Sensing schedule

Abstract

Embodiments of this disclosure disclose devices, methods, and apparatuses for sensing scheduling. In one embodiment, a first device receives from a second device a first request for the first device to join a sensing device group configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area. The first device then: i) sends an acknowledgment message to the second device in response to the first request, or ii) if the first device refuses to join the sensing device group, receives resource configuration information from the second device for individual sensing. In this manner, the performance of the uplink channel of the communication and sensing system can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to the telecommunications field, and particularly to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for sensing and scheduling. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of communication technologies, sensing capabilities can be supported, enabled, or integrated into communication systems. For example, Joint Communications and Sensing (JCAS) has become one of the hottest topics in next-generation mobile networks. In some cases, JCAS can also be called Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC). It utilizes communication system resources and infrastructure (spectrum, hardware, sites, etc.) to implement radar sensing functions. Specifically, the sensing radar in a JCAS system can scan its surrounding environment to measure the distance and / or speed of static or dynamic objects such as bicycles, vehicles, buildings, and pedestrians. Both the BS and UE in a JCAS system can integrate sensing radar functions.

[0003] Consequently, with the increasing demand for sensing in JCAS systems, the efficient utilization of communication and / or sensing resources has become a key aspect. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In general, exemplary embodiments of this disclosure provide devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for sensing scheduling.

[0005] In a first aspect, a first device is provided. The first device may include at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to: receive from a second device a first request for the first device to join a group of sensing devices, the group of sensing devices being configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area. The first device is also caused to: i) send an acknowledgment message to the second device in response to the first request, or ii) if the first device refuses to join the group of sensing devices, receive from the second device resource configuration information for individual sensing.

[0006] In a second aspect, a second device is provided. The second device may include at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to: receive from a third device a first request for a first device to join a group of sensing devices, the group of sensing devices being configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area. The second device is also caused to: i) receive from the first device an acknowledgment message for the first request, or ii) send to the first device first resource configuration information for individual sensing.

[0007] In a third aspect, a third device is provided. The third device may include at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the third device to: send a first request to a second device for requesting a first device to join a sensing device group, the sensing device group being configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area. The third device is also caused to receive an acknowledgment message from the second device for the first request; and to include the first device in the sensing device group to perform joint sensing.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method implemented at a first device is provided. The method includes: receiving from a second device a first request for the first device to join a sensing device group, the sensing device group being configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area. The method further includes: i) sending an acknowledgment message to the second device in response to the first request, or ii) receiving from the second device resource configuration information for individual sensing if the first device refuses to join the sensing device group.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a method implemented at a second device is provided. The method includes: receiving from a third device a first request for a first device to join a sensing device group, the sensing device group being configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area; sending the first request to the first device; and i) receiving from the first device an acknowledgment message for the first request, or ii) sending to the first device first resource configuration information for individual sensing.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a method implemented at a third device is provided. The method includes: sending a first request to a second device to request a first device to join a sensing device group, the sensing device group being configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area; receiving an acknowledgment message from the second device in response to the first request; and including the first device in the sensing device group to perform joint sensing.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: components at a first device for receiving from a second device a first request for the first device to join a sensing device group, the sensing device group being configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area; and components for: i) sending an acknowledgment message to the second device in response to the first request, or ii) receiving from the second device resource configuration information for individual sensing if the first device refuses to join the sensing device group.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: means for receiving, at a second device, a first request from a third device for requesting a first device to join a sensing device group, the sensing device group being configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area; means for sending the first request to the first device; and means for: i) receiving, from the first device, an acknowledgment message for the first request, or ii) sending, to the first device, first resource configuration information for individual sensing.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: means for sending a first request to a second device for requesting a first device to join a group of sensing devices, the group of sensing devices being configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area; means for receiving an acknowledgment message from the second device in response to the first request; and means for including the first device in the group of sensing devices to perform joint sensing.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the methods according to the fourth to sixth aspects.

[0015] In an eleventh aspect, a first device is provided. The first device includes a receiving circuitry configured to receive from a second device a first request for the first device to join a sensing device group, the sensing device group being configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area; and i) a transmitting circuitry configured to send an acknowledgment message to the second device in response to the first request, or ii) a receiving circuitry configured to receive resource configuration information from the second device for individual sensing if the first device refuses to join the sensing device group.

[0016] In a twelfth aspect, a second device is provided. The second device includes a receiving circuitry configured to receive from a third device a first request for a first device to join a sensing device group, the sensing device group being configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area; a transmitting circuitry configured to transmit the first request to the first device; and i) the receiving circuitry configured to receive from the first device an acknowledgment message for the first request, or ii) the transmitting circuitry configured to transmit to the first device first resource configuration information for individual sensing.

[0017] In a thirteenth aspect, a third device is provided. The third device includes: a transmitting circuit system configured to transmit to a second device a first request for requesting a first device to join a sensing device group, the sensing device group being configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area; a receiving circuit system configured to receive from the second device an acknowledgment message in response to the first request; and an including circuit system configured to include the first device in the sensing device group to perform joint sensing.

[0018] It should be understood that the summary portion is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0020] Figure 1A The illustration shows an example network environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0021] Figure 1B The illustration shows another example network environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0022] Figure 2 An example signaling process for sensing scheduling according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0023] Figure 3 The illustration shows an example signaling process for adding a UE sensing radar to a sensing device group according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 4 An example signaling process for parallel joint sensing according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0025] Figure 5 An example signaling process for serial joint sensing according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0026] Figures 6A to 6E The illustration shows an example of determining the scanning range of a member in a group of sensing devices according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 7 An example of a general flowchart for sensing scheduling according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0028] Figure 8 The illustration shows an example module integrated in a first device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 9 The illustration shows an example module integrated in a third device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 10 An example flowchart illustrating a method implemented at a first device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0031] Figure 11An example flowchart illustrating a method implemented at a second device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0032] Figure 12 An example flowchart illustrating a method implemented at a third device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0033] Figure 13 The illustration shows an example simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0034] Figure 14 An example block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0035] Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0036] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, and do not constitute any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various other ways besides those described below.

[0037] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0038] In this disclosure, references to "an embodiment," "embodiment," and "example embodiment," etc., indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment must include that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Moreover, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, those skilled in the art will understand that, whether explicitly described or not, combining it with other embodiments to affect such a feature, structure, or characteristic is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0039] It should be understood that although the terms “first” and “second”, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0040] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” used herein also include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Further understanding, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes,” and / or “including” as used herein specify the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0041] As used in this application, the term "circuit system" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) Pure hardware circuit implementation (such as implementation using only analog and / or digital circuit systems), and (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) A combination of (multiple) analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, and (ii) Any part of a hardware processor (including multiple digital signal processors), software, and memory (multiple processors) having software, which work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions, and (c) (Multiple) hardware circuits and / or (multiple) processors, such as (multiple) microprocessors or a portion thereof, which require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but may be absent when operation is not required.

[0042] The definition of "circuit system" applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claim. As another example, as used in this application, the term "circuit system" also covers only hardware circuitry or a processor (or processors) or a portion of hardware circuitry or a processor and its accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, if applicable to a particular claim element, the term "circuit system" also covers baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices, or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or network devices.

[0043] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that conforms to any suitable communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiplexing (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocol, including but not limited to third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, 5G-A, and / or higher generation communication protocols. Embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, there will naturally be communication technologies and systems that can be used to embody future types of communication technologies and systems. This should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure to the systems described above.

[0044] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which terminal devices access the network and receive services. A network device can refer to a base station (BS) or access point (AP), such as a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also known as a gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a Radio Header (RH), a Remote Radio Header (RRH), a relay, a low-power node (such as a femtosecond or picosecond), etc., depending on the terminology and technology used.

[0045] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not a limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices can include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices (such as digital cameras), gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEE), laptop mounted devices (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronics devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal equipment", "communication equipment", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0046] The terms “Joint Communication and Sensing (JCAS)” and “Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC)” used in this document are used interchangeably without any limitation.

[0047] In this disclosure, the term "joint sensing" refers to a group of sensing devices correspondingly performing sensing processes coordinated by a sensing management entity to achieve efficient resource utilization. Members of the sensing device group may include any device configured with sensing capabilities, such as UE, BS, access point, or IoT device.

[0048] As mentioned above, efficient utilization of communication and / or sensing resources becomes a key aspect. For discussion purposes only and without any limitation, some example cases regarding the allocation of sensing and communication resources are discussed below.

[0049] Typically, sensing radars in a JCAS system can operate in six sensing modes, including monostation sensing radar mode (transmitter and receiver at the same BS or UE), bistation sensing radar mode (transmitter and receiver at different BSs, transmitter and receiver at different UEs, and transmitter and receiver at BS / UE and UE / BS respectively). In some cases, sensing radars can be mounted on mobile platforms (e.g., vehicles or drones), thus becoming mobile sensing radars. Sensing radars can request radio resources from the network devices they access. However, in certain locations, such as intersections, many vehicles equipped with sensing radars may converge at some point. Some vehicles are crossing in one direction, while others are waiting in the other. These sensing radars may consume too much radio resource on their accessing BS and could impact normal communication services. Therefore, improving the resource utilization efficiency of UE sensing radars and minimizing the impact on communication services is crucial for JCAS systems.

[0050] In fact, when several adjacent UEs sense their surroundings using radar, they may repeatedly scan some common areas (refer to...). Figure 1B (Further discussion follows). In most cases, their sensing results are the same. To avoid interference, these sensing radars should occupy different radar resources (time / frequency / space), i.e., orthogonal resources. This will result in too many radio resources being used for sensing, but communication users will not be able to obtain enough radio resources.

[0051] In view of the above, to improve the performance of communication and sensing systems, a scheme for sensing scheduling is provided. In this scheme, a first device receives a first request from a second device requesting that the first device join a sensing device group. This sensing device group is configured to perform joint sensing within a sensing area. Then, a terminal device can send an acknowledgment message to the second device in response to the first request, allowing the sensing devices to be scheduled for resources used in joint sensing. Furthermore, if the first device refuses to join the sensing device group, the first device receives resource configuration information from the second device for individual sensing.

[0052] In this way, centralized control and scheduling mechanisms can organize these sensing radars (e.g., adjacent sensing radars) to jointly sense a specific area. When a sensing radar has already scanned a common area, other UE sensing radars can avoid repeatedly scanning that area as much as possible and attempt to scan those left-over blind spots. Furthermore, the sensing results of the UE sensing radars can be shared within the sensing group. This allows each sensing radar to 'see' a larger range. Therefore, sensing and communication resources in the network can be utilized efficiently without any performance degradation. The above scheme can be applied to focused UE monostation sensing radars, which can be used for vehicle autonomous driving and assisted driving. Compared to cameras and lidar, JCAS sensing radars perform well in adverse weather conditions. Vehicle monostation sensing radars can detect objects around the vehicle for autonomous navigation and collision avoidance. Without any limitations, the above scheme can also be applied to any other sensing radar mode.

[0053] The principles and embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1A An example network environment 100 in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is illustrated. Environment 100 may be part of a communication network, including terminal devices and network devices.

[0054] As shown in Figure 1a, the network environment 100 may include a first device 110, a second device 120, and a third device 130. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may be a terminal device integrated into a carrier. For simplicity, the first device 110 may also refer to, for example... Figure 1AThe carrier 110 is shown. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may be a network device, access point, base station, evolved Node B (eNB), or next-generation Node B (gNB). For example, the second device 120 may be a Wi-Fi access point or a BS. In some embodiments, the third device 130 may be a core network (CN) device configured with sensing management capabilities or a sensing management entity (SME). Without any limitations, the first device 110, the second device 120, and the third device 130 may be any other device with similar sensing requirements or capabilities. In addition, the network environment 100 also includes a sensing device group 140. The sensing device group 140 may include devices 140-1, 140-2, and 140-3. In one example, the third device 130 may schedule the (sensing) devices in the sensing device group 140 via the second device 120 to jointly perform sensing processes in a corresponding sensing area (e.g., the area in the block shown in FIG1). As described below, when the first device 110 needs to sense an area associated with the sensing device group 140, the third device 130 may invite the first device 110 to join the sensing device group 140 to perform joint sensing.

[0055] It should be understood that Figure 1A The number of devices given is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation. Network environment 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and / or terminal devices suitable for implementing embodiments of this disclosure. Although not shown, it should be understood that one or more terminal devices may be located in network environment 100.

[0056] Communication in network environment 100 can be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol(s), including but not limited to third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), fifth-generation (5G), 5G Advanced or higher (6G), wireless LAN communication protocols such as IEEE 802.11, and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Furthermore, communication can utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), time division multiplexing (TDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), Bluetooth, ZigBee and machine-type communication (MTC), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communication (mMTC), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), carrier aggregation (CA), dual connectivity (DC), and new radio unlicensed (NR-U) technologies.

[0057] Figure 1B The illustration shows another example network environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented.

[0058] like Figure 1BAs shown, the same area (i.e., Figure 1B There are three cars at an intersection. Therefore, the sensing radars of these three cars may repeatedly scan a very large area. Consequently, to avoid interference, these UE sensing radars should occupy different sensing resources (time / frequency / space), i.e., orthogonal resources. However, this may result in too many radio resources being used for sensing, while communication users cannot obtain enough radio resources. Therefore, the solution discussed with reference to the following embodiments can efficiently utilize resources used for sensing and communication.

[0059] Figure 2 An example signaling process 200 for sensing scheduling according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. Reference will be made to this document for discussion purposes. Figure 1A Describe the signaling process 200. It should be understood that, although in Figure 1A The signaling process 200 is described in the communication environment 100, but this flowchart 200 can also be applied to other communication scenarios.

[0060] In signaling process 200, third device 130 sends (210) a first request 215 to second device 120 requesting first device 110 to join sensing device group 140. Sensing device group 140 is configured to perform joint sensing within a sensing area. In some embodiments, third device 130 may determine or initiate (201) the sensing device group based on one or more of the following: the distribution of one or more sensing devices and environmental information about the sensing area. Environmental information includes at least one of the following: building distribution, facility distribution, or road layout within the sensing area. In one example, third device 130 may collect sensing device locations to determine the joint sensing area. Specifically, third device 130 may autonomously select the joint sensing area based on vehicle distribution. For example, an area with a large number of vehicles may be defined as a joint sensing area. Furthermore, after determining the sensing device group for the joint sensing area, the sensing area may be jointly sensed by the sensing devices of the sensing device group (e.g., located within the joint sensing area). Alternatively or concurrently, the sensing device group may be a temporary or permanent group. For example, JCAS operators may directly configure joint sensing areas for specific areas (e.g., intersections). A joint sensing area always corresponds to a joint sensing group. Furthermore, a joint sensing group always corresponds to a sensing area to be jointly sensed (also referred to as a joint sensing area). In one example, a joint sensing area with information on center location, size, shape, and building outline can be given. In this disclosure, a joint sensing area may also be referred to as a sensing area associated with a group of sensing devices.

[0061] Furthermore, a joint sensing group can be empty, containing only one sensing device (e.g., a UE sensing radar), or it can have multiple sensing devices. For example, a third device 110 can identify a permanent sensing device group for an intersection because the accident rate at that intersection is high. If no sensing device or vehicle is present at the intersection at a given time, the permanent sensing device group may have no members.

[0062] Furthermore, the third device 130 can dynamically maintain the initiated sensing device group. For example, the third device 130 can cancel a temporary sensing device group or remove members from the sensing device group. In some embodiments, the third device 130 can cancel the corresponding joint sensing group when most of the sensing devices (or vehicles) have left the joint sensing area. In one example, the terminal device 130 can determine whether a first number of sensing devices in the sensing device group is lower than a number threshold. If the first number is lower than the number threshold, the third device 130 can cancel the sensing device group.

[0063] Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the third device 130 may monitor the location of all members in the sensing device group. When a sensing device leaves its joint sensing area, the third device 130 may remove that sensing device from the sensing device group. In one example, the third device 130 may monitor the location of at least one sensing device in the sensing device group. The third device 130 may then determine, based on the monitoring, whether at least one sensing device has left the sensing area. If at least one sensing device has left the sensing area, the third device 130 may remove at least one sensing device from the sensing device group.

[0064] Still referencing Figure 2 For the first request, the third device 130 may determine (208) whether to send the first request to the first device 110 based on the attitude information of the first device 110. The attitude information of the first device 110 may include at least one of the first device 110's position or orientation. In one example, the third device 130 may acquire the attitude information of the terminal devices and determine whether to send the first request to one or more terminal devices. In one example, the third device 130 may monitor the position of a device with a sensing requirement and match its position with a joint sensing area. If a device enters the first joint sensing area, the third device 130 may invite it to join the joint sensing group corresponding to the first joint sensing area. In one example, based on the attitude information of the first device, the third device 130 may determine whether a first area sensed by the first device is associated with a sensing area. If the first area is associated with a sensing area (e.g., the first area is part of or adjacent to the sensing area), the third device 130 may send the first request to the first device 110 via the second device 120.

[0065] Alternatively or concurrently, the first device 110 may send (202) a second request 203 for sensing to the second device 120 to obtain resource configuration for sensing. Furthermore, the second request may include at least one of the first device's attitude information or sensing capability information. The sensing capability information may include the first device 110's field of view (FOV). The second device 120 may then send or forward the second request 203 to the third device 130. In this case, after receiving (204) the second request, the third device 130 may determine (208) whether to send the first request 215 based on the first device's attitude information in the second request 203. The determination method may be the same as described above. Without any limitation, it should be understood that, in addition to receiving the second request 203, the third device 130 may also obtain the first device 110's attitude information in any other way. For example, the first device 110 may also obtain attitude information from a Location Management Function (LMF) server.

[0066] Still referencing Figure 2 Upon receiving (220) the first request 215, the second device 120 may send (230) the first request 235 to the first device 110. The first device 110 accordingly receives (240) the first request 235. After receiving the first request 235, the first device 110 may determine (241) whether to join the sensing device group. For example, the first device 110 may have higher privacy requirements, and the first device 110 may refuse (243) to join the sensing device group. In this case, the first device 110 may send a rejection message to the second device 120 regarding the first request. Upon receiving the rejection message, the second device 120 may know that the first device 110 refuses to share sensing information. In this case, the second device 120 may send resource configuration information for individual sensing to the first device 110. Then, the first device 110 may perform the sensing process independently without sharing its sensing results.

[0067] Alternatively, the first device 110 may voluntarily agree to join the sensing device group 140. In this case, the first device 110 sends (245) an acknowledgment message 247 in response to the first request to the second device 120. After receiving (255) the acknowledgment message 247, the second device 120 sends (255) the acknowledgment message 257 to the third device 130. The acknowledgment message 257 may be the same as the acknowledgment message 247, or it may be determined based on the acknowledgment message 247. The third device 130 accordingly receives (258) the acknowledgment message 257.

[0068] Upon receiving confirmation message 257, the third device 130 knows that the first device 110 has voluntarily joined the sensing device group 140 to perform joint sensing within the joint sensing area. The third device 130 then includes the first device 110 in the sensing device group 140 to perform joint sensing. To perform joint sensing, the third device 130 can plan scan ranges for one or more members of the sensing group 140 to achieve efficient joint scanning of the joint sensing area. (For discussion purposes only, see references to...) Figure 3 The process of incorporating sensing devices (radar) will be discussed further.

[0069] Figure 3 An example signaling process 300 for adding a UE sensing radar to a sensing device group according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. Figure 3 In the UE sensing radar 110, it can be as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 The first device 110 shown, 4G / 5G BS or WiFi AP 120 can be as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 The second device 120, SME 130 shown can be as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 The third device 130 shown.

[0070] As described above, based on the vehicle distribution, as shown in 330, SME 130 can autonomously generate several joint sensing groups for areas with a large number of vehicles. Furthermore, as... Figure 3 As shown, the UE sensing radar 110 can send a UE single-site sensing request 320 with attitude and capability information to the BS 120 (this can be...). Figure 2 (The second request shown). BS 120 sends a UE single-site sensing request 330 to SME 130. In one example, when the UE sensing radar 110 sends a sensing request to SME 130, request messages 320 and 330 may include its current attitude information, i.e., location and orientation, and its capability information, such as maximum FOV. When SME 130 receives sensing request 330, based on the location of the UE sensing radar, SME 130 can determine (340) whether the UE sensing radar is located in a joint sensing area. If the UE sensing radar is located in a joint sensing area, the SME will ask the UE sensing radar whether it wishes to join a joint sensing group. Figure 3 As shown, the third device 130 can send a join group request 350 to the BS 120 (which can be...) Figure 2 The first request is shown. Then, BS 120 can send a join group request 360 based on join group request 350. Furthermore, if the vehicle voluntarily joins (370) the joint sensing group, it will send an acknowledgment message 380 to BS 120 (which may be as follows). Figure 2(The confirmation message shown). Then, BS 120 can send a group join confirmation 390 to the third device 130. After the UE sensing radar joins the joint sensing group, SME 130 can plan its sensing range and share the joint sensing results with it.

[0071] Refer again Figure 2 The third device 130 can schedule sensing devices (i.e., the first device 110 and other devices in the sensing device group 140) to perform joint sensing periodically. For example, the joint sensing area can be scanned by the sensing device group at a specific sensing frequency (such as 5 Hz). In this case, the joint sensing process is performed five times per second. There are no restrictions; the joint sensing process can be performed at any other sensing frequency. Before performing joint sensing, the third device 130 may need to acquire current pose information about each member of the sensing device group in order to plan the scan range for one or more members.

[0072] In some embodiments, the third device 130 may send (259) a third request 260 for current information to the first device 110 via the second device 120. That is, the third device 130 may send the third request to the second device 120. Furthermore, the second device 120 may send the received third request to the first device 110. Subsequently, after receiving the third request 260, the second device 110 may send (262) the attitude information 263 of the first device 110 to the third device 130 via the second device 120. In one example, the first device 110 may send an attitude report of at least one of the first device 110's position or orientation.

[0073] Then, after acquiring attitude information (e.g., attitude information 263) about one or more members of the sensing device group 140, the third device 130 can determine (265) at least one scan range of one or more members of the sensing device group 140. Furthermore, the scan range can also be determined based on at least one of the following: the field of view (FOV) of one or more devices in the sensing device group 140, environmental information of the sensing area corresponding to the sensing device group 140, one or more moving objects within the sensing area; or the blind zone of one or more devices in the sensing device group 140. The blind zone can be determined based on the FOV of one or more devices, environmental information, and / or one or more moving objects. For clarity, refer to... Figures 6A to 6E The determination of the scanning range will be discussed further, but will not be discussed here.

[0074] Furthermore, depending on how the scan range is determined, joint sensing 266 can be performed in parallel or serially. In some embodiments, joint sensing can be performed simultaneously in parallel by members of the sensing device group 140 (including the first device 110). As previously described, by sending a third request 260, the third device 130 can receive attitude reports from one or more sensing devices of the sensing device group 140. The attitude reports in the one or more attitude reports can indicate at least one of the position or orientation of the sensing devices among the one or more sensing devices. Then, based on the one or more attitude reports, the third device 130 can determine multiple scan ranges for the sensing area at once. At least one of these multiple scan ranges will be sensed by the sensing devices among the one or more sensing devices.

[0075] The third device 130 may send (267) instructions 268 for multiple scan ranges to the second device 120. Upon receiving (268) instructions 268 for multiple scan ranges, the second device 120 may determine (270) resource configuration information for one or more members of the sensing device group 140. For example, if the third device 130 has already determined the scan range for each member of the sensing device group 140, the second device 120 may determine resource configuration information for each member based on the corresponding scan range. Alternatively, the third device 130 may also determine that a portion of the sensing device group 140 will perform joint sensing and determine the scan range for each member in that portion of the sensing device group 140. In this case, the second device 120 may also assign resource configuration information to the (multiple) members in the portion of the sensing device group 140 (i.e., the resource configuration information is not sent to each member of the entire sensing device group 140). The second device 120 may then send the resource configuration information to the corresponding device in the sensing device group 140 (e.g., the first device 110).

[0076] For clarity, please refer to Figure 4 We will further discuss parallel joint sensing.

[0077] Figure 4 An example signaling process 400 for parallel joint sensing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. Figure 4 In the UE sensing radar 110, it can be as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 The first device 110 shown, 4G / 5G BS or WiFi AP 120 can be as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 The second device 120, SME 130 shown can be as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 The third device 130 shown.

[0078] In such Figure 4In the joint sensing scenario illustrated, SME 130 requests the current attitude of all members in the sensing device group 140. SME 130 uses the attitude, capabilities, and building contours of the UE sensing radars to plan the scanning range of all UE sensing radars. In this parallel mode, SME 130 can consider only blind spots obscured by static objects, ignoring dynamic blind spots. Once SME 130 has completed sensing range planning, it instructs BS 120 to schedule radio resources for all group members. BS 120 will configure time / frequency / spatial resources for these joint sensing radars based on their sensing ranges. These joint group sensing radars will simultaneously scan their sensing ranges. The sensing results are then reported to SME 130. Finally, SME 130 combines these sensing results into a joint sensing result, which is broadcast to all group members (and other devices subscribed to the sensing service).

[0079] exist Figure 4In the example, SME 130 sends a request 410 for the current attitude to BS 120. BS 120 sends a request 420 for the current attitude to UE 110. Therefore, UE sensing radar 110 can send an attitude report 430 to BS 120. It should be understood that UE sensing radar 110 is only an example of a member in sensing device group 140, and UE sensing radar could also be device 140-1, 140-2, 140-3, etc. Then, BS sends an attitude report 435 to SME 130. Based on one or more reports from members of sensing device group 140, SME 130 can plan (440) ranges for these members. SME 130 sends a report 445 of the ranges determined for these members to BS 120. Based on the ranges determined for these members, BS 120 can schedule (450) time / frequency / space resources for joint sensing. Then, BS 120 can send the resource configuration 455 of the UE sensing radar to the corresponding UE sensing radar. The UE sensing radar 110 can perform (460) a sensing process of a planned scanning range for the UE sensing radar based on the received resource configuration 455 of the UE sensing radar. Then, the UE sensing radar 110 sends a sensing result report 465 to the BS 120. The BS 120 receives sensing result reports from members of the sensing device group 140. The BS 120 sends the received sensing result reports to the SME 130. The SME 130 combines all sensing results based on the sensing result reports to generate a joint sensing result. The SME 130 can then broadcast the joint sensing result 480 to the BS 120. The BS 120 can broadcast the joint sensing result 480 to members of the sensing device group 140. Furthermore, other devices not joined to the sensing device group 140 can also subscribe to the sensing service. In this case, the BS 120 can also send the joint sensing result to these other devices. In some embodiments, members of the sensing device group 140 can be configured with a first billing policy. Other devices can be configured with a second billing policy. Because members contribute to the joint sensing results, the first billing strategy can be lower than the second billing strategy.

[0080] Refer again Figure 2 Alternatively, as described above, the joint sensing 266 can be performed serially. In some embodiments, the determination of the scan range can depend on the sensing results of a previous scan range.

[0081] In some embodiments, after obtaining one or more attitude reports from members of the sensing device group 140, the third device 130 may determine (265) a first scan range sensed by a fourth device among one or more sensing devices in the sensing device group 140. Without any limitation, the fourth device may be the first device 110 or any other device in the sensing device group 140. The third device 130 may then send (267) an indication 268 of the first scan range to the second device 120. Upon receiving (269) the indication 268, the second device 120 may determine (270) a first resource configuration for the fourth device. The second device 120 may then send (269) an indication 268 of the first scan range to the fourth device. Figure 2 (Not shown, or the fourth device may be the first device 110) sends a first resource configuration. The fourth device performs a sensing process based on the first resource configuration. Then, the fourth device sends (278) the fourth device's first sensing result 280 to the second device 120. The second device 120 sends the fourth device's first sensing result to the third device 130. Furthermore, based on the first sensing result and one or more attitude reports, the third device 130 may determine a second scan range sensed by a fifth device among one or more sensing devices. Without any limitations, the fifth device may also be the first device or any other device in the sensing device group 140. Similarly, the third device 130 may send an indication of the second scan range to the second device 120. The second device 120 may determine the fifth device's second resource configuration information based on the indication of the second scan range. Then, the second device 120 may send the second resource configuration information to the fifth device. Then, the fifth device may send the fifth device's second sensing result to the third device 130. Furthermore, at the third device 130, it can iteratively determine other scanning ranges based on the sensing results (e.g., the first sensing result or the second sensing result) and schedule members of the sensing device group 140 to perform the sensing process until the joint sensing area is fully sensed. Then, the third device 130 can combine the sensing results to generate a joint sensing result.

[0082] As described above, similarly, the third device 130 can broadcast (284) the joint sensing results to members of the sensing device group 140 and / or other devices. For clarity, reference will be made to... Figure 5 Further discussion on serial joint sensing.

[0083] Figure 5 An example signaling process 500 for serial joint sensing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0084] Compared to the parallel joint sensing described above, serial group sensing can be performed by selecting a UE sensing radar as the first sensing radar, for example, the sensing radar having the largest scanning range in the joint sensing group. SME 130 can plan its sensing range based on the first sensing radar's attitude, capabilities, nearby building outlines, and traffic conditions. The planned sensing range is then sent to BS 120 for radio resource scheduling. BS 120 will configure time / frequency / spatial resources for the first sensing radar and command it to scan its sensing range. The sensing results from the first sensing radar will be sent to SME 130. SME 130 will use the results from the first sensing radar to plan the scanning ranges of other sensing radars. When SME 130 plans the scanning range of a second sensing radar, it will plan for the second sensing radar to scan areas not within the scanning range of the first sensing radar, as well as areas obstructed by moving objects detected by the first sensing radar. In some embodiments, the second sensing radar should be the radar capable of scanning the largest area of ​​the first sensing radar's blind spot. After the second sensing radar is selected, its sensing range planning, radio scheduling, configuration, and sensing operation are similar to those of the first sensing radar. Similarly, the SME 130 can schedule other sensing radars until all joint sensing areas have been scanned. Finally, the SME 130 combines all sensing results into a joint sensing result and broadcasts it to all group members. Figure 5 In this context, UE sensing radars 140-1 and 140-2 can be members of the sensing device group 140 shown in Figure 1, and the 4G / 5G BS or WiFi AP 120 can be as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 The second device 120, SME 130 shown can be as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 The device 130 shown is shown.

[0085] exist Figure 5In the example, SME 130 sends a request 501 for the current attitude. BS 120 sends a request 503 to the members in the sensing device group 140. These members send their attitude reports to BS 120 505. BS 120 sends an attitude report 507 to SME 130. Then, SME 130 plans the first radar range 509 and sends a report of the first radar range to BS 120 511. BS 120 schedules (513) time / frequency / space resources for the first radar. Then, BS 120 sends a first sensing radar configuration 515 to the first radar 140-1 (which may be the fourth device mentioned above). The first radar 140-1 scans (517) its sensing group accordingly. Then, the first radar 140-1 sends a sensing report 519 to BS 120. BS 120 sends a sensing report 521 to SME 130. SME 130 plans (523) the scanning range of the second radar based at least on the sensing report 521 of the first radar. Then, similarly, through the second radar range report 525, the scheduling of the second radar's time / frequency / spatial resources 526, the second radar configuration 527, the second sensing radar 140-2 (which may be the aforementioned fifth device) can scan (529) its sensing range. Then, the second sensing radar 140-2 can send the second radar's sensing report 531 to BS 120. BS 120 can send the second radar's sensing report 533 to SME 130. As described above, SME 130 can iteratively perform the above steps until the joint sensing area is scanned. Then, SME 130 can broadcast (284) the joint sensing results to members of the sensing device group 140 and / or other devices.

[0086] Refer again Figure 2 Given the above, regarding the scanning range, the devices in sensing device group 140 can sense different portions of the joint sensing area. Furthermore, the joint sensing area can be scanned periodically, and the joint sensing results can be broadcast to group members or subscribed to by non-group vehicles. During each joint sensing period, third device 130 can select all or some of the UE sensing radars to sense these fixed and moving objects. Third device 130 can plan its scanning range based on the attitude, capabilities, surrounding environment, and traffic conditions of these sensing radars. As mentioned above, joint sensing has two operating modes: parallel joint sensing and serial joint sensing. In parallel joint sensing, these UE sensing radars will sense simultaneously. In serial joint sensing mode, these UE sensing radars will sense one by one. The scanning range of one sensing radar will be planned based on the sensing results of the previous sensing radars. Third device 130 will attempt to remove these dynamic blind spots obscured by moving objects.

[0087] Figures 6A to 6EThe illustration shows an example of determining the scanning range of a member in a group of sensing devices according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0088] Figure 6A and Figure 6B The illustration shows an example of a rural intersection. For example... Figure 6A As shown, rural intersections are typically wide and not heavily obstructed by surrounding buildings. Therefore, SME 130 does not need to consider surrounding buildings. The joint sensing group consists of three vehicles (or sensing devices within the three vehicles). Vehicle 1 is crossing the intersection, while vehicles 2 and 3 are waiting. It is assumed here that they are all equipped with forward-facing radars with a 120° field of view (FOV). A simple approach is for SME 130 to plan the sensing range of vehicle 1 to 120°, and to plan vehicles 2 and 3 only to scan the blind spots left by vehicle 1, such as... Figure 6A The shaded area in the diagram. SME 160 allocates the sensing range of car 2 to its leftmost 30° and the sensing range of car 3 to its rightmost 30°. Now, the entire intersection is scanned by the combined sensing radar group, with no overlapping scan areas. Another simple method is to balance the scanning range of all combined sensing radars, such as... Figure 6B As shown. Alternatively, SME 130 can also plan the sensing range of these three vehicles at an 80° angle to their center.

[0089] Figure 6C The illustration shows an example of an urban intersection near a building. Figure 6C As shown, there are always many buildings on the streets of urban areas. These buildings will affect the joint sensing planning. As shown in the figure, there is a building at each corner. First, SME 130 can plan the sensing range of car 1 at 120°. In addition to the rear blind spot 1, car 1 has two other blind spots (2 and 3) that are obscured by surrounding buildings. When SME 130 plans the sensing range of car 2 and car 3, it will use map information to obtain the outlines of surrounding buildings and then calculate the sensing range of car 2 and car 3. In addition, SME 130 plans the sensing range of car 2 and car 3 at 45°.

[0090] Figure 6D The illustration shows an example of a busy urban intersection. Figure 6DAs shown, sometimes there may be many moving objects at urban intersections. SME 130 can plan the sensing range of car 1 within its 120° radius. Unlike the three cases mentioned above, SME 130 can dynamically plan the sensing ranges of cars 2 and 3. This means that SME 130 uses the sensing results of car 1 to plan the sensing ranges of cars 2 and 3. In addition to blind spots 1, 2, and 3, there is a dynamic blind spot 4, which is obstructed by moving objects, i.e., cyclists obstructing each other. To sense these cyclists, SME 130 can request cars 2 and 3 to sense cyclists in different directions. Therefore, SME 130 correspondingly expands the sensing ranges of cars 2 and 3 to approximately 75° and 80°, respectively.

[0091] Figure 6E The illustration shows an example of a busy road section. Figure 6E As shown, in some situations, there can be many moving objects on busy roads. SME 130 plans the sensing range of car 1 at its maximum of 120°. Two other cars (2 and 3) obstruct some areas, namely blind spot 2 and blind spot 3 of car 1. Based on the sensing results of car 1, SME 130 can accordingly plan the sensing ranges of car 2 and car 3 to approximately 30° and 80° for these dynamic blind spots.

[0092] In some embodiments, the SME 130 may employ both static and dynamic sensing planning for the joint sensing group. For example... Figure 6E As shown, take a busy road as an example. Figure 6E As shown, in static sensing planning, the SME 130 can simultaneously plan the sensing range of all vehicles (e.g., parallel joint sensing and...). Figure 6A , Figure 6B and Figure 6C (The steps discussed in the text). Furthermore, in dynamic sensing planning, SME 130 can plan the sensing range of all vehicles one by one. Vehicle sensing planning can use the sensing results of previous vehicles (e.g., serial joint sensing and...). Figure 6D (The steps discussed in the text).

[0093] In view of the above, reference has been made Figures 2 to 6E Sensor scheduling in JCAS or ISAC systems is discussed. In this way, centralized control and scheduling mechanisms can organize these sensing radars (e.g., neighboring sensing radars) to jointly sense a specific area. Therefore, resource consumption can be reduced without compromising performance.

[0094] Figure 7 An example of a general flowchart 700 for sensing scheduling according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. Figure 7 In general, this disclosure presents the basic ideas and steps of the present invention.

[0095] like Figure 7 As shown, for vehicle navigation and collision avoidance applications, the SME 130 can jointly sense a specific area, such as an intersection, using a group of vehicle UE monostation sensing radars and share the joint sensing results among these vehicles. This not only allows each vehicle to "see" a larger range but also avoids redundant scanning and saves radio resources. The SME 130 can autonomously select the joint sensing area based on vehicle distribution. An area with a large number of vehicles can be defined as a joint sensing area. This area will be jointly sensed by the UE sensing radars located within it. The joint sensing area can be scanned at a certain frequency (e.g., 5Hz). When a vehicle with a UE monostation sensing radar enters the joint sensing area, the SME 130 will ask it whether it wants to join the joint sensing group. If the UE sensing radar voluntarily agrees to join the group, it will be scheduled along with the other sensing radars in the joint group. Otherwise, if the vehicle does not agree to join the group, it will be scheduled individually. Because it can independently sense its surroundings, it may consume more radio resources and result in higher sensing costs.

[0096] Within each joint sensing period, SME 130 plans its sensing range based on the current location of each UE's sensing radar, its field of view (FOV), its position on the vehicle, the surrounding environment, and traffic conditions. The goal of joint sensing planning is to maximize the scanning area and minimize the overlapping scanning area. For different joint sensing areas, SME can employ different sensing planning methods, such as... Figures 6A to 6E As shown.

[0097] After the SME 130 completes its joint sensing planning, it will instruct the BS to allocate radio resources for these joint sensing radars. All sensing results from the joint sensing radars will be sent to the SME 130. The SME 130 will combine them into a single joint sensing result. The same moving object sensed by different sensing radars will be merged. During each joint sensing period, when the SME 130 collects and combines all vehicle sensing results, it will broadcast the joint sensing result to all group members. Vehicles without sensing radars can also subscribe to the joint sensing result. Operators can adopt different billing strategies for group members and non-group members; for example, group members may be billed free or at a lower rate than non-group members.

[0098] In addition, in order to implement the above steps at the first device 110 and the third device 130, corresponding functional modules can be integrated at the first device 110 or the third device 130.

[0099] Figure 8 The illustration shows example modules integrated into a first device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0100] like Figure 8As shown, the first device 110 may include a joint sensing control module 810, an uplink forwarding module 820, and a downlink forwarding module 830. Specifically, to achieve the above-mentioned sensing scheduling, as... Figure 8 As shown, the JCAS UE (which may be the first device 110) can have a new function to voluntarily join the joint sensing group. The UE owner can enable or disable the joint sensing function. When the SME queries the UE's sensing radar to see if it wants to join the joint sensing group, it can answer the SME according to the UE owner's settings. This function also forwards the joint sensing results to the vehicle navigation system and its sensing results to the SME for use in the joint sensing group.

[0101] Figure 9 The illustration shows example modules integrated into a third device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0102] like Figure 9As shown, the third device 130 may include a vehicle distribution analysis module 910, a location matching and joint sensing invitation module 920, a joint sensing area / group database module 930, a joint sensing planning module 940, and a joint sensing combination and broadcast module 950. Similarly, to achieve the above-mentioned sensing scheduling, the SME 130 should have several new functions to generate joint sensing groups, plan joint sensing ranges, combine and broadcast joint sensing results. The SME 130 collects vehicle locations to determine joint sensing areas. Based on vehicle distribution, the SME 130 can generate joint sensing groups for these vehicle cluster areas. When most vehicles have left the joint sensing area, the SME 130 can also remove the joint sensing group. Joint sensing groups can be temporary or permanent. JCAS operators can also directly configure joint sensing areas for some special areas (e.g., intersections). A joint sensing area always corresponds to a joint sensing group. Joint sensing areas with information on center location, size, shape, and building outlines will be given. A joint sensing group can be empty, with only one UE sensing radar, or with multiple UE sensing radars. The SME 130 monitors the location of all UE sensing radars. When a sensing radar leaves its joint sensing area, the SME removes it from the group. Generally, the more vehicle sensing radars in a joint sensing group, the higher the efficiency of radio resources gained, and the larger the "seen" sensing range. The SME 130 monitors vehicle locations and matches them with the joint sensing area. If a vehicle enters the joint sensing area, the SME 130 invites it to join the joint sensing group. The joint sensing group will periodically sense the joint sensing area. During each joint sensing, the SME will plan its scan range based on the current attitude (position and orientation) of all sensing radars, sensing radar capability (FOV), building outlines, and bunker status. Sensing range information is sent to the BS for sensing resource scheduling. The SME 130 combines the results of all joint sensing radars to generate a joint sensing result that covers the entire joint sensing area and is shared by all group members.

[0103] In some embodiments, this disclosure can be implemented via a future JCAS UE, BS, and SME. The UE will be mounted on a vehicle to provide both communication and sensing capabilities. Its sensing capabilities will operate as a monostation radar to scan surrounding fixed or moving objects for navigation, localization, and obstacle avoidance. The BS will schedule radio resources (time / frequency / spatial) for the UE's sensing radar. The SME will manage and control these UE sensing radars. In this disclosure, the SME will organize adjacent UE sensing radars to jointly scan a specific area to avoid duplicate scanning and simultaneously eliminate sensing blind spots as much as possible. Therefore, this disclosure can improve JCAS radio resource efficiency and ensure that sensing capabilities do not impact the user experience of communication.

[0104] Figure 10A flowchart of an example method 1000 implemented at a first device (e.g., first device 110) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purposes of discussion, the method 1000 will be described from the perspective of the first device 110 with reference to FIG1.

[0105] At 1010, the first device 110 receives a first request from the second device to join a sensing device group configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area. At 1020, the first device 110 sends an acknowledgment message to the second device in response to the first request. Alternatively, at 1030, if the first device refuses to join the sensing device group, the first device 110 receives resource configuration information from the second device for individual sensing.

[0106] In some embodiments, the sensing device group is determined by a third device based on at least one of the following: the distribution of one or more sensing devices; or environmental information about the sensing area, which includes at least one of the distribution of buildings, facilities, or roads within the sensing area, wherein the third device is configured for sensing management.

[0107] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may further: send a second request for sensing to the second device, wherein the second request includes at least one of the first device's attitude information or sensing capability information.

[0108] In some embodiments, at least one of the following is true: attitude information includes at least one of the position or orientation of the first device; or sensing capability information includes the field of view (FOV) of the first device.

[0109] In some embodiments, the first request is determined based on the attitude information of the first device, and the first request is sent by the third device.

[0110] In some embodiments, the first device 110 sends an acknowledgment message, and the first device may also: receive a third request from the second device for current attitude information of one or more sensing devices in the sensing device group; and send an attitude report to the second device of at least one of the position or orientation of the first device.

[0111] In some embodiments, the first device sends an acknowledgment message, and the first device may also: receive resource configuration information for joint sensing from the second device, wherein the resource configuration for joint sensing indicates a set of sensing resources determined based on an attitude report.

[0112] In some embodiments, the sensing resource set is also determined based on at least one of the following: the field of view (FOV) of one or more devices in the sensing device group; environmental information about the sensing area; one or more moving objects within the sensing area; or the blind zone of one or more devices, wherein the blind zone is determined based on the FOV of one or more devices, environmental information, and / or one or more moving objects.

[0113] In some embodiments, the first device may further: perform a sensing process based on resource configuration information for joint sensing to obtain sensing results of the first device; send the sensing results to the second device; and receive joint sensing results from the second device, at least in part based on the sensing results of the first device.

[0114] In some embodiments, the first device is configured with a first billing policy based on the first device sending a confirmation message; or the first device is configured with a second billing policy based on the first device refusing to join the sensing device group.

[0115] In some embodiments, the first device may receive resource configuration for individual sensing by sending a rejection message to the second device in response to the first request.

[0116] In some embodiments, at least one of the following is included: the first device includes a terminal device integrated on the vehicle, and the first device is further configured to send joint sensing results to the vehicle's navigation system; the second device includes a network device, access point, base station, evolved Node B (eNB) or next-generation Node B (gNB); or the third device includes a core network (CN) device or a sensing management entity (SME).

[0117] Figure 11 A flowchart of an example method 1100 implemented at a second device (e.g., second device 120) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purposes of discussion, method 1100 will be described from the perspective of second device 120 with reference to FIG1.

[0118] At 1110, the second device 120 receives a first request from the third device to request the first device to join a sensing device group configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area. At 1120, the second device 120 sends the first request to the first device. At 1130, the second device 120 receives an acknowledgment message from the first device regarding the first request. Alternatively, at 1140, the second device 120 sends first resource configuration information to the first device for individual sensing.

[0119] In some embodiments, an acknowledgment message is received, and the second device may also send a configuration message to the third device.

[0120] In some embodiments, the sensing device group is determined by a third device based on at least one of the following: the distribution of one or more sensing devices; or environmental information about the sensing area, the environmental information including at least one of the distribution of buildings, facilities, or roads within the sensing area, wherein the third device is configured for sensing management.

[0121] In some embodiments, the second device may also receive a second request for sensing from the first device, wherein the second request includes at least one of the first device's attitude information or sensing capability information; and send the second request to a third device.

[0122] In some embodiments, at least one of the following is true: attitude information includes at least one of the position or orientation of the first device; or sensing capability information includes the field of view (FOV) of the first device.

[0123] In some embodiments, the first request is determined based on the attitude information of the first device, and the first request is sent by the third device.

[0124] In some embodiments, the second device may also receive a third request from the third device for current attitude information of one or more sensing devices in the sensing device group; send the third request to the first device; receive an attitude report from the first device for at least one of the position or orientation of the first device; and send the attitude report to the third device.

[0125] In some embodiments, the second device may also receive multiple scanning ranges of the sensing area from the third device, wherein at least one of the multiple scanning ranges will be sensed by a sensing device in one or more sensing devices; determine multiple resource configuration information for joint sensing based on the multiple scanning ranges; and send the resource configuration information of the multiple resource configuration information to the sensing device in one or more sensing devices, wherein the resource configuration information is used to sense at least one of the multiple scanning ranges.

[0126] In some embodiments, the second device may also receive one or more sensing results from one or more sensing devices; send one or more sensing results to a third device; and receive joint sensing results based on one or more sensing results from the third device.

[0127] In some embodiments, the second device may also receive from the third device a first indication of a first scan range associated with a fourth device among one or more sensing devices, wherein the fourth device and the first device are the same device or different devices; determine first resource configuration information based on the first indication of the first scan range; and send the first resource configuration information to the fourth device.

[0128] In some embodiments, the second device may also receive a first sensing result from the fourth device; send the first sensing result to the third device; receive a second indication of a second scanning range associated with a fifth device among one or more sensing devices, wherein the second scanning range is determined based on the first sensing result; determine second resource configuration information based on the second indication of the first scanning range; and send the second resource configuration information to the fifth device.

[0129] In some embodiments, the second device may also: receive a second sensing result from a fifth device; send the second sensing result to a third device; and receive a combined sensing result from the third device based at least on the first sensing result and the second sensing result.

[0130] In some embodiments, the second device may also: send the combined result to one or more sensing devices; or send the combined result to other devices not included in the group of sensing devices.

[0131] In some embodiments, one or more sensing devices are configured with a first billing policy; and other devices are configured with a second billing policy.

[0132] In some embodiments, the scanning range is also determined based on at least one of the following: the field of view (FOV) of one or more devices in the sensing device group; environmental information about the sensing area; one or more moving objects within the sensing area; or the blind zone of one or more devices, wherein the blind zone is determined based on the FOV of one or more devices, environmental information, and / or one or more moving objects.

[0133] In some embodiments, the second device may send resource configuration information for individual sensing by receiving a rejection message for the first request from the first device.

[0134] In some embodiments, at least one of the following is included: the first device includes a terminal device integrated on the vehicle, and the first device is further configured to send joint sensing results to the vehicle's navigation system; the second device includes a network device, access point, base station, evolved Node B (eNB) or next-generation Node B (gNB); or the third device includes a core network (CN) device or a sensing management entity (SME).

[0135] Figure 12 A flowchart of an example method 1200 implemented at a third device (e.g., third device 130) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purposes of discussion, method 1200 will be described from the perspective of third device 130 with reference to FIG1.

[0136] At 1210, the third device 130 sends a first request to the second device to request the first device to join a sensing device group configured to perform joint sensing within a sensing area. At 1220, the third device 130 receives an acknowledgment message from the second device in response to the first request. At 1230, the third device 130 includes the first device in the sensing device group to perform joint sensing.

[0137] In some embodiments, the sensing device group is determined by a third device based on at least one of the following: the distribution of one or more sensing devices; or environmental information about the sensing area, which includes at least one of the distribution of buildings, facilities, or roads within the sensing area.

[0138] In some embodiments, the third device may further: acquire attitude information of the first device, wherein the attitude information includes at least one of the position or orientation of the first device.

[0139] In some embodiments, the third device may also receive a second request for sensing from the second device, wherein the second request is sent from the first device and includes at least one of the first device's attitude information or sensing capability information.

[0140] In some embodiments, the third device may send a first request by: determining, based on the posture information of the first device, whether the first region sensed by the first device is associated with the sensing region; and sending the first request based on the determination that the first region is associated with the sensing region.

[0141] In some embodiments, the third device may further: monitor the position of at least one sensing device in the sensing device group; and based on the monitoring, determine whether at least one sensing device has left the sensing area; and based on the determination that at least one sensing device has left the sensing area, remove at least one sensing device from the sensing device group.

[0142] In some embodiments, the third device may further: determine whether a first number of sensing devices in the sensing device group is lower than a number threshold; and cancel the sensing device group based on the determination that the first number is lower than the number threshold.

[0143] In some embodiments, the third device may also: determine a group of permanent sensing devices for the sensing area.

[0144] In some embodiments, the third device may further: send a third request to the second device for current attitude information of one or more sensing devices in the sensing device group; receive one or more attitude reports from the one or more sensing devices from the second device, wherein the attitude reports in the one or more attitude reports indicate at least one of the position or orientation of the sensing devices in the one or more sensing devices.

[0145] In some embodiments, the third device may further: determine multiple scan ranges for the sensing area based on one or more attitude reports, wherein at least one of the multiple scan ranges will be sensed by a sensing device in one or more sensing devices; and send an indication of the multiple scan ranges to the second device.

[0146] In some embodiments, the third device may further: receive one or more sensing results from one or more sensing devices from the second device; determine a first joint sensing result based on the one or more sensing results; and send the first joint sensing result to the second device.

[0147] In some embodiments, the third device may further: determine a first scan range sensed by a fourth device among one or more sensing devices based on one or more attitude reports, wherein the fourth device and the first device are the same device or different devices; and send an indication of the first scan range to the second device.

[0148] In some embodiments, the third device may further: receive a first sensing result from the fourth device from the second device; determine a second scanning range sensed by a fifth device among the one or more sensing devices based on the first sensing result and one or more attitude reports; and send an indication of the second scanning range to the second device.

[0149] In some embodiments, the third device may further: receive a second sensing result from the fifth device from the second device; determine a second joint sensing result based at least on the first sensing result and the second sensing result; and send the second joint sensing result to the second device.

[0150] In some embodiments, the scanning range is also determined by the third device based on at least one of the following: the field of view (FOV) of one or more devices in the sensing device group; environmental information about the sensing area; one or more moving objects within the sensing area; or the blind zone of one or more devices, wherein the blind zone is determined based on the FOV of one or more devices, environmental information, and / or one or more moving objects.

[0151] In some embodiments, at least one of the following is included: the first device includes a terminal device integrated on the vehicle, and the first device is further configured to send joint sensing results to the vehicle's navigation system; the second device includes a network device, access point, base station, evolved Node B (eNB) or next-generation Node B (gNB); or the third device includes a core network (CN) device or a sensing management entity (SME).

[0152] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any of the methods 1000 (e.g., a first device 110) may include components at the first device for receiving from a second device a first request for the first device to join a sensing device group, the sensing device group being configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area; and components for: i) sending an acknowledgment message to the second device in response to the first request, or ii) receiving from the second device resource configuration information for individual sensing if the first device refuses to join the sensing device group.

[0153] In some embodiments, the sensing device group is determined by a third device based on at least one of the following: the distribution of one or more sensing devices; or environmental information about the sensing area, the environmental information including at least one of the distribution of buildings, facilities, or roads within the sensing area, wherein the third device is configured for sensing management.

[0154] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for sending a second request for sensing to a second device, wherein the second request includes at least one of the first device's attitude information or sensing capability information.

[0155] In some embodiments, at least one of the following is true: attitude information includes at least one of the position or orientation of the first device; or sensing capability information includes the field of view (FOV) of the first device.

[0156] In some embodiments, the first request is determined based on the attitude information of the first device, and the first request is sent by the third device.

[0157] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes components for sending an acknowledgment message, and may further include components for receiving from a second device a third request for current attitude information of one or more sensing devices in a group of sensing devices; and components for sending an attitude report to the second device of at least one of the position or orientation of the first device.

[0158] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a component for sending an acknowledgment message, and the apparatus may further include a component for receiving resource configuration information for joint sensing from a second device, wherein the resource configuration for joint sensing indicates a set of sensing resources determined based on an attitude report.

[0159] In some embodiments, the sensing resource set is also determined based on at least one of the following: the field of view (FOV) of one or more devices in the sensing device group; environmental information about the sensing area; one or more moving objects within the sensing area; or the blind zone of one or more devices, wherein the blind zone is determined based on the FOV of one or more devices, environmental information, and / or one or more moving objects.

[0160] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for performing a sensing process based on resource configuration information for joint sensing to obtain sensing results from a first device; components for sending the sensing results to a second device; and components for receiving joint sensing results from the second device, at least in part based on the sensing results from the first device.

[0161] In some embodiments, the first device is configured with a first billing policy based on the confirmation message sent by the device; or the first device is configured with a second billing policy based on the first device refusing to join the sensing device group.

[0162] In some embodiments, the first device may receive resource configuration for individual sensing by sending a rejection message to the second device in response to the first request.

[0163] In some embodiments, at least one of the following is included: the first device includes a terminal device integrated on the vehicle, and the first device is further configured to send joint sensing results to the vehicle's navigation system; the second device includes a network device, access point, base station, evolved Node B (eNB) or next-generation Node B (gNB); or the third device includes a core network (CN) device or a sensing management entity (SME).

[0164] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any of the methods 1100 (e.g., a second device 120) may include components at the second device for receiving from a third device a first request for requesting the first device to join a sensing device group, the sensing device group being configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area; components for sending the first request to the first device; and components for: i) receiving an acknowledgment message from the first device for the first request, or ii) sending first resource configuration information to the first device for individual sensing.

[0165] In some embodiments, an acknowledgment message is received, and the second device may also send a configuration message to the third device.

[0166] In some embodiments, the sensing device group is determined by a third device based on at least one of the following: the distribution of one or more sensing devices; or environmental information about the sensing area, the environmental information including at least one of the distribution of buildings, facilities, or roads within the sensing area, wherein the third device is configured for sensing management.

[0167] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for receiving a second request for sensing from a first device, wherein the second request includes at least one of attitude information or sensing capability information of the first device; and components for sending the second request to a third device.

[0168] In some embodiments, at least one of the following is true: attitude information includes at least one of the position or orientation of the first device; or sensing capability information includes the field of view (FOV) of the first device.

[0169] In some embodiments, the first request is determined based on the attitude information of the first device, and the first request is sent by the third device.

[0170] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for receiving a third request from a third device for current attitude information of one or more sensing devices in a group of sensing devices; components for sending the third request to a first device; components for receiving an attitude report from the first device for at least one of the position or orientation of the first device; and components for sending the attitude report to the third device.

[0171] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for receiving a plurality of scan ranges of a sensing region from a third device, wherein at least one of the plurality of scan ranges will be sensed by a sensing device in one or more sensing devices; components for determining a plurality of resource configuration information for joint sensing based on the plurality of scan ranges; and components for sending resource configuration information of the plurality of resource configuration information to a sensing device in one or more sensing devices, wherein the resource configuration information is used to sense at least one of the plurality of scan ranges.

[0172] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for receiving one or more sensing results from one or more sensing devices; components for sending one or more sensing results to a third device; and components for receiving combined sensing results based on one or more sensing results from a third device.

[0173] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for receiving from a third device a first indication of a first scan range associated with a fourth device among one or more sensing devices, wherein the fourth device and the first device are the same device or different devices; components for determining first resource configuration information based on the first indication of the first scan range; and components for sending the first resource configuration information to the fourth device.

[0174] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for receiving a first sensing result from a fourth device; components for sending the first sensing result to a third device; components for receiving a second indication of a second scan range associated with a fifth device among one or more sensing devices, wherein the second scan range is determined based on the first sensing result; components for determining second resource configuration information based on the second indication of the first scan range; and components for sending the second resource configuration information to the fifth device.

[0175] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for receiving a second sensing result from a fifth device; components for transmitting the second sensing result to a third device; and components for receiving a combined sensing result from the third device based at least on the first sensing result and the second sensing result.

[0176] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for sending joint results to one or more sensing devices; and components for sending joint results to other devices not included in the group of sensing devices.

[0177] In some embodiments, one or more sensing devices are configured with a first billing policy; and other devices are configured with a second billing policy.

[0178] In some embodiments, the scanning range is also determined based on at least one of the following: the field of view (FOV) of one or more devices in the sensing device group; environmental information about the sensing area; one or more moving objects within the sensing area; or the blind zone of one or more devices, wherein the blind zone is determined based on the FOV of one or more devices, environmental information, and / or one or more moving objects.

[0179] In some embodiments, the component for sending resource configuration information for individual sensing includes: a component for receiving a rejection message from the first device in response to the first request.

[0180] In some embodiments, at least one of the following is included: the first device includes a terminal device integrated on the vehicle, and the first device is further configured to send joint sensing results to the vehicle's navigation system; the second device includes a network device, access point, base station, evolved Node B (eNB) or next-generation Node B (gNB); or the third device includes a core network (CN) device or a sensing management entity (SME).

[0181] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any of the methods 1200 (e.g., a third device 130) may include components for sending a first request to a second device to request a first device to join a sensing device group, the sensing device group being configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area; components for receiving an acknowledgment message from the second device in response to the first request; and components for including the first device in the sensing device group to perform joint sensing.

[0182] In some embodiments, the sensing device group is determined by a third device based on at least one of the following: the distribution of one or more sensing devices; or environmental information about the sensing area, which includes at least one of the distribution of buildings, facilities, or roads within the sensing area.

[0183] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include a component for acquiring attitude information of the first device, wherein the attitude information includes at least one of the position or orientation of the first device.

[0184] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for receiving a second request for sensing from a second device, wherein the second request is sent from the first device and the second request includes at least one of the first device's attitude information or sensing capability information.

[0185] In some embodiments, the component for sending the first request includes: a component for determining, based on the attitude information of the first device, whether a first region sensed by the first device is associated with a sensing region; and a component for sending the first request based on the determination that the first region is associated with the sensing region.

[0186] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for monitoring the position of at least one sensing device in the sensing device group; components for determining, based on the monitoring, whether at least one sensing device has left the sensing area; and components for removing at least one sensing device from the sensing device group based on the determination that at least one sensing device has left the sensing area.

[0187] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for determining whether a first number of sensing devices in a sensing device group is lower than a number threshold; and components for canceling the sensing device group based on determining that the first number is lower than the number threshold.

[0188] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for determining a permanent group of sensing devices for a sensing area.

[0189] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for sending a third request to a second device for current attitude information of one or more sensing devices in a group of sensing devices; and components for receiving one or more attitude reports from the one or more sensing devices from the second device, wherein the attitude reports in the one or more attitude reports indicate at least one of the position or orientation of the sensing devices in the one or more sensing devices.

[0190] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for determining a plurality of scan ranges for a sensing region based on one or more attitude reports, wherein at least one of the plurality of scan ranges will be sensed by a sensing device in one or more sensing devices; and components for sending an indication of the plurality of scan ranges to a second device.

[0191] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for receiving one or more sensing results from one or more sensing devices from a second device; components for determining a first joint sensing result based on one or more sensing results; and components for transmitting the first joint sensing result to the second device.

[0192] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for determining a first scan range sensed by a fourth device among one or more attitude reports, wherein the fourth device and the first device are the same device or different devices; and components for sending an indication of the first scan range to a second device.

[0193] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for receiving a first sensing result from a fourth device from a second device; components for determining a second scan range sensed by a fifth device among one or more sensing devices based on the first sensing result and one or more attitude reports; and components for sending an indication of the second scan range to the second device.

[0194] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for receiving a second sensing result from a fifth device from a second device; components for determining a second joint sensing result based at least on a first sensing result and a second sensing result; and components for sending the second joint sensing result to the second device.

[0195] In some embodiments, the scanning range is also determined by the third device based on at least one of the following: the field of view (FOV) of one or more devices in the sensing device group; environmental information about the sensing area; one or more moving objects within the sensing area; or the blind zone of one or more devices, wherein the blind zone is determined based on the FOV of one or more devices, environmental information, and / or one or more moving objects.

[0196] In some embodiments, at least one of the following is included: the first device includes a terminal device integrated on the vehicle, and the first device is further configured to send joint sensing results to the vehicle's navigation system; the second device includes a network device, access point, base station, evolved Node B (eNB) or next-generation Node B (gNB); or the third device includes a core network (CN) device or a sensing management entity (SME).

[0197] Figure 13 This is a simplified block diagram of a device 1300 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 1300 can be provided to implement a communication device, such as... Figure 1AThe first device 110 to the third device 130 are shown. As shown, device 1300 includes one or more processors 1310, one or more memories 1320 coupled to processor 1310, and one or more transmitters and / or receivers (TX / RX) 1340 coupled to processor 1310.

[0198] The TX / RX 1340 is used for bidirectional communication. The TX / RX 1340 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface can represent any interface required for communication with other network components.

[0199] Processor 1310 can be of any type suitable for a local technology network, and by way of non-limiting example, can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), and processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 1300 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-dependent on a clock synchronized with the main processor.

[0200] Memory 1320 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 1324, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), and other magnetic and / or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 1322 and other volatile memories that do not persist during power outages.

[0201] Program 1330 includes executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 1310. Program 1330 may be stored in ROM 1324. Processor 1310 may perform any appropriate actions and processes by loading program 1330 into RAM 1322.

[0202] The embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by a program, such that device 1300 can execute the reference. Figures 2 to 12 Any process discussed in this disclosure. Embodiments of this disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0203] In some embodiments, program 1330 may be tangibly contained in a readable storage medium, which may be included in device 1300 (such as memory 1320) or in other storage devices accessible to device 1300. Device 1300 may load program 1330 from the storage medium into RAM 1322 for execution. The storage medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Figure 14 An example of a storage medium 1400 in the form of a CD or DVD is shown. Processor instructions 1330 are stored in the storage medium.

[0204] Generally, the various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented using hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented using hardware, while others can be implemented using firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0205] This disclosure also provides at least one program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory readable storage medium. The program product includes executable instructions, such as instructions included in a program module, which execute in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the above-mentioned... Figures 2 to 12 The process 200, method 1000, 1100, or 1200 is described. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of a program module can be combined or split among program modules as needed. The machine-executable instructions of a program module can be executed locally or on a distributed device. In a distributed device, a program module can reside on both local and remote storage media.

[0206] Program code used to perform the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. This program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that when executed by the processor or controller, the program code causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0207] In the context of this disclosure, program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, readable storage media, etc.

[0208] A readable medium can be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. A readable storage medium can be, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatuses, or devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of readable storage media will include electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer floppy disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. The term “non-transient” as used herein is a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not signal-based), not a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM and ROM).

[0209] Furthermore, although operations are described in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring the operations to be performed in the specific order shown or sequentially, or to perform all of the shown operations to obtain the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while several specific implementation details are included in the foregoing discussion, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0210] Although this disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that the disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features or actions described above are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least: The second device receives a first request for the first device to join a sensing device group, the sensing device group being configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area; as well as i) Send an acknowledgment message to the second device in response to the first request, or ii) Receive resource configuration information from the second device for individual sensing if the first device refuses to join the sensing device group.

2. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the group of sensing devices is determined by the third device based on at least one of the following: The distribution of one or more sensing devices; or Regarding the environmental information of the sensing area, the environmental information includes at least one of the following: the distribution of buildings, facilities, or roads within the sensing area. The third device is configured for sensing management.

3. The first device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first device is further configured to: Send a second request for sensing to the second device. The second request includes at least one of the attitude information or sensing capability information of the first device.

4. The first device according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the following: The attitude information includes at least one of the position or orientation of the first device; or The sensing capability information includes the field of view (FOV) of the first device.

5. The first device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the first request is determined based on the attitude information of the first device, and the first request is sent by the third device.

6. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first device is configured to send the confirmation message, and wherein the first device is further configured to: Receive a third request from the second device for current attitude information of one or more sensing devices in the group of sensing devices; and Send an attitude report of at least one of the positions or orientations of the first device to the second device.

7. The first device according to claim 6, wherein the first device is configured to send the confirmation message, and wherein the first device is further configured to: Receive resource configuration information for the joint sensing from the second device, wherein the resource configuration for the joint sensing indicates a set of sensing resources determined based on the attitude report.

8. The first device of claim 7, wherein the set of sensing resources is further determined based on at least one of the following: FOV of one or more devices in the sensing device group; Environmental information regarding the sensing area; One or more dynamic objects within the sensing area; or The blind zone of the one or more devices, wherein the blind zone is determined based on the FOV of the one or more devices, the environmental information, and / or the one or more dynamic objects.

9. The first device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the first device is further configured to: Based on the resource configuration information used for the joint sensing, a sensing process is performed to obtain the sensing results of the first device; The sensing results are sent to the second device; as well as Receive joint sensing results from the second device, at least in part based on the sensing results from the first device.

10. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: Based on the confirmation message sent by the first device, the first device is configured with a first billing strategy; or Based on the fact that the first device refuses to join the sensing device group, the first device is configured with a second billing policy.

11. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the first device is configured to receive the resource configuration for individual sensing in such a way that: Send a rejection message for the first request to the second device.

12. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein at least one of the following: The first device includes a terminal device integrated on the vehicle, and the first device is further configured to send joint sensing results to the navigation system of the vehicle; The second type of equipment includes network equipment, access points, base stations, evolved Node B (eNB), or next-generation Node B (gNB); or The third equipment includes core network (CN) equipment or sensing management entity (SME).

13. A second device, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least: Receives a first request from a third device to request the first device to join a sensing device group, the sensing device group being configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area; Send the first request to the first device; as well as i) receiving an acknowledgment message from the first device for the first request, or ii) sending first resource configuration information to the first device for individual sensing.

14. The second device of claim 13, wherein the confirmation message is received, and wherein the second device is further configured to: The configuration message is sent to the third device.

15. The second device according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the group of sensing devices is determined by the third device based on at least one of the following: The distribution of one or more sensing devices; or Regarding the environmental information of the sensing area, the environmental information includes at least one of the following: the distribution of buildings, facilities, or roads within the sensing area. The third device is configured for sensing management.

16. The second device according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the second device is further configured to: Receive a second request for sensing from the first device, wherein the second request includes at least one of the first device's attitude information or sensing capability information; and Send the second request to the third device.

17. The second device according to claim 16, wherein at least one of the following: The attitude information includes at least one of the position or orientation of the first device; or The sensing capability information includes the field of view (FOV) of the first device.

18. The second device according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the first request is determined based on the attitude information of the first device, and the first request is sent by the third device.

19. The second device according to any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein the second device is further configured to: Receive a third request from the third device for current attitude information of one or more sensing devices in the group of sensing devices; Send the third request to the first device; Receive an attitude report from the first device, including at least one of the device's position or orientation; as well as The attitude report is sent to the third device.

20. The second device according to claim 19, wherein the second device is further configured to: Multiple scan ranges of the sensing area are received from a third device, wherein at least one of the multiple scan ranges will be sensed by a sensing device in the one or more sensing devices; Based on the multiple scanning ranges, multiple resource configuration information for the joint sensing is determined; as well as Send resource configuration information from the plurality of resource configuration information to the sensing device among the one or more sensing devices, wherein the resource configuration information is used to sense at least one of the plurality of scanning ranges.

21. The second device according to claim 20, wherein the second device is further configured to: Receive one or more sensing results from the one or more sensing devices; Send the one or more sensing results to the third device; Receive joint sensing results based on the one or more sensing results from the third device.

22. The second device according to claim 19, wherein the second device is further configured to: Receive from the third device a first indication of a first scan range associated with a fourth device among the one or more sensing devices, wherein the fourth device and the first device are the same device or different devices; Based on the first indication of the first scanning range, determine the first resource configuration information; as well as The first resource configuration information is sent to the fourth device.

23. The second device according to claim 22, wherein the second device is further configured to: Receive the first sensing result from the fourth device; Send the first sensing result to the third device; Receive from the third device a second indication of the second scan range associated with a fifth device among the one or more sensing devices, wherein the second scan range is determined based on the first sensing result; as well as Based on the second indication of the first scanning range, determine the second resource configuration information; as well as The second resource configuration information is sent to the fifth device.

24. The second device according to claim 23, wherein the second device is further configured to: Receive the second sensing result from the fifth device; Send the second sensing result to the third device; and Receive from the third device a combined sensing result based at least on the first sensing result and the second sensing result.

25. The second device according to claim 21 or 24, wherein the second device is further configured to: Send the joint result to the one or more sensing devices; The combined results are sent to other devices not included in the group of sensing devices.

26. The second device according to claim 25, wherein: The one or more sensing devices are configured with a first billing policy; and The additional device is configured with a second billing strategy.

27. The second device according to claim 20, 22 or 23, wherein the scanning range is further determined based on at least one of the following: FOV of one or more devices in the sensing device group; Environmental information regarding the sensing area; One or more dynamic objects within the sensing area; or The blind zone of the one or more devices, wherein the blind zone is determined based on the FOV of the one or more devices, the environmental information, and / or the one or more dynamic objects.

28. The second device of claim 22, wherein the second device is configured to transmit the resource configuration information for individual sensing in such a manner as follows: Receive a rejection message for the first request from the first device.

29. The second device according to any one of claims 13 to 28, wherein at least one of the following: The first device includes a terminal device integrated on the vehicle, and the first device is further configured to send joint sensing results to the navigation system of the vehicle; The second type of equipment includes network equipment, access points, base stations, evolved Node B (eNB), or next-generation Node B (gNB); or The third equipment includes core network (CN) equipment or sensing management entity (SME).

30. A third device, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least: Send a first request to the second device to request the first device to join the sensing device group, the sensing device group being configured to perform joint sensing in the sensing area; Receive a confirmation message for the first request from the second device; as well as The first device is included in the group of sensing devices to perform the joint sensing.

31. The third device of claim 30, wherein the group of sensing devices is determined by the third device based on at least one of the following: The distribution of one or more sensing devices; or Regarding the environmental information of the sensing area, the environmental information includes at least one of the following: the distribution of buildings, facilities, or roads within the sensing area.

32. The third device according to claim 30 or 31, wherein the third device is further configured to: Obtain the attitude information of the first device, wherein the attitude information includes at least one of the position or orientation of the first device.

33. The third device according to any one of claims 30 to 32, wherein the third device is further configured to: The second device receives a second request for sensing, wherein the second request is sent from the first device and the second request includes at least one of the first device's attitude information or sensing capability information.

34. The third device according to claim 32 or 33, wherein the third device is configured to send the first request in the following manner: Based on the attitude information of the first device, determine whether the first region sensed by the first device is associated with the sensed region; Based on the determination that the first region is associated with the sensing region, the first request is sent.

35. The third device according to any one of claims 30 to 34, wherein the third device is further configured to: Monitoring the position of at least one sensing device in the group of sensing devices; and Based on the monitoring, it is determined whether the at least one sensing device has left the sensing area; and Based on the determination that the at least one sensing device has left the sensing area, the at least one sensing device is removed from the group of sensing devices.

36. The third device according to any one of claims 30 to 35, wherein the third device is further configured to: Determine whether the first number of sensing devices in the sensing device group is lower than a number threshold; Based on the determination that the first number is lower than the number threshold, the sensing device group is cancelled.

37. The third device according to any one of claims 30 to 35, wherein the third device is further configured to: Determine a permanent group of sensing devices for the sensing area.

38. The third device according to any one of claims 30 to 37, wherein the third device is further configured to: Send a third request to the second device for the current attitude information of one or more sensing devices in the sensing device group; The second device receives one or more attitude reports from the one or more sensing devices, wherein the attitude reports in the one or more attitude reports indicate at least one of the sensing device positions or orientations of the one or more sensing devices.

39. The third device according to claim 38, wherein the third device is further configured to: Based on the one or more attitude reports, a plurality of scan ranges are determined for the sensing area, wherein at least one of the plurality of scan ranges will be sensed by a sensing device among the one or more sensing devices; and Send instructions for the plurality of scan ranges to the second device.

40. The third device according to claim 39, wherein the third device is further configured to: Receive one or more sensing results from the one or more sensing devices from the second device; Based on the one or more sensing results, a first joint sensing result is determined; as well as The first joint sensing result is sent to the second device.

41. The third device according to claim 38, wherein the third device is further configured to: Based on the one or more attitude reports, a first scan range is determined by a fourth device among the one or more sensing devices, wherein the fourth device and the first device are the same device or different devices; and Send an indication of the first scan range to the second device.

42. The third device according to claim 41, wherein the third device is further configured to: Receive the first sensing result from the fourth device from the second device; Based on the first sensing result and the one or more attitude reports, a second scanning range is determined by the fifth device among the one or more sensing devices; as well as Send an instruction for the second scan range to the second device.

43. The third device according to claim 42, wherein the third device is further configured to: Receive the second sensing result from the fifth device from the second device; A second joint sensing result is determined based at least on the first sensing result and the second sensing result; and The second joint sensing result is sent to the second device.

44. The third device according to any one of claims 39, 42, or 43, wherein the scanning range is further determined by the third device based on at least one of the following: FOV of one or more devices in the sensing device group; Environmental information regarding the sensing area; One or more dynamic objects within the sensing area; or The blind zone of the one or more devices, wherein the blind zone is determined based on the FOV of the one or more devices, the environmental information, and / or the one or more dynamic objects.

45. The third device according to any one of claims 30 to 44, wherein at least one of the following: The first device includes a terminal device integrated on the vehicle, and the first device is further configured to send joint sensing results to the navigation system of the vehicle; The second device includes network equipment, access points, base stations, evolved Node B (eNB), or next-generation Node B (gNB); or The third device includes core network (CN) equipment or sensing management entity (SME).

46. ​​A method comprising: A first device receives a first request from a second device to request the first device to join a sensing device group, the sensing device group being configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area; as well as i) Send an acknowledgment message to the second device in response to the first request, or ii) Receive resource configuration information from the second device for individual sensing if the first device refuses to join the sensing device group.

47. A method comprising: The second device receives a first request from the third device to request the first device to join the sensing device group, the sensing device group being configured to perform joint sensing in the sensing area; Send the first request to the first device; as well as i) receiving an acknowledgment message from the first device for the first request, or ii) sending first resource configuration information to the first device for individual sensing.

48. A method comprising: A first request is sent from a third device to a second device to request the first device to join a sensing device group, the sensing device group being configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area; Receive a confirmation message for the first request from the second device; as well as The first device is included in the group of sensing devices to perform the joint sensing.

49. An apparatus comprising: A component for receiving a first request from a second device at a first device, the first request being for requesting the first device to join a group of sensing devices configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area; as well as Components for: i) sending an acknowledgment message to the second device in response to the first request, or ii) receiving resource configuration information from the second device for individual sensing if the first device refuses to join the sensing device group.

50. An apparatus comprising: A component for receiving a first request from a third device at a second device, the first request being for requesting the first device to join a group of sensing devices configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area; Components for sending the first request to the first device; as well as The component is used for: i) receiving an acknowledgment message from the first device for the first request, or ii) sending first resource configuration information to the first device for individual sensing.

51. An apparatus comprising: A component for sending a first request to a second device, the first request being for requesting the first device to join a group of sensing devices configured to perform joint sensing in a sensing area; A component for receiving an acknowledgment message from the second device in response to the first request; as well as Components for including the first device in the group of sensing devices to perform the joint sensing.

52. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the method according to any one of claims 49 to 51.

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