Selecting the most appropriate device for the procedure
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202580011384.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2024-01-23
- Filing Date
- 2025-01-02
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-28
AI Technical Summary
关于这些新服务，此类蜂窝网络不利地尚不能以高效的方式处置请求和共享感测测量值
[0023] Therefore, the device according to the invention can have the same advantages as described in detail with reference to the method according to the invention.
Smart Images
Figure CN122663902A_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] This invention relates to a method for selecting the most suitable device for a sensing procedure. Furthermore, this invention relates to network elements, devices, computer programs, and storage media for this purpose. Background Technology
[0002] Cellular networks based on telecommunications standards such as 4G New Radio and / or 5G New Radio are designed to primarily provide communication services. However, with the introduction of Integrated Communications and Sensing (ICAS) services into telecommunications technologies, sensing may become an additional service, for example, provided by cellular networks such as 6G telecommunications networks. Disadvantageously, such cellular networks are not yet able to efficiently handle requests and share sense measurements for these new services.
[0003] Integrated Communications and Sensing (ICAS) refers to technologies that combine communication and sensing capabilities in a unified and integrated manner. This integration enables devices or systems not only to send and receive data, but also to collect and process information from their surrounding environment through various sensors. Summary of the Invention
[0004] The above objectives are achieved by a method having the features of claim 1, a network element having the features of claim 10, a device having the features of claim 12, a computer program having the features of claim 13, and a computer-readable storage medium having the features of claim 14. Further features and details of the invention are disclosed in the corresponding dependent claims, description, and drawings. The features and details described in the context of the method according to the invention also correspond to the computer program according to the invention, the network element according to the invention, and the computer-readable storage medium according to the invention, and vice versa in each case; therefore, disclosures relating to various aspects of the invention can always be referred to mutually.
[0005] This objective is achieved in particular by a method for selecting the most suitable device for sensing procedures, the method comprising the following steps in network elements: - Receives a message to initiate a sensing procedure, which then initiates a selection procedure to choose the most suitable device. The message specifies at least one criterion regarding a specific geographic area and a specific duration. - Assign at least one device to a group of devices managed by the network element, based on the specific geographic region and the specific duration. - For each device in the set of devices, check whether each device satisfies at least one criterion in the first set of criteria, and, If the inspection result is negative, then such devices will be excluded from the group of devices, and If the inspection result is positive, then this type of device will remain in the aforementioned group of devices. - For each of the remaining devices, a result is calculated based on the objective function, wherein the result provides a metric for selecting the most suitable device for the sensing procedure. Based on an evaluation of the calculated results, the most suitable device is selected. - Send a request message to the selected device, wherein the request message includes a request for the selected device to perform the sensing procedure.
[0006] This has the advantage that sensing technologies can be advantageously integrated into network communications. This allows for the inclusion of various sensors (such as radar, lidar, or sonar) to enable a wide range of applications, from machine learning to environmental monitoring. Furthermore, it allows for the advantageous enhancement of sensing activities focused on local or specific geographic areas. Moreover, based on the technological capabilities of new 6G telecommunications networks, the method of this invention can be used in applications such as autonomous vehicles due to its extremely low latency and high transmission rates. Using an objective function has the effect of optimizing the conditions and requirements associated with network problems. An objective function (also called a cost function) is a formula that represents a specific quantity or value that needs to be optimized, minimized, or maximized in a mathematical or optimization problem. It is a fundamental concept in various fields, including optimization or decision-making processes. Depending on the problem at hand, the specific form of the objective function can vary widely. For example, in calculus, it can be a function that needs to be minimized or maximized to find critical points.
[0007] It is possible that the method includes the following further steps: - Receive confirmation messages from the selected device. - Receive sensing measurements from the selected device based on the implemented sensing protocol.
[0008] This advantageously enables the execution of device-supported sensing procedures for network elements. Furthermore, it allows the acquisition of sensing measurements related to a specific geographic area where the selected device is located and / or with respect to a specific duration for which the selected device is capable of providing sensing measurements. Optionally, in response to a sent request message, an acknowledgment message can be received from the selected device.
[0009] Alternatively, the method may include the following further steps: - Receive rejection messages from the selected device. - Initiate the removal of the selected device from the assigned group of devices.
[0010] It is possible that the method includes the following further steps: - Check whether the assigned set of equipment includes at least one remaining device, and, If the check is positive, the method continues with the step of calculating the result based on the objective function for each of the remaining devices, and... - If the result of the check is negative, the method proceeds to the following steps: - Send a message that includes information that the sensing procedure cannot be performed for the specific geographic area and the specific duration.
[0011] This has the effect that the initially selected device will be ignored relative to the request, and the network element can initiate a further selection procedure based on an internal check procedure. This allows for the search for another device that can be selected for the sensing procedure. Alternatively, the network element can stop the selection procedure based on the check and notify the requesting entity of this. Optionally, a rejection message can be received from the selected device in response to the sent request message.
[0012] Alternatively, the inspection of each device in the group of devices may include the following further steps: - The suitability of each device is verified based on the satisfaction of exclusionary criterion constraints, which define criterion categories in the first criterion set, wherein the exclusionary criterion constraints specify conditions related to geographic coverage, a given duration, the type of sensed data, and / or the device's movement pattern.
[0013] This has the advantage that verification can be more flexible and faster based on a given criterion category. Furthermore, it allows for reduced power consumption when a device fails to meet exclusion criteria and will be discarded.
[0014] It is conceivable that, during the selection process, the method includes the following further steps: - Evaluate the degree to which the result of the objective function satisfies the optimization objective of the objective function, and select the most suitable device based on a measure of the deviation between the corresponding result and the optimization objective.
[0015] This allows for the optimization of conditions and requirements relative to the objective function to find and select the most suitable device in a more efficient and effective manner.
[0016] It is also conceivable that the objective function specifies the value of the variable of the objective function that optimizes the objective function while complying with the second set of criteria, in order to provide the result.
[0017] It is possible that the second set of criteria includes at least two categories of objectives to be optimized, wherein the first category is defined as utility, including objectives to be maximized with respect to the objective function; and / or the second category is defined as cost, including objectives to be minimized with respect to the objective function.
[0018] This has the advantage of considering further criteria for effectively selecting suitable equipment.
[0019] It is possible that the communication between the network element and the group of devices is based on sidelink communication, wherein the network element is a primary user equipment, and wherein the primary user equipment and the group of devices are outside the network coverage area.
[0020] This has the effect that, even when outside the coverage area of the access network, it is advantageous to select network elements such as the primary user equipment to coordinate a given task for a group of devices. Alternatively, it is also possible that the primary user equipment can coordinate only one further device, rather than a group of devices.
[0021] In another aspect of the invention, a network element for selecting the most suitable device may be provided, the network element comprising means for carrying out the method of the invention. It is also possible that the network element includes a base station and / or a primary user equipment. Therefore, the network element according to the invention can have the same advantages as described in detail with reference to the method according to the invention.
[0022] According to another aspect of the invention, an apparatus may be provided, the apparatus comprising means for performing the following steps: - Receive a request message from a network element (preferably according to the invention), wherein the request message includes a request to perform a sensing procedure. - Based on at least one criterion regarding the sensing procedure, check whether the request can be performed, and if the check is positive, send an acknowledgment message for performing the sensing measurement to the network element, and if the check is negative, send a rejection message to the network element.
[0023] Therefore, the device according to the invention can have the same advantages as described in detail with reference to the method according to the invention.
[0024] In another aspect of the invention, a computer program, particularly a computer program product, may be provided, the computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to the invention. Therefore, the computer program according to the invention can have the same advantages as described in detail with reference to the method according to the invention.
[0025] In another aspect of the invention, an apparatus for data processing configured to perform the method according to the invention may be provided. As such an apparatus, for example, a computer executing a computer program according to the invention may be provided. The computer may include at least one processor that can be used to execute the computer program. Furthermore, a non-volatile data memory may be provided in which the computer program may be stored, and which can be read from the data memory by the processor for execution.
[0026] According to another aspect of the invention, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, comprising a computer program and / or instructions according to the invention, which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the steps of the method according to the invention. The storage medium may be formed as a data storage device, such as a hard disk and / or non-volatile memory and / or memory card and / or solid-state drive. The storage medium may, for example, be integrated into the computer.
[0027] Furthermore, the method according to the invention can be implemented as a computer-based method.
[0028] Further advantages, features, and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description, in which embodiments of the invention are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this context, features mentioned in the claims and in the description may individually or in any combination be essential features of the invention. (Example:) Figure 1 The methods, computer programs, storage media, and network elements according to embodiments of the present invention Figure 2 : An illustrative overview of embodiments of the present invention, Figure 3 : A schematic diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0029] The purpose of this invention is to provide sensed measurements for a network 1 covering a specific geographical area, and these sensed measurements should be provided for a specific duration. At the heart of this invention is a procedure for selecting a suitable device 10 or user equipment 10 (UE). This procedure is based on solving an optimization problem with a defined objective function, which is preferably optimized to satisfy or achieve given criteria / constraints.
[0030] With the advent of Integrated Communications and Sensing (ICAS), future 6G cellular networks are expected to provide sensing services in addition to supporting communication between connected user equipment 10 or between devices 10. Besides sensing measurements that may be obtained from ICAS signals, the network can also request sensing data measured by the UE (using onboard sensors) to improve its own measurements. Therefore, effective procedures should be provided for selecting appropriate devices for sensing procedures. Furthermore, an entity with ICAS capability should be understood as device 10 or base station 20 capable of transmitting, receiving, and processing ICAS signals. ICAS sensing (3GPP sensing) should be understood as: sensing performed using 3GPP (cellular) radio signals affected by the object of interest or the environment (e.g., reflection, refraction, diffraction). Non-ICAS sensing (non-3GPP sensing) should be understood as: measurements generated by non-3GPP sensors (such as radar, cameras, lidar, or sonar).
[0031] Figure 1 A method 100, a network element 20, a computer program 30, a storage medium 25, and a computer 21 according to an embodiment of the present invention are described. Figure 1 A method 100 for selecting the most suitable device for a sensing protocol is illustrated. The method 100 according to an embodiment of the invention includes the following steps, performed on a network element 20: In step 101, a message for initiating a sensing procedure is received to initiate a selection procedure for choosing the most suitable device 10. The message specifies at least one criterion regarding a specific geographic area and a specific duration. In step 102, at least one device 10 is assigned to a set of devices managed by the network element 20 based on the specific geographic area and the specific duration. Then, in step 103, for each device 10 in the set of devices, it is checked whether each device 10 meets at least one criterion in a first set of criteria. If the check result is negative, such device 10 is excluded from the set of devices, and if the check result is positive, such device 10 is retained in the set of devices. In step 104, for each of the remaining devices 10, a result is calculated based on an objective function. The result provides a metric for selecting the most suitable device for the sensing procedure. In step 105, the most suitable device is selected based on an evaluation of the calculated result. In step 106, a request message is sent to the selected device 10. The request message includes a request for the selected device 10 to perform the sensing procedure.
[0032] Figure 1Network element 20, particularly base station 20, is also shown, which includes computer 21 and computer-readable storage medium 25. The computer-readable storage medium 25 includes computer program 30.
[0033] Figure 2 A schematic overview of a 6G telecommunications network 1 is depicted. Network 1 includes a radio access network 2 (RAN) and a core network 3. The radio access network 2 includes base stations 20 for setting up cellular infrastructure for device 10 or user equipment 10. The radio access network 2 is responsible for handling the transmission and reception of radio signals between device 10 and the network infrastructure. The base stations 20 of the radio access network 2 can manage the connected device 10 within a cell 5 of the access network 2. Cell 5 can be designated as a specific geographical area.
[0034] Access network 2 connects device 10 to core network 3 and enables wireless communication. Device 10 can access various network services available to users on network 1. Core network 3 is responsible for establishing reliable and secure connections between end users and the network, and providing access to its services.
[0035] The core network 3 can be assigned the task of receiving sensing requests from device 10 and sending sensing requests to device 10 via RAN 2.
[0036] The Xn interface 6 is a 3GPP-standardized interface located between the core network 3 and the radio access network 2. The 6G-Uu interface 7 illustrates the communication link between device 10 and RAN 2.
[0037] User equipment 10 may be a communication-enabled device, which may be equipped with any number and type of sensors, such as cameras, radar, lidar, or may also include an intelligent transportation system (ITS).
[0038] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary method according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided. In step 301, a trigger message is received by base station 20 or gNB 20. gNB 20 (also known as a next-generation NodeB) serves as base station 20, similar to its predecessors in previous generations of mobile networks (e.g., 4G LTE). Base station 20 acts as a central point in the radio access network infrastructure for connecting mobile devices to the network. The trigger message may include information about the sensing procedure to be performed (such as the desired area to be covered), a specific time frame (how long does the trigger agent need the measurement to last?), or all other necessary information that can be interpreted as constraints.
[0039] In step 302, a set of User Equipment 10 (UE) units is assigned or initialized, where this set is managed by base station 20 or gNB 20. This set is managed by... This represents the set of UEs used to calculate the objective function. To quantize the... User equipment (of which) The suitability of the first set of criteria may be considered in light of the following criteria: such as the type of sensing data, the quality of the measurements, the cost of sharing the measurements, the willingness to share the measurements, and / or the mobility pattern of the user equipment 10.
[0040] The type of sensed data specifies the type of data to be communicated, i.e., camera, radar, lidar, or other types of data. The quality of the measurement can be estimated using the quality of previous measurements (e.g., using mean squared error as a measure). The cost of sharing the measurement specifies a situation where user equipment 10 shares its measurements and receives some form of compensation in return (e.g., in the form of an integral). The willingness to share the measurement can be considered by measuring the previous behavior of UE 10 (e.g., based on historical trajectories). This willingness can be described in different ways based on the information at hand. One example could be using the number of requests accepted by UE 10 as a measure of its willingness to share data. Regarding the use of an objective function, this would be a non-negative integer. Another example could be that, if the total number of requests sent to the UE is available, the willingness factor can be expressed as a probability by dividing the number of accepted requests by the total number of requests, which would produce a fairer comparison among UE 10s.
[0041] The mobility mode of user equipment 10 specifies whether the measurement values delivered by the selected UE will cover the desired area.
[0042] The criteria described above, derived from the first set of criteria, can be further differentiated using various categories of criteria, which can be used as exclusionary criteria, for example, in such a way that: if for the first... If a UE 10 does not meet any of the above criteria or conditions, then that device is directly excluded from the assigned device set. The categories of criteria can include exclusionary criterion constraints, such as geographical coverage, a given duration, the type of sensed data, and the UE's movement pattern based on the use case. Regarding the assignment and exclusion procedures in step 303, there are... A constraint, a symbol Indicates the first There are constraints, among which The decision depends on the satisfaction of the following condition: when The implied conditions (such as coverage area or time frame) are used by the UE. When satisfied, the first Does the UE satisfy the first...? Constraints And we write According to step 303, at least one constraint (denoted as) in the constraints where such user equipment 10 fails to satisfy or achieve the objective function ,in From 1 to In the case of [the following], each user equipment 10 is excluded from the assigned set of UEs. The constraint is included in the first set of criteria.
[0043] In step 304, for the assigned set of devices ( For each of the remaining devices 10 in the process, an objective function is calculated. The result of the calculated objective function is used to select the most suitable device or user equipment 10 for the sensing procedure.
[0044] The objective function can be, for example... Represents the set of non-negative integers. Represents the set of real numbers. It is an integer sequence , It is a real number a set such that , Represents a set The cardinality (i.e., the number of elements). It means "for all".
[0045] The exemplary objective function to be maximized above is not restrictive. Any other objective function that allows maximizing utility and minimizing cost may also be used.
[0046] Then, in step 305, based on an evaluation of the calculated results, the most suitable user equipment 10 is selected. In other words: the one with the largest... UE This means that in step 305, the degree to which the outcome of the objective function satisfies the optimization objective of the objective function is evaluated, and the most suitable device is selected based on a metric of the extent to which the corresponding outcome of the objective function satisfies the optimization objective. The objective function specifies the values of the variables of the objective function that optimize the objective function while adhering to a second set of criteria to provide the outcome. The second set of criteria includes at least two categories of objectives to be optimized, wherein a first category is defined as utility, including objectives to be maximized with respect to the objective function; and / or a second category is defined as cost, including objectives to be minimized with respect to the objective function.
[0047] Decision entities (such as base station 20) aim to optimize the represented conditions by using an objective function that includes a (flexible) set of criteria.
[0048] Such criteria are called objectives. There are, for example, two types of objectives.
[0049] One category is called utility, which is the goal to be maximized, such as, for example, the quality of the willingness factor and / or the measure. This represents the set of such objectives with respect to the objective function. Furthermore, for the... One target (of which) ),equipment With parameters Related.
[0050] Another category is called cost. Cost is the objective to be minimized, such as the cost of sharing. Regarding the objective function, this can be derived from... This is represented as a set of such targets. For the th One target (of which) ),equipment With parameters Related.
[0051] In other words, the problem of choosing the most suitable UE corresponds to finding a device that satisfies all constraints, maximizes utility, and minimizes cost.
[0052] In step 306, the selected UE is... A request to implement a sensing procedure is sent. In step 307, the decision of device 10 is executed: confirmation 307a to continue implementing the sensing procedure by sharing the sensing measurement value 308, or rejection 307b to share the sensing measurement value. If device 10 rejects 307b, then device 10 or user equipment 10 will be removed from the device list in step 309. In the latter case, base station 20 may check whether there are still further devices available on the list of assigned (remaining) devices, possibly for sharing the sensing measurement value with base station 20. If the result is affirmative 309a, the base station will continue to step 304. If the result is negative 309b, base station 20 may send a message in step 310, the message including information that the sensing procedure cannot be implemented for a specified area and for a specific duration.
[0053] Alternatively, in another embodiment (not depicted), the method of the present invention can also be applied to situations where device 10 is not managed by base station 20, meaning there are scenarios outside the coverage area. In this case, instead of having communication links for uplink and downlink between device 10 and base station 20, it is possible to have connections between devices via sidelink communication, meaning a cluster or group of devices 10 or user equipment 10 communicating with each other via sidelink channels. In such scenarios, a single "primary UE" 20 can act as a "base station-like" role according to the method of the present invention. In other words, the above... Figure 3 The procedure remains unchanged, with "primary UE" 20 replacing base station 20 (gNB).
[0054] Sidelink communication refers to direct wireless communication links established between nearby devices (such as smartphones, IoT devices, or vehicles) without the need for centralized network infrastructure. This short-range, peer-to-peer communication enables devices to exchange data directly, facilitating various applications such as device-to-device data sharing, local discovery, and collaborative services.
[0055] The above explanation of the embodiments describes the invention in the context of examples. Of course, the various features of the embodiments can be freely combined with each other if this is technically reasonable without departing from the scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A method (100) for selecting the most suitable device (10), the method (100) comprising the following steps in a network element (20): - Receive (101) a message for initiating a sensing procedure to initiate a selection procedure for selecting the most suitable device (10). The message specifies at least one criterion regarding a specific geographic area and a specific duration. - Based on the specific geographical area and the specific duration, at least one device (10) is assigned (102) to a group of devices managed by the network element (20). - For each device (10) in the set of devices, check (103) whether each device (10) satisfies at least one criterion in the first set of criteria, and, If the result of the inspection is negative, then such device (10) will be excluded from the group of devices, and If the inspection result is positive, then this type of device (10) will remain in the group of devices. - For each of the remaining devices (10), a result (104) is calculated based on an objective function, wherein the result provides a metric for selecting the most suitable device for the sensing procedure. - Based on the evaluation of the calculated results, the most suitable device described in (105) is selected. - Send a (106) request message to the selected (105) device (10), wherein the request message includes a request for the selected device (10) to perform the sensing procedure.
2. The method (100) according to claim 1. Its features are, The method (100) includes the following further steps: - Receive confirmation message from the selected device (10), - Receive sensing measurements from the selected device (10) based on the implemented sensing protocol.
3. The method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims. Its features are, The method (100) includes the following further steps: - Receive a rejection message from the selected device (10), - Initiate the removal of the selected device (10) from the set of devices assigned (102).
4. The method (100) according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method (100) includes the following further steps: - Check whether the set of devices assigned (102) includes at least one remaining device, and, If the result of the check is positive, then the method (100) continues with the step of calculating (104) the result based on the objective function for each of the remaining devices (10), and, If the check result is negative, the method (100) continues with the following steps: - Send a message that includes information about the inability to perform the sensing procedure for the specific geographic area and the specific duration.
5. The method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The inspection (103) for each of the group of devices (10) includes the following further steps: - The suitability of each device (10) is verified based on the satisfaction of exclusionary criterion constraints, which define criterion categories in the first criterion set, wherein the exclusionary criterion constraints specify conditions related to geographic coverage, given duration, type of sensed data and / or the movement pattern of the device (10).
6. The method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, During the selection (105), the method (100) includes the following further steps: - Evaluate the degree to which the result of the objective function satisfies the optimization objective of the objective function, and select the most suitable device based on a measure of the deviation between the corresponding result and the optimization objective.
7. The method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The objective function specifies that the value of the variable of the objective function is calculated to optimize the objective function while adhering to the second set of criteria, in order to provide the result.
8. The method (100) according to claim 7. Its features are, The second set of criteria includes at least two categories of objectives to be optimized, wherein the first category is defined as utility, including objectives to be maximized with respect to the objective function; and / or the second category is defined as cost, including objectives to be minimized with respect to the objective function.
9. The method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims. Its features are, The communication between the network element (20) and the group of devices is based on side link communication, wherein the network element (20) is a primary user equipment, and wherein the primary user equipment (20) and the group of devices (10) are outside the network coverage area.
10. A network element (20) for selecting the most suitable device (10), the network element (20) comprising means for performing the method (100) of any one of the preceding claims.
11. The network element (20) according to claim 10, characterized in that, The network element (20) includes a base station and / or a primary user equipment.
12. The apparatus (10) includes means for performing the following steps: - Receive a request message from the network element (20) preferably according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the request message includes a request to perform a sensing procedure. - Check whether the request can be performed according to at least one criterion regarding the sensing procedure, and if the result of the check is positive, send an acknowledgment message for performing the sensing measurement to the network element (20), and if the result of the check is negative, send a rejection message to the network element (20).
13. A computer program (30) comprising instructions that, when the computer program (30) is executed by a computer (21), cause the computer (21) to perform the method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 9.
14. A computer-readable storage medium (25) comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer (21), cause the computer (21) to perform the steps of the method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 9.