Changing sensing service management function in association with user equipment handover

Abstract

Various aspects of this disclosure relate generally to wireless communications. Some aspects relate to modifying the Sensing Service Management Function (SnMF) in connection with the handover of a UE configured as a Sensing Unit (SU) for Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) services. In some aspects, as the SU is handed over to a target cell, the Mobility Service can request a new configuration associated with that target cell and can facilitate the association of the SU with a target SnMF. In some aspects, a public sensing repository can facilitate the identification of a target SnMF and the association of the SU with it. In some aspects, the SnMF can track changes in sensing targets and / or areas to be sensed and can facilitate the modification of the SnMF and / or the SU to accommodate these changes.

Description

Cross-references to related applications

[0001] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 534,236, filed December 8, 2023, entitled “CHANGING A SENSING SERVICEMANAGEMENT FUNCTION IN ASSOCIATION WITH A USER EQUIPMENT HANDOVER”, assigned to the assignee of this application. The disclosure of the earlier application is considered part of this patent application and is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communication, and more specifically to techniques, apparatus and methods for altering sensing service management functions in connection with user equipment handover. Background Technology

[0003] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of services, including voice, text, messaging, video, data, and / or other services. Services may include unicast, multicast, and / or broadcast services, etc. Typical wireless communication systems employ multiple access radio access technologies (RATs) capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time-domain resources, frequency-domain resources, spatial-domain resources, and / or device transmit power, etc.). Examples of such multiple access RATs include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) systems, Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) systems, and Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) systems.

[0004] The aforementioned Multiple Access RATs have been adopted in various telecommunications standards to provide a common protocol enabling different wireless communication devices to communicate at the city, national, regional, or global level. An example telecommunications standard is New Radio (NR). NR (also known as 5G) is part of the continuous evolution of mobile broadband announced by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). NR (and other mobile broadband evolutions beyond NR) can be designed to better support the Internet of Things (IoT) and reduced-capacity device deployments, industrial connectivity, millimeter-wave (mmWave) expansion, licensed and unlicensed spectrum access, non-terrestrial network (NTN) deployments, sidelinks and other device-to-device direct communication technologies (e.g., cellular vehicle-to-everything (CV2X) communications), massive MIMO, decomposed network architectures and network topology expansion, multi-subscriber implementations, high-precision positioning and / or radio frequency (RF) sensing, and more. As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to grow, further improvements to NR can be implemented, and other radio access technologies (such as 6G) can be introduced to further advance mobile broadband evolution.

[0005] In some examples, wireless communication networks can support sensing services such as Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) services. ISAC uses the same systems and infrastructure used for wireless communication to provide sensing capabilities (e.g., RF sensing capabilities). One or more devices in the wireless communication network (which may be referred to as sensing units (SUs)) can perform RF sensing via the resources of the wireless communication network (e.g., using one or more RF signals). RF sensing enables wireless communication devices to acquire information about environmental characteristics and / or objects within the environment. In some examples, RF sensing can be used to determine the distance (range), angle, and / or instantaneous linear velocity of objects in the environment, etc.

[0006] Sensing services can be associated with one or more Subsystems (SUs) configured to perform RF sensing to fulfill one or more sensing requests. In a given wireless communication network, various devices can act as SUs. For example, a User Equipment (UE) can be used as an SU and can be configured as a transmitter or receiver for RF sensing operations. A UE can be configured by a Radio Access Network (RAN) to perform sensing tasks as part of RF sensing operations. When a UE connects to a serving cell, it can be configured to perform sensing tasks, sometimes in coordination with a Transmitter-Receiver Point (TRP). In some cases, a UE may also move from a serving cell (e.g., a source cell) to another cell (e.g., a target cell), which becomes the new serving cell. In some cases, when a UE leaves a source cell, the existing sensing configuration becomes irrelevant, and once connected to the target cell, the UE is configured with a new sensing configuration associated with the target cell, resulting in gaps in the sensing tasks performed by the UE. Furthermore, in some cases, a UE moving from a source cell to a target cell may result in a change of service area, thus changing the area associated with a first Sensing Management Function (SnMF) network node to an area associated with a second SnMF network node. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Some aspects described herein relate to a first network node for wireless communication. The first network node may include a processing system comprising one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the processors. The processing system may be configured to cause the first network node to: receive a first message from a sensing unit (SU), the first message including a first SU association request associated with a handover of the SU from a first Sensing Service Management Function (SnMF) service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node. The processing system may also be configured to cause the first network node to: send a second message to the SU, the second message indicating SU association acceptance and a first routing identifier (ID) associated with the second SnMF node.

[0008] Some aspects described herein relate to a first network node for wireless communication. The first network node may include a processing system comprising one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the processors. The processing system may be configured to cause the first network node to: receive an indication of a first SU association request associated with a handover of a SU from a first sensing SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node. The processing system may also be configured to cause the first network node to: transmit an indication of acceptance of the SU association and a first routing ID associated with the second SnMF node.

[0009] Some aspects described herein relate to a first network node for wireless communication. The first network node may include a processing system comprising one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the processors. The processing system may be configured to cause the first network node to: receive an indication of a first SU association request; and send an indication of SU association rejection associated with a handover of the SU from a first sensing SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node, the first network node including a first SnMF, wherein the indication of SU association rejection includes a first routing ID associated with the second SnMF node.

[0010] Some aspects described herein relate to a method for wireless communication by a first network node. The method may include: receiving a first message from a SU, the first message including a first SU association request associated with a handover of the SU from a first sensing SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node. The method may include: sending a second message to the SU, the second message indicating SU association acceptance and a first routing ID associated with the second SnMF node.

[0011] Some aspects described herein relate to a method for wireless communication performed by a first network node. The method may include: receiving an indication of a first SU association request associated with a handover of a SU from a first sensing SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node. The method may also include: sending an indication of acceptance of the SU association and a first routing ID associated with the second SnMF node.

[0012] Some aspects described herein relate to a method for wireless communication performed by a first network node. The method may include: receiving an indication of a first SU association request. The method may also include: sending an indication of SU association rejection associated with a handover of the SU from a first sensing SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node, and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node, the first network node including the first SnMF, wherein the indication of SU association rejection includes a first routing ID associated with the second SnMF node.

[0013] Some aspects described herein relate to a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication by a first network node. When executed by one or more processors of the first network node, the set of instructions enables the first network node to: receive a first message from a SU, the first message including a first SU association request associated with a handover of the SU from a first sensing SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node. When executed by one or more processors of the first network node, the set of instructions enables the first network node to: send a second message to the SU, the second message indicating that the SU associates an acceptance and a first routing ID associated with the second SnMF node.

[0014] Some aspects described herein relate to a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication by a first network node. When executed by one or more processors of the first network node, the set of instructions enables the first network node to: receive an indication of a first SU association request associated with a handover of a SU from a first sensing SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node. When executed by one or more processors of the first network node, the set of instructions also enables the first network node to: send an indication of acceptance of the SU association and a first routing ID associated with the second SnMF node.

[0015] Some aspects described herein relate to a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication by a first network node. When executed by one or more processors of the first network node, the set of instructions enables the first network node to: receive an indication of a first SU association request. When executed by one or more processors of the first network node, the set of instructions enables the first network node to: send an indication of SU association rejection associated with a handover of the SU from a first sensing SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node, and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node, the first network node including the first SnMF, wherein the indication of SU association rejection includes a first routing ID associated with the second SnMF node.

[0016] Some aspects described herein relate to an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus may include components for receiving a first message from a Subscriber Unit (SU), the first message including a first SU association request associated with a handover of the SU from a first sensing SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node, and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node. The apparatus may include components for sending a second message to the SU, the second message indicating SU association acceptance and a first routing ID associated with the second SnMF node.

[0017] Some aspects described herein relate to an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus may include components for receiving an indication of a first SU association request associated with a transfer of a SU from a first sensing SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node, and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node. The apparatus may include components for transmitting an indication of acceptance of the SU association and a first routing ID associated with the second SnMF node.

[0018] Some aspects described herein relate to an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus may include components for receiving an indication of a first SU association request. The apparatus may also include components for transmitting an indication of SU association rejection associated with a handover of the SU from a first sensing SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node. The apparatus includes the first SnMF, wherein the indication of SU association rejection includes a first routing ID associated with the second SnMF node.

[0019] Various aspects of this disclosure may be implemented or be implemented as described in whole by or embodied in the methods, apparatus, systems, computer program products, non-transitory computer-readable media, user equipment, base stations, network nodes, network entities, wireless communication devices and / or processing systems as fully described in the specification and drawings and illustrated in the specification and drawings.

[0020] The preceding paragraphs of this section have broadly summarized some aspects of this disclosure. These and additional aspects and their associated advantages will be described below. The disclosed aspects can serve as the basis for modifying or designing other aspects for performing the same or similar purposes of this disclosure. Such equivalent aspects do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. The characteristics of the aspects disclosed herein, their organization and operation, and their associated advantages will be better understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The accompanying drawings illustrate some aspects of this disclosure but do not limit its scope, as other aspects can be achieved by this description. Each drawing in the drawings is provided for illustrative and descriptive purposes and not as a definition of limitation of the claims. Identical or similar reference numerals in different drawings may identify identical or similar elements.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication network according to the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating communication between an example network node and an example user equipment (UE) in a wireless network according to the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example decomposed base station architecture according to this disclosure.

[0025] Figure 4A and Figure 4B This is a diagram illustrating an example of radio frequency (RF) sensing according to the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 5 This is an example of a core network configured to provide sensing services according to this disclosure.

[0027] Figure 6 This is an example of a control plane architecture for sensing services based on this disclosure.

[0028] Figure 7 This is an example of a sensing service and a management function (SnMF) entity for the sensing service, as disclosed herein.

[0029] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating an example operation of changing SnMF in connection with the handover of a sensing unit (SU) according to this disclosure.

[0030] Figure 9 This is a diagram illustrating an example operation of changing SnMF in connection with the transfer of SU according to this disclosure.

[0031] Figure 10 This is a diagram illustrating example operations of changing SnMF in connection with changes to the target and / or SnMF service area according to this disclosure.

[0032] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating an example process performed, for example, at a first network node or a device supporting sensing session operation, according to the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 12 This is a flowchart illustrating an example process performed at a device, such as a first network node or a first network node supporting sensing session operation, according to the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating an example process performed, for example, at a first network node or a device supporting sensing session operation, according to the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 14 This is a diagram illustrating an example device for supporting wireless communication that changes SnMF in association with UE handover according to this disclosure.

[0036] Figure 15 This is a diagram illustrating an example device for supporting wireless communication that changes SnMF in association with UE handover according to this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0037] Various aspects of this disclosure are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, aspects of this disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to any specific aspect illustrated or described with reference to the drawings or otherwise presented in this disclosure. Rather, these aspects are provided so that this disclosure will be comprehensive and complete, and will fully convey the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art. Those skilled in the art will understand that the scope of this disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of this disclosure disclosed herein, whether implemented independently of or in combination with any other aspect of this disclosure. For example, various combinations or numbers of aspects set forth herein may be used to implement an apparatus or a practice. Furthermore, the scope of this disclosure is intended to cover apparatuses having structures and / or functionalities other than those available for practicing the various aspects of this disclosure set forth herein, or methods practiced using these other structures and / or functionalities. Any aspect of this disclosure disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of the claims.

[0038] Various methods, operations, apparatuses, and techniques will now be presented with reference to them. These methods, operations, apparatuses, and techniques will be described in detail below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules, components, circuits, steps, processes, or algorithms (collectively, “elements”). These elements may be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Whether these elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the system as a whole.

[0039] Various aspects typically involve user equipment (UE) handover and associated configuration changes for sensing services. Some aspects more specifically involve changes to the Sensing Service Management Function (SnMF) associated with the handover of a UE configured as a Sensing Unit (SU) for Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) services. In some aspects, as the UE is handed over to a target cell, the target radio access network (RAN) node or mobility service may request a new configuration associated with the target cell from the SnMF. The target SnMF may contact the source SnMF to receive the necessary context to configure the target RAN node and / or the UE. The mobility service may forward the handover request to a selected target RAN node, which may provide a handover instruction to the source SnMF. The source SnMF may provide information to the target RAN node, which may use this information to configure itself and / or the UE to continue sensing operations associated with the target cell provided by the target RAN node. However, if the mobility service cannot route the request to the target SnMF, the SnMF receiving the associated request may reject the request and provide the target SnMF address information in its response. The UE may then initiate another association request associated with the provided target SnMF address.

[0040] In some aspects, Sensing Repository (SR) function network nodes (sometimes referred to as public UE repositories) can be configured to maintain information about sensed UEs. Multiple SnMF network nodes can register at an SR network node. If a UE is entering or leaving a service area associated with a SnMF network node, the SR network node can be configured to notify that SnMF network node. In some aspects, mobility services serving a UE can notify the SR network node when they receive an association request from the UE. For example, the mobility service can route an association request, including an indication of the UE's location, to the SR, which can identify a target SnMF based on the UE's location. The SR can then notify the target SnMF that the UE is entering a service area associated with the target SnMF, thereby associating the UE with the target SnMF. Subsequently, the target SnMF can configure the UE for sensing in the new SnMF's service area. The SR can also notify the source SnMF of changes in the UE's service area.

[0041] In some respects, the area being sensed may change over time. Changes in the area to be sensed may cause changes in the SnMF associated with the sensing service. For example, in some respects, the source SnMF and / or the target SnMF may determine that a new area needs to be sensed, and therefore determine the SnMF that needs to be changed for the service. In some respects, as the sensing area changes, the UEs to be configured for sensing may be changed. For example, in some respects, the source SnMF may determine that a first UE is no longer configured for sensing, and / or determine that a second UE (not previously configured for sensing) is to be configured for sensing.

[0042] Specific aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages. In some examples, the described techniques can be used to ensure that handover of a UE from a source cell to a target cell associated with a new SnMF is performed while minimizing disruption to the sensing session. For example, by providing the target SnMF address information to the mobility service when an association request is rejected, the described techniques can be used to facilitate changes in the serving SnMF resulting from the handover of a UE from a source cell to a target cell, thereby reducing disruption to the sensing service caused by the UE handover. In some aspects, by configuring the SR to maintain information about the sensing UE and the registered SnMF, the described techniques can be used to reduce signaling overhead, processing overhead, and / or latency associated with the target RAN node preparing for the handover of the UE to the target cell (in which the sensing session will continue). For example, by configuring the SR network node to notify the target SnMF of changes in the serving area, the described techniques can enable the target SnMF to prepare for the UE handover, thereby mitigating disruption to the sensing service caused by UE handover resulting in changes in the sensing serving area. In some respects, by configuring SnMF network nodes to determine the new areas that need to be sensed, the described techniques can enable SnMF association and / or changes to the UE configuration used for sensing while minimizing disruption to sensing services.

[0043] Multiple access radio access technology (RAT) has been adopted in various telecommunications standards to provide a common protocol that enables wireless communication devices to communicate at the city, enterprise, national, regional, or global level. For example, 5G New Radio (NR) is part of the continuous mobile broadband evolution announced by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). 5G NR supports a variety of technologies and use cases, including enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), massive machine-type communication (mMTC), millimeter wave (mmWave) technology, beamforming, network slicing, edge computing, Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity and management, and network function virtualization (NFV).

[0044] With increasing demand for broadband access and the evolution of technologies supported by wireless communication networks, further technological improvements can be adopted in or implemented for 5G NR or future RATs (such as 6G) to further advance the evolution of wireless communication for a variety of existing and new use cases and applications. These technological improvements can be associated with new frequency band extensions, licensed and unlicensed spectrum access, overlapping spectrum use, small cell deployments, non-terrestrial network (NTN) deployments, decomposed network architectures and network topology extensions, device aggregation, advanced duplex communication, sidelinks and other device-to-device direct communication, IoT (including passive or ambient IoT) networks, reduced-capacity (RedCap) UE functionality, industrial connectivity, multi-subscriber implementations, high-precision positioning, radio frequency (RF) sensing and / or artificial intelligence or machine learning (AI / ML), and more. Such technological improvements can support use cases such as wireless backhaul, wireless data centers, extended reality (XR) and metaverse applications, meta-services for supporting vehicle connectivity, holographic and mixed reality communications, autonomous and collaborative robots, vehicle platooning and collaborative manipulation, sensor networks, posture monitoring, brain-computer interfaces, digital twin applications, asset management, and general coverage applications using off-ground and / or aerial platforms, etc. The methods, operations, apparatuses, and techniques described herein can implement one or more of the foregoing technologies and / or support one or more of the foregoing use cases.

[0045] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication network 100 according to the present disclosure. The wireless communication network 100 may be a 5G (or NR) network or a 6G network, or may include elements of a 5G (or NR) network or a 6G network, etc. The wireless communication network 100 may include a plurality of network nodes 110, shown as network node (NN) 110a, network node 110b, network node 110c, and network node 110d. Network nodes 110 may support communication with a plurality of UEs 120 (shown as UE 120a, UE 120b, UE 120c, UE 120d, and UE 120e).

[0046] Network nodes 110 and UEs 120 of wireless communication network 100 can communicate using the electromagnetic spectrum, which can be subdivided into various categories, frequency bands, carriers, and / or channels according to frequency or wavelength. For example, devices of wireless communication network 100 can communicate using one or more operating frequency bands. In some aspects, multiple wireless networks 100 can be deployed in a given geographical area. Each wireless communication network 100 can support a specific radio access technology (RAT) (which may also be referred to as an air interface) and can operate on one or more carrier frequencies in one or more frequency ranges. Examples of RATs include 4G RAT, 5G / NR RAT, and / or 6G RAT, etc. In some examples, when multiple RATs are deployed in a given geographical area, each RAT in that geographical area can operate on a different frequency to avoid interference with each other.

[0047] Various operating frequency bands have been defined as frequency ranges designated FR1 (410 MHz to 7.125 GHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz), FR3 (7.125 GHz to 24.25 GHz), FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz to 71 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz to 114.25 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz to 300 GHz). Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, in some documents and articles, FR1 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the “sub-6 GHz” band. Similarly, in some documents and articles, FR2 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the “millimeter wave” band, but this is different from the Very High Frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz to 300 GHz) identified as the “millimeter wave” band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are often referred to as the mid-band frequencies, including FR3. Frequency bands falling within FR3 can inherit FR1 or FR2 characteristics, thereby effectively extending the characteristics of FR1 or FR2 into mid-band frequencies. Therefore, "below 6 GHz" (if used herein) can broadly refer to frequencies less than 6 GHz, within FR1, and / or included in mid-band frequencies. Similarly, the term "millimeter wave" (if used herein) can broadly refer to frequencies included in mid-band frequencies, within FR2, FR4, FR4-a, FR4-1, or FR5, and / or within the EHF band. Higher frequency bands can extend 5G NR operation, 6G operation, and / or other RATs above 52.6 GHz. For example, each of FR4a, FR4-1, FR4, and FR5 falls within the EHF band. In some examples, the wireless communication network 100 can implement dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS), where multiple RATs (e.g., 4G / LTE and 5G / NR) are implemented within a single frequency band using dynamic bandwidth allocation (e.g., based on user demand). It is conceivable that the frequencies included in these operating frequency bands (e.g., FR1, FR2, FR3, FR4, FR4-a, FR4-1 and / or FR5) can be modified, and the techniques described herein are applicable to those modified frequency ranges.

[0048] Network node 110 may include one or more devices, components, or systems that enable communication between UE 120 and one or more devices, components, or systems of wireless communication network 100. Network node 110 may be, may include, or may also be referred to as an NR network node, 5G network node, 6G network node, node B, eNB, gNB, access point (AP), transmit / receive point (TRP), mobility element, core, network entity, network element, network equipment, and / or another type of device, component, or system included in a radio access network (RAN).

[0049] Network node 110 may be implemented as a single physical node (e.g., a single physical structure) or as two or more physical nodes (e.g., two or more different physical structures). For example, network node 110 may be a device or system implementing a portion of a radio protocol stack, a device or system implementing a complete radio protocol stack (such as a complete gNB protocol stack), or a collection of devices or systems collectively implementing a complete radio protocol stack. For example, and as shown, network node 110 may be an aggregated network node (with an aggregated architecture), meaning that network node 110 can implement a complete radio protocol stack physically and logically integrated within a single node (e.g., a single physical structure) in the wireless communication network 100. For example, aggregated network node 110 may consist of a single standalone base station or a single TRP that uses the complete radio protocol stack to implement or facilitate communication between UE 120 and the core network of wireless communication network 100.

[0050] Alternatively, and also as shown in the figure, network node 110 can be a decomposed network node (sometimes referred to as a decomposed base station), meaning that network node 110 can realize a radio protocol stack that is physically distributed and / or logically distributed among two or more nodes in the same or different geographic locations. For example, a decomposed network node may have a decomposed architecture. In some deployments, decomposed network node 110 may be used in integrated access and backhaul (IAB) networks, in open radio access networks (O-RAN) (such as network configurations compliant with the O-RAN Alliance), or in virtualized radio access networks (vRAN) (also referred to as cloud radio access networks (C-RAN)) to facilitate scaling by decomposing base station functionality into multiple units that can be deployed independently.

[0051] Network nodes 110 of the wireless communication network 100 may include one or more central units (CUs), one or more distributed units (DUs), and / or one or more radio units (RUs). CUs may host one or more higher-layer control functions, such as Radio Resource Control (RRC) functions, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) functions, and / or Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) functions, etc. DUs may host one or more of the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Media Access Control (MAC) layer, and / or one or more higher physical (PHY) layers, at least in part, according to functional splits (such as functional splits defined by 3GPP). In some examples, DUs may also host one or more lower PHY layer functions, such as Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Inverse FFT (iFFT), beamforming, Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, and / or scheduling of resources for one or more UEs 120, etc. RUs may host RF processing functions or lower PHY layer functions, such as FFT, iFFT, beamforming, or PRACH extraction and filtering, etc., according to functional splits (such as lower-layer functional splits). In this type of architecture, each RU can be operated to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UE 120s.

[0052] In some aspects, a single network node 110 may include a combination of one or more CUs, one or more DUs, and / or one or more RUs. Additionally or alternatively, network node 110 may include one or more near real-time (near RT) RAN Intelligent Controllers (RICs) and / or one or more non-real-time (non-RT) RICs. In some examples, CUs, DUs, and / or RUs may be implemented as virtual units, such as Virtual Central Units (VCUs), Virtual Distributed Units (VDUs), or Virtual Radio Units (VRUs), etc. Virtual units may be implemented as virtual network functions, such as those associated with cloud deployments.

[0053] Some network nodes 110 (e.g., base stations, RUs, or TRPs) can provide communication coverage for specific geographic areas. In 3GPP, the term "cell" can refer to the coverage area of ​​network node 110 or to network node 110 itself, depending on the context in which the term is used. Network node 110 can support one or more (e.g., three) cells. In some examples, network node 110 can provide communication coverage for macro cells, pico cells, femto cells, or another type of cell. A macro cell can cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and can allow unrestricted access by UE 120 with a service subscription. A pico cell can cover a relatively small geographic area and can allow unrestricted access by UE 120 with a service subscription. A femto cell can cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a residential area) and can allow restricted access by UE 120 associated with that femto cell (e.g., UE 120 in a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG)). The network node 110 used for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro network node. Network node 110 used for a picocell may be referred to as a pico network node. Network node 110 used for a femtocell may be referred to as a femto network node or a home network node. In some examples, the cell may not necessarily be stationary. For example, the geographical area of ​​the cell may be mobile based on the location of the associated mobile network node 110 (e.g., a train, satellite base station, unmanned aerial vehicle, or non-terrestrial network (NTN) network node).

[0054] The wireless communication network 100 can be a heterogeneous network, comprising different types of network nodes 110, such as macro network nodes, piconet nodes, femtonet nodes, relay network nodes, aggregation network nodes, and / or decomposition network nodes, etc. Figure 1 In the example shown, network node 110a can be a macro network node for macro cell 130a, network node 110b can be a pico network node for pico cell 130b, and network node 110c can be a femto network node for femto cell 130c. Compared to other types of network nodes 110, the various types of network nodes 110 typically transmit at different power levels, serve different coverage areas, and / or have different effects on interference in the wireless communication network 100. For example, macro network nodes may have high transmit power levels (e.g., 5 watts to 40 watts), while pico network nodes, femto network nodes, and relay network nodes may have lower transmit power levels (e.g., 0.1 watts to 2 watts).

[0055] In some examples, network node 110 may be, may include, or operate as a RU, TRP, or base station communicating with one or more UEs 120 via a radio access link (which may be referred to as a "Uu" link). The radio access link may include a downlink and an uplink. A "downlink" (or "DL") refers to the communication direction from network node 110 to UE 120, and an "uplink" (or "UL") refers to the communication direction from UE 120 to network node 110. Downlink channels may include one or more control channels and one or more data channels. Downlink control channels may be used to transmit downlink control information (DCI) (e.g., scheduling information, reference signals, and / or configuration information) from network node 110 to UE 120. Downlink data channels may be used to transmit downlink data (e.g., user data associated with UE 120) from network node 110 to UE 120. Downlink control channels may include one or more physical downlink control channels (PDCCH), and downlink data channels may include one or more physical downlink shared channels (PDSCH). The uplink channel may similarly include one or more control channels and one or more data channels. The uplink control channel can be used to transmit uplink control information (UCI) from UE 120 to network node 110 (e.g., transmitting corresponding reference signals and / or feedback with one or more downlinks). The uplink data channel can be used to transmit uplink data (e.g., user data associated with UE 120) from UE 120 to network node 110. The uplink control channel may include one or more physical uplink control channels (PUCCH), and the uplink data channel may include one or more physical uplink shared channels (PUSCH). The downlink and uplink may each include a set of resources on which network node 110 and UE 120 can communicate.

[0056] Downlink and uplink resources may include time-domain resources (frames, subframes, time slots, and / or symbols), frequency-domain resources (bands, component carriers, subcarriers, resource blocks, and / or resource elements), and / or spatial-domain resources (specific transmission directions and / or beam parameters). Frequency-domain resources in some bands may be subdivided into bandwidth portions (BWPs). A BWP may be a contiguous block of frequency-domain resources allocated to one or more UEs 120 (e.g., a contiguous block of resource blocks). A UE 120 may be configured with both an uplink BWP and a downlink BWP (where the uplink BWP and downlink BWP may be the same BWP or different BWPs). BWPs may be dynamically configured and / or reconfigured (e.g., by sending DCI configuration to one or more UEs 120 via network node 110), meaning that BWPs may be adjusted in real-time (or near real-time) based on changing network conditions in the wireless communication network 100 and / or based on the specific requirements of one or more UEs 120. This allows for more efficient use of available frequency domain resources in the wireless communication network 100, as fewer frequency domain resources can be allocated to the BWP for UE 120 (which reduces the number of frequency domain resources that UE 120 needs to monitor), thus allowing more frequency domain resources to be distributed across multiple UE 120s. Therefore, the BWP can also assist in the implementation of such UE 120s by facilitating the configuration of smaller bandwidths for communications performed by lower-capacity UE 120s.

[0057] As described above, in some aspects, the wireless communication network 100 may be an IAB network, may include an IAB network, or may be included in an IAB network. In an IAB network, at least one network node 110 is an anchor network node communicating with a core network. The anchor network node 110 may also be referred to as an IAB donor (or "IAB donor"). The anchor network node 110 may be connected to the core network via a wired backhaul link. For example, the Ng interface of the anchor network node 110 may terminate at the core network. Additionally or alternatively, the anchor network node 110 may be connected to one or more devices in the core network that provide core access and mobility management functions (AMF). An IAB network typically also includes multiple non-anchor network nodes 110, which may also be referred to as relay network nodes or simply IAB nodes (or "IAB-nodes"). Each non-anchor network node 110 can directly communicate with the anchor network node 110 via a wireless backhaul link to access the core network, or can indirectly communicate with the anchor network node 110 via one or more other non-anchor network nodes 110 and an associated wireless backhaul link forming a backhaul path to the core network. Some anchor network nodes 110 or other non-anchor network nodes 110 can also directly communicate with one or more UEs 120 via a wireless access link carrying access services. In some examples, network resources used for wireless communication (such as time resources, frequency resources, and / or spatial resources) can be shared between the access link and the backhaul link.

[0058] In some examples, any network node 110 relaying communication may be referred to as a relay network node, a relay station, or simply a repeater. A repeater may receive communications from an upstream station (e.g., another network node 110 or UE 120) and transmit communications to a downstream station (e.g., UE 120 or another network node 110). In this case, the wireless communication network 100 may include or be referred to as a "multi-hop network." Figure 1 In the example shown, network node 110d (e.g., a relay network node) can communicate with network node 110a (e.g., a macro network node) and UE 120d to facilitate communication between network node 110a and UE 120d. Additionally or alternatively, UE 120 can be a relay station capable of relaying transmissions to or from other UE 120s, or can operate as such a relay station. UE 120 relaying communication can be referred to as a UE repeater or relay UE, etc.

[0059] UE 120 may be physically distributed throughout the wireless communication network 100, and each UE 120 may be stationary or mobile. UE 120 may be, may include, an access terminal, another terminal, a mobile station, or a subscriber unit, or may be included in an access terminal, another terminal, a mobile station, or a subscriber unit. UE 120 may be, or may include, a cellular phone (e.g., a smartphone), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet device, a camera, a gaming device, a netbook, a smartbook, an ultrabook, a medical device, a biometric device, a wearable device (e.g., a smartwatch, smart clothing, smart glasses, a smart wristband and / or smart jewelry (such as a smart ring or smart bracelet)), an entertainment device (e.g., a music device, a video device and / or a satellite radio), an extended reality (XR) device, a vehicle component or sensor, a smart meter or sensor, industrial manufacturing equipment, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) device (such as a Global Positioning System device or another type of positioning device), a UE function of a network node, and / or any other suitable device or function that can communicate via a wireless medium, or may be coupled to them.

[0060] UE 120 and / or network node 110 may include one or more chips, system-on-a-chip (SoC), chipsets, packages, or devices that individually or collectively constitute or include a processing system. The processing system includes processor (or “processing”) circuitry in the form of one or more processors, microprocessors, processing units (such as central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), neural processing units (NPUs), and / or digital signal processors (DSPs)), processing blocks, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs) (such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)), or other discrete gate or transistor logic components or circuits (all of which are generally referred to herein individually as “processors” or collectively as “processors” or “processor circuitry”). One or more of these processors may be individually or collectively configured to perform the various functions or operations described herein. A group of processors that can be configured or configured to perform a set of functions may include a first processor that can be configured or configured to perform a first function in the set, and a second processor that can be configured or configured to perform a second function in the set, or may include the entire group of processors that are configured or configured to perform the set of functions.

[0061] The processing system may also include memory circuitry in the form of one or more memory devices, memory blocks, memory elements, or other discrete gate or transistor logic components or circuits, each of which may include tangible storage media such as random access memory (RAM) or read-only memory (ROM) or combinations thereof (all of which are generally referred to herein individually as "memory" or collectively as "memory" or "memory circuitry"). One or more of these memories may be coupled to one or more processors in the processor (e.g., operatively coupled, communicatively coupled, electronically coupled, or electrically coupled) and may store processor-executable code (such as software) individually or collectively, which, when executed by one or more processors in the processor, may configure one or more processors in the processor to perform the various functions or operations described herein. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, one or more processors in the processor may be pre-configured to perform the various functions or operations described herein without being configured by software. The processing system may also include or be coupled to one or more modems (such as Wi-Fi (e.g., IEEE compliant) modems or cellular (e.g., 3GPP 4G LTE, 5G, or 6G compliant) modems). In some embodiments, one or more processors of the processing system include or implement one or more modems among the modems. The processing system may also include, or be coupled to, multiple radio components (collectively, “radio components”), multiple RF chains, or multiple transceivers, each of which may in turn be coupled to one or more antennas among multiple antennas. In some embodiments, one or more processors of the processing system include or implement one or more of the radio components, RF chains, or transceivers. UE 120 may be included or may be contained in a housing that houses components associated with UE 120, including the processing system.

[0062] Some UEs 120 may be considered Machine Type Communication (MTC) UEs, Evolved or Enhanced Machine Type Communication (eMTC) UEs, Further Enhanced eMTC (feMTC) UEs or Enhanced feMTC (efeMTC) UEs, or further evolutions thereof, all of which may be collectively referred to as "MTC UEs". MTC UEs may be, may include, or may be included in or coupled with the following: robots, unmanned aerial vehicles, remote devices, sensors, instruments, monitors, and / or location tags. Some UEs 120 may be considered IoT devices and / or may be implemented as NB-IoT (Narrowband IoT) devices. IoT UEs or NB-IoT devices may be, may include, or may be included in or coupled with the following: industrial machines, appliances, refrigerators, doorbell camera devices, home automation devices, and / or lighting fixtures, etc. Some UEs 120 may be considered customer premises equipment, which may include telecommunications equipment installed at a customer location (such as a home or office) to enable access to a service provider’s network (such as being included in or communicating with the wireless communication network 100).

[0063] Some UEs 120 can be categorized according to different categories associated with varying levels of complexity and / or capabilities. UEs 120 in the first category facilitate large-scale IoT within the wireless communication network 100 and offer lower complexity and / or lower cost compared to UEs 120 in the second category. UEs 120 in the second category may include mission-critical IoT devices, legacy UEs, baseline UEs, high-level UEs, advanced UEs, full-capability UEs, and / or premium UEs capable of ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), and / or precise positioning, etc., within the wireless communication network 100. UEs 120 in the third category may have intermediate-level complexity and / or capabilities (e.g., capabilities between UEs 120 in the first category and UEs 120 in the second category). UEs 120 in the third category may be referred to as reduced-capability UEs (“RedCap UEs”), intermediate-level UEs, NR lightweight UEs, and / or NR simplified UEs, etc. RedCap UEs bridge the gap in capabilities and complexity between NB-IoT devices and / or eMTC UEs and mission-critical IoT devices and / or premium UEs. RedCap UEs can include, for example, wearable devices, IoT devices, industrial sensors, and / or cameras associated with limited bandwidth, power capacity, and / or transmission range. RedCap UEs can support healthcare environments, building automation, power distribution, process automation, transportation and logistics, and / or smart city deployments, among others.

[0064] In some examples, UE 120 in the third category (RedCap UE) can support lower latency communication than UE 120 in the first category (NB-IoT UE or eMTC UE), and UE 120 in the second category (mission-critical IoT UE or premium UE) can support lower latency communication than UE 120 in the third category. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, UE 120 in the third category (RedCap UE) can support higher wireless communication throughput than UE 120 in the first category (NB-IoT UE or eMTC UE), and UE 120 in the second category (mission-critical IoT UE or premium UE) can support higher wireless communication throughput than UE 120 in the third category. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the UE 120 in the first category (NB-IoT UE or eMTC UE) may support a longer battery life than the UE 120 in the third category (RedCap UE), and the UE 120 in the third category may support a longer battery life than the UE 120 in the second category (mission-critical IoT UE or premium UE).

[0065] In some examples, a Category 3 UE 120 (RedCap UE) may have the capability to meet a first device or performance requirement but not a second device or performance requirement (such as parameters specified for NR UE 120 other than Category 3 UE 120), while a Category 2 UE 120 (mission-critical IoT UE or premium UE) may have the capability to meet the second device or performance requirement (and in some examples, also the first device or performance requirement). For example, a Category 3 UE 120 may support a maximum MCS lower than that supported by a Category 2 UE 120 (e.g., a modulation scheme such as 256 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM)). As another example, a Category 3 UE may support a maximum transmit power lower than that of a Category 2 UE. As another example, a Category 3 UE 120 may have beamforming capabilities that are less advanced than those of a Category 2 UE 120 (e.g., a RedCap UE may not be able to form as many beams as a premium UE). As another example, a Category 3 UE 120 may require longer processing times than a Category 2 UE 120. As yet another example, a Category 3 UE 120 may include less hardware or less complex hardware (such as fewer antennas, fewer transmit antennas, and / or fewer receive antennas) compared to a Category 2 UE 120. Furthermore, a Category 3 UE 120 may not be able to communicate on a maximum BWP as wide as that of a Category 2 UE 120.

[0066] In some examples, two or more UEs 120 (e.g., shown as UE 120a and UE 120e) can communicate directly with each other using sidelink communication (e.g., without communicating through a network node 110 acting as an intermediary). As an example, UE 120a can send data, control information, or other signaling directly to UE 120e as sidelink communication. This contrasts with, for example, UE 120a first sending data to network node 110 in UL communication, and then that network node sending data to UE 120e in DL communication. In various examples, UE 120 can use peer-to-peer (P2P) communication protocols, device-to-device (D2D) communication protocols, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication protocols (which may include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) protocols, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) protocols, and / or vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) protocols), and / or mesh network communication protocols to send and receive sidelink communication. In some deployments and configurations, network node 110 may schedule and / or allocate resources for sidelink communication between UEs 120 in the wireless communication network 100. In some other deployments and configurations, UE 120 (instead of network node 110) may perform or cooperate with or negotiate with one or more other UEs to perform scheduling operations, resource selection operations, and / or other operations for sidelink communication.

[0067] In various examples, in addition to half-duplex operation, some network nodes and UEs in the wireless communication network 100, including network node 110 and UE 120, can also be configured for full-duplex operation. Network node 110 or UE 120 operating in half-duplex mode can perform only one of transmission or reception during a specific time resource period (such as a specific time slot, symbol, or other time period). Half-duplex operation may involve time division duplex (TDD), where the DL transmission of network node 110 and the UL transmission of UE 120 do not occur in the same time resource (i.e., the transmissions do not overlap in time). In contrast, network node 110 or UE 120 operating in full-duplex mode can transmit and receive communications concurrently (e.g., within the same time resource). By operating in full-duplex mode, network node 110 and / or UE 120 can generally increase the capacity of the network and radio access links. In some examples, full-duplex operation may involve frequency division duplex (FDD), in which network node 110 performs DL transmission in a first frequency band or on a first component carrier, and UE 120 performs transmission in a second frequency band or on a second component carrier, the second frequency band or the second component carrier being different from the first frequency band or the first component carrier, respectively. In some examples, full-duplex operation may be enabled for UE 120 but not for network node 110. For example, UE 120 may simultaneously transmit UL to the first network node 110 and receive DL transmissions from the second network node 110 in the same time resources. In some other examples, full-duplex operation may be enabled for network node 110 but not for UE 120. For example, network node 110 may simultaneously transmit DL to the first UE 120 and receive UL transmissions from the second UE 120 in the same time resources. In some other examples, full-duplex operation may be enabled for both network node 110 and UE 120.

[0068] In some examples, UE 120 and network node 110 can perform MIMO communication. "MIMO" generally refers to the simultaneous transmission or reception of multiple signals (such as multiple layers or multiple data streams) using the same time and frequency resources. MIMO technology typically utilizes multipath propagation. MIMO can be implemented using various spatial processing or spatial multiplexing operations. In some examples, MIMO can support simultaneous transmission to multiple receivers, which is called multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO). Some radio access technologies (RATs) can employ advanced MIMO techniques such as mTRP operation (including redundant transmission or reception on multiple TRPs), reciprocity in the time or frequency domain, single-frequency network (SFN) transmission, or noncoherent joint transmission (NC-JT).

[0069] In some examples, wireless communication network 100 may support Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) services. ISAC can refer to a system that uses the same systems and infrastructure used for communication (e.g., wireless communication network 100) to provide sensing capabilities (e.g., RF sensing capabilities). ISAC may sometimes be referred to as Joint Communications and Radar (JCR). One or more devices in wireless communication network 100 (such as UE 120, network node 110, and / or SU 160) may perform RF sensing via wireless communication network 100 (e.g., using one or more RF signals). RF sensing is a technique that enables wireless communication devices to acquire information about environmental characteristics and / or objects within the environment. RF sensing uses RF signals to determine the distance (range), angle, and / or instantaneous linear velocity of an object, etc. RF sensing can provide a range of functionalities for wireless communication devices, such as object detection, object recognition (e.g., vehicles, humans, or animals), object tracking, environmental monitoring, motion detection, high-precision positioning, health monitoring, immersive XR applications, home monitoring, weather monitoring, vehicle operation (e.g., maneuvering, navigation, and / or parking), pedestrian and / or obstacle detection for roads and / or railways, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operation (e.g., UAV intrusion detection, UAV tracking, and / or collision avoidance), industrial operation (e.g., automated guided vehicles (AGVs), automated robots, and / or pedestrian detection), tracking and / or activity recognition, and more.

[0070] RF sensing can include communication-assisted sensing and / or sensing-assisted communication. Communication-assisted sensing can refer to a wireless communication device (such as SU 160) performing RF sensing using one or more hardware components and / or radio resources associated with communication. For example, SU 160 can use RF signals (e.g., NR RF signals or other RF signals associated with wireless communication) to obtain information indicating environmental characteristics and / or objects within the environment. Sensing-assisted communication can refer to a wireless communication device using sensing results to perform one or more communication operations. For example, sensing results can improve communication performance, such as by achieving more accurate beamforming, faster beam fault recovery, and / or reducing the overhead of channel state information (CSI) tracking, etc.

[0071] For example, wireless communication network 100 may include one or more SU 160s. SU 160 may include UE 120, network node 110, TRP, IAB node, RAN node, and / or another wireless communication device capable of performing RF sensing. In some examples, SU 160 may acquire sensing data via radio signals (sometimes referred to as 3GPP sensing data, 5G wireless sensing data, 6G wireless sensing data, or wireless sensing data). Additionally or alternatively, SU 160 may acquire sensing data via one or more sensors, such as cameras, video recorders, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors, radar and / or sonar sensors, etc. For example, SU 160 may acquire sensing data via Wi-Fi sensing, radar sensing, and / or another type of sensing. Sensing data acquired via sensors (sometimes referred to as non-3GPP sensing data) may be used by SU 160 (or other devices) to determine object characteristics and / or environmental characteristics. This non-3GPP sensing data can be used to achieve improved sensing results for wireless sensing performed by SU 160.

[0072] Wireless communication network 100 may include one or more network nodes 170. Network node 170 may include core network nodes, core network entities, and / or core network functions, etc. Network node 170 may include SnMF entities, AMF entities, mobility services, gateways, network repository functions (e.g., one or more SRs), etc. SnMF entities may perform one or more operations for configuring, managing, and / or maintaining sensor configurations for one or more sensing requests. For example, network node 170 may receive a sensing request from a client device (e.g., a server device or a sensing client) and configure one or more SUs 160 to perform RF sensing based on that sensing request to obtain sensing data, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. Figure 1 As shown, network node 170 can communicate with SU 160 (e.g., directly and / or via network node 110) to configure and / or manage RF sensing operations.

[0073] In some aspects, a network node (e.g., network node 110) may include a communication manager 150. As described in more detail elsewhere herein, the communication manager 150 may: receive a first message from a sensing unit (SU) including a first SU association request associated with a handover of the SU from a first Sensing Service Management Function (SnMF) service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node; and send a second message to the SU instructing the SU to associate and accept a first routing identifier (ID) associated with the second SnMF node. Additionally or alternatively, the communication manager 150 may perform one or more other operations described herein.

[0074] In some aspects, the communication manager 150 may: receive an indication of a first SU association request associated with a handover of the SU from a first SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node; and send an indication of acceptance of the SU association and a first route ID associated with the second SnMF node. Additionally or alternatively, the communication manager 150 may perform one or more other operations described herein.

[0075] In some aspects, the communication manager 150 may receive an indication of a first SU association request; and send an indication of SU association rejection associated with a handover of the SU from a first SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node, and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node, the first network node including the first SnMF, wherein the indication of SU association rejection includes a first routing ID associated with the second SnMF node. Additionally or alternatively, the communication manager 150 may perform one or more other operations described herein.

[0076] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating communication between an example network node 110 and an example UE 120 in a wireless network according to the present disclosure.

[0077] like Figure 2 As shown, network node 110 may include a data source 212, a transmit processor 214, a transmit (TX) MIMO processor 216, a set of modems 232 (shown as 232a to 232t, where t≥1), a set of antennas 234 (shown as 234a to 234v, where v≥1), a MIMO detector 236, a receive processor 238, a data sink 239, a controller / processor 240, a memory 242, a communication unit 244, a scheduler 246, and / or a communication manager 150, etc. In some configurations, one or a combination of antennas 234, modems 232, MIMO detectors 236, receive processors 238, transmit processors 214, and / or TX MIMO processors 216 may be included in the transceiver of network node 110. The transceiver may be under the control of and used by one or more processors (such as controller / processor 240), and in some respects, may perform aspects of the methods, procedures and / or operations described herein in conjunction with processor-readable code stored in memory 242. In some respects, network node 110 may include one or more interfaces, communication components and / or other components that facilitate communication with UE 120 or another network node.

[0078] The terms “processor,” “controller,” or “controller / processor” can refer to one or more controllers and / or one or more processors. For example, references to “a / the processor,” “a / the controller / processor,” etc. (in the singular) should be understood as referring to a combination of… Figure 2 The processor described refers to any one or more processors, such as a single processor or a combination of multiple different processors. The reference to "one or more processors" should be understood as referring to a combination of... Figure 2 Any one or more processors described herein. For example, one or more processors of network node 110 may include transmit processor 214, TX MIMO processor 216, MIMO detector 236, receive processor 238, and / or controller / processor 240. Similarly, one or more processors of UE 120 may include MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, and / or controller / processor 280.

[0079] In some aspects, a single processor can perform all operations described as being performed by one or more processors. In some aspects, a first set of one or more processors can perform a first operation described as being performed by that one or more processors, and a second set of one or more processors can perform a second operation described as being performed by that one or more processors. The first set of processors and the second set of processors can be the same set of processors or can be different sets of processors. The reference to "one or more memories" should be understood to mean any one or more memories of the corresponding device, such as combined... Figure 2 The memory described. For example, an operation described as being performed by one or more memories can be performed by the same subset of the one or more memories or by different subsets of the one or more memories.

[0080] For downlink communication from network node 110 to UE 120, transmitting processor 214 may receive data (“downlink data”) intended for use by UE 120 (or a set of UEs including UE 120) from data source 212 (such as a data pipeline or data queue). In some examples, transmitting processor 214 may select one or more MCSs for UE 120 based on one or more Channel Quality Indicators (CQIs) received from UE 120. Network node 110 may process the data (e.g., including encoding the data) based on the MCS selected for UE 120 for transmission to UE 120 on the downlink, thereby generating data symbols. Transmitting processor 214 may process system information (e.g., semi-static resource partitioning information (SRPI)) and / or control information (e.g., CQI requests, grants, and / or upper-layer signaling) and provide overhead symbols and / or control symbols. The transmitting processor 214 can generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., cell-specific reference signals (CRS), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), or channel state information (CSI) reference signals (CSI-RS)) and / or synchronization signals (e.g., primary synchronization signal (PSS) or secondary synchronization signal (SSS)).

[0081] The TX MIMO processor 216 can perform spatial processing (e.g., pre-decoding) on ​​data symbols, control symbols, overhead symbols, and / or reference symbols, where applicable, and can provide a set of output symbol streams (e.g., T output symbol streams) to a set of modems 232. For example, each output symbol stream can be provided to a corresponding modulator component (shown as MOD) of modem 232. Each modem 232 can use the corresponding modulator component to process (e.g., modulate) the corresponding output symbol stream (e.g., for Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modem 232 can further use the corresponding modulator component to process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and / or up-convert) the output sample stream to obtain a time-domain downlink signal. Modems 232a to 232t can transmit a set of downlink signals (e.g., T downlink signals) together via a set of corresponding antennas 234.

[0082] Downlink signals may include DCI communication, MAC control element (MAC-CE) communication, RRC communication, downlink reference signals, or another type of downlink communication. Downlink signals may be transmitted on the PDCCH, PDSCH, and / or on another downlink channel. Downlink signals may carry one or more transport blocks (TBs) of data. A TB may be a data unit transmitted via the air interface in the wireless communication network 100. A data stream (e.g., from data source 212) may be encoded into multiple TBs for transmission via the air interface. The number of TBs used to carry data associated with a particular data stream may be associated with a TB size shared by multiple TBs. The TB size may be based on the radio channel conditions of the air interface, the MCS used to encode the data, downlink resources allocated for transmitting data, and / or other parameters, or otherwise associated with them. Generally, a larger TB size allows for a larger amount of data to be transmitted in a single transmission, reducing signaling overhead. However, a larger TB size may be more prone to transmission and / or reception errors than a smaller TB size, but such errors can be mitigated through more robust error correction techniques.

[0083] For uplink communication from UE 120 to network node 110, the uplink signal from UE 120 may be received by antenna 234, processed by modem 232 (e.g., demodulator component of modem 232, shown as DEMOD), detected where applicable by MIMO detector 236 (e.g., receive (Rx) MIMO processor), and / or further processed by receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and / or control information. Receive processor 238 may provide the decoded data to data sink 239 (which may be a data pipeline, data queue, and / or another type of data sink) and provide the decoded control information to processors such as controller / processor 240.

[0084] Network node 110 may use scheduler 246 to schedule one or more UEs 120 for downlink or uplink communication. In some aspects, scheduler 246 may use DCI to dynamically schedule DL transmissions to and / or UL transmissions from UE 120. In some examples, scheduler 246 may allocate repetitive time-domain and / or frequency-domain resources that UE 120 may use to transmit and / or receive communication using RRC configuration (e.g., semi-static configuration), for example, to perform semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) or to configure configuration grant (CG) for UE 120.

[0085] One or more of the following may be included in the RF chain of network node 110: transmit processor 214, TX MIMO processor 216, modem 232, antenna 234, MIMO detector 236, receive processor 238, and / or controller / processor 240. The RF chain may include one or more filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), and / or other devices for converting analog signals (such as those used for transmission or reception via an air interface) to digital signals (such as those used for processing by one or more processors of network node 110). In some aspects, the RF chain may be a transceiver of network node 110, or may be included in such a transceiver.

[0086] In some examples, network node 110 may use communication unit 244 to communicate with the core network and / or other network nodes. Communication unit 244 may support wired and / or wireless communication protocols and / or connections, such as Ethernet, fiber optic, Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI), and / or wired or wireless backhaul, etc. Network node 110 may use communication unit 244 to send and / or receive data associated with UE 120, or to perform network control signaling, etc. Communication unit 244 may include transceivers and / or interfaces, such as network interfaces.

[0087] UE 120 may include a collection of antennas 252 (shown as antennas 252a to 252r, where r ≥ 1), a collection of modems 254 (shown as modems 254a to 254u, where u ≥ 1), a MIMO detector 256, a receive processor 258, a data sink 260, a data source 262, a transmit processor 264, a TX MIMO processor 266, a controller / processor 280, a memory 282, and / or a communication manager 140, etc. One or more components of UE 120 may be included in housing 284. In some aspects, one or a combination of antenna 252, modem 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, or TX MIMO processor 266 may be included in a transceiver included in UE 120. The transceiver may be under the control of and used by one or more processors (such as controller / processor 280), and in some respects, may perform aspects of the methods, procedures, or operations described herein in conjunction with processor-readable code stored in memory 282. In some respects, UE 120 may include another interface, another communication component, and / or another component that facilitates communication with network node 110 and / or another UE 120.

[0088] For downlink communication from network node 110 to UE 120, the set of antennas 252 can receive downlink communication or signals from network node 110 and can provide a set of received downlink signals (e.g., R received signals) to a set of modems 254. For example, each received signal can be provided to a corresponding demodulator component (shown as DEMOD) of modem 254. Each modem 254 can use the corresponding demodulator component to condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and / or digitize) the received signal to obtain an input sample. Each modem 254 can use the corresponding demodulator component to further demodulate or process the input sample (e.g., for OFDM) to obtain a received symbol. MIMO detector 256 can obtain the received symbols from the set of modems 254, can perform MIMO detection on the received symbols where applicable, and can provide the detected symbols. The receiver processor 258 can process (e.g., decode) the detected symbols, provide the decoded data for the UE 120 to the data sink 260 (which may include a data pipeline, a data queue, and / or an application running on the UE 120), and provide the decoded control information and system information to the controller / processor 280.

[0089] For uplink communication from UE 120 to network node 110, the transmitting processor 264 may receive and process data (“uplink data”) from data source 262 (such as data pipelines, data queues, and / or applications running on UE 120) and control information from controller / processor 280. The control information may include one or more parameters, feedback, one or more signal measurements, and / or other types of control information. In some aspects, the receiving processor 258 and / or controller / processor 280 may determine one or more parameters related to the transmission of uplink communication for received signals (such as those received from network node 110 or another UE). One or more parameters may include a Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) parameter, a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) parameter, a Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) parameter, a Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) parameter, or a Transmit Power Control (TPC) parameter, etc. The control information may include indications of RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, CQI, TPC, and / or another parameter. Control information can facilitate parameter selection and / or scheduling for UE 120 by network node 110.

[0090] Transmitter 264 can generate reference symbols for one or more reference signals, such as uplink DMRS, uplink SRS, and / or another type of reference signal. Symbols from transmitter 264 may be pre-decoded by TX MIMO processor 266, where applicable, and further processed by an assembly of modems 254 (e.g., for DFT-s-OFDM or CP-OFDM). TX MIMO processor 266 may (where applicable) perform spatial processing (e.g., pre-decoding) on ​​data symbols, control symbols, overhead symbols, and / or reference symbols, and may provide an assembly of output symbol streams (e.g., U output symbol streams) to the assembly of modems 254. For example, each output symbol stream may be provided to a corresponding modulator component (shown as MOD) of modem 254. Each modem 254 may use the corresponding modulator component to process (e.g., modulate) the corresponding output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modem 254 may further use a corresponding modulator component to process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and / or upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain an uplink signal.

[0091] Modems 254a to 254u can transmit a set of uplink signals (e.g., R uplink signals or U uplink symbols) via a set of corresponding antennas 252. Uplink signals may include UCI communication, MAC-CE communication, RRC communication, or another type of uplink communication. Uplink signals can be transmitted on PUSCH, PUCCH, and / or another type of uplink channel. Uplink signals can carry one or more TBs of data. Sidelink data and control transmission (i.e., transmission directly between two or more UEs 120) typically uses techniques similar to those described for uplink data and control transmission and may use sidelink-specific channels such as the Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), and / or Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH).

[0092] One or more antennas in the set of antennas 252 or the set of antennas 234 may include one or more antenna panels, one or more antenna groups, one or more sets of antenna elements, or one or more antenna arrays, etc., or may be included in one or more antenna panels, one or more antenna groups, one or more sets of antenna elements, or one or more antenna arrays, etc. Antenna panels, antenna groups, sets of antenna elements, or antenna arrays may include one or more antenna elements (within a single housing or multiple housings), a set of coplanar antenna elements, a set of non-coplanar antenna elements, or with one or more transmitting or receiving components (such as...) Figure 2An antenna module is a combination of one or more antenna elements coupled to one or more components. As used herein, "antenna" can mean one or more antennas, one or more antenna panels, one or more antenna groups, one or more collections of antenna elements, or one or more antenna arrays. "Antenna panel" can mean a group of antennas (such as antenna elements) arranged in an array or panel that can facilitate beamforming by manipulating the parameters of that group of antennas. "Antenna module" can mean a circuit that includes one or more antennas, and may also include one or more other components (such as filters, amplifiers, or processors) associated with integrating the antenna module into a wireless communication device.

[0093] In some examples, each antenna element of antenna 234 or antenna 252 may include one or more sub-elements for radiating or receiving radio frequency signals. For example, a single antenna element may include a first sub-element cross-polarized with a second sub-element, which can be used to independently transmit cross-polarized signals. Antenna elements may include patch antennas, dipole antennas, and / or other types of antennas arranged in a linear pattern, a two-dimensional pattern, or another pattern. The spacing between antenna elements can allow signals with a desired wavelength transmitted individually by the antenna elements to interact or interfere (e.g., to form a desired beam) in various directions. For example, given a desired wavelength or frequency range, the spacing may provide a quarter wavelength, half a wavelength, or another fraction of the wavelength between adjacent antenna elements to allow desired constructive and destructive interference modes of signals transmitted by individual antenna elements within that desired range.

[0094] The amplitude and / or phase of signals transmitted via antenna elements and / or sub-elements can be modulated and (e.g., by manipulating phase shifts, phase offsets, and / or amplitudes) shifted relative to each other to generate one or more beams; this is known as beamforming. The term "beam" can refer to the directional transmission of a wireless signal toward a receiving device or otherwise in a desired direction. "Beam" can also generally refer to the direction associated with such directional signal transmission, the set of directional resources associated with the signal transmission (e.g., angle of arrival, horizontal direction, and / or vertical direction), and / or a set of parameters indicating one or more aspects of the directional signal, the direction associated with the signal, and / or the set of directional resources associated with the signal. In some implementations, antenna elements can be individually selected or deselected for the directional transmission of a signal (or multiple signals) by controlling the amplitude of one or more corresponding amplifiers and / or the phase of the signal to form one or more beams. The shape of the beam (such as amplitude, width, and / or the presence of sidelobes) and / or the direction of the beam (such as the angle of the beam relative to the surface of the antenna array) can be dynamically controlled by modifying the phase shifts, phase offsets, and / or amplitudes of multiple signals relative to each other.

[0095] Different UEs 120 or network nodes 110 may include different numbers of antenna elements. For example, UE 120 may include a single antenna element, two antenna elements, four antenna elements, eight antenna elements, or different numbers of antenna elements. As another example, network node 110 may include eight antenna elements, 24 antenna elements, 64 antenna elements, 128 antenna elements, or different numbers of antenna elements. Generally speaking, a larger number of antenna elements provides increased control over the parameters used for beamforming compared to a smaller number of antenna elements, while a smaller number of antenna elements may be less complex to implement and can use less power. Multiple antenna elements can support multi-layer transmission, in which the same time and frequency resources are used to utilize spatial multiplexing to transmit a first layer of communication (which may include a first data stream) and a second layer of communication (which may include a second data stream).

[0096] Figure 3 This is an illustration of an example decomposed base station architecture 300 according to the present disclosure. One or more components of the example decomposed base station architecture 300 may be, may include, or may be included in one or more network nodes (such as one or more network nodes 110). The decomposed base station architecture 300 may include a CU 310, which may communicate directly with the core network 320 via a backhaul link, or may communicate indirectly with the core network 320 via one or more decomposed control units (such as non-RT RIC 350 and / or near-RT RIC 370 associated with a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) framework 360 (e.g., via an E2 link)). The CU 310 may communicate with one or more DU 330s via a corresponding midhaul link (such as via an F1 interface). Each DU 330 may communicate with one or more RU 340s via a corresponding fronthaul link. Each RU 340 may communicate with one or more UE 120s via a corresponding RF access link. In some deployments, a UE 120 may be served simultaneously by multiple RU 340s.

[0097] Each component in the decomposed base station architecture 300 (including CU 310, DU 330, RU 340, near-RT RIC 370, non-RT RIC 350, and SMO frame 360) may include one or more interfaces or be coupled to one or more interfaces for receiving or transmitting signals, such as data or information, via wired or wireless transmission media.

[0098] In some respects, the CU 310 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, the CU-UP units can communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP units via an interface such as an E1 interface. The CU 310 can be deployed to communicate with one or more DU 330s for network control and signaling, as needed. Each DU 330 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RU 340s. For example, the DU 330 may host various layers, such as the RLC layer, MAC layer, or one or more PHY layers (such as one or more high PHY layers or one or more low PHY layers). Each layer (which may also be referred to as a module) can be implemented using an interface for signaling to other layers (and modules) hosted by the DU 330, or for signaling to control functions hosted by the CU 310. Each RU 340 may implement lower-layer functionality. In some respects, the real-time and non-real-time aspects of communication with the control plane and user plane of the RU 340 can be controlled by the corresponding DU 330.

[0099] The SMO framework 360 supports RAN deployment and provisioning for both non-virtualized and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 360 supports 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, the SMO framework 360 can interact with cloud computing platforms such as the Open Cloud (O-Cloud) platform 390 to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via cloud computing platform interfaces such as the O2 interface. Virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, CU 310, DU 330, RU 340, non-RT RIC 350, and / or near-RT RIC 370. In some aspects, the SMO framework 360 can communicate with hardware aspects of the 4G RAN, 5G NR RAN, and / or 6G RAN (such as the Open eNB (O-eNB) 380) via the O1 interface. Additionally or alternatively, the SMO framework 360 can communicate directly with each of one or more RUs 340 via the corresponding O1 interface. In some deployments, this configuration enables each DU 330 and CU 310 to be implemented in a cloud-based RAN architecture, such as a vRAN architecture.

[0100] The non-RT RIC 350 may include or implement logical functions that enable non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, including artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows for model training and updates, and / or policy-based guidance of applications and / or features in the near-RT RIC 370. The non-RT RIC 350 may be coupled to or communicate with the near-RT RIC 370, such as via an A1 interface. The near-RT RIC 370 may include or implement logical functions that enable near real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via an interface, such as an E2 interface, through data collection and actions, connecting one or more CU 310s, one or more DU 330s, and / or O-eNBs to the near-RT RIC 370.

[0101] In some aspects, to generate AI / ML models to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 370, the non-RT RIC 350 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. This information can be utilized by the near-RT RIC 370 and can be received from non-network data sources or network functions at the SMO framework 360 or the non-RT RIC 350. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 350 or near-RT RIC 370 may modulate RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 350 may monitor long-term trends and patterns in performance and may employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions via the SMO framework 360 (such as reconfiguration via the O1 interface) or via the creation of RAN management policies (such as A1 interface policies).

[0102] Figure 1 , Figure 2 or Figure 3 Network node 110, its controller / processor 240, UE 120, UE 120's controller / processor 280, CU 310, DU 330, RU 340, or any other component may implement one or more technologies associated with changing SnMF in connection with UE handover or perform one or more operations associated therewith, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. For example, network node 110's controller / processor 240, UE 120's controller / processor 280, CU 310, DU 330, RU 340, or any other component may implement one or more technologies associated with changing SnMF in connection with UE handover or perform one or more operations associated therewith, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. Figure 2 Any other component, CU 310, DU 330, or RU 340 may (alone or in combination with one or more other processors) perform or direct, for example... Figure 11 Process 1100 Figure 12 Process 1200 Figure 13The operation of process 1300 or other processes as described herein. Memory 242 may store data and program code for network node 110, CU 310, DU 330, or RU 340. Memory 282 may store data and program code for UE 120. In some examples, memory 242 or memory 282 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instruction sets (e.g., code or program code) for wireless communication. Memory 242 may include one or more memories, such as a single memory or multiple different memories (of the same or different types). Memory 282 may include one or more memories, such as a single memory or multiple different memories (of the same or different types). For example, the instruction set may be made to be executed by one or more processors of network node 110, UE 120, CU 310, DU 330, or RU 340 (e.g., directly, or after compilation, transformation, or interpretation). Figure 11 Process 1100 Figure 12 Process 1200 Figure 13 The process 1300 or other processes as described herein. In some examples, the execution instructions may include run instructions, transform instructions, compile instructions, and / or interpret instructions, etc.

[0103] In some aspects, the first network node (e.g., network node 110) includes: components for receiving a first message from the SU, the first message including a first SU association request associated with the handover of the SU from a first SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node; and / or components for sending a second message to the SU, the second message indicating SU association acceptance and a first routing ID associated with the second SnMF node.

[0104] In some aspects, the first network node (e.g., network node 110) includes: components for receiving an indication of a first SU association request associated with a handover of the SU from a first sensing SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node; and / or components for sending an indication of acceptance of the SU association and a first routing ID associated with the second SnMF node.

[0105] In some aspects, the first network node (e.g., network node 110) includes: components for receiving an indication of a first SU association request; and / or components for sending an indication of SU association rejection associated with a transfer of the SU from a first SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node, the first network node includes the first SnMF, and the indication of SU association rejection includes a first routing ID associated with the second SnMF node. Components for enabling the first network node to perform the operations described herein may include one or more of the following: a communication manager 150, a transmit processor 214, a TX MIMO processor 216, a modem 232, an antenna 234, a MIMO detector 236, a receive processor 238, a controller / processor 240, a memory 242, or a scheduler 246.

[0106] Figure 4A and Figure 4B This is a diagram illustrating an example of RF sensing according to this disclosure. Wireless communication signals (e.g., RF signals configured to carry OFDM symbols) transmitted between UE 120 and network node 110 can be reused for RF sensing. RF sensing using wireless communication signals can be considered as consumer-grade radar with advanced detection capabilities, enabling contactless / device-free interaction with devices / systems. "RF sensing" can be radar operation performed by wireless communication devices (such as UEs, network entities, or other devices, such as wireless local area network (WLAN) access points) using wireless communication signals.

[0107] RF sensing can also be referred to as environmental sensing, radar sensing, WLAN sensing, Wi-Fi sensing, and / or wireless sensing, etc. The wireless communication signal used to perform RF sensing can be a cellular communication signal (e.g., LTE signal, NR signal, and / or 6G signal) or a WLAN signal (e.g., a Wi-Fi signal), etc. For example, the wireless communication signal can be an OFDM waveform used in a wireless communication network 100. Using high-frequency communication signals (such as millimeter-wave signals) as RF sensing signals can be advantageous because higher frequencies provide more accurate range (e.g., distance) detection and / or motion detection. As another example, WLAN signals (e.g., WLAN or Wi-Fi signals originally used for wireless communication) can be used to perform RF sensing (e.g., to save power compared to using signals in a higher frequency range). In such examples, RF sensing can be referred to as WLAN sensing or Wi-Fi sensing.

[0108] RF sensing can be performed using various frequency bands or ranges, such as millimeter wave bands or sub-6 GHz bands. In some examples, wireless communication devices performing RF sensing may sequentially use different frequencies (e.g., first using sub-6 GHz frequencies, then using millimeter wave frequencies) to change resolution (e.g., from coarse to fine), change detection range (e.g., from large to small), and / or change power consumption (e.g., from low to high), etc.

[0109] like Figure 4A and Figure 4B As shown, one or more SUs can detect and / or monitor target objects by sending and / or measuring wireless communication signals. Figure 4A An example of a single-station sensing 400 is depicted. For example, one or more SUs may be included in a wireless communication system 410, such as a wireless communication network 100. A sensing transmitter 415 and a sensing receiver 420 may transmit RF signals (e.g., wireless communication signals) to perform RF sensing. In some examples, the sensing transmitter 415 and the sensing receiver 420 may be co-located, such as within a single SU (e.g., as in...). Figure 4A (As depicted). An example of a sensor transmitter 415 and a sensor receiver 420 being co-located can be referred to as "single-station sensing". Figure 4B An example of a dual-site sensing 405 is depicted. For example, the sensing transmitter 415 and the sensing receiver 420 may not be co-located (e.g., as shown in the image). Figure 4B (As depicted). For example, the sensing transmitter 415 and the sensing receiver 420 may be included in a separate device, such as in a separate unit. An example where the sensing transmitter 415 and the sensing receiver 420 are not co-located (e.g., included in different entities) may be referred to as "dual-station sensing". In some examples, RF sensing may be associated with obtaining sensor data indicative of the characteristics of a target object 425. In other examples, RF sensing operation may include multiple sensing transmitters 415 and / or multiple sensing receivers 420 (e.g., referred to as "multi-station sensing").

[0110] like Figure 4A and Figure 4BAs shown, the sensing transmitter 415 can transmit one or more signals 430. These signals 430 can be RF signals, wireless communication signals, OFDM signals, and / or sensing reference signals, etc. These signals can be reflected from the target object 425, resulting in a reflection 435 of the signal 430. The reflection 435 can be a reflection of the signal 430, a refraction of the signal 430, a diffraction of the signal 430, and / or a deflected version of the signal 430, etc. The sensing receiver 420 can receive and / or detect the reflection 435. The sensing receiver 420 can perform one or more measurements on the reflection 435 to obtain sensing data 440. The sensing data 440 can include information indicating one or more characteristics of the target object 425. For example, the sensing data 440 can include signal strength (e.g., RSRP), received raw signal sample, channel delay profile, one or more Doppler measurements (e.g., Doppler per channel tap), CSI, CQI, delay measurement, and / or angle of arrival (AoA) (e.g., AoA per channel tap), etc.

[0111] like Figure 4A and Figure 4B As shown, sensing data 440 can be used to perform sensing processing 445 to obtain sensing result 450. In some examples, a SU (e.g., a SU including sensing receiver 420) can perform sensing processing 445. In such examples, the SU can send sensing result 450 to network node 110. In other examples, another device (such as network node 110) can perform sensing processing 445. In such examples, the SU (e.g., a SU including sensing receiver 420) can send sensing data 440, and network node 110 can receive the sensing data. Sensing result 450 may include information about one or more characteristics of target object 425. For example, sensing result 450 may include location information, velocity information, sensing resolution, object detection information, and / or other information determined using sensing data 440. Sensing result 450 may be provided to sensing service 455 of wireless communication system 410. Sensing service 455 may include one or more core network nodes or entities, such as one or more network nodes 170. For example, sensing service 455 may include SnMF entities, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. Sensing service 455 may provide sensing result 460 to client device 465. Sensing result 460 may be sensing result 450 or may be based on sensing result 450. Client device 465 may be a server device or an application running on the device. For example, client device 465 may provide a sensing request to sensing service 455. Sensing service 455 may configure, manage and / or otherwise maintain sensing operations (e.g., in a manner similar to that described herein) to fulfill the sensing request.

[0112] Possible use cases for RF sensing include health monitoring (such as heart rate detection and / or respiratory rate monitoring), gesture recognition (such as human activity recognition, keystroke detection and / or sign language recognition), contextual information acquisition (such as location detection / tracking, direction finding and / or range estimation), and / or automotive radar (such as intelligent cruise control and / or collision avoidance), etc.

[0113] Similar to conventional radar (e.g., frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar), signal 430 can be used to estimate the range (e.g., range), velocity (e.g., Doppler spread), and / or angle (e.g., AoA) of target object 425. Unlike conventional radar, RF sensing can utilize a PHY layer for both RF sensing measurements and wireless communication. Signal 430 can be transmitted within a beam (e.g., using beamforming) and can be reflected from nearby objects within the beam. A portion of the transmitted RF signal is reflected back to the sensing receiver 420; this is reflection 435 (e.g., via reflection of the transmitted signal).

[0114] In some examples, OFDM waveforms can be used for both wireless communication (e.g., via wireless networks) and RF sensing. To use an OFDM waveform as a signal for RF sensing, a specific reference signal, referred to herein as a sensing reference signal, may be required. RF sensing performance (e.g., resolution and maximum values ​​of range, velocity, and / or angle) may depend on the design of the sensing reference signal. For example, for gesture recognition use cases, coarse range / velocity estimation may be sufficient for RF sensing. That is, it may be sufficient for the wireless communication device to detect movement patterns relative to the current position of a target object 425 (e.g., a user's hand or head). In such examples, a low-density (e.g., sparse) sensing reference signal with short wavelengths and narrow bandwidth may be sufficient to provide the necessary range and velocity resolution. For vibration detection use cases, such as respiratory monitoring, accurate Doppler estimation may be important, while accurate range estimation may be less important. In such examples, a high-density sensing reference signal with a long duration in the time domain may be beneficial. For position detection use cases, such as object detection, accurate range estimation may be important, while accurate Doppler estimation may be less important. In such examples, a high-density broadband sensing reference signal in the frequency domain may be beneficial. Therefore, network entities can configure one or more sensing reference signals to improve RF sensing performance, depending on the use case of RF sensing. In some examples, the sensing reference signal can be a sounding reference signal (SRS), a wireless communication reference signal, or a WLAN signal, etc.

[0115] Figure 5This is an example of a core network 500 configured to provide sensing services according to this disclosure. The core network 500 enables communication via a data network 505 and a RAN 510. The core network 500 can be a 5G core network, a 6G core network, a next-generation (NG) core network, or another type of core network. The RAN 510 can be a wireless communication network 100. The data network 505 can include one or more wired and / or wireless data networks. For example, the data network 505 can include an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), a Private Network (e.g., an enterprise intranet), an Ad Hoc Network, the Internet, a fiber-optic-based network, a cloud computing network, a third-party service network, an operator service network, and / or combinations of these or other types of networks.

[0116] The core network 500 may include an example functional architecture in which the systems and methods described herein can be implemented. For example... Figure 5As shown, core network 500 may include one or more functional elements (e.g., one or more functions or entities) configured to provide sensing services 515 (e.g., RF sensing services or ISAC services). For example, core network 505 may include SnMF entity 520. SnMF entity 520 may be configured to perform SU discovery, SU configuration, collection of sensing data from one or more SUs, processing of sensing data and / or exposure of sensing results, etc. Core network 500 may include one or more sensing repositories (SRs) 525. SR 525 may be a repository configured to store information about one or more SUs (such as SU location and / or SU capabilities, etc.). In some examples, the one or more SRs 525 may include a UE sensing repository configured to store information about UEs capable of operating as SUs (e.g., UEs configured to operate in RAN 510). Additionally, the one or more SRs 525 may include a TRP sensing repository configured to store information about TRPs and / or network nodes capable of operating as SUs (e.g., TRPs and / or network nodes configured to operate in RAN 510). In some examples, SR 525 may include information about both the UE and TRP capable of functioning as a SU. In some examples, the one or more SRs 525 may be a dedicated service within SnMF 520. In other examples, the one or more SRs 525 may be part of another network function, such as AMF or Mobility Services or Network Repository Function (NRF) 545. In other examples, SR 525 may be a standalone network function. Core network 500 may include sensor data function 530. Sensor data function 530 may be configured to perform processing of sensor data (e.g., collected via one or more SUs in RAN 510) to produce sensing results, as described in more detail elsewhere herein.

[0117] Core network 500 may include one or more RF sensors 535 configured to acquire sensor data. These one or more RF sensors 535 may include cameras, LiDAR sensors, radar sensors, sonar sensors, and / or Wi-Fi sensors, etc. These one or more RF sensors 535 may be referred to as non-3GPP sensors. Core network 500 may include a service discovery function 540. Service discovery function 540 may be configured to store information about one or more services supported by core network 500 and / or RAN 510. In some examples, service discovery function 540 may be configured to provide indications of the one or more services supported by core network 500 (e.g., to one or more devices in RAN 510, such as one or more network nodes 110), such as the sensing services described herein. For example, service discovery function 540 may include one or more devices that support the exposure of capabilities and / or events in a wireless telecommunications system to help other entities in the wireless telecommunications system discover network services. Service discovery function 540 may also be referred to as a Network Open Function (NEF).

[0118] The core network 500 may include an NRF 545. The NRF 545 may be configured as a centralized repository for one or more network functions supported by the core network 500 and / or RAN 510. For example, other functional elements of the core network 500 may access the NRF 545 to obtain information about the functions or services provided by the core network 500, such as the sensing services described herein. The core network 500 may include a topology entity 550. The topology entity 550 may be configured to store and / or manage information about network topology (such as the topology of RAN 510). The core network 500 may include a capability entity 555. The capability entity 555 may store information indicating the capabilities of a corresponding node or device (e.g., in RAN 510). The core network 500 may include a Network Data Analysis Function (NWDAF) 560. The NWDAF 560 may include one or more devices that collect information associated with UE 120, SU, and / or RAN 510. The NWDAF 560 may perform analyses based on the collected information. Different parts of the core network 500 can subscribe to receive analytics updates from the NWDAF 560. In some examples, the sensor data function 530 may be a component of the NWDAF 560. The core network 500 may include a data function entity 565. The data function entity 565 may be configured to determine, acquire, and / or provide data for the RAN 510.

[0119] The core network 500 may include Figure 5Other functional elements not described herein include Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF), Network Open Function (NEF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Unified Data Management (UDM) component, Policy Control Function (PCF), Application Function (AF), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Mobility Service, Session Management Function (SMF), and / or User Plane Function (UPF), etc. Figure 5 As shown, the functional elements of the core network 500 can communicate via a message bus 570. The message bus 570 can be a logical communication structure and / or a physical communication structure for communication between functional elements. Therefore, the message bus 570 can allow communication between two or more functional elements, whether logically (e.g., using one or more application programming interfaces (APIs) and / or physically (e.g., using one or more wired and / or wireless connections).

[0120] Figure 6 This is an example of a control plane architecture 600 for sensing services according to this disclosure. For example... Figure 6 As shown, the control plane architecture 600 may include a client device 605. The client device 605 may be a location service (LCS) client or a sensing service client. The client device 605 can provide sensing requests associated with the sensing service.

[0121] Control plane architecture 600 may include sensing gateway 610. Sensing gateway 610 may be configured as a gateway between client device 605 and a core network (such as core network 500). Sensing gateway 610 may implement one or more network functions, such as traffic routing, policy enforcement, charging, quality of service (QoS) management, and / or security. For example, sensing gateway 610 may route sensing requests from client device 605 to AMF or mobility service 615 and / or SnMF 620. In other examples, AMF or mobility service 615 may route sensing requests to the appropriate SnMF 620. Sensing gateway 610 and AMF or mobility service 615 may communicate via an interface (shown as an NL2 interface). AMF or mobility service 615 may communicate with one or more SnMFs 620. For example, AMF or mobility service 615 and SnMF 620 may communicate via an interface (such as an NLx interface, e.g., as defined by a wireless communication standard (such as 3GPP) or otherwise fixed). SnMF can be configured to operate as a Trusted Application Service Provider (ASP) entity for the provisioning of non-3GPP-RF sensors (such as... Figure 6 (As shown).

[0122] The control plane architecture 600 may include one or more SRs 625. As described elsewhere herein, the SR 625 may be a logical control function configured to store the identity, location, and / or capabilities of available Units (SUs) within the wireless communication network. The SR 625 may provide indications of available SUs to one or more SnMFs 620 (e.g., expose available SUs). In some examples, the functionality of the SR may be performed by another network function, such as the AMF or Mobility Service 615, NRF (Network RF). Figure 6 (Not shown in the diagram) and / or SnMF 620. The control plane architecture 600 may include UDM 630. UDM 630 may include one or more devices for storing user data and profiles in a wireless telecommunications system. In some respects, UDM 630 may be used for fixed access and / or mobile access, etc., in the core network.

[0123] The control plane architecture may include one or more UEs 120 and / or one or more network nodes 110. As described elsewhere herein, UE 120 may be configured to operate as a SU for sensing services (e.g., configured by SnMF 620, AMF, or Mobility Service 615 and / or network node 110). Additionally, network node 110 may be configured to operate as a SU for sensing services (e.g., an Application Function (AF) SU) (e.g., configured by SnMF 620, AMF, or Mobility Service 615 and / or another network node 110). The control plane architecture may include a NEF 635 communicating with one or more AFs 640. AF 640 may be an RF sensor, such as a camera, LiDAR sensor, radar sensor, sonar sensor, Wi-Fi sensor, or other non-3GPP RF sensor.

[0124] Figure 7 This is an example of a SnMF entity 700 for sensing services according to this disclosure. SnMF entity 700 may include one or more functional components configured to perform sensing service operations as described herein. For example, SnMF entity 700 may be configured to perform SU discovery and / or configuration, sensing data collection, sensing data processing and / or exposure of sensing results, etc. SnMF entity 700 may include a sensing management component 705, a processing component 710, a UE sensing repository 715 and / or a TRP sensing repository 720, etc.

[0125] Sensing management component 705 may be configured to perform one or more operations for SU discovery and / or configuration, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. Processing component 710 may be configured to generate or determine sensing results based on, in response to, or otherwise associated with collected sensor data (e.g., collected from one or more SUs). Processing component 710 may be physically executed at different (distributed) locations depending on the computing architecture of SnMF entity 700. UE sensing repository 715 may store information about one or more UEs configured to function as SUs, such as the UE's identity, UE's location, and / or one or more UE capabilities, etc. TRP repository 720 may store information about one or more TRPs configured to function as SUs, such as the TRP's identity, TRP's location, and / or one or more TRP capabilities, etc. UE sensing repository 715 and / or TRP repository 720 may be dedicated services within SnMF entity 700. Alternatively, UE sensing repository 715 and / or TRP repository 720 may be included in another network function, such as AMF or Mobility Service or NRF. In some examples, SnMF entity 700 may include an SR that stores information about one or more TRPs and one or more UEs configured to function as SUs.

[0126] In some examples, the wireless communication network may be associated with a single SnMF entity 700 for each PLMN. In such examples, the SnMF entity 700 may be configured as a single ingress and egress point for sensing services. In such examples, a single logical SnMF entity 700 may exist that can be implemented via multiple (distributed) SnMF instances. In other examples, multiple SnMF entities 700 may be defined and / or accessible. For example, SnMF entities 700 may be defined for corresponding service areas and / or corresponding service types. For example, a given SnMF entity 700 may be associated with a supported service area (e.g., the geographic area where the SnMF is managing the sensing service), one or more supported service types, one or more supported QoS parameters for each supported service type, and / or one or more other capabilities. In some examples, one or more SnMF functions may be common across multiple SnMF entities 700. For example, multiple SnMF entities 700 may access one or more SRs.

[0127] When a Subscriber Unit (SU) (e.g., a UE or other network node configured as a SU) connects to a serving cell, the SU can be configured to perform sensing tasks, sometimes in conjunction with a Transceiver Programming (TRP). In some cases, the SU may also move from a serving cell (e.g., a source cell) to another cell (e.g., a target cell), which becomes the new serving cell. In some cases, when the SU leaves the source cell, the existing sensing configuration becomes irrelevant, and once connected to the target cell, the SU is configured with a new sensing configuration associated with the target cell, resulting in gaps in the sensing tasks performed by the SU. Furthermore, in some cases, the movement of the SU from the source cell to the target cell may result in a change of service area, thus causing a change from the area associated with a first SnMF network node to the area associated with a second SnMF network node.

[0128] Various aspects typically involve SU handover and associated configuration changes for sensing services. Some aspects more specifically involve changes to the SnMF associated with the handover of a UE configured as a Sensing Unit (SU) for Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) services. In some aspects, as the UE (which may be interchangeably referred to herein as the “SU”) is handed over to a target cell, the target RAN node or mobility service may request a new configuration associated with the target cell from the SnMF. The target SnMF may contact the source SnMF to receive the necessary context to configure the target RAN node and / or the UE. The mobility service may forward the handover request to a selected target RAN node, which may provide a handover instruction to the source SnMF. The source SnMF may provide information to the target RAN node, which may use this information to configure itself and / or the UE to continue sensing operations associated with the target cell provided by the target RAN node. However, if the mobility service cannot route the request to the target SnMF, the SnMF receiving the associated request may reject the request and provide the target SnMF address information in its response. The UE may then initiate another association request associated with the provided target SnMF address.

[0129] In some aspects, Sensing Repository (SR) function network nodes (sometimes referred to as public UE repositories) can be configured to maintain information about sensed UEs. Multiple SnMF network nodes can register at an SR network node. If a UE is entering or leaving a service area associated with a SnMF network node, the SR network node can be configured to notify that SnMF network node. In some aspects, mobility services serving a UE can notify the SR network node when they receive an association request from the UE. For example, the mobility service can route an association request, including an indication of the UE's location, to the SR, which can identify a target SnMF based on the UE's location. The SR can then notify the target SnMF that the UE is entering a service area associated with the target SnMF, thereby associating the UE with the target SnMF. Subsequently, the target SnMF can configure the UE for sensing in the new SnMF's service area. The SR can also notify the source SnMF of changes in the UE's service area.

[0130] In some respects, the area being sensed may change over time. Changes in the area to be sensed may cause changes in the SnMF associated with the sensing service. For example, in some respects, the source SnMF and / or the target SnMF may determine that a new area needs to be sensed, and therefore determine the SnMF that needs to be changed for the service. In some respects, as the sensing area changes, the UEs to be configured for sensing may be changed. For example, in some respects, the source SnMF may determine that a first UE is no longer configured for sensing, and / or determine that a second UE (not previously configured for sensing) is to be configured for sensing.

[0131] In some examples, the described techniques can be used to ensure that handover of a UE from a source cell to a target cell associated with a new SnMF is performed while minimizing disruption to the sensing session. For example, by providing the target SnMF address information to the mobility service when an association request is rejected, the described techniques can be used to facilitate changes in the serving SnMF resulting from the UE handover from the source cell to the target cell, thereby reducing disruption to the sensing service caused by the UE handover. In some aspects, by configuring the SR to maintain information about the sensing UE and the registered SnMF, the described techniques can be used to reduce signaling overhead, processing overhead, and / or latency associated with the target RAN node preparing for the UE handover to the target cell (during which the sensing session will continue). For example, by configuring the SR network node to notify the target SnMF of changes in the serving area, the described techniques can enable the target SnMF to prepare for the UE handover, thereby mitigating disruption to the sensing service caused by UE handover that results in changes to the sensing serving area. In some aspects, by configuring the SnMF network node to determine the new area that needs to be sensed, the described techniques can enable changes in SnMF association and / or UE configuration used for sensing while minimizing disruption to the sensing service.

[0132] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating an example operation 800 of changing the SnMF in connection with the handover of the SU according to this disclosure. In example operation 800, a public sensing repository may not be implemented. Figure 8 As shown, SU 802, RAN node 804, Mobility Service 806, Candidate SnMF 808, Target SnMF 810, Source SnMF 812, and Network Repository Function (NRF) 814 can communicate with each other. SU 802, RAN node 804, Mobility Service 806, Candidate SnMF 808, Target SnMF 810, Source SnMF 812, and NRF 814 can communicate via one or more network interfaces. These one or more network interfaces may include wired connections, wireless connections, and / or logical connections. For example, Mobility Service 806, Candidate SnMF 808, Target SnMF 810, Source SnMF 812, and NRF 814 may be network functions of a core network used for a wireless communication network (such as Wireless Communication Network 100) (e.g., as described in more detail elsewhere herein). In some examples, SU 802 may be, similar to, include, or be included in. Figures 1 to 3 In the UE 120 depicted in the diagram. In some examples, any or more of RAN node 804, mobility service 806, candidate SnMF 808, target SnMF 810, source SnMF 812, and NRF 814 may be, similar to, include, or be included in. Figure 1 and Figure 2 Network node 110 and / or as depicted in Figure 3 In one or more components of the decomposed base station architecture 300 described herein.

[0133] In some examples, candidate SnMF 808, target SnMF 810, and / or source SnMF can be independent network functions. In other examples, one or more of candidate SnMF 808, target SnMF 810, and / or source SnMF can be included in another network function, such as a service discovery function, AMF or mobility service, a gateway (e.g., a sensing gateway), or another network function. In some aspects, candidate SnMF 808, target SnMF 810, and / or source SnMF can be referred to as a gateway or sensing gateway. For example, candidate SnMF 808, target SnMF 810, and / or source SnMF can be a logical function configured to select the SnMF node associated with the sensing request (e.g., configured to select the SnMF node serving the sensing request).

[0134] As SU 802 is transferred to the target cell, the target RAN node (in Figure 8The RAN node 804 (represented as "RAN node") or mobility service 806 may request the necessary configuration from the SnMF associated with the target cell, indicating the sensing session ID and the current serving SnMF (referred to herein as the "source SnMF"). The target SnMF 810 may contact the source SnMF 812 to receive the necessary context to configure RAN node 804 and / or SU 802. In some aspects, this context may also include information needed for the target SnMF 810 to expose the results (e.g., to indicate the need to change the reporting link to a new gateway or SU). If mobility service 806 first requests configuration from candidate SnMF 808 and cannot route the request to candidate SnMF 808, candidate SnMF 808 may reject the request and provide the target SnMF 810 address information in its routing ID in its response. SU 802 may then initiate another association request using the provided target SnMF 810 address.

[0135] In operation 816, SU 802, RAN node 804, and mobility service 806 can perform a UE connection operation to connect SU 802 to the network provided by RAN node 804. In operation 818, SU 802 can send a first message, and mobility service 806 can receive the first message. The first message may include, for example, a Network Access Layer (NAS) message. The first message may include a first SU association request associated with the handover of SU 802 from a first SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area. For example, the first SnMF service area may be associated with a source SnMF 812, and the second SnMF service area may be associated with a candidate SnMF 808 and / or a target SnMF 810. In some aspects, the first message may include, for example, a route ID associated with the source SnMF 812.

[0136] In operation 820, mobility service 806 can verify SU 802, and in operation 822, mobility service 806 can send an indication of the SU association request to candidate SnMF 808 (in Figure 8 (This is shown as "SU Association Request Indication"). Since the candidate SnMF cannot support the SU association request (e.g., due to the configuration of candidate SnMF 808 and / or the location of SnMF 808, etc.), in operation 824, candidate SnMF 808 may send an indication of rejection of SU association (in...). Figure 8 This is indicated as "SU association rejection indication" and the mobility service 806 may receive this indication. The SU association rejection indication may include an indication of the route ID associated with the target SnMF 810.

[0137] In operation 826, mobility service 806 may send a second message, and SU 802 may receive the second message. The second message may indicate an SU association rejection and a route ID associated with the target SnMF 810. In some aspects, the second message may include a NAS message. In operation 828, SU 802 may send a third message, and mobility service 806 may receive the third message. The third message may include an SU association request associated with the target SnMF 810. In some aspects, the third message may indicate a route ID associated with the target SnMF 810. In some aspects, the third message may include a NAS message.

[0138] In operation 830, mobility service 806 may authenticate SU 802, and in operation 832, mobility service 806 may send an indication of an SU association request, which target SnMF 810 may receive. In operation 834, target SnMF 810 may obtain the SU context associated with SU 802 (referred to as "context passing"). In operation 836, target SnMF 810 may send an SU association acceptance indication associated with the SU association request, which mobility service 806 may receive. In operation 838, mobility service 806 may send a fourth message, which SU 802 may receive. The fourth message may indicate SU association acceptance and may include the route ID associated with target SnMF 810.

[0139] In some aspects, in operation 840, the target SnMF 810 can provide an indication of the presence of SU 802, and NRF 814 can receive this indication. For example, the indication of the presence of SU 802 can indicate that SU is associated with the target SnMF 810. In operation 842, NRF 814 can provide acceptance (e.g., acknowledgment) of the indication of the presence of SU 802, and the target SnMF 810 can receive this acceptance. In operation 844, the target SnMF 810 can send a sensing configuration, and SU 802 can receive the sensing configuration. The sensing configuration can configure SU 802 to continue the sensing session in the SnMF service area associated with the target SnMF 810.

[0140] Figure 9 This is a diagram illustrating an example operation 900 of changing the SnMF in connection with the handover of the SU according to this disclosure. In example operation 900, a common sense repository (SR 908) can be implemented. As... Figure 9As shown, SU 902, RAN node 904, mobility service 906, SR 908, source SnMF 910, and target SnMF 912 can communicate with each other. SU 902, RAN node 904, mobility service 906, SR 908, source SnMF 910, and target SnMF 912 can communicate via one or more network interfaces. These one or more network interfaces may include wired connections, wireless connections, and / or logical connections. For example, mobility service 906, SR 908, source SnMF 910, and target SnMF 912 may be network functions of the core network for a wireless communication network (such as wireless communication network 100) (e.g., as described in more detail elsewhere herein). In some examples, SU 902 may be, similar to, include, or be included in. Figures 1 to 3 In the UE 120 depicted in the diagram. In some examples, any or more of RAN node 904, mobility service 906, SR 908, source SnMF 910, and target SnMF 912 may be, similar to, include, or be included in. Figure 1 and Figure 2 Network node 110 and / or as depicted in Figure 3 In one or more components of the decomposed base station architecture 300 described herein.

[0141] In some examples, SR 908, source SnMF 910, and target SnMF 912 may be independent network functions. In other examples, one or more of SR 908, source SnMF 910, and target SnMF 912 may be included in another network function, such as a service discovery function, AMF or mobility service, a gateway (e.g., a sensing gateway), or another network function. In some aspects, SR 908, source SnMF 910, and target SnMF 912 may be referred to as a gateway or a sensing gateway. For example, SR 908, source SnMF 910, and target SnMF 912 may be logical functions configured to select the SnMF node associated with a sensing request (e.g., configured to select the SnMF node serving the sensing request).

[0142] In some respects, the SR 908 can track the SU 902. For example, the SR 908 can maintain a list of active SU 902 and their associated sensing session IDs, SnMF service areas, and / or SnMFs. Figure 9In all aspects described, SR 908 does not change as SU902 moves across SnMF service areas. For example, SR 908 can be used as a repository for multiple SnMFs. Each of these SnMFs can subscribe to SR 908 to be notified of changes related to a set of SU 902s in an associated service area. In this way, for example, if SU 902 moves into or out of a sensing service area associated with a registered SnMF, SR 908 can notify that registered SnMF of the change (e.g., SU 902 has moved into or out of that SnMF service area).

[0143] After the SnMF service area changes, when SU ​​902 connects to the network, SU 902 can provide an SU association request to Mobility Service 906. When Mobility Service 906 receives the SU association request, it can notify SR 908. For example, Mobility Service 906 can route the SU association request to SR 908, thereby providing location information associated with SU 902. This location information may include the geographic location of SU 902 and / or the cell ID associated with the cell to which SU 902 is connected, etc. For example, SU 902 can indicate the SU location information in a message carrying the SU association request. Since target SnMF 912 subscribes to SR 908, SR 908 can notify target SnMF 912 when it receives the SU association request from SU 902. In this way, SU 902 can become associated with target SnMF 912. When SR 908 receives an association request from SU, it can also notify the source SnMF 910, thereby indicating that SU 902 is no longer within the service area of ​​the source SnMF. When the target SnMF 912 is notified that SU 902 has entered the service area associated with the target SnMF 912, the target SnMF 912 can configure SU 902 for sensing.

[0144] If SR 908 cannot accept the association request, in its response to Mobility Service 906, SR 908 may indicate that the request is rejected and provide a route ID corresponding to another suitable SR. This route ID and rejection indication may be forwarded to SU 902, which may use the provided route ID to initiate an SU association request.

[0145] In operation 914, source SnMF 910 and target SnMF 912 may subscribe to SR 908. In operation 916, SU 902 may perform a UE connection operation to connect SU 902 to the network provided by RAN node 904. In operation 918, SU 902 may send a first message, and mobility service 906 may receive the first message. The first message may include, for example, a NAS message. The first message may include a first SU association request associated with the handover of SU 902 from a first SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area. For example, the first SnMF service area may be associated with source SnMF 910, and the second SnMF service area may be associated with target SnMF 912. In some aspects, the first message may include, for example, a route ID associated with source SnMF 910.

[0146] In operation 920, mobility service 906 can verify SU 902, and in operation 922, mobility service 906 can send an instruction to SR 908 regarding the SU association request (in... Figure 9 (This is shown as "SU Association Request Indication"). In operation 924, SR908 may send an SU association acceptance indication associated with the SU association request, and mobility service 906 may receive the SU association acceptance indication. In operation 926, mobility service 906 may send a second message, and SU 902 may receive the second message. The second message may indicate SU association acceptance and may include the route ID associated with target SnMF 912.

[0147] In some respects, during Operation 928, SR 908 and target SnMF 912 can exchange SU association requests and acceptance instructions (in... Figure 9 (This is illustrated as "SU Request / Accept"). For example, SR 908 may provide the target SnMF with the SU ID associated with SU 902. In operation 930, SR 908 and source SnMF 910 may exchange SU association request and acceptance instructions and / or notifications. For example, SR 908 may notify source SnMF 910 that the SU has left the SnMF service area associated with source SnMF 910. In operation 932, target SnMF 912 may send a sensing configuration, and SU 902 may receive the sensing configuration. The sensing configuration may configure SU 902 to continue the sensing session within the SnMF service area associated with target SnMF 912.

[0148] Regardless of how the sensor (SU) moves, the area and target to be tracked may change over time. For example, since different service snMFs (SnMFs) may be responsible for different areas, a new serving snMF may need to be identified when the area changes. Changes in the target or area to be sensed may be known to the source snMF (because the snMF may be processing sensing data for detection); therefore, the snMF may determine that a change is needed. Additionally or alternatively, the SU used for sensing may also change over time as the target or area changes.

[0149] Figure 10 This is a diagram illustrating an example operation 1000 of changing SnMF in connection with changes to the target and / or SnMF service area according to this disclosure. Figure 10 As shown, SU 1002, RAN node 1004, source SnMF 1006, target SnMF 1008, and NRF 1010 can communicate with each other. SU 1002, RAN node 1004, source SnMF 1006, target SnMF 1008, and NRF 1010 can communicate via one or more network interfaces. These one or more network interfaces may include wired connections, wireless connections, and / or logical connections. For example, source SnMF 1006, target SnMF 1008, and NRF 1010 may be network functions of a core network used in a wireless communication network (such as wireless communication network 100) (e.g., as described in more detail elsewhere herein). In some examples, SU 1002 may be, similar to, include, or be included in. Figures 1 to 3 In the UE 120 depicted in the diagram. In some examples, any or more of RAN node 1004, source SnMF 1006, target SnMF 1008, and NRF 1010 may be, similar to, include, or be included in. Figure 1 and Figure 2 Network node 110 and / or as depicted in Figure 3 In one or more components of the decomposed base station architecture 300 described herein.

[0150] In some examples, the source SnMF 1006, target SnMF 1008, and / or NRF 1010 may be independent network functions. In other examples, one or more of the source SnMF 1006, target SnMF 1008, and NRF 1010 may be included in another network function, such as a service discovery function, AMF or mobility service, a gateway (e.g., a sensing gateway), or another network function. In some aspects, the source SnMF 1006, target SnMF 1008, and NRF 1010 may be referred to as a gateway or a sensing gateway. For example, the source SnMF 1006, target SnMF 1008, and NRF 1010 may be a logical function configured to select the SnMF node associated with a sensing request (e.g., configured to select the SnMF node serving the sensing request).

[0151] In some respects, sensing operations can be used to actively track areas and / or targets. The source SnMF 1006 can determine that a different set of SUs is needed due to this change. The source SnMF 1006 can request the identity of new potential SUs serving the new area from the NRF 1010 or from the SR (not shown). The source SnMF 1006 can then unconfigure SUs that are no longer needed and configure new SUs to sense the new area. In another case, the source SnMF 1006 can identify that a target is leaving the SnMF service area associated with the source SnMF 1006. The source SnMF 1006 can then identify the new SnMF (e.g., target SnMF 1008) by querying the NRF 1010 or other service discovery functions, including information about the current sensing request. Once a new SnMF is found, the source SnMF 1006 can request the transfer of context to maintain service continuity. In some respects, this context may include information required for the target SnMF 1008 to expose the results (e.g., the context may indicate that the reporting link needs to be changed to a new gateway or client). After the transmission is complete, certain SUs may be reconfigured with the target SnMF 1008, and the target SnMF 1008 may be configured with additional new SUs to serve the request.

[0152] In operation 1012, SU 1002 and RAN node 1004 may participate in the sensing operation. In operation 1014, source SnMF 1006 may perform target tracking and / or determine the need for a new SU. In operation 1016, source SnMF 1006, target SnMF 1008, and / or NRF 1010 may identify a new SU. In operation 1018, source SnMF may deconfigure an old SU (e.g., an SU no longer used for sensing after a target and / or area change) and / or configure a new SU for sensing. In operation 1020, source SnMF 1006 may perform target tracking and / or determine the need for a new SnMF. In operation 1022, source SnMF 1006, target SnMF 1008, and / or NRF 1010 may identify a new SnMF (e.g., target SnMF 1008). In operation 1024, source SnMF 1006 can pass the SU context to target SnMF 1008. In operation 1026, due to the addition of target SnMF 1008, source SnMF 1006 can provide configuration updates to SU902.

[0153] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating an example process 1100 performed at a device, such as a first network node or a first network node supporting sensing session operation, according to the present disclosure. Example process 1100 is an example of a device or first network node (e.g., first network node 110) performing an operation that modifies SnMF in association with UE handover.

[0154] like Figure 11 As shown, in some aspects, process 1100 may include: receiving a first message from the SU, the first message including a first SU association request associated with a handover of the SU from a first SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node (box 1110). For example, the first network node (such as by using...) Figure 14 The communication manager 1408 or receiving component 1402 depicted herein may receive a first message from the SU, the first message including a first SU association request associated with the handover of the SU from a first SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node, as described above.

[0155] like Figure 11 Further shown, in some aspects, process 1100 may include: sending a second message to the SU, the second message indicating that the SU is associated with an acceptance and a first routing ID associated with the second SnMF node (box 1120). For example, the first network node (such as by using...) Figure 14 The communication manager 1408 or sending component 1404 depicted in the text can send a second message to the SU, which indicates that the SU is associated with the first route ID and the second SnMF node, as described above.

[0156] Process 1100 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described in one or more other processes described below or in conjunction with other parts of this document.

[0157] In a first additional aspect, process 1100 includes: sending an indication of a first SU association request to a second SnMF node, and receiving an indication of acceptance of the SU association from the SnMF node.

[0158] In a second additional aspect, either alone or in combination with the first aspect, process 1100 includes: receiving a third message including a second SU association request indicating a second route ID associated with a third SnMF node; sending an indication of the second SU association request to the third SnMF node; receiving from the third SnMF node an indication of SU association rejection and an indication of the first route ID; and sending a fourth message to the SU, wherein the fourth message indicates SU association rejection.

[0159] In a third additional aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, process 1100 includes: sending an instruction for a first SU association request to a first sensory repository (SR) node, and receiving an instruction for acceptance of the SU association from the first SR.

[0160] In the fourth additional aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to third aspects, the first SU association request includes location information associated with the SU.

[0161] In the fifth additional aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fourth aspects, the location information indicates at least one of the following: the geographic location of the SU, or the cell ID associated with the cell to which the SU is connected.

[0162] In a sixth additional aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fifth aspects, process 1100 includes: receiving a third message including a second SU association request; sending an indication of the second SU association request to a second SR node; receiving an SR rejection indication and an indication of a route ID associated with a first SR node from the second SR node; and sending a fourth message to the SU, wherein the fourth message includes the SR rejection indication and the route ID associated with the first SR node, and wherein receiving the first message includes receiving the first message in association with the SR rejection indication.

[0163] although Figure 11 An example box for process 1100 is shown, but in some respects, it differs from... Figure 11 Compared to the boxes depicted, process 1100 may include additional boxes, fewer boxes, different boxes, or boxes arranged in a different manner. Additionally or alternatively, two or more boxes in process 1100 may be executed in parallel.

[0164] Figure 12 This is a flowchart illustrating an example process 1200 performed at a device, such as a first network node or a first network node supporting sensing session operation, according to the present disclosure. Example process 1200 is an example of a device or first network node (e.g., first network node 110) performing an operation to change the SnMF in connection with UE handover.

[0165] like Figure 12 As shown, in some aspects, process 1200 may include: receiving an indication of a first SU association request associated with a transfer of the SU from a first SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node (block 1210). For example, the first network node (such as by using...) Figure 14 The communication manager 1408 or receiving component 1402 depicted herein may receive an indication of a first SU association request associated with the transfer of the SU from a first sensing SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node, as described above.

[0166] like Figure 12 Further shown, in some aspects, process 1200 may include: sending an indication of acceptance of the SU association and a first routing ID associated with the second SnMF node (box 1220). For example, the first network node (such as by using...) Figure 14 The communication manager 1408 or transmitting component 1404 depicted in the text can send an indication of acceptance of the SU association and a first route ID associated with the second SnMF node, as described above.

[0167] Process 1200 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described in one or more other processes described below or in conjunction with other parts of this document.

[0168] In the first additional aspect, the first network node includes the second SnMF node.

[0169] In a second additional aspect, either alone or in combination with the first aspect, process 1200 includes: receiving SU context information from the first SnMF node.

[0170] In the third additional aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, the first network node includes the SR node.

[0171] In a fourth additional aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to third aspects, process 1200 includes: receiving first subscription information from a first SnMF node and receiving second subscription information from a second SnMF node.

[0172] In a fifth additional aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fourth aspects, process 1200 includes: sending an indication of a first SU association request to a second SnMF node, and receiving an SU association acceptance from the second SnMF node.

[0173] In the sixth additional aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fifth aspects, process 1200 includes: sending an indication to the first SnMF node that the SU is no longer located within the first SnMF service area.

[0174] In the seventh additional aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to sixth aspects, the first SU association request includes location information associated with the SU.

[0175] In the eighth additional aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to seventh aspects, the location information indicates at least one of the following: the geographic location of the SU, or the cell ID associated with the cell to which the SU is connected.

[0176] although Figure 12 An example box for process 1200 is shown, but in some respects, it differs from... Figure 12 Compared to the boxes depicted, process 1200 may include additional boxes, fewer boxes, different boxes, or boxes arranged in a different manner. Additionally or alternatively, two or more boxes in process 1200 may be executed in parallel.

[0177] Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating an example process 1300 performed at a device, such as a first network node or a first network node supporting sensing session operation, according to the present disclosure. Example process 1300 is an example of a device or first network node (e.g., first network node 110) performing an operation to change SnMF in association with UE handover.

[0178] like Figure 13As shown, in some aspects, process 1300 may include receiving an indication of a first SU association request (block 1310). For example, the first network node (e.g., by using...) Figure 14 The communication manager 1408 or receiving component 1402 depicted herein may receive an indication of a first SU association request, as described above.

[0179] like Figure 13 Further shown, in some aspects, process 1300 may include: sending an indication of SU association rejection associated with a handover of the SU from a first SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node, the first network node including the first SnMF, wherein the indication of SU association rejection includes a first routing ID associated with the second SnMF node (box 1320). For example, the first network node (such as by using...) Figure 14 The communication manager 1408 or transmitting component 1404 depicted herein can transmit an indication of rejection of SU association associated with a handover of SU from a first SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node, the first network node includes the first SnMF, and the indication of rejection of SU association includes a first routing ID associated with the second SnMF node, as described above.

[0180] Process 1300 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described in one or more other processes described below or in conjunction with other parts of this document.

[0181] In the first additional aspect, process 1300 includes sending SU context information to the second SnMF node.

[0182] although Figure 13 An example box for process 1300 is shown, but in some respects, it differs from... Figure 13 Compared to the boxes depicted, process 1300 may include additional boxes, fewer boxes, different boxes, or boxes arranged in a different manner. Additionally or alternatively, two or more boxes in process 1300 may be executed in parallel.

[0183] Figure 14This is a diagram illustrating an example apparatus 1400 for wireless communication that supports changes to SnMF in association with UE handover according to this disclosure. Apparatus 1400 may be a first network node, or a first network node may include apparatus 1400. In some aspects, apparatus 1400 includes a receiving component 1402, a transmitting component 1404, and a communication manager 1408 that can communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses). As shown, apparatus 1400 can use the receiving component 1402 and the transmitting component 1404 to communicate with another apparatus 1406 (such as a UE, a network node, or another wireless communication device).

[0184] In some respects, device 1400 may be configured and / or capable of operating to perform the functions described herein. Figures 8 to 10 One or more operations described herein. Additionally or alternatively, the device 1400 may be configured and / or capable of operating to perform one or more processes described herein, such as Figure 11 Process 1100 Figure 12 Process 1200 and / or Figure 13 The process 1300. In some aspects, the apparatus 1400 may include the above-described combination. Figure 2 One or more components of the first network node described.

[0185] Receiver 1402 may receive communications, such as reference signals, control information, and / or data communications, from device 1406. Receiver 1402 may provide the received communications to one or more other components of device 1400, such as communication manager 1408. In some aspects, receiver 1402 may perform signal processing on the received communications (such as filtering, amplification, demodulation, analog-to-digital conversion, demultiplexing, deinterleaving, demapping, equalization, interference cancellation, or decoding, etc.) and may provide the processed signals to one or more other components. In some aspects, receiver 1402 may include the combinations described above. Figure 2 The first network node described includes one or more antennas, one or more modems, one or more demodulators, one or more MIMO detectors, one or more receiver processors, one or more controllers / processors, and / or one or more memories.

[0186] Transmitting component 1404 can transmit communications, such as reference signals, control information, and / or data communications, to device 1406. In some aspects, communication manager 1408 can generate communications and send the generated communications to transmitting component 1404 for transmission to device 1406. In some aspects, transmitting component 1404 can perform signal processing (such as filtering, amplification, modulation, digital-to-analog conversion, multiplexing, interleaving, mapping, or encoding, etc.) on the generated communications and can transmit the processed signals to device 1406. In some aspects, transmitting component 1404 may include the above-described combinations. Figure 2 The described first network node includes one or more antennas, one or more modems, one or more modulators, one or more transmit MIMO processors, one or more transmit processors, one or more controllers / processors, and / or one or more memories. In some aspects, the transmit component 1404 may co-located with the receive component 1402 in one or more transceivers. In some aspects, the communication manager 1408 may be, may be similar to, may include, or may be included in the following: Figure 1 and Figure 2 The communication manager 150 is depicted in the figure. In some aspects, the communication manager 1408 may include a receiving component 1402 and / or a transmitting component 1404.

[0187] The communication manager 1408 may receive, or cause the receiving component 1402 to receive, a first message from the SU, the first message including a first SU association request associated with the handover of the SU from a first SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node. The communication manager 1408 may send, or cause the sending component 1404 to send, a second message to the SU, indicating SU association acceptance and a first route ID associated with the second SnMF node.

[0188] The communication manager 1408 may receive, or cause the receiving component 1402 to receive, an indication of a first SU association request associated with a handover of the SU from a first sensing SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node. The communication manager 1408 may send, or cause the sending component 1404 to send an indication of acceptance of the SU association and a first routing ID associated with the second SnMF node.

[0189] Communication manager 1408 may receive or cause receiving component 1402 to receive an indication of a first SU association request. Communication manager 1408 may send or cause sending component 1404 to send an indication of SU association rejection associated with a handover of the SU from a first SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node, the first network node includes the first SnMF, and the indication of SU association rejection includes a first route ID associated with the second SnMF node. In some aspects, communication manager 1408 may perform one or more operations as described elsewhere herein by one or more components of communication manager 150.

[0190] Communication Manager 1408 may include the above-mentioned components. Figure 2 The described first network node includes one or more controllers / processors, one or more memories, one or more schedulers, and / or one or more communication units. In some aspects, the communication manager 1408 includes a set of components. Alternatively, this set of components may be separate from and distinct from the communication manager 1408. In some aspects, one or more components in this set of components may include those described above. Figure 2 The first network node may have one or more controllers / processors, one or more memories, one or more schedulers, and / or one or more communication units, or may be implemented therein. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of these components may be implemented at least partially as software stored in one or more memories. For example, a component (or a portion thereof) may be implemented as instructions or code stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by one or more controllers or one or more processors to perform the function or operation of that component.

[0191] The receiving component 1402 can receive a first message from the SU, the first message including a first SU association request associated with the handover of the SU from a first sensing SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node. The sending component 1404 can send a second message to the SU, the second message indicating the SU association acceptance and a first route ID associated with the second SnMF node.

[0192] The sending component 1404 can send an indication of the first SU association request to the second SnMF node.

[0193] The receiving component 1402 can receive an indication of acceptance of SU association from the SnMF node.

[0194] The receiving component 1402 may receive a third message, which includes a second SU association request indicating a second route ID associated with a third SnMF node.

[0195] The sending component 1404 can send an indication of the second SU association request to the third SnMF node.

[0196] The receiving component 1402 can receive an indication of rejection of SU association and an indication of the first route ID from the third SnMF node.

[0197] The sending component 1404 may send a fourth message to the SU, wherein the fourth message indicates that the SU has refused the association.

[0198] The sending component 1404 can send an indication of the first SU association request to the first SR node.

[0199] The receiving component 1402 can receive an indication of acceptance of SU association from the first SR.

[0200] The receiving component 1402 can receive a third message, which includes a second SU association request.

[0201] The sending component 1404 can send an indication of the second SU association request to the second SR node.

[0202] The receiving component 1402 can receive an SR rejection indication and an indication of the route ID associated with the first SR node from the second SR node.

[0203] The sending component 1404 may send a fourth message to the SU, wherein the fourth message includes an SR rejection indication and a route ID associated with the first SR node, and wherein receiving the first message includes receiving the first message in association with the SR rejection indication.

[0204] The receiving component 1402 may receive an indication of a first SU association request associated with a handover of the SU from a first SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node. The sending component 1404 may send an indication of acceptance of the SU association and a first route ID associated with the second SnMF node.

[0205] The receiving component 1402 can receive SU context information from the first SnMF node.

[0206] The receiving component 1402 can receive the first subscription information from the first SnMF node.

[0207] The receiving component 1402 can receive the second subscription information from the second SnMF node.

[0208] The sending component 1404 can send an indication of the first SU association request to the second SnMF node.

[0209] The receiving component 1402 can receive SU-associated acceptances from the second SnMF node.

[0210] The sending component 1404 can send an indication to the first SnMF node that the SU is no longer located within the first SnMF service area.

[0211] The receiving component 1402 can receive an indication of a first SU association request. The sending component 1404 can send an indication of SU association rejection associated with a handover of the SU from a first SnMF service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node, and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node, the first network node includes the first SnMF, and the indication of SU association rejection includes a first routing ID associated with the second SnMF node.

[0212] The sending component 1404 can send SU context information to the second SnMF node.

[0213] Figure 14 The number and arrangement of components shown are provided as an example. In reality, with... Figure 14 Compared to the components shown, there may be additional components, fewer components, different components, or components arranged in a different manner. Furthermore, Figure 14 The two or more components shown can be implemented within a single component, or Figure 14 The single component shown can be implemented as multiple distributed components. Additionally or alternatively, Figure 14 The collection of (one or more) components shown is executable and described as being composed of Figure 14 Another set of components shown performs one or more functions.

[0214] Figure 15 This is a diagram illustrating an example device 1500 that supports wireless communication that changes SnMF in association with UE handover according to this disclosure. Device 1500 may be a UE, or a UE may include device 1500. In some aspects, device 1500 includes a receiving component 1502, a transmitting component 1504, and a communication manager 1508 that can communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses). As shown, device 1500 can use the receiving component 1502 and the transmitting component 1504 to communicate with another device 1506 (such as a UE, a network node, or another wireless communication device).

[0215] In some respects, device 1500 may be configured and / or capable of operating to perform the functions described herein. Figures 8 to 10 One or more operations described herein. Additionally or alternatively, device 1500 may be configured and / or capable of operating to perform one or more processes described herein. In some aspects, device 1500 may include the foregoing combinations Figure 2 One or more components of the UE as described.

[0216] Receiver 1502 may receive communications, such as reference signals, control information, and / or data communications, from device 1506. Receiver 1502 may provide the received communications to one or more other components of device 1500, such as communication manager 140. In some aspects, receiver 1502 may perform signal processing on the received communications (such as filtering, amplification, demodulation, analog-to-digital conversion, demultiplexing, deinterleaving, demapping, equalization, interference cancellation, or decoding, etc.) and may provide the processed signals to one or more other components. In some aspects, receiver 1502 may include the combinations described above. Figure 2 The described UE includes one or more antennas, one or more modems, one or more demodulators, one or more MIMO detectors, one or more receive processors, one or more controllers / processors, and / or one or more memories.

[0217] Transmitting component 1504 can transmit communications, such as reference signals, control information, and / or data communications, to device 1506. In some aspects, communication manager 140 can generate communications and send the generated communications to transmitting component 1504 for transmission to device 1506. In some aspects, transmitting component 1504 can perform signal processing (such as filtering, amplification, modulation, digital-to-analog conversion, multiplexing, interleaving, mapping, or encoding, etc.) on the generated communications and can send the processed signals to device 1506. In some aspects, transmitting component 1504 may include the above-described combinations. Figure 2 The described UE includes one or more antennas, one or more modems, one or more modulators, one or more transmit MIMO processors, one or more transmit processors, one or more controllers / processors, and / or one or more memories. In some aspects, the transmit component 1504 may co-located with the receive component 1502 in one or more transceivers.

[0218] Communication Manager 1508 may include the above-mentioned features. Figure 2 The described UE includes one or more controllers / processors and / or one or more memories. In some aspects, the communication manager 1508 includes a set of components. Alternatively, this set of components may be separate from and distinct from the communication manager 1508. In some aspects, one or more components in this set of components may include those described above. Figure 2 The described UE may have one or more controllers / processors and / or one or more memories, or may be implemented therein. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the components in this set may be implemented at least partially as software stored in one or more memories. For example, a component (or a portion thereof) may be implemented as instructions or code stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and may be executed by one or more controllers or one or more processors to perform the function or operation of the component.

[0219] Figure 15 The number and arrangement of components shown are provided as an example. In reality, with... Figure 15 Compared to the components shown, there may be additional components, fewer components, different components, or components arranged in a different manner. Furthermore, Figure 15 The two or more components shown can be implemented within a single component, or Figure 15 The single component shown can be implemented as multiple distributed components. Additionally or alternatively, Figure 15 The collection of (one or more) components shown is executable and described as being composed of Figure 15 Another set of components shown performs one or more functions.

[0220] The following provides an overview of some aspects of this disclosure:

[0221] Aspect 1: A method for wireless communication by a first network node, the method comprising: receiving a first message from a sensing unit (SU), the first message including a first SU association request associated with a handover of the SU from a first sensing service management function (SnMF) service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node; and sending a second message to the SU, the second message indicating SU association acceptance and a first routing identifier (ID) associated with the second SnMF node.

[0222] Aspect 2: According to the method of aspect 1, the method further includes: sending an indication of the first SU association request to the second SnMF node; and receiving an indication of acceptance of the SU association from the SnMF node.

[0223] Aspect 3: According to the method of aspect 2, the method further includes: receiving a third message, the third message including a second SU association request indicating a second route ID associated with a third SnMF node; sending an indication of the second SU association request to the third SnMF node; receiving from the third SnMF node an indication of SU association rejection and an indication of the first route ID; and sending a fourth message to the SU, wherein the fourth message indicates that the SU association rejection is received.

[0224] Aspect 4: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3, the method further comprising: sending an indication of the first SU association request to a first sensory repository (SR) node; and receiving an indication of acceptance of the SU association from the first SR.

[0225] Aspect 5: According to the method of aspect 4, the first SU association request includes location information associated with the SU.

[0226] Aspect 6: According to the method of aspect 5, the location information indicates at least one of the following: the geographic location of the SU, or the cell identifier (ID) associated with the cell to which the SU is connected.

[0227] Aspect 7: The method according to any one of Aspects 4 to 6, the method further comprising: receiving a third message including a second SU association request; sending an indication of the second SU association request to a second SR node; receiving an SR rejection indication and an indication of a route ID associated with the first SR node from the second SR node; and sending a fourth message to the SU, wherein the fourth message includes the SR rejection indication and the route ID associated with the first SR node, and wherein receiving the first message includes receiving the first message in association with the SR rejection indication.

[0228] Aspect 8: A method for wireless communication performed by a first network node, the method comprising: receiving an indication of a first SU association request associated with a transfer of a sensing unit (SU) from a first sensing service management function (SnMF) service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node; and sending an indication of acceptance of the SU association and a first routing identifier (ID) associated with the second SnMF node.

[0229] Aspect 9: According to the method of aspect 8, the first network node includes the second SnMF node.

[0230] Aspect 10: According to the method of aspect 9, the method further includes: receiving SU context information from the first SnMF node.

[0231] Aspect 11: The method according to any one of Aspects 8 to 10, wherein the first network node includes a sensing repository (SR) node.

[0232] Aspect 12: According to the method of aspect 11, the method further includes: receiving first subscription information from the first SnMF node; and receiving second subscription information from the second SnMF node.

[0233] Aspect 13: The method according to any one of Aspects 11 or 12, the method further comprising: sending an indication of the first SU association request to the second SnMF node; and receiving the SU association acceptance from the second SnMF node.

[0234] Aspect 14: The method according to any one of Aspects 11 to 13, the method further comprising: sending an indication to the first SnMF node that the SU is no longer located within the first SnMF service area.

[0235] Aspect 15: The method according to any one of Aspects 8 to 14, wherein the first SU association request includes location information associated with the SU.

[0236] Aspect 16: According to the method of aspect 15, the location information indicates at least one of the following: the geographic location of the SU, or a cell identifier (ID) associated with the cell to which the SU is connected.

[0237] Aspect 17: A method for wireless communication performed by a first network node, the method comprising: receiving an indication of an association request for a first sensing unit (SU); and sending an indication of SU association rejection associated with a handover of the SU from a first sensing service management function (SnMF) service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node, the first network node including the first SnMF, wherein the indication of SU association rejection includes a first routing identifier (ID) associated with the second SnMF node.

[0238] Aspect 18: According to the method of aspect 17, the method further includes: sending SU context information to the second SnMF node.

[0239] Aspect 19: An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, the apparatus comprising: one or more processors; one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors; and instructions stored in the one or more memories and executable by the one or more processors to cause the apparatus to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 1 to 7.

[0240] Aspect 20: An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, the apparatus comprising: one or more memories; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories, the one or more processors being configured to cause the device to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 1 to 7.

[0241] Aspect 21: An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising at least one component for performing the method according to one or more of aspects 1 to 7.

[0242] Aspect 22: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code including instructions executable by one or more processors to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 1 to 7.

[0243] Aspect 23: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication, the set of instructions comprising one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 1 to 7.

[0244] Aspect 24: A device for wireless communication, the device including a processing system comprising one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors, the processing system being configured to cause the device to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 1 to 7.

[0245] Aspect 25: An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, the apparatus comprising: one or more memories; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories, the one or more processors being individually or collectively configured to cause the device to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 1 to 7.

[0246] Aspect 26: An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, the apparatus comprising: one or more processors; one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors; and instructions stored in the one or more memories and executable by the one or more processors to cause the apparatus to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 8 to 16.

[0247] Aspect 27: An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, the apparatus comprising one or more memories; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories, the one or more processors being configured to cause the device to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 8 to 16.

[0248] Aspect 28: An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising at least one component for performing the method according to one or more of aspects 8 to 16.

[0249] Aspect 29: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code including instructions executable by one or more processors to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 8 to 16.

[0250] Aspect 30: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication, the set of instructions comprising one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 8 to 16.

[0251] Aspect 31: A device for wireless communication, the device including a processing system comprising one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors, the processing system being configured to cause the device to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 8 to 16.

[0252] Aspect 32: An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, the apparatus comprising one or more memories; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories, the one or more processors being individually or collectively configured to cause the device to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 8 to 16.

[0253] Aspect 33: An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, the apparatus comprising: one or more processors; one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors; and instructions stored in the one or more memories and executable by the one or more processors to cause the apparatus to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 17 to 18.

[0254] Aspect 34: An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, the apparatus comprising one or more memories; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories, the one or more processors being configured to cause the device to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 17 to 18.

[0255] Aspect 35: An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising at least one component for performing the method according to one or more of aspects 17 to 18.

[0256] Aspect 36: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code including instructions executable by one or more processors to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 17 to 18.

[0257] Aspect 37: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication, the set of instructions comprising one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 17 to 18.

[0258] Aspect 38: A device for wireless communication, the device including a processing system comprising one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors, the processing system being configured to cause the device to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 17 to 18.

[0259] Aspect 39: An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, the apparatus comprising one or more memories; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories, the one or more processors being individually or collectively configured to cause the device to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 17 to 18.

[0260] While the foregoing disclosure provides examples and descriptions, it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit aspects to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations can be made based on the foregoing disclosure, or from various aspects of practice.

[0261] As used herein, the term "component" is intended to be broadly interpreted as hardware or a combination of hardware and at least one of software or firmware. "Software" should be broadly interpreted as instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subroutines, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable programs, threads of execution, procedures, or functions, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or other terms. As used herein, a "processor" is implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and software. It will be apparent that the systems or methods described herein may be implemented in various forms of hardware or combinations of hardware and software. The actual dedicated control hardware or software code used to implement these systems or methods is not limited in any way. Therefore, the operation and behavior of these systems or methods are described herein without reference to specific software code, as those skilled in the art will understand that the software and hardware can be designed to implement these systems or methods, at least in part, based on the description herein. Unless otherwise stated, a component configured to perform a function means that the component has the capability to perform that function, but it is not necessary for the component to actually perform that function.

[0262] As used in this article, depending on the context, "meeting the threshold" can mean a value greater than the threshold, greater than or equal to the threshold, less than the threshold, less than or equal to the threshold, equal to the threshold, not equal to the threshold, etc.

[0263] As used in this article, the phrase “at least one of the items” in a list of items refers to any combination of these items, including a single member. As an example, “at least one of a, b, or c” is intended to cover: a, b, c, a+b, a+c, b+c, and a+b+c, as well as any combination with multiple identical elements (e.g., a+a, a+a+a, a+a+b, a+a+c, a+b+b, a+c+c, b+b, b+b+b, b+b+c, c+c, and c+c+c, or any other ordering of a, b, and c).

[0264] No element, action, or instruction used herein should be construed as essential or necessary unless explicitly stated otherwise. Furthermore, as used herein, the articles “a” and “an” are intended to include one or more items and are interchangeable with “one or more.” Similarly, as used herein, the article “the” is intended to include one or more items mentioned in connection with the article “the” and is interchangeable with “one or more.” Furthermore, as used herein, the terms “group” and “cluster” are intended to include one or more entries and are interchangeable with “one or more.” If only one item is desired, the phrase “only one” or similar terminology will be used. Moreover, as used herein, the terms “having” and similar terms are intended as open-ended terms that do not limit the elements they modify (e.g., “having” A may also have B). Additionally, the phrase “associated with” is intended to mean “based on or otherwise associated with” unless otherwise explicitly stated. Furthermore, as used herein, the term “or” is intended to be inclusive when used consecutively and is interchangeable with “and / or” unless otherwise explicitly stated (e.g., if used in conjunction with “either of the two” or “only one of them”). It should be understood that “one or more” is equivalent to “at least one”.

[0265] Although specific combinations of features are set forth in the claims or disclosed in the description, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of various aspects. Many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically stated in the claims or disclosed in the description. The disclosure of various aspects includes each dependent claim in combination with each other claim in the claim set.

Claims

1. A first network node for wireless communication, the first network node comprising: A processing system, comprising one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors, is configured to cause the first network node to: A first message is received from a sensing unit (SU), the first message including a first SU association request associated with the handover of the SU from a first sensing service management function (SnMF) service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node, and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node; and A second message is sent to the SU, the second message indicating that the SU is associated with the first routing identifier (ID) and the second SnMF node.

2. The first network node according to claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first network node to: Send the instruction for the first SU association request to the second SnMF node; and Receive an indication of acceptance of the SU association from the SnMF node.

3. The first network node according to claim 2, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first network node to: Receive a third message, the third message including a second SU association request indicating a second route ID associated with a third SnMF node; The instruction for the second SU association request is sent to the third SnMF node; Receive an indication of rejection of SU association and an indication of the first route ID from the third SnMF node; and A fourth message is sent to the SU, wherein the fourth message indicates that the SU is associated with a rejection.

4. The first network node according to claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first network node to: Send the instruction for the first SU association request to the first sense repository (SR) node; and Receive an indication of acceptance of the SU association from the first SR.

5. The first network node according to claim 4, wherein the first SU association request includes location information associated with the SU.

6. The first network node of claim 5, wherein the location information indicates at least one of the following: the geographic location of the SU, or a cell identifier (ID) associated with the cell to which the SU is connected.

7. The first network node according to claim 4, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first network node to: Receive a third message including a second SU association request; Send the instruction for the second SU association request to the second SR node; Receive an SR rejection indication and an indication of the route ID associated with the first SR node from the second SR node; and Send a fourth message to the SU, wherein the fourth message includes the SR rejection indication and the route ID associated with the first SR node, and wherein receiving the first message includes receiving the first message in association with the SR rejection indication.

8. A first network node for wireless communication, the first network node comprising: A processing system, comprising one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors, is configured to cause the first network node to: Receive an instruction for a first SU association request associated with the transfer of a sensing unit (SU) from a first sensing service management function (SnMF) service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node; and Send an indication of acceptance of the SU association and a first routing identifier (ID) associated with the second SnMF node.

9. The first network node according to claim 8, wherein the first network node includes the second SnMF node.

10. The first network node of claim 9, wherein the processing system is further configured to enable the first network node to receive SU context information from the first SnMF node.

11. The first network node of claim 8, wherein the first network node includes a sensing repository (SR) node.

12. The first network node of claim 11, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first network node to: Receive first subscription information from the first SnMF node; and Receive the second subscription information from the second SnMF node.

13. The first network node of claim 11, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first network node to: Send the instruction for the first SU association request to the second SnMF node; and Receive the SU association acceptance from the second SnMF node.

14. The first network node of claim 11, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first network node to send an indication to the first SnMF node that the SU is no longer located within the first SnMF service area.

15. The first network node of claim 8, wherein the first SU association request includes location information associated with the SU.

16. The first network node of claim 15, wherein the location information indicates at least one of the following: the geographic location of the SU, or a cell identifier (ID) associated with a cell to which the SU is connected.

17. A first network node for wireless communication, the first network node comprising: A processing system, comprising one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors, is configured to cause the first network node to: Receive an instruction for an association request to the first sensing unit (SU); as well as Send an indication of SU association rejection associated with the handover of a SU from a first Sensing Service Management Function (SnMF) service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node, the first network node including the first SnMF, wherein the indication of SU association rejection includes a first routing identifier (ID) associated with the second SnMF node.

18. The first network node of claim 17, wherein the processing system is further configured to cause the first network node to send SU context information to the second SnMF node.

19. A method for wireless communication by a first network node, the method comprising: Receive a first message from a sensing unit (SU), the first message including a first sensing unit (SU) association request associated with a handover of the SU from a first sensing service management function (SnMF) service area to a second SnMF service area, wherein the first SnMF service area is associated with a first SnMF node and the second SnMF service area is associated with a second SnMF node; and A second message is sent to the SU, the second message indicating that the SU is associated with the first routing identifier (ID) and the second SnMF node.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising: Send the instruction for the first SU association request to the second SnMF node; as well as Receive an indication of acceptance of the SU association from the SnMF node.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising: Receive a third message, the third message including a second SU association request indicating a second route ID associated with a third SnMF node; The instruction for the second SU association request is sent to the third SnMF node; Receive an indication of rejection of SU association and an indication of the first route ID from the third SnMF node; and A fourth message is sent to the SU, wherein the fourth message indicates that the SU is associated with a rejection.

22. The method according to claim 19, further comprising: Send the instruction for the first SU association request to the first sense repository (SR) node; as well as Receive an indication of acceptance of the SU association from the first SR.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the first SU association request includes location information associated with the SU.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the location information indicates at least one of the following: the geographic location of the SU, or a cell identifier (ID) associated with a cell to which the SU is connected.

25. The method according to claim 22, further comprising: Receive a third message including a second SU association request; Send the instruction for the second SU association request to the second SR node; Receive an SR rejection indication and an indication of the route ID associated with the first SR node from the second SR node; and Send a fourth message to the SU, wherein the fourth message includes the SR rejection indication and the route ID associated with the first SR node, and wherein receiving the first message includes receiving the first message in association with the SR rejection indication.

Images