Determine a pair of network devices for sensing.

Abstract

Apparatus, methods, devices, and computer-readable storage media are provided for determining a pair of network devices for sensing. In one method, a network entity obtains first information indicating the departure of one or more reference signals (RS) from a plurality of network devices. The plurality of network devices are included in a list of network devices for sensing an area. The network entity obtains second information indicating the arrival of one or more of the plurality of RSs. Based on the first and second information, the network entity determines a pair of network devices from the list of network devices, wherein the pair of network devices operates as a sensing transmitter and a sensing receiver for sensing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to the telecommunications field, and more particularly to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for determining a pair of network devices for sensing. Background Technology

[0002] A communication network can be used as a facility to enable communication between two or more communication devices or to provide communication device access to a data network. A mobile or wireless communication network is an example of a communication network. Communication devices may be serviced by an application server.

[0003] Communication networks can operate according to standards provided by organizations such as the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) or the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). Examples of standards provided by 3GPP are the so-called 3GPP standards for cellular technologies, such as those for 4G, 5G, and 6G technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In a first aspect of this disclosure, a network entity is provided. The network entity includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network entity to at least: obtain first information indicating the departure of one or more of a plurality of reference signals (RS), wherein the plurality of RSs are transmitted by a plurality of network devices, and the plurality of network devices are included in a list of network devices for sensing a sensing area; obtain second information indicating the arrival of one or more of the plurality of RSs; and determine a pair of network devices from the list of network devices based on the first and second information, wherein the pair of network devices operates as a sensing transmitter and a sensing receiver for sensing.

[0005] In a second aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive a request for an RS measurement report from a network entity; perform an RS measurement in response to the request; and send an RS measurement report to the network entity including at least second information indicating the arrival of an RS among a plurality of RSs transmitted by a plurality of network devices.

[0006] In a third aspect of this disclosure, a network device is provided. The network device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least: receive a request from a network entity for RS configuration information for the network device; and, in response to the request for RS configuration information, send RS configuration information to the network entity including first information, the first information indicating the departure of one or more RSs sent by the network device.

[0007] In a fourth aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided at a network entity. The method includes: obtaining first information indicating the departure of one or more RSs among a plurality of RSs, wherein the plurality of RSs are transmitted by a plurality of network devices, and the plurality of network devices are included in a list of network devices for sensing an area; obtaining second information indicating the arrival of one or more RSs among the plurality of RSs; and determining a pair of network devices from the list of network devices based on the first information and the second information, wherein the pair of network devices operates as a sensing transmitter and a sensing receiver for sensing.

[0008] In a fifth aspect of this disclosure, a method at an apparatus is provided. The method includes: receiving a request for an RS measurement report from a network entity; performing an RS measurement in response to the request; and sending an RS measurement report to the network entity including at least second information, the second information indicating the arrival of an RS among a plurality of RSs transmitted by a plurality of network devices.

[0009] In a sixth aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided at a network device. The method includes: receiving a request from a network entity for RS configuration information for the network device; and in response to the request for the RS configuration information, sending RS configuration information to the network entity including first information, the first information indicating one or more RSs sent by the network device.

[0010] In a seventh aspect of this disclosure, a network entity is provided. The network entity includes: components for obtaining first information indicating the departure of one or more RSs among a plurality of RSs, wherein the plurality of RSs are transmitted by a plurality of network devices, and the plurality of network devices are included in a list of network devices for sensing a sensing area; components for obtaining second information indicating the arrival of one or more RSs among the plurality of RSs; and components for determining a pair of network devices from the list of network devices based on the first and second information, wherein the pair of network devices operates as a sensing transmitter and a sensing receiver for sensing.

[0011] In an eighth aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: components for receiving a request for an RS measurement report from a network entity; components for performing an RS measurement in response to the request; and components for sending an RS measurement report to the network entity including at least second information, the second information indicating the arrival of an RS among a plurality of RSs sent by a plurality of network devices.

[0012] In a ninth aspect of this disclosure, a network device is provided. The network device includes: components for receiving a request from a network entity for RS configuration information for the network device; and components for sending RS configuration information including first information to the network entity in response to the request for RS configuration information, the first information indicating the departure of one or more RSs sent by the network device.

[0013] In a tenth aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon for causing a device to perform at least the method according to the fourth, fifth, or sixth aspect.

[0014] It should be understood that the summary portion is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 An example communication environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown; Figure 2 An example of a network architecture designed for sensing services in fifth-generation (5G) or later systems is shown; Figure 3A An example of the Loss condition of an object between a transmitter and a receiver of a sensing signal is shown; Figure 3B Example scenarios based on dual-site or multi-site base station (BS) sensing modes are shown; Figure 4 A flowchart is shown illustrating an example process implemented at a network entity according to some example embodiments of this disclosure; Figure 5A The following are illustrated examples of signaling flows for determining a pair of network devices for sensing, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 5B Another example process for determining a pair of network devices for sensing, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure, is illustrated; Figure 6Examples of the relationship between departure time (ToD) and arrival time (ToA) according to some example embodiments of this disclosure are shown; Figure 7 The present disclosure illustrates some example embodiments of signaling flow determination for a pair of network devices with the assistance of a user equipment; Figure 8 Another example process for determining a pair of network devices with the assistance of a user equipment is shown according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 9 A flowchart is shown illustrating an example process implemented at a device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 10 A flowchart is shown illustrating an example process implemented at a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 11 A simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure; and Figure 12 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0016] Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, without imposing any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0018] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0019] References to "an embodiment," "embodiment," "example embodiment," etc., in this disclosure indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment needs to include that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Moreover, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, whether explicitly described or not, it is believed that its influence on such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0020] It should be understood that although various elements may be described herein using prefixes such as "first," "second," etc., these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another, and they do not restrict the order of the terms. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0021] As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”, means at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0022] As used herein, unless explicitly stated otherwise, performing the step “in response to A” does not indicate that the step is performed immediately after “A” occurs and may include one or more intermediate steps.

[0023] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” “having,” “including,” and / or “containing” as used herein specify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0024] As used in this application, the term "circuit" may refer to one or more of the following: (a) Hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation with purely analog and / or digital circuits), and (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) A combination of (multiple) analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, and (ii) Any part of a hardware processor having software (including (multiple) digital signal processors, software, and (multiple) memories, which work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions), and (c) The operation requires software (e.g., firmware) for the operation of (multiple) hardware circuits and / or (multiple) processors, such as being (multiple) microprocessors or part of (multiple) microprocessors, but the software may be absent when the operation does not require the software.

[0025] This definition of "circuit" applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claim. As another example, as used herein, the term "circuit" also covers only hardware circuitry or a processor (or multiple processors) or a portion thereof and its accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, and if applicable to a particular claim element, the term "circuit" also covers baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or networking devices.

[0026] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that conforms to any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Furthermore, communication between user equipment and network devices within the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generated communication protocol, including but not limited to first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G), 5G Advanced, sixth-generation (6G) communication protocols, wireless LAN communication protocols (such as IEEE 802.11), and / or any other currently known or future-developed protocols. Furthermore, communication can utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform Extended OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other currently known or future-developed technology. Embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to a variety of communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, there will naturally be future types of communication technologies and systems that can implement this disclosure. The scope of this disclosure should not be limited to the aforementioned systems only.

[0027] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communications network through which a user equipment (UE) accesses the network and receives services. A network device can refer to a base station (BS) or access point (AP), such as a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also known as a gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a Radio Head (RH), a Remote Radio Head (RRH), a repeater, an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, a low-power node (such as a femtosecond or picosecond), a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-terrestrial network device (such as satellite network equipment, low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, and geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellites), an aircraft network device, etc., depending on the terminology and technology applied. In some example embodiments, the Radio Access Network (RAN) split architecture includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) at the IAB donor node. An IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) portion that behaves like a UE toward its parent node, and a DU portion of the IAB node that behaves like a base station toward the next-hop IAB node.

[0028] As used herein, a core network device or network entity of the core network can be any computing device or computing system comprising the hardware (e.g., at least one processor and at least one memory) and software of one or more network entities of the core network. Examples of core network devices may include, but are not limited to, evolved packet data gateways (ePGW), trusted wireless LAN access network (TWAN) nodes, home subscriber servers (HSS), access and mobility management functions (AMF), session management functions (SMF), network slice selection functions (NSSF), serving gateways (SGW), packet data network (PDN) gateways (PGW), authentication server functions (AUSF), subscription identifier de-hiding functions (SSID), unified data management (UDM), secure edge protection broker (SEPP), network exposure functions (NEF), user plane functions (UPF), and / or policy control functions (PCF).

[0029] The core network functions described herein can be implemented as core network entities comprising a combination of hardware processing circuitry and software and / or firmware including machine-readable instructions, or software including machine-readable instructions executable by at least one processor of the hardware processing circuitry. The hardware processing circuitry includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing machine-readable instructions executable by at least one processor of the hardware processing circuitry. The processor includes any one or a combination of an accelerator, a microprocessor, a core of a multi-core microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable integrated circuit, a programmable gate array, a digital signal processor, a central processing unit, a graphics processing unit, and a tensor processing unit. The memory includes any one or a combination of volatile or non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory, cache, random access memory (RAM), and / or read-only memory (ROM)). The memory stores machine-readable instructions for the software and / or firmware to be executed by at least one processor of the hardware processing circuitry. The machine-readable instructions are executable by at least one processor of the hardware processing circuitry, causing the hardware processing circuitry to perform the actions or operations of the methods described herein. For example, the session management function described in this paper can be implemented as a session management entity, and the session management policy control function described in this paper can be implemented as a session management policy control entity.

[0030] The term "user equipment" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, user equipment may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), user station (SS), portable user station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). User equipment can include, but is not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices (such as digital cameras), gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEE), laptop devices (LME), Universal Serial Bus (USB) dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of industrial and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronics devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. User equipment may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) portion of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node). In the following description, the terms "user equipment," "terminal equipment," "terminal," "user equipment," and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0031] As used herein, the terms “resource,” “transmission resource,” “resource block,” “physical resource block” (PRB), “uplink resource,” or “downlink resource” can refer to any resource used to perform communication, such as communication between a user equipment and a network device, including resources in the time domain, frequency domain, spatial domain, code domain, or any other combination of time, frequency, spatial, and / or code domain resources used to enable communication. In the following, unless explicitly stated otherwise, resources in both the frequency and time domains will be used as examples of transmission resources used to describe some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. Note that the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0032] The goal of sensing services is to gain awareness of the scene surrounding the sensing device. The sensing device can have the ability to detect, locate, and track objects, form images, and / or extract features for identification or classification purposes. The integration of sensing and communication (ISAC) has been proposed and can potentially enable both high data rate communication and high-resolution obstacle detection using the same hardware and spectrum resources. ISAC can enhance sensing capabilities and improve sensing accuracy in scenarios where traditional sensing techniques may be less effective, such as in non-line-of-sight (NLoS) and line-of-sight (LoS) conditions, or when high-speed resolution is required. Furthermore, ISAC can improve spectral efficiency by sharing the communication and sensing spectrum. Additionally, by combining sensing and communication devices or hardware, ISAC may lead to reductions in both hardware costs and installation expenses.

[0033] Different types of services and target vertical applications can benefit from the ISAC services that 5G or later systems can provide. In 5G Release 19, various use cases and corresponding technical requirements have been introduced to leverage 5G-based sensing services. For example, these use cases can include intrusion detection, such as intruder detection in smart homes and pedestrian or animal intrusion detection on highways; supporting autonomous driving, such as sensor-assisted vehicle maneuvering and navigation and sensing for parking space determination; supporting unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight, such as UAV flight trajectory tracking and network-assisted sensing to avoid UAV collisions; supporting automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in factories, such as AGV detection and tracking in factories and AMR collision avoidance in smart factories; environmental and weather monitoring, such as rain, pollution, and flood monitoring; health monitoring, such as fall detection in the home, contactless sleep monitoring, and health monitoring; and extended reality (XR).

[0034] To enable wireless sensing in 5G or beyond, features such as Sensing Management Function (SeMF) can be introduced into the 5G core network (5GC). SeMF is responsible for receiving various types of sensing requests from sensing clients, such as UEs, Application Functions (AFs), or Network Exposure Functions (NEFs). SeMF can configure and coordinate sensing functions, collect sensing measurements, such as sensing data, and provide sensing data and / or sensing outputs to sensing clients. If the sensing client is an AF or a third-party external application, sensing data can be provided directly or via the NEF. Furthermore, SeMF can receive requests including information about the type of sensing area and the Quality of Service (QoS). Optionally, the request can also specify the UE(s) that can be sensed.

[0035] Different sensing methods or types exist that can be used in an ISAC system. RAN nodes (such as BSs) and / or UEs can participate in the sensing process for a single-site sensing mode or for a dual-site or multi-site sensing mode. For example, in a single-site RAN-based sensing mode, the BS can act as a transmitter or sounder to transmit sensing signals, and the same BS can also act as a receiver or sensor to receive sensing signals. This sensing method or type employs a system that places the transmit and receive arrays together. In a dual-site or multi-site RAN-based sensing mode, the BS can act as a transmitter or sounder, and one or more other BSs can act as receivers or sensors. In a dual-site RAN and UE sensing mode, there are two scenarios. In one scenario, the RAN (such as the BS) can transmit sensing signals, and (multiple) UEs can receive sensing signals to obtain sensing data. In another scenario, the UE can transmit sensing signals, and the RAN (such as the BS) can receive sensing signals to obtain sensing data. Additionally, a UE-based sensing mode can be implemented, where the UE can independently act as both a transmitter and receiver of sensing signals.

[0036] Sensing data (also known as sensing measurements or sensing measurement information) can include data derived from radio signals. These radio signals can originate from 3GPP systems, non-3GPP systems, Wi-Fi networks, radar systems, or lidar systems. For sensing purposes, these signals may be affected by the object of interest or the environment (e.g., reflection, refraction, or diffraction). Optionally, the sensing data can be processed by various entities, such as external servers, application servers, and edge servers within a 5G or 6G system. Sensing output can include, for example, processed sensing data requested by a service consumer or sensing client.

[0037] In some sensing operations, dual-site or multi-site sensing modes can help to more accurately sense the surrounding environment and / or tracked objects within a defined sensing area. The UE and / or BS can have the role of transmitting or receiving sensing signals. However, for sensing modes based on dual-site or multi-site RANs, it is difficult to identify suitable BS pairs that can transmit and receive signals, thus ensuring that both have the LoS condition or LoS toward the area of ​​interest or object.

[0038] Some example embodiments of this disclosure provide a solution for determining a pair of network devices for sensing. In this solution, a network entity (such as SeMF) obtains first information indicating the departure of one or more reference signals (RS) from a plurality of reference signals (RS). The plurality of RS are transmitted by a plurality of network devices included in a list of network devices for sensing an area. Furthermore, the network entity obtains second information indicating the arrival of one or more of the plurality of RS. Based on the first and second information, the network entity determines a pair of network devices from the list of network devices to operate as a sensing transmitter and a sensing receiver for sensing.

[0039] This solution provides an effective and efficient way to identify and select the appropriate pair of network devices for sensing in a sensing area. In this way, the appropriate BS pair for sensing operations can be identified, thereby providing improved, accurate, and reliable sensing measurements.

[0040] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown. The communication environment 100, which may be part of a communication network, may include a plurality of first and second network devices 120-1, ..., 120-M and a plurality of second first network devices 130-1, ..., 130-N (which may operate as BSs) and a plurality of user devices 150-1, ..., 150-K (which may operate as BSs). M, N, and K are positive integers. For the purposes of discussion, the first and second network devices 120-1, ..., 120-M will be collectively or individually referred to as network device(s) 120, the second first network devices 130-1, ..., 130-N will be collectively or individually referred to as network device(s) 130, and the user devices 150-1, ..., 150-K will be collectively or individually referred to as user devices(s) 150. User equipment 150 can communicate with each other directly or via second network device 120 and / or first network device 130, and network devices 120 and 130 can communicate with each other.

[0041] Furthermore, the communication environment 100 may include a network entity 110 (such as SeMF) that can be deployed in a core network (such as 5GC). The network entity 110 may be responsible for sensing management, such as sensing service authorization for user equipment 150, sensing area 145 and environmental privacy checks, sensing mode selection, configuration of sensing nodes or sensing devices (e.g., sensing transmitters and sensing receivers), measurement data collection, processing of sensing results or outputs, and determination and selection of a pair of sensing transmitters and sensing receivers for sensing operations in sensing area 145.

[0042] Network entity 110 can be implemented by physical or virtual devices. Network entity 110 can be implemented as hardware, firmware, and / or algorithm-based software components within any device or node, such as user equipment, base stations, core network equipment (e.g., location management functions or LMF, application management functions or AMF, and sense management functions or SeMF), etc. In some example embodiments, network entity 110 can be physically integrated into or implemented as part of a second network device 120 or a first network device 130.

[0043] Additionally, the communication environment 100 may include one or more additional network entities 140, which may communicate with network entity 110 to request sensing services and / or receive sensing outputs. In some example embodiments, network entity 140 may be a core network entity (such as AF or NEF).

[0044] It should be understood that, for illustrative purposes, Figure 1 The number and type of devices are shown without imposing any limitations. For example, communication environment 100 may include any suitable number and type of devices and equipment, which may depend on the sensing and / or communication services to be provided.

[0045] In the communication environment 100, to sense an object 115 in the sensing area 145, a first network device 130 may operate as a sensing transmitter (TX), and a second network device 120 may operate as a sensing receiver (RX). For example, the first network device 130 may transmit a sensing signal reflected by the object 115 and then received by the second network device 120. The first network device 130 and the second network device 120 may also be referred to as sensing nodes or sensing devices. In some example embodiments, a user equipment 150 may be in or around the sensing area 145 and measure signals transmitted by the first network device 130 and / or the second network device 120.

[0046] In addition to the dual-station or multi-station sensing modes based on the network devices 120 and 130 as described above, in some example embodiments, the user equipment 150 can be used as a sensing transmitter and / or a sensing receiver. Figure 2 An example network architecture 200 for sensing services in 5G or later systems is shown. Figure 2 As shown, BS 220 and UE 250 can be sensing transmitters and / or sensing receivers for sending and / or receiving sensing signals to sense target 215. SeMF 210 can be used as a central management entity for sensing operations. For example, SeMF 210 can be responsible for receiving various types of sensing requests from sensing clients such as AF 240 or NEF 260. SeMF 210 can configure and coordinate sensing functions, collect sensing measurements, such as sensing data, and provide sensing data and / or sensing outputs to sensing clients.

[0047] In some example embodiments, during sensing operations, it is necessary to identify an appropriate pair of sensing nodes (such as a pair of network devices) that may have a LoS condition with the sensing area or the object to be sensed. For example, such as Figure 3A As shown, the signal path 360 from sensing TX 330 to sensing target 315 and the signal path 370 from sensing target 315 to sensing RX 320 are at LoS, therefore sensing TX 330 and sensing RX 320 are considered to be indicated under LoS conditions relative to or towards sensing TX 330. As another example, in situations such as... Figure 3B In the example scenario 300 shown, BS 1 330-1, which acts as a sensing TX, has a LoS (Loss of Sight) facing the sensing region 370, and BS 3 320-3, which acts as a sensing RX, also has a LoS facing the sensing region 370. BS 2 330-2, which acts as a sensing TX, has a LoS facing the sensing region 380, while BS 3 320-3 and BS 4 320-4, which act as sensing RXs, also have a LoS facing the sensing region 380.

[0048] In some example embodiments, a user equipment used for sensing a region of interest can potentially facilitate the identification of an appropriate pair of sensing nodes with a Loss of Sight (LoS) condition. For example, such as Figure 3B As shown, UE 350 is present in sensing area 370, and UE 350 is capable of measuring signals from both BS 1 330-1 and BS 3 320-3. The measurements by UE 350 facilitate the selection of BS 1 330-1 and BS 3 320-3. References will follow below. Figures 4 to 8 A detailed description of some specific example embodiments of a pair of network devices used for sensing.

[0049] Figure 4 A process 400 for determining a pair of network devices for sensing is illustrated according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 400 may be provided by... Figure 1This is implemented using network entity 110. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Describe the process 400.

[0050] In block 410, network entity 110 obtains first information indicating the departure of one or more Reference Signals (RSs) from a plurality of network devices. In some example embodiments, the first information may include at least one of the departure angle (AoD) and departure time (ToD) of the one or more RSs. In some example embodiments, the RS may include a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB).

[0051] Multiple network devices can be included in a list of network devices for sensing an area (such as sensing area 145). For example, network entity 110 can determine the list of network devices based on sensing area 145 and the sensing capabilities of the network devices in the list. For example, network entity 110 can select a candidate list of network devices based on a target sensing area and the capabilities of the network devices. The capabilities of the network devices can include information about whether the network device supports dual-site / multi-site sensing, whether the network device can act as a TX or RX, or both.

[0052] In some example embodiments, the first information for the plurality of network devices for which it is needed may include a plurality of first network devices 130 capable of operating as sensing transmitters, or a plurality of first network devices 130 and a second network device 120 capable of operating as sensing transmitters and sensing receivers, respectively. Some example embodiments in this regard will be described in detail in the following paragraphs.

[0053] Network entity 110 may obtain the first information in any suitable manner. In some example embodiments, at least a portion of the first information may be stored locally by network entity 110, or received from at least one network device in a list of network devices, or from a network device outside the list of network devices, or from a core network device.

[0054] In the example, network entity 110 may send a request for RS configuration information for a plurality of first network devices 130 to at least one of a plurality of network devices. In response to the request received from network entity 110, each of the at least one network device may send RS configuration information to network entity 110, including at least first information of one or more RSs sent by the network device. Accordingly, network entity 110 may receive RS configuration information including the first information from at least one network device. As an example, in an example embodiment where the RS is an SSB, network entity 110 may request the network device to send SSB configuration information. The network device may then provide network entity 110 with SSB configuration information including the AoD or ToD of the SSB sent by the network device.

[0055] In some example embodiments, the first information may be stored at network entity 110. For example, network entity 110 may derive the first information from previous measurement operations of user equipment and network devices, or store SSB configuration information from network devices locally. Accordingly, network entity 110 may obtain the first information locally.

[0056] In some other example embodiments, network devices may provide SSB configuration information directly to other network devices (either in the candidate list of network devices or externally) via the Xn interface or via the AMF. Accordingly, network entity 110 may receive SSB configuration information, including the first information, from other network devices or from core network devices.

[0057] In addition to the first information, at box 420, network entity 110 obtains second information indicating the arrival of one or more RSs among a plurality of RSs transmitted by a plurality of network devices. In some example embodiments, the second information may include at least one of the angle of arrival (AoA) and time of arrival (ToA) of the one or more RSs. Network entity 110 may obtain the second information in any suitable manner.

[0058] In some example embodiments, the first and second information, for which multiple network devices require them, may include multiple first network devices 130 capable of operating as sensing transmitters. In these example embodiments, network entity 110 may receive the second information from second network devices 120 capable of operating as sensing receivers. For example, network entity 110 may send a request for an RS measurement report to at least one of the multiple second network devices 120 that is included in a list of network devices and capable of operating as a sensing receiver. Accordingly, at least one of the multiple second network devices 120 may receive the request for the RS measurement report. In response to the request, at least one of the multiple second network devices 120 may perform an RS measurement and send an RS measurement report to network entity 110 that includes at least the second information of the RSs among the multiple RSs sent by the multiple first network devices 130. In this way, network entity 110 may receive an RS measurement report including the second information from at least one of the multiple second network devices 120.

[0059] In some example embodiments, a request for an RS measurement report may direct multiple first network devices 130 and / or RS configuration information of multiple first network devices 130. For example, in an example embodiment where an SSB is used as an RS, network entity 110 may request multiple second network devices 120 capable of operating as sensing receivers to measure and transmit SSB measurement reports, directing one or more first network devices 130 capable of transmitting SSBs and their SSB configuration information in the request.

[0060] In some example embodiments, the RS measurement report may also indicate at least one of the following: the cell identifier (ID) of one of the plurality of first network devices 130 (such as the physical cell ID), the identifier of one or more RSs associated with the cell identifier (such as the ssbBeamIndex ID when the SSB is used as the RS), or the measured signal quality of one or more RSs (such as measured reference signal received power (RSRP) information, measured reference signal received quality (RSRQ) information, signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR)). For example, the plurality of second network devices 120 may scan and measure all indicated and transmitted SSBs and may provide the network entity 110 with a measurement report for each transmitted SSB, which may include at least the following: physical cell ID, ssbBeamIndex ID, measured RSRP information, measured RSRQ information, SINR, AoA, or ToA (as a second piece of information indicating the arrival of the SSB).

[0061] In some example embodiments, network entity 110 may derive the second information itself. For example, network entity 110 may obtain the second information for a cell identifier of one of a plurality of network devices for which it is required, and the identifier of one or more RSs associated with the cell identifier. Then, network entity 110 may determine the second information of the RS (e.g., AoA and / or ToA) from the cell identifier and the identifier of the RS, at least in part, based on the location information of the plurality of network devices.

[0062] For example, if the SSB of the RS is statically configured in the network device, network entity 110 can obtain the physical cell ID and ssbBeamIndex ID, for example, through Operation Management and Maintenance (OAM) functions (e.g., from a cell database or CellDB). Network entity 110 can then derive the AoA and ToA of the physical cell ID and ssbBeamIndex ID from the location information of the network device and the sensing area. For example, network entity 110 can know the location of all sensing devices before pairing determination and selection. Based on the location information of the sensing devices and the sensing area, network entity 110 can determine second information indicating the arrival of the RS transmitted by the sensing device.

[0063] In some example embodiments, the second information may also be determined based on location information of a list of user equipment in or around the sensing area. For example, the location of network devices may be obtained from OAM; and the location of user equipment may be obtained from a Location Services (LCS) procedure. In this case, network entity 110 may use information about the locations of network devices and user equipment, as well as the sensing area, to derive AoA and ToA for the physical cell ID and ssbBeamIndex ID.

[0064] In some example embodiments, ToD or ToA can be indicated by a reference time from a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) or Global Positioning System (GPS), and the time offset between the reference time and the system frame time of the communication network in which network equipment or functions and user equipment are deployed. For example, ToD or ToA information received from a network device can be in the form of GPS or GNSS time, and the time offset between the GPS or GNSS clock beat and the 5G air frame timing (in T... s The notification time is in the form of a unit.

[0065] After network entity 110 obtains the first information and the second information (435, 445), network entity 110 determines (455) a pair of network devices from a list of network devices based on the first information and the second information. This pair of network devices will operate as a sensing transmitter and a sensing receiver for sensing. In some example embodiments, the pair of network devices may have a LoS facing the sensing area.

[0066] Process 400 can be triggered by a sensing service request from a sensing client. For example, upon receiving a sensing service request, network entity 110 may initiate process 400 to determine the pair of sensing transmitters and receivers. In some example embodiments, network entity 110 may periodically determine any necessity to change the pair of sensing transmitters and receivers, for example, due to changes in LoS conditions or the availability of another network device with better LoS and signaling conditions toward the sensing area. In some other example embodiments, a pair of sensing transmitters and receivers may be recalculated or reselected on an OAM trigger. For example, after determining the pair of network devices, the recalculation or reselection of the pair of network devices may be triggered based on the OAM configuration of the existing sensing session. In some other example embodiments, the triggering of process 400 may be based on the location configuration of the network devices and user equipment, or during initial setup (not always upon receiving a sensing service request from a sensing client).

[0067] As described above, in some example embodiments, the first and second information for the plurality of network devices for which they are needed may include a plurality of first network devices 130 capable of operating as sensing transmitters. Accordingly, the second information indicating the arrival of an RS transmitted by the first network device 130 may be received by the network entity 110 from a plurality of second network devices 120 capable of operating as sensing receivers. Reference will be made below. Figure 5A , 5B Sections 6 and 7 describe some example implementations in this regard.

[0068] First refer to Figure 5A This illustrates the signaling flow of a process 500A for determining a pair of network devices according to some example embodiments. Process 500A involves network entity 110, a first network device 130, and a second network device 120. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Describe process 500A.

[0069] like Figure 5AAs shown, network entity 110 sends (501) a request for RS configuration information for a plurality of first network devices 130. After receiving (502) the request, the first network device 130 sends (503) RS configuration information including first information to network entity 110, which indicates the departure of one or more RSs sent by the first network device 130. Accordingly, network entity 110 receives (504) RS configuration information including the first information from the first network device 130.

[0070] Network entity 110 sends (505) a request for an RS measurement report to second network device 120. After receiving (506) the request, second network device 120 performs (507) an RS measurement. Then, second network device 120 sends (508) an RS measurement report including at least second information indicating the arrival of an RS among a plurality of RSs sent by a plurality of first network devices 130. Accordingly, network entity 110 receives the RS measurement report including the second information from second network device 120.

[0071] Based on the first information received (504) from the first network device 130 and the second information received (509) from the second network device 120, the network entity 110 determines (510) as a pair of network devices operating as a sensing transmitter and a sensing receiver for sensing the sensing area 145.

[0072] Figure 5B Another signaling flow is shown for a process 500B for determining a pair of network devices according to some example embodiments of this disclosure. Process 500B involves SeMF 511 (as an example of network entity 110), gNB-1 TX 512-1 and gNB-2 TX 512-2 (as examples of first network device 130), gNB RX 514 (as an example of second network device 120), and UE or AF 516 (as an example of user equipment 150).

[0073] like Figure 5B As shown, SeMF 511 can receive (521) a sensing service request from the UE or AF 516 that indicates sensing configuration parameters, sensing area, and sensing requirements. If the sensing service request authorization and privacy check are successful, and if a multi-site BS-based sensing mode has been selected as the sensing method, SeMF 511 can initiate (522) a discovery and selection process for relevant network devices that can act as sensing TX and sensing RX.

[0074] In some example embodiments, SeMF 511 can select a candidate list of network devices based on the target sensing area and the capabilities of the network devices. This capability can indicate whether the network device supports dual-site or multi-site sensing modes, whether the network device can act as a sensing TX or sensing RX, or both, etc. Example information elements (IEs) carrying the capabilities of the network devices are as follows:

[0075] SeMF 511 can request (523) candidate network devices (such as gNb-1 TX 512-1 and gNb-2 TX 512-2) to send SSB configuration reports (as an example of RS configuration information). gNb-1 TX 512-1 and gNb-2 TX 512-2 can send (524) SSB configuration reports to SeMF 511. An example message structure for an SSB configuration report from gNb-1 TX 512-1 and gNb-2 TX 512-2 is as follows:

[0076] SeMF 511 can request (525) (multiple) candidate gNB RX 514s to send SSB measurement reports. (Multiple) gNB RX 514s can trigger (526) SSB measurement reporting. For example, (multiple) gNB RX 514s can attempt to scan and measure all SSBs that might be intercepted and reported back to SeMF 511. (Multiple) gNB RX 514s can send (527) SSB measurement reports to SeMF 511. This report contains indications of multiple network devices and their corresponding SSB measurement reports. An example message structure for an SSB measurement report is as follows:

[0077] In some example embodiments, the ToD information in the TX configuration report and the ToA information in the RX measurement report can be expressed as GPS or GNSS time, and the time offset between the GPS or GNSS clock tick and the 5G air frame timing (in T). s The notification time is in the form of a unit. Figure 6 A graphical representation of this relationship is shown. For example... Figure 6 As shown, since GPS / GNSS time is the reference time between TX and RX, ToD and ToA communicate with the GPS / GNSS clock tick. (The last sentence appears to be incomplete and possibly refers to a different context.) s Offsets measured in units can improve the accuracy of reports, thereby improving the accuracy of sensing results.

[0078] SeMF 511 can determine (528) which TX-RX pairs can have a LoS toward the sensing area and select the best suitable TX-RX pair for sensing. In some example embodiments, SeMF 511 can use transmit power, AoD, ToD, receive power, AoA, and ToA to select TX-RX pairs. These TX-RX pairs can be configured to sense a specific area at SeMF 511. These TX-RX pairs can also be recalculated / reselected on OAM triggering. SeMF 511 can also map multiple TX-RX pairs toward the sensing area in a suitable order.

[0079] In some example embodiments, the first and second information, for the multiple network devices for which they are needed, may include multiple first network devices 130 capable of operating as sensing transmitters and multiple second network devices 120 capable of operating as sensing receivers. In this case, the second information indicating the arrival of RSs transmitted by these network devices may be received by network entity 110 from user equipment 150. Reference will be made below. Figure 7 and 8 Some example implementations of this are described.

[0080] Figure 7 Signaling flows for a process 700, assisted by a user equipment, to determine a pair of network devices according to some example embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated. Process 700 involves network entity 110, a plurality of network devices 710 that may include both a first network device 130 and a second network device 120, and user equipment 150. For purposes of discussion, reference will be made to… Figure 1 Describe process 700.

[0081] like Figure 7 As shown, network entity 110 sends (711) a request for RS configuration information for network device 710 to multiple network devices 710. After receiving (712) the request, network device 710 sends (713) RS configuration information including first information to network entity 110, which indicates the departure of an RS among one or more RSs sent by network device 710. Accordingly, network entity 110 receives (714) RS configuration information including the first information from network device 710. Network entity 110 may obtain the first information in any other suitable manner. For example, at least a portion of the first information may be stored locally by network entity 110, or received from at least one network device in a list of network devices, or from at least one network device outside the list of network devices, or from a core network device, as described above.

[0082] To obtain second information indicating the arrival of RSs sent by a plurality of network devices 710, network entity 110 sends (715) a request for an RS measurement report to at least one user equipment 150 in a list of user equipments in or around the sensing area. Accordingly, at least one user equipment 150 receives (716) the request for the RS measurement report. In response to the request, user equipment 150 performs (717) an RS measurement and sends (718) an RS measurement report to network entity 110 including at least the second information indicating the arrival of an RS (such as AoA and / or ToA) among a plurality of RSs sent by network device 710, which may include both a plurality of first network devices 130 and a plurality of second network devices 120. Accordingly, network entity 110 receives (719) the measurement report from user equipment 150.

[0083] In some example embodiments, requests for RS measurement reports and at least one of the items in an RS measurement report can be transmitted between network entity 110 and user equipment 150 via Non-Access Stratum (NAS) messages or User Plane (UP) messages. For example, network entity 110 may request a list of user equipment 150 selected to send SSB measurement reports (as an example of RS measurement reports). One option for network entity 110 to trigger user equipment 150 to report can be transmitted via NAS. In this case, network entity 110 may invoke an AMF service operation, such as Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer, to send a NAS message to user equipment 150. In another option, if user equipment 150 has a direct connection to network entity 110 on the user plane, network entity 110 may trigger user equipment 150 to send an SSB measurement report via communication via a sensing protocol on the user plane. SSB measurement reports from user equipment 150 to network entity 110 may follow the same communication protocol, e.g., via NAS or via UP.

[0084] In some example embodiments, network entity 110 may select a list of user equipment 150 based on at least one of the following: the location, connection status, and capabilities of the user equipment in the list. For example, network entity 110 may select a UE (as an example of user equipment 150) based on at least one of the following: the UE's current location, connection management (CM) status (e.g., connection status, such as idle, inactive, or connected), and UE capabilities.

[0085] In some other example embodiments, as described above, network entity 110 may derive the second information based on the location information of network device 710, user equipment 150, and the sensing area. For the sake of simplicity, the details will not be repeated.

[0086] In some example embodiments, the RS measurement report from user equipment 150 may also indicate at least one of the following: the cell identifier of one of a plurality of network devices, the identifier of one or more RSs associated with the cell identifier, and the measured signal quality of one or more RSs. For example, user equipment 150 may measure all indicated and transmitted SSBs (e.g., RSs) and provide network entity 110 with a measurement report for each transmitted SSB, which may include at least the following: physical cell ID, ssbBeamIndex ID, measured RSRP information, measured RSRQ information, SINR, AoA, or ToA.

[0087] Based on the first and second information received by network device 110 (714, 719), network entity 110 determines (720) a pair of network devices from the list of network devices to operate as a sensing transmitter and a sensing receiver for sensing. In some example embodiments, the pair of network devices may have a LoS facing the sensing area 145.

[0088] Figure 8 Another signaling flow is shown for a process 800 of determining a pair of network devices with the assistance of a user equipment according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 800 involves SeMF 511, gNB-1 TX 512-1 and gNB-2 TX 512-2, (a plurality of) UEs 850 (as an example of user equipment 150) and UE or AF 516.

[0089] like Figure 8 As shown, SeMF 511 can receive (801) a sensing service request indicating sensing configuration parameters, sensing area, and sensing requirements. If the sensing service request authorization and privacy check are successful, and if a multi-station BS-based sensing mode has been selected as the sensing method, SeMF 511 can initiate (802) a discovery and selection process for relevant BSs that can act as sensing TX and sensing RX.

[0090] In step 3, SeMF 511 may request (803) the candidate BSs (such as gNb-1 TX 512-1 and gNb-2 TX 512-2) that are capable of sending SSB configuration reports (as examples of RS configuration information). In step 4, gNb-1 TX 512-1 and gNb-2 TX 512-2 may send (804) SSB configuration reports to SeMF 511.

[0091] The SeMF 511 can select (805) a list of UEs 850 in and around the sensing area, which can be used to measure and report SSBs sent by the BS. The selection of UEs can be made based on the UE's current location, CM status, UE capabilities, etc. The SeMF 511 can use location services to obtain the locations of the UEs and compare them with the sensing area.

[0092] SeMF 511 can request (806) a list of UEs 850 selected in step 5 to send an SSB measurement report. Multiple UEs 850 can trigger an SSB measurement report (807) upon receiving the configuration. One option for SeMF 511 to trigger a report from a UE 850 is via NAS communication. In this case, SeMF 511 can invoke an AMF service operation, such as Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer, to send a NAS message to the UE 850. Alternatively, if the UE 850 has a direct connection to SeMF 511 on the UP, SeMF 511 can trigger the UE 850 to send an SSB measurement report via communication via a sensing protocol on the user plane. The UE 850 can send an SSB measurement report (808) to SeMF 511. SSB measurement reports from the UE 850 to SeMF 511 can follow the same communication protocol, i.e., via NAS or via the UP.

[0093] Based on the SSB measurement report from UE 850, SeMF 511 can determine (809) a list of BSs with direct LoS conditions for the region of interest (e.g., the sensing area) used for sensing. Then, SeMF 511 can select the sensing TX and sensing RX based on BS capabilities and LoS condition information, etc.

[0094] It should be understood that some example embodiments described using SSB as an RS can generally be extended to other RSs. For example, if 3GPP proposes a new RS for sensing, these example embodiments can also be applied to that RS.

[0095] Figure 9 A flowchart of an example process 900 implemented at a device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Process 900 can be performed by... Figure 1 This is achieved through the second network device 120 or user equipment 150.

[0096] In box 910, the device receives a request for an RS measurement report from a network entity.

[0097] At box 920, in response to the request, the device performs an RS measurement.

[0098] At box 930, the device sends an RS measurement report to the network entity, which includes at least second information indicating the arrival of an RS among a plurality of RSs sent by a plurality of network devices.

[0099] In this way, network entities can obtain arrival information of RS sent by network devices in an efficient and effective manner, thereby improving the selection of an appropriate pair of network devices for sensing.

[0100] In some example embodiments, the second information may include at least one of the AoA and ToA of a plurality of RSs.

[0101] In some example embodiments, a request for an RS measurement report may indicate at least one of a plurality of network devices and RS configuration information of the plurality of network devices.

[0102] In some example embodiments, the RS measurement report may also indicate at least one of the following: the cell identifier of one of a plurality of network devices, the identifier of one or more RSs associated with the cell identifier, and the measured signal quality of one or more RSs. Therefore, the network entity has more knowledge about the network devices, thereby improving the selection of a pair of network devices.

[0103] In some example embodiments, the second information can be indicated by the reference time of GNSS or GPS, and the time offset between the reference time and the system frame time of the communication network. Such indication is more accurate, thereby improving the accuracy of the report and further improving the accuracy of the sensing results.

[0104] In some example embodiments, the multiple network devices may include multiple first network devices from a list of network devices for sensing an area, and these multiple first network devices may be able to operate as sensing transmitters. The device may also be a second network device from the list of network devices, and this second network device may be able to operate as a sensing receiver. Therefore, the network entity can obtain information about the sensing transmitters in a more efficient and effective manner.

[0105] In some example embodiments, the multiple network devices may include multiple first network devices and multiple second network devices from a list of network devices for sensing an area. The multiple first network devices may be able to operate as sensing transmitters, and the multiple second network devices may be able to operate as sensing receivers. The apparatus may be a user equipment in or around the sensing area. With the assistance of the user equipment, the network entity can obtain information for selecting an appropriate pair of network devices in a more efficient and effective manner.

[0106] In some example embodiments, a request for an RS measurement report and at least one item in the RS measurement report can be transmitted via NAS messages or the user plane.

[0107] In some example embodiments, RS may include SSB.

[0108] In some example embodiments, network entities may include Sensing Management Functions (SeMF).

[0109] Figure 10 A flowchart of an example process 1000 implemented at a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Process 1000 can be... Figure 1 The first network device 130 in the process is implemented.

[0110] At box 1010, the network device receives a request from the network entity for RS configuration information for the network device.

[0111] At box 1020, in response to a request for RS configuration information, the network device sends RS configuration information to the network entity, including first information indicating the departure of one or more RSs sent by the network device.

[0112] In this way, network entities can obtain information indicating the departure of RS sent by network devices in an effective and efficient manner, thereby improving the selection of an appropriate pair of network devices for sensing.

[0113] In some example embodiments, the first information may include at least one of the AoD of a plurality of RSs and the ToD of an RS.

[0114] In some example embodiments, the first information may be indicated by the reference time of GNSS or GPS, and the time offset between the reference time and the system frame time of the communication network.

[0115] In some example embodiments, the network device may be a first network device or a second network device in a list of network devices for sensing the area, the first network device being able to operate as a sensing transmitter and the second network device being able to operate as a sensing receiver.

[0116] In some example embodiments, RS may include SSB.

[0117] In some example embodiments, the network entity may include SeMF.

[0118] In some example embodiments, a first device capable of performing process 400 (e.g., Figure 1The network entity 110 may include components for performing corresponding operations of process 400 and any of its embodiments. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or software module. The first device may be implemented as or included in... Figure 1 In network entity 110.

[0119] In some example embodiments, a second device capable of performing process 900 (e.g., Figure 1 The second network device 120 or user equipment 150 may include components for performing corresponding operations of process 900 and any of its embodiments. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or software module. The second means may be implemented as or included in... Figure 1 In the second network device 120 or user equipment 150.

[0120] In some example embodiments, a third device capable of performing process 1000 (e.g., Figure 1 The first network device 130 may include components for performing corresponding operations of process 1000 and any embodiment thereof. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or software module. A third means may be implemented as or included in... Figure 1 The first network device in the network is 130.

[0121] Figure 11 This is a simplified block diagram of a device 1100 suitable for implementing exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Device 1100 can be provided to implement a communication device, such as... Figure 1 The network entity 110, first network device 130, second network device 120, or user equipment 150 are shown. As shown, device 1100 includes one or more processors 1110, one or more memories 1120 coupled to processor 1110, and one or more communication modules 1140 coupled to processor 1110.

[0122] Communication module 1140 is used for bidirectional communication. Communication module 1140 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface can represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements. In some example embodiments, communication module 1140 may include at least one antenna.

[0123] As a non-limiting example, processor 1110 can be any type suitable for a local technology network and can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), and processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 1100 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-dependent on a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0124] Memory 1120 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 1124, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), optical disc, laser disc, and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 1122 and other volatile memories that will not persist for the duration of a power outage.

[0125] Computer program 1130 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by an associated processor 1110. The instructions of program 1130 may include instructions for performing operations / actions of some example embodiments of this disclosure. Program 1130 may be stored in memory (e.g., ROM 1124). Processor 1110 can perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 1130 into RAM 1122.

[0126] Example embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by program 1130, enabling device 1100 to execute as described in the reference. Figures 1 to 10 Any process discussed in this disclosure. Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0127] In some example embodiments, program 1130 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in device 1100 (such as in memory 1120) or other storage device accessible by device 1100. Device 1100 may load program 1130 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 1122 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include any type of non-transient storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. As used herein, the term "non-transient" is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not tactile), rather than a limitation of the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM and ROM).

[0128] Figure 12An example of a computer-readable medium 1200 is shown, which may be in the form of a CD, DVD, or other optical storage disc. The computer-readable medium 1200 has a program 1130 stored thereon.

[0129] Generally, the various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented in hardware, and others can be implemented in firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that the blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware, or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof, as non-limiting examples.

[0130] Some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions that execute in a device on a target physical or virtual processor, such as those included in a program module, to perform any of the methods described above. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform a particular task or implement a particular abstract data type. In various embodiments, the functionality of a program module can be combined or split among program modules as needed. The machine-executable instructions for a program module can execute within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, the program module can reside on both local and remote storage media.

[0131] Program code used to perform the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that, when executed by the processor or controller, the program code causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0132] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier wave to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carrier waves include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0133] Computer-readable media can be computer-readable signal media or computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable media can include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatuses, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media will include electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0134] Furthermore, although operations are described in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring that such operations be performed in the specific order shown or sequentially, or requiring that all shown operations be performed to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as a description of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, certain features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, unless explicitly stated otherwise, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0135] Although this disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that the disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as exemplary forms for implementing the claims.

[0136] Furthermore, the various implementations of this disclosure can be described with reference to the following terms, and their features can be combined in any reasonable manner.

[0137] Clause 1. A network entity for communication, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network entity to at least: obtain first information indicating the departure of one or more of a plurality of reference signals (RS), wherein the plurality of RSs are transmitted by a plurality of network devices, and the plurality of network devices are included in a list of network devices for sensing a sensing area; obtain second information indicating the arrival of one or more of the plurality of RSs; and determine a pair of network devices from the list of network devices based on the first information and the second information, wherein the pair of network devices operates as a sensing transmitter and a sensing receiver for the sensing.

[0138] Clause 2. The network entity as described in Clause 1, wherein the first information includes at least one of the departure angle (AoD) and departure time (ToD) of the one or more RSs of the plurality of RSs, and the second information includes at least one of the arrival angle (AoA) and arrival time (ToA) of the one or more RSs of the plurality of RSs.

[0139] Clause 3. The network entity as described in Clause 1 or 2, wherein the pair of network devices has a line of sight (LoS) toward the sensing area.

[0140] Clause 4. A network entity according to any one of Clauses 1 to 3, wherein the network entity is further configured to: send a request for RS configuration information for at least one of the plurality of network devices; and wherein the network entity configured to obtain the first information is configured to: receive from the at least one of the plurality of network devices the RS configuration information in response to the request for the RS configuration information, the RS configuration information including the first information of one or more RSs sent by the at least one network device.

[0141] Clause 5. The network entity as described in Clause 4, wherein the plurality of network devices includes a plurality of first network devices capable of operating as sensing transmitters.

[0142] Clause 6. The network entity as described in Clause 5, wherein the network entity is further configured to: send a request for an RS measurement report to at least one of a plurality of second network devices, wherein the plurality of second network devices are included in a list of network devices and are capable of operating as a sensing receiver; and wherein the network entity configured to obtain the second information is configured to: receive an RS measurement report from the at least one of the plurality of second network devices in response to the request for the RS measurement report, wherein the RS measurement report includes at least the second information of an RS among a plurality of RSs sent by the plurality of first network devices.

[0143] Clause 7. The network entity as described in Clause 4, wherein the plurality of network devices includes a plurality of first network devices capable of operating as sensing transmitters and a plurality of second network devices capable of operating as sensing receivers.

[0144] Clause 8. The network entity as described in Clause 7, wherein the network entity is further configured to: send a request for an RS measurement report to at least one user equipment in a list of user equipment in or around the sensing area; and wherein the network entity configured to obtain the second information is configured to: receive an RS measurement report from the at least one user equipment in the list of user equipment in response to the request for the RS measurement report, the RS measurement report including at least the second information of an RS among a plurality of RSs sent by the plurality of network devices.

[0145] Clause 9. A network entity as described in Clause 8, wherein the request for the RS measurement report and at least one of the RS measurement reports are transmitted via a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message or a user plane.

[0146] Clause 10. A network entity as described in Clause 8 or 9, wherein the network entity is further configured to select the list of user equipment based on at least one of the following: the location, connection status, and capabilities of the user equipment in the list of user equipment.

[0147] Clause 11. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 6 and 8 to 10, wherein the request for the RS measurement report indicates at least one of the plurality of network devices and the RS configuration information of the plurality of network devices.

[0148] Clause 12. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 6 and 8 to 11, wherein the RS measurement report further indicates at least one of the following: the cell identifier of one of the plurality of network devices, the identifier of one or more RSs associated with the cell identifier, and the measured signal quality of the one or more RSs.

[0149] Clause 13. A network entity as described in Clause 1, wherein at least a portion of the first information is stored locally by the network entity, or received from at least one network device in the list of network devices, or from a network device outside the list of network devices, or from a core network device.

[0150] Clause 14. A network entity as described in Clause 1 or 13, wherein the network entity that is made to obtain the second information is made to: obtain a cell identifier of one of the plurality of network devices and an identifier of one or more RSs associated with the cell identifier; and determine the second information of the RS based at least in part on the location information of the plurality of network devices, according to the cell identifier and the identifier of the RS.

[0151] Clause 15. The network entity as described in Clause 14, wherein the second information of the RS is also determined based on location information of a list of user equipment in or around the sensing area.

[0152] Clause 16. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 1 to 15, wherein at least one of the first information and the second information is indicated by a reference time of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) or a Global Positioning System (GPS), and a time offset between the reference time and the system frame time of the communication network.

[0153] Clause 17. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 1 to 16, wherein the network entity further causes to: determine a list of network devices for sensing the sensing area based on: the sensing area and the sensing capabilities of the network devices in the list.

[0154] Clause 18. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 1 to 16, wherein the RS includes a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB).

[0155] Clause 19. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 1 to 18, wherein the network entity includes sensing management functionality.

[0156] Clause 20. An apparatus for communication, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive a request for a reference signal (RS) measurement report from a network entity; perform an RS measurement in response to the request; and send an RS measurement report to the network entity including at least second information, the second information indicating the arrival of an RS among a plurality of RSs transmitted by a plurality of network devices.

[0157] Clause 21. The apparatus according to Clause 20, wherein the second information includes at least one of the angle of arrival (AoA) and time of arrival (ToA) of the plurality of RSs.

[0158] Clause 22. The apparatus according to Clause 20 or 21, wherein the request for the RS measurement report indicates at least one of the plurality of network devices and RS configuration information of the plurality of network devices.

[0159] Clause 23. The apparatus according to any one of Clauses 20 to 22, wherein the RS measurement report further indicates at least one of the following: the cell identifier of one of the plurality of network devices, the identifier of one or more RSs associated with the cell identifier, and the measurement signal quality of the one or more RSs.

[0160] Clause 24. The apparatus according to any one of Clauses 20 to 23, wherein the second information is indicated by a reference time of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) or a Global Positioning System (GPS) and a time offset between the reference time and the system frame time of the communication network.

[0161] Clause 25. The apparatus according to any one of Clauses 20 to 24, wherein the plurality of network devices includes a plurality of first network devices in a list of network devices for sensing a sensing area, and the plurality of first network devices are capable of operating as a sensing transmitter; and the apparatus is a second network device in the list of network devices, and the second network device is capable of operating as a sensing receiver.

[0162] Clause 26. An apparatus according to any one of Clauses 20 to 24, wherein the plurality of network devices includes a plurality of first network devices and a plurality of second network devices from a list of network devices for sensing a sensing area, the plurality of first network devices being capable of operating as sensing transmitters and the plurality of second network devices being capable of operating as sensing receivers; and the apparatus is a user equipment in or around the sensing area.

[0163] Clause 27. The apparatus according to Clause 26, wherein the request for the RS measurement report and at least one of the RS measurement reports are transmitted via a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message or a user plane.

[0164] Clause 28. The apparatus according to any one of Clauses 20 to 27, wherein the RS includes a synchronization signal block (SSB).

[0165] Clause 29. The apparatus according to any one of Clauses 20 to 28, wherein the network entity includes a sensing management function.

[0166] Clause 30. A network device for communication, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least: receive a request from a network entity for reference signal (RS) configuration information for the network device; and, in response to the request for the RS configuration information, send the RS configuration information to the network entity including first information, the first information indicating the departure of one or more RSs sent by the network device.

[0167] Clause 31. The network device according to Clause 30, wherein the first information includes at least one of the departure angle (AoD) and departure time (ToD) of the plurality of RSs.

[0168] Clause 32. The network device according to Clause 30 or 31, wherein the first information is indicated by a reference time of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) or Global Positioning System (GPS) and the time offset between the reference time and the system frame time of the communication network.

[0169] Clause 33. A network device according to any one of Clauses 30 to 32, wherein the network device is a first network device or a second network device in a list of network devices for sensing a sensing area, the first network device being capable of operating as a sensing transmitter and the second network device being capable of operating as a sensing receiver.

[0170] Clause 34. A network device according to any one of Clauses 30 to 33, wherein the RS includes a synchronization signal block (SSB).

[0171] Clause 35. A network device pursuant to any one of Clauses 30 to 34, wherein the network entity includes sensing management functionality.

[0172] Clause 36. A method of communication, comprising: at a network entity, obtaining first information indicating the departure of one or more of a plurality of reference signals (RS), wherein the plurality of RSs are transmitted by a plurality of network devices, and the plurality of network devices are included in a list of network devices for sensing a sensing area; obtaining second information indicating the arrival of one or more of the plurality of RSs; and determining a pair of network devices from the list of network devices based on the first information and the second information, wherein the pair of network devices operate as a sensing transmitter and a sensing receiver for the sensing.

[0173] Clause 37. A method of communication, comprising: at a device, receiving a request for a reference signal (RS) measurement report from a network entity; in response to the request, performing an RS measurement; and sending an RS measurement report to the network entity including at least second information, the second information indicating the arrival of an RS among a plurality of RSs transmitted by a plurality of network devices.

[0174] Clause 38. A method of communication, comprising: at a network device, receiving from a network entity a request for reference signal (RS) configuration information for the network device; and in response to the request for the RS configuration information, sending to the network entity the RS configuration information including first information, the first information indicating the departure of an RS among one or more RSs transmitted by the network device.

[0175] Clause 39. A first apparatus for communication, comprising: means for obtaining first information indicating the departure of one or more of a plurality of reference signals (RS), wherein the plurality of RS are transmitted by a plurality of network devices, and the plurality of network devices are included in a list of network devices for sensing a sensing area; means for obtaining second information indicating the arrival of one or more of the plurality of RS; and means for determining a pair of network devices from the list of network devices based on the first information and the second information, wherein the pair of network devices operate as a sensing transmitter and a sensing receiver for the sensing.

[0176] Clause 40. A second means for communication, comprising: components for receiving a request for a reference signal (RS) measurement report from a network entity; components for performing an RS measurement in response to the request; and components for sending the RS measurement report to the network entity including at least second information, the second information indicating the arrival of an RS among a plurality of RSs transmitted by a plurality of network devices.

[0177] Clause 41. A third means for communication, comprising: components for receiving a request from a network entity for reference signal (RS) configuration information for the network device; and components for sending the RS configuration information, including first information, to the network entity in response to the request for the RS configuration information, the first information indicating the departure of an RS among one or more RSs transmitted by the network device.

[0178] Clause 42. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon for causing a device to perform at least the method described in accordance with Clause 36, or the method described in accordance with Clause 37, or the method described in accordance with Clause 38.

Claims

1. A network entity for communication, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network entity to at least: Obtain first information indicating the departure of one or more of a plurality of reference signals (RS), wherein the plurality of RS are transmitted by a plurality of network devices and the plurality of network devices are included in a list of network devices for sensing the sensing area; Obtain second information, the second information indicating the arrival of one or more of the plurality of RSs; as well as Based on the first information and the second information, a pair of network devices are determined from the list of network devices, wherein the pair of network devices operate as a sensing transmitter and a sensing receiver for the sensing.

2. The network entity of claim 1, wherein the first information includes at least one of the departure angle (AoD) and departure time (ToD) of the one or more RSs of the plurality of RSs, and the second information includes at least one of the arrival angle (AoA) and arrival time (ToA) of the one or more RSs of the plurality of RSs.

3. The network entity according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pair of network devices has a line of sight (LoS) toward the sensing area.

4. The network entity according to claim 1, wherein the network entity is further configured such that: Send a request for RS configuration information for at least one of the plurality of network devices; and The network entity that is made to obtain the first information is made to: The network device receives RS configuration information in response to the request for RS configuration information from at least one of the plurality of network devices, the RS configuration information including the first information of one or more RSs sent by the at least one network device.

5. The network entity of claim 4, wherein the plurality of network devices includes a plurality of first network devices capable of operating as sensing transmitters.

6. The network entity according to claim 5, wherein the network entity is further configured such that: Send a request for an RS measurement report to at least one of a plurality of second network devices, wherein the plurality of second network devices are included in a list of network devices and are capable of operating as sensing receivers; and The network entity that is made to obtain the second information is made to: The at least one of the plurality of second network devices receives an RS measurement report in response to the request for the RS measurement report, the RS measurement report including at least the second information of an RS among a plurality of RSs sent by the plurality of first network devices.

7. The network entity of claim 4, wherein the plurality of network devices includes a plurality of first network devices capable of operating as sensing transmitters and a plurality of second network devices capable of operating as sensing receivers.

8. The network entity according to claim 7, wherein the network entity is further configured such that: Send a request for an RS measurement report to at least one user equipment in a list of user equipment in or around the sensing area; and The network entity that is made to obtain the second information is made to: The user equipment receives an RS measurement report in response to the request for the RS measurement report from at least one user equipment in the list of user equipment, the RS measurement report including at least the second information of an RS among a plurality of RSs sent by the plurality of network devices.

9. The network entity of claim 8, wherein the request for the RS measurement report and at least one of the RS measurement reports are transmitted via a non-access stratum (NAS) message or a user plane.

10. The network entity according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the network entity is further configured such that: The list of user devices is selected based on at least one of the following: the location, connection status, and capabilities of the user devices in the list.

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