Joint radio frequency (RF) sensing and energy harvesting

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses, processes, and computer-readable media for wireless communication are disclosed. For example, a network entity for wireless communication can transmit wide sensing signal beams in different directions to detect a target. The network entity can utilize one or more of the wide sensing signal beams to detect the target. After the target has been detected, the network entity can transmit a narrow sensing signal beam in a direction toward the target to track the target. The network entity can further increase a power of the narrow sensing signal beam to provide energy to the target.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates in its entirety to scheduling and / or processing sensing and communication signals for joint communication and sensing (JCS). For example, aspects of this disclosure relate to joint radio frequency (RF) sensing and energy harvesting. Background Technology

[0002] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, message sending and receiving, and broadcasting. These systems may be able to support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple access systems include fourth-generation (4G) systems (such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-A Advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems) and fifth-generation (5G) systems (which may be referred to as New Radio (NR) systems). These systems may employ technologies such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or Discrete Fourier Transform Extended Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multiple access communication system may include one or more base stations or one or more network access nodes, each supporting communication for multiple communication devices simultaneously, which may also be referred to as User Equipment (UE). Some wireless communication systems can support communication between UEs, which may involve direct transmission between two or more UEs.

[0003] As greater bandwidth is allocated to wireless cellular communication systems (e.g., including 5G and beyond 5G) and more use cases are being introduced into cellular communication systems, combined RF sensing and energy harvesting can be fundamental features of existing or future wireless communication systems to enhance the overall spectral efficiency of wireless communication networks. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The following is a simplified summary of the invention relating to one or more aspects disclosed herein. Therefore, this summary should not be considered an exhaustive overview relating to all conceptual aspects, nor should it be considered to identify key or decisive elements relating to all conceptual aspects or to depict the scope associated with any particular aspect. Thus, the sole purpose of this summary is to present, in a concise form, certain concepts relating to one or more aspects involving the mechanisms disclosed herein, prior to the detailed description presented below.

[0005] Systems and techniques for wireless communication are described. According to at least one example, a first network entity for wireless communication is provided. The first network entity includes: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and configured to: transmit wide sensing signal beams in different directions to detect a target; detect the target using one or more of these wide sensing signal beams; after the target has been detected, transmit a narrow sensing signal beam in a direction toward the target to track the target; and increase the power of the narrow sensing signal beam to provide energy to the target.

[0006] In another exemplary example, a method for wireless communication at a first network entity is provided. The method includes: transmitting wide sensing signal beams in different directions by the first network entity to detect a target; detecting the target by the first network entity using one or more of these wide sensing signal beams; after the target has been detected, transmitting a narrow sensing signal beam in a direction toward the target by the first network entity to track the target; and increasing the power of the narrow sensing signal beam by the first network entity to provide energy to the target.

[0007] In another exemplary example, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: transmit wide sensing signal beams in different directions to detect a target; detect the target using one or more of these wide sensing signal beams; after the target has been detected, transmit a narrow sensing signal beam in a direction toward the target to track the target; and increase the power of the narrow sensing signal beam to provide energy to the target.

[0008] In another exemplary example, an apparatus for wireless communication is provided. The apparatus includes: components for transmitting wide sensing signal beams in different directions to detect a target; components for detecting the target using one or more of these wide sensing signal beams; components for transmitting a narrow sensing signal beam in a direction toward the target to track the target after the target has been detected; and components for increasing the power of the narrow sensing signal beam to provide energy to the target.

[0009] In another exemplary example, a network device for wireless communication is provided. The network device includes: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and configured to: receive a sensing signal beam transmitted from a first network entity; and harvest energy from the power of the sensing signal beam.

[0010] In another exemplary example, a method for wireless communication at a first network entity is provided. The method includes: receiving a sensing signal beam transmitted from the first network entity by a network device; and harvesting energy from the power of the sensing signal beam by the network device.

[0011] In another exemplary example, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: receive a sensing signal beam transmitted from a first network entity; and harvest energy from the power of the sensing signal beam.

[0012] In another exemplary example, an apparatus for wireless communication is provided. The apparatus includes: components for receiving a sensing signal beam transmitted from a first network entity by the network device; and components for harvesting energy from the power of the sensing signal beam by the network device.

[0013] In some aspects, one or more of the network device, apparatus, or other devices described herein are, are part of, and / or include: user equipment (UE), a base station (e.g., a gNodeB (gNB) or an eNodeB (eNB)) or a part of a base station (e.g., a central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), radio unit (RU), near real-time (near RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC), or non-real-time (non-RT) RIC). The UE may be a wearable device, an extended reality (XR) device (e.g., a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, or a mixed reality (MR) device), a head-mounted display (HMD) device, a wireless communication device, a mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone and / or a mobile cell phone and / or a so-called "smartphone" or other mobile device), a camera, a personal computer, a laptop computer, a server computer, a vehicle or a computing device or a component of a vehicle, another device, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, one or more of the network device, apparatus, or other devices may include one or more cameras for capturing one or more images. In some examples, one or more of the network device, apparatus, or other device may also include a display for showing one or more images, notifications, and / or other displayable data. In some cases, one or more of the network device, apparatus, or other device may include one or more receivers, transmitters, or transceivers for receiving and / or transmitting wireless communications.

[0014] This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to define the scope of the claimed subject matter. This subject matter should be understood with reference to the appropriate portions of the entire specification, any or all drawings, and each claim.

[0015] The foregoing and other features and aspects will become more apparent from the following description, claims and accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The accompanying drawings are provided to help describe various aspects of this disclosure, and are provided for illustrative purposes only and not to limit the various aspects.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example wireless communication system that can be employed by the disclosed systems and techniques for combined radio frequency (RF) sensing and energy harvesting, according to some aspects of this disclosure.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a decomposed base station architecture that can be employed by the disclosed systems and techniques for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting, according to some aspects of this disclosure.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a frame structure that may be employed by the disclosed systems and techniques for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting, according to some aspects of this disclosure.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of a computing system of electronic devices that can be employed by the disclosed systems and techniques for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting, according to some aspects of this disclosure.

[0021] Figure 5 This is an illustration of an example of a wireless device utilizing RF single-station sensing technology according to some aspects of this disclosure, which can be used by the systems and techniques disclosed herein to determine one or more characteristics of a target object.

[0022] Figure 6 This is an illustration of an example of a receiver utilizing RF dual-station sensing technology together with a transmitter, according to some aspects of this disclosure. The receiver can be used by the systems and techniques disclosed herein to determine one or more characteristics of a target object.

[0023] Figure 7 This is an illustration of an example of a receiver utilizing RF bi-station sensing technology together with multiple transmitters, according to some aspects of this disclosure. This receiver can be used by the systems and techniques disclosed herein to determine one or more characteristics of a target object.

[0024] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating an example geometry for dual-station (or single-station) sensing according to some aspects of this disclosure.

[0025] Figure 9This is a diagram illustrating bi-station distance sensing according to some aspects of this disclosure.

[0026] Figure 10 This is an illustration of an example of a device involved in wireless communication (e.g., sidelink communication) according to some aspects of this disclosure.

[0027] Figure 11 This is a diagram illustrating an example of an existing comb structure used for a reference signal.

[0028] Figure 12 This is an illustration of an example of a system for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting according to some aspects of this disclosure, wherein the system is performing bi-station sensing of a target.

[0029] Figure 13 This is an illustration of an example of a system for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting according to some aspects of this disclosure, wherein the system is detecting a target.

[0030] Figure 14 This is an illustration of an example of a system for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting according to some aspects of this disclosure, wherein the system is tracking a target and performing energy harvesting.

[0031] Figure 15 This is an illustration of an example of a system for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting according to some aspects of this disclosure, wherein the target is located outside the sensing coverage area of ​​the system's base station.

[0032] Figure 16 This is an illustration of an example of a system for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting according to some aspects of this disclosure, wherein the system includes multiple sensing base stations for sensing a target.

[0033] Figure 17 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for wireless communication using a method for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting, according to some aspects of this disclosure.

[0034] Figure 18 This is a flowchart illustrating another example of a process for wireless communication using methods for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting, according to some aspects of this disclosure.

[0035] Figure 19 This is a flowchart illustrating another example of a process for wireless communication using methods for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting, according to some aspects of this disclosure.

[0036] Figure 20This is a flowchart illustrating another example of a process for wireless communication using methods for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting, according to some aspects of this disclosure.

[0037] Figure 21 This is a block diagram illustrating examples of computing systems that can be employed by the disclosed systems and techniques for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting, according to some aspects of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0038] Certain aspects of this disclosure are provided below for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects may be devised without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements of this disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of this disclosure. Some aspects described herein can be applied independently, and some of them can be combined, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. In the following description, specific details are set forth for illustrative purposes to provide a thorough understanding of various aspects of this application. However, it will be apparent that various aspects can be practiced without these specific details. The figures and descriptions are not intended to be limiting.

[0039] The following description provides only exemplary aspects and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of this disclosure. Rather, the following description of the exemplary aspects will provide those skilled in the art with a description that can be used to implement the exemplary aspects. It should be understood that various changes can be made to the function and arrangement of the elements without departing from the scope of this application as set forth in the appended claims.

[0040] Radar sensing systems use radio frequency (RF) waveforms to perform RF sensing to determine or estimate one or more characteristics of a target object, such as the target object's distance, angle, and / or velocity. Target objects may include vehicles, obstacles, users, buildings, or other objects. A typical radar system includes at least one transmitter, at least one receiver, and at least one processor. A radar sensing system can perform monostation sensing when using a receiver co-located with the transmitter. A radar system can perform bistation sensing when using a receiver located at a first device, located away from a transmitter located at least one second device. Similarly, a radar system can perform multistation sensing when using multiple receivers at multiple devices, all located away from at least one transmitter located at least one device.

[0041] During the operation of a radar sensing system, a transmitter sends an electromagnetic (EM) signal in the RF domain toward a target object. The signal is reflected from the target object to generate one or more reflected signals, which provide information or attributes about the target, such as the target object's position and velocity. At least one receiver receives the one or more reflected signals, and at least one processor associated with at least one receiver can use the information from the one or more reflected signals to determine information or attributes of the target object. The target object may also be referred to herein as a target.

[0042] Generally speaking, RF sensing involves monitoring moving targets with different motions (e.g., moving cars or pedestrians, human body movements such as breathing, and / or other micro-motions associated with the target). Measuring the phase change in the signal and indicating motion using Doppler is an important characteristic for sensing targets.

[0043] In some cases, radar sensing signals, which may be referred to as radar reference signals (RS) (such as sensing reference signals (S-RS)), can be designed for and used for sensing purposes. Radar RSs do not contain any communication information. In contrast, communication RSs (such as demodulation reference signals (DMRS)) are typically designed for and used solely for communication purposes, such as estimating channel parameters for communication.

[0044] Cellular communication systems are designed to transmit communication signals on designated communication frequency bands (e.g., 23 GHz, 3.5 GHz, etc. for 5G / NR, 2.2 GHz, etc. for LTE). RF sensing systems are designed to transmit RF sensing signals on designated radar RF frequency bands (e.g., 77 GHz for autonomous driving).

[0045] Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are currently used in many use cases. 3GPP Release 17 (Rel-17) has both a System Aspect 2 (SA2) research project and an SA2 work project for UAVs. However, Rel-17 does not include any Radio Access Network (RAN) components for UAVs. The scope of work involving UAVs (across both SA2 and RAN2) includes UAV certification and authorization, identification (e.g., to support aviation regulations for broadcasting remote identification), and UAV location and tracking.

[0046] Currently, UAV location and tracking support several different models. For example, one model involves UAV reporting, which can be based on a request from a UE-specific search space (USS). For this model, the 3GPP system can provide UAV location. Another model involves periodic UAV location reporting, which can be based on a request from the USS. For this model, the 3GPP system can periodically provide UAV location based on intervals negotiable between the USS and the 3GPP system. Another model can monitor the presence of UAVs within a monitoring area (e.g., whether they are moving within or outside the monitoring area) and provide monitoring reports to the USS. In some cases, to receive reports of UE presence within a monitoring area, the USS can subscribe to event monitoring for a specific UAV by providing a "region of interest" (ROI). The 3GPP system can map the RIO to a 3GPP-specific area (e.g., a cell) or use the actual location based on a 3GPP Gateway Mobility Location Center (GMLC) report. Another example model involves UAV discovery. For this model, the USS can provide an "area of ​​interest" and can receive a list of UAVs served by the 3GPP system and existing within that specific area from the 3GPP system.

[0047] As a use case, UAVs are typically used as delivery platforms for delivering packages. UAVs can be implemented as UEs, such as drones. In some cases, UAVs communicate with base stations such as gNBs. The performance of a UAV as a delivery platform typically involves a weighted trade-off between the distance the UAV travels and the weight of the package it carries. Delivery distances may be limited due to the size of the UAV's battery and the weight of the package it carries. For example, for a given delivery distance guarantee, there may be a maximum weight of a package that can be delivered by the UAV. As another example, for a given weight of a package to be delivered, there may be a maximum delivery distance that can be delivered by the UAV. There may be use cases where it may be necessary to extend the range of UAV delivery distances so that the UAV does not need to stop during its delivery to recharge its battery.

[0048] In some use cases, base stations (e.g., gNBs) or other network entities may perform RF sensing to monitor the location of UAVs, such as by performing cellular-based wide-area RF sensing. During monitoring (e.g., sensing), a UAV may move (e.g., fly) through many cells from one cell to another to travel a long distance. For wide-area RF sensing, the base station (e.g., gNB) may transmit at high power (e.g., higher than the power used for communication) to meet link budget requirements for sensing. The transmit power used for RF sensing by the base station (e.g., gNB) can be increased by employing a narrower beamwidth for the transmit beam used for sensing. These high-power sensing beams provide opportunities for the UAV to harvest energy from the sensing signals transmitted from the base station to improve the UAV's range and / or weight capabilities.

[0049] In some aspects of this disclosure, systems, apparatus, methods (also referred to as processes), and computer-readable media (collectively referred to herein as “Systems and Technologies”) providing combined RF sensing and energy harvesting (EH) are described. Combined RF sensing and energy harvesting technologies can be used in one or more use cases, such as for UAV use cases. For example, this system and technology can reuse RF sensing waveforms (e.g., transmitted by a base station) for energy harvesting purposes (e.g., for energy harvesting by a UAV or other device). Thus, RF sensing waveforms can be used for both sensing and energy harvesting purposes. By allowing a device (e.g., a UAV, electric vehicle, etc.) to harvest energy from sensing signals transmitted by network devices (e.g., base stations or other network devices), the device can remain powered for a longer period of time. Using a UAV as an exemplary use case, by allowing the UAV to harvest energy from sensing signals transmitted by network devices (e.g., base stations), delivery services performed by UAVs can be enhanced by providing longer delivery distances and / or delivering heavier packages.

[0050] Compared to typical energy harvesting (EH) communication technologies (e.g., harvesting energy from RF communication signals), there are several advantages to using EH sensing technologies (e.g., harvesting energy from RF sensing signals) for devices (e.g., UAVs, electric vehicles, etc.) or other equipment. For example, high-power sensing signals are used in EH sensing technologies. When low multipath and strong Doppler characteristics (e.g., from high-power sensing signals) are present, device trajectories (e.g., UAV trajectories) are easier to predict (e.g., over networks, such as network services). Predicting device (e.g., UAV) trajectories allows for more efficient energy harvesting and RF sensing operations. As another example, if base stations (e.g., gNBs) exchange UAV trajectory information with each other (e.g., for seamless switching from one gNB to another, such as when a UAV is within the coverage area of ​​a first gNB and enters the coverage area of ​​a second gNB), this information may also include altitude, which can be unique to the UAV. Another example is that the transmission power of the base station (e.g., gNB) used for RF sensing can be higher than that used for conventional communication transmission. Higher transmission power for RF sensing can be beneficial for EH sensing technologies. In order to track the target device after a target (e.g., UAV) is detected, the sensing beamwidth can be narrower (e.g., narrower than the initial sensing beamwidth used to detect the target) to provide additional power gain for the target device's EH.

[0051] Several EH sensing scenarios may exist in one or more aspects. For example, in one scenario, joint RF sensing and EH can be used with purely passive devices (e.g., passive UAVs), which can be defined as devices that rely on over-the-air (OTA) methods to perform joint RF sensing and EH. Since the device (e.g., UAV) is purely passive, it may not communicate with a base station (e.g., gNB). In another scenario, joint RF sensing and EH can be used with devices equipped with UEs (e.g., UAVs). In this scenario, the overall efficiency of joint RF sensing and EH operation can be enhanced by sharing information between the device (e.g., UAV) and the network (such as a network server).

[0052] In one or more examples, remote interference (RI) can occur due to the high transmit power of the base station (e.g., gNB) and the potential sky-pointing antenna. In some cases, high-power transmission can generate RI. Typically, base station antennas are pointed towards the ground. For joint sensing and EH, the base station may point its antenna towards the sky (e.g., for beamforming in the sky) (e.g., for pointing towards a UAV in the sky). Pointing the antenna towards the sky instead of the ground can lead to an increase in interference power. In one or more aspects, this system and technique provide a solution to the problem of RI. In one or more examples, remote interference measurements can be reused to improve system efficiency.

[0053] Additional aspects of this disclosure are described in more detail below.

[0054] As used herein, the terms “User Equipment” (UE) and “Network Entity” are not intended to be specific to or otherwise limited to any particular Radio Access Technology (RAT) unless otherwise specified. In general, a UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, and / or tracking device, etc.), wearable device (e.g., smartwatch, smart glasses, wearable ring, and / or extended reality (XR) device (such as virtual reality (VR) headsets, augmented reality (AR) headsets or glasses, or mixed reality (MR) headsets)), vehicle (e.g., car, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), and / or Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc., for use by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network. A UE can be mobile or can (e.g., at certain times) be stationary and can communicate with a Radio Access Network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" can be interchangeably referred to as "access terminal" or "AT," "client device," "wireless device," "subscriber device," "subscriber terminal," "subscriber station," "user terminal," or "UT," "mobile device," "mobile terminal," "mobile station," or variations thereof. Generally, a UE can communicate with the core network via the RAN, and through the core network, the UE can connect to external networks such as the Internet and to other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UE, such as through wired access networks, wireless local area network (WLAN) networks (e.g., based on the IEEE 802.11 communication standard), etc.

[0055] Network entities can be implemented in a converged or monolithic base station architecture, or alternatively, in a decomposed base station architecture, and may include one or more of a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a radio unit (RU), a near real-time (near RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC), or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC. A base station (e.g., with a converged / monolithic or decomposed base station architecture) may operate according to one of several RATs communicating with the UE (depending on the network in which it is deployed) and may alternatively be referred to as an access point (AP), network node, NodeB (NB), evolved NodeB (eNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), new radio (NR) NodeB (also referred to as gNB or gNodeB), etc. The base station may primarily be used to support the UE's radio access, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the supported UE. In some systems, the base station may provide edge node signaling functions, while in other systems, the base station may provide additional control and / or network management functions. The communication link through which a UE can transmit signals to a base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., reverse traffic channel, reverse control channel, access channel, etc.). The communication link through which a base station can transmit signals to a UE is called a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., paging channel, control channel, broadcast channel, or forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) can refer to uplink, reverse or downlink, and / or forward traffic channel.

[0056] The terms "network entity" or "base station" (e.g., having a converged / monolithic or decomposed base station architecture) can refer to a single physical transmit-receive point (TRP) or multiple physical transmit-receive points (TRPs), which may or may not be co-located. For example, when the term "network entity" or "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be a base station antenna corresponding to a cell (or several cell sectors) of the base station. When the term "network entity" or "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, these physical TRPs may be antenna arrays of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or where the base station employs beamforming). When the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected via a transmission medium to a common source) or a remote radio headend (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, a non-co-located physical TRP can be the serving base station from which the UE receives measurement reports and a neighboring base station where the UE is measuring its reference radio frequency (RF) signal (or simply "reference signal"). Since, as used herein, a TRP is the point by which a base station transmits and receives radio signals, references to transmitting from or receiving at a base station should be understood to refer to the specific TRP of that base station.

[0057] In some specific implementations supporting UE positioning, network entities or base stations may not support the UE's radio access (e.g., may not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections regarding the UE), but instead may transmit reference signals to the UE for measurement, and / or receive and measure signals transmitted by the UE. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., in the case of transmitting signals to the UE) and / or as a location measurement unit (e.g., in the case of receiving and measuring signals from the UE).

[0058] RF signals comprise electromagnetic waves of a given frequency that transmit information across the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may send a single “RF signal” or multiple “RF signals” to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, a receiver may receive multiple “RF signals” corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between the transmitter and receiver may be referred to as a “multipath” RF signal. As used herein, where the context clearly indicates that the term “signal” refers to a wireless signal or RF signal, an RF signal may also be referred to as a “wireless signal” or simply a “signal.”

[0059] According to various aspects, Figure 1An exemplary wireless communication system 100 is illustrated, which may be employed by the disclosed systems and techniques for joint RF sensing and energy harvesting for UAV use cases described herein. The wireless communication system 100 (also referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include individual base stations 102 and individual UEs 104. In some aspects, base station 102 may also be referred to as a “network entity” or a “network node.” One or more of base stations 102 may be implemented in an aggregated or monolithic base station architecture. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of base stations 102 may be implemented in a decomposed base station architecture and may include one or more of a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a radio unit (RU), a near real-time (near RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC), or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC. Base station 102 may include macrocell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In one aspect, a macro cell base station may include an eNB and / or an ng-eNB (where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network), or a gNB (where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network), or a combination of both, and a small cell base station may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0060] Base station 102 can collectively form a RAN and interface with core network 170 (e.g., evolved packet core (EPC) or 5G core (5GC)) via backhaul link 122, and interface with one or more location servers 172 (which may be part of core network 170 or external to core network 170) via core network 170. Among other functions, base station 102 can perform functions related to one or more of the following: delivering user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, location, and delivery of warning messages. Base station 102 can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via EPC or 5GC) via backhaul link 134 (which may be wired and / or wireless).

[0061] Base station 102 can wirelessly communicate with UE 104. Each base station in base station 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographical coverage area 110. In one aspect, base station 102 in each coverage area 110 can support one or more cells. A “cell” is a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station (e.g., on a frequency resource, referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, frequency band, etc.) and can be associated with an identifier (e.g., Physical Cell Identifier (PCI), Virtual Cell Identifier (VCI), Cell Global Identifier (CGI)) to distinguish cells operating via the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells can be configured according to different protocol types that can provide access for different types of UEs (e.g., Machine Type Communication (MTC), Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), or other protocol types). Because a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term “cell” can refer to either or both of the logical communication entity and the base station supporting the logical communication entity, depending on the context. Furthermore, since the TRP is typically the physical transmission point of the cell, the terms “cell” and “TRP” can be used interchangeably. In some cases, the term "cell" may also refer to the geographic coverage area of ​​a base station (e.g., a sector), as long as a carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within a portion of the geographic coverage area 110.

[0062] While the geographic coverage areas 110 of adjacent macro cell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in handover areas), some areas within geographic coverage areas 110 may substantially overlap with larger geographic coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' may have a coverage area 110' that substantially overlaps with the coverage areas 110 of one or more macro cell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell base stations and macro cell base stations may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include a home eNB (HeNB) that can provide service to a restricted group referred to as a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG).

[0063] The communication link 120 between base station 102 and UE 104 may include uplink (also referred to as the reverse link) transmission from UE 104 to base station 102 and / or downlink (also referred to as the forward link) transmission from base station 102 to UE 104. The communication link 120 may use MIMO antenna techniques, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may use one or more carrier frequencies. Carrier allocation may be asymmetric for the downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to the downlink compared to the uplink).

[0064] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a WLAN AP 150 communicating with a WLAN station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in unlicensed spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or WLAN AP 150 may perform a Free Channel Assessment (CCA) or Listen-After-Talk (LBT) process before communication to determine if the channel is available. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may include devices (e.g., UEs, etc.) that communicate with one or more UEs 104, base stations 102, APs 150, etc., using ultra-wideband (UWB) spectrum. The UWB spectrum can range from 3.1 GHz to 10.5 GHz.

[0065] Small cell base station 102' can operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in unlicensed spectrum, small cell base station 102' can employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum as WLAN AP 150. Small cell base station 102' employing LTE and / or 5G in unlicensed spectrum can improve coverage of the access network and / or increase the capacity of the access network. NR in unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as NR-U. LTE in unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as LTE-U, Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0066] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a millimeter-wave (mmW) base station 180, which can operate at mmW and / or near-mmW frequencies to communicate with the UE 182. The mmW base station 180 may be implemented in a converged or monolithic base station architecture, or alternatively, in a decomposed base station architecture (e.g., including one or more of a CU, DU, RU, near-RT RIC, or non-RT RIC). Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that contains radio frequency (RF). EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz, with wavelengths between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this band are referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW extends down to frequencies of 3 GHz with wavelengths of 100 mm. Ultra-high frequency (SHF) bands extend between 3 GHz and 30 GHz, and are also referred to as centimeter waves. Communication using mmW and / or near-mmW radio bands has high path loss and relatively short range. mmW base station 180 and UE 182 can utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) on mmW communication link 184 to compensate for extremely high path loss and short range. Furthermore, it should be understood that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also use mmW or near-mmW and beamforming for transmission. Therefore, it should be understood that the foregoing illustrations are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0067] Transmit beamforming is a technique used to focus RF signals in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node or entity (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectionally). Using transmit beamforming, a network node determines where a given target device (e.g., a UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thus providing the receiving device with a faster and stronger RF signal (in terms of data rate). To change the directivity of the RF signal during transmission, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of one or more transmitters broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node can use an array of antennas (called a "phased array" or "antenna array") that forms an RF beam that can be "manipulated" to be pointed in different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, RF currents from the transmitters are fed to the individual antennas with the correct phase relationship so that radio waves from the individual antennas add together in the desired direction to increase radiation, while canceling each other out in the undesired direction to suppress radiation.

[0068] Transmit beams can be quasi-co-located, meaning they have the same parameters for the receiver (e.g., UE), regardless of whether the transmit antennas of the network nodes are physically co-located. In NR, there are four types of quasi-co-located (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters of a second reference RF signal on a second beam can be derived from information about the source reference RF signal on the source beam. Therefore, if the source reference RF signal is QCL type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type D, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the spatial reception parameters of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0069] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a receive beam to amplify an RF signal detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver may increase the gain setting of an antenna array in a particular direction and / or adjust the phase setting of the antenna array in a particular direction to amplify the RF signal received from that direction (e.g., increase its gain level). Thus, when a receiver is said to be beamforming in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is higher than the beam gain along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gain of other beams available to the receiver. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), etc.) of the RF signal received from that direction.

[0070] The receive beam can be spatially dependent. Spatial dependency means that parameters for the transmit beam for the second reference signal can be derived based on information about the receive beam for the first reference signal. For example, a UE can use a specific receive beam to receive one or more reference downlink reference signals (e.g., Position Reference Signal (PRS), Tracking Reference Signal (TRS), Phase Tracking Reference Signal (PTRS), Cell Specific Reference Signal (CRS), Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS), Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS), Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), etc.) from a network node or entity (e.g., a base station). The UE can then form a transmit beam based on the parameters of the receive beam to transmit one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., Uplink Position Reference Signal (UL-PRS), Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS), PTRS, etc.) to that network node or entity (e.g., a base station).

[0071] It should be noted that, depending on the entity forming the "downlink" beam, the beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if a network node or entity (e.g., a base station) is forming a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to the UE, then the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if the UE is forming a downlink beam, then the downlink beam is a receive beam for receiving downlink reference signals. Similarly, depending on the entity forming the "uplink" beam, the beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if a network node or entity (e.g., a base station) is forming an uplink beam, then the uplink beam is an uplink receive beam, while if the UE is forming an uplink beam, then the uplink beam is an uplink transmit beam.

[0072] In 5G, the spectrum in which wireless network nodes or entities (e.g., base stations 102 / 180, UE 104 / 182) operate is divided into multiple frequency ranges: FR1 (from 450 MHz to 6000 MHz), FR2 (from 24250 MHz to 52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). In multi-carrier systems such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the "primary carrier," "anchor carrier," "primary serving cell," or "PCell," and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers," "secondary serving cells," or "SCell." In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by UE 104 / 182 and the cell, where UE 104 / 182 performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels and can be a carrier on a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case). The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that can be configured and used to provide additional radio resources once an RRC connection is established between UE 104 and the anchor carrier. In some cases, the secondary carrier can be a carrier on an unlicensed frequency. The secondary carrier may contain only the necessary signaling information and signals; for example, since the primary uplink and primary downlink carriers are typically UE-specific, those UE-specific signaling information and signals may not be present in the secondary carrier. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 within a cell can have different downlink primary carriers. The same applies to the uplink primary carrier. The network can change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to balance the load on different carriers. Since a “serving cell” (whether PCell or SCell) corresponds to a carrier frequency or component carrier that some base station is using for communication, the terms “cell,” “serving cell,” “component carrier,” “carrier frequency,” etc., can be used interchangeably.

[0073] For example, still refer to Figure 1One of the frequencies used by macro cell base station 102 may be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and the other frequencies used by macro cell base station 102 and / or mmW base station 180 may be secondary carriers ("SCell"). In carrier aggregation, base station 102 and / or UE 104 may use a spectrum with a bandwidth of up to Y MHz per carrier (e.g., 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz, 20 MHz, 100 MHz), with up to a total of Yx MHz (x component carriers) for transmission in each direction. Component carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other in the spectrum. Carrier allocation may be asymmetrical with respect to downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to the downlink compared to the uplink). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers enables UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission rate and / or data reception rate. For example, compared to the data rate obtained by a single 20MHz carrier, the aggregation of two 20MHz carriers in a multi-carrier system will theoretically result in a doubling of the data rate (i.e., 40MHz).

[0074] To operate on multiple carrier frequencies, base station 102 and / or UE 104 are equipped with multiple receivers and / or transmitters. For example, UE 104 may have two receivers, namely "Receiver 1" and "Receiver 2", where "Receiver 1" is a multi-band receiver that can be tuned to band "X" or band "Y", while "Receiver 2" is a single-band receiver that can be tuned to only band "Z". In this example, if UE 104 is being served in band "X", then band "X" will be referred to as PCell or active carrier frequency, and "Receiver 1" will need to tune from band "X" to band "Y" (SCell) to measure band "Y" (and vice versa). In contrast, regardless of whether UE 104 is being served in band "X" or band "Y", due to the separate "Receiver 2", UE 104 can measure band "Z" without interrupting service on band "X" or band "Y".

[0075] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a UE 164, which can communicate with the macro cell base station 102 on the communication link 120 and / or with the mmW base station 180 on the mmW communication link 184. For example, the macro cell base station 102 may support PCells and one or more SCells for the UE 164, and the mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for the UE 164.

[0076] The wireless communication system 100 may also include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, which are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links (referred to as "side links"). Figure 1 In one example, UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations in base station 102 (e.g., UE 190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity through this D2D P2P link), and has a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 152 connected to WLAN AP 150 (UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity through this D2D P2P link). In one example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can use any known D2D RAT (such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), Wi-Fi Direct (Wi-Fi-D), Bluetooth). ® (etc.) to support this. As mentioned above, UE 104 and UE 190 can be configured to communicate using sidelink communication. In some cases, sidelink transmission may include requests for feedback from the receiving UE (e.g., Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ)).

[0077] Figure 2 This is an illustration of an example of a decomposed base station architecture that can be adopted by the disclosed systems and technologies for joint RF sensing and energy harvesting for UAV use cases. The deployment of communication systems such as 5G NR systems can be arranged in a variety of ways using various components or constituent parts. In a 5G NR system or network, network nodes, network entities, network mobility elements, radio access network (RAN) nodes, core network nodes, network elements or network equipment (such as base stations (BS)), or one or more units (or components) performing base station functionality can be implemented in an aggregated or decomposed architecture. For example, a BS (such as a NodeB (NB), evolved NB (eNB), NR BS, 5G NB, AP, transmit / receive point (TRP), or cell, etc.) can be implemented as an aggregated base station (also known as a standalone BS or monolithic BS) or a decomposed base station.

[0078] Aggregated base stations can be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node. Decentralized base stations can be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed across two or more units, such as one or more central or centralized units (CUs), one or more distributed units (DUs), or one or more radio units (RUs). In some respects, the CU may be implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs may co-located with the CU, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed across one or more other RAN nodes. DUs may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of the CU, DU, and RU may also be implemented as a virtual unit, namely a virtual central unit (VCU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual radio unit (VRU).

[0079] Base station type operation or network design can take into account the aggregation characteristics of base station functionality. For example, decomposed base stations can be utilized in Integrated Access Backhaul (IAB) networks, Open Radio Access Networks (O-RAN (such as network configurations advocated by the O-RAN Alliance)), or Virtualized Radio Access Networks (vRAN, also known as Cloud Radio Access Networks (C-RAN)). Decomposition can include distributing functionality across two or more units in various physical locations, as well as virtually distributing the functionality of at least one unit, which enables flexibility in network design. The various units in a decomposed base station or decomposed RAN architecture can be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit.

[0080] As mentioned earlier, Figure 2 A diagram illustrating an example decomposed base station 201 architecture is shown. The decomposed base station 201 architecture may include one or more central units (CUs) 211, which may communicate directly with the core network 223 via a backhaul link, or indirectly with the core network 223 via one or more decomposed base station units, such as a near real-time (near-RT) RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) 227 via an E2 link, or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC 217 associated with a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) framework 207, or both. CUs 211 may communicate with one or more distributed units (DUs) 231 via corresponding midhaul links (such as F1 interfaces). DUs 231 may communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 241 via corresponding fronthaul links. RUs 241 may communicate with corresponding UEs 221 via one or more RF access links. In some implementations, a UE 221 may be served simultaneously by multiple RUs 241.

[0081] Each of the units (i.e., CU 211, DU 231, RU 241, and near-RT RIC 227, non-RT RIC 217, and SMO frame 207) may include or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or transmit signals, data, or information (collectively, signals) via wired or wireless transmission media. Each of the units, or an associated processor or controller providing instructions to the communication interfaces of these units, may be configured to communicate with one or more other units via transmission media. For example, these units may include wired interfaces configured to receive signals or transmit signals to one or more other units via wired transmission media. Additionally, units may include wireless interfaces that may include receivers, transmitters, or transceivers (such as RF transceivers) configured to receive or transmit signals, or both, to one or more other units over a wireless transmission medium.

[0082] In some aspects, CU 211 can host one or more higher-level control functions. Such control functions may include Radio Resource Control (RRC), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), Serving Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function can be implemented using an interface configured to signal to other control functions hosted by CU 211. CU 211 can be configured to handle user plane functionality (i.e., Central Unit-User Plane (CU-UP)), control plane functionality (i.e., Central Unit-Control Plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some implementations, CU 211 can be logically divided into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, CU-UP units can communicate bidirectionally with CU-CP units via an interface such as an E1 interface. CU 211 can be implemented to communicate with DU 231 for network control and signaling, as needed.

[0083] DU 231 may correspond to a logical unit comprising one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RU 241s. In some aspects, DU 231 may host at least partially, according to functional splits (such as those defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), one or more of the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, and one or more high physical (PHY) layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.). In some aspects, DU 231 may also host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) may be implemented using an interface configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by DU 231 or with control functions hosted by CU 211.

[0084] Lower-layer functionality can be implemented by one or more RU 241s. In some deployments, the RU 241 controlled by DU 231 may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions or low-PHY layer functions (such as performing Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, or both, based at least in part on functional decomposition (such as lower-layer functional decomposition). In this architecture, RU 241 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UE 221s. In some specific implementations, the real-time and non-real-time aspects of control plane and user plane communications with RU 241 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 231. In some scenarios, this configuration enables the implementation of DU 231 and CU 211 in cloud-based RAN architectures (such as vRAN architectures).

[0085] SMO framework 207 can be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of both non-virtualized and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, SMO framework 207 can be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which can be managed via operation and maintenance interfaces such as the O1 interface. For virtualized network elements, SMO framework 207 can be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform such as Open Cloud (O-Cloud) 291 to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface such as the O2 interface. Such virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, CU 211, DU 231, RU 241, and near-RT RIC 227. In some implementations, SMO framework 207 can communicate with the hardware aspects of the 4G RAN (such as Open eNB (O-eNB) 213) via the O1 interface. Additionally, in some implementations, SMO framework 207 can communicate directly with one or more RU 241s via the O1 interface. SMO framework 207 may also include a non-RT RIC 217 configured to support the functionality of SMO framework 207.

[0086] The non-RT RIC 217 can be configured to include logical functions enabling non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, including artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows for model training and updates, or policy-based guidance for applications / features in the near-RT RIC 227. The non-RT RIC 217 can be coupled to or communicate with the near-RT RIC 227, such as via an A1 interface. The near-RT RIC 227 can be configured to include logical functions enabling near real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via an interface, such as via an E2 interface, that connects one or more CU 211s, one or more DU 231s, or both, and an O-eNB 213 to the near-RT RIC 227.

[0087] In some implementations, to generate AI / ML models to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 227, the non-RT RIC 217 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. This information can be utilized by the near-RT RIC 227 and can be received from non-network data sources or network functions at the SMO framework 207 or the non-RT RIC 217. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 217 or the near-RT RIC 227 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 217 may monitor long-term trends and patterns in performance and employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions via the SMO framework 207 (such as reconfiguration via O1) or via the creation of RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0088] Various radio frame structures can be used to support downlink transmission, uplink transmission, and sidelink transmission between network nodes (e.g., base stations and UEs). Figure 3 Figure 300 is an example of a frame structure that may be employed by the disclosed systems and techniques for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting for UAV use cases. Other wireless communication techniques may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0089] NR (and LTE) utilize OFDM on the downlink and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR also has the option to use OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, often referred to as tones, frequency slots, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated using data. Generally, modulation symbols are transmitted using OFDM in the frequency domain and SC-FDM in the time domain. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing could be 15 kHz, and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) could be 12 subcarriers (or 180 kHz). Therefore, for system bandwidths of 1.25 MHz, 2.5 MHz, 5 MHz, 10 MHz, or 20 MHz, the nominal Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) size can be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048, respectively. The system bandwidth can also be divided into subbands. For example, a subband can cover 1.08 MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and for system bandwidths of 1.25 MHz, 2.5 MHz, 5 MHz, 10 MHz, or 20 MHz, there can be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands, respectively.

[0090] LTE supports a single set of parameters (subcarrier spacing, symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR can support multiple sets of parameters (µ). For example, subcarrier spacings (SCS) of 15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz, 120kHz, and 240kHz or greater can be available. Table 1 below lists some of the different parameters for different NR parameter sets.

[0091]

[0092] Table 1

[0093] In one example, a parameter set of 15kHz is used. Therefore, in the time domain, a 10-millisecond (ms) frame is divided into 10 equal-sized subframes, each 1ms, and each subframe includes one time slot. Figure 3 In this context, time is represented in the horizontal direction (e.g., on the X-axis), where time increases from left to right, while frequency is represented in the vertical direction (e.g., on the Y-axis), where frequency increases (or decreases) from bottom to top.

[0094] Resource grids can be used to represent time slots, each of which includes one or more time-concurrent resource blocks (RBs) (also known as physical RBs (PRBs)) in the frequency domain. Figure 3 An example of a resource block (RB) 302 is shown. Data or information used for joint communication and sensing can be included in one or more RBs 302. RBs 302 are arranged by placing the time domain on the horizontal (or x) axis and the frequency domain on the vertical (or y) axis. As shown, an RB 302 can be a frequency wide of 180 kHz and a time slot long (where a time slot is 1 millisecond (ms)). In some cases, a time slot may include fourteen symbols (e.g., in time slot configuration 0). RB 302 includes twelve subcarriers (along the y-axis) and fourteen symbols (along the x-axis).

[0095] The intersection of symbols and subcarriers can be referred to as resource element (RE) 304 or tone. Figure 3 RB 302 includes multiple REs, each of which includes a resource element (RE) 304. For example, RE 304 is one subcarrier × one symbol (e.g., an OFDM symbol) and is the smallest discrete part of a subframe. RE 304 includes a single complex value representing data from a physical channel or signal. The number of bits carried by each RE 304 depends on the modulation scheme.

[0096] In some respects, some RE 304s can be used to transmit downlink reference (pilot) signals (DL-RS). DL-RS may include positioning reference signals (PRS), tracking reference signals (TRS), phase tracking reference signals (PTRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), etc. Figure 3 The resource grid example illustrates an exemplary location (labeled "R") for sending DL-RS using RE 304.

[0097] Figure 4 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of a computing system 470 of electronic device 407 that may be employed by disclosed systems and technologies for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting for UAV use cases. Electronic device 407 is an example of a device that may include hardware and software for connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems using communication networks (e.g., third-generation partner networks, such as fifth-generation (5G) / new radio (NR) networks, fourth-generation (4G) / long-term evolution (LTE) networks, WiFi networks, or other communication networks). For example, electronic device 407 may include or be part of: mobile devices (e.g., mobile phones), wearable devices (e.g., network-connected or smartwatches), extended reality devices (e.g., virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, or mixed reality (MR) devices), personal computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, wireless access points, routers, vehicles or components of vehicles, server computers, robotic devices, and / or other devices used by users to communicate on wireless communication networks. In some cases, such as when referring to a device configured to communicate using 5G / NR, 4G / LTE, or other telecommunications standards, device 407 may be referred to as User Equipment (UE). In some cases, such as when referring to a device configured to communicate using Wi-Fi standards, the device may be referred to as a Station (STA).

[0098] The computing system 470 includes software and hardware components that can be electrically coupled or communicatively coupled (or otherwise communicated, as applicable) via a bus 489. For example, the computing system 470 includes one or more processors 484. The one or more processors 484 may include one or more CPUs, ASICs, FPGAs, APs, GPUs, VPUs, NSPs, microcontrollers, dedicated hardware, any combination thereof, and / or other processing devices and / or systems. The bus 489 may be used by the one or more processors 484 to communicate between cores and / or with one or more memory devices 486.

[0099] The computing system 470 may also include one or more memory devices 486, one or more digital signal processors (DSPs) 482, one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs) 474, one or more modems 476, one or more wireless transceivers 478, one or more antennas 487, one or more input devices 472 (e.g., camera, mouse, keyboard, touchscreen, touchpad, keypad, microphone or microphone array, etc.) and one or more output devices 480 (e.g., display, speaker, printer, etc.).

[0100] One or more wireless transceivers 478 can receive wireless signals (e.g., signal 488) via antenna 487 from one or more other devices such as other user equipment, network devices (e.g., base stations such as evolved NodeBs (eNBs) and / or gNodeBs (gNBs)), WiFi access points (APs) such as routers, range extenders, etc.), cloud networks, etc. In some examples, computing system 470 may include multiple antennas or antenna arrays that can facilitate simultaneous transmission and reception functionality. Antenna 487 may be an omnidirectional antenna, enabling the reception and transmission of RF signals from all directions. Wireless signal 488 may be transmitted via a wireless network. The wireless network can be any wireless network, such as cellular or telecommunications networks (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G, etc.), wireless local area networks (e.g., WiFi networks), Bluetooth, etc. ™ Networks and / or other networks. In some examples, one or more wireless transceivers 478 may include an RF front end comprising one or more components such as amplifiers, mixers (also known as signal multipliers) for down-converting signals, frequency synthesizers (also known as oscillators) that supply signals to the mixers, baseband filters, analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), one or more power amplifiers, and other components. The RF front end generally handles the selection of the wireless signal 488 and the conversion of that wireless signal to baseband or intermediate frequency, and can convert the RF signal to the digital domain.

[0101] In some cases, computing system 470 may include a decoder-decoder device (or codec) configured to encode and / or decode data transmitted and / or received using one or more wireless transceivers 478. In some cases, computing system 470 may include an encryption-decryption device or component configured to encrypt and / or decrypt data transmitted and / or received by one or more wireless transceivers 478 (e.g., according to Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and / or Data Encryption Standard (DES) standards).

[0102] One or more SIMs 474 may each securely store an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) number and associated key assigned to a user of electronic device 407. The IMSI and key can be used to identify and authenticate the subscriber when accessing a network provided by a network service provider or operator associated with one or more SIMs 474. One or more modems 476 may modulate one or more signals to encode information to be transmitted using one or more wireless transceivers 478. One or more modems 476 may also demodulate signals received by one or more wireless transceivers 478 to decode the transmitted information. In some examples, one or more modems 476 may include a WiFi modem, a 4G (or LTE) modem, a 5G (or NR) modem, and / or other types of modems. One or more modems 476 and one or more wireless transceivers 478 can be used to transmit data from one or more SIMs 474.

[0103] The computing system 470 may also include one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media or storage devices (e.g., one or more memory devices 486) (and / or communicate with them), which may include, but are not limited to, local and / or network-accessible storage devices, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices (such as RAM and / or ROM), which may be programmable, flash-updatable, and / or the like. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data storage, including but not limited to various file systems and / or database structures.

[0104] In various aspects, functionality may be stored in memory device 486 as one or more computer program products (e.g., instructions or code) and executed by one or more processors 484 and / or one or more DSPs 482. Computing system 470 may also include software elements (e.g., residing within one or more memory devices 486) including, for example, operating systems, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or other code, such as one or more application programs, which may include computer programs implementing the functionality provided by various aspects, and / or may be designed to implement methods and / or configure systems as described herein.

[0105] In some aspects, electronic device 407 may include components for performing the operations described herein. These components may include one or more components of computing system 470. For example, components for performing the operations described herein may include one or more of input device 472, SIM 474, modem 476, wireless transceiver 478, output device 480, DSP 482, processor 484, memory device 486, and / or antenna 487.

[0106] In some aspects, electronic device 407 may include components for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting for UAV use cases. In some examples, any or all of these components may include one or more wireless transceivers 478, one or more modems 476, one or more processors 484, one or more DSPs 482, one or more memory devices 486, any combination thereof, or other components of electronic device 407.

[0107] Figure 5 This is an illustration of an example of a wireless device 500 utilizing RF monostation sensing technology to determine one or more characteristics (e.g., position, rate or velocity, heading, etc.) of a target object 502. Specifically, Figure 5 This is an illustration of an example of a wireless device 500 (e.g., a transmitting / receiving sensing node) that utilizes RF sensing technology (e.g., single-site sensing) to perform one or more functions, such as detecting the presence and location of a target 502 (e.g., an object, a user, or a vehicle), which is illustrated in the figure as a vehicle.

[0108] In some examples, the wireless device 500 may be a mobile phone, tablet computer, wearable device, vehicle, extended reality (XR) device, computing device, or component of a vehicle, or other device including at least one RF interface (e.g., Figure 4 Device 407). In some examples, wireless device 500 may be a user device (e.g., for...). Figure 4 Electronic devices (407) that provide connectivity, such as base stations (e.g., gNB, eNB, etc.), wireless access points (APs), or other devices that include at least one RF interface.

[0109] In some aspects, the wireless device 500 may include one or more components for transmitting RF signals. The wireless device 500 may include at least one processor 522 for generating digital signals or waveforms. The wireless device 500 may also include a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 504 capable of receiving digital signals or waveforms from the processor 522 (e.g., a microprocessor) and converting those digital signals or waveforms into analog waveforms. Analog signals, as the output of the DAC 504, may be provided to the RF transmitter 506 for transmission. The RF transmitter 506 may be a Wi-Fi transmitter, a 5G / NR transmitter, or a Bluetooth transmitter. ™ A transmitter or any other transmitter capable of transmitting RF signals.

[0110] RF transmitter 506 may be coupled to one or more transmitting antennas, such as Tx antenna 512. In some examples, transmitting (Tx) antenna 512 may be an omnidirectional antenna capable of transmitting RF signals in all directions. For example, Tx antenna 512 may be an omnidirectional Wi-Fi antenna capable of radiating Wi-Fi signals in a 360-degree radiation pattern (e.g., 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, etc.). In another example, Tx antenna 512 may be a directional antenna that transmits RF signals in a specific direction.

[0111] In some examples, the wireless device 500 may also include one or more components for receiving RF signals. For example, the receiver array in the wireless device 500 may include one or more receiving antennas, such as a receive (Rx) antenna 514. In some examples, the Rx antenna 514 may be an omnidirectional antenna capable of receiving RF signals from multiple directions. In other examples, the Rx antenna 514 may be a directional antenna configured to receive signals from a specific direction. In further examples, the Tx antenna 512 and / or the Rx antenna 514 may include multiple antennas (e.g., elements) configured as an antenna array (e.g., a phased antenna array).

[0112] The wireless device 500 may also include an RF receiver 510 coupled to the Rx antenna 514. The RF receiver 510 may include features for receiving RF waveforms such as Wi-Fi signals and Bluetooth signals. ™ One or more hardware components (RF receiver 510, 5G / NR signal, or any other RF signal). The output of RF receiver 510 can be coupled to analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 508. ADC 508 can be configured to convert the received analog RF waveform into a digital waveform. The digital waveform, as the output of ADC 508, can be provided to processor 522 for processing. Processor 522 (e.g., digital signal processor (DSP)) can be configured to process the digital waveform.

[0113] In one example, wireless device 500 can implement RF sensing technology, such as monostation sensing technology, by transmitting a Tx waveform 516 from Tx antenna 512. Although Tx waveform 516 is exemplified as a single line, in some cases, Tx waveform 516 can be transmitted in all directions by omnidirectional Tx antenna 512. In one example, Tx waveform 516 can be a Wi-Fi waveform transmitted by a Wi-Fi transmitter in wireless device 500. In some cases, Tx waveform 516 can correspond to a Wi-Fi waveform transmitted simultaneously or nearly simultaneously with a Wi-Fi data communication signal or a Wi-Fi control function signal (e.g., beacon transmission). In some examples, Tx waveform 516 can be transmitted using the same or similar frequency resources as the Wi-Fi data communication signal or the Wi-Fi control function signal (e.g., beacon transmission). In some aspects, Tx waveform 516 can correspond to a Wi-Fi waveform transmitted separately from the Wi-Fi data communication signal and / or the Wi-Fi control signal (e.g., Tx waveform 516 can be transmitted at different times and / or using different frequency resources).

[0114] In some examples, the Tx waveform 516 may correspond to a 5G NR waveform transmitted simultaneously or nearly simultaneously with the 5G NR data communication signal or the 5G NR control function signal. In some examples, the Tx waveform 516 may be transmitted using the same or similar frequency resources as the 5G NR data communication signal or the 5G NR control function signal. In some aspects, the Tx waveform 516 may correspond to a 5G NR waveform transmitted separately from the 5G NR data communication signal and / or the 5G NR control signal (e.g., the Tx waveform 516 may be transmitted at different times and / or using different frequency resources).

[0115] In some respects, one or more parameters associated with the Tx waveform 516 can be modified, which can be used to increase or decrease the RF sensing resolution. These parameters may include frequency, bandwidth, number of spatial streams, number of antennas configured to transmit the Tx waveform 516, number of antennas configured to receive reflected RF signals (e.g., Rx waveform 518) corresponding to the Tx waveform 516, number of spatial links (e.g., the number of spatial streams multiplied by the number of antennas configured to receive RF signals), sampling rate, or any combination thereof. The transmitted waveform (e.g., Tx waveform 516) and the received waveform (e.g., Rx waveform 518) may include one or more RF sensing signals, which are also referred to as radar reference signals (RS).

[0116] In another example, the Tx waveform 516 can be implemented as a sequence with perfect or near-perfect autocorrelation properties. For example, the Tx waveform 516 may include a single-carrier Zadoff sequence or may include symbols similar to those in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) Long Training Field (LTF) symbols. In some cases, the Tx waveform 516 may include a chirped signal, such as that used in frequency-modulated continuous wave (FM-CW) radar systems. In some configurations, the chirped signal may include a signal in which the signal frequency increases and / or decreases periodically in a linear and / or exponential manner.

[0117] In some respects, the wireless device 500 can implement RF sensing technology by performing alternating transmit and receive functions (e.g., performing half-duplex operation). For example, the wireless device 500 can alternately enable its RF transmitter 506 to transmit a Tx waveform 516 when the RF receiver 510 is not enabled to receive (i.e., not receiving), and enable its RF receiver 510 to receive an Rx waveform 518 when the RF transmitter 506 is not enabled to transmit (i.e., not transmitting). When the wireless device 500 performs half-duplex operation, the wireless device 500 can transmit the Tx waveform 516, which can be a radar RS (e.g., a sensing signal).

[0118] In other respects, the wireless device 500 can implement RF sensing technology by performing concurrent transmit and receive functions (e.g., performing subband or full-band full-duplex operation). For example, the wireless device 500 can enable its RF receiver 510 to receive while its RF transmitter 506 is enabled to transmit a Tx waveform 516, or nearly simultaneously. When the wireless device 500 performs full-duplex operation (e.g., subband full-duplex or full-band full-duplex), the wireless device 500 can transmit the Tx waveform 516, which can be a radar RS (e.g., a sensing signal).

[0119] In some examples, the sequence or pattern included in the Tx waveform 516 can be transmitted repeatedly, such that the sequence is transmitted a specific number of times or for a specific duration. In some examples, if the RF receiver 510 is enabled after the RF transmitter 506, the repeated pattern in the transmission of the Tx waveform 516 can be used to avoid missing the reception of any reflected signals. In one example implementation, the Tx waveform 516 may include a sequence of length L that is transmitted two or more times, which allows the RF receiver 510 to be enabled for a time less than or equal to L in order to receive reflections corresponding to the entire sequence without losing any information.

[0120] By implementing alternating or simultaneous transmit and receive functionality (e.g., half-duplex or full-duplex operation), wireless device 500 can receive signals corresponding to Tx waveform 516. For example, wireless device 500 can receive signals reflected from objects or people within the range of Tx waveform 516, such as Rx waveform 518 reflected from target 502. Wireless device 500 can also receive leakage signals (e.g., Tx leakage signal 520) coupled directly from Tx antenna 512 to Rx antenna 514 without reflection from any object. For example, the leakage signal may include signals transmitted from the transmitter antenna (e.g., Tx antenna 512) on the wireless device to the receiver antenna (e.g., Rx antenna 514) on the wireless device without reflection from any object. In some cases, Rx waveform 518 may include multiple sequences corresponding to multiple copies of the sequence included in Tx waveform 516. In some examples, wireless device 500 may combine multiple sequences received by RF receiver 510 to improve signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

[0121] The wireless device 500 can also implement RF sensing technology by acquiring RF sensing data associated with each of the received signals corresponding to the Tx waveform 516. In some examples, the RF sensing data may include channel state information (CSI) data associated with the direct path of the Tx waveform 516 (e.g., leakage signal 520) and data associated with the reflection path corresponding to the Tx waveform 516 (e.g., Rx waveform 518).

[0122] In some aspects, RF sensing data (e.g., CSI data) may include information that can be used to determine how an RF signal (e.g., Tx waveform 516) propagates from RF transmitter 506 to RF receiver 510. RF sensing data may include data corresponding to the effects on the transmitted RF signal due to scattering, decay, and / or power attenuation with distance, or any combination thereof. In some examples, RF sensing data may include imaginary and real data (e.g., I / Q components) corresponding to each tone in the frequency domain over a specific bandwidth.

[0123] In some examples, the RF sensing data can be used by processor 522 to calculate the distance and angle of arrival corresponding to a reflected waveform such as Rx waveform 518. In other examples, the RF sensing data can also be used to detect motion, determine location, detect changes in location or motion patterns, or any combination thereof. In some cases, the distance and angle of arrival of the reflected signal can be used to identify the size, location, movement, and / or orientation of a target in the surrounding environment (e.g., target 502) in order to detect the presence / proximity of the target.

[0124] The processor 522 of the wireless device 500 can calculate the distance and angle of arrival corresponding to the reflected waveform (e.g., the distance and angle of arrival corresponding to the Rx waveform 518) by utilizing signal processing, machine learning algorithms, any other suitable techniques, or any combination thereof. In other examples, the wireless device 500 can send or transmit RF sensing data to at least one processor of another computing device, such as a server or base station, which can perform calculations to obtain the distance and angle of arrival corresponding to the Rx waveform 518 or other reflected waveforms.

[0125] In one example, the distance of the Rx waveform 518 can be calculated by measuring the time difference between receiving the leaked signal and receiving the reflected signal. For example, wireless device 500 can determine a baseline distance based on a zero difference between the time wireless device 500 transmits the Tx waveform 516 and the time it receives the leaked signal 520 (e.g., propagation delay). The processor 522 of wireless device 500 can then determine the distance associated with the Rx waveform 518 based on the difference between the time wireless device 500 transmits the Tx waveform 516 and the time it receives the Rx waveform 518 (e.g., time of flight, also known as round-trip time (RTT)), and can then adjust that distance according to the propagation delay associated with the leaked signal 520. By doing so, the processor 522 of wireless device 500 can determine the distance traveled by the Rx waveform 518, which can be used to determine the presence and movement of a target (e.g., target 502) that caused the reflection.

[0126] In another example, the processor 522 can calculate the angle of arrival of the Rx waveform 518 by measuring the time difference of arrival of the Rx waveform 518 between the individual elements of the receiving antenna array, such as antenna 514. In some examples, the time difference of arrival can be calculated by measuring the difference in the received phase at each element in the receiving antenna array.

[0127] In some cases, the distance and angle of arrival of the Rx waveform 518 can be used by the processor 522 to determine the distance between the wireless device 500 and the target 502, as well as the position of the target 502 relative to the wireless device 500. The distance and angle of arrival of the Rx waveform 518 can also be used to determine the presence, movement, proximity, identity, or any combination thereof of the target 502. For example, the processor 522 of the wireless device 500 can use the calculated distance and angle of arrival corresponding to the Rx waveform 518 to determine that the target 502 is moving toward the wireless device 500.

[0128] As mentioned above, wireless device 500 may include mobile devices (e.g., IoT devices, smartphones, laptops, tablets, etc.) or other types of devices. In some examples, wireless device 500 may be configured to acquire device location data and device orientation data, as well as RF sensing data. In some cases, device location data and device orientation data may be used to determine or adjust the distance and angle of arrival of reflected signals such as Rx waveform 518. For example, when a target 502 (e.g., a vehicle) moves toward wireless device 500 during an RF sensing process, the wireless device may be positioned on the ground facing the sky. In this case, wireless device 500 can use its location data and orientation data, along with the RF sensing data, to determine the direction in which target 502 is moving.

[0129] In some examples, the wireless device 500 may use techniques including RTT measurement, Time of Arrival (TOA) measurement, Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) measurement, passive positioning measurement, Angle of Arrival (AOA) measurement, Angle of Departure (AoD) measurement, Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) measurement, CSI data, any other suitable technique, or any combination thereof, to collect device location data. In other examples, device orientation data may be obtained from electronic sensors on the wireless device 500 such as gyroscopes, accelerometers, compasses, magnetometers, barometers, any other suitable sensors, or any combination thereof.

[0130] Figure 6 This is an illustration of an example of a receiver 604 employing RF monostation sensing technology, in conjunction with a transmitter 600, to determine one or more characteristics (e.g., position, rate or speed, heading, etc.) of an object 602. For example, receiver 604 could use RF bistation sensing to detect the presence and location of a target 602 (e.g., an object, user, or vehicle). Figure 6 The example is illustrated in the form of a means of transportation. In one example, receiver 604 could take the form of a base station such as a gNB.

[0131] Figure 6 The bistatic radar system includes a transmitter 600 (e.g., a transmitting sensing node) and a receiver 604 (e.g., a receiving sensing node), the transmitter being depicted in the figure as a base station (e.g., a gNB), the transmitter and the receiver being separated at a distance equivalent to the expected target distance. Figure 5 Compared to a single-site system, Figure 6 In a bistatic radar system, the transmitter 600 and receiver 604 are located far apart from each other. Conversely, a monostatic radar includes transmitters (e.g., co-located transmitters) that are located at the same location as each other. Figure 5 The wireless device 500 includes an RF transmitter 506 and a receiver (e.g., Figure 5The radar system (e.g., the RF receiver 510 of the wireless device 500) Figure 5 (system).

[0132] Bistatic radar (or more generally, multistatic radar with more than one receiver) has the advantage over monostatic radar in that it can collect radar echoes reflected from the scene at an angle different from the angle of the transmitted pulse. This may be of concern to some applications (e.g., transportation applications, scenes with multiple objects, military applications, etc.) where targets can reflect the transmitted energy in many directions (e.g., where targets are specifically designed to reflect in many directions), which minimizes the energy reflected back to the transmitter. It should be noted that in one or more examples, a monostatic system can coexist with a multistatic radar system, such as when the transmitter also has a co-located receiver.

[0133] In some examples, Figure 6 The transmitter 600 and / or receiver 604 may be a mobile phone, tablet computer, wearable device, vehicle, or other device including at least one RF interface (e.g., Figure 4 Device 407). In some examples, transmitter 600 and / or receiver 604 may be user equipment (e.g., device 407). Figure 4 IoT devices (407) provide connectivity, such as base stations (e.g., gNB, eNB, etc.), wireless access points (APs), or other devices that include at least one RF interface.

[0134] In some aspects, transmitter 600 may include one or more components for transmitting RF signals. Transmitter 600 may include at least one processor capable of determining the signals to be transmitted (e.g., determining the waveforms of these signals). Figure 5 At least one processor 522). Transmitter 600 may also include an RF transmitter (e.g., for transmitting a Tx signal including a Tx waveform 616) for transmitting a Tx signal including a Tx waveform 616. Figure 5 RF transmitter 506). The RF transmitter can be a transmitter configured to transmit cellular signals or telecommunications signals (e.g., a transmitter configured to transmit 5G / NR signals, 4G / LTE signals, or other cellular / telecommunications signals), a Wi-Fi transmitter, or a Bluetooth transmitter. ™ Transmitters, any combination thereof, or any other transmitter capable of transmitting RF signals.

[0135] The RF transmitter can be coupled to one or more transmit antennas, such as a Tx antenna (e.g., Figure 5(TX antenna 512). In some examples, the Tx antenna may be an omnidirectional antenna capable of transmitting RF signals in all directions, or a directional antenna capable of transmitting RF signals in a specific direction. In some examples, the Tx antenna may include multiple antennas (e.g., elements) configured as an antenna array.

[0136] Receiver 604 may also include one or more components for receiving RF signals. For example, receiver 604 may include one or more receiving antennas, such as an Rx antenna (e.g., Figure 5 (Rx antenna 514). In some examples, the Rx antenna may be an omnidirectional antenna capable of receiving RF signals from multiple directions, or a directional antenna configured to receive signals from a specific direction. In other examples, the Rx antenna may include multiple antennas (e.g., elements) configured as an antenna array.

[0137] Receiver 604 may also include an RF receiver coupled to the Rx antenna (e.g., Figure 5 The RF receiver 510 may include a device for receiving RF waveforms (such as Wi-Fi signals, Bluetooth signals, etc.). ™ One or more hardware components (RF signals, 5G / NR signals, or any other RF signals). The output of the RF receiver can be coupled to at least one processor (e.g., Figure 5 At least one processor 522). The processor may be configured to process the received waveform (e.g., Rx waveform 618).

[0138] In one or more examples, transmitter 600 can implement RF sensing techniques, such as bistatic sensing, by transmitting a Tx waveform 616 from a Tx antenna. It should be noted that although the Tx waveform 616 is illustrated as a single line, in some cases, the Tx waveform 616 can be transmitted in all directions by an omnidirectional Tx antenna.

[0139] In one or more aspects, one or more parameters associated with the Tx waveform 616 may be used to increase or decrease the RF sensing resolution. These parameters may include frequency, bandwidth, number of spatial streams, number of antennas configured to transmit the Tx waveform 616, number of antennas configured to receive reflected RF signals (e.g., Rx waveform 618) corresponding to the Tx waveform 616, number of spatial links (e.g., the number of spatial streams multiplied by the number of antennas configured to receive RF signals), sampling rate, or any combination thereof. The transmitted waveform (e.g., Tx waveform 616) and the received waveform (e.g., Rx waveform 618) may include one or more radar RF sensing signals (also referred to as RF sensing RS).

[0140] During operation, receiver 604 (e.g., operating as a receiving sensing node) may receive a signal corresponding to Tx waveform 616 transmitted by transmitter 600 (e.g., operating as a transmitting sensing node). For example, receiver 604 may receive a signal reflected from an object or person within the range of Tx waveform 616, such as Rx waveform 618 reflected from target 602. In some cases, Rx waveform 618 may include multiple sequences corresponding to multiple copies of the sequence included in Tx waveform 616. In some examples, receiver 604 may combine the received multiple sequences to improve SNR.

[0141] In some examples, at least one processor within receiver 604 can use RF sensing data to calculate distance, angle of arrival, or other characteristics corresponding to a reflected waveform (such as Rx waveform 618). In other examples, RF sensing data can also be used to detect motion, determine location, detect changes in location or motion patterns, or any combination thereof. In some cases, the distance and angle of arrival of the reflected signal can be used to identify the size, location, movement, and / or orientation of a target in the surrounding environment (e.g., target 602) in order to detect the presence / proximity of the target.

[0142] The processor of receiver 604 can calculate the distance and angle of arrival corresponding to the reflected waveform (e.g., the distance and angle of arrival corresponding to Rx waveform 618) by using signal processing, machine learning algorithms, any other suitable techniques, or any combination thereof. In other examples, receiver 604 can send or transmit RF sensing data to at least one processor of another computing device, such as a server, which can perform calculations to obtain the distance and angle of arrival corresponding to Rx waveform 618 or other reflected waveforms.

[0143] In one or more examples, the angle of arrival of the Rx waveform 618 can be calculated by the processor of the receiver 604 by measuring the time difference of arrival of the Rx waveform 618 between the individual elements of the receiving antenna array of the receiver 604. In some examples, the time difference of arrival can be calculated by measuring the difference in the received phase at each element in the receiving antenna array.

[0144] In some cases, the distance and angle of arrival of the Rx waveform 618 can be used by the processor of receiver 604 to determine the distance between receiver 604 and target 602, as well as the position of target 602 relative to receiver 604. The distance and angle of arrival of the Rx waveform 618 can also be used to determine the presence, movement, proximity, identity, or any combination thereof of target 602. For example, the processor of receiver 604 can use the calculated distance and angle of arrival corresponding to the Rx waveform 618 to determine that target 602 is moving toward receiver 604.

[0145] Figure 7 This is an illustration of an example of a smartphone-style receiver 704 utilizing RF bistatic sensing technology together with multiple transmitters (including transmitter 700a, transmitter 700b, and transmitter 700c). This receiver can be used to determine one or more characteristics (e.g., position, speed or rate, heading, etc.) of a target 702 object. For example, receiver 704 can use RF bistatic sensing to detect the presence and location of target 702 (e.g., an object, a user, or a vehicle). Target 702 is in Figure 7 The text describes objects that do not have communication capabilities (which may be referred to as deviceless objects), such as people, vehicles (e.g., vehicles that do not have the ability to send and receive messages, such as using C-V2X or DSRC protocols), or other deviceless objects. Figure 7 The bistatic radar system is similar to Figure 6 The difference is that the bistatic radar system... Figure 7 The bistatic radar system has multiple transmitters: 700a, 700b, and 700c. Figure 6 The bistatic radar system has only one transmitter 600.

[0146] Figure 7 The bistatic radar system includes multiple transmitters 700a, 700b, 700c (e.g., transmitting sensing nodes), which are exemplified as base stations. Figure 7 The bistatic radar system also includes a receiver 704 (e.g., a receiving sensing node) depicted in the form of a smartphone. Each of the transmitters 700a, 700b, and 700c is positioned at a distance from the receiver 704 that is comparable to the expected distance to the target 702. Similar to... Figure 6 The dual-station system Figure 7 The transmitters 700a, 700b, 700c and receiver 704 of the bistatic radar system are positioned far apart from each other.

[0147] In one or more examples, transmitters 700a, 700b, 700c and / or receiver 704 may each be a mobile phone, tablet computer, wearable device, vehicle (e.g., a vehicle configured to transmit and receive communications according to C-V2X, DSRC or other communication protocols) or other device including at least one RF interface (e.g., Figure 4 Device 407). In some examples, transmitters 700a, 700b, 700c and / or receiver 704 may each be user equipment (e.g., Figure 4 IoT devices (407) provide connectivity, such as base stations (e.g., gNB, eNB, etc.), wireless access points (APs), or other devices that include at least one RF interface.

[0148] Transmitters 700a, 700b, and 700c may include one or more components for transmitting RF signals. Each of transmitters 700a, 700b, and 700c may include at least one processor capable of determining the signal to be transmitted (e.g., determining the waveform of the signal). Figure 5 The processor 522). Each of the transmitters 700a, 700b, and 700c may further include an RF transmitter (e.g., for transmitting Tx signals including Tx waveforms 716a, 716b, 716c, 720a, 720b, and 720c) for transmitting Tx signals including Tx waveforms 716a, 716b, 716c, 720a, 720b, and 720c. Figure 5 The RF transmitter 506. In one or more examples, Tx waveforms 716a, 716b, and 716c are RF sensing signals, and Tx waveforms 720a, 720b, and 720c are communication signals. In one or more examples, Tx waveforms 720a, 720b, and 720c are communication signals that can be used to schedule transmitters (e.g., transmitters 700a, 700b, and 700c) and receivers (e.g., receiver 704) to perform RF sensing of a target (e.g., target 702) to obtain location information about the target. The RF transmitter can be a transmitter configured to transmit cellular or telecommunication signals (e.g., a transmitter configured to transmit 5G / NR signals, 4G / LTE signals, or other cellular / telecommunications signals), a Wi-Fi transmitter, or a Bluetooth transmitter. ™ Transmitters, any combination thereof, or any other transmitter capable of transmitting RF signals.

[0149] The RF transmitter can be coupled to one or more transmit antennas, such as a Tx antenna (e.g., Figure 5 (TX antenna 512). In one or more examples, the Tx antenna may be an omnidirectional antenna capable of transmitting RF signals in all directions, or a directional antenna capable of transmitting RF signals in a specific direction. The Tx antenna may include multiple antennas (e.g., elements) configured as an antenna array.

[0150] Figure 7 The receiver 704 may include one or more components for receiving RF signals. For example, the receiver 704 may include one or more receiving antennas, such as an Rx antenna (e.g., Figure 5 The Rx antenna 514. In one or more examples, the Rx antenna may be an omnidirectional antenna capable of receiving RF signals from multiple directions, or a directional antenna configured to receive signals from a specific direction. In some examples, the Rx antenna may include multiple antennas (e.g., elements) configured as an antenna array (e.g., a phased antenna array).

[0151] Receiver 704 may also include an RF receiver coupled to the Rx antenna (e.g., Figure 5The RF receiver 510 may include a device for receiving RF waveforms (such as Wi-Fi signals, Bluetooth signals, etc.). ™ One or more hardware components (RF signals, 5G / NR signals, or any other RF signals). The output of the RF receiver can be coupled to at least one processor (e.g., Figure 5 The processor 522). The processor can be configured to process the received waveform (e.g., Rx waveform 718, which is a reflected (echo) RF sensing signal).

[0152] In some examples, transmitters 700a, 700b, and 700c can implement RF sensing techniques (e.g., bistatic sensing techniques) by transmitting Tx waveforms 716a, 716b, and 716c (e.g., radar sensing signals) from a Tx antenna associated with each of transmitters 700a, 700b, and 700c. Although Tx waveforms 716a, 716b, and 716c are illustrated as single lines, in some cases, Tx waveforms 716a, 716b, and 716c can be transmitted in all directions (e.g., via an omnidirectional Tx antenna associated with each of transmitters 700a, 700b, and 700c).

[0153] In one or more aspects, one or more parameters associated with the Tx waveforms 716a, 716b, 716c can be used to increase or decrease the RF sensing resolution. These parameters may include, but are not limited to, frequency, bandwidth, number of spatial streams, number of antennas configured to transmit the Tx waveforms 716a, 716b, 716c, number of antennas configured to receive reflected (echo) RF signals (e.g., Rx waveform 718) corresponding to each of the Tx waveforms 716a, 716b, 716c, number of spatial links (e.g., the number of spatial streams multiplied by the number of antennas configured to receive RF signals), sampling rate, or any combination thereof. The transmitted waveforms (e.g., Tx waveforms 716a, 716b, 716c) and the received waveforms (e.g., Rx waveform 718) may include one or more radar RF sensing signals (also referred to as RF sensing RS). It should be noted that, although Figure 7 Only one reflected sensing signal is shown (e.g., Rx waveform 718), but it should be understood that a separate reflected (echo) sensing signal will be generated by each sensing signal reflected from the target 702 (e.g., Tx waveforms 716a, 716b, 716c).

[0154] exist Figure 7During system operation, receiver 704 (e.g., operating as a receiving sensing node) can receive signals corresponding to Tx waveforms 716a, 716b, 716c transmitted by transmitters 700a, 700b, 700c (e.g., each operating as a transmitting sensing node). Receiver 704 can receive signals reflected from objects or people within the range of Tx waveforms 716a, 716b, 716c, such as Rx waveform 718 reflected from target 702. In one or more examples, Rx waveform 718 may include multiple sequences corresponding to multiple copies of the sequences included in their corresponding Tx waveforms 716a, 716b, 716c. In some examples, receiver 704 may combine the received multiple sequences to improve SNR.

[0155] In some examples, the RF sensing data can be used by at least one processor within receiver 704 to calculate distance, angle of arrival (AOA), TDOA, angle of departure (AoD), or other characteristics corresponding to the reflected waveform (e.g., Rx waveform 718). In other examples, the RF sensing data can also be used to detect motion, determine location, detect changes in location or motion patterns, or any combination thereof. In one or more examples, the distance and angle of arrival of the reflected signal can be used to identify the size, location, movement, and / or orientation of a target (e.g., target 702) in order to detect the presence / proximity of the target.

[0156] The processor of receiver 704 can calculate the distance and angle of arrival corresponding to the reflected waveform (e.g., the distance and angle of arrival corresponding to Rx waveform 718) by using signal processing, machine learning algorithms, any other suitable techniques, or any combination thereof. In one or more examples, receiver 704 can send or transmit RF sensing data to at least one processor of another computing device, such as a server, which can perform calculations to obtain the distance and angle of arrival corresponding to Rx waveform 718 or other reflected waveforms (not shown).

[0157] In one or more examples, the processor of receiver 704 can calculate the angle of arrival (AOA) of the Rx waveform 718 by measuring the time difference of arrival (TDOA) of the Rx waveform 718 between the individual elements of the receiving antenna array of receiver 704. In some examples, the TDOA can be calculated by measuring the difference in received phase at each element in the receiving antenna array. In one exemplary example, to determine the TDOA, the processor can use one of the elements of the receiving antenna array as a reference to determine the time difference of arrival of the Rx waveform 718 to the receiving antenna array element. The time difference is proportional to the distance difference.

[0158] In some cases, the processor of receiver 704 can use the distance, AOA, TDOA, other measurement information (e.g., AoD, etc.) from Rx waveform 718, or any combination thereof, to determine the distance between receiver 704 and target 702, and to determine the position of target 702 relative to receiver 704. In one example, the processor can use distance, AOA, and / or TDOA information as input to apply multipoint localization or other location-based algorithms to determine the position of target 702 (e.g., 3D position). In other examples, the processor can use the distance, AOA, and / or TDOA from Rx waveform 718 to determine the presence, movement (e.g., speed or rate, heading or direction or movement, etc.), proximity, identity, any combination thereof, or other characteristics of target 702. For example, the processor of receiver 704 can use the distance, AOA, and / or TDOA corresponding to Rx waveform 718 to determine that the target is moving toward receiver 704.

[0159] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating the geometry used for dual-station (or single-station) sensing. Figure 8 The bistatic radar north reference coordinate system in two dimensions is shown. Specifically, Figure 8 The coordinate system and parameters for bistatic radar operation are shown, defined in a plane (referred to as the bistatic plane) encompassing transmitter 800, receiver 804, and target 802. A bistatic triangle lies within the bistatic plane. Transmitter 800, target 802, and receiver 804 are shown relative to each other. Transmitter 800 and receiver 804 are separated by a baseline distance L. An extended baseline is defined as extending the baseline distance L beyond transmitter 800 or receiver 804. Target 802 and transmitter 800 are separated by a distance R. T Furthermore, the target 802 and receiver 804 are separated by a distance R. R .

[0160] Angle θ T and θ R These are the transmitter's observation angle 800° and the receiver's observation angle 804°, respectively. These observation angles are considered positive when measured clockwise from North (N). Angle θ T and θ R Also known as the angle of arrival (AOA) or line-of-sight (LOS). Bistatic angle (β) is the angle between the transmitter 800, target 802, and receiver 804 in a radar system. Specifically, the bistatic angle is the angle between the transmitter 800 and the receiver 804, with the vertex located at the target 802. The bistatic angle equals the observation angle of the transmitter 800 minus the observation angle θ of the receiver 804. R (For example, β = θ) T -θ R ).

[0161] When the bistatic angle is exactly zero (0°), the radar is considered a monostatic radar; when the bistatic angle is close to zero, the radar is considered a pseudo-monostatic radar; and when the bistatic angle is close to 180 degrees, the radar is considered a forward-scattering radar. Otherwise, the radar is only considered and referred to as a bistatic radar. The bistatic angle (β) can be used to determine the radar cross-section of a target.

[0162] Figure 9 This is a diagram illustrating an example of bistationary range 910 in bistationary sensing. In this diagram, a radar transmitter (Tx) 900, a target 902, and a receiver (Rx) 904 are shown relative to each other. Transmitter 900 and receiver 904 are separated by a baseline distance L, target 902 is separated by a distance Rtx from transmitter 900, and target 902 is separated by a distance Rrx from receiver 904.

[0163] The bistatic distance 910 (shown as an ellipse) refers to the measured distance made by a radar having a separate transmitter 900 and a receiver 904 (e.g., the transmitter 900 and receiver 904 are positioned far apart from each other). The receiver 904 measures the time of arrival from when the transmitter 900 transmits a signal to when the receiver 904 receives a signal from the transmitter 900 via the target 902. The bistatic distance 910 defines an ellipse of constant bistatic distance, called an isometric profile, on which the target 902 lies, with its focus centered on the transmitter 900 and receiver 904. If the distance of the target 902 from the receiver 904 is Rrx, the distance from the target 902 to the transmitter 900 is Rtx, and the receiver 904 and the transmitter 900 are separated by a distance L, then the bistatic distance is equal to Rrx + Rtx - L. It should be noted that the motion of the target 902 causes a rate of change in the bistatic distance, which results in a bistatic Doppler shift.

[0164] Typically, a constant bistation distance is used to draw an ellipse, with the transmitter 900 and receiver 904 positions as foci. The bistation equidistant profile is the location where the ground cuts the ellipse. When the ground is flat, this intercept forms an ellipse (e.g., bistation distance 910). Note that these ellipses are not centered at a mirror point unless the two platforms have equal heights.

[0165] Figure 10 Example 1000 illustrates wireless communication between devices based on sidelink communication. This communication may be based on a time-slot structure (e.g., as...). Figure 3(The time slot structure is shown). For example, transmitting UE 1002 can transmit transmission 1014, which can be received by receiving UEs 1004, 1006, and 1008. This transmission includes, for example, a control channel and / or a corresponding data channel. At least one UE may be in the form of an autonomous vehicle or an unmanned aerial vehicle. The control channel may include information for decoding the data channel and may also be used by the receiving device to avoid interference by avoiding transmission on occupied resources during data transmission. The transmission time interval (TTI) and the number of RBs to be occupied by the data transmission may be indicated in the control message from the transmitting device. In addition to operating as receiving devices, UEs 1002, 1004, 1006, and 1008 may each be able to operate as transmitting devices. Therefore, UEs 1006 and 1008 are illustrated as transmitting transmissions 1016 and 1020, respectively. The transmissions 1014, 1016, 1020 (and 1018 via network device 1007, such as a roadside unit) may be broadcast or multicast to nearby devices. For example, UE 1014 may transmit communications intended to be received by other UEs within range 1001 of UE 1014. Additionally / alternatively, network device 1007 may receive communication 1018 from UEs 1002, 1004, 1006, 1008 and / or transmit the communication to these UEs. UEs 1002, 1004, 1006, 1008 or network device 1007 may include detection components. UEs 1002, 1004, 1006, 1008 or network device 1007 may also include vehicle-based safety messages or mitigation components.

[0166] Figure 11 An example of a comb structure for a reference signal (e.g., PRS, SRS, etc.) is shown. For example, comb structure 1110 is a comb-2 structure with two symbols (represented as a comb-2 / 2-symbol structure). According to the comb-2 / 2-symbol structure of comb structure 1110, each alternating symbol is assigned to a reference signal resource. Figure 11 The comb pattern in the diagram is used for a transmit-receive point (TRP). An overview of comb structures 1110, 1112, 1114, 1116, 1118, 1120, 1122, and 1124 is provided in Table 2 below:

[0167]

[0168] Table 2

[0169] As previously described, this paper describes systems and technologies for applying solutions associated with combined RF sensing and energy harvesting for UAV use cases. Figure 12This is a diagram illustrating an example of a system 1200 used to apply a solution (e.g., method or rule) for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting for UAV use cases. Figure 12 In this embodiment, system 1200 is shown to include a network device 1210 in the form of a UE. Network device 1210 (e.g., UE) can operate as a radar Rx for sensing purposes. A network entity 1220 in the form of a base station (e.g., a gNB or a portion thereof, such as a CU, DU, RU, near-RT RIC, non-RT RIC, etc.) is also shown. Network entity 1220 (e.g., gNB) can operate as a radar Tx for sensing purposes. System 1200 also includes multiple network entities 1240 and 1250, wherein network entity 1240 is in the form of a radar server and network entity 1250 is in the form of a location server.

[0170] System 1200 may include, for example Figure 12 The system 1200 may include more or fewer network devices and / or more or fewer network entities as shown. Additionally, the system 1200 may include devices such as... Figure 12 This includes different types of network devices (e.g., vehicles) and / or different types of network entities (e.g., network servers). Furthermore, the UE can be used as a radar Tx instead of... Figure 12 The base station shown is (e.g., gNB). Furthermore, in one or more examples, network device 1210 (e.g., UE) may be equipped with heterogeneous capabilities, which may include, but are not limited to, 4G / 5G cellular connectivity, GPS capabilities, camera capabilities, radar capabilities, and / or LiDAR capabilities. Network device 1210 and network entities 1220, 1240, 1250 may be able to perform wireless communication with each other via communication signals (e.g., signals 1270a, 1270b, 1270c, 1270d).

[0171] In one or more examples, network device 1210 and network entity 1220 may be able to send and receive some kind of sensing signal (e.g., camera, RF sensing signal, optical sensing signal, etc.). In some cases, network device 1210 and network entity 1220 may send and receive sensing signals (e.g., RF sensing signals 1260a, 1260b) for use in detecting nearby targets (e.g., target 1230 in the form of a vehicle) using one or more sensors. In some cases, network device 1210 and network entity 1220 may detect nearby targets based on one or more images or frames captured using one or more cameras.

[0172] Network entity 1220, which can operate as a radar Tx, can perform RF sensing (e.g., bistatic or monostatic sensing) of at least one target (e.g., target 1230) to obtain RF sensing measurements (e.g., Doppler measurement, RTT measurement, TOA measurement, and / or TDOA measurement) of the target (e.g., target 1230). The RF sensing measurements of the target (e.g., target 1230) can be used (e.g., by at least one processor of network device 1210 and network entity 1220 and / or at least one processor of network entities 1240, 1250) to determine one or more characteristics of the target (e.g., target 1230) (e.g., rate, position, range, movement, heading, size, and / or other characteristics).

[0173] As previously mentioned, sensing generally involves monitoring moving targets (e.g., target 1230) with varying motions (e.g., moving cars or pedestrians, human body movements such as breathing, and / or other micro-motions associated with the target). Measuring the phase change in the signal and indicating motion using Doppler is a crucial characteristic for target (e.g., target 1230) sensing. Therefore, in order to obtain an accurate estimate of the target's motion, the phase of the signal should be continuous (e.g., the signal should maintain phase continuity).

[0174] During operation of system 1200, for example when performing bistatic sensing of a target (e.g., target 1230), network device 1220 (e.g., base station) operating as radar Tx may transmit an RF sensing signal 1260a toward the target (e.g., target 1230). The RF sensing signal 1260a may be included within communication and sensing signals that are multiplexed together (e.g., via time division multiplexing and / or frequency division multiplexing) for joint communication and sensing purposes. The sensing signal 1260a may be reflected from the target (e.g., target 1230) to generate an RF reflected sensing signal 1260b, which may be reflected toward network device 1210 (e.g., UE). Network device 1210 (e.g., UE) operating as radar Rx may receive the reflected sensing signal 1260b. After a network device (e.g., a UE) receives a reflection sensing signal 1260b, the network device (e.g., the UE) can obtain measurements of the reflection sensing signal 1260b (e.g., Doppler measurement, RTT measurement, TOA measurement, and / or TDOA measurement). At least one processor of at least one of network devices 1210 and network entity 1220 and / or at least one of network entities 1240, 1250 (e.g., Figure 21The processor 2110 can then determine or calculate the characteristics (e.g., rate, position, distance, movement, heading, size, etc.) of the target (e.g., target 1230) by using sensing measurements (e.g., Doppler measurement, RTT measurement, TOA measurement and / or TDOA measurement) from the received reflection sensing signal 1260b.

[0175] In some examples, network device 1210 (e.g., UE) may transmit measurements (e.g., Doppler measurements, RTT measurements, TOA measurements, and / or TDOA measurements) and / or determined characteristics (e.g., rate, location, distance, movement, heading, size, etc.) of a target (e.g., target 1230) to network entity 1220 (e.g., base station such as gNB) and / or network entity 1240 (e.g., radar server) via communication signals 1270a, 1270b. Network entity 1220 (e.g., a base station) and / or network entity 1240 (e.g., a radar server) may then transmit measurements (e.g., Doppler measurements, RTT measurements, TOA measurements, and / or TDOA measurements) and / or determined characteristics (e.g., rate, position, distance, movement, heading, size, etc.) of a target (e.g., target 1230) to network entity 1240 (e.g., a radar server) and / or network entity 1250 (e.g., a location server such as a location management function (LMF)) via communication signals 1270c, 1270d.

[0176] As previously mentioned, UAVs are currently used in many use cases. 3GPP Rel-17 includes SA2 research projects and SA2 work projects for UAVs, but not any RAN components for UAVs. The scope of work concerning UAVs (e.g., across both SA2 and RAN2) covers UAV certification and authorization, identification (e.g., to support aviation regulations for broadcasting remote identification), and UAV location and tracking.

[0177] UAV location and tracking can support several different models. For example, one model involves UAV reporting, which can be based on a request from the USS. For this model, the 3GPP system can provide the UAV location. Another model involves periodic UAV location reporting, which can also be based on a request from the USS. For this model, the 3GPP system can provide the UAV location periodically, based on an interval that can be negotiated between the USS and the 3GPP system. Another model can monitor the presence of UAVs within a monitoring area (e.g., whether the UAV is moving within or outside the monitoring area). Monitoring reports can be provided to the USS. In one or more examples, to receive reports of UE presence within a monitoring area, the USS can subscribe to event monitoring for a specific UAV by providing a "Region of Interest" (ROI). The 3GPP system can map the RIO to a specific 3GPP area (e.g., such as a cell), or can use the actual location based on a 3GPP GMLC report. Another example model involves UAV discovery, where the USS can provide an “area of ​​interest” and receive a list of UAVs served by the 3GPP system and existing within that specific area from the 3GPP system.

[0178] For some use cases, a UAV can be used as a delivery platform for delivering packages. In one or more examples, the UAV can be implemented as a UE (e.g., a drone). In some cases, the UAV can communicate with a base station such as a gNB. The performance of a UAV as a delivery platform can generally involve a weighted trade-off between the distance the UAV travels and the weight of the package it carries. The delivery distance may be limited due to the size of the UAV's battery and the weight of the package it carries. For example, for a given delivery distance guarantee, there may be a maximum weight of a package that can be delivered by the UAV. For another example, for a given weight of a package to be delivered, there may be a maximum delivery distance that can be delivered by the UAV. In one or more examples, there may be use cases where it may be necessary to extend the range of the UAV's delivery distance so that the UAV does not need to stop during its delivery to recharge its battery.

[0179] In some use cases, network entities (e.g., Figure 12A network entity 1220 (such as a gNB or other network entity) can sense one or more UAVs (e.g., based on performing cellular-based wide-area RF sensing). During UAV monitoring (e.g., sensing), the UAV can move (e.g., fly) through many cells from one cell to another to travel a long distance. For wide-area RF sensing, the network entity (e.g., a base station, such as a gNB) can transmit at high power (e.g., higher than the power used for communication) to meet the link budget requirements for sensing. The transmit power used for RF sensing performed by the network entity (e.g., the gNB) can be increased by using a narrower beamwidth for the transmit beam used for sensing. These high-power sensing beams can provide opportunities for the UAV to harvest energy from the sensing signals transmitted from the base station to improve the UAV's range and / or weight capabilities.

[0180] In one or more aspects, this system and technology provide combined RF sensing and energy harvesting (EH) for one or more use cases. For illustrative purposes, this document will describe the use case of a UAV. However, this system and technology can be applied to any type of device.

[0181] As described herein, this system and technology reuse RF sensing waveforms (e.g., those transmitted by a base station) for energy harvesting purposes (e.g., for energy harvesting by a UAV). The RF sensing waveforms can be used for both sensing and energy harvesting purposes. By allowing the UAV to harvest energy from sensing signals transmitted by the base station, the delivery service of the UAV can be enhanced by providing longer delivery distances and / or delivering heavier packages.

[0182] UAVs employing EH sensing technology (e.g., harvesting energy from RF sensing signals) may have several advantages over typical EH communication technology (e.g., harvesting energy from RF communication signals). For example, high-power sensing signals can be used for EH sensing. In one or more examples, UAV trajectories can be more easily predicted (e.g., over a network, such as a network service) when low multipath and strong Doppler characteristics are present (e.g., from high-power sensing signals). Predicting UAV trajectories can allow for more efficient energy harvesting and RF sensing operations. For another example, if base stations (e.g., gNBs) exchange UAV trajectory information with each other (e.g., for seamless handover from one gNB to another, such as when a UAV is within the coverage area of ​​a first gNB and enters the coverage area of ​​a second gNB), this information may also include altitude, which can be unique to the UAV. Another example is that the transmission power of the base station (e.g., gNB) used for RF sensing can be higher than that used for conventional communication transmission. This higher transmission power used for RF sensing can be beneficial for EH sensing technology. In order to track a target (e.g., a UAV) after it has been detected, the sensing beamwidth can be narrower (e.g., narrower than the initial sensing beamwidth used to detect the target) to provide additional power gain for the UAV’s EH.

[0183] Several EH sensing scenarios may exist in one or more aspects. For example, in one scenario, joint RF sensing and EH can be used in a purely passive UAV (e.g., a UAV that relies on an OTA-based method for joint RF sensing and EH). Since the UAV is purely passive, it may not communicate with a base station (e.g., a gNB). In another scenario, joint RF sensing and EH can be used in a UAV equipped with a UE. In this scenario, the overall efficiency of joint RF sensing and EH operation can be enhanced by sharing information between the UAV and the network (e.g., a network server).

[0184] In one or more aspects, combined RF sensing and energy harvesting can be used for UAVs without a connection (e.g., the UAV does not have the ability to communicate with an operator-owned base station (such as a gNB)). The UAV has no connection with the base station (e.g., the gNB), and therefore, there is no signaling between the UAV and the base station.

[0185] In one or more examples, for joint RF sensing and EH used for UAVs without connectivity, the carrier frequency (e.g., and frequency band) of the RF sensing service provided by the operator can be known and / or can be public. Therefore, a UAV vendor (or manufacturer) can design the UAV with specific hardware (e.g., hardware that performs some impedance matching to match the frequency) to use a base station (e.g., one with RF sensing capabilities) as an RF source to achieve efficient energy harvesting. The base station (e.g., a gNB) can be used as the RF source for energy harvesting.

[0186] In some examples, for joint RF sensing and EH used by a UAV in the absence of a connection, the UAV may be able to sense the carrier frequency (or band) of the RF sensing waveform (WF) and estimate the value of the carrier frequency (or band). The UAV may then be able to tune its hardware (e.g., for impedance matching) to that frequency to use a base station (e.g., with RF sensing capability) as an RF source to achieve efficient energy harvesting.

[0187] In one or more examples, this system and technology provide a method for combined RF sensing and EH for use with UAVs in the absence of a connection. Figure 13 , Figure 14 and Figure 15 A method for combined RF sensing and EH for UAVs in the absence of a connection is illustrated. Specifically, Figure 13 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a system 1300 for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting for a UAV use case, where system 1300 is detecting target 1320. Figure 13 The diagram illustrates a target 1320 (e.g., a network device, such as a UE in the form of a drone) and a network entity 1310 (e.g., a base station, such as a gNB). The network entity 1310 is shown transmitting (e.g., radiating) (e.g., each having a wide beamwidth) RF sensing signal beams 1315a, 1315b, 1315b in different directions toward the target 1320 (e.g., the drone).

[0188] During the operation of the method for joint RF sensing and EH for UAV in the absence of a connection, for a first step, at least one network entity (e.g., network entity 1310, such as a base station) may transmit (e.g., send) multiple beams 1315a, 1315b, 1315b (e.g., initially these beams should be wide beams) to detect target 1320. Once the target is detected, for a second step, network entity 1310 may track target 1320 by transmitting (e.g., radiating) (e.g., having a narrow beamwidth) RF sensing signal beam 1415 in a focusing direction toward target 1320.

[0189] Figure 14 This is an illustration of an example of a system 1400 for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting for a UAV use case, where system 1400 uses (e.g., transmits) a narrow RF sensing signal beam 1415 to track a target 1420 and perform energy harvesting. If network entity 1410 identifies the target 1420 as a UAV, network entity 1410 may increase the transmit power of its RF sensing (e.g., the narrow RF sensing signal beam 1415) even if network entity 1410 is already able to track the target 1420 with high signal quality, without network entity 1410 increasing its signal power. Network entity 1410 does not need to further increase the transmit power of its (e.g., the narrow RF sensing signal beam 1415). However, as long as network entity 1410 detects target 1420 (e.g., UAV), network entity 1410 can increase the transmit power of the network entity (e.g., the narrow RF sensing signal beam 1415) so that network entity 1410 can charge (e.g., transfer) more power to target 1410 (e.g., UAV) for energy harvesting by target 1410 (e.g., UAV).

[0190] In one or more examples, there may be some prior negotiation between the supplier of target 1420 (e.g., UAV) and the operator of network entity 1410 (e.g., base station, such as gNB). The operator of network entity 1410 may have some kind of cooperation with the supplier of target 1420 (e.g., UAV) such that when the operator's network entity 1410 has detected the supplier's target 1420 (e.g., UAV), the operator of network entity 1410 will agree to support the supplier's target 1420 (e.g., UAV) (e.g., by means of increasing the transmit power of the RF sensing beam to the target).

[0191] Furthermore, during the operation of the method for joint RF sensing and EH for UAV in the absence of a connection, when network entity 1410 is no longer able to detect target 1420, even in the case of a high-power narrow RF sensing signal beam 1415 (e.g., target 1420 has flown outside the coverage area of ​​network entity 1410), for the third step, network entity 1410 may then continue to perform the first step of the method again to attempt to detect another potential target within the coverage area of ​​network entity 1410.

[0192] Figure 15 This is an illustration of an example of a system 1500 for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting for a UAV use case, where a target 1520 is shown as being located outside the sensing coverage area of ​​network entity 1510. Figure 15In this diagram, network entity 1510 is shown transmitting (e.g., radiating) RF sensing signal beams 1515a, 1515b, 1515b in different directions (e.g., each having a wide beamwidth) in an attempt to detect targets (e.g., not shown) located within the sensing coverage area of ​​network entity 1510. In one or more examples, network entity 1510 (e.g., a base station, such as a gNB) may control the behavior of the network entity based on OTA RF sensing measurements obtained by the network entity during sensing.

[0193] In one or more aspects, the network (e.g., a network server) can further enhance the efficiency of joint RF sensing and EH for UAVs in the absence of connectivity (e.g., the UAV does not have communication capabilities with operator-owned base stations (such as gNBs)). In one or more examples, once a base station (e.g., a gNB) has identified the target as a UAV, the base station (e.g., the gNB) can indicate the target as a UAV to the network (e.g., to the sensing server of all gNBs in the network connected to the RAN). If the network (e.g., the network server) knows that a UAV has been observed within the network (e.g., the RAN), the network (e.g., the network server) can perform some form of coordination across base stations (e.g., gNBs) to improve the efficiency of joint RF sensing and EH operations.

[0194] In one or more examples, a base station may report UAV location information (e.g., transmit a report with UAV location information to a network such as a network server), which may include the UAV's distance, rate, and / or angle. In some examples, a base station (e.g., a gNB) may report a sequence of UAV location information (e.g., transmit a report with a sequence of UAV location information to a network such as a network server), which can be used to predict the UAV's trajectory. The sequence of UAV location information may be useful to the network (e.g., a network server) because the network can use the sequence of UAV location information to determine the prediction of the UAV's trajectory (e.g., for subsequent time instances). In some examples, angle information may indicate altitude information, which may be unique to the UAV. In one or more examples, a base station (e.g., a gNB) may report UAV location information (e.g., rate and / or coordinates) (e.g., transmit a report with UAV location information to a network such as a network server), where the coordinates (e.g., X, Y, Z coordinates) may also include altitude information, which may be unique to the UAV. The network (e.g., a network server) may predict the future location of the UAV based on the UAV's rate and / or coordinates. In some examples, a base station (e.g., a gNB) may report the target identifier (ID) for each UAV (e.g., sending a report with the target identifier (ID) for each UAV to a network such as a network server), because there may be multiple UAVs identified by the base station (e.g., the gNB). Target ID information can be useful for the network (e.g., the network server) to know specifically which UAV the base station (e.g., the gNB) has detected.

[0195] In one or more examples, the network (e.g., a sensing server) can request base stations (e.g., gNBs) located in neighboring cells to join the UAV tracking and energy harvesting operation as needed. For example, when the network (e.g., the sensing server) knows the location information of the UAV, it can instruct other base stations (e.g., gNBs) located in neighboring cells to perform narrow-beam beamforming in the direction toward the location of the UAV. Thus, when the UAV leaves the sensing coverage area of ​​one base station (e.g., gNB 1), another base station (e.g., gNB 2) can continuously track the UAV while it flies within the sensing coverage area of ​​that base station (e.g., gNB 2).

[0196] Figure 16 The diagram illustrates a network (e.g., a sensing server, such as...) Figure 12 An example of a network entity 1240 (in the form of a radar server) that can request network entities 1620, 1630 (e.g., base stations, such as gNBs) located in neighboring cells to join UAV tracking and energy harvesting operations on demand. Specifically,Figure 16 This is an illustration of an example system 1600 for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting for UAV use cases, wherein system 1600 includes multiple sensing network entities 1610, 1620, 1630 (e.g., base stations, such as gNBs) for sensing targets. Each network entity 1610, 1620, 1630 is located in a different cell, wherein each network entity 1610, 1620, 1630 is located within a respective cell. For example, network entity 1610 is located in cell 1, network entity 1620 is located in cell 2, and network entity 1630 is located in cell 3.

[0197] Figure 16 The diagram also shows UAVs 1640a, 1640b, and 1640c (e.g., network devices, such as UEs in the form of drones). UAVs 1640a, 1640b, and 1640c are shown located in three distinct locations, each within one or two cells. For example, for UAV 1640a, the UAV is located in a first location in the sky; for UAV 1640b, the UAV is located in a second location in the sky; and for UAV 1640c, the UAV is located in a third location in the sky.

[0198] During the operation of system 1600, after network entity 1610 has detected a target, network entity 1610 may send a high-power narrow beam 1615 toward the target (e.g., UAV 1640a located in a first position in the sky within cell 1). After network entity 1610 has determined that the detected target is UAV 1640a, network entity 1610 may report the location information of UAV 1640a to the network (e.g., a network server, such as a sensing server). The network (e.g., the sensing server) may then request, as needed, network entity 1620 (e.g., a gNB) located in a neighboring cell (e.g., cell 2) to join in the tracking and energy harvesting of UAV 1640a.

[0199] After receiving the location information of UAV 1640a, network entity 1620 can send a high-power narrow beam 1625 toward (e.g., within a first location in the sky in cell 1) UAV 1640a. Once UAV 1640a has flown outside cell 1 and entered cell 2, UAV 1640b is within the sensing coverage area of ​​network entity 1620. As UAV 1640b flies across the sky in cell 2, network entity 1620 can scan across the sky with its high-power narrow beam 1635 to continuously follow UAV 1640c arriving at location 3.

[0200] Network entity 1620 may report updated location information of UAV 1640c to the network (e.g., a network server, such as a sensing server). The network (e.g., the sensing server) may then request, as needed, network entity 1630 (e.g., a gNB) located in a neighboring cell (e.g., cell 3) to join the tracking and energy harvesting of UAV 1640c. After receiving updated location information of UAV 1640c, network entity 1630 may send a high-power narrow beam toward (e.g., within a third location in the sky in cell 3) UAV 1640c.

[0201] In one or more examples, a network (e.g., a sensing server) may request, on demand, that a network entity responsible for power control (e.g., a gNB) support UAV EH. For example, it may request that the transmit power be higher than the minimum power required for RF sensing. Typically, if no request is made, the network entity (e.g., the gNB) may default to using the conventional RF sensing power. However, when the network (e.g., the sensing server) knows that the UAV is being tracked by a network entity (e.g., the gNB), it may request that the network entity (e.g., the gNB) increase the sensing RF power of that network entity at a certain time instance. In some examples, the network (e.g., the sensing server) may indicate a minimum time duration for higher power transmission. Therefore, the network (e.g., the sensing server) may indicate to the network entity (e.g., the gNB) a time window for the network entity (e.g., the gNB) to increase the RF sensing power of that network entity.

[0202] In one or more aspects, combined RF sensing and energy harvesting can be used for UAVs in the presence of connectivity, where the UAV can communicate with operator-owned network entities (e.g., gNBs). In these cases, the efficiency of combined sensing and energy harvesting can be enhanced. In one or more examples, the UAV can report its battery status to the network (e.g., a network server). When the UAV indicates that its battery cannot guarantee mission success, the network (e.g., the network server) can trigger combined RF sensing and energy harvesting for the UAV. In some examples, the UAV can request information about the sensed waveform (WF) it is receiving (e.g., from the network and / or network entities such as base stations). After receiving the WF information, the UAV can optimize its operation on the WF information (e.g., waveform type, carrier frequency, bandwidth). When there is no signaling between the UAV and the network entity (e.g., a base station), the UAV may need to estimate these WF parameters (e.g., waveform type, carrier frequency, and bandwidth) to perform this operation. When the WF information is in signaling, the UAV does not need to estimate these WF parameters.

[0203] In one or more examples, the UAV may (e.g., from the network and / or network entities) request a time-domain window for joint RF sensing and energy harvesting. In some cases, the UAV may want to charge its battery at a certain time. Therefore, the UAV may request energy harvesting for a specific time period. In some examples, the UAV may (e.g., report its regular route for the mission to the network and / or network entities). The UAV may also (e.g., report its current location to the network and / or network entities). When the network knows the UAV's regular route, the network may plan the time-domain window for joint RF sensing and energy harvesting based at least in part on the regular route for the mission.

[0204] In one or more examples, the network (e.g., a network server) may (e.g., to a UAV) indicate the existence of at least one network entity (e.g., a gNB) capable of supporting high-power energy harvesting for the UAV. In some examples, if the network (e.g., the network server) has an RF sensing service, the network (e.g., the network server) may preferentially reuse the sensed waveform for energy harvesting. In one or more examples, if (e.g., a UAV) requests the network (e.g., the network server) to support energy harvesting, the network (e.g., the network server) may increase the transmission power of a network entity (e.g., a base station) for transmitting the RF sensed waveform.

[0205] In one or more examples, for network energy-saving purposes, some network entities (e.g., gNBs) may not support long-duration energy harvesting, or may even cancel the high-power transmission used by these network entities for energy harvesting. Therefore, network entities (e.g., gNBs) may switch to lower-power transmission for the minimum required signal (e.g., a single-sideband signal). In some examples, the network may instruct the UAV (e.g., UAV UE) to perform these cancellations or changes.

[0206] In some examples, the network (e.g., a network server) may request the UAV to change its regular route (e.g., trajectory) on demand based on energy harvesting optimization. The network (e.g., the network server) may make this request, for example, to position the UAV closer to a network entity (e.g., a gNB), to ensure the UAV is covered by a sensing beam, and / or to request the UAV to skip location areas with weak sensing coverage. In one or more examples, the UAV may not need to adopt the network's proposal. However, the UAV may need to respond to such a request (e.g., by responding to the network).

[0207] In one or more examples, remote interference (RI) can occur due to the high transmit power of network entities (e.g., gNBs) and potential sky-pointing antennas. In some cases, high-power transmission can generate RI. Generally, network entity antennas are pointed towards the ground. For joint sensing and EH, the network entity may point its antennas towards the sky (e.g., for beamforming in the sky) (e.g., for UAVs pointing towards the sky). This pointing of the antenna towards the sky rather than the ground can lead to an increase in interference power. In one or more aspects, this system and technique provide a solution to the problem of RI. In one or more examples, remote interference measurements can be reused to improve system efficiency.

[0208] In current systems, RI is typically detected by a remote network entity (e.g., the victim base station) based on a RAN Information Management (RIM) Reference Signal (RIM-RS) transmitted by a sensing network entity (e.g., a sensing gNB). In current standards (e.g., in 3GPP Release 16), RIM-RS is transmitted by the network entity (e.g., the gNB).

[0209] In one or more aspects, for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting for UAV use cases, cellular systems can reuse the sensing reference signal (RS) used for sensing as a RIM-RS. Another RIM-RS will not need to be transmitted, thus saving time and frequency resources. Reusing the sensing RS as a RIM-RS can be beneficial because legacy communication transmissions at the transmission node (TN) are unlikely to be pointed towards the sky at high power and with narrow beams, and therefore, legacy RIM-RS measurements may not reflect the RI caused by the sensing RS transmission. Reusing the sensing RS as a RIM-RS can also be beneficial because reuse can improve overall system efficiency by requiring fewer reference signals.

[0210] Sensing reference signals (RS) are primarily designed for RF sensing. In one or more examples, the sensing RS may be designed differently from existing RIM-RS. In some examples, a network (e.g., a network server or sensing server) may configure a remote network entity (e.g., a remote gNB) to detect and measure the sensing RS for RI detection. For example, the network (e.g., a network server or sensing server) may (e.g., via signaling) coordinate with a remote gNB (e.g., an RS gNB) to enable the remote gNB to detect and measure the sensing RS for RI detection instead of the RIM-RS. In some examples, the network (e.g., a network server or sensing server) may (e.g., via signaling) provide sensing RS information to a remote gNB (e.g., an RS gNB). In one or more examples, sensing RS parameters and the time and frequency allocation of the sensing RS may be signaled from the network (e.g., a network server or sensing server) to the remote gNB. In some examples, the network (e.g., a network server or sensing server) may schedule a specific measurement gap window for sensing RS-based RI measurements performed by the remote gNB. Thus, during this measurement gap window, the remote gNB can observe the sensing RS to measure the RI.

[0211] In one or more aspects, power control based on RI measurement and soft switching based on sensing network entities (e.g., by sensing gNBs) can be employed. In one or more examples, power control of sensing RSs for joint RF sensing and energy harvesting can be performed by the following method: During operation of this method, a remote network entity (e.g., a remote gNB) measures the RI by detecting and measuring the sensing RS. The sensing network entity (e.g., the sensing gNB) is performing joint RF sensing and energy harvesting. The sensing gNB is causing RI interference.

[0212] The measured RI can then be compared (e.g., by a remote network entity, such as a remote gNB) to a maximum interference threshold. The maximum interference threshold can be defined by the network entity's operator or one or more standard documents (e.g., 3GPP Technical Specifications (TS)). The remote network entity (e.g., the remote gNB) can then report the measured RI to the network (e.g., a network server). The RI measurement can be forwarded (e.g., by the network, such as a network server) to the sensing gNB. For power control, if the RI is below the threshold, the sensing gNB can increase the power of the sensing RS (e.g., to accelerate charging of the UAV or to improve sensing accuracy); otherwise, the sensing gNB can reduce the power so that the RI does not exceed the threshold. After the UAV enters the coverage area of ​​the next sensing gNB, the sensing gNB can stop transmitting the sensing RS.

[0213] In one or more examples, using RI measurements, soft handover of RI-based sensing network entities (e.g., gNBs) for UAVs can exist. For example, a hard handover (e.g., performed by hardware) can cause some interruption to sensing service when a UAV is traveling through the sensing coverage area of ​​one gNB to another. Using soft handover instead of hard handover can provide continuous service for joint RF sensing and energy harvesting. In some examples, a UAV can be sensed by multiple adjacent network entities (e.g., gNBs) as long as the RI of the sensing RS for each sensing network entity (e.g., gNB) is below a maximum RI threshold. Multiple network entities (e.g., gNBs) can perform sensing based on multiple gNBs as long as this requirement is met. In one or more examples, a network entity (e.g., gNB) can stop transmitting sensing signals if the minimum required power of the sensing signal exceeds the maximum RI threshold.

[0214] Figure 17 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a wireless communication process 1700 utilizing a method for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting for UAV use cases. Process 1700 may be executed by a first network entity (e.g., a base station such as a gNB, server, or other type of network entity), a portion of the first network entity (e.g., one or more of a CU, DU, RU, and / or other portions of a network entity having a decomposed architecture), or a component or system of the first network entity (e.g., a chipset). Operation of process 1700 may be implemented in one or more processors (e.g., Figure 21 Software components that execute and run on the processor 2110 or other processor. Furthermore, in process 1700, the transmission and reception of signals by the wireless communication device may be achieved, for example, through one or more antennas and / or one or more transceivers (e.g., wireless transceivers).

[0215] At box 1710, the first network entity (or a component thereof) may transmit wide sensing signal beams in different directions to detect targets. In some cases, each of these wide sensing signal beams has a larger beamwidth than the narrow sensing signal beam. (Reference) Figure 13 As an illustrative example, network entity 1310 may send RF sensing signal beams 1315a, 1315b, 1315b (each with a wide beamwidth) toward target 1320 (e.g., a drone) in different directions.

[0216] At box 1720, the first network entity (or a component thereof) may detect a target using one or more of these wide sensing signal beams. In some cases, the first network entity (or a component thereof) may identify the target as a specific type of device, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). At box 1730, after a target has been detected, the first network entity (or a component thereof) may transmit a narrow sensing signal beam in the direction toward the target to track it. (See again) Figure 13 As an illustrative example, once a target is detected, network entity 1310 can track target 1320 by sending (e.g., radiating) (e.g., having a narrow beamwidth) RF sensing signal beam 1415 in a focusing direction toward target 1320.

[0217] At box 1740, the first network entity (or a component thereof) may increase the power of the narrow sensing signal beam to provide energy to the target. In some aspects, the first network entity (or a component thereof) may tune its hardware for impedance matching to provide energy to the target. For example, the first network entity (or a component thereof) may tune its hardware based on the carrier frequency of the wide sensing signal beam and / or the narrow sensing signal beam. Reference Figure 14 As an illustrative example, if network entity 1410 identifies target 1420 as a UAV, network entity 1410 may increase the transmit power from network entity 1410 for RF sensing (e.g., increase the transmit power of the narrow RF sensing signal beam 1415). For example, network entity 1410 may increase the transmit power even if network entity 1410 is already able to track target 1420 with high signal quality, without increasing the signal power to track target 1420.

[0218] In some cases, a first network entity (or its components) may report the location information of a target to a second network entity (e.g., by sending a report). For example, the first network entity (or its components) may send a report to the second network entity including the target's location information. In some aspects, the location information includes the target's distance, speed, angle, coordinates, altitude, any combination thereof, and / or other information. In some cases, the first network entity (or its components) may report the target's target identifier (ID) to the second network entity. For example, the first network entity (or its components) may send a report to the second network entity including the target's target ID. In some aspects, the first network entity (or its components) may report both the target's location information and target ID (e.g., by sending a report with both location information and target ID).

[0219] In some aspects, a first network entity (or a component thereof) may receive from a second network entity a request to track another target (e.g., another unmanned aerial vehicle or other target device) and to provide energy to that other target. In some cases, the first network entity (or a component thereof) may receive from the second network entity a request for power control of a narrow sensing signal beam. In some aspects, the request for power control includes information requesting an increase or decrease in the power of the narrow sensing signal beam. In some examples, the request for power control includes information requesting a minimum time duration for transmitting power for the narrow sensing signal beam.

[0220] Figure 18 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a wireless communication process 1800 for utilizing a method for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting for UAV use cases. Process 1800 may be performed by a network device or a component or system of a network device (e.g., a chipset). The network device may be a UE, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone), a vehicle, a wearable device (e.g., a network-connected watch or other wearable device), an extended reality (XR) device (e.g., a virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) headset or glasses), and / or other types of UE. Operation of process 1800 may be implemented in one or more processors (e.g., Figure 21 Software components that execute and run on the processor 2110 or other processor. Furthermore, in process 1800, the transmission and reception of signals by the wireless communication device may be achieved, for example, through one or more antennas and / or one or more transceivers (e.g., wireless transceivers).

[0221] At box 1810, a network device (or a component thereof) may receive a sensing signal beam transmitted from a first network entity. In some aspects, the power of the sensing signal beam increases over time. In some cases, the first network entity is a base station (e.g., a gNB).

[0222] At box 1820, the network device (or a component thereof) may harvest energy from the power of a sensing signal beam. In some cases, the network device (or a component thereof) may report to a second network entity (e.g., a network server or other network entity) the network device's battery status, the route for the network device's tasks, the network device's current location, any combination thereof, and / or other information associated with the network device. In some aspects, the network device (or a component thereof) may receive a request from the second network entity for a change in the route for the network device's tasks. In some cases, the network device (or a component thereof) may determine the network device's route based on the request.

[0223] In some aspects, a network device (or a component thereof) may send a request to a second network entity for sensing waveform information and / or a time-domain window for harvesting energy from the power of a sensed signal beam. For example, a network device (e.g., an unmanned aerial vehicle or other network device) may request a time-domain window for joint RF sensing and energy harvesting (e.g., from a network entity). In an exemplary example, a network device may want to charge its battery at a certain time and therefore may request energy harvesting for that specific period.

[0224] Figure 19 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a wireless communication process 1900 for utilizing a method of combined RF sensing and energy harvesting for UAV use cases. Process 1900 may be executed by a network entity (e.g., a remote base station such as a gNB, server, or other type of network entity), a portion of a network entity (e.g., one or more of a CU, DU, RU, and / or other portions of a network entity with a decomposed architecture), or a component or system of the network entity (e.g., a chipset). Operation of process 1900 may be implemented in one or more processors (e.g., Figure 21 Software components that execute and run on the processor 2110 or other processor. Furthermore, in process 1900, the transmission and reception of signals by the wireless communication device can be achieved, for example, through one or more antennas and / or one or more transceivers (e.g., wireless transceivers).

[0225] At box 1910, a network entity (or a component thereof) may receive a sensing reference signal reflected from a target (e.g., an unmanned aerial vehicle or other target device).

[0226] At box 1920, a network entity (or a component thereof) may detect and measure remote interference (RI) based on a sensed reference signal. In some aspects, the network entity (or a component thereof) may receive a request from a second network entity (e.g., a network server or other network entity) to detect and measure the sensed reference signal for detecting and measuring the RI. In some aspects, the network entity (or a component thereof) may receive parameters of the sensed reference signal from the second network entity. In some examples, the network entity (or a component thereof) may receive the time and frequency allocation of the sensed reference signal from the second network entity.

[0227] In some aspects, a network entity (or its components) may compare a measurement of the Reference Indicator (RI) to a maximum interference threshold. In some cases, the maximum interference threshold is defined by a standard (e.g., a 3GPP Technical Specification (TS)) or by the operator of the first network entity. In some examples, a network entity (or its components) may report the RI measurement to a second network entity. In some examples, the second network entity may send (e.g., forward) the RI measurement to a sensing network entity (e.g., a sensing gNB). In some cases, the power of the sensing reference signal is based on the measurement of the RI relative to the maximum interference threshold (e.g., based on comparing the RI measurement to the maximum interference threshold). In some cases, the maximum interference threshold may be defined by the operator of the network entity or in one or more standard documents (e.g., a 3GPP TS). The sensing network entity (e.g., a sensing gNB) may perform power control, for example, increasing the power of the sensing RS (e.g., to accelerate charging of the UAV or to improve sensing accuracy) or decreasing the power so that the RI does not exceed the threshold if the RI is below the threshold. In some respects, the sensing gNB may stop transmitting sensing RS after a target (e.g., an unmanned aerial vehicle) enters the coverage area of ​​the next sensing gNB.

[0228] Figure 20 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process 2000 for wireless communication utilizing a method for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting for UAV use cases. Process 2000 may be performed by a network entity (e.g., a sensing base station such as a gNB, server, or other type of network entity), a portion of a network entity (e.g., one or more of a CU, DU, RU, and / or other portions of a network entity with a decomposed architecture), or a component or system of the network entity (e.g., a chipset). Operation of process 2000 may be implemented in one or more processors (e.g., Figure 21 Software components that execute and run on the processor 2110 or other processor. Furthermore, in process 2000, the transmission and reception of signals by the wireless communication device may be achieved, for example, through one or more antennas and / or one or more transceivers (e.g., wireless transceivers).

[0229] At box 2010, a network entity (or a component thereof) may transmit a sensing reference signal toward a target (e.g., an unmanned aerial vehicle or other target device). For example, the network entity (e.g., operating as a sensing network entity such as a sensing gNB) may perform joint RF sensing and energy harvesting. The sensing gNB may induce remote interference (RI) based on transmitting the sensing reference signal. For example, a remote network entity (e.g., a remote gNB) may measure the RI by detecting and measuring the sensing RS. The measured RI may be compared (e.g., by the remote network entity, such as the remote gNB) to a maximum interference threshold. As previously mentioned, the maximum interference threshold may be defined by the network entity's operator or in one or more standard documents (e.g., 3GPP TS). The remote network entity (e.g., the remote gNB) may then report the measured RI to the network (e.g., to a network server). The RI measurement may be forwarded (e.g., by the network, such as a network server) to the network entity (e.g., operating as a sensing network entity such as a sensing gNB).

[0230] At box 2020, a network entity (or a component thereof) may adjust the power of the sensed reference signal based on measurements of remote interference (RI) from the sensed reference signal. In one exemplary example, if the RI is below a threshold, the network entity may increase the power of the sensed RS (e.g., to accelerate charging of the UAV or to improve sensing accuracy) as it operates. In another example, if the RI is above a threshold, the network entity may reduce the power so that the RI does not exceed the threshold. In some cases, the network entity may stop transmitting the sensed RS, such as after a target (e.g., an unmanned aerial vehicle or other target device) enters the coverage area of ​​a different network entity (e.g., a different sensed gNB).

[0231] Figure 21 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of a computing system 2100 that can be employed by disclosed systems and technologies for combined RF sensing and energy harvesting for UAV use cases. Specifically, Figure 21 An example of computing system 2100 is illustrated. This computing system can be any computing device, such as constituting an internal computing system, a remote computing system, a camera, or any component thereof, wherein the components of the system communicate with each other using connection 2105. Connection 2105 can be a physical connection using a bus, or a direct connection to processor 2110, such as in a chipset architecture. Connection 2105 can also be a virtual connection, a networking connection, or a logical connection.

[0232] In some aspects, computing system 2100 is a distributed system, wherein the functions described in this disclosure can be distributed across a data center, multiple data centers, a peer-to-peer network, etc. In some aspects, one or more of the described system components represent a plurality of such components, each of which performs some or all of the functions of the described components. In some aspects, the components can be physical or virtual devices.

[0233] Example system 2100 includes at least one processing unit (CPU or processor) 2110 and a connection 2105 that communicatively couples various system components, including system memories 2115 such as read-only memory (ROM) 2120 and random access memory (RAM) 2125, to processor 2110. Computing system 2100 may include a cache 2112 of high-speed memory that is directly connected to, adjacent to, or integrated into processor 2110.

[0234] Processor 2110 may include any general-purpose processor and hardware or software services, such as services 2132, 2134, and 2136 stored in storage device 2130, which are configured to control processor 2110 and dedicated processors in which software instructions are incorporated into the actual processor design. Processor 2110 may be a substantially completely independent computing system containing multiple cores or processors, buses, memory controllers, caches, etc. Multi-core processors may be symmetric or asymmetric.

[0235] To enable user interaction, the computing system 2100 includes an input device 2145 that can represent any number of input mechanisms, such as a microphone for voice, a touch-sensitive screen for gesture or graphic input, a keyboard, a mouse, motion input, voice input, etc. The computing system 2100 may also include an output device 2135 that can be one or more of a plurality of output mechanisms. In some cases, a multi-mode system allows the user to provide multiple types of input / output to communicate with the computing system 2100.

[0236] The computing system 2100 may include a communication interface 2140, which typically controls and manages user input and system output. The communication interface may perform or facilitate the receiving and / or transmitting of wired or wireless communications using wired and / or wireless transceivers, including utilizing audio jacks / plugs, microphone jacks / plugs, Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports / plugs, Apple... ™ Lightning ™ Ports / plugs, Ethernet ports / plugs, fiber optic ports / plugs, dedicated wired ports / plugs, 3G, 4G, 5G and / or other cellular data network wireless signal transmission, Bluetooth ™ Wireless signal transmission, Bluetooth™ Low-power (BLE) wireless signal transmission, IBEACON ™ Wireless signal transmission, radio frequency identification (RFID) wireless signal transmission, near field communication (NFC) wireless signal transmission, dedicated short range communication (DSRC) wireless signal transmission, 802.11 Wi-Fi wireless signal transmission, wireless local area network (WLAN) signal transmission, visible light communication (VLC), microwave access global interoperability (WiMAX), infrared (IR) wireless signal transmission, public switched telephone network (PSTN) signal transmission, integrated services digital network (ISDN) signal transmission, self-organizing network signal transmission, radio wave signal transmission, microwave signal transmission, infrared signal transmission, visible light signal transmission, ultraviolet light signal transmission, wireless signal transmission along the electromagnetic spectrum, or those communications in some combination thereof.

[0237] The communication interface 2140 may also include one or more ranging sensors (e.g., LIDAR sensors, laser rangefinders, RF radars, ultrasonic sensors, and infrared (IR) sensors) configured to collect data and provide measurements to the processor 2110, thereby configuring the processor 2110 to perform determinations and calculations required to obtain various measurements from the one or more ranging sensors. In some examples, measurements may include time of flight, wavelength, azimuth, elevation, distance, linear velocity, and / or angular velocity, or any combination thereof. The communication interface 2140 may also include one or more Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers or transceivers used to determine the location of the computing system 2100 based on one or more signals received from one or more satellites associated with one or more GNSS systems. GNSS systems include, but are not limited to, the U.S. GPS, the Russian GLONASS, the Chinese BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), and the European Galileo GNSS. There are no limitations on operation on any particular hardware arrangement, and therefore the basic features here can be easily replaced to obtain improved hardware or firmware arrangements as they are developed.

[0238] Storage device 2130 may be a non-volatile and / or non-transitory and / or computer-readable storage device, and may be a hard disk or other type of computer-readable medium capable of storing data accessible by a computer, such as magnetic tape, flash memory cards, solid-state storage devices, digital versatile discs, cartridges, floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes, magnetic stripes, any other magnetic storage media, flash memory, memristor memory, any other solid-state storage, CD-ROM, rewritable CD, digital video disc (DVD), Blu-ray Disc (BDD), holographic disc, another optical medium, secure digital card (SD card), micro-secure digital card (microSD card), Memory Stick. ® Cards, smart card chips, EMV chips, Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards, mini / micro / nano / micro SIM cards, another integrated circuit (IC) chip / card, random access memory (RAM), static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash EPROM, cache memory (e.g., layer 1 (L1) cache, layer 2 (L2) cache, layer 3 (L3) cache, layer 4 (L4) cache, layer 5 (L5) cache, or other (L#) cache), resistive random access memory (RRAM / ReRAM), phase change memory (PCM), spin-transfer torque RAM (STT-RAM), another memory chip or cassette and / or combinations thereof.

[0239] Storage device 2130 may include software services, servers, services, etc., which enable the system to perform functions when the code defining such software is executed by processor 2110. In some aspects, hardware services performing specific functions may include software components for performing functions stored in a computer-readable medium connected to necessary hardware components such as processor 2110, connection 2105, output device 2135, etc. The term "computer-readable medium" includes, but is not limited to, portable or non-portable storage devices, optical storage devices, and various other media capable of storing, containing, or carrying instructions and / or data. Computer-readable media may include non-transitory media in which data may be stored and which do not include carrier waves and / or transient electronic signals propagating wirelessly or over a wired connection. Examples of non-transitory media may include, but are not limited to, magnetic disks or magnetic tapes, optical storage media such as compact discs (CDs) or digital versatile discs (DVDs), flash memory, memory, or memory devices. Computer-readable media may store code and / or machine-executable instructions thereon, which may represent procedures, functions, subroutines, programs, routines, subroutines, modules, software packages, classes, or any combination of instructions, data structures, or program statements. Code segments may be coupled to other code segments or hardware circuitry by passing and / or receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents. Information, arguments, parameters, data, etc., may be passed, forwarded, or transmitted via any suitable means, including memory sharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc.

[0240] Specific details have been provided in the foregoing description to offer a thorough understanding of the aspects and examples presented herein, but those skilled in the art will recognize that this application is not limited thereto. Therefore, although illustrative aspects of this application have been described in detail herein, it is to be understood that the various inventive concepts can be implemented and employed in a variety of other ways, and the appended claims are not intended to be construed as including these variations unless limited by prior art. The various features and aspects of the applications described above can be used individually or in combination. Furthermore, without departing from the broader scope of this specification, aspects can be used in any number of environments and applications beyond those described herein. Therefore, the specification and drawings should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive. For illustrative purposes, the methods are described in a particular order. It should be understood that, in alternative aspects, the methods may be performed in a different order than described.

[0241] For clarity, in some instances, this technology may be presented as comprising individual functional blocks, which include devices, device components, steps, or routines embodied in a method, either in software or a combination of hardware and software. Additional components may be used in addition to those shown in the figures and / or described herein. For example, circuits, systems, networks, processes, and other components may be shown as components in block diagram form to avoid obscuring these aspects in unnecessary detail. In other instances, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail to avoid obscuring the aspects.

[0242] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability between hardware and software, various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above in general terms of their functionality. Whether this functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in different ways for each specific application, but such specific implementation decisions should not be construed as departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0243] Various aspects described above can be presented as processes or methods, depicted as flowcharts, diagrams, data flow graphs, structure diagrams, or block diagrams. While flowcharts may describe operations as sequential processes, many operations within an operation can be executed in parallel or concurrently. Furthermore, the order of operations can be rearranged. A process terminates when its operations are completed, but it may have additional steps not included in the diagrams. A process can correspond to a method, function, procedure, subroutine, subroutine, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination may correspond to the function returning to its calling function or the main function.

[0244] The processes and methods described above can be implemented using stored computer-executable instructions or computer-executable instructions otherwise obtainable from a computer-readable medium. Such instructions may include, for example, instructions and data that configure, or otherwise configure, a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or processing device to perform a function or group of functions. The portion may be accessible via a network of the computer resources used. Computer-executable instructions may be, for example, binary, intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, firmware, or source code. Examples of computer-readable media that can be used to store instructions, used information, and / or information created during the methods according to the described examples include disks or optical discs, flash memory, USB devices with non-volatile memory, networked storage devices, etc.

[0245] In some respects, computer-readable storage devices, media, and memories may include cables or wireless signals containing bit streams, etc. However, when referred to, non-transitory computer-readable storage media explicitly exclude media such as power consumption, carrier signals, electromagnetic waves, and the signals themselves.

[0246] Those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and arts. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the above description may, in some cases, be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or light particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the specific application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, etc.

[0247] The various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented or executed using hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof, and can take any form factor from a variety of form factors. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware, or microcode, program code or code segments (e.g., computer program products) for performing the necessary tasks can be stored in a computer-readable or machine-readable medium. A processor can perform the necessary tasks. Examples of form factors include: laptop computers, smartphones, mobile phones, tablet devices, or other small form factor personal computers, personal digital assistants, rack-mounted devices, self-contained devices, etc. The functionality described herein can also be embodied in peripheral devices or intercalation cards. By further example, such functionality can also be implemented on circuit boards of different chips or different processes executed in a single device.

[0248] Instructions, media for delivering such instructions, computing resources for executing them, and other structures for supporting such computing resources are example components for providing the functionality described in this disclosure.

[0249] The techniques described herein can also be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, firmware, or any combination thereof. Such techniques can be implemented in any of a variety of devices, such as general-purpose computers, wireless communication devices (mobile phones), or integrated circuit devices with multiple uses, including applications in wireless communication devices (mobile phones) and other devices. Any feature described as a module or component can be implemented together in an integrated logic device or separately as discrete but interoperable logic devices. If implemented in software, the techniques can be implemented at least in part by a computer-readable data storage medium comprising program code including instructions that, when executed, perform one or more of the methods, algorithms, and / or operations described above. The computer-readable data storage medium can form part of a computer program product, which may include packaging material. The computer-readable medium may include memory or data storage media, such as random access memory (RAM) (such as synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM)), read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, magnetic or optical data storage media, etc. Additionally or alternatively, the technology may be implemented at least in part by a computer-readable communication medium that carries or conveys program code in the form of instructions or data structures that can be accessed, read and / or executed by a computer, such as propagated signals or waves.

[0250] The program code can be executed by a processor, which may include one or more processors, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), general-purpose microprocessors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable arrays (FPGAs), or other equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuits. Such a processor can be configured to perform any of the techniques described in this disclosure. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor; however, in alternatives, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. Therefore, as used herein, the term "processor" may refer to any of the foregoing structures, any combination of the foregoing structures, or any other structure or means suitable for implementing the techniques described herein.

[0251] Those skilled in the art will understand that, without departing from the scope of this description, the less than (“<”) and greater than (“>”) symbols or terms used herein may be replaced with less than or equal to (“>”) respectively. ") and greater than or equal to (" The symbol ) is used instead.

[0252] When a component is described as being “configured” to perform certain operations, such a configuration can be achieved, for example, by designing electronic circuits or other hardware to perform the operations, by programming programmable electronic circuits (e.g., microprocessors or other suitable electronic circuits) to perform the operations, or any combination thereof.

[0253] The phrase “coupled to” or “communicatively coupled to” means that any component is physically connected directly or indirectly to another component, and / or that any component is in communication with another component directly or indirectly (e.g., connected to that other component via a wired or wireless connection and / or other suitable communication interface).

[0254] The claim language or other language that states "at least one of" and / or "one or more of" in a set indicates that one member of the set or multiple members of the set (in any combination) satisfies the claim. For example, the claim language that states "at least one of A and B" or "at least one of A or B" means A, B, or A and B. In another example, the claim language that states "at least one of A, B, and C" or "at least one of A, B, or C" means A, B, C, or A and B, or A and C, or B and C, or A and B and C. The language that states "at least one of" and / or "one or more of" in a set does not limit the set to the items listed in the set. For example, the claim language that states "at least one of A and B" or "at least one of A or B" may mean A, B, or A and B, and may additionally include items not listed in the set of A and B.

[0255] The exemplary aspects of this disclosure include:

[0256] Aspect 1. A first network entity for wireless communication, the first network entity comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and configured to: transmit wide sensing signal beams in different directions to detect a target; detect the target using one or more of the wide sensing signal beams; after the target has been detected, transmit narrow sensing signal beams in a direction toward the target to track the target; and increase the power of the narrow sensing signal beams to provide energy to the target.

[0257] Aspect 2. The first network entity according to aspect 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: tune the hardware of the first network entity for impedance matching to provide the energy to the target.

[0258] Aspect 3. The first network entity according to aspect 2, wherein the at least one processor is configured to tune the hardware based on the carrier frequency of at least one of the wide sensing signal beam or the narrow sensing signal beam.

[0259] Aspect 4. The first network entity according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3, wherein each of the wide sensing signal beams has a beamwidth greater than the beamwidth of the narrow sensing signal beam.

[0260] Aspect 5. The first network entity according to any one of Aspects 1 to 4, wherein: the first network entity is a base station.

[0261] Aspect 6. The first network entity according to any one of Aspects 1 to 4, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: identify the target as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

[0262] Aspect 7. The first network entity according to any one of Aspects 1 to 6, wherein the at least one processor is configured to output a report including the location information of the target for transmission to a second network entity.

[0263] Aspect 8. The first network entity according to aspect 7, wherein the location information includes at least one of the target's distance, speed, angle, coordinates, or height.

[0264] Aspect 9. The first network entity according to any one of Aspects 1 to 8, wherein the at least one processor is configured to output a report including the target identifier (ID) of the target for transmission to a second network entity.

[0265] Aspect 10. The first network entity according to any one of Aspects 1 to 9, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive from a second network entity a request to track another target and provide energy to the other target.

[0266] Aspect 11. The first network entity according to any one of Aspects 1 to 10, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive from a second network entity a request for power control for the narrow sensing signal beam.

[0267] Aspect 12. The first network entity according to aspect 11, wherein the request for power control includes information requesting either an increase or a decrease in the power of the narrow sensing signal beam.

[0268] Aspect 13. The first network entity according to any one of Aspects 11 or 12, wherein the request for power control includes information on the minimum time duration for requesting the transmission of the power for the narrow sensing signal beam.

[0269] Aspect 14. A method for wireless communication at a first network entity, the method comprising: transmitting wide sensing signal beams in different directions by the first network entity to detect a target; detecting the target by the first network entity using one or more of the wide sensing signal beams; after the target has been detected, transmitting narrow sensing signal beams in a direction toward the target by the first network entity to track the target; and increasing the power of the narrow sensing signal beams by the first network entity to provide energy to the target.

[0270] Aspect 15. The method according to aspect 14, the method further comprising: the first network entity tuning the hardware of the first network entity for impedance matching to provide the energy to the target.

[0271] Aspect 16. The method according to aspect 15, wherein the tuning of the hardware is based on the carrier frequency of at least one of the wide sensing signal beam or the narrow sensing signal beam.

[0272] Aspect 17. The method according to any one of Aspects 14 to 16, wherein each of the wide sensing signal beams has a beamwidth greater than that of the narrow sensing signal beam.

[0273] Aspect 18. The method according to any one of Aspects 14 to 17, wherein the first network entity is a base station.

[0274] Aspect 19. The method according to any one of Aspects 14 to 18, the method further comprising: identifying the target as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) by the first network entity.

[0275] Aspect 20. The method according to any one of Aspects 14 to 19, the method further comprising: reporting the location information of the target from the first network entity to the second network entity.

[0276] Aspect 21. The method according to aspect 20, wherein the location information includes at least one of the target's distance, speed, angle, coordinates, or height.

[0277] Aspect 22. The method according to any one of Aspects 14 to 21, the method further comprising: reporting the target identifier (ID) of the target to the second network entity by the first network entity.

[0278] Aspect 23. The method according to any one of Aspects 14 to 22, the method further comprising: receiving, by the first network entity, a request from the second network entity to track another target and provide energy to the other target.

[0279] Aspect 24. The method according to any one of aspects 14 to 23, the method further comprising: receiving, by the first network entity, a request for power control for the narrow sensing signal beam from a second network entity.

[0280] Aspect 25. The method according to aspect 24, wherein the request for power control includes information requesting either an increase or a decrease in the power of the narrow sensing signal beam.

[0281] Aspect 26. The method according to any one of Aspects 24 or 25, wherein the request for power control includes information on the minimum time duration for requesting the transmission of the power for the narrow sensing signal beam.

[0282] Aspect 27. A network device for wireless communication, the network device comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor, the at least one processor being coupled to the at least one memory and configured to: receive a sensing signal beam transmitted from a first network entity; and harvest energy from the power of the sensing signal beam.

[0283] Aspect 28. The network device according to aspect 27, wherein the network device is an unmanned aerial vehicle and the first network entity is a base station.

[0284] Aspect 29. The network device according to any one of Aspects 27 or 28, wherein the power of the sensing signal beam increases over time.

[0285] Aspect 30. The network device according to any one of Aspects 27 to 29, wherein the at least one processor is configured to output a report including at least one of the following for transmission to a second network entity: the battery status of the network device, a route for a task of the network device, or the current location of the network device.

[0286] Aspect 31. The network device according to aspect 30, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive from the second network entity a request for a change of the route for the task of the network device.

[0287] Aspect 32. The network device according to aspect 31, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: change the route of the network device based on the request.

[0288] Aspect 33. The network device according to any one of Aspects 30 to 32, wherein the second network entity is a network server.

[0289] Aspect 34. The network device according to any one of Aspects 27 to 33, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: output a request for at least one of sensing waveform information or time-domain window for harvesting energy from the power of the sensing signal beam for transmission to a second network entity.

[0290] Aspect 35. A method for wireless communication at a network device, the method comprising: receiving a sensing signal beam transmitted from a first network entity by the network device; and harvesting energy from power received from the sensing signal beam by the network device.

[0291] Aspect 36. The method according to aspect 35, wherein the network device is an unmanned aerial vehicle, and the first network entity is a base station.

[0292] Aspect 37. The method according to any one of Aspects 35 or 36, wherein the power of the sensing signal beam increases over time.

[0293] Aspect 38. The method according to any one of Aspects 35 to 37, the method further comprising: the network device reporting to a second network entity at least one of the following: the battery status of the network device, the route for a task of the network device, or the current location of the network device.

[0294] Aspect 39. The method according to aspect 38, the method further comprising: receiving, by the network device, a request from the second network entity for a change of the route for the task of the network device.

[0295] Aspect 40. The method according to aspect 39, the method further comprising: the network device changing the route of the network device based on the request.

[0296] Aspect 41. The method according to any one of Aspects 38 to 40, wherein the second network entity is a network server.

[0297] Aspect 42. The method according to any one of aspects 35 to 41, the method further comprising: the network device sending a request to a second network entity for at least one of sensing waveform information or a time-domain window for harvesting energy from the power of the sensing signal beam.

[0298] Aspect 43. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions causing the at least one processor, when executed, to perform any one of aspects 14 to 26.

[0299] Aspect 44. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising one or more components for performing operations according to any one of aspects 14 to 26.

[0300] Aspect 45. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform any one of aspects 35 to 42.

[0301] Aspect 46. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising one or more components for performing operations according to any one of aspects 35 to 42.

[0302] The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but are to be consistent with the full scope of the language claims, wherein an element referred to in the singular is not intended to mean "one and only one," but rather "one or more" unless specifically stated otherwise.

Claims

1. A first network entity for wireless communication, the first network entity comprising: At least one memory; and At least one processor, the at least one processor being coupled to the at least one memory and being configured to: Sending wide sensing signal beams in different directions to detect targets; The target is detected using one or more of the wide sensing signal beams; After the target has been detected, a narrow sensing signal beam is sent in the direction toward the target to track the target; as well as Increase the power of the narrow sensing signal beam to provide energy to the target.

2. The first network entity of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: tune the hardware of the first network entity for impedance matching to provide the energy to the target.

3. The first network entity according to claim 2, wherein the at least one processor is configured to tune the hardware based on the carrier frequency of at least one of the wide sensing signal beam or the narrow sensing signal beam.

4. The first network entity according to claim 1, wherein each of the wide sensing signal beams has a beamwidth larger than that of the narrow sensing signal beam.

5. The first network entity according to claim 1, wherein the first network entity is a base station.

6. The first network entity of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to identify the target as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

7. The first network entity according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to output a report including the location information of the target for transmission to a second network entity.

8. The first network entity according to claim 7, wherein the location information includes at least one of the target's distance, speed, angle, coordinates, or height.

9. The first network entity according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to output a report including the target identifier (ID) of the target for transmission to a second network entity.

10. The first network entity of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive from the second network entity a request to track another target and provide energy to the other target.

11. The first network entity of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive from the second network entity a request for power control for the narrow sensing signal beam.

12. The first network entity of claim 11, wherein the request for power control includes information requesting either an increase or a decrease in the power of the narrow sensing signal beam.

13. The first network entity of claim 11, wherein the request for power control includes information on the minimum time duration for requesting the transmission of the power for the narrow sensing signal beam.

14. A method for wireless communication at a first network entity, the method comprising: The first network entity sends wide sensing signal beams in different directions to detect targets; The first network entity detects the target using one or more of the wide sensing signal beams; After the target has been detected, the first network entity sends a narrow sensing signal beam in the direction toward the target to track the target; as well as The first network entity increases the power of the narrow sensing signal beam to provide energy to the target.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising: The first network entity tunes its hardware for impedance matching based on the carrier frequency of at least one of the wide sensing signal beam or the narrow sensing signal beam to deliver the energy to the target.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein each of the wide sensing signal beams has a beamwidth greater than that of the narrow sensing signal beam.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising: The first network entity reports the location information of the target to the second network entity, wherein the location information includes at least one of the target's distance, speed, angle, coordinates, or altitude.

18. The method according to claim 14, further comprising: The first network entity reports the target identifier (ID) of the target to the second network entity.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising: The first network entity receives a request from the second network entity to track another target and provide energy to the other target.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising: The first network entity receives a request from the second network entity for power control of the narrow sensing signal beam.

21. A network device for wireless communication, the network device comprising: At least one memory; and At least one processor, the at least one processor being coupled to the at least one memory and being configured to: Receives a sensing signal beam transmitted from a first network entity; and Energy is harvested from the power of the sensing signal beam.

22. The network device of claim 21, wherein the network device is an unmanned aerial vehicle, and the first network entity is a base station.

23. The network device of claim 21, wherein the power of the sensing signal beam increases over time.

24. The network device of claim 21, wherein the at least one processor is configured to output a report including at least one of the following for transmission to a second network entity: the battery status of the network device, a route for a task of the network device, or the current location of the network device.

25. The network device of claim 24, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive from the second network entity a request for a change of route for the task of the network device.

26. The network device of claim 25, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: change the route of the network device based on the request.

27. The network device of claim 24, wherein the second network entity is a network server.

28. The network device of claim 21, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: output a request for at least one of sensing waveform information or a time-domain window for harvesting energy from the power of the sensing signal beam, for transmission to a second network entity.

29. A method for wireless communication at a network device, the method comprising: The network device receives the sensing signal beam transmitted from the first network entity; as well as The network device harvests energy from the power of the sensing signal beam.

30. The method according to claim 29, further comprising: The network device reports at least one of the following to the second network entity: the network device's battery status, the route for the network device's task, or the network device's current location.

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