilities but have a sensing confidence level less than the first confidence threshold, can be identified as intermediate nodes. In other words, the second communication device has the capability to support sensing tasks, and its sensing confidence level is greater than or equal to the first confidence threshold; intermediate nodes do not have the capability to support sensing tasks but have relay capabilities, or intermediate nodes have the capability to support sensing tasks and have relay capabilities, but their sensing confidence level is less than the first confidence threshold.

[0288] In the above Figure 3In the method shown, S303 the first communication device establishes a communication link between the first communication device and some or all of the at least one second communication device. The prerequisites for establishing the communication link are described below.

[0289] For example, the above-described S303 method for the first communication device to establish a communication link between the first communication device and some or all of the at least one second communication device includes: the first communication device establishing a communication link between the first communication device and some or all of the at least one second communication device satisfies one or more of the following conditions:

[0290] The sensing gain is greater than or equal to the gain threshold, the sensing confidence is greater than or equal to the second confidence threshold, the transmission delay of the sensing information is less than or equal to the delay threshold, the transmission hop count of the sensing information is less than or equal to the hop count threshold, the time-frequency resources required for the transmission of the sensing information are less than or equal to the resource threshold, or the coverage area is within a preset range.

[0291] The first communication device can estimate the sensing gain of the communication link between itself and the second communication device. If the sensing gain is greater than or equal to a gain threshold, the first communication device establishes the communication link between itself and the second communication device. In this way, when the second communication device cooperates with the first communication device for sensing, it is beneficial to improve the sensing accuracy of the first communication device.

[0292] The first communication device can estimate the sensing confidence level of the communication link between the first communication device and the second communication device. If the sensing confidence level is greater than or equal to a second confidence threshold, the first communication device establishes the communication link between the first communication device and the second communication device. In this way, when the second communication device cooperates with the first communication device to perform sensing, it is beneficial to improve the sensing accuracy of the first communication device.

[0293] The first communication device can estimate the transmission delay of the sensed information on the communication link between the first and second communication devices. If the transmission delay is less than or equal to a delay threshold, the first communication device establishes a communication link between the first and second communication devices. In this way, when the second communication device cooperates with the first communication device to perform sensing, it is beneficial to reduce the delay in determining the sensing result.

[0294] The first communication device can estimate the number of hops required to transmit the sensed information on the communication link between the first and second communication devices. If the number of hops is less than or equal to a hop count threshold, the first communication device establishes a communication link between the first and second communication devices. This helps to save signaling overhead when the second communication device cooperates with the first communication device for sensing.

[0295] The first communication device can estimate the time-frequency resources required to transmit the sensed information on the communication link between the first and second communication devices. If the required time-frequency resources are less than or equal to a resource threshold, the first communication device establishes a communication link between the first and second communication devices. In this way, when the second communication device cooperates with the first communication device for sensing, it is beneficial to save resource costs.

[0296] The first communication device can estimate the coverage area of ​​the communication link between itself and the second communication device. If the coverage area is within a preset range, the first communication device establishes a communication link between itself and the second communication device. The preset range can be determined based on the location of the target being sensed. This improves sensing accuracy when the second communication device collaborates with the first communication device for sensing.

[0297] In some examples, the first communication device can estimate the sensing gain of the communication link between the first and second communication devices, the sensing confidence of the communication link between the first and second communication devices, the transmission delay of the sensing information on the communication link between the first and second communication devices, the number of hops of the sensing information on the communication link between the first and second communication devices, the time-frequency resources required for the transmission of the sensing information on the communication link between the first and second communication devices, and estimate the coverage of the communication link between the first and second communication devices. Based on this information and its corresponding weights, the communication link is scored. If the score is high, for example, greater than or equal to a scoring threshold, the first communication device establishes the communication link between the first and second communication devices. This is beneficial for meeting the requirements of the sensing task.

[0298] In the example above, whether or not a communication link is established is determined by measuring the parameters of the communication link itself. In some other examples, the first communication device may also measure the differences between different communication links to determine whether or not a communication link should be established.

[0299] For example, the communication links between the first communication device and some or all of the second communication devices satisfy the following: the structural difference between different communication links is greater than or equal to the structural difference threshold, and / or the path difference between different communication links is greater than or equal to the path difference threshold.

[0300] In other words, the first communication device can determine whether the structural difference between different communication links is greater than or equal to a structural difference threshold, and / or whether the path difference between different communication links is greater than or equal to a path difference threshold. If the structural difference between different communication links is greater than or equal to the structural difference threshold, and / or the path difference between different communication links is greater than or equal to the path difference threshold, then a communication link is established. This allows for a larger difference between different communication links, which is beneficial for enhancing multi-view observation capabilities.

[0301] In some examples, the first communication device can also measure the location of different second communication devices to determine whether to establish a communication link.

[0302] For example, the positions of different second communication devices are located at different orientations of the sensing target of the sensing task. That is, the first communication device can determine whether the positions of the second communication devices in different communication links are at different orientations of the sensing target of the sensing task, and if so, establish a communication link. In this way, the positions of different second communication devices in the established communication links are at different orientations of the sensing target of the sensing task, which is beneficial to enhancing multi-view observation capabilities.

[0303] In the above Figure 3 In the method shown, S303 the first communication device establishes a communication link between the first communication device and some or all of the at least one second communication device. The specific implementation of establishing the communication link is described below.

[0304] For example, the intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device includes a fifth communication device; the first communication device establishing a communication link between the first communication device and some or all of the at least one second communication device in S303 includes: the first communication device sending fifth information to the fifth communication device, the fifth information being used to indicate the position and role of the fifth communication device in the communication link between the second communication device and the first communication device, the identifier of the next-hop communication device, and the return path of the sensing information.

[0305] The position of the fifth communication device in the communication link between the second and first communication devices can be understood as the number of hops in the communication link between the fifth communication device and the first communication device. The fifth communication device acts as a relay device in the communication link between the second and first communication devices.

[0306] The first communication device sends the location of the fifth communication device in the communication link between the second and first communication devices to the fifth communication device, so that the fifth communication device can determine the hop count of the communication link between the second and first communication devices. The first communication device sends the role of the fifth communication device in the communication link between the second and first communication devices to the fifth communication device, so that the fifth communication device can determine the function of the communication link between the second and first communication devices. The first communication device sends the identifier of the next-hop communication device to the fifth communication device, so that the fifth communication device can determine the next-hop communication device. The first communication device sends the feedback path of the sensing information to the fifth communication device, so that the fifth communication device can determine the role of the communication link between the second and first communication devices, and then transmit the sensing information to the first communication device.

[0307] This facilitates the establishment of a communication link between the first and fifth communication devices. If the intermediate nodes for data transmission between the second and first communication devices include other communication devices, the fifth communication device can send information to these other communication devices in the manner described above, thereby establishing a communication link between the fifth communication device and other communication devices, and ultimately realizing a communication link between the first and second communication devices.

[0308] Optionally, the aforementioned fifth information is also used to indicate one or more of the following: the identifier of the intermediate node and the identifier of the second communication device, the maximum number of hops in the communication link between the second communication device and the first communication device, or the identifier of the communication link between the second communication device and the first communication device.

[0309] The fifth information is also used to indicate the identifier of the intermediate node and the identifier of the second communication device, so that the fifth communication device can determine the communication path with the second communication device. The fifth information is also used to indicate the maximum number of hops in the communication link between the second communication device and the first communication device, so that the fifth communication device can determine the number of hops required for communication with the second communication device. The fifth information is also used to indicate the identifier of the communication link between the second communication device and the first communication device, so that the fifth communication device can distinguish different communication links in a multi-communication-link scenario.

[0310] Optionally, the fifth information is also used to indicate the identifier of the sensing task, so that the fifth communication device can distinguish different sensing tasks in a multi-communication link scenario.

[0311] Optionally, the fifth information is also used to indicate the sensing type so that the fifth communication device can determine whether the sensing method is multi-hop cooperative sensing.

[0312] Optionally, the fifth information is also used to indicate the identifier of the sensing phase, so that the fifth communication device can determine that the current phase is the configuration delivery phase.

[0313] In some examples, the aforementioned fifth piece of information can be carried in the SL configuration cell of the Radio Resource Control reconfiguration message.

[0314] If the fifth information is used to indicate the identifier of the sensing task, the sensing type, the identifier of the sensing stage, the identifier of the communication link between the second and first communication devices, the location of the fifth communication device in the communication link between the second and first communication devices, the role of the fifth communication device in the communication link between the second and first communication devices, the maximum number of hops in the communication link between the second and first communication devices, and the identifier of the next-hop communication device, and the fifth information is carried in the SL configuration information element of the radio resource control reconfiguration message, then the information element may include multiple fields, which are used to indicate the fifth information. For example, the information indicated by different fields in this information element may be as shown in Table 8.

[0315] Table 8

[0316]

[0317] The second communication device is used to perform the sensing task. The first communication device can also send information related to the sensing task to the second communication device through the fifth communication device, such as the waveform characteristics of the transmitted sensing signal, the resources used to transmit the sensing signal, and the time and frequency resources for transmitting the sensing information.

[0318] In the example above, after receiving the fifth message, the fifth communication device can send the configuration to the next-hop communication device. In some other examples, after receiving the fifth message, the fifth communication device can also send feedback to the first communication device to indicate whether it accepts the fifth message.

[0319] In one possible implementation, the fifth communication device sends feedback to the first communication device that it has received the fifth information.

[0320] For example, after the fifth communication device receives the fifth information, the method includes: the fifth communication device sending a sixth information to the first communication device, the sixth information being used to instruct the fifth communication device to accept the fifth information.

[0321] In this way, the first communication device can determine that the communication between the first communication device and the fifth communication device has been successfully established based on the sixth information.

[0322] Optionally, the sixth piece of information may include: the location and role of the fifth communication device in the communication link between the second and first communication devices, and the readiness to send configurations to the next-hop communication device. This helps ensure the establishment of the communication link between the first and second communication devices.

[0323] Optionally, the sixth piece of information may also include one or more of the following: the identifier of the sensing task, the identifier of the sensing stage, or the task type. The identifier of the sensing stage is the configuration distribution stage.

[0324] In some examples, the aforementioned sixth information may be carried in the SL configuration cell of the Radio Resource Control reconfiguration completion message.

[0325] If the sixth information is used to indicate the identifier of the sensing task, the sensing type, the identifier of the sensing phase, the location and role of the fifth communication device in the communication link between the second and first communication devices, and the readiness to send configuration to the next-hop communication device, and the sixth information is carried in the SL configuration information element of the Radio Resource Control reconfiguration completion message, then this information element may include multiple fields, which are used to indicate the sixth information. For example, the information indicated by different fields in this information element may be as shown in Table 9.

[0326] Table 9

[0327]

[0328] When the next-hop communication device of the fifth communication device includes multiple communication devices, the fifth communication device can distinguish the required next-hop communication device based on the link identifier. In this case, the first communication device can also send an indication to the fifth communication device whether it supports fused sensing information. If the first communication device sends an indication to the fifth communication device that it supports fused sensing information, when sensing information is transmitted on the link, the fifth communication device can fuse the sensing information transmitted on different links and send it to the first communication device. In this way, the first communication device receives the fused sensing information without needing to perform fusion itself, which helps save processing resources.

[0329] If the first communication device sends an indication message to the fifth communication device that it does not support the fusion of sensing information, the fifth communication device can forward the sensing information transmitted on different links to the first communication device separately when sensing information is transmitted on the link. In this way, the first communication device can determine the sensing information that needs to be fused with greater autonomy.

[0330] In the example shown in Table 8 above, the Radio Resource Control reconfiguration completion message may also include a fusionMode field to indicate whether fusion-aware information is supported.

[0331] In another possible implementation, the fifth communication device sends a rejection message to the first communication device.

[0332] For example, after the fifth communication device receives the fifth information, the method further includes: the fifth communication device sending a seventh message to the first communication device, the seventh message being used to instruct the fifth communication device to refuse to accept the fifth message; and determining, based on the seventh message, information indicating that the link establishment failed, the link establishment failure information including one or more of the following: the reason for the failure to establish the communication link, the number of hops of the fifth communication device in the failed communication link, the role of the fifth communication device in the failed communication link, or, the identifier of the failed communication link.

[0333] The reasons for failure to establish a communication link may include one or more of the following: refusing to accept the location of the fifth communication device in the communication link between the second and first communication devices; refusing to accept the role of the fifth communication device in the communication link between the second and first communication devices; or not being ready to send configuration to the next hop communication device due to reasons such as busy, low battery, or no route.

[0334] If the fifth information sent by the first communication device to the fifth communication device includes time and frequency resource allocation information, the fifth communication device can also determine whether the time and frequency resource allocation is reasonable. If it is not reasonable, the reason for the failure to establish a communication link sent to the first communication device may also include unreasonable resource allocation.

[0335] In some examples, after receiving the fifth information, the fifth communication device can also determine whether the first communication device has configuration permissions. If not, the reason for the failure to establish a communication link sent to the first communication device can also include failure to pass the permission check.

[0336] If the information indicating a failed link establishment includes the number of hops in the failed communication link by the fifth communication device, the role of the fifth communication device in the failed communication link, or the identifier of the failed communication link, the first communication device determines that the communication link establishment has failed.

[0337] This helps the first communication device determine if the link establishment has failed, and thus determine whether reconfiguration is needed.

[0338] In some examples, the aforementioned establishment failure information can be sent from the fifth communication device to the first communication device. In this way, the first communication device directly receives the establishment failure information without calculation, which helps to save signaling overhead.

[0339] Optionally, the information regarding the failure to establish a link may also include one or more of the following: the identifier of the sensing task, the identifier of the sensing phase, or the task type. The identifier of the sensing phase is the configuration distribution phase.

[0340] In some examples, the link establishment failure information mentioned above can be carried in the SL configuration cell of the Radio Resource Control reconfiguration failure (RRC reconfiguration failure) message.

[0341] If the link establishment failure information is used to indicate the identifier of the sensing task, the sensing type, the identifier of the sensing stage, the reason for the failure to establish the communication link, the hop count of the fifth communication device in the failed communication link, the role of the fifth communication device in the failed communication link, or the identifier of the failed communication link, and the link establishment failure information is carried in the SL configuration information element of the Radio Resource Control reconfiguration failure message, then this information element may include multiple fields, which are used to indicate the link establishment failure information. For example, the information indicated by different fields in this information element may be as shown in Table 10.

[0342] Table 10

[0343]

[0344] If the first communication device is a relay device, and there are no other relay devices between the first communication device and the sensing task initiating device, the first communication device can also send the aforementioned link establishment failure information to the sensing task initiating device. Alternatively, if the first communication device is a relay device, and there are other relay devices between the first communication device and the sensing task initiating device, the first communication device can also send the aforementioned link establishment failure information to the sensing task initiating device through these other existing relay devices. Based on this link establishment failure information, the sensing task initiating device can reselect a node, reconfigure parameters, or select another communication link to establish a communication link for collaborative sensing.

[0345] In some examples, the first communication device sends the SL configuration cell from the task status report to the sensing task initiating device. This cell is used to carry information about link establishment failure.

[0346] To better understand the specific implementation of establishing a communication link, we will introduce it in the following specific communication scenario.

[0347] In the above Figure 2 In the communication system shown, when the sensing capability of terminal device 210 cannot meet the requirements of the sensing task, terminal device 210 can use the above-mentioned... Figure 3 In the method shown, step S301 detects at least one communication device. For example... Figure 9 As shown, the communication devices discovered by terminal device 210 include: terminal device 910, terminal device 920, terminal device 930, terminal device 940, and terminal device 950.

[0348] Terminal device 210 can determine that terminal devices 910, 920, 930, 940, and 950 are terminal devices that support performing perception tasks based on the capability information of terminal devices 910, 920, 930, 940, and 950. It can also determine that the intermediate node for data transmission between terminal devices 910 and 920 is terminal device 910, the intermediate node for data transmission between terminal devices 930 and 950 is terminal device 940.

[0349] It is understandable that in the communication link between terminal device 210 and terminal device 920, terminal device 910 is the first-hop communication device and terminal device 920 is the second-hop communication device. In the communication link between terminal device 210 and terminal device 930, terminal device 910 is the first-hop communication device and terminal device 930 is the second-hop communication device. In the communication link between terminal device 210 and terminal device 950, terminal device 940 is the first-hop communication device and terminal device 950 is the second-hop communication device.

[0350] To establish communication links between terminal device 210 and terminal device 920, between terminal device 210 and terminal device 930, and between terminal device 210 and terminal device 950, the interaction process between terminal device 210, the first-hop communication device, and the second-hop communication device can be as follows: Figure 10 As shown.

[0351] like Figure 10 As shown, it may include the following steps:

[0352] S1001, Terminal device 210 sends the aforementioned fifth information to the first-hop communication device (i.e., terminal device 910 or terminal device 940) of the communication link. The fifth information is used to indicate the position and role of the first-hop communication device in the communication link, the identifier of the next-hop communication device, and the return path of the sensing information.

[0353] S1002, the first hop communication device sends the sixth information to the terminal device 210. The sixth information is used to indicate the position and role in the communication link and is ready to send the configuration to the next hop communication device.

[0354] S1003, the first hop communication device sends information 1 to the second hop communication device (i.e., terminal device 920, terminal device 930 or terminal device 950), which is used to indicate the position and role of the second hop communication device in the communication link and the return path of the sensed information.

[0355] It should be noted that, in the above Figure 9In the communication scenario shown, the maximum hop count is 2, therefore the first-hop communication device does not send the identifier of the next-hop communication device to the second-hop communication device. In other examples, if the maximum hop count is greater than 2, the information sent by the first-hop communication device to the second-hop communication device would include the identifier of the next-hop communication device.

[0356] S1004, the second hop communication device sends a seventh message and a link establishment failure message to the first hop communication device. The seventh message is used to indicate rejection of message 1. The link establishment failure message includes the reason for the failure to establish the communication link, the number of hops in the failed communication link, the role in the failed communication link, and the identifier of the failed communication link.

[0357] S1005, the first hop communication device sends a link establishment failure message to the terminal device 210.

[0358] The sensing task initiating device can reselect nodes, reconfigure parameters, or select other communication links to establish communication links for collaborative sensing.

[0359] From the above Figures 3 to 10 As described, the sensing task initiating device can discover communication devices that support the execution of sensing tasks and establish a communication link with them to enable collaborative sensing using the discovered communication devices. In the embodiments of this application, the discovered communication devices can all be referred to as multi-hop collaborative devices or multi-hop collaborative equipment. To better understand the method provided by the embodiments of this application, the following is combined with... Figure 11 Please provide an explanation.

[0360] For example, Figure 11 A schematic diagram of a sensing method is shown. (For example...) Figure 11 As shown, the method may include the following steps:

[0361] S1101, The sensing task initiating device discovers the multi-hop collaborative device A.

[0362] The sensing task initiating device can execute S301 as described above, that is, send the description information of the sensing task to discover the multi-cooperative device A. The number of communication devices included in the multi-hop cooperative device A can be greater than or equal to 1.

[0363] S1102, The sensing task initiating device determines the location, link quality, sensing confidence, and capability information of the multi-hop cooperative device A.

[0364] The sensing task initiating device can refer to the above-mentioned S401, S501 and S704 to obtain and determine the location, link quality, sensing confidence and capability information of the multi-hop cooperative device A.

[0365] S1103. Based on the capability information of the multi-hop cooperative device A, the sensing task initiating device determines the relay detection device and / or the device that performs the sensing task from the multi-hop cooperative device A.

[0366] The relay detection device is a communication device with relay capability. At the same time, the relay detection device is located in the first area, the link quality between the relay detection device and the sensing task initiation device reaches the first quality threshold, and it does not have the ability to perform a sensing task (or it has the ability to perform a sensing task but the sensing confidence is less than the first confidence threshold).

[0367] The device for performing the sensing task is a communication device capable of performing the sensing task. At the same time, the device for performing the sensing task is located in a first region, the link quality between the device for performing the sensing task and the sensing task initiating device reaches a first quality threshold, and the sensing confidence is greater than or equal to the first confidence threshold.

[0368] S1104, The sensing task initiating device sends a second message to the relay detection device so that the relay detection device can detect the multi-hop cooperative device. This step can be referred to S403 above.

[0369] S1105, Relay detection equipment detected multi-hop cooperative device B.

[0370] The relay detection device can perform S301 as described above, that is, send description information of the sensing task to discover the multi-hop cooperative device B. The number of communication devices included in the multi-hop cooperative device B can be greater than or equal to one. This step can be referred to S404 as described above.

[0371] S1106. The relay detection equipment determines the location, link quality, sensing confidence level, and capability information of the multi-hop cooperative device B. This step can be referenced from S1103 above.

[0372] S1107. The relay detection equipment sends relevant information about the multi-hop cooperative device B to the sensing task initiating device.

[0373] The multi-hop cooperative device B may include a relay detection device and / or a communication device that performs sensing tasks. The multi-hop cooperative device B may refer to S1104 above to instruct the relay detection device to discover the multi-hop cooperative device, that is, repeat the process of S1104 to S1107 above to discover the multi-hop cooperative device until the preset maximum number of hops is reached.

[0374] S1108, the sensing task initiating device determines from the discovered multi-hop cooperative devices at least one second communication device that supports the execution of the sensing task, and an intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device.

[0375] For example, in the above Figure 9In the scenario shown, terminal device 210 can identify terminal devices 920, 930, 940, and 950 as terminal devices supporting the execution of perception tasks from among terminal devices 910, 920, 930, 940, and 950. It can also identify terminal device 910 as the intermediate node for data transmission between terminal device 920, terminal device 930 as the intermediate node for data transmission between terminal device 910 and terminal device 950, and terminal device 940 as the intermediate node for data transmission between terminal device 950.

[0376] S1109, The sensing task initiating device determines the communication link to be established.

[0377] The sensing task initiation device can estimate information such as sensing gain, sensing confidence, and transmission delay of sensing information for each communication link, as well as information such as structural differences and path differences between different communication links, to determine the communication links to be established.

[0378] The sensing task initiating device can establish a communication link according to the methods shown in S1001 and S1002 above.

[0379] In this way, the sensing task initiating device can obtain sensing information from at least one second communication device through the established communication link. The sensing results obtained based on this sensing information have relatively high accuracy, which is beneficial to improving the sensing accuracy of the sensing task initiating device.

[0380] The sensing information transmitted in the aforementioned communication link is used to determine the sensing result of the sensing task. In some examples, the sensing result includes the type of the sensed target and / or the confidence level in the detection of the sensed target. This facilitates the achievement of the sensing task.

[0381] Optionally, the perception result may also include the generation time of the perception result. This helps in determining whether the latency requirements of the perception task are met.

[0382] Optionally, the sensing information of the sensing task transmitted in the aforementioned communication link is also used to determine the effective duration of the sensing results. This helps to determine the reliability of the sensing results.

[0383] In this embodiment, the entity that determines the sensing result based on the sensing information on the communication link can be a sensing task initiating device or a network device. These two implementations are described below.

[0384] In one possible implementation, the sensing task initiating device determines the sensing result based on sensing information on the communication link.

[0385] For example, Figure 12 A schematic flowchart of a perception method is shown. (For example...) Figure 12As shown, the method includes the following steps:

[0386] S1201, The sensing execution device (e.g., the second communication device mentioned above) sends sensing information to the sensing task initiating device (e.g., the first communication device mentioned above) through a relay device (e.g., the fifth communication device).

[0387] The sensing execution device is a communication device that performs sensing tasks on the communication link. The relay device is an intermediate node between the sensing execution device and the sensing task initiating device.

[0388] The sensing and execution device can determine the sensing information through a self-initiated and self-received manner, or it can simply act as a response end and determine the sensing information based on the signal fed back by the sensing target. This application does not limit this.

[0389] S1202, The sensing task initiation device determines the sensing result based on the sensing information.

[0390] The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific implementation method for determining the perception result.

[0391] S1203. The sensing task initiating device sends sensing results to the service function (SF) through the access network equipment and AMF. The SF archives or shares the sensing results.

[0392] In some examples, the sensing task initiator can send the sensing results to the access network device via radio resource control uplink information transfer (RRC UL Information Transfer) signaling. The access network device can send the sensing results to the SF via uplink non-access stratum transport (Uplink NAS Transport) signaling.

[0393] In another possible implementation, the network device determines the sensing result based on the sensing information on the communication link.

[0394] For example, Figure 13 A schematic flowchart of a perception method is shown. (For example...) Figure 12 As shown, the method includes the following steps:

[0395] S1301, the sensing execution device (e.g., the second communication device mentioned above) sends sensing information to the SF through a relay device (e.g., the fifth communication device), a sensing task initiating device (e.g., the first communication device mentioned above), an access network device, and an AMF.

[0396] After receiving the sensing information, the sensing task initiating device does not process it, but forwards it to the SF through the access network equipment and AMF.

[0397] S1302 and SF determine the perception result based on the perceived information.

[0398] S1303 and SF send sensing results to the sensing task initiating device through AMF and access network equipment. SF archives or shares the sensing results.

[0399] In some examples, the SF sends the sensing results to the AMF via downlink non-access stratum transport (NAS Transport) signaling. The AMF sends the sensing results to the sensing task initiating device via radio resource control downlink information transfer (RRC DLInformationTransfer) signaling.

[0400] In the above Figure 12 and Figure 13 In the examples shown, the perception results can include information such as the type of the perceived target, the confidence level of the target detection, the generation time of the perception result, and the effective duration of the perception result. Furthermore, the network side can obtain the perception results, which helps ensure that the existing network can seamlessly support collaborative perception data and results.

[0401] The perception method provided in this application embodiment can also be called a multi-hop cooperative perception method. The overall process of this method is described below.

[0402] For example, Figure 14 A schematic flowchart of a perception method is shown. (For example...) Figure 14 As shown, the method may include the following steps:

[0403] S1401. The network device configures SL sensing service authorization for the sensing execution device, relay device and sensing task initiation device.

[0404] In some examples, when devices such as sensing execution devices, relay devices, and sensing task initiators access the network, the access network device informs the AMF of the presence of accessing devices. The AMF can determine whether to configure SL sensing service authorization for the sensing execution devices, relay devices, and sensing task initiators, meaning that sensing services can be executed using the multi-hop cooperative sensing method provided in this application embodiment. The AMF can also send the authorization information to the SF, which records it.

[0405] In some examples, SF can issue sensing tasks to sensing task initiators through access network devices.

[0406] S1402, The sensing task initiating device triggers multi-hop collaborative sensing and executes the multi-hop collaborative device discovery process. This step can be referred to S1101 to S1108 above.

[0407] S1403, the sensing task initiating device selects a cooperative sensing link and configures the relay device and sensing execution device to establish the cooperative sensing link. The cooperative sensing link is the communication link described in the above embodiments.

[0408] This step can refer to S1109, S1001 and S1002 above.

[0409] S1404. Perform sensing tasks through the established collaborative sensing link.

[0410] The sensing and execution device can determine the sensing information through spontaneous and spontaneous reception, or it can act as a response end and determine the sensing information based on the signal fed back by the sensing target.

[0411] S1405, Processing flow of perceived information.

[0412] Information can be perceived through the above Figure 12 or Figure 13 The method shown is used for transmission and processing.

[0413] The method provided in this application embodiment involves a sensing task initiating device discovering relay devices and sensing execution devices through SL technology, constructing multi-hop links through these devices, and executing sensing tasks through the sensing execution devices in the multi-hop links. This results in more accurate sensing information and helps improve the sensing accuracy of the sensing task initiating device.

[0414] exist Figure 14 In the example shown, the network device configures SL sensing service authorization for the sensing execution device, relay device, and sensing task initiating device. In some other examples, the sensing execution device, relay device, and sensing task initiating device can be pre-configured with SL sensing service authorization, without requiring network device configuration. Therefore, S1401 above is optional.

[0415] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

[0416] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0417] It is understood that, in order to achieve the functions in the above embodiments, the terminal device or network device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to perform each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed by hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0418] Figure 15 and Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a possible communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the function of the first communication device in the above method embodiments, and therefore can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0419] like Figure 15 As shown, the communication device 1500 includes a processing module 1510 and a transceiver module 1520. The communication device 1500 is used to implement the above-mentioned... Figure 3 The function of the first communication device in the method embodiment shown.

[0420] In one possible implementation, the device 1500 is used to achieve the above. Figure 3 The steps corresponding to the response end in the method shown.

[0421] The transceiver module 1520 is used to send description information of the sensing task; the processing module 1510 is used to determine, based on the capability information of at least one communication device, at least one second communication device that supports the execution of the sensing task, and an intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device; and to establish a communication link between the first communication device and some or all of the at least one second communication device, wherein the communication link is used to transmit the sensing information of the sensing task.

[0422] Optionally, the description information of the aforementioned perception task includes the attribute information of the perception task and / or the attribute information of the perception target of the perception task.

[0423] Optionally, the attribute information of the aforementioned perception task includes priority information of the perception task and / or confidence information of the perception task.

[0424] Optionally, the attribute information of the aforementioned sensing target includes one or more of the following: the type of the sensing target, the size of the sensing target, the spatial range of the sensing target, or an estimate of the dynamics of the sensing target.

[0425] Optionally, the aforementioned capability information includes whether the user has the ability to perform perception tasks, and / or whether the user has relay capabilities.

[0426] Optionally, the transceiver module 1520 is further configured to: receive capability information of at least one third communication device; receive first information of some or all of the at least one third communication device, the first information being used to indicate capability information of at least one fourth communication device, wherein some or all of the third communication devices have relay capability; the processing module 1510 is further configured to: determine capability information of at least one communication device based on the capability information of at least one third communication device and the first information of some or all of the third communication devices, wherein the at least one communication device includes at least one third communication device and at least one fourth communication device.

[0427] Optionally, the transceiver module 1520 is further configured to: send second information to some or all of the third communication devices, the second information being used to indicate one or more of the following: the third communication device is a relay detection device, the return path of the first information, the time and frequency resources for discovering the fourth communication device, or the parameters for discovering the fourth communication device.

[0428] Optionally, the parameters for discovering the fourth communication device may include one or more of the following: the remaining detectable hop count, the identifier of the already discovered communication device, or an upper limit on the number of communication devices that can be discovered in the next hop. In this way, the first communication device sending the parameters for discovering the fourth communication device to some or all of the third communication devices can constrain the behavior of some or all of the third communication devices in discovering other communication devices, which is beneficial for obtaining the required information about the communication devices.

[0429] Optionally, the transceiver module 1520 is further configured to: receive third information from at least one third communication device, the third information being used to indicate the location of the third communication device and / or the link quality between the third communication device and the first communication device; the processing module 1510 is further configured to: determine that the third communication device is a communication device among at least one communication device when the location of the third communication device is in a first region, and / or the link quality between the third communication device and the first communication device reaches a first quality threshold.

[0430] Optionally, the processing module 1510 is further configured to: if no third information is received within a first time period, transmit a description of the sensing task via a first power and / or on a first time-frequency resource, wherein the third information is used to indicate the location of the third communication device and / or the link quality between the third communication device and the first communication device, wherein the first power is greater than the power of the last transmission of the description of the sensing task, and the first time-frequency resource is greater than the time-frequency resource used in the last transmission of the description of the sensing task.

[0431] Optionally, the processing module 1510 is further configured to monitor third information during a second duration, the second duration being longer than the first duration. This increases the duration of the monitoring window, which helps to improve the probability of receiving the third information.

[0432] Optionally, the processing module 1510 is further configured to: determine, based on the capability information of at least one communication device and the perception confidence of at least one communication device, at least one second communication device that supports the execution of the perception task, and an intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device.

[0433] Optionally, at least one communication device includes a third communication device; the transceiver module 1520 is further configured to: send fourth information to the third communication device, the fourth information being used to indicate the waveform characteristics of the sensing signal and / or a first duration, the first duration being used to detect the echo of the sensing signal; send the sensing signal to the sensing target of the sensing task; and receive the sensing confidence level of the third communication device.

[0434] Optionally, at least one communication device includes a third communication device; the transceiver module 1520 is further configured to: send information to the third communication device to indicate the echo of the reported sensing signal; send the sensing signal to the sensing target of the sensing task; receive the echo of the sensing signal; and the processing module 1510 is further configured to: determine the sensing confidence level of the third communication device based on the sensing signal and the echo of the sensing signal.

[0435] Optionally, the second communication device has the capability to support sensing tasks, and the sensing confidence of the second communication device is greater than or equal to the first confidence threshold; the intermediate node does not have the capability to support sensing tasks, but has relay capability, or the intermediate node has the capability to support sensing tasks and has relay capability, but the sensing confidence of the intermediate node is less than the first confidence threshold.

[0436] Optionally, the processing module 1510 is further configured to: establish a communication link between the first communication device and some or all of the at least one second communication device if the communication link between the first communication device and some or all of the at least one second communication device satisfies one or more of the following conditions: the sensing gain is greater than or equal to a gain threshold, the sensing confidence is greater than or equal to a second confidence threshold, the transmission delay of the sensing information is less than or equal to a delay threshold, the number of hops in the transmission of the sensing information is less than or equal to a hop number threshold, the time-frequency resources required for the transmission of the sensing information are less than or equal to a resource threshold, or the coverage area is within a preset range.

[0437] Optionally, the communication links between the first communication device and some or all of the second communication devices satisfy the following: the structural difference between different communication links is greater than or equal to the structural difference threshold, and / or the path difference between different communication links is greater than or equal to the path difference threshold.

[0438] Optionally, some or all of the second communication devices may be located at different locations of the sensing target of the sensing task.

[0439] Optionally, the intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device includes a fifth communication device; the transceiver module 1520 is further configured to: send fifth information to the fifth communication device, the fifth information being used to indicate the position and role of the fifth communication device in the communication link between the second communication device and the first communication device, the identifier of the next-hop communication device, and the return path of the sensing information.

[0440] Optionally, the aforementioned fifth information is also used to indicate one or more of the following: the identifier of the intermediate node and the identifier of the second communication device, the maximum number of hops in the communication link between the second communication device and the first communication device, or the identifier of the communication link between the second communication device and the first communication device.

[0441] Optionally, the transceiver module 1520 is also configured to: receive a sixth message, the sixth message being used to instruct the fifth communication device to accept the fifth message.

[0442] Optionally, the sixth information mentioned above includes one or more of the following: accepting the location and role of the fifth communication device in the communication link between the second communication device and the first communication device, and being ready to send configuration to the next hop communication device.

[0443] Optionally, the transceiver module 1520 is further configured to: receive a seventh message, the seventh message being used to instruct the fifth communication device to refuse to accept the fifth message; the processing module 1510 is further configured to: determine, based on the seventh message, information indicating a link establishment failure, the link establishment failure information including one or more of the following: the reason for the failure to establish the communication link, the number of hops of the fifth communication device in the failed communication link, the role of the fifth communication device in the failed communication link, or, the identifier of the failed communication link.

[0444] Optionally, the sensing information of the sensing task transmitted in the communication link is used to determine the sensing result of the sensing task. The sensing result includes the type of the sensing target and / or the confidence level of the sensing target detection. This is beneficial for realizing the sensing task.

[0445] Optionally, the sensing information of the sensing task transmitted in the communication link is also used to determine the effective duration of the sensing results. This helps to determine the reliability of the sensing results.

[0446] It should be understood that the communication device 1500 here is embodied in the form of a functional module. The term "module" here can refer to application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), electronic circuits, processors (e.g., shared processors, proprietary processors, or group processors, etc.) and memories for executing one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuits, and / or other suitable components supporting the described functions. In an alternative example, those skilled in the art will understand that the communication device 1500 can specifically be the first communication device in the above embodiments. The communication device 1500 can be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the first communication device in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, these will not be described again here.

[0447] The aforementioned communication device 1500 has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the first communication device in the above method; the above functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. In the embodiments of this application, Figure 15 The communication device 1500 in the middle can also be a chip, such as a SOC.

[0448] like Figure 16 As shown, the transmission device 1600 may include a processor 1610, a transceiver 1620, and a memory 1630. The processor 1610, transceiver 1620, and memory 1630 communicate with each other via internal interconnection. The memory 1630 stores instructions, and the processor 1610 executes the instructions stored in the memory 1630 to control the transceiver 1620 to transmit and / or receive signals.

[0449] It should be understood that the communication device 1600 may specifically be the first communication device in the above embodiments, and may be used to execute the various steps and / or processes corresponding to the first communication device in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memory 1630 may include read-only memory and random access memory, and provide instructions and data to the processor. A portion of the memory may also include non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory may also store device type information. The processor 1610 may be used to execute instructions stored in the memory, and when the processor 1610 executes instructions stored in the memory, the processor 1610 is used to execute the various steps and / or processes of the above method embodiments. The transceiver 1620 may include a transmitter, a receiver, and an antenna. The transmitter may be used to implement the various steps and / or processes corresponding to the transceiver for performing transmission actions. For example, the transmitter may be used to send information to another device via the antenna. The receiver may be used to implement the various steps and / or processes corresponding to the transceiver for performing reception actions. For example, the receiver may be used to receive information from another device via the antenna.

[0450] It should be understood that, in the embodiments of this application, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), or it may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0451] In implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as execution by a hardware processor, or as a combination of hardware and software modules within the processor. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor executes the instructions in the memory, combining them with its hardware to complete the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are omitted here.

[0452] This application also provides a processor. This processor can execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the first communication device in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, they will not be described again here.

[0453] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program for implementing the methods shown in the above-described method embodiments.

[0454] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run on a computer, enables the computer to perform the methods shown in the above-described method embodiments.

[0455] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the modules and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0456] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and modules described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0457] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of modules described above is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple modules or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, or indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or modules, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0458] The modules described above as separate components may or may not be physically separate. Similarly, the components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules; they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network modules. Some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment, depending on actual needs.

[0459] In addition, the functional modules in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing module, or each module can exist physically separately, or two or more modules can be integrated into one module.

[0460] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional modules and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods shown in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0461] The above descriptions are merely specific embodiments of this application, but the protection scope of the embodiments of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the embodiments of this application should be included within the protection scope of the embodiments of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of the embodiments of this application should be determined by the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A sensing method, characterized in that, Applied to a first communication device, wherein the first communication device is any one of a terminal device, a module in the terminal device, a circuit in the terminal device, or a chip in the terminal device; including: Send description information about the sensing task; Capability information to receive at least one third communication device; Receive first information from some or all of the at least one third communication device, wherein the first information is used to indicate capability information of at least one fourth communication device, and the some or all third communication devices have relay capability; Based on the capability information of the at least one third communication device and the first information of some or all of the third communication devices, the capability information of at least one communication device is determined, wherein the at least one communication device includes the at least one third communication device and at least one fourth communication device; Based on the capability information of the at least one communication device, at least one second communication device that supports the execution of the sensing task is determined from the at least one communication device, and an intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device. A communication link is established between the first communication device and some or all of the at least one second communication device, the communication link being used to transmit the sensing information of the sensing task.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The description information of the perception task includes the attribute information of the perception task and / or the attribute information of the perception target of the perception task.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The attribute information of the perception task includes the priority information of the perception task and / or the confidence information of the perception task.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The attribute information of the perceived target includes one or more of the following: The type of the sensing target, the size of the sensing target, the spatial range of the sensing target, or the dynamics estimate of the sensing target.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The capability information includes whether the user has the capability to perform the perception task, and / or whether the user has relay capability.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before receiving the first information from some or all of the at least one third communication device, the method further includes: Send a second message to some or all of the third communication devices, the second message indicating one or more of the following: The third communication device is a relay detection device, a return path for the first information, a time-frequency resource for discovering the fourth communication device, or a parameter for discovering the fourth communication device.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The parameters used to detect the fourth communication device include one or more of the following: The remaining number of detectable hops, the identifiers of the communication devices that have been discovered, or the upper limit on the number of communication devices that can be detected for the next hop.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive third information from at least one third communication device, the third information being used to indicate the location of the third communication device and / or the link quality between the third communication device and the first communication device; If the location of the third communication device is in the first region, and / or the link quality between the third communication device and the first communication device reaches a first quality threshold, the third communication device is determined to be a communication device among the at least one communication device.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: If no third information is received within a first time period, the description information of the sensing task is transmitted via a first power and / or on a first time-frequency resource. The third information is used to indicate the location of the third communication device and / or the link quality between the third communication device and the first communication device. The first power is greater than the power used in the previous transmission of the description information of the sensing task, and the first time-frequency resource is greater than the time-frequency resource used in the previous transmission of the description information of the sensing task.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: The third information is monitored during a second duration, which is longer than the first duration.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The step of determining at least one second communication device supporting the execution of the sensing task from the at least one communication device based on the capability information of at least one communication device, and an intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device, includes: Based on the capability information of at least one communication device and the perception confidence of the at least one communication device, at least one second communication device supporting the execution of the perception task is determined from the at least one communication device, and an intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device is determined.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The at least one communication device includes a third communication device; The method further includes: Send a fourth message to the third communication device, the fourth message being used to indicate the waveform characteristics of the sensing signal and / or a first duration, the first duration being used to detect the echo of the sensing signal; Send the sensing signal to the sensing target of the sensing task; Receive the perceived confidence level of the third communication device.

13. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The at least one communication device includes a third communication device; The method further includes: Send information to the third communication device to indicate the echo of the reported sensing signal; Send the sensing signal to the sensing target of the sensing task; Receive the echo of the sensed signal; The sensing confidence level of the third communication device is determined based on the sensing signal and the echo of the sensing signal.

14. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The second communication device has the capability to support the sensing task, and the sensing confidence of the second communication device is greater than or equal to the first confidence threshold; The intermediate node does not have the ability to support the perception task, but has relay capability; or, the intermediate node has the ability to support the perception task and has relay capability, but the perception confidence of the intermediate node is less than the first confidence threshold.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, Establishing a communication link between the first communication device and some or all of the at least one second communication device includes: A communication link between the first communication device and some or all of the at least one second communication device is established if one or more of the following conditions are met: The sensing gain is greater than or equal to the gain threshold, the sensing confidence is greater than or equal to the second confidence threshold, the transmission delay of the sensing information is less than or equal to the delay threshold, the transmission hop count of the sensing information is less than or equal to the hop count threshold, the time-frequency resources required for the transmission of the sensing information are less than or equal to the resource threshold, or the coverage area is within a preset range.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The communication link between the first communication device and some or all of the at least one second communication device satisfies the following: The structural difference between different communication links is greater than or equal to the structural difference threshold, and / or the path difference between different communication links is greater than or equal to the path difference threshold.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The location of some or all of the second communication devices is at different locations of the sensing target of the sensing task.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The intermediate node for data transmission between the second communication device and the first communication device includes a fifth communication device; Establishing a communication link between the first communication device and some or all of the at least one second communication device includes: Send fifth information to the fifth communication device, the fifth information being used to indicate the position and role of the fifth communication device in the communication link between the second communication device and the first communication device, the identifier of the next-hop communication device, and the return path of the sensing information.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The fifth piece of information is also used to indicate one or more of the following: The identifier of the intermediate node and the identifier of the second communication device, the maximum number of hops in the communication link between the second communication device and the first communication device, or the identifier of the communication link between the second communication device and the first communication device.

20. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The method further includes: The sixth message is received, which instructs the fifth communication device to accept the fifth message.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The sixth piece of information includes one or more of the following: accepting the position and role of the fifth communication device in the communication link between the second communication device and the first communication device, and being ready to send configuration to the next hop communication device.

22. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a seventh message, the seventh message being used to instruct the fifth communication device to refuse to accept the fifth message; Based on the seventh piece of information, information indicating a link establishment failure is determined, which includes one or more of the following: The reason for the failure to establish a communication link, the number of hops of the fifth communication device in the failed communication link, the role of the fifth communication device in the failed communication link, or the identifier of the failed communication link.

23. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The perception information of the perception task transmitted in the communication link is used to determine the perception result of the perception task. The perception result includes the type of the perception target of the perception task and / or the confidence level of the detection of the perception target.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, The sensing information of the sensing task transmitted in the communication link is also used to determine the effective duration of the sensing result.

25. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 24.

26. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A processor coupled to a memory for storing a computer program, wherein when the processor invokes the computer program, the communication device performs the method of any one of claims 1 to 24.

27. A chip system, characterized in that, include: A processor for reading instructions stored in memory, and when the processor executes the instructions, causing the chip system to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 24.

28. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the method of any one of claims 1 to 24 to be performed.

29. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes instructions that, when executed, cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 24 to be performed.

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