Communication method and device

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus can reduce power consumption of a terminal. In the method, at least one terminal is included in a coverage range of an access node currently participating in sensing, and a first node can send first information determined based on sensing channel quality information of the at least one terminal or position accuracy information of the at least one terminal to a second node, according to the method and the device, the first information is sent to the second node, so that the second node determines the terminal with a better sensing effect from the terminals within the coverage range of the access node currently participating in sensing through the first information, and therefore, the wireless sensing operation can be executed through the determined terminal, the use efficiency of sensing resources is improved, and the communication overhead of sensing data is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, specifically to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of communication technology, wireless sensing technology can detect objects or people in the communication environment by detecting changes in wireless signals, such as object or person identification, localization, or modeling. In one possible implementation, the sensing device sends a sensing signal, which is reflected by obstacles in the current environment. The sensing device can then use the reflected signal to simulate the point cloud information of the obstacles in the environment, thereby achieving wireless sensing.

[0003] However, existing wireless sensing solutions suffer from low efficiency in utilizing sensing resources and high communication overhead for sensing data. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, embodiments of this application provide a communication method and apparatus that can improve the efficiency of sensing resource utilization and reduce the communication overhead of sensing data.

[0005] Firstly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a first node, or by a component of the first node, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the first node, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first node. The following explanation uses the execution of this method by a first node as an example. The first node can be an access node or a core network node. The communication method includes: sending first information to a second node, the first information being determined based on the sensing channel quality information of at least one terminal or the location accuracy information of at least one terminal, wherein the at least one terminal is a terminal within the coverage area of ​​the access node currently participating in sensing, and the sensing channel of the terminal is a signal transmission channel between the terminal and the access node; the first information is used to determine the terminal used for wireless sensing; the terminal used for wireless sensing is one of the at least one terminals.

[0006] Based on the above technical solution, since the effectiveness of terminal wireless sensing is related to the state of the terminal's sensing channel and the terminal's positioning accuracy, the first node sends first information to the second node based on the terminal's sensing channel quality information or location accuracy information. This allows the second node to determine the terminal with better sensing performance from among the terminals within the coverage area of ​​the currently participating access nodes using the first information. Furthermore, performing wireless sensing operations based on the terminal determined in this embodiment can improve the efficiency of sensing resource utilization and reduce the communication overhead of sensing data.

[0007] In one possible design, the first node is a core network node, and the second node is a first access node; the access nodes participating in sensing include the first access node; at least one terminal is a terminal within the coverage area of ​​the first access node; the method further includes: obtaining the identifier of at least one terminal and the location accuracy information of at least one terminal.

[0008] Based on this possible design, after obtaining the location accuracy information of the terminal, the first node can determine the first information based on the obtained location accuracy information of the terminal. That is, the first information can characterize the location accuracy of the terminal, thereby enabling the second node to select the terminal for wireless sensing based on the location accuracy, thus improving the effect of wireless sensing.

[0009] In one possible design, the first information includes the identifiers of one or more terminals among at least one terminal and the location accuracy information of one or more terminals; or, the first information includes the identifiers of one or more terminals among at least one terminal and the perception priority of one or more terminals, wherein the perception priority of one or more terminals is determined based on the location accuracy information of one or more terminals.

[0010] In one possible design, the terminal used for wireless sensing is determined based on first information and sensing channel quality information of at least one terminal.

[0011] Based on this possible design, since the first information can characterize the location accuracy of the terminal, the second node can select a more suitable terminal for wireless sensing by considering both location accuracy and sensing channel quality, thereby improving the sensing effect of wireless sensing.

[0012] In one possible design, the first node is a first access node, and the second node is a core network node; the access nodes participating in sensing include the first access node; at least one terminal is a terminal within the coverage area of ​​the first access node; the method further includes: obtaining the identifier of at least one terminal and the sensing channel quality information of at least one terminal.

[0013] Based on this possible design, after the first node obtains the terminal's sensing channel quality information, it can determine the first information based on the obtained sensing channel quality information. That is, the first information can characterize the terminal's sensing channel quality, thereby enabling the second node to select the terminal for wireless sensing based on the sensing channel quality, thus improving the effect of wireless sensing.

[0014] In one possible design, the first information includes the identifiers of one or more terminals among at least one terminal and the perceived channel quality information of one or more terminals; or, the first information includes the identifiers of one or more terminals among at least one terminal and the perceived priority of one or more terminals, wherein the perceived priority of one or more terminals is determined based on the perceived channel quality information of one or more terminals.

[0015] In one possible design, the method further includes: receiving first indication information from a second node, the first indication information being used to indicate a terminal for wireless sensing determined by the second node.

[0016] In one possible design, the terminal used for wireless sensing is determined based on first information and location accuracy information of at least one terminal.

[0017] Based on this possible design, since the first information can characterize the terminal's sensing channel quality, the second node can select a more suitable terminal for wireless sensing based on both location accuracy and sensing channel quality, thereby improving the sensing effect of wireless sensing.

[0018] In one possible design, the sensing channel quality information includes information on the number of first-order non-line-of-sight (NLOS) paths contained in the sensing channel and / or the energy information of the first-order NLOS paths contained in the sensing channel.

[0019] Secondly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a second node, or by a component of the second node, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the second node, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second node. The following description uses the execution of this method by a second node as an example. The second node can be an access node or a core network node. The communication method includes: receiving first information from a first node; wherein the first information is determined based on the sensing channel quality information of at least one terminal or the location accuracy information of at least one terminal, and the at least one terminal is a terminal within the coverage area of ​​the access node currently participating in sensing; the sensing channel of the terminal is a signal transmission channel between the terminal and the access node; and determining a terminal for wireless sensing based on the first information, wherein the terminal for wireless sensing is one of the at least one terminals.

[0020] In one possible design, the first node is a core network node, the second node is a first access node; the access nodes currently participating in sensing include the first access node; and at least one terminal is a terminal within the coverage area of ​​the first access node.

[0021] In one possible design, the first information includes the identifiers of one or more terminals among at least one terminal and the location accuracy information of one or more terminals; or, the first information includes the identifiers of one or more terminals among at least one terminal and the perception priority of one or more terminals, wherein the perception priority of one or more terminals is determined based on the location accuracy information of one or more terminals.

[0022] In one possible design, the method includes: determining a terminal for wireless sensing based on first information and sensing channel quality information of at least one terminal.

[0023] In one possible design, the first node is a first access node, and the second node is a core network node; the first information includes the sensing channel quality information of at least one terminal, and the access node currently participating in sensing includes the first access node; at least one terminal is a terminal within the coverage area of ​​the first access node.

[0024] In one possible design, the first information includes the identifiers of one or more terminals among at least one terminal and the perceived channel quality information of one or more terminals; or, the first information includes the identifiers of one or more terminals among at least one terminal and the perceived priority of one or more terminals, wherein the perceived priority of one or more terminals is determined based on the perceived channel quality information of one or more terminals.

[0025] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending first indication information to a first node, the first indication information being used to indicate a terminal for wireless sensing determined by a second node.

[0026] In one possible design, the method includes: determining a terminal for wireless sensing based on first information and location accuracy information of at least one terminal.

[0027] In one possible design, the sensing channel quality information includes information on the number of first-order non-line-of-sight (NLOS) paths contained in the sensing channel and / or the energy information of the first-order NLOS paths contained in the sensing channel.

[0028] The technical effects of any possible design in the second aspect can be referred to the technical effects of the corresponding or similar designs in the first aspect mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0029] Thirdly, a communication device is provided for implementing various methods. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the implementation of the methods, wherein the modules, units, or means can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions.

[0030] In some possible designs, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module can be used to implement the processing functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The transceiver module may include a receiving module and a transmitting module, respectively used to implement the receiving function and the transmitting function in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof.

[0031] In some possible designs, the transceiver module can consist of transceiver circuitry, a transceiver unit, a transceiver interface, or a communication interface.

[0032] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory being used to store computer instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the communication device to perform the method described in any of the above aspects and any possible design thereof.

[0033] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a communication interface; the communication interface being used to communicate with a module outside the communication device; the processor being used to execute computer programs or instructions to cause the communication device to perform the methods described in any of the above aspects and any possible designs thereof.

[0034] A sixth aspect provides a communication device comprising: at least one processor; said processor being configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in a memory to cause the communication device to perform the methods described in any of the foregoing aspects and any possible designs thereof. The memory may be coupled to the processor, or may be independent of the processor.

[0035] In a seventh aspect, a communication device (e.g., a chip or chip system) is provided, the communication device including a processor for implementing the functions involved in any of the above aspects and any possible designs thereof.

[0036] In some possible designs, the communication device includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data.

[0037] In some possible designs, when the device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or contain chips and other discrete components.

[0038] The communication device described in the third to seventh aspects may be the first node in the first aspect, or a device included in the first node, such as a chip or chip system; or the communication device may be the second node in the second aspect, or a device included in the second node, such as a chip or chip system.

[0039] Eighthly, a communication device is provided, which may be a first node, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a circuit) in the first node that performs the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect, or a module or unit that can be used in conjunction with the first node; or, the communication device may be a second node, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a circuit) in the second node that performs the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect, or a module or unit that can be used in conjunction with the second node.

[0040] It is understandable that when the communication device provided by any of the third to eighth aspects is a chip, the sending action / function of the communication device can be understood as outputting information, and the receiving action / function of the communication device can be understood as inputting information.

[0041] A ninth aspect provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a communication device, enable the communication device to perform the methods described in any of the foregoing aspects and any possible design thereof.

[0042] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when run on a communication device, enables the communication device to perform the methods described in any of the foregoing aspects and any possible design thereof.

[0043] The technical effects of any of the design methods in aspects three through ten can be found in the technical effects of different design methods in aspects one or two, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0044] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a point cloud image of a sensing region provided in this application;

[0045] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a sensing region provided in this application;

[0046] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a wireless sensing scenario provided in this application;

[0047] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided in this application;

[0048] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of another communication system provided in this application;

[0049] Figure 6 This application provides a schematic diagram of the structure of an O-RAN system;

[0050] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in this application;

[0051] Figure 8 A schematic diagram illustrating a wireless signal transmission and reception scenario provided in this application;

[0052] Figures 9-12 A flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in this application;

[0053] Figures 13-15 A schematic diagram of the communication device provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0054] In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this application is merely a description of the relationship between the related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural.

[0055] In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of a single item or a plurality of items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0056] Furthermore, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish identical or similar items with substantially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the terms "first" and "second" are not necessarily different.

[0057] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner to facilitate understanding.

[0058] It is understood that the term "embodiment" used throughout the specification means that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic related to an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of this application. Therefore, various embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, these specific features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. It is understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the sequence number of each process does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0059] It is understood that in this application, "...when" and "if" both refer to the corresponding processing that will be carried out under certain objective circumstances, and are not limited to a specific time, nor do they require a judgment action to be performed during implementation, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0060] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of this application can be implemented independently in certain scenarios without relying on other features, such as the current solution on which they are based, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. Alternatively, they can be combined with other features as needed in certain scenarios. Correspondingly, the apparatus given in the embodiments of this application can also implement these features or functions, which will not be elaborated here.

[0061] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referenced. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships. The following descriptions of the embodiments of this application do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0062] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, a brief introduction to the relevant technologies of this application is given below.

[0063] Wireless sensing is an important technology typically implemented using various specific sensing devices (such as conventional radar, lidar, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging). The principle of wireless sensing is based on identifying information about objects in the environment by observing changes in electromagnetic waves caused by the influence of objects during transmission. Therefore, wireless communication systems can also achieve wireless sensing functionality.

[0064] In the field of communication technology, wireless sensing technology can detect objects or people in the communication environment by observing changes in wireless signals. This can be used for tasks such as object or person identification, localization, or modeling. In one possible implementation, a sensing device sends a sensing signal. This signal is reflected by obstacles in the current environment. The sensing device can then determine the coordinates of the point on the obstacle's surface where the reflected signal is located, thereby determining the point cloud information of the obstacles in the current environment. For example... Figure 1 This is a point cloud image of the sensing area generated based on point cloud information. Access nodes or core network nodes can perform operations such as clustering and smoothing based on point cloud information acquired from multiple sensing devices, and then perform 3D modeling to obtain an image like... Figure 2 The diagram shows a model of the sensing area.

[0065] The sensing device can be an access node (e.g., a base station that sends and receives sensing signals), a terminal (e.g., a terminal that sends and receives sensing signals), or both an access node and a terminal (e.g., a base station that sends and a terminal that receives sensing signals, or a terminal that sends and a base station that receives sensing signals).

[0066] Taking the method of the terminal sending sensing signals and the base station receiving sensing signals as an example, such as Figure 3 As shown, the current environment includes at least one terminal 301 and a base station 302. The terminal 301 is located at different positions within the environment and is used to transmit sensing signals. The sensing signals reach the base station 302 after being reflected, scattered, and diffracted by objects in the environment. Scattering refers to the phenomenon where electromagnetic waves carrying signals are reflected or propagated in different directions when they encounter obstacles whose surfaces have a wavelength approximately equal to or smaller than the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave. For example, electromagnetic waves will scatter when they encounter a rough medium surface. Diffraction, also known as diffraction, refers to the physical phenomenon where electromagnetic waves deviate from their original straight-line propagation when they encounter obstacles. Reflection refers to the phenomenon where electromagnetic waves fold back when they reach a medium interface.

[0067] Base station 302 determines the sensing parameters of the received sensing signals in each channel by measurement, such as propagation path delay, Doppler shift, and angle. Then, based on the sensing parameters and the location information of terminal 301, base station 302 calculates the point cloud information of the object surface in the current environment and reports the point cloud information to the location management function (LMF) 303 of the core network. The sensing function (SF) 304 obtains the point cloud information from the LMF 303 and fuses it to obtain a 3D model map of the object in the current environment. Alternatively, the base station directly reports the sensing point cloud to the sensing function, which fuses the point cloud information to obtain a 3D model map of the object in the current environment.

[0068] However, existing wireless sensing solutions typically perform wireless sensing operations based on all terminals in the current environment. The sensing signals sent by terminals with poor sensing performance consume a large amount of sensing communication resources. At the same time, the point cloud information generated by the base station through the sensing signals sent by these terminals not only affects the final sensing effect but also consumes additional data backhaul overhead. Therefore, there are problems of low efficiency in the use of sensing resources and high communication overhead for sensing data.

[0069] Based on this, this application provides a communication method. Since the effectiveness of a terminal's wireless sensing is related to the state of its sensing channel and its positioning accuracy, a first node sends first information to a second node based on the terminal's sensing channel quality information or location accuracy information. This allows the second node to use the first information to identify terminals with better sensing performance from among those currently participating in the sensing. Furthermore, performing wireless sensing operations based on the terminals identified in this application's embodiments can improve the efficiency of sensing resource utilization and reduce the communication overhead of sensing data.

[0070] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be used in various communication systems, including 3GPP communication systems such as 4th generation (4G) systems (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems), 5th generation (5G) systems (e.g., New Radio (NR) systems), LTE and 5G hybrid networking systems, integrated communication and sensing systems, non-terrestrial networks (NTN), device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, machine-type communication (MTC) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, or other future communication systems. The communication system can also be a non-3GPP communication system; there is no limitation on this.

[0071] The communication systems described above are merely illustrative examples, and are not limited to those described herein. The communication systems provided in this application do not impose any limitations on the solutions described herein. This will be explained uniformly here and will not be repeated below.

[0072] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating one possible, non-limiting system. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the communication system 40 includes a radio access network (RAN) 400 and a core network (CN) 500. The RAN 400 includes at least one RAN node (e.g., Figure 4 410a and 410b (collectively referred to as 410) and at least one terminal (such as Figure 4 RAN400, denoted as 420a-420j, is collectively referred to as 420. RAN400 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment. Figure 4 (Not shown in the image). Terminal 420 is connected to RAN node 410 wirelessly. RAN node 410 is connected to core network 500 wirelessly or via wired connection. The core network node in core network 500 and RAN node 410 in RAN 400 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0073] In one possible implementation, a core network node can refer to a device in the core network 500 that provides service support to the terminal 420. In this embodiment, the core network node in the core network 500 includes an SF network element, which is mainly used to implement sensing functions, such as sensing control functions and / or sensing computing functions. Furthermore, the SF network element can also support sensing billing functions when the terminal 420 and / or RAN node 410 perform sensing operations. The SF network element can sometimes also be called a sensing management function (SMF).

[0074] For example, the sensing control function may include identifying sensing devices, sensing nodes, etc. A sensing device can be understood as a device that transmits and / or receives sensing signals. Furthermore, the sensing device performs corresponding signal processing based on the received echo signals to obtain sensing measurement data. For example, the sensing device may be a RAN node 410 or a terminal 420, etc. A sensing node may refer to a network node in a wireless network that participates in the sensing service process. The sensing calculation function may include performing corresponding signal processing on the echo signals received by the sensing device to obtain sensing measurement data, and further processing based on the sensing measurement data and application information to obtain sensing results, etc.

[0075] For example, an SF network element can sometimes be called a communication device; for instance, an SF network element can be understood as a communication device with core network sensing capabilities. Furthermore, an SF network element can also be called a sensing server, etc., without limitation.

[0076] In one possible scenario, the function of the SF network element can be implemented by the network data analytics function (NWDAF) network element, or the SF network element and the NWDAF network element can be co-located.

[0077] Optionally, in addition to SF network elements, the core network nodes in the Core Network 500 may also include at least one of the following: access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements, session management function (SMF) network elements, user plane function (UPF) network elements, policy control function (PCF) network elements, unified data management (UDM) network elements, application function (AF) network elements, network exposure function (NEF) network elements, and location management function (LMF) network elements. Of course, the Core Network 500 may also include other core network nodes without restriction.

[0078] The AMF (Agency Flow Management) network element is deployed in the core network 500, providing mobility management and connectivity management for the network, such as user location updates, user registration with the network, and user handover. The AMF network element can act as an intermediate route between the LMF (Local Messaging Function), SMF (Small Mobile Messaging Function), and RAN (Random Access Registry) 400. The SMF network element is primarily responsible for session management in the mobile network, such as session establishment, modification, and release. The UPF (User Plane Function) network element is responsible for connecting to external networks and processing user packets, such as forwarding and accounting. The PCF (Programmable Flow Function) network element is primarily responsible for providing policies to the AMF and SMF, such as Quality of Service (QoS) policies and slice selection policies. The UDM (User DM) network element is used to store user data, such as subscription information and authentication / authorization information. The AF (Agency Flow) network element is responsible for providing services to the 3GPP network. The NEF (Network Element) network element is mainly used to open the capabilities of various network functions and is responsible for converting internal and external information. The LMF network element is a device or component deployed in the core network 500, providing positioning functions for the terminal 420. For example, the LMF network element can initiate a positioning process to locate a specific terminal.

[0079] It should be noted that in this application, network elements can also be referred to as entities or functional entities. For example, an SF network element can also be referred to as an SF entity or an SF functional entity. In addition, the aforementioned AMF network elements, SMF network elements, UPF network elements, PCF network elements, UDM network elements, AF network elements, NEF network elements, and LMF network elements may have other names in future communication systems, and this application does not impose specific limitations on them.

[0080] In one possible implementation, RAN 400 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as a 4G, 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolution system. RAN 400 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), an NTN network (such as an NTN supporting pass-through mode and / or regenerative mode, or an NTN supporting eye-viewing mode (earth fixed cell) and / or non-eye-viewing mode (earth moving cell), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN 400 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0081] RAN node 410, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, constitutes part of the communication system and assists terminals in achieving wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 410 in RAN 400 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 410 and terminal 420 are relative, for example... Figure 4 Network element 420i can be a helicopter or a drone, and it can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 420j that access RAN 400 through network element 420i, network element 420i is a base station; however, for base station 410a, network element 420i is a terminal. RAN node 410 and terminal 420 are sometimes referred to as communication devices, for example... Figure 4 Network elements 410a and 410b can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, while network elements 420a-420j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0082] For RAN node 410, in one possible scenario, RAN node 410 can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB, also known as an eNB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a next-generation base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, etc. RAN node 410 can also be a macro base station (such as...) Figure 4 410a), micro base stations or indoor stations (such as Figure 4RAN node 410 can be a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, RAN node 410 can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). RAN node 410 is also called a next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN) node.

[0083] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes 410 collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with each RAN node 410 implementing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, a RAN node 410 can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. CUs and DUs can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radioheads (RRHs).

[0084] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0085] In one possible scenario, terminal 420 can be a device used to implement wireless communication functions, such as a terminal or a chip that can be used in a terminal. Specifically, terminal 420 can be a user equipment (UE), access terminal, terminal unit, terminal station, mobile station (MS), mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, wireless communication device, terminal agent or terminal device, subscriber unit, smartphone, wireless data card, tablet computer, wireless modem, laptop computer, machine-type communication (MTC) terminal, tag, etc., in a 5G network or a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN). The access terminal can be a cellular phone, cordless phone, session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, wireless local loop (WLL) station, personal digital assistant (PDA), handset with wireless communication capabilities, computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, in-vehicle device or wearable device, virtual reality (VR) terminal, augmented reality (AR) terminal, wireless terminal in industrial control, wireless terminal in self-driving, wireless terminal in remote medical care, wireless terminal in smart grid, wireless terminal in transportation safety, wireless terminal in smart city, wireless terminal in smart home, etc. In one possible implementation, terminal 420 can be mobile or fixed.

[0086] In one possible implementation, the network device (e.g., access node or core network node) and terminal 420 in this application embodiment can also be referred to as communication devices, which can be a general-purpose device or a special-purpose device. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0087] In one possible implementation, the relevant functions of the terminal 420 or network device in this application embodiment can be implemented by one device, multiple devices working together, or one or more functional modules within a single device. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this. It is understood that the above functions can be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, a combination of hardware and software, or virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0088] For example, such as Figure 5 As shown, Figure 4 This is an exemplary implementation of the system shown. The UE communicates with the NG-RAN via a Uu interface. For example, the NG-RAN includes ng-eNB nodes and gNB nodes. The UE communicates with the ng-eNB nodes via the LTE-Uu interface, and with the gNB nodes via the NR-Uu interface. The NG-RAN communicates with the AMF via an NG-C interface, the AMF communicates with the LMF via an NL1 interface, and the SF / SMF (Sensing Management Element) communicates with the AMF via an NLs interface. It is understood that the SF may also have interfaces with other network elements; this application does not specifically limit this.

[0089] In this architecture, the SF / SMF, as the network element responsible for perception management, can communicate with the UE / NG-RAN to exchange perception-related measurement requests, measurement reports, and other related signaling. The LMF, as the location management network element, can communicate with the UE / NG-RAN to exchange location-related measurement requests, measurement reports, and other related signaling. The AMF can also act as a router for communication between access network-side equipment and core network-side equipment.

[0090] It should be noted that a RAN node can be a device or a component within a device in the aforementioned NG-RAN, such as an ng-eNB node, a gNB node, or a transmission point (TP), transmission and reception point (TRP) within an ng-eNB node and a gNB node, or a central unit (CU) integrated on the NG-RAN. A RAN node can also be a network element with transmission capabilities, such as a transmission measurement function (TMF) network element. In some embodiments, a RAN node can also be an access node in an O-RAN system. A RAN typically consists of a series of modules, such as antennas, RRUs, and BBUs. Traditional RAN architectures define the overall reception and output of a RAN node but do not restrict the transmission and communication between internal modules. O-RAN architectures define the architectural connections and standardized interfaces between various modules within the RAN, allowing the RAN to be decoupled into multiple standard modules, thereby enabling the combination and replacement of modules.

[0091] For example, such as Figure 6 The diagram illustrates a possible, non-limiting O-RAN system architecture. The Service Management and Orchestration Framework (SMO), acting as the network management device within the O-RAN, is used for the operation and management of devices within the O-RAN. The Non-Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller (Non-RT RIC), located within the SMO module, implements non-real-time intelligent management of RAN functions. This includes enabling artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML) workflows such as model training and updates, and guiding applications / functions within the Near-RT RIC based on policies. The Near-Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller (Near-RTRIC) achieves near-real-time intelligent management of the RAN. Through data collection and related operations on the E2 interface, it enables near-real-time control and optimization of O-RAN modules and resources.

[0092] The O-RAN central unit (O-CU) comprises the O-RAN central unit control plane (O-CU-CP) and the O-RAN central unit user plane (O-CU-UP). The O-CU implements the radio resource control (RRC) layer, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, and other control functions. Specifically, the O-CU-CP implements the RRC layer functions and the PDCP control plane functions. The O-CU-UP implements the SDAP layer functions and the PDCP user plane functions.

[0093] The O-RAN distributed unit (O-DU) is used to implement the radio link control (RLC) layer, media access control (MAC) layer, and higher physical layer (Higher PHY). The higher physical layer functions include one or more of the following: forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding, scrambling / descrambling, or modulation / demodulation.

[0094] The O-RAN radio unit (O-RU) is used to implement lower physical layer (PHY) functions and radio frequency (RF) functions. These PHY functions include one or more of the following: Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) / Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (iFFT), digital beamforming, or extraction and filtering of the physical random access channel (PRACH). In other words, the O-RU possesses functions similar to TRP and RRH RF devices, as well as PHY processing capabilities. Furthermore, the O-RU, O-CU, and O-DU can also be used as a single unit, i.e., the O-eNB / gNB, to implement the aforementioned functions.

[0095] O-RAN cloud (O-Cloud) is a cloud computing platform that includes physical infrastructure nodes for hosting O-RAN functions such as RIC and O-DU. O-Cloud supports software components (such as operating systems, virtual machine monitoring, and container runtimes), management, and orchestration functions.

[0096] In one possible scenario, the O-RAN system also includes a sensing unit (SU). The SU is mainly used to implement sensing-related functions, such as sending sensing signals and / or receiving echo signals of sensing signals, performing corresponding signal processing based on the received echo signals to obtain sensing measurement data, and performing sensing-related processing, etc.

[0097] As one possible implementation, a RAN node may include at least one of CU, DU, SU, and RU. A communication interface exists between CU and SU. A communication interface may or may not exist between SU ​​and DU. If no communication interface exists between SU ​​and DU, SU and DU can communicate through CU.

[0098] In the O-RAN architecture, the module that receives the report of the difference between the twin channel and the measurement channel can be CU, RT RIC, Non-RT RIC, etc. DU is responsible for receiving signals, signal processing, multipath measurement, and channel difference calculation.

[0099] For example, an O-RAN system includes communication interfaces between newly added internal components and other communication interfaces. For instance, the A1 interface serves as the interface between Non-RT RICs and Near-RT RICs, used for intelligent and dynamic control of radio resources within the O-RAN. Non-RT RICs can provide policies, enriched information, and ML model updates to Near-RT RICs via the A1 interface, while Near-RT RICs can provide policy feedback to Non-RT RICs via the A1 interface.

[0100] The E2 interface is an open interface between two endpoints used to connect the Near-RT RIC and the RAN node. The RAN node includes the CU and DU in 5G, the O-RAN compatible eNB in ​​4G, and the O-CU (O-CU-CP and / or O-CU-UP) and / or O-DU in O-RAN. The Near-RT RIC can obtain data collection and feedback from the RAN node through the E2 node, and the RAN node can obtain control feedback from the Near-RT RIC through the E2 node.

[0101] The O1 interface is the interface between the management entity in the SMO and the O-RAN module, used for operation management. This interface enables network management (such as fault management, configuration management, billing management, performance management, and security management, also known as FCAPS management), software management, and file management. The O2 interface is the interface between the SMO and the infrastructure management framework that supports O-RAN virtual network functions.

[0102] The Open Fronthaul (FH) CUS-Plane interface includes a control plane (C-Plane), a user plane (U-Plane), and a synchronization plane (S-Plane). The control plane is used for real-time control between the O-DU and O-RU, such as transmitting beamforming weights from the O-DU to the O-RU or performing power control from the O-DU to the O-RU. The user plane is used to transmit communication data between the DU and RU for access network devices and terminals. The synchronization plane is used by the O-DU to provide clock synchronization to the O-RU. The Open FH M-Plane interface is the management plane interface, used for connection between the O-RU and O-DU, as well as the SMO, enabling management, monitoring, and configuration functions.

[0103] In addition, the NG interface is the interface between RAN nodes (e.g., base stations, CUs, CU-CPs, CU-UPs) and the core network; NG-u is the user plane NG interface; and NG-c is the control plane NG interface. The Xn interface is the interface between NR RAN nodes; Xn-u is the user plane Xn interface; and Xn-c is the control plane Xn interface. The X2 interface is the interface between LTE RAN nodes; X2-u is the user plane X2 interface; and X2-c is the control plane X2 interface. In NR systems, the X2 interface is mainly used in E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity (EN-DC) scenarios, where the primary base station is an LTE RAN node connected to the LTE core network via the X2 interface. The E1 interface is the interface between CU-CPs and CU-UPs; the F1-C interface is the interface between CU-CPs and DUs; and the F1-U interface is the interface between CU-UPs and DUs.

[0104] It should be noted that the system described in the embodiments of this application is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0105] The following is combined Figure 4The communication system shown is illustrated using the interaction between communication devices as an example to describe the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application. It should be noted that in the following embodiments of this application, the message names, parameter names, or information names between communication devices are merely examples, and may be other names in other embodiments. The method provided in this application does not specifically limit these names.

[0106] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, each communication device may execute some or all of the steps in the embodiments of this application. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application may also execute other operations or variations thereof. Furthermore, the steps may be executed in different orders as presented in the embodiments of this application, and it is not necessary to execute all the operations in the embodiments of this application.

[0107] It is understood that this application uses a communication device as an example to illustrate the interaction, but this application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction. For example, the method executed by the communication device in this application can also be executed by a module (e.g., a chip, chip system, or processor) applied to the communication device, or it can be implemented by a logic node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the communication device.

[0108] The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described below. For example... Figure 7 As shown, the communication method may include the following steps:

[0109] Step 701: The first node sends the first information to the second node, and correspondingly, the second node receives the first information from the first node.

[0110] The first information is determined based on the sensing channel quality information of at least one terminal or the location accuracy information of at least one terminal. The at least one terminal is a terminal within the coverage area of ​​the access node currently participating in sensing. The sensing channel of the terminal is the signal transmission channel between the terminal and the access node. The first information is used to determine the terminal used for wireless sensing. The terminal used for wireless sensing is a terminal among at least one terminal.

[0111] For example, the first node and the second node in this application can be an access node or a core network node in the aforementioned communication system. For instance, the first node is an access node and the second node is a core network node, or the first node is a core network node and the second node is an access node, or both the first node and the second node are access nodes, or both the first node and the second node are core network nodes.

[0112] For example, the access node in this application can be an access network device (e.g., a base station); or, the access node can be a device or module such as a DU, CU, RIC, or SU in the access network device. The core network node can be a network element such as an SF or SMF.

[0113] In this embodiment of the application, the coverage area of ​​the access node currently participating in sensing can be the area that the transceiver unit of the access node can cover. For example, when the access node is a CU, RIC, or SU, the coverage area of ​​the CU, RIC, or SU can be the coverage area of ​​the DU connected to the CU, RIC, or SU. This is explained uniformly here and will not be repeated below.

[0114] In some embodiments, the sensing channel quality information includes information on the number of first-order non-line-of-sight (NLOS) paths contained in the sensing channel and / or energy information on the first-order NLOS paths contained in the sensing channel. The sensing channel quality information can be determined by the access node based on the reference signal (RS) transmitted by the terminal.

[0115] In this embodiment, the sensing channel quality information can be related information characterizing the signal transmission quality of the terminal's sensing channel, to evaluate the terminal's wireless sensing performance. For example, the sensing channel quality information can be parameters such as the number of first-order NLOS paths, the energy of first-order NLOS paths, or the channel signal-to-noise ratio. Figure 8 As shown, the transmitter sends a sensing signal to the receiver, which propagates through paths 1, 2, and 3. Path 1 is the line-of-sight (LOS) path, meaning there are no obstructions along the straight transmission line. Paths 2 and 3 are NLOS paths, meaning the signal is reflected during propagation, such as by the ground or object surfaces. The NLOS path is equivalent to the LOS path between the transmitter and the receiver via a virtual base station (VBS) with mirror-symmetrical signal reflection surfaces. Taking path 2 as an example, after receiving the sensing signal from the transmitter, the receiver can determine the location point where the sensing signal was reflected based on the signal and its own position information, thus generating point cloud information of the object surface along the propagation path.

[0116] The propagation path order (multipath order) refers to the number of times an electromagnetic wave encounters obstacles or changes its propagation direction from the transmission point to the reception point. For example, path 1 is a 0th-order path, i.e., a direct path. Path 2 is a 1st-order path, i.e., a path with one change in propagation direction. Path 3 is a 2nd-order path, i.e., a path with two changes in propagation direction. Wireless sensing typically uses signals from NLOS paths for sensing calculations. For sensing calculations using first-order NLOS paths, the number and energy of first-order NLOS paths can be used as sensing channel quality information to characterize the terminal's sensing channel quality. For sensing calculations using second-order NLOS paths, the number and energy of second-order NLOS paths can be used as sensing channel quality information to characterize the terminal's sensing channel quality. The sensing channel quality information in this application refers to the quality information of the sensing channel involved in wireless sensing operations.

[0117] In some embodiments, the terminal's location accuracy information includes the terminal's positioning accuracy and / or positioning reliability. Positioning accuracy characterizes the degree of closeness between the measured value and the actual value. Positioning accuracy corresponds to positioning error; higher positioning accuracy corresponds to a smaller positioning error. For example, positioning accuracy can be expressed as a percentage of the maximum error relative to the actual value, as upper and lower limits of the error, or as a probability distribution of the error. Positioning reliability characterizes the reliability and accuracy of the measured value. For example, positioning reliability can be expressed as a percentage. The terminal's location accuracy information can be determined by the LMF (Location-Based Function) through positioning measurements.

[0118] In some examples, the location accuracy information of the terminals can be represented as {UE1, positioning accuracy 0.1m, 99.9%}, {UE2, positioning accuracy 1m, 95%}. Here, the positioning error of UE1 is less than or equal to 0.1m with a 99.9% probability, and the positioning error of UE2 is less than or equal to 1m with a 95% probability.

[0119] In some examples, the location accuracy information of the terminals can be represented as {UE1, 99%}, {UE2, 90%}. This means there is a 99% probability that UE1 can be accurately located, and a 90% probability that UE2 can be accurately located.

[0120] Step 702: The second node determines the terminal used for wireless sensing based on the first information.

[0121] The terminal used for wireless sensing is at least one of the terminals mentioned in step S701 above.

[0122] For example, the second node can analyze the information about at least one terminal regarding the quality of the sensing channel or the accuracy of the positioning of at least one terminal through the first information. Based on the quality of the sensing channel or the accuracy of the positioning, the second node can select the terminal with better wireless sensing performance from the at least one terminal, thereby realizing the wireless sensing of the terminal.

[0123] Based on the above technical solution, since the effectiveness of terminal wireless sensing is related to the state of the terminal's sensing channel and the terminal's positioning accuracy, the first node sends first information to the second node based on the terminal's sensing channel quality information or location accuracy information. This allows the second node to determine the terminal with better sensing performance from among the terminals within the coverage area of ​​the currently participating access nodes using the first information. Furthermore, performing wireless sensing operations based on the terminal determined in this embodiment can improve the efficiency of sensing resource utilization and reduce the communication overhead of sensing data.

[0124] The overall flow of the communication method provided in this application has been described above. The specific implementation of the communication method will be described below with the first node as the core network node and the second node as the first access node, and the first node as the first access node and the second node as the core network node.

[0125] like Figure 9 As shown, taking the first node as the core network node and the second node as the first access node as an example, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0126] Step 901: The core network node obtains the identifier of at least one terminal and the location accuracy information of at least one terminal.

[0127] In this scenario, at least one terminal is a terminal within the coverage area of ​​the currently participating access node. The first node is a core network node, the second node is a first access node, the participating access nodes include the first access node, and at least one terminal is a terminal within the coverage area of ​​the first access node.

[0128] It should be noted that the access nodes participating in the sensing can include one or more access nodes. When multiple access nodes are included, the communication method provided in this application can be executed for each access node. This application only takes the first access node among the access nodes participating in the sensing as an example for illustration.

[0129] In some embodiments, the core network node can be an SF (Secondary Streaming Unit). Furthermore, the functions implemented by the core network node as provided in this application can also be implemented by devices or components with sensing capabilities in the access network; for example, the functions implemented by the core network node can be deployed on a SU (Supply Module) in the access network device.

[0130] In some embodiments, the first access node includes an access network device, or a DU in the access network device, or a CU in the access network device, or a RIC in the access network device, or a SU in the access network device.

[0131] Step 902: The core network node sends the first information to the first access node, and correspondingly, the first access node receives the first information from the core network node.

[0132] In one possible implementation, the core network node can determine the first information by the identifier of at least one terminal and the location accuracy information of at least one terminal.

[0133] In some embodiments, the first information includes the identifiers of one or more terminals among at least one terminal and the location accuracy information of one or more terminals; or,

[0134] The first information includes the identifiers of one or more terminals among at least one terminal and the perception priority of one or more terminals, wherein the perception priority of one or more terminals is determined based on the location accuracy information of one or more terminals.

[0135] The aforementioned one or more terminals can be all terminals among at least one terminal, or a portion of at least one terminal. When the aforementioned one or more terminals are a portion of at least one terminal, they can be selected from at least one terminal based on its location accuracy information. For example, the aforementioned one or more terminals can be terminals among at least one terminal whose location accuracy is greater than a preset accuracy threshold. Alternatively, at least one terminal can be sorted from highest to lowest location accuracy, and the aforementioned one or more terminals can be the first n terminals. Or, at least one terminal can be sorted from lowest to highest location accuracy, and the aforementioned one or more terminals can be the last n terminals. Similarly, the perception priority of one or more terminals can be determined according to the sorting result; for example, the perception priority can be sorted by order or determined by multiple intervals based on location accuracy. Here, n is a positive integer, and the preset accuracy threshold and n can be set according to actual conditions without restriction.

[0136] For example, the first information can be represented as {UE ID, location accuracy information}. For instance, the location accuracy information includes positioning accuracy and / or positioning reliability, as described above, and will not be repeated here. Alternatively, for example, the first information can also be represented as {UE ID, perception priority}, such as {UE1, priority 1}, {UE2, priority 1}, {UE3, priority 2}, where UE1 and UE2 are terminals with the first priority, and UE3 is a terminal with the second priority.

[0137] In some embodiments, the first information includes the identifiers of one or more terminals among at least one terminal, which are selected from at least one terminal based on the location accuracy information of at least one terminal.

[0138] It should be noted that the order of the identifiers of one or more terminals among at least one terminal included in the first information can also characterize the terminal's perception priority or location accuracy. That is, the order of the terminal identifiers in the first information is related to the terminal's perception priority or location accuracy. For example, the first information {UE1, UE2, UE3} can indicate that the perception priority or location accuracy of UE1 to UE3 decreases or increases sequentially. Thus, perception priority or location accuracy information can be omitted from the first information by sorting the terminal identifiers, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0139] Step 903: The first access node determines the terminal used for wireless sensing based on the first information and the sensing channel quality information of at least one terminal. In other words, the terminal used for wireless sensing is determined based on the first information and the sensing channel quality information of at least one terminal.

[0140] In some embodiments, the first access node can acquire sensing channel quality information of at least one terminal, thereby determining the terminal to be used for wireless sensing based on the first information and the sensing channel quality information of at least one terminal. For example, the first access node can perform a weighted calculation based on the terminal's location accuracy and sensing channel quality, and determine the terminal to be used for wireless sensing from at least one terminal based on the weighted result.

[0141] It is understandable that the sensing effect of wireless sensing is related to the location accuracy of the terminal and the sensing signal transmitted by the terminal. Furthermore, on the one hand, terminal positioning measurements are typically performed by relevant network elements on the core network side, making it difficult for the first access node to directly identify which terminals within the current coverage area can be accurately located. On the other hand, the sensing signal transmitted by the terminal is affected by the sensing channel in the current environment, such as the number of objects within the terminal signal propagation range, the number of first-order NLOS paths from the terminal to the object to the access node, and signal energy loss. Terminal channel quality measurements are typically performed by relevant equipment on the access network side. Therefore, based on these two aspects, in this application, the core network node can send first information to the first access node based on the terminal's positioning accuracy information. The first access node can then use this first information and the terminal's sensing channel quality information to determine the terminal suitable for wireless sensing from at least one terminal. In other words, this application can select a more suitable terminal for wireless sensing based on both terminal positioning and terminal sensing channel quality factors, thereby improving the sensing effect of wireless sensing.

[0142] The communication method provided in this application is applicable to various communication systems. The following description, in conjunction with the above scheme, takes the CU in the O-RAN system as an example to illustrate the communication method.

[0143] like Figure 10 As shown, taking the core network node as SF and the first access node as CU as an example, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0144] Step 1001: SF obtains the identifier of at least one terminal and the location accuracy information of at least one terminal.

[0145] Optionally, the aforementioned SF can also be replaced with SU in O-RAN, that is, a node with sensing capabilities in O-RAN whose core network node-related sensing functions are deployed in this application. The aforementioned CU can also be replaced with access network equipment, or DU, RIC, and SU in O-RAN, which will not be elaborated further.

[0146] In one possible implementation, SF can obtain the identifier of at least one terminal through the following steps 10011-10012, and obtain the location accuracy information of at least one terminal through the following steps 10013-10015.

[0147] Step 10011: SF determines the access nodes currently participating in sensing.

[0148] In some embodiments, the SF can determine the access nodes currently participating in sensing based on the area information to be sensed. This area information can be a geographic area or a logical area. For example, a geographic area can refer to a three-dimensional spatial area, which may also be called a spatial area, a three-dimensional area, a 3D grid, or a grid, etc. This application does not specifically limit the name of the geographic area. Alternatively, for example, a geographic area can also be a planar area, which this application does not specifically limit. For example, a logical area can be an area defined in the communication network, such as an area identified by identifiers defined in the cellular network, such as cell identifiers, base station identifiers, or tracking area (TA) identifiers.

[0149] It should be noted that the access nodes participating in the sensing can include one or more access nodes. When multiple access nodes are included, the communication method provided in this application can be executed for each access node. This application only takes the first access node (i.e., CU) among the access nodes participating in the sensing as an example for illustration.

[0150] Step 10012: SF obtains the identifiers of terminals within the CU coverage area.

[0151] In some embodiments, the SF can obtain the identifier of the terminal within the CU coverage area through the following steps 10012a-10012b, or through the following steps 10012c-10012d. That is, step 10012 may include the following steps 10012a-10012b, or may include the following steps 10012c-10012d.

[0152] In steps 10012a-10012b, the SF can obtain the identifiers of terminals within the coverage area of ​​the CU.

[0153] Step 10012a: SF sends a first request message to CU, and CU receives the first request message from SF.

[0154] The first request message is used to request terminal information. For example, the terminal information can be the identifier of a terminal within the CU's coverage area or terminal context information. Terminals within the CU's coverage area refer to terminals within the coverage area of ​​the DU connected to the CU.

[0155] For example, the SF can send the first request message directly to the CU, or it can send the first request message to the CU through other nodes as intermediate nodes. For example, the SF can send the first request message to the SU in the O-RAN, and the SU can forward the first request message to the CU.

[0156] Step 10012b: CU sends a first response message to SF, and SF receives the first response message from CU accordingly.

[0157] The first response message includes the identifier of the terminal within the CU coverage area or the terminal context information. Thus, the SF can directly obtain the identifier of the terminal within the CU coverage area; or, it can obtain the identifier of the terminal within the CU coverage area based on the terminal context information.

[0158] In steps 10012c-10012d, the SF can obtain the identifiers of terminals within the CU coverage area from the AMF.

[0159] Step 10012c: SF sends a second request message to AMF, and AMF receives the second request message from SF accordingly.

[0160] The second request message is used to request terminal information. For example, the terminal information can be the identifier of a terminal within the CU's coverage area or terminal context information. Terminals within the CU's coverage area refer to terminals within the coverage area of ​​the DU connected to the CU. For example, the second request message may include the CU's identifier information, so that the AMF can query terminal information within the CU's coverage area based on the CU's identifier information.

[0161] For example, the SF can send the second request message directly to the AMF, or it can send the second request message to the AMF through other nodes as intermediate nodes.

[0162] Step 10012d: AMF sends a second response message to SF, and SF receives the second response message from AMF accordingly.

[0163] The second response message includes the identifier of the terminal within the CU coverage area or the terminal context information. Thus, the SF can directly obtain the identifier of the terminal within the CU coverage area; or, based on the terminal identifier or terminal context information, obtain the identifier of the terminal within the AMF coverage area.

[0164] Step 10013: SF sends a location request message to LMF. Correspondingly, LMF receives the location request message from SF.

[0165] The location request message is used to request the terminal's location accuracy information. The location request message may include the identifier of the terminal within the CU's coverage area.

[0166] Step 10014: In response to the positioning request message, LMF performs positioning measurements.

[0167] For example, the LMF can initiate a location measurement to the corresponding terminal based on the terminal identifier in the location request message, and obtain the location accuracy information of the terminal within the CU coverage area through location calculation.

[0168] Step 10015: The LMF sends a location response message to the SF. Correspondingly, the SF receives the location response message from the SF.

[0169] The location response message includes the location accuracy information of the terminals within the CU coverage area.

[0170] Step 1002: SF sends the first information to CU, and CU receives the first information from SF.

[0171] The first piece of information can be found in the relevant description in step 902 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0172] In some embodiments, the SF can proactively send the first information to the CU, or the SF can send the first information to the CU in response to a request message from the CU. For example, the CU sends sensing terminal selection information or sensing terminal selection indication information to the SF, and the SF sends the first information to the CU in response to the sensing terminal selection information or sensing terminal selection indication information.

[0173] Step 1003: The CU determines the terminal to be used for wireless sensing based on the first information and the sensing channel quality information of at least one terminal.

[0174] In one possible implementation, the CU can determine the terminal's perceived channel quality information based on a reference signal sent by the terminal. For example, the CU receives the reference signal from the terminal via the DU and determines the terminal's perceived channel quality information based on the reference signal.

[0175] Step 1004: The CU instructs the terminal to perform a wireless sensing operation to generate point cloud information.

[0176] In one possible implementation, the CU can generate point cloud information through the following steps 10041-10043.

[0177] Step 10041: The CU sends sensing measurement resources to the terminal via the DU. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the sensing measurement resources from the CU.

[0178] Step 10042: The terminal sends a sensing signal to the DU based on the configured sensing measurement resources. The DU receives the sensing signal from the terminal and forwards the sensing signal to the CU.

[0179] For example, the sensing signal can be a sensing reference signal (SRS).

[0180] Step 10043: The CU measures the sensing signal and generates point cloud information.

[0181] Step 1005: CU sends point cloud information to SF, and SF receives point cloud information from CU accordingly.

[0182] Based on the above technical solution, the SF can send first information to the CU based on the terminal's positioning accuracy information. The CU can then use the first information and the terminal's sensing channel quality information to determine the terminal suitable for wireless sensing from at least one terminal, thereby instructing the determined terminal to perform wireless sensing operations and generate point cloud information. In other words, this application can select a more suitable terminal for wireless sensing based on both terminal positioning and terminal sensing channel quality factors, thereby improving the sensing effect of wireless sensing.

[0183] like Figure 11 As shown, taking the first node as the first access node and the second node as the core network node as an example, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0184] Step 1101: The first access node obtains the identifier of at least one terminal and the perceived channel quality information of at least one terminal.

[0185] In this scenario, at least one terminal is a terminal within the coverage area of ​​the currently participating access node. The first node is the first access node, the second node is the core network node, the participating access nodes include the first access node, and at least one terminal is a terminal within the coverage area of ​​the first access node.

[0186] It should be noted that the access nodes participating in the sensing can include one or more access nodes. When multiple access nodes are included, the communication method provided in this application can be executed for each access node. This application only takes the first access node among the access nodes participating in the sensing as an example for illustration.

[0187] In some embodiments, the core network node can be an SF (Secondary Streaming Unit). Furthermore, the functions implemented by the core network node as provided in this application can also be implemented by devices or components with sensing capabilities in the access network; for example, the functions implemented by the core network node can be deployed on a SU (Supply Module) in the access network device.

[0188] In some embodiments, the first access node includes an access network device, or a DU in the access network device, or a CU in the access network device, or a RIC in the access network device, or a SU in the access network device.

[0189] Step 1102: The first access node sends the first information to the core network node, and correspondingly, the core network node receives the first information from the first access node.

[0190] In one possible implementation, the first access node can determine the first information by the identifier of at least one terminal and the perceived channel quality information of at least one terminal.

[0191] In some embodiments, the first information includes the identifiers of one or more terminals among at least one terminal and the perceived channel quality information of one or more terminals; or,

[0192] The first information includes the identifiers of one or more terminals among at least one terminal and the sensing priority of one or more terminals, wherein the sensing priority of one or more terminals is determined based on the sensing channel quality information of one or more terminals.

[0193] The aforementioned one or more terminals can be all terminals among at least one terminal, or a portion of at least one terminal. When the aforementioned one or more terminals are a portion of at least one terminal, they can be selected from at least one terminal based on the perceived channel quality information of at least one terminal. For example, the aforementioned one or more terminals can be terminals among at least one terminal whose perceived channel quality is greater than a preset quality threshold. Alternatively, at least one terminal can be sorted from high to low perceived channel quality, and the aforementioned one or more terminals can be the first m terminals. Alternatively, at least one terminal can be sorted from low to high perceived channel quality, and the aforementioned one or more terminals can be the last m terminals. Similarly, the perceived priority of one or more terminals can be determined according to the sorting result; for example, the perceived priority can be sorted by order, or it can be determined according to multiple intervals divided based on perceived channel quality. Here, m is a positive integer, and the preset accuracy threshold and m can be set according to actual conditions without restriction.

[0194] For example, the first information can be represented as {UE ID, perceived channel quality information}, where the perceived channel quality information includes the number of first-order NLOS paths contained in the perceived channel and / or the energy information of the first-order NLOS paths contained in the perceived channel. For example, the first information can be represented as {UE1, 5, -85dBm}, {UE2, 8, -80dBm}. Here, it can be measured that UE1 has 5 first-order NLOS paths with an average energy of -85dBm, and UE2 has 8 first-order NLOS paths with an average energy of -80dBm. Alternatively, for example, the first information can also be represented as {UE ID, perceived priority}, such as {UE1, priority 1}, {UE2, priority 1}, {UE3, priority 2}, where UE1 and UE2 are terminals with the first priority, and UE3 is a terminal with the second priority.

[0195] In some embodiments, the first information includes the identifiers of one or more terminals among at least one terminal, which are selected from at least one terminal based on the perceived channel quality information of at least one terminal.

[0196] It should be noted that the order of the identifiers of one or more terminals among at least one terminal included in the first information can also characterize the terminal's perception priority or perception channel quality. That is, the order of the terminal identifiers in the first information is related to the terminal's perception priority or perception channel quality. For example, the first information {UE1, UE2, UE3} can indicate that the perception priority or perception channel quality of UE1 to UE3 decreases or increases sequentially. Thus, perception priority or perception channel quality information can be omitted from the first information by sorting the terminal identifiers, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0197] Step 1103: The core network node determines the terminal used for wireless sensing based on the first information and the location accuracy information of at least one terminal. In other words, the terminal used for wireless sensing is determined based on the first information and the location accuracy information of at least one terminal.

[0198] In some embodiments, a core network node can acquire location accuracy information of at least one terminal, thereby determining a terminal for wireless sensing based on first information and the location accuracy information of at least one terminal. For example, the core network node can perform a weighted calculation based on the location accuracy of the terminal and the quality of the sensing channel, and determine the terminal for wireless sensing from at least one terminal based on the weighted result.

[0199] Step 1104: The core network node sends a first indication message to the first access node, and correspondingly, the first access node receives the first indication message from the core network node.

[0200] The first indication information is used to indicate the terminal for wireless sensing determined by the core network node.

[0201] It is understandable that the sensing effect of wireless sensing is related to the location accuracy of the terminal and the sensing signal transmitted by the terminal. Furthermore, on the one hand, terminal positioning measurements are typically performed by relevant network elements on the core network side, making it difficult for the first access node to directly identify which terminals within the current coverage area can be accurately located. On the other hand, the sensing signal transmitted by the terminal is affected by the sensing channel in the current environment, such as the number of objects within the terminal signal propagation range, the number of first-order NLOS paths from the terminal to the object to the access node, and signal energy loss. Terminal channel quality measurements are typically performed by relevant equipment on the access network side, making it difficult for the core network node to directly measure the sensing channel quality of terminals within the current coverage area. Therefore, based on these two aspects, in this application, the first access node can send first information to the core network node based on the terminal's sensing channel quality information. The core network node can then use this first information, along with the terminal's location accuracy information, to determine the terminal suitable for wireless sensing from at least one terminal. In other words, this application can select a more suitable terminal for wireless sensing based on both terminal positioning and terminal sensing channel quality factors, thereby improving the sensing effect of wireless sensing.

[0202] The communication method provided in this application is applicable to various communication systems. The following description, in conjunction with the above scheme, takes the access network equipment in a traditional RAN system as an example to illustrate the communication method.

[0203] like Figure 12 As shown, taking the core network node as SF and the first access node as the access network device as an example, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0204] Step 1201: The access network device obtains the identifier of at least one terminal and the perceived channel quality information of at least one terminal.

[0205] Optionally, the aforementioned SF can also be replaced by SU in O-RAN, that is, a node with sensing capabilities in O-RAN whose core network node-related sensing functions are deployed in this application. The aforementioned access network equipment can also be replaced by CU, DU, RIC, and SU in O-RAN, which will not be elaborated further.

[0206] In one possible implementation, the access network device can obtain the identifier of the terminal within the coverage area based on the terminal's context information, and determine the terminal's perceived channel quality information based on the reference signal sent by the terminal.

[0207] Step 1202: The access network device sends the first information to the SF, and the SF receives the first information from the access network device.

[0208] The first piece of information can be found in the relevant description in step 1102 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0209] In some embodiments, the access network device may proactively send the first information to the SF, or the access network device may send the first information to the SF in response to a request message from the SF. For example, the SF may send sensing terminal selection information or sensing terminal selection indication information to the access network device, and the access network device may send the first information to the SF in response to the sensing terminal selection information or sensing terminal selection indication information.

[0210] Step 1203: SF obtains the location accuracy information of at least one terminal.

[0211] In one possible implementation, SF can obtain the location accuracy information of at least one terminal through the following steps 12031-12033.

[0212] Step 12031: The SF sends a location request message to the LMF. Correspondingly, the LMF receives the location request message from the SF.

[0213] The location request message is used to request the accuracy of the terminal's location. The location request message may include the identifier of the terminal within the coverage area of ​​the access network device.

[0214] Step 12032: In response to the positioning request message, LMF performs positioning measurements.

[0215] For example, the LMF can initiate a location measurement to the corresponding terminal based on the terminal identifier in the location request message, and obtain the location accuracy information of the terminal within the coverage area of ​​the access network device through location calculation.

[0216] Step 12033: The LMF sends a location response message to the SF. Correspondingly, the SF receives the location response message from the SF.

[0217] The location response message includes the location accuracy information of terminals within the coverage area of ​​the access network equipment.

[0218] In one possible implementation, the identifier of the terminal within the coverage area of ​​the access network device in steps 12031-12033 can be obtained through steps 10011-10012. In this case, there is no strict order between steps 1203 and steps 1201-1202. Steps 1201-1202 can be executed first and then step 1203, or steps 1203 can be executed first and then steps 1201-1202, or steps 1201-1202 and step 1203 can be executed simultaneously. This application does not make any specific limitations on this.

[0219] In another possible implementation, the identifier of the terminal within the coverage area of ​​the access network device in steps 12031-12033 above can also be obtained from the first information in step 1202 above. In this case, steps 1201-1202 can be executed first, and then step 1203 can be executed.

[0220] Step 1204: SF determines the terminal to be used for wireless sensing based on the first information and the location accuracy information of at least one terminal.

[0221] The relevant description of step S1204 can be referred to step S1103 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0222] Step 1205: SF sends first indication information to the access network device, and correspondingly, the access network device receives the first indication information from SF.

[0223] The first indication information is used to indicate the terminal for wireless sensing determined by the core network node.

[0224] Step 1206: The access network device instructs the terminal to perform a wireless sensing operation to generate point cloud information.

[0225] In one possible implementation, the access network device can generate point cloud information through the following steps 12061-12063.

[0226] Step 12061: The access network device sends sensing measurement resources to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the sensing measurement resources from the access network device.

[0227] Step 12062: The terminal sends a sensing signal to the access network device based on the configured sensing measurement resources. The access network device receives the sensing signal from the terminal. For example, the sensing signal can be SRS.

[0228] Step 12063: The access network device measures the sensing signal and generates point cloud information.

[0229] Step 1207: The access network device sends point cloud information to the SF, and the SF receives the point cloud information from the access network device.

[0230] Based on the above technical solution, the access network device can send first information to the SF based on the terminal's sensing channel quality information. The SF can then use the first information and the terminal's location accuracy information to determine the terminal to be used for wireless sensing from at least one terminal, and thus instruct the access network device to perform wireless sensing operations and generate point cloud information. In other words, this application can select a more suitable terminal for wireless sensing based on both terminal positioning and terminal sensing channel quality factors, thereby improving the sensing effect of wireless sensing.

[0231] The method provided in this application has been described above. In addition, this application also provides a communication device for implementing the functions described in the above method embodiments.

[0232] It is understood that, in order to achieve the aforementioned functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware 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.

[0233] This application embodiment can divide the communication device into functional modules according to the above method embodiment. For example, each function can be divided into a separate functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. It should be noted that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0234] Figure 13A schematic diagram of a communication device 130 is shown. The communication device 130 includes a processing module 1301 and a transceiver module 1302. The communication device 130 can be used to implement the functions of the aforementioned first node or second node.

[0235] In some embodiments, the communication device 130 may further include a storage module. Figure 13 (Not shown in the image) is used to store program instructions and data.

[0236] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1302, also referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement sending and / or receiving functions. The transceiver module 1302 may consist of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver unit, or a communication interface.

[0237] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1302 may include a receiving module and a sending module, respectively configured to perform the receiving and sending steps performed by the first node or the second node in the above method embodiments, and / or other processes to support the technology described herein; the processing module 1301 may be configured to perform the processing steps performed by the first node or the second node in the above method embodiments, and / or other processes to support the technology described herein.

[0238] When the communication device 130 is used to implement the function of the first node:

[0239] The processing module 1301 is used to send first information to the second node. The first information is determined based on the sensing channel quality information of at least one terminal or the location accuracy information of at least one terminal. The at least one terminal is a terminal within the coverage area of ​​the access node currently participating in sensing, and the sensing channel of the terminal is the signal transmission channel between the terminal and the access node. The first information is used to determine the terminal used for wireless sensing. The terminal used for wireless sensing is a terminal among the at least one terminal.

[0240] Optionally, the first node is a core network node, and the second node is a first access node; the access nodes participating in sensing include the first access node; at least one terminal is a terminal within the coverage area of ​​the first access node; the processing module 1301 is used to obtain the identifier of at least one terminal and the location accuracy information of at least one terminal through the transceiver module 1302.

[0241] Optionally, the first information includes the identifiers of one or more terminals among at least one terminal and the location accuracy information of one or more terminals; or, the first information includes the identifiers of one or more terminals among at least one terminal and the perception priority of one or more terminals, wherein the perception priority of one or more terminals is determined based on the location accuracy information of one or more terminals.

[0242] Optionally, the terminal used for wireless sensing is determined based on the first information and sensing channel quality information of at least one terminal.

[0243] Optionally, the first node is a first access node, and the second node is a core network node; the access nodes participating in sensing include the first access node; at least one terminal is a terminal within the coverage area of ​​the first access node; the processing module 1301 is used to obtain the identifier of at least one terminal and the sensing channel quality information of at least one terminal through the transceiver module 1302.

[0244] Optionally, the first information includes the identifiers of one or more terminals among at least one terminal and the perceived channel quality information of one or more terminals; or, the first information includes the identifiers of one or more terminals among at least one terminal and the perceived priority of one or more terminals, wherein the perceived priority of one or more terminals is determined based on the perceived channel quality information of one or more terminals.

[0245] Optionally, the transceiver module 1302 is used to receive first indication information from the second node, the first indication information being used to indicate the terminal for wireless sensing determined by the second node.

[0246] Optionally, the terminal used for wireless sensing is determined based on the first information and the location accuracy information of at least one terminal.

[0247] Optionally, the sensing channel quality information includes the number of first-order NLOS paths contained in the sensing channel and / or the energy information of the first-order NLOS paths contained in the sensing channel.

[0248] When the communication device 130 is used to implement the function of the second node:

[0249] The transceiver module 1302 is used to receive first information from the first node; wherein the first information is determined based on the sensing channel quality information of at least one terminal or the location accuracy information of at least one terminal, and the at least one terminal is a terminal within the coverage area of ​​the access node currently participating in sensing; the sensing channel of the terminal is the signal transmission channel between the terminal and the access node; the processing module 1301 is used to determine the terminal used for wireless sensing according to the first information, wherein the terminal used for wireless sensing is a terminal among at least one terminal.

[0250] Optionally, the first node is a core network node, and the second node is a first access node; the access nodes currently participating in sensing include the first access node; at least one terminal is a terminal within the coverage area of ​​the first access node.

[0251] Optionally, the first information includes the identifiers of one or more terminals among at least one terminal and the location accuracy information of one or more terminals; or, the first information includes the identifiers of one or more terminals among at least one terminal and the perception priority of one or more terminals, wherein the perception priority of one or more terminals is determined based on the location accuracy information of one or more terminals.

[0252] Optionally, the processing module 1301 is used to determine the terminal for wireless sensing based on the first information and the sensing channel quality information of at least one terminal.

[0253] Optionally, the first node is a first access node, and the second node is a core network node; the first information includes the sensing channel quality information of at least one terminal, and the access node currently participating in sensing includes the first access node; at least one terminal is a terminal within the coverage area of ​​the first access node.

[0254] Optionally, the first information includes the identifiers of one or more terminals among at least one terminal and the perceived channel quality information of one or more terminals; or, the first information includes the identifiers of one or more terminals among at least one terminal and the perceived priority of one or more terminals, wherein the perceived priority of one or more terminals is determined based on the perceived channel quality information of one or more terminals.

[0255] Optionally, the transceiver module 1302 is used to send first indication information to the first node, the first indication information being used to indicate the terminal for wireless sensing determined by the second node.

[0256] Optionally, the processing module 1301 is used to determine the terminal for wireless sensing based on the first information and the location accuracy information of at least one terminal.

[0257] Optionally, the sensing channel quality information includes the number of first-order NLOS paths contained in the sensing channel and / or the energy information of the first-order NLOS paths contained in the sensing channel.

[0258] All relevant content of each step involved in the above method embodiments can be referenced from the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

[0259] In this application, the communication device 130 can be presented in an integrated manner, divided into various functional modules. Here, "module" can refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuits, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0260] In some embodiments, when Figure 13 When the communication device 130 is a chip or chip system, the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1302 can be implemented through the input / output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or chip system, and the function / implementation process of the processing module 1301 can be implemented through the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or chip system.

[0261] Since the communication device 130 provided in this embodiment can execute the above method, the technical effects it can achieve can be referred to the above method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0262] As a possible product form, the first node or the second node described in the embodiments of this application can be implemented using the following: one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware components, any other suitable circuits, or any combination of circuits capable of performing the various functions described throughout this application.

[0263] As another possible product form, the first node or second node described in the embodiments of this application can be implemented using a general bus architecture. For ease of explanation, see [link to documentation]. Figure 14 , Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 1400 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1400 includes a processor 1401 and a transceiver 1402. The communication device 1400 can be a first node, or a chip or chip system therein; or, the communication device 1400 can be a second node, or a chip or module therein. Figure 14 Only the main components of the communication device 1400 are shown. In addition to the processor 1401 and transceiver 1402, the communication device may further include a memory 1403 and input / output devices (not shown).

[0264] Optionally, the processor 1401 is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process the data of the software programs, thereby implementing the methods provided in the above-described method embodiments. The memory 1403 is mainly used to store software programs and data. The transceiver 1402 may include radio frequency (RF) circuitry and an antenna. The RF circuitry is mainly used for converting baseband signals to RF signals and processing RF signals. The antenna is mainly used for transmitting and receiving RF signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as touchscreens, displays, and keyboards, are mainly used to receive user input data and output data to the user.

[0265] Optionally, the processor 1401, transceiver 1402, and memory 1403 can be connected via a communication bus.

[0266] When the communication device is powered on, the processor 1401 can read the software program in the memory 1403, execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor 1401 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit processes the baseband signal and transmits the RF signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1401. The processor 1401 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0267] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be set up independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be arranged remotely, independent of the communication device.

[0268] In some embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the above-described communication device 130 can be implemented in hardware. Figure 14 The communication device shown is in the form of 1400.

[0269] As an example, Figure 13 The function / implementation process of the processing module 1301 can be achieved through... Figure 14 The processor 1401 in the communication device 1400 shown calls computer execution instructions stored in memory 1403 to implement the communication. Figure 13 The function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1302 can be obtained through Figure 14 This is achieved through the transceiver 1402 in the communication device 1400 shown.

[0270] As another possible product form, the first or second node in this application can be adopted. Figure 15 The shown composition structure, or including Figure 15 The components shown. Figure 15 This application provides a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device 1500, which can be a first node or a chip or system-on-a-chip in the first node; or, it can be a second node or a chip or system-on-a-chip in the second node.

[0271] like Figure 15 As shown, the communication device 1500 includes at least one processor 1501 and at least one communication interface. Figure 15(This is merely an example illustration, using a communication interface 1504 and a processor 1501 as examples. Optionally, the communication device 1500 may also include a communication bus 1502 and a memory 1503.)

[0272] Processor 1501 can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a PLD, or any combination thereof. Processor 1501 can also be other devices with processing functions, such as circuits, devices, or software modules, without limitation.

[0273] The communication bus 1502 is used to connect different components in the communication device 1500, enabling communication between them. The communication bus 1502 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. This bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Figure 15 The bus is represented by a single thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0274] Communication interface 1504 is used for communicating with other devices or communication networks. For example, communication interface 1504 can be a module, circuit, transceiver, or any device capable of communication. Optionally, communication interface 1504 can also be an input / output interface located within processor 1501, used to implement signal input and signal output for the processor.

[0275] The memory 1503 may be a device with storage function, used to store instructions and / or data. The instructions may be computer programs.

[0276] For example, the memory 1503 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and / or instructions; it may also be a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and / or instructions; it may also be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, etc., without limitation.

[0277] It should be noted that the memory 1503 can exist independently of the processor 1501, or it can be integrated with the processor 1501. The memory 1503 can be located inside or outside the communication device 1500, without limitation. The processor 1501 can be used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 1503 to implement the methods provided in the following embodiments of this application.

[0278] Optionally, the processor 1501 and / or memory 1503 may include an artificial intelligence (AI) module, which is used to implement AI-related functions. The AI ​​module can be implemented through software, hardware, or a combination of both. For example, the AI ​​module may include a radio network intelligent controller (RIC) module. For example, the AI ​​module can be a near real-time RIC or a non-real-time RIC.

[0279] As an optional implementation, the communication device 1500 may also include an output device 1505 and an input device 1506. The output device 1505 communicates with the processor 1501 and can display information in various ways. For example, the output device 1505 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector, etc. The input device 1506 communicates with the processor 1501 and can receive user input in various ways. For example, the input device 1506 may be a mouse, keyboard, touchscreen device, or sensing device, etc.

[0280] In some embodiments, the hardware implementation will be apparent to those skilled in the art as described above. Figure 13 The communication device 130 shown can be adopted Figure 15 The communication device shown is in the form of 1500.

[0281] As an example, Figure 13 The function / implementation process of the processing module 1301 can be achieved through... Figure 15 The processor 1501 in the communication device 1500 shown calls computer execution instructions stored in memory 1503 to implement the function. Figure 13 The function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1302 can be obtained through Figure 15 This is achieved through the communication interface 1504 in the communication device 1500 shown.

[0282] It should be noted that, Figure 15 The structure shown does not constitute a specific limitation on the first or second node. For example, in other embodiments of this application, the first or second node may include more or fewer components than illustrated, or combine some components, or split some components, or have different component arrangements. The illustrated components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0283] In some embodiments, this application also provides a communication device, which includes a processor for implementing the methods in any of the above method embodiments.

[0284] As one possible implementation, the communication device also includes a memory. This memory stores necessary computer programs and data. The computer program may include instructions, which a processor can invoke to instruct the communication device to execute the methods described in any of the above method embodiments. Alternatively, the memory may not be present in the communication device.

[0285] As another possible implementation, the communication device also includes an interface circuit, which is a code / data read / write interface circuit, used to receive computer execution instructions (which are stored in memory and may be read directly from memory or may be transmitted through other devices) and transmit them to the processor.

[0286] As another possible implementation, the communication device also includes a communication interface for communicating with modules outside the communication device.

[0287] It is understood that the communication device can be a chip or a chip system. When the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0288] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a computer, implements the functions of any of the above-described method embodiments.

[0289] This application also provides a computer program product that, when executed by a computer, implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0290] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0291] It is understood that the systems, apparatuses, and methods described in this application can also be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the couplings or direct couplings or communication connections shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0292] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0293] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0294] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software programs, implementation can be, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. This computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device containing one or more servers, data centers, etc., that can be integrated with the medium. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state drive (SSD)). In this embodiment, the computer may include the aforementioned apparatus.

[0295] Although this application has been described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, those skilled in the art, by reviewing the accompanying drawings, disclosure, and appended claims, will understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments in carrying out the claimed application. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions listed in the claims. While different dependent claims may recite certain measures, this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0296] Although this application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the scope of this application. Accordingly, this specification and drawings are merely illustrative descriptions of the application as defined by the appended claims, and are considered to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of this application. Clearly, those skilled in the art can make various alterations and modifications to this application without departing from its scope. Thus, if such modifications and modifications fall within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, this application is also intended to include such modifications and modifications.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method applied to a first node comprises: sending first information to a second node, the first information being determined based on sensing channel quality information of at least one terminal or position accuracy information of the at least one terminal, the at least one terminal being a terminal in a coverage range of an access node currently participating in sensing, a sensing channel of the terminal being a signal transmission channel between the terminal and the access node; the first information being used to determine a terminal for wireless sensing; the terminal for wireless sensing being a terminal in the at least one terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first node is a core network node, and the second node is a first access node. The access node participating in sensing includes the first access node. The at least one terminal is a terminal in a coverage range of the first access node. The method further comprises: obtaining an identifier of the at least one terminal and position accuracy information of the at least one terminal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The first information comprises an identifier of one or more terminals in the at least one terminal and position accuracy information of the one or more terminals; or The first information comprises an identifier of one or more terminals in the at least one terminal and a sensing priority of the one or more terminals, wherein the sensing priority of the one or more terminals is determined according to the position accuracy information of the one or more terminals.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The terminal for wireless sensing is determined according to the first information and sensing channel quality information of the at least one terminal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first node is a first access node, and the second node is a core network node. The access node participating in sensing includes the first access node. The at least one terminal is a terminal in a coverage range of the first access node. The method further comprises: obtaining an identifier of the at least one terminal and sensing channel quality information of the at least one terminal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The first information comprises an identifier of one or more terminals in the at least one terminal and sensing channel quality information of the one or more terminals; or The first information comprises an identifier of one or more terminals in the at least one terminal and a sensing priority of the one or more terminals, wherein the sensing priority of the one or more terminals is determined according to the sensing channel quality information of the one or more terminals.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The method further comprises: receiving first indication information from the second node, the first indication information being used to indicate the terminal for wireless sensing determined by the second node.

8. The method according to any one of claims 5-7, characterized in that, The terminal for wireless sensing is determined according to the first information and position accuracy information of the at least one terminal.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The sensing channel quality information comprises first non-line-of-sight (NLOS) path number information and / or first NLOS path energy information contained in the sensing channel.

10. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method applied to a second node comprises: receiving first information from a first node, wherein the first information is determined based on sensing channel quality information of at least one terminal or position accuracy information of the at least one terminal, the at least one terminal being a terminal in coverage of an access node currently participating in sensing, the sensing channel of the terminal being a signal transmission channel between the terminal and the access node; determining a terminal for wireless sensing according to the first information, wherein the terminal for wireless sensing is a terminal of the at least one terminal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The first node is a core network node, and the second node is a first access node; the access node currently participating in sensing includes the first access node; and the at least one terminal is a terminal in coverage of the first access node.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The first information includes identification of one or more terminals of the at least one terminal and position accuracy information of the one or more terminals; or The first information includes identification of one or more terminals of the at least one terminal and sensing priority of the one or more terminals, wherein the sensing priority of the one or more terminals is determined according to position accuracy information of the one or more terminals.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The determining the terminal for wireless sensing according to the first information includes: determining the terminal for wireless sensing according to the first information and sensing channel quality information of the at least one terminal.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein, The first node is a first access node, and the second node is a core network node; the first information includes sensing channel quality information of the at least one terminal, the access node currently participating in sensing includes the first access node, and the at least one terminal is a terminal in coverage of the first access node.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The first information includes identification of one or more terminals of the at least one terminal and sensing channel quality information of the one or more terminals; or The first information includes identification of one or more terminals of the at least one terminal and sensing priority of the one or more terminals, wherein the sensing priority of the one or more terminals is determined according to sensing channel quality information of the one or more terminals.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that The method further includes: sending first indication information to the first node, the first indication information being used to indicate the terminal for wireless sensing determined by the second node.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14-16, characterized by, The determining the terminal for wireless sensing according to the first information includes: determining the terminal for wireless sensing according to the first information and position accuracy information of the at least one terminal.

18. The method according to any one of claims 10-17, characterized in that, The sensing channel quality information includes first-order non-line-of-sight (NLOS) path number information and / or first-order NLOS path energy information contained in the sensing channel.

19. A communications device, characterized by The communication device includes a processor; the processor is configured to run a computer program or instructions to enable the communication device to perform the method of any one of claims 1-9 or perform the method of any one of claims 10-18.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, A computer readable storage medium stores computer instructions or programs which, when run on a computer, cause the method of any of claims 1-9 or the method of any of claims 10-18 to be performed.

21. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product comprises computer instructions; when part or all of the computer instructions are run on a computer, cause the method of any of claims 1-9 or the method of any of claims 10-18 to be performed.

Images