WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM HAVING DISTRIBUTED SENSING CAPABILITIES - Patent application

Abstract

A system and method for providing sensing capabilities in a wireless communications system, where a portion of the communications spectrum is configured such that sensing can be performed in such a manner that the parameters that need to be communicated are configured for the required application, while the lack of analog signal exchange and the additional path length caused by the distance between the transmitter and receiver (and in embodiments the distance between the receiver and the target) are compensated for by establishing a distributed sensing system between a base station 100 or terminal device as a transmitter device and a terminal device 120 or base station as a receiver device for a certain period of time.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communication between terminal devices and / or fixed or mobile access devices in wireless networks, such as, but not limited to, Fifth Generation (5G) cellular communication systems. [Background technology]

[0002] As wavelengths in communication systems become shorter, the ability to use the same wavelength bands for more precise sensing applications increases.

[0003] So-called "millimeter wave" radar is a non-contact sensing technology for detecting objects and providing the range, speed, and angle of these objects, operating in the spectrum between 30 GHz and 300 GHz. Because this technology uses short wavelengths, it can provide accuracy in the sub-millimeter range, is able to penetrate certain materials such as plastic, drywall, and clothing, and is relatively unaffected by environmental conditions such as rain, fog, dust, and snow. The ability to sense surface position and movement at the sub-millimeter scale enables such systems to perform vital signs monitoring.

[0004] As an example, the signal wavelength band of a 5G communication system, or other suitable wireless communication system, can be used as a millimeter wave radar to measure the location and movement of vehicles and people, as well as vital sign signals such as heart rate and respiration rate, but this requires knowledge of the transmission environment, approximate target location, and suitable modifications to the signal system.

[0005] However, radar or other sensing systems are typically implemented as a single, non-distributed system including a transmitter and receiver to enable communication of analog signals and timing, and therefore require duplication of equivalent system elements and other significant modifications of the communication system hardware to achieve adequate sensing capabilities. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide detection capabilities to a communication system while minimizing modification requirements. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] This object is achieved by an apparatus according to claim 1, a wireless communication device according to claim 17, a system according to claim 18, a method according to claim 26 and a computer program product according to claim 27.

[0008] According to a first aspect relating to a wireless communication device (e.g., an access device or a terminal device) on a receiver side of a distributed detection function, there is provided an apparatus for providing a radar detection capability to a wireless communication device, the apparatus comprising: a wireless communication unit for receiving a communication signal from a remote wireless communication device at another communication end; a receiving front end for receiving a radio frequency signal; a detection unit for detecting a detection signal at an output of the receiving front end based on detection parameter information included in the received communication signal; Based on the received detection signal and the detection parameter information included in the received communication signal, determining a timing, phase shift, frequency, amplitude, or signal modification of the detected signal to further determine whether the detected signal is reflected by the target object or transmitted via a direct non-reflective path; generating and transmitting a filtered signal to a further processing unit to extract sensing information about the target object; or Identifying the location, movement, or structure of a target object and an analysis system configured to perform at least one of Equipped with.

[0009] According to a second aspect relating to a wireless communication device (e.g., an access device or a terminal device) on a receiver side of a distributed sensing function, there is provided a method for providing sensing capability to a wireless communication device, the method comprising: receiving a communication signal from a remote wireless communication device at another communication end; detecting a sensed signal at an output of the radio frequency receiving front end based on sensed parameter information contained in the received communication signal; Based on the received detection signal and the detection parameter information included in the received communication signal, determining a timing, phase shift, frequency, amplitude, or signal modification of the detected signal to further determine whether the detected signal is reflected by the target object or transmitted via a direct non-reflective path; generating and transmitting a filtered signal to a further processing unit to extract sensing information about the target object; or Identifying the location, movement, or structure of a target object and performing at least one of: has.

[0010] According to a third aspect, there is provided a wireless communication device comprising the apparatus of the first aspect.

[0011] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a system including at least one wireless communication device according to the third aspect and at least one remote wireless communication device for transmitting a received detection signal.

[0012] Finally, according to a fifth aspect there is provided a computer program product comprising code means for causing the steps of the method of the second aspect when executed on a processor of a wireless communication device.

[0013] Thus, the present invention allows for a flexible method by which a terminal device (e.g., UE, sensor, etc.) or an access device (e.g., base station, access point, etc.) can request a period of detection for a proposed target object with only moderate modifications to the components of the communication system, thereby enabling handset-directed detection with detection capabilities (e.g., radar detection, CSI-based detection, etc.) integrated with standard or conventional communication systems, taking into account the receiver-target spatial separation and receiver-transmitter spatial separation, and eliminating the need to emit analog signals at the receiver handset.

[0014] This allows the measurement of vital signs (e.g., heart rate, respiratory rate, etc.) of a selected individual or multiple individuals (e.g., humans or animals) or the location and movement of one or more objects of interest. This includes specific movements such as detecting a person falling. Furthermore, if vital signs are measured from the objects of interest, this information can be used to distinguish between individuals and objects.

[0015] Furthermore, the proposed integrated sensing function can be used to measure the superficial skin dielectric constant (at a defined radio frequency), which can be used, for example, as a measure of stress (e.g., over time).

[0016] According to a first option, combined with any of the first to fifth aspects above, the received signal is a radar signal, a chirp signal, or a training symbol of channel state information, which may provide various detection options for implementing a distributed detection system.

[0017] According to the first option or a second option combined with any of the first to fifth aspects above, the wireless communication unit of the wireless communication device is used to transmit a sensing measurement request to a remote wireless communication device to receive at least one of sensing parameter information or resource allocation information for sensing. This may initiate a distributed radar sensing operation or semi-persistent scheduling in sensing mode over a standard communication link at the remote wireless communication device (transmitter of the distributed sensing system). This may be performed in a secure manner, for example by using RRC signaling. According to a third option combined with the first or second option or any of the first to fifth aspects above, the wireless communication unit of the wireless communication device is used to transmit at least one of a scanning time required for sensing measurement and a rough indication of direction and range to the target object to the remote wireless communication device. This may allow the wireless communication unit at the remote wireless communication device (transmitter of the distributed radar system) to initiate its distributed sensing function and antenna beamforming preparation setup according to the received information.

[0018] According to a fourth option, combinable with any of the first to third options or with any of the first to fifth aspects above, the sensing parameter information comprises one or more information types selected from a set comprising timing, phase and frequency information, an identification of an algorithm or filter used for processing, an application identifier, or a sensing signal identifier of the received sensing signal. This prepared information enables a communication unit of a wireless communication device (a receiver of the distributed sensing system) to generate by said communication unit a suitable synthetic sensing signal that matches an actual sensing signal generated at a remote wireless communication device (a transmitter of the distributed sensing system).

[0019] According to a fifth option, combinable with any of the first to fourth options or with any of the first to fifth aspects above, a signal generator is provided for generating an internal composite detection signal based on detection parameter information contained in the received communication signal, and the analysis system is configured to combine the composite detection signal with the received detection signal, thereby providing a joint detection system of transmitters and receivers for measuring a desired parameter of the received detection signal (a "non-distributed" detection system), or a system in which the transmitters and receivers are physically distributed but work together equivalently to a non-distributed detection system, and / or a system in which the receivers reuse components / subsystems of a non-distributed detection system.

[0020] According to a sixth option, combinable with any of the first to fifth options or with any of the first to fifth aspects above, the signal generator is configured to generate a chirp signal as an internal synthetic sensing signal that matches the received sensing parameter information using a discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing signal generation process of the wireless communication unit. This solution provides the advantage that available signal generation processes of the communication units in the receiver of the distributed sensing system can be adapted to generate a synthetic sensing signal for a non-distributed sensing receiver function without requiring significant modifications.

[0021] According to a seventh option, combinable with any of the first to sixth options or any of the first to fifth aspects above, the analysis system is configured to generate an intermediate frequency signal by combining the internal synthesized sensing signal with the received sensing signal, perform filtering and analog-to-digital conversion of the intermediate frequency signal to obtain a digital intermediate frequency signal, process the digital intermediate frequency signal to yield application specific position, movement or structure data, or transmit the digital intermediate frequency signal to a remote wireless communication device or network function / device or cloud for further application specific processing. Thus, a non-distributed analysis system can be implemented using available components of the communication unit of a wireless communication device at the receiver side of the distributed sensing system without requiring significant modifications.

[0022] According to an eighth option, combinable with any of the first to seventh options or any of the first to fifth aspects above, the time delay measurement functionality is provided by using the wireless communication unit to perform two-way time delay measurements in cooperation with a remote wireless communication device, whereby delay compensation of the distributed sensing system may be achieved without significant modification of the communication device.

[0023] According to a ninth option, combinable with any of the first to eighth options or any of the first to fifth aspects above, at least one motion sensor is provided for measuring motion and / or vibration of the wireless communication device, such that motion and / or vibration at the receiver side of the distributed sensing system can be compensated for.

[0024] According to a tenth option, combinable with any of the first to ninth options or any of the first to fifth aspects above, a low-resolution non-distributed analysis system is provided at the receiver side of the distributed radar system to provide a non-distributed location scanning capability. This additional non-distributed analysis system can be used to perform a preparatory scanning operation to obtain a rough location of the object of interest.

[0025] According to an eleventh option, combinable with any of the first to tenth options or any of the first to fifth aspects above, the analysis system is configured to detect a location and / or movement of an object of interest based on an isolated surface derived from a constant line detected in the digital intermediate frequency signal, detect a heart rate and a breathing rate based on isolated and unwrapped phase data of a selected surface derived from a constant line detected in the digital intermediate frequency signal, or measure skin conductivity based on an estimate of the total reflectance of a selected surface derived from a constant line detected in the digital intermediate frequency signal. Thus, various sensing or measurement applications can be added to the wireless communication device without requiring significant modifications.

[0026] According to a twelfth option, combinable with any of the first to eleventh options or any of the first to fifth aspects above, the analysis system is configured to detect a unique spatial location of the surface of the object of interest by finding the intersection of equidistant return ellipses or equidistant return circles of the receiver devices of the sensing signals and constraining the location by the direction angle and beam divergence angle of the transmitter beam of the remote wireless communication device, whereby a unique position of the object of interest can be obtained by using the distributed receivers of the distributed sensing system.

[0027] According to a thirteenth option, combinable with any of the first to twelfth options or any of the above first to fifth aspects, a remote wireless communication device (a transmitter of a distributed radar system) is configured to determine whether it can respond to a sensing measurement request received from a wireless communication device, and respond with a sensing session confirm message or a sensing session reject message based on the result of the determination, thereby establishing a temporary on-demand sensing capability in the wireless communication system.

[0028] According to a fourteenth option, which can be combined with any of the first to thirteenth options or any of the first to fifth aspects above, a remote wireless communication device (a transmitter of a distributed radar system) is configured to determine sensing parameter information including at least one parameter of a signal used as a sensing signal, a rough location of an object of interest, or a location offset from the remote wireless communication device to the wireless communication device, and communicate the sensing parameter information together with a future time of a first sensing signal or a future schedule of a sensing signal to the wireless communication device. This allows a wireless communication unit on the receiver side of the distributed sensing system to be adapted to the sensing signal and the object of interest to achieve a matched sensing receiver function. Using the future schedule allows the remote device to assign semi-persistent scheduling, which is useful for example for vital signs monitoring.

[0029] According to a fifteenth option, combinable with any of the first to fourteenth options or any of the first to fifth aspects above, the remote wireless communication device (transmitter of the distributed sensing system) is configured to transmit the sensing signal at the communicated future time by generating the sensing signal by converting the single carrier nature of the Discrete Fourier Transform spread Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing signal into a linear combination of the cyclically transformed chirp sensing signals in the time domain using a Discrete Fourier Transform spread Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing signal generation process of the wireless communication unit. Thus, the available signal generation process of the communication unit can be used to generate the sensing signal used in the distributed sensing system.

[0030] According to a sixteenth option, which can be combined with any of the first to fifteenth options or any of the above first to fifth aspects, a remote wireless communication device (a transmitter of a distributed sensing system) is configured to determine the target angle and the distance to the target object by using a location estimation sensing operation of a non-distributed sensing system provided in the remote wireless communication device, whereby an estimate of the target object's angle and distance can be obtained at the transmitter side of the distributed sensing system and communicated to the receiver side for preliminary beamforming.

[0031] According to a seventeenth option, combinable with any of the first to sixteenth options or any of the above first to fifth aspects, a remote wireless communication device (a transmitter of a distributed sensing system) is configured to use a wireless communication unit to perform two-way time delay measurement in cooperation with the wireless communication device, whereby delay compensation of the sensing result can be realized without substantial modification by using the available wireless communication unit.

[0032] According to an eighteenth option, which can be combined with any of the first to seventeenth options or any of the first to fifth aspects above, clock level synchronization between a remote wireless communication device (transmitter of the distributed sensing system) and a wireless communication device (receiver of the distributed sensing system) is achieved by a time synchronization and delay compensation measurement process using the wireless communication signal, which can ensure proper timing of the generated internal composite sensing signal.

[0033] According to a 19th option, which may be combined with any of the 1st to 18th options or any of the above 1st to 5th aspects, a wireless communication device (a receiver of the distributed sensing system) is configured to transmit a resource scheduling message to a remote wireless communication device (a transmitter of the distributed sensing system) requesting scheduling of sensing session resources, and the remote wireless communication device responds to the wireless communication device with a downlink control information message, e.g. a secure RRC message, including the assigned resources, such that a temporary on-demand sensing function may be scheduled without significant modification by using an available resource scheduling process of the wireless communication device.

[0034] According to a twentieth option, which can be combined with any of the first to nineteenth options or any of the first to fifth aspects above, the analysis system is configured to detect that the sensing information regarding the target object or the determined position, movement or structure of the target object does not correspond to given information on how to identify the object, and based on that detection, the device discards the received sensing signal or sensing information and does not perform further processing on the measurements, results and / or input / output data and / or does not send them to a further processing unit.

[0035] According to a 21st option, which can be combined with any of the 1st to 20th options or any of the 1st to 5th aspects above, the analysis system is configured to detect biometric information based on sensing information regarding the target object and / or an identified position, movement or structure of the target object, whereby depending on whether the respective biometric information is detected or not, the sensing session is continued or aborted, the sensing information is accepted for further processing / storage or discarded, or a different target object, a different wireless communication device, or a different remote wireless communication device is selected.

[0036] According to a sixth aspect of the present invention there is provided an apparatus for emergency calling, the apparatus comprising: a communication unit including a transmitter and a receiver; A controller that controls the communication unit wherein the controller is configured to perform a sensing session upon receiving a request from a network node to sense a specified target.

[0037] According to a seventh aspect of the present invention there is provided a network node in a communications network, the network node comprising: a communication unit including a transmitter and a receiver; A controller that controls the communication unit wherein the controller is configured, upon receiving an emergency call from a first wireless device, to request one or more wireless sensing devices in a vicinity of the first wireless device to conduct a sensing session for a designated target victim.

[0038] According to an eighth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for operating an apparatus, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a detection request for a specified target victim in the vicinity of the device; conducting a sensing session based on the request; has.

[0039] According to a ninth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for operating a network node, the method comprising the steps of: receiving an emergency call from a first wireless device; requesting one or more sensing wireless devices in the vicinity of the first wireless device to conduct a sensing session for the designated target victim; has.

[0040] In a first option of the sixth or seventh aspect of the invention, a request is provided, - Approval information, - information about the object, such as object location, object area, or object volume, or information about the object's status, such as mobility, position, vital signs, etc.; - Contextual information such as the presence of other people around the victim, the distance between the person and their device relative to the victim, the number of injured people, and nearby debris; - the identifier or address of the destination server (e.g. IP address, URL), - Network capabilities / devices or emergency response agencies; - the credentials (e.g., public key) used to encrypt the result, or - Requested detection results such as target location, movement, or vital signs The configuration parameter includes one or more parameters including:

[0041] In a second option which may be implemented in conjunction with the first option or the sixth or seventh aspect of the invention, the network node comprises an emergency response point or is connected to an emergency response point via a network.

[0042] In a third option, which may be combined with the first or second option or the sixth or seventh aspect of the invention, the controller is configured to initiate an emergency call causing the network node to request a sensing session.

[0043] In a fourth option, which may be combined with any of the first to third options or the sixth or seventh aspects of the invention, the controller is configured to include location information in the emergency call.

[0044] In a fifth option, which can be combined with the third or fourth option, the controller is configured to include available sensing results in the emergency call.

[0045] In a sixth option, which can be combined with any of the third to fifth options, the controller is configured to include an indication that the device's sensing capabilities and / or sensing results are available or obtainable.

[0046] It should be noted that the above apparatus may be implemented based on a separate hardware circuit involving an arrangement of separate hardware components, integrated chips, or chip modules, or based on a signal processing device or chip controlled by a software routine or program stored in a memory, written to a computer readable medium, or downloaded from a network such as the Internet.

[0047] It is to be understood that the apparatus according to claim 1, the wireless communication device according to claim 17, the system according to claim 18, the method according to claim 26, the computer program product according to claim 27, the apparatus according to claim 28, the network node according to claim 35, the method according to claim 36 or 37 or the computer program according to claim 38 have similar and / or identical preferred embodiments, in particular as defined in the dependent claims.

[0048] It shall be understood that a preferred embodiment of the invention may also be any combination of the dependent claims or the above embodiments with the respective independent claim.

[0049] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0050] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system having distributed radar capabilities according to one embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a transmitter and receiver architecture according to various embodiments. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic process flow diagram for radar detection in a communication system according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic flow diagram of a radar sensing operation according to one embodiment. [Diagram 5]FIG. 2 is a schematic flow diagram of a location and motion detection process according to one embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic flow diagram of a heart and respiration rate detection process according to one embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a schematic flow diagram of a skin conductivity measurement process according to one embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a schematic signaling and processing diagram of a radar detection process in a multi-receiver system according to one embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an example of improved position location estimation with one transmitter device and two receiver devices according to one embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an example of improved position location estimation with one receiver device and one transmitter device also operating as a receiver device, according to one embodiment. [Figure 11] 2 is a schematic diagram of a communication system having a distributed sensing system according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0051] Herein, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the context of a cellular communication network environment such as 5G, however, the present invention may also be used in conjunction with other wireless technologies in which wireless sensing may be provided or implemented (e.g., IEEE 802.11 / Wi-Fi, or IEEE 802.15.4 / Ultra Wideband (UWB)).

[0052] Throughout this disclosure, the abbreviations "gNB" (5G terminology) or "BS" (base station) shall mean a wireless access device such as a cellular base station, or a WiFi access point, or a UWB PAN coordinator. The gNB is composed of a centralized control plane unit (gNB-CU-CP), multiple centralized user plane units (gNB-CU-UP), and / or multiple distributed units (gNB-DU). The gNB is part of a radio access network (RAN) that provides an interface to functions in the core network (CN). The RAN is part of a wireless communication network. The RAN implements a radio access technology (RAT). Conceptually, the RAN resides between communication devices such as mobile phones, computers, or any remote control machine and provides their connection with the CN. The CN is the core part of the communication network and provides numerous services to customers interconnected through the RAN. More specifically, the CN directs communication streams through the communication network and possibly other networks.

[0053] Furthermore, in this disclosure, the terms "base station" (BS) and "network" are used synonymously. This means, for example, that when a "network" is described as performing a particular operation, the operation is performed by a CN function of a wireless communications network, or by one or more base stations that are part of such wireless communications network, and vice versa. It may also mean that some of the functions are performed by a CN function of a wireless communications network and some of the functions are performed by a base station.

[0054] Furthermore, the terms "radar sensing" and "wireless sensing" are intended to cover not only techniques where a single device both transmits and receives radar signals, but also distributed RF-based sensing techniques, such as techniques where the sensed signal is received in a distributed manner by multiple devices, or techniques based on sensing of channel state information (CSI) in CSI-based distributed sensing solutions, and / or techniques based on other types of measurement information related to the RF signal (e.g., MIMO sounding signal feedback, Doppler phase shift measurements). The terms "radar sensing" and "wireless sensing" are used interchangeably in the description, and the embodiments described with radar sensing as an example also apply to any kind of wireless sensing, e.g., CSI-based sensing.

[0055] Additionally, the terms "subject" and "target object" refer to any entity that is the subject of wireless sensing, including humans, animals, inanimate objects, and structures made up of several small entities (e.g., a cloud made up of small water droplets), and the terms "subject" and "target object" are used synonymously in this disclosure.

[0056] Please note that throughout this disclosure, only blocks, components, and / or devices related to the proposed data distribution function are shown in the accompanying drawings. Other blocks are omitted for the sake of brevity. Furthermore, blocks designated with the same reference numbers are intended to have the same or at least similar functions, and therefore their functions will not be described again later.

[0057] Detection Signal The detection functions of the following embodiments are implemented, for example, by implementing radar functions in a wireless communication system including one or more access devices (e.g., base stations (BSs)) and / or one or more terminal devices (e.g., UEs).

[0058] As an example, a Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) millimeter wave radar system can measure the range, speed, and angle of arrival (if two receivers are available) of radio wave reflecting objects in a scene. Such radar systems transmit a chirp signal, e.g., a sine wave whose frequency increases over time. A chirp signal (e.g., a continuous wave pulse) has a bandwidth and a frequency increase rate. Typically, a continuous series of such chirps is transmitted. The transmitted and received analog chirp signals are mixed to generate an intermediate frequency (IF) signal that corresponds to the difference in frequency of the two signals (outbound and inbound signals), and the output phase of the IF signal corresponds to the difference in phase of the two signals.

[0059] Thus, each surface in the scene or environment will produce a constant frequency IF signal whose frequency is related to the distance to the surface (i.e., a first distance from the chirp signal transmitter to the surface and a second distance from the surface to the chirp signal receiver). To resolve two surfaces at different distances, the two IF signals can be frequency resolved. The longer the time window of the IF signal, the higher the resolution. The resolution of the radar is related to the chirp bandwidth since the chirp time is related to its bandwidth (the change in chirp frequency is constant). The IF signal is then bandpass filtered (to remove signals below the minimum range and frequencies above the maximum frequency of the subsequent analog-to-digital converter (ADC)) and digitized before further processing. The bandpass filter and the upper frequency detection range of the ADC set the maximum range that can be detected (i.e., the IF frequency increases with range).

[0060] The phase of the IF signal is important for detecting vibrations because phase (i.e. the difference between the phase of the transmitted and received chirp signals) is a sensitive measure of small changes in distance to the surface. Small changes in distance can be detected with the phase signal, which are indistinguishable with the frequency signal. Furthermore, measurements of the phase difference between two successive chirp signals can be used to determine the velocity of the surface.

[0061] As an example, a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) process can be performed across multiple chirp signals to allow for separation of objects that are in the same range but moving at different speeds. The Fourier Transform converts a spatial or time domain signal into a frequency domain signal. In the frequency domain, a signal is represented by a weighted sum of sine and cosine waves. A discrete digital signal with N samples can be exactly represented by a sum of N waves. The FFT provides a faster method of computing the Discrete Fourier Transform by combining samples using wave symmetry and repetition and reusing partial results. This method can save significant processing time, especially with real-world signals that may have thousands or millions of samples.

[0062] As a further example, angle estimation can be performed by using the phase difference between chirp signals received at two separate receivers.

[0063] Another option is to use channel state information (CSI), which is a measurement of phase and amplitude of many frequencies detected at the receiver, forming a complex "map" of the wireless environment, including the effects of objects in that environment. CSI characterizes how a wireless signal at a particular carrier frequency propagates from a transmitter to a receiver. The amplitude and phase of the CSI are affected by multipath effects, including amplitude attenuation and phase shift, for example, by the displacement and movement of the transmitter, receiver, and surrounding objects and people. In other words, CSI captures the wireless characteristics of the nearby environment. These characteristics, aided by mathematical modeling or machine learning algorithms, can be used for various sensing applications.

[0064] The wireless channel is divided into multiple subcarriers, for example, as is done in 5G communication systems (e.g., using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)). To measure the CSI, the transmitter transmits long training symbols (LTFs), for example in a packet preamble, that include predefined symbols for each subcarrier. Once these LTFs are received, the receiver can estimate the CSI matrix using the received signal and the original LTFs. For each subcarrier, the channel can be modeled by y=Hx+n, where y is the received signal, x is the transmitted signal, H is the CSI matrix, and n is a noise vector. The receiver estimates the CSI matrix H using the predefined signal x and the received signal y, after signal processing such as cyclic prefix removal, demapping, and demodulation. The estimated CSI is then a three-dimensional matrix of complex values, which represents an "image" of the wireless environment at that time. By processing such a time series of "images," information about the object's motion, location, and vibration can be extracted.

[0065] Such processing of the CSI matrix can be used for vital signs monitoring, presence detection, and human movement recognition. As an example, recognition techniques such as neural networks can be used to process the CSI matrix to perform these types of recognition.

[0066] It should be noted that systems using channel state information (CSI) have some relevance to systems with FMCW millimeter wave radar. In a CSI-based system, the input signal x is defined and the receiver uses the received signal y to obtain H, i.e., as H=(YN) / X. In an FMCW millimeter wave radar, the transmitted signal chirp x is also predefined and the receiver uses the received signal y to obtain the transfer function as H=Y / X. This last step actually has some relevance to multiplying the locally calculated chirp signal with the received chirp signal and applying a bandpass filter. According to various embodiments described below, the above-mentioned wireless sensing technique is implemented in a mobile communication system (e.g., 5G or other cellular or WiFi communication system), where the functional coexistence of radar and communication operating in the same frequency band is configured to avoid interference bandwidth. This allows wireless sensing to be integrated into a large-scale mobile network to create a Perceptual Mobile Network (PMN).

[0067] As another example, a sensing signal consists of several pulses transmitted by a sensing transmitter, for example at a specific frequency and timing (sensing signal parameter information). The sensing receiver includes several bandpass filters that allow it to identify the sensing signal parameter information, for example the timing and frequency of the received pulses. Specifically, if the transmitter determines a given pseudorandom frequency / timing pulse sequence and beams it in a specific direction, for example by beamforming, and if the transmitter communicates the timing / frequency of the transmitted sensing signal, generally the sensing signal parameter information, to the receiver, the receiver can use its bandpass filters to identify the reception of the same transmitted pulse, i.e. the sensing signal, based on the received sensing signal parameter information.

[0068] Configuration and operation of distributed detection FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic of distributed radar functionality provided over a 5G communication system link according to one embodiment.

[0069] In this embodiment, in contrast to a purely centralized radar solution (such as mmWave) (i.e., whereby the transmitter and receiver of the radar signal are part of or operated by the same device), a portion of the 5G (or other cellular or WiFi) network spectrum is configured (e.g., set to radar mode) or detected to be stationary / in communication for a period of time to be able to perform, for example, remote vital signs measurements and other measurements, by building a distributed radar system between a base station (BS) 100 (such as a 5G base station) or UE (as a transmitter) and at least one UE 120 (such as a 5G UE) or base station (as a receiver), while compensating for the lack of analog signal exchange and additional path lengths caused by the distance between the transmitter and receiver and the distance between the receiver (e.g., UE 120) and the object (e.g., a human). To achieve this, the base station 100 (or UE), acting as a transmitter, sets up a communication link with the UE 120 (or base station), acting as a receiver (or vice versa), to exchange some control information and / or sensing measurements and / or (partial) sensing results. The control information includes a set of configuration parameters related to the distributed sensing operation.The parameters may include, for example, transmitter to receiver distance and angle, pulse occurrence time, pulse phase, possibly chirp timing (CT), chirp profile (CP), target location (TL), frequency including phase offset (PO), time between subsequent sensing signals, number of repetitions, sensing signal waveform information, amplitude, MIMO / beamforming parameters, number of transmitter antennas used, transmit power, potential interference patterns, identifiers / addresses (e.g. IP addresses / URLs) of destination servers and / or network functions / devices to which the sensing results are to be sent (e.g. for storage or further processing), session or application related information (e.g. session identifier or application identifier), desired accuracy of the sensing measurements, etc., and may be sent in response to a Radar Request (RR) from the receiver side (e.g. UE 120) (e.g. initial Attach Request message from UE to base station extended with a sensing request field or an RRC message from base station to UE as specified in 3GPP TS 38.331 or system information). the RRC Connection Reconfiguration message including, for example, the measurement configuration as specified in TS 38.331 and extended with sensing configuration parameters), sent by the transmitter side to the receiver side before the transmitter side starts transmitting the sensing signal (e.g. as part of a configuration / assistance information message / signal), (partially) pre-configured on the receiver (e.g. stored in the USIM or in non-volatile memory at the time of manufacture), configured on the receiver by a local application, or provided by the network (possibly via the transmitter or via another transmitter, or provided by, for example, the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Policy Control Function (PCF), Network Publication Function (NEF), Location Management Function (LMF), Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) or other core network functions (e.g. as specified in 3GPP TS 23.501)) as part of the policy / system information / RRC configuration / session configuration (e.g. during the receiver's initial registration or connection setup with the network, or during a previous initial registration / connection setup).These parameters are configured in a different manner for each application (e.g., based on the detection target or based on the detection algorithm). The set of parameters is combined in the form of a detection profile, which can be identified, for example, by a profile identifier, an application identifier, or a device identifier. After the detection profile is transmitted / configured / pre-configured to the receiver, the activation of the detection profile is triggered by transmitting a signal / message with the specified detection profile identifier to the receiver. The detection profile and / or configuration parameters also include an algorithm identifier, a filter identifier, or a machine learning model identifier to trigger the application of a particular detection algorithm, filter, or machine learning model to be used for analyzing / processing the received detection signal, respectively. These algorithms, filters, or models are either pre-configured / stored in the receiver beforehand, or transmitted by the transmitter, for example, in a separate message to the receiver (e.g., as virtual machine code, filter parameters / code, or model data), or downloaded by the receiver, for example, based on a download URL or a server IP address (e.g., as virtual machine code, filter parameters / code, or model data), and configured for the required application. For example, if precise distance measurement is required, the full set of parameters is communicated, and if phase-based velocity is required, only chirp parameters are required. In some applications, the chirp parameters are predefined and only identifiers indicating the set of chirp parameters are exchanged. The parameters also include a set of time / frequency resources (e.g., a semi-persistent schedule as defined in 3GPP TS38.321) and / or a time / frequency offset when the detection signal is scheduled to be transmitted and / or when the detection signal is expected to arrive at the receiver. This information is also provided as the time interval during which the receiver is expected to listen for the arrival of the reflected detection signal (e.g., as an offset relative to the start time or system frame number / subframe / symbol when the signal is transmitted by the transmitter).The start time, offset, or time interval for performing detection by the receiver is specified such that detection begins at the start or end time when the first instance of the detection signal is received by the receiver (i.e., the detection signal is received via a direct, non-reflected path), i.e., the reception of the first instance of the detection signal can be used by the receiver to trigger / enable effective detection of the reflected detection signal. The parameters also include information regarding the quiet period or guard interval that is taken into account by the receiver device. In addition, the parameters include information regarding the coded identification information or special symbol / preamble, or unique signal characteristics that allow the receiver to uniquely identify each detection signal from other possible detection or communication signals. To enable the receiver to determine which part of the detection signal contains the coded information (e.g., signal identification information, timestamp of when the transmitter transmitted the signal), additional timing information and / or frequency information is provided to identify the start / end time or subdivision of the time interval within the time interval for receiving a complete single detection signal, indicating where the receiver can find the coded information within the detection signal.As with the sensing receiver, the sensing transmitter may be configured by the network (e.g., an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), a Policy Control Function (PCF), a Network Publication Function (NEF), a Location Management Function (LMF), a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC), or (e.g., a 3GPP® 501) with parameters regarding how the sensing is to be performed (e.g., pulse occurrence time, pulse phase, possibly chirp timing (CT), chirp profile (CP), target location (TL), frequency including phase offset (PO), time between subsequent sensing signals, sensing signal waveform information, amplitude, MIMO / beamforming parameters, number of transmitter antennas used, transmit power, quiet periods or guard intervals to be considered, etc.), which algorithms, filters, sensing profile should be used, which destination servers and / or network functions / devices to which the sensing results should be sent (e.g., for storage or further processing), and / or session or application related information (e.g., session identifier / application identifier), etc. Additionally, the parameters for the above-mentioned detection may be pre-configured on the transmitter (e.g., stored in the USIM or in non-volatile memory at the time of manufacture), configured on the transmitter by a local application, or provided by the receiver.

[0070] To facilitate the configuration of the above-mentioned sensing parameters, the sensing receiver device or sensing transmitter device provides its sensing-related capabilities by way of a capability exchange message (e.g., as part of a Radar Request message or an RRC UECapabilityInformation message specified in 3GPP TS38.331 extended with several fields indicating the sensing-related capabilities) to the network (e.g., a core network function or a service (operated / provided by the network) responsible for managing and / or performing sensing (i.e., sensing service), or an application function for managing and / or using the results of the sensing operation (i.e., sensing application)), one or more base stations, or other devices involved in distributed sensing (e.g., the sensing transmitter device in the case of a sensing receiver device). The sensing related capability information includes, for example, device information (such as the number of antennas or frequency ranges supported), wireless sensing signal processing capabilities (which algorithms are supported and / or whether a particular sensing result / target can be identified (e.g., whether the position or movement of a target object or the shape of a target object can be identified, one or more sensing profiles supported, etc.), wireless sensing signal transmission capabilities (whether wireless sensing signal transmission is supported and if supported, at what frequencies, etc.). The sensing receiver is configured differently based on the receiving capabilities of the sensing receiver and / or the sensing transmitter. The sensing transmitter is configured differently and / or adapts the sensing signal based on the receiving capabilities of the sensing receiver and / or the sensing transmitter.

[0071] The parameters used to configure the sensing transmitter and the sensing receiver are dependent on and adapted based on the sensing requirements provided through application functions, network publishing functions, or other core network functions / services or applications, such as sensing services or sensing applications. Such sensing requirements may, for example, identify the type of sensing result expected to be calculated (e.g., motion, position, shape, material, biometrics), information about one or more target objects (e.g., rough location, last known location, identifiable features, or information about already known features such as size, material, or shape), quality of service (e.g., desired accuracy, sampling rate), information about algorithms / filters to be used, and / or session / application related information (e.g., application identifier or session identifier).

[0072] In Fig. 1, the base station 100 (and / or UE) determines the (rough) location, area or volume of the object 150 by emitting a series of signals, e.g. chirp signals, that are beamformed in the direction of the object 150. The (rough) location is also in the form of a set of relative positions, e.g. distances and / or angles relative to a reference point (e.g. transmitter or receiver). Optionally, unless already known, e.g. before the actual radar detection procedure between the transmitter and receiver is started, the object angle and distance, object shape and / or object material / reflecting properties are determined using location estimation radar operations, object shape determination operations, object material / reflecting properties determination operations at the transmitter (e.g. base station 100). This information is stored at the transmitter, provided to the receiver and / or provided to a network function responsible for collecting detection measurements and / or (partial) detection results, which perform further processing on these detection measurements / results to determine further detection properties of the particular object.

[0073] Depending on the target detection application, before transmitting the (chirp) signals, the exact timing of the phase and frequency (and optionally amplitude) of the individual (chirp) signals is communicated (e.g., by using a protected standard communication signal) to the receiver (i.e., UE 120), optionally together with the location or relative position of the transmitter (i.e., base station 100) and optionally the rough location of the target 150. The idea of ​​protected communication (encryption and / or integrity protection) is to ensure that this information is only available to the intended receiver. Based on this, the receiver optionally determines the path length and angle from the transmitter to the receiver and internally synthesizes an analog (chirp) signal that matches the transmitted (chirp) signal. The received and synthesized signal can be used for detection.

[0074] If the relative position and the exact time are known, it is possible to determine the path length of the reflected detection signal through the target 150 and / or accurately reconstruct the surface of the target, for example by detecting the correct intermediate frequency (IF) signal at the mixer output when the signal is a chirp signal. By knowing the rough position of the target object and / or detecting the angle of arrival of the incoming reflected detection signal, the distance or angle between the receiver and the target object and / or between the emitter and the target object is calculated. By knowing the phase, and therefore the phase difference, the velocity of the target 150 can be determined based on the frequency.

[0075] If only the velocity of the object 150 is needed (rather than its position and velocity), the transmitter can optionally avoid providing its relative position and communicate only the phase, timing and frequency of the emitted sensed signal. In certain cases, only the sensed signal itself is transmitted to the receiver, which then uses it, subject to a certain time delay, to calculate an IF signal from which the object's velocity can be derived. This is of particular interest when measuring vital signs such as respiratory rate or heart rate. For example, it is possible to measure the velocity of the chest when breathing and derive the breathing rhythm from that rate.

[0076] In a further embodiment, if the reflective surface location estimate is good enough, the receiver allows for further data to be collected, such as skin conductivity.

[0077] In one example, the radar detection capability may be realized by the following procedure: The parameters of the detection signal used in the transmitter detection generation process, the rough or relative location of the target, and the position offset / angle from the transmitter to the receiver (e.g., UE 120), or the absolute / geographical location of the transmitter along with a future time or a set of time / frequency resources of the first (and subsequent) detection signal are identified and communicated from the transmitter to the receiver, e.g., by using a protected communication signal. Alternatively, some of the parameters are pre-configured in the receiver, configured in the receiver by a local application, or transmitted by the transmitter or the network at a previous time (e.g., during a previous session). The communicated parameter information is then (optionally) decoded and / or verified by the receiver. The transmitter then emits the detection signal at a defined time, e.g., by generating the detection signal using its DFT-s-OFDM signal generation process. The receiver listens for the detection signal at the time / resources indicated in the parameter information. The receiver uses its DFT-s-OFDM signal generation process to generate an internal composite detection signal (e.g., a chirp) that matches the provided parameters, and optionally adds a delay corresponding to the direct distance from the transmitter to the receiver, thereby minimizing the IF frequency generated at the receiver. The receiver uses the provided detection parameter information and / or an internal representation of the detection signal to configure an RF receiving front-end or a signal detection unit to identify / detect the detection signal among the signals received by the RF receiving front-end. Upon detection and / or further processing of the received detection signal, the receiver determines and records / stores start / end times, phase shifts, frequencies, amplitudes, signal deformations, signal strengths, interference patterns, detected special symbols / preambles, encoded identification information of the detection signal, and / or timing of quiet periods between the detection signals. The receiver uses this information to further determine whether the received detection signal is actually reflected by the target object or received via a direct non-reflective path between the transmitter and the receiver, in order to filter out only the relevant detection signals to extract the detection information about the target object.To achieve this, the receiver calculates the expected path loss and / or timing between the transmitter and receiver for the direct path, and the expected path loss and / or timing through the indirect reflected path through the target, and uses this in determining whether the received sensed signal was actually reflected by the target object or received through a direct non-reflected path between the transmitter and receiver. Alternatively, the transmitter can calculate the expected path loss and / or timing between the transmitter and receiver for the direct path, and the expected path loss and / or timing through the indirect reflected path through the target, and transmit this information to the receiver, which can then use it in making the determination. The receiver can form an IF signal using (e.g., mix) the internally synthesized "outgoing" sensed signal and the received sensed signal reflected at the target 150, perform bandpass filtering (or optionally only highpass filtering at the maximum frequency of the ADC) and ADC to digitize the IF data, and / or digitize the raw / filtered received reflected sensed signal data. To achieve this, the receiver creates a compressed or uncompressed digital sampled representation of the IF signal or the received raw / filtered reflected detection signal using a sampling frequency preconfigured in the receiver device or provided by the transmitter (e.g., as part of the detection signal parameters). Also, information on which compression method / format to provide is provided by the transmitter (e.g., as part of the detection signal parameters) or preconfigured in the receiver. The digital IF signal is then processed to produce application-specific data (e.g., the output of one or more (preconfigured) algorithms or machine learning models), where object-related detection results (e.g., specific characteristics such as object position, speed, shape, size, material composition, etc. determined after performing respective signal processing / analysis on the received (reflected) detection signal) or digitized data from the receiver can be transmitted to a transmitter, network function / device, or cloud for further application-specific processing.

[0078] In addition to the processed or digitized data, the receiver may include signal, sensing profile, algorithm / model, and / or device identification information, timing and / or measurement information (e.g., arrival / end times of the sensed signal, phase shift, frequency, amplitude, or signal deformation), antenna information / antenna sensitivity / MIMO configuration / beamforming configuration used by the receiver for sensing, information related to the location / distance / angle of the receiver relative to the transmitter and / or object or as absolute coordinates, and / or information related to the sensing application or sensing session (e.g., application identifier or session identifier).

[0079] The complete separation of transmitter and receiver in digital wireless systems such as 5G implies that the receiver does not have access to an analog version of the directly emitted signal (phase, frequency), but only the reflected sensed signal, and therefore cannot form an IF signal in the analog domain. This means that all processing is performed on the received analog signal (a very fast ADC would be needed to digitize the received "raw" sensed signal).

[0080] Furthermore, in the proposed distributed radar detection system, the distance to a reflective surface of the target 150 depends on both the distance from the transmitter to the target 150 and the distance from the receiver to the target 150 (rather than simply twice the distance from the transmitter to the target, as in non-distributed radar systems).

[0081] The "minimum range" of a measurement corresponds to the direct distance from the transmitter to the receiver. Naturally, objects at shorter distances from the receiver are measured, but the range will always be greater than the direct distance from the transmitter to the receiver. The isotime returns lie on a spatial location ellipse (return ellipse) with the transmitter position and the receiver position as its two foci. The minimum (degenerate) ellipse (a straight line between the transmitter and the receiver) with the minor axis of length zero has the minimum delay time, which is the time it takes for a radio wave to travel directly from the transmitter to the receiver.

[0082] The receiver receives a signal that corresponds to a signal transmitted directly from the transmitter in a straight line to the receiver (a pseudo surface of "zero" coverage, i.e. a point on the straight line between the transmitter and the receiver).

[0083] Therefore, the proposed integrated distributed radar system requires a kind of clock-level synchronization between the transmitter and receiver to eliminate ambiguity in the detection parameter estimation.

[0084] Furthermore, aiding information signals (e.g., radar request and response parameters) can be communicated between the transmitter and receiver via alternative communication routes (e.g., using a different band, beamformed sub-beams directed at the receiver, or time-scattered signals between the sense signals) so that the receiver can obtain a representation of the necessary details of the transmitted signal (e.g., exact timing, phase of a continuous (chirp) signal) to simulate mixing of the transmitted and received signals to obtain an IF signal without having to directly analyze the analog transmitted signal. This is done, for example, by internally generating an analog version of the same transmitted sense signal using parameters provided via the aiding information signal. Therefore, the transmitter should signal in advance to the receiver the exact timing, phase, frequency, etc. of the transmitted signal to ensure that this mixing of the simulated transmitter sense signal and the actual received sense signal is provided with the correct timing.

[0085] Furthermore, the receiver uses auxiliary / (pre)configured information / parameters about the sensed signal to distinguish between sensed signals received via a direct non-reflective path and reflected sensed signals. The receiver either ignores the sensed signals received via a direct non-reflective path (e.g., by ignoring the first instance of reception of the sensed signal) or uses these signals to more accurately determine its relative position / distance / angle with respect to the transmitter (e.g., by checking the time of arrival of the sensed signal or by checking the corresponding phase shift, frequency change, signal deformation, amplitude change, interference pattern to identify which sensed signal is reflected or not). The receiver also uses the signals received via a direct non-reflective path as further inputs to signal analysis algorithms / models, e.g., as additional reference signals for IF calculation, (relative) position calculation, or additional phase shift / signal deformation / frequency / amplitude calculation.

[0086] Additionally, the distance and angle from the transmitter to the receiver, or the absolute / geographical position of the transmitter, may be signaled as well in order to calculate the correct position of the detected surface.

[0087] Finally, if the receiver (or transmitter, or both) is a handheld device, the movement and vibration of the device can be measured by a corresponding sensor in order to subtract it from the detected movement and vibration of the surface in some sensing applications.

[0088] The proposed distributed radar system is, for example, between the base station 100 (as a transmitter) and the UE 120 (as a receiver and analyzer), and provides the advantage that the receiver is more preferentially placed to acquire the reflected detection signal at a higher signal strength than the transmitter (i.e., monitors the reflected detection signal using the receiver part of the transmitter device, as in the case of non-distributed detection, for example), and the receiver is located closer or closer to the path of the reflected detection signal to avoid some of the clutter from the transmitted signal.

[0089] Furthermore, although the proposed distributed radar system separates the transmitter and receiver antennas, the single antenna does not operate in a full continuous duplex mode.

[0090] As a further advantage, multiple receivers can be used with a single transmitter, potentially each involved in collecting vital signs from a different subject (eg, an individual human).

[0091] Providing subject identification information and discarding detection measurements / results based on subject identification information According to one embodiment, which may be combined with any other embodiment or implemented independently, the transmitter, receiver, and / or sensing service may receive information (e.g., from an application, a network publishing function, a policy control function, a subscription database (e.g., home subscriber service, integrated data management service), an identity database, an authentication / authorization control function, an emergency response facility, as part of the sensing configuration / parameters), one or more biometric information related to an individual (e.g., heart rate signal characteristics, body shape, body absorption / reflection characteristics, body posture / motion, body size / mass, diseases / disorders that lead to certain identifiable characteristics, e.g., cessation of breathing during sleep, etc.). The receiver device receives information about the biological information (sleep apnea leading to abnormal breathing, asthma that may lead to rapid irregular breathing rate or shortness of breath, shuffling leading to abnormal body movements, tremors (e.g., Parkinson's disease), expected temperature patterns, heart rate variability / patterns) so that depending on whether the respective biological information is detected (e.g., by an analysis system) in the reflected detection signal received by the receiving unit in the receiver device or transmitter device, the detection session is continued or stopped, the detection information is accepted for further processing / storage or discarded, or a different subject, receiver (20) or transmitter (10) is selected. This is to avoid collecting unnecessary detection information that may be from a wrong subject. To ensure patient safety, the use of the transmitter device or receiver (especially in the case of radar detection operations for determining biological information or vital signs) is restricted to authorized devices and / or devices of authorized individuals who have the authority to read the vital signs of a particular patient, for example.

[0092] In general, if the sensing service, sensing transmitter, or sensing receiver determines that the sensing information (e.g., sensing measurements or sensing results related to a detected object) or the input / output data of the sensing signal processing does not correspond to given information on how to identify the target (e.g., the identified location is too far from the UE carrying the target, the shape / size of the target is different (e.g., smaller or larger), the biometric information does not match the target, or one or more sensing measurements / results are above or below a certain threshold), the sensing service, sensing transmitter, or sensing receiver will discard the received sensing signal, discard the sensing information (e.g., sensing measurements or sensing results), discard the input / output data of the sensing signal processing, do not perform further processing on these measurements, results, and / or input / output data, and / or do not transmit these measurements, results, and / or input / output data to a further processing unit. The detection service, detection transmitter, or detection receiver may also generate a notification message and send it to an application, application server, core network function via / through the NEF for, e.g., further processing or storage, and / or store information about such occurrence in non-volatile storage (e.g., a database) if the object is not (any more) detected.

[0093] In a slightly different embodiment, which may be combined with any other embodiment or implemented independently, the network provides services, executes application functions, or interfaces with external applications (e.g., via the NEF) to monitor an object (e.g., an elderly person living alone at home, or, e.g., a car). Such a sensing service or application provides information to the sensing service, sensing transmitter, or sensing receiver (possibly indirectly via the sensing service) regarding the location / area / volume of the object and / or how the object is identified (e.g., the address / location of the home where the object resides or is around the object, or the area / volume information where the object is detected or is expected to be present (e.g., a bounded geographic area indicated by a set of coordinates, length, size, diameter), physical characteristics of the object (e.g., size, shape, mass, material composition, biometric information associated with the object (e.g., as enumerated in the previous embodiment)), last known location, identification and / or location of a wireless communication device or other device owned, contained, included, or carried by the object, etc.).

[0094] The sensing service, sensing transmitter, or sensing receiver also obtains information (e.g., device identities and estimated locations) about the target or devices in the vicinity of the target's address / location / home (e.g., a set of nearby base stations, or nearby UEs that have capabilities and can be (or are) authorized (e.g., UEs located in the person's home or carried by the person or his / her family, friends, or neighbors) by the network, the device's user, and / or the target object, in order to participate in (distributed) sensing of the intended target. The authorization information (including the user's consent information) is stored as part of the user's subscription (e.g., in a Unified Data Management (UDM) function of the core network) and / or as part of the sensing service and / or received from a service or application function or an external application (e.g., via the NEF).

[0095] Alert status and emergency calls In one embodiment, combined with any other embodiment or implemented independently, the information provided to the detection service, detection transmitter, or detection receiver (possibly indirectly via the detection service) further includes a set of phone numbers (e.g., emergency numbers) to contact in case of a particular alert situation, a set of time periods (e.g., only at night), or a set of triggers for when the service should be enabled (e.g., only when the person is known to be at home, such as by receiving a signal from a device carried by the person). These alert situations are configured, for example, by an application or service (e.g., via the NEF) by setting one or more event triggers, criteria, or thresholds related to one or more detection parameters / results (e.g., when a particular movement is detected (e.g., a fall), when a lack of movement is detected (e.g., a person is unconscious or has not moved enough during the day), when a detected respiration rate or heart rate is too high, etc.). These alert situations are an integral part of the detection service (e.g., a set of pre-configured alerts and the events that will trigger the alerts) and are selected / configured as part of the policy or subscription information, or selected by the application or another service via a communication interface. The sensing service configures the sensing transmitter device and / or the sensing receiver device to be able to detect / measure relevant sensing parameters and / or to determine (e.g. through algorithmic processing of the sensing data (i.e. sensing measurements and / or (partial) sensing results)) whether a set of sensing parameters meets configured criteria / thresholds and generate an event or alert.The transmitter and / or receiver generate an event or alert, for example calling or sending a message to a configured phone number and / or notifying a detection service about the detection result / event / alert, at which point the detection service processes the received detection result and / or verifies that certain alert criteria are met, thus triggering a message (e.g., SMS) to be sent to one or more of the phone numbers indicated to be contacted and / or placing a call to these numbers (e.g., initiating a 911 / 112 emergency call). Such an (emergency) call includes information about the location and / or other information about the subject (e.g., information about the detection result and / or which event sent the call / message). Depending on whether an alert condition is detected during / after processing of the (raw) detection measurements / results (e.g., by the detection receiver, detection transmitter, or detection service (responsible for collecting and processing the (raw) detection measurements / results from the detection transmitters / receivers to determine the detection result), the detection session may continue or be aborted, the detection information may be accepted for further processing / storage or discarded, or a different target, receiver, or transmitter may be selected.

[0096] According to one embodiment, which may be combined with any other embodiment or implemented independently, the receiver (acting as a UE) initiates an emergency call with an emergency answering point via a connected (cellular) network, and based on location information provided / obtained in accordance with local regulations (e.g., Enhanced 911) during the emergency call, transmitters (e.g., nearby base stations, nearby mobile phones, or the mobile phone making the emergency call) in the vicinity of the origination location of the emergency call are instructed / configured to perform a sensing session (e.g., to sense a designated target victim, a target area / volume around the victim, or an emergency area / volume), thereby determining whether the instructed / configured parameters are met. The data may include authorization information, information about the subject (e.g., the subject's location / area / volume, or some characteristics of the subject victim, e.g., if the subject victim is not moving, lying on the ground, or in cardiac arrest), context (e.g., how many people are gathered around the victim, the distance of the people and their device relative to the victim, the number of injured people, nearby debris), a destination server, network function / device, or emergency response point identifier or address (e.g., IP address, URL), credentials (e.g., public key) used to encrypt the results, or a requested sensing output / result, such as the subject's location, movement, or vital signs. One or more receivers are also enabled to participate in the sensing session (even if the receiver is part of the same device as the transmitter), at which point the transmitter and receiver perform sensing according to other embodiments of this document.

[0097] The results of the detection operation (e.g., vital signs information or location information associated with the victim) are expected to be securely communicated (e.g., by using the provided credentials) to a provided destination address (e.g., an emergency answering point), although in the case of an emergency call, the detection result may also be communicated insecurely. If the detection result is calculated at the receiver that initiated the call or is provided to the receiver by a detection transmitter, detection service, or other detection receiver that calculated the detection result, the receiver that initiated the call provides the detection result via an emergency connection (e.g., an emergency PDU session as defined in 3GPP TS 23.501 and TS 23.167 and extended as appropriate). Note that when the receiver initiates the emergency connection, the UE not only includes its own location information in the request to set up the emergency connection, but also includes available sensing results such as location information of the object (e.g., absolute position (e.g., geographic coordinates)) or relative position (e.g., distance / angle from the receiver), possibly formatted as a set of Universal Geographical Area Description (GAD) shapes, possibly augmented with other sensing results such as vital sign information of the sensed object (e.g., heart rate or respiratory rate per minute). The UE also includes information regarding sensing capabilities and / or an indication that sensing results are available or obtainable.

[0098] The detection results are sent to the endpoint using an Advanced Mobile Location (i.e., AML) SMS extended HTTP message, which includes location information of the receiver that initiated the alert as well as location information of the subject, possibly augmented with other detection results such as vital sign information of the detected subject. The message includes an indication that these are the result of a wireless detection operation and includes information regarding the accuracy or confidence of the detection results.

[0099] The sensing result may also be transmitted as a data or media stream, whereby the sensing result is continuously updated (e.g. sampled according to a preconfigured sampling rate or sampled according to data rate requirements or QoS parameters) and transmitted to the endpoint, or whereby only the delta / difference from the previous sensing measurement is transmitted to the endpoint. If the sensing result is calculated in the sensing transmitter, the sensing transmitter provides the result to the receiver that initiated the report, provides the result to a core network function (e.g. RSMF, LMF, GMLC), or provides the result directly to a provided destination address.

[0100] The detection result is forwarded by the Emergency Call Session Control Function (E-CSCF) to the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). To achieve this, the detection result is provided to the E-CSCF via the AMF if the UE includes the detection result during the PDU session establishment, or the E-CSCF obtains the detection result via the LRF / GMLC as specified in 3GPP TS 23.167 / 23.273 extended for this purpose. The detection receiver, other detection receivers, detection transmitters, and / or detection services (e.g. RSMF as described in other embodiments of this document) involved in the detection of the target / target area provide the detection result to the LRF / GMLC, e.g. via the AMF / LMF that requested this information from the respective detection receiver, other detection receiver, detection transmitter, and / or detection service. The LRF / GMLC issues a network initiated location request (NI-LR) to a detection service (e.g. RSMF), similarly the UE issues a mobile originated location request (MO-LR) or another client (e.g. application function) issues a mobile terminated location request (MT-LR) to a detection service (e.g. RMSF), whereby the request is extended to include information about the object to be detected, detection requirements (e.g. which detection results need to be calculated, such as speed, and / or accuracy requirements), detection configuration information (e.g. object location / area / volume information based on the location of the UE that initiated the emergency call, or an identifier of the UE that initiated the emergency call, if the UE location is unknown and still needs to be determined), and / or capability information of one or more detection receivers or detection transmitters. Upon receiving one of these requests for detection of an object, the RSMF selects and / or configures a set of detection devices (e.g. transmitters and receivers) that will participate in the detection of the object / area of ​​interest, at which point the transmitters and receivers perform detection according to other embodiments of this document. The detection results (eg, object location) are provided to the entity (eg, GMLC / LRF) that issued or forwarded the "extended" location request to the RSMF.Alternatively or additionally, the sensing results are stored in a shared storage, e.g., Unified Data Repository (UDR), from which the GMLC / LRF can retrieve the sensing results. If the location of the UE that initiated the emergency call is used as the target location and the location of the UE is still unknown, the RSMF first requests the LMF to determine the location of the UE, and then uses the resulting location as the target location, possibly in addition to some other information, such as the distance between the UE and the target (pre-configured or estimated) or information about the emergency / disaster area (pre-configured or estimated).

[0101] In summary, methods, apparatus, and systems are provided for issuing alerts based on detection measurements / results, whereby a set of event triggers, criteria, or thresholds associated with one or more detection measurements / results are configured in a detection service, detection transmitter, or detection receiver, whereby the detection service, detection transmitter, or detection receiver initiates detection of an object and determines (e.g., through algorithmic processing of the detection data) whether the set of detection measurements / results meets the configured criteria / thresholds to generate an event or alert, whereby the detection service, detection transmitter, or detection receiver notifies each other, an application, application server, or core network function, or calls or sends a message to a configured phone number about the event or alert.

[0102] Relocating the transmitter and receiver According to one embodiment, which may be combined with any other embodiment or implemented independently, the transmitter determines, based on the estimated position of the detected object and the (relative) position of the receiver, the estimated angle / distance between the transmitter, object, and / or receiver, the size / shape of the object, and / or the material / reflection properties of the object, that the detection signal cannot reach the receiver with the desired quality (e.g. because the object is expected to obscure the receiver, the distance is too large, the object does not reflect the detection signal sufficiently or absorbs the detection signal too much), and decides to reposition itself, to delay the transmission of the detection signal (e.g. by waiting until the object, the receiver, or the transmitter moves to a new position), to adapt the transmission characteristics / waveform of the detection signal, to send information / instructions to the receiver (e.g. a warning signal, a request to the receiver to move closer to or away from the object's position or to change the receiver's angle relative to the object, to reconfigure the receiver's antenna, to adapt the detection signal parameters), to select another receiver for detecting the object, or to send a signal to another transmitter or receiver to start detecting the object. If the transmitter has a display (e.g., is a mobile phone) or is connected to a display, the transmitter will display a notification, whereby the notification indicates a request and / or instruction to the user to move the object to another location. Additionally or independently, the receiver may determine based on received detection signal parameters (including signal timing) or information about the received object (e.g., location / angle / distance, size / shape, material / reflection characteristics) that the receiver is unable to receive a detection signal of sufficient quality and / or has not yet received a detection signal of sufficient quality within a certain period of time after the start time, and decide to reposition itself, send a message / information / instruction to the transmitter (e.g., a warning signal, a request to move closer to or away from the object's location or to change the angle of the transmitter relative to the object, to reconfigure the transmitter's antenna, to adapt detection signal parameters, or to transmit detection measurements / results that the transmitter will use to adapt the transmission of the detection signal), send a signal to another receiver for detection of the object, or send a signal to another transmitter or receiver to initiate detection of the object.If the receiver has a display (e.g., is a mobile phone) or is connected to a display, the transmitter will display a notification, whereby the notification shows the user a request and / or instruction to move the object to another location.

[0103] Sensing Transmitter and Receiver Architecture FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic overview of a sensing transmitter and receiver architecture (including optional elements and functions) of a communication system with distributed sensing capabilities according to various embodiments.

[0104] The proposed distributed radio wave sensing radar / communication system includes a transmitter device (TX) 10 and a receiver device (RX) 20, configured to operate in a suitable radio frequency range (such as the mmWave range mentioned at the beginning) and includes RF hardware and signal processing algorithms that enable both standard communication, e.g., 5G, and radar sensing for vital signs, object detection, and / or motion recognition. In 5G systems, two options of uplink (UL) waveforms are provided: one is Cyclic Prefix OFDM (CP-OFDM, same as the downlink (DL) waveform) and the other is Discrete Fourier Transform Spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), which corresponds to the UL waveform of Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems (i.e., 4G). Transform precoding is the first step to create the DFT-s-OFDM waveform, followed by subcarrier mapping, inverse FFT, and cyclic prefix (CP) insertion. Whether a UE should use CP-OFDM or DFT-s-OFDM may be determined by a radio resource control (RRC) parameter.

[0105] A 5G transmitter or receiver with integrated radar sensing capability has slightly modified DFT-s-OFDM and frequency domain spectral shaping (FDSS) filters, which allows suitable chirps to be generated. Linear and other chirp signals are generated using the DFT-s-OFDM signal through a properly designed FDSS filter, which allows signals suitable for radar to be generated using standard communications hardware with only minor modifications. This framework provides a method to efficiently synthesize chirps that can be used in dual function radar and communications (DFRC) or wireless sensing applications using existing DFT-s-OFDM transceivers.

[0106] Another option for generating a signal suitable for simultaneously performing data transmission and radar detection is described in Cong Li et al., "Radar Communication Integrated Waveform Design Based on OFDM and Circular Shift Sequence," Mathematical Problems in Engineering, Vol. 2017, and is based on the peak-to-average envelope power ratio (PMERP) and peak-to-sidelobe ratio (PSLR) of the OFDM waveform. Specifically, Gray code techniques can be adopted to reduce the PMERP, and at the same time, an optimal cyclic sequence can be selected to improve the PSLR of the OFDM waveform. The optimal cyclic sequence is dynamically generated to continuously provide the best waveform as the communication data changes. In addition, to meet the requirements of different radar detection tasks, two simple methods can be used to adjust the bandwidth of the OFDM waveform. One method is to design different subcarrier complex weights, and the other method is to utilize phase code techniques.

[0107] The transmitter device (TX) 10 may be an access device (e.g., a base station) or a terminal device (e.g., a UE or an Internet of Things (IoT) device) and comprises a standard transmitter communication unit or system (S-TX-COM) 101 that enables standard communication capabilities, e.g., 5G, using data communication signals generated, e.g., with DFT-s-OFDM. The transmitter communication system 101 may operate in a "radar mode" to form a radar mode signal generator (RM-SIG-GEN) 102 that may generate linear chirp signals (chirps), e.g., using minimally modified communication components. This may be achieved, e.g., by using a (slightly) modified DFT-s-OFDM with a suitable FDSS filter to transform the single carrier nature of the DFT-s-OFDM signal into a linear combination of circularly transformed chirp signals in the time domain, as described, e.g., in Alphan Sahin et al., "DFT-spread-OFDM Based Chirp Transmission," IEEE Communications Letters, Vol. 25, No. 3, March 2021. By exploiting the properties of Fourier series and Bessel functions of the first kind, an FDSS filter for any chirp can be obtained.

[0108] Furthermore, the transmitter device 10 comprises a transmit front-end (TX / ANT) 103 (eg, operable at mmWave frequencies) that includes a transmitter coupled to an antenna with beamforming capabilities.

[0109] Optionally, a receive front end (RX / ANT) 104 (e.g., operable at mmWave frequencies) is provided (e.g., as a separate component or integrated with the transmit front end 103 in a joint transceiver front end), which includes a receiver coupled to an antenna having beamforming receive capability (e.g., where additional non-dispersed transmitter-only radar operations are performed to determine the location, shape / size, or material / reflection characteristics of an object).

[0110] Additionally, the transmitter device 10 comprises a transmitter clock generator (TX-CLK) 105 for generating a precise system clock of the transmitter device 10 .

[0111] Optionally, a transmitter time delay measurement function (not shown) is provided (e.g., implemented by the processor / controller of the transmitter device 10) that performs two-way time delay measurements with a cooperative receiver device (e.g., receiver device 20) using the standard transmitter communication unit 101. Alternatively or additionally, the transmitter may perform detection of the receiver device of interest using non-distributed radar operation, whereby the detection results are used to calculate the range / orientation / position (relative to the transmitter device) of the receiver device, and the calculated range may be used to derive a time delay (e.g., timing advance), which may be communicated to the receiver device.

[0112] Optionally, an encryption and decryption function (ENCR / DECR) 106 is provided to implement a suitable data encryption / decryption scheme (e.g., a scheme based on the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm or the Rivest Shamir Adleman (RSA) algorithm) and data integrity verification (e.g., a data verification scheme using a message authentication code or a digital signature). For example, data is distributed in protected Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages.

[0113] As a further option, the transmitter device 10 comprises a non-distributed (low resolution) transmitter radar analysis system (L-RES RAS) 107 providing a non-distributed location radar scanning capability, i.e. a radar analysis system including a receiver device and / or including a (low resolution) transmitter radar analysis system, the non-distributed (low resolution) transmitter radar analysis system 107 including an intermediate frequency (IF) generating mixer (IF-MIX) 107-1 to which a copy of the emitted detection signal and an externally received reflected detection signal are fed and mixed to generate a mixed signal including an IF signal. Furthermore, the transmitter radar analysis system 107 includes electronic signal processing components including a transmitter band pass filter (BPF) 107-2 and an analog to digital converter (ADC) 107-3 capable of IF filtering and analog to digital conversion of the generated IF signal. Additionally, the transmitter radar analysis system 107 includes a digital signal processing component and algorithm system (eg, DSP implemented by a digital signal processor) 107-4 that provides DSP capabilities for, for example, location detection, pre-processing with clutter rejection, and the like.

[0114] As yet another option, the transmitter device 10 is equipped with a sensor component that includes a transmitter motion sensor (TX-MOV-SEN) 108 such as an accelerometer that measures movement and vibration of the transmitter device 10 .

[0115] Furthermore, the receiver device 20 may be an access device (e.g., a base station) or a terminal device (e.g., a UE or an Internet of Things (IoT) device) and may comprise a standard receiver communication unit or system (S-RX-COM) 201 that provides standard communication capabilities, e.g., 5G, using a data communication signal generated, e.g., with DFT-s-OFDM. The receiver communication system 201 may operate in a "radar mode" to form a radar mode signal generator (RM-SIG-GEN) 202 that generates, e.g., a linear detection signal, e.g., with a (slightly) modified DFT-s-OFDM signal, and the generated detection signal is used internally and is not coupled to a transmitter and an antenna. The waveform of the detection signal is generated from specific input parameters including at least one of a specific start time, phase, amplitude, fundamental frequency, bandwidth, frequency slope, repetition frequency of the detection signal, gap between the detection signals, and total number of the detection signals.

[0116] Additionally, the receiver device 20 comprises a receive front-end (RX / ANT) 204 operable at mmWave frequencies, including a receiver coupled to an antenna having beamforming receive capability.

[0117] Furthermore, receiver device 20 comprises a receiver clock generator (RX-CLK) 205 for generating an accurate system clock for receiver device 20 .

[0118] Optionally, a transmitter time delay measurement function (not shown) is provided (e.g., implemented by a processor / controller of the receiver device 20) that performs two-way time delay measurements with a cooperative transmitter device (e.g., transmitter device 10) using a standard receiver communication unit 201. Alternatively or additionally, the receiver receives a time delay (e.g., timing advance) from the transmitter, whereby the time delay is calculated based on detection results from a non-distributed radar operation to perform detection of the receiver device of interest, whereby the detection results are used to calculate the range / orientation / position (relative to the transmitter device) of the receiver device, and the calculated range is used to derive the time delay (e.g., timing advance), which can be communicated to the receiver device.

[0119] Optionally, an encryption and decryption function (ENCR / DECR) 206 is provided to implement a suitable data encryption / decryption scheme (e.g., a scheme based on the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm or the Rivest Shamir Adleman (RSA) algorithm) and data integrity verification (e.g., a data verification scheme using a message authentication code or a digital signature) that matches the scheme used on the transmitter side, e.g., data is distributed in protected Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages.

[0120] As a further option, the receiver device 20 is equipped with a (low-resolution) non-distributed radar analysis system (L-RES RAS) 207 providing non-distributed location radar scanning capability, i.e., a radar analysis system including a receiver device and / or including a (low-resolution) transmitter radar analysis system, the L-RES RAS 207 including a transmitter front-end (TX / ANT) 204 including a transmitter coupled to an antenna having beamforming capability of the receiver device 20.

[0121] Additionally, the (low resolution) radar analysis system 207 includes components shared with an additional high resolution distributed radar analysis system (H-RES RAS) 209, including an IF generation mixer (IF-MIX) 207-1, which receives an (internally generated) copy of the emitted detection signal and an externally received reflected detection signal to generate a mixed signal including an IF signal, electronic signal processing components including a receiver band pass filter (BPF) 207-2 and an ADC 207-3 capable of IF filtering and analog to digital conversion of the generated IF signal, and an electronic digital components and algorithm system (DSP, e.g., digital signal processor) 207-4 providing DSP capabilities, e.g., for location detection, pre-processing with clutter rejection, etc.

[0122] The high resolution distributed radar analysis system 209 is configured to share the electronic components of IF generation mixer 207-1 configured to mix the inputs of internally generated sensed signals based on timing / phase parameters created and provided by radar mode signal generator 202 and external received sensed signals provided by receiver front end 204, receiver band pass filter 207-2 and ADC 207-3 electronic components that receive analog IF signals, filter the analog IF signals with suitable band pass filters and perform analog to digital conversion, and electronic digital and algorithmic system 207-4 electronic components that provide DSP capabilities including pre-processing such as clutter rejection to the desired application. To prevent leakage / tampering of potentially privacy sensitive sensed information about the subject, the radar analysis should run within a secure tamper-proof subsystem and the resulting sensed information should be stored on a secure storage and / or encrypted together with non-tamper-proof credentials (such as Subscriber Identity Module (e.g., USIM) credentials).

[0123] Alternatively, the final digital processing is offloaded from the receiver device 20 to the transmitter device 10 or a network function / device or cloud computing resource, which returns the obtained results.

[0124] Optionally, receiver device 20 includes a user interface (UI / MEM) 210 with data storage and display capabilities that can input information from a user, store data in receiver device 20, and output displays to the user. The specific elements of user interface 210 depend on the type of receiver device (e.g., UE) and its capabilities. For example, a handheld smartphone device may have an advanced user interface 210 and display, while an IoT monitoring device may only have visual or audible alarms.

[0125] As a further option, the receiver device 20 is equipped with a receiver motion sensor (RX-MOV-SEN) 208, such as an accelerometer, camera, structured light sensor, etc., which measures the movement and vibration of the receiver device 20 and the location of nearby objects.

[0126] The receiver device 20 also communicates the movements and vibrations of the receiver device 20 to the transmitter device 10 via the transmitter standard communication unit 201 by using the receiver movement data sequence during the sensing time interval acquired by the receiver movement sensor 208. The receiver movement data sequence is transmitted to the transmitter (e.g., as a series of RRC or MAC control element messages) by using another communication channel between the receiver and the transmitter.

[0127] Distributed detection process flow FIG. 3 illustrates generally a process flow diagram for radar detection in a communication system according to one embodiment.

[0128] The following describes a process for distributed radar detection functionality in a wireless communications infrastructure (as shown in FIG. 2), which is designed to create a distributed system of transmitter devices 10 (e.g., base stations or UEs) and receiver devices 20 (e.g., base stations or UEs) capable of both standard wireless communications and distributed radar detection of the local environment.

[0129] In FIG. 3, the components / blocks of the architecture of FIG. 2 that are relevant to the process are shown but will not be described again.

[0130] The receiver device 20 uses its receiver standard communication unit 201, e.g., 5G, to send a request that a radar measurement is required (i.e., a Radar Service Session Request (RS-REQ)) to the transmitter device 10, optionally along with a description of its sensing-related capabilities (e.g., number of antennas, supported frequency ranges, wireless sensing signal processing capabilities (which algorithms are supported and / or whether a specific sensing result / target can be identified (e.g., whether the position or movement of a target object, or the shape of a target object can be identified)), one or more sensing profiles supported, etc.) and / or the location of the receiver device 20.

[0131] Alternatively or additionally, the transmitter device 10 may request a distributed radar session with a selected receiver device (eg, UE) or multiple simultaneously supported receivers.

[0132] Optionally, the initial position of the receiver device 20 is obtained from the current known location of the receiver device 20 (if available, e.g. from a location management function in the core network) or is already known to the transmitter device 10.

[0133] Optionally, the receiver device 20 transmits a rough indication of the direction and range to the object, derivable from estimates provided by the user and / or based on measurements made by a local terminal device (e.g., UE), as an initial location estimate of the object.

[0134] In one example, the receiver device 20 also transmits the required scan time (i.e., the length of time the radar scan is performed). This depends on the desired application (e.g., vital signs scanning requires long scan times, while object location / counting requires only a very short session (one scan)). Monitoring the location of infrastructure objects may require one short scan per day for an extended period of time. The transmitter device 10 is configured to generate a detection signal for several receiver devices, where a detection signal is generated for any of the receiver devices up to the latest required time.

[0135] When the transmitter receives a radar measurement request, the transmitter device 10 determines whether it can respond to the request from the receiver device 20 and sends a radar session confirm (CONF) or radar session reject (DEN) message to the receiver device 20. For example, it cannot provide radar capability if it cannot provide sufficient bandwidth for the radar signal given current communication demands, if it is currently performing radar functionality for another receiver device and cannot perform both, or if the receiver device 20 does not have the authority to request radar functionality from the transmitter device 10.

[0136] When the receiver device 20 requests resources, the transmitter device 10 also indicates its assigned resources. This option is implemented similarly to the dynamic resource allocation process in 5G or other standard communication systems. Thus, the receiver device 20 sends a resource scheduling message to the transmitter device 10 requesting scheduling of radar session resources, and the transmitter device 10 responds to the receiver device 20 with a downlink control information (DCI) message that includes the assigned resources (e.g., time (time slot, slot offset k2, ...), frequency, etc.).

[0137] Alternatively, if the receiver has not requested resources or if radar measurements have been initiated by the transmitter, the transmitter device 10 spontaneously transmits the allocated resources for radar-based detection to the receiver device. A dedicated DCI message containing part of the auxiliary / configuration information (for detection) is used to indicate that radio resources for radar-based detection are involved.

[0138] For detection, it is reasonable to use semi-persistently scheduled resource allocation, where the transmitter device 10 transmits the allocated resources for the radar session in a reserved secure RRC message periodically for a given period of time. In addition, if the offset and / or time interval for radar-based detection is transmitted to the receiver device, e.g., as part of a semi-persistent resource schedule, in the same RRC message or in a different message, the start of radar-based detection is enabled / triggered in the receiver by transmitting a subsequent DCI message with the corresponding semi-persistent scheduling C-RNTI to the receiver.

[0139] Once resource scheduling is performed, the receiver device 20 knows the timing / frequency to be used for the (distributed) radar functionality.

[0140] Optionally, a time synchronization (T-SYNC) and delay compensation (D-COMP) measurement process is then initiated to synchronize the transmitter and receiver clocks. For applications where high level clock synchronization is not required for sensing or distance measurement (i.e. ranging), this process is not required.

[0141] This measurement process is achieved by having the transmitter device 10 use its standard communication unit to send a timing signal (clock synchronization signal) reflecting the current timing of the transmitter clock to the receiver device 20, by having the transmitter device 10 perform a round trip time delay measurement from the transmitter device 10 to the receiver device 20 and back using a transmitter time delay measurement function and the receiver device 20 providing a measured delay time (transmitter-receiver delay) using a receiver time delay measurement function, and by having the receiver device 20 update the receiver clock time using both the clock synchronization signal and the transmitter-receiver delay, thereby ensuring that the two clocks of the transmitter device 10 and the receiver device 20 are perfectly synchronized. Alternatively or additionally, the transmitter device 10 may perform detection of the target receiver device 20 using non-distributed radar operation, whereby the detection results are used to calculate the range / orientation / position (relative to the transmitter device 10) of the receiver device 20, and the calculated range is used to derive a time delay (e.g., timing advance), which is communicated to the receiver device, which may then use this information to synchronize its clock.

[0142] As an option, the transmitter device 10 then obtains the (relative) position, shape / size, or material / reflective properties of the desired object and directs the transmitter to that location. This can be achieved by at least one of the following: (i) causing the receiver device 20 (or a core network function not shown, such as a sensing management function or an application server (e.g. via a network publishing function)) to transmit to the transmitter device 10 the position of the object obtained from an initial object position estimate obtained by a user inputting object location details, or from some other form of relative location estimation performed by the receiver device 20; (ii) As shown in Figure 3, have the transmitter device 10 perform a low-resolution scan of the environment and select a suitable target direction for detailed radar transmission. The radar mode signal generator 102 transmits a detection signal via the transmit front end 103, the reflected detection signal is received by the receive front end 104, and the signal is processed using the transmitter's low-resolution non-dispersive radar analysis system 107 (e.g., a standard FMCW scan to identify approximate surfaces in the scene using a sweep of beamforming directions to obtain target location information); (iii) having the receiver device 20 perform a low-resolution scan of the environment and select a suitable target direction for detailed radar transmission: the radar mode signal generator 202 transmits a detection signal to the transmit front end 203, the reflected detection signal is received by the receive front end 204, and the signal is processed using the receiver's low-resolution non-dispersive radar analysis system 207 (e.g., a standard FMCW scan uses a sweep of beamforming directions to identify approximate surfaces in the scene and obtain target location information, which is then communicated to the transmitter device 10); (iv) having the transmitter device 10 identify devices carried / surrounded by the subject of interest (e.g., matching identities of known devices in a device database) by using signals / communication messages received from the devices through the transmitter device's receiving front end 104, and use measurements or location information of the devices (e.g., provided by the device or a location service) to determine the general location of the detected object. In a particular example, the subject of interest (e.g., a person) carries a receiver device 20 that can also be used to perform distributed radar detection measurements; (v) causing the transmitter device 10 to receive information about potential subjects of interest for radar-based detection from a sensor, camera, or surveillance system (e.g., capable of generating heat maps or processing video footage) and / or through an external application interface (e.g., network publishing functionality); (vi) causing the transmitter device 10 to use the CSI information received from a set of devices in the area and use this to calculate certain signal changes and / or interruptions / occlusions to detect any activity / movement of objects in the area and use that to identify the rough location of potential targets; or (vii) cause the transmitter device to transmit an initial set of signals (possibly at different frequencies, various waveforms, various bandwidths, and various beam steering directions / angles / focal areas), receive reports from a set of receiver devices 10 that receive one or more of these signals, including reception timing information for the signals, and processed information about those signals, such as IF signal information or angle of arrival, and use information from these reports to identify rough locations of potential targets.

[0143] The transmitter device 10 then selects from the target location information an appropriate transmitter target direction for beamforming of the distributed radar function.

[0144] Furthermore, the transmitter device 10 selects appropriate parameters of the sense signals generated for the distributed radar function. The sense signal generation parameters are selected to satisfy at least one of the following: bandwidth / frequency constraints at the transmitter device 10, limitations of the sense signal generation capability of the radar mode signal generator 102, and requirements of the radar application, e.g., as required by the receiver device 20. Such sense signal generation parameters include at least one of the following: number of sense signals (related to scan time and application requirements), sense signal repetition rate (alternatively, delay between chirps), sense signal frequency slope, sense signal bandwidth, minimum sense signal (start) frequency, initial sense signal phase, and sense signal start time (precise time of first sense signal, to be selected later).

[0145] Further details regarding the relationship between detection signal parameters and positioning and velocity accuracy (as well as the use of triangular chirp signals rather than linear chirp signals) can be gleaned from, for example, Pasi Koivumaki, "Triangular and Ramp Waveforms in Target Detection with a Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave Radar", School of Electrical Engineering, Espoo, January 23, 2017.

[0146] Before or after, the transmitter device 10 uses its transmitter standard communication unit 101 (e.g., 5G) to transmit receiver configuration information such as radar session parameters (RSP), detection signal generation parameters, detection signal start time (CST), transmitter location (TXL, the location of the transmitter device 10 itself), and at least one of target location information (TLI) and other information about the target (e.g., shape / size, material / reflection characteristics) to the receiver device 20 as part of an RRC message (e.g., encrypted payload), such as a measurement configuration included in an RRC reconfiguration message or an RRC resume message.

[0147] The transmitted receiver configuration information is received by the receiver standard communication unit 201 (e.g., 5G) and (optionally) decoded and verified in the receiver device 20 using a suitable process (e.g., a decoding algorithm).

[0148] It is noted that the data exchange in any of the methods described herein is protected between the transmitter device 10 and the receiver device 20. Protected may mean integrity protected and / or encrypted. Integrity protection is required to ensure that an attacker cannot tamper with required radar parameters, e.g., chirp generation parameters. Encryption is required, for example, to ensure that an attacker in the vicinity of the receiver device 20 cannot use the transmitted signal to monitor targets.

[0149] Optionally, if specific ranging and positioning is required, the receiver device 20 derives the relative position offset (or alternatively distance and angle) and / or equivalent time delay (transmitter-receiver delay) between the transmitter device 10 and the receiver device 20 by at least one of calculating the relative position offset (and equivalent light transit time) between the transmitter device 10 and the receiver device 20 using the transmitter locations and the receiver's own known receiver location, determining the time delay from round trip delay measurements from the receiver device 20 to the transmitter device 10 and back using the receive time delay measurements and the transmitter device 10 using the transmit time delay measurements, or reusing the transmitter-receiver delay obtained above.

[0150] This relative position / distance / time delay can be used to derive the time at which the transmitter detection signal is emitted and received, and in subsequent digital signal processing, to find the points in the environment or scene that lie on the equal-time delay spatial ellipse defined as the focus by the transmitter device 10 and the receiver device 20.

[0151] The relative position / distance / time delay information provided to the receiver can also be used to delay / trigger the start of the effective detection time interval at the receiver, for example, so that only reflected signals are detected / received and considered in the detection algorithm, and not the first signal that arrived at the receiver via a direct path without reflections (assuming that for reflected detection signals the path is longer and therefore the delay is longer / signal arrival time is later, whereas for direct detection signals the path is shorter and therefore the delay is shorter / arrival time). To achieve this, signals received before a certain time (e.g. based on the estimated distance / delay of the signal traveling directly between the transmitter device and the receiver device) are ignored / discarded, and only signals arriving after a time that exceeds the estimated delay of the direct path are used for further analysis.

[0152] At the detection signal start time, the transmitter device 10 uses the radar mode signal generator 102 operating based on the detection signal generation parameters to transmit a detection signal or detection signal sequence (E-CRP) with an antenna beam formed in the direction of the target (i.e., the transmission target direction).

[0153] The transmitter device 10 also communicates motion and vibration of the transmitter device 10 to the receiver device 20 via the transmitter standard communication unit 101 by using a transmitter motion data sequence (TX-MOV-D) during a series of detection signal transmissions or detection intervals (e.g., chirp sequence transmissions) acquired by the transmitter motion sensor 108. The transmitter motion data sequence is transmitted along with the detection signals (e.g., encoded within the signal) or by using a separate communication channel between the transmitter and receiver (e.g., as a series of RRC or MAC control element messages).

[0154] The receiver device 20 receives the reflected detection signal (R-CRP) by calculating the direction to the target and / or the expected delay of the signal arrival via the path reflected through the target from the target location information provided to the receiver device 20 by the transmitter device 10. Alternatively, the receiver device 20 can search the radar reflections until it finds a desired signal, e.g., a signal corresponding to (pre-)configured / received detection signal characteristics (e.g., waveform, frequency, preamble, encoded identification, ...), a maximum return signal, or a signal corresponding to a particular pattern (based on the application) in the reflected detection signal (e.g., indicating / representing vital signs or object movement), and use this direction as the receiver target direction.

[0155] Alternatively, if the receiver device 20 is allowed to transmit several detection signals before analysis begins and / or the beamformed radar transmission direction is not known to the receiver device 20, the receiver device 20 can use beamforming to scan the environment or scene to detect the direction that gives the highest detection signal return and store this as the receiver target direction.

[0156] The receiver device 20 then uses beamformed reception to point the antenna of the receive front end 204 towards the receiver target direction and collects the reflected radio signals to form a received signal.

[0157] The receiver device 20 then begins the IF signal generation process by generating an internal analog signal (i.e., a composite detect signal that closely matches the emitted detect signal) by its radar mode signal generator 202 using the detect signal generation parameters and optionally the detect signal start time and the transmitter-receiver delay. The receiver device 20 combines this internal analog signal with the received signal in the IF mixer 207-1 to generate the IF signal. The signal combination options can be that the composite detect signal is timed to match the detect signal start time (the exact time the detect signal is emitted by the transmitter device 10), that the composite detect signal is timed to match the time the detect signal arrives at the receiver device 20 by the direct path (i.e., the composite detect signal time is equal to the detect signal start time plus the transmitter-receiver delay), or that the composite detect signal time is equal to the detect signal start time plus a defined portion of the transmitter-receiver delay.

[0158] The reason for adding a transmitter-receiver delay (or a portion of the delay) may be to obtain a minimum range (i.e., minimum IF frequency) that does not represent the distance to the transmitter device 10 but is zero (or some minimum value), thereby reducing the IF frequency and increasing the available range of detection (by reducing the “measurement range” of detection).

[0159] In an example where the object is precisely located, it is assumed that the transmitter device 10 receives a radar signal (i.e., the transmitter device 10 also includes a non-distributed radar) and can therefore estimate the distance D1 to any object, for example by using FMCW radar. The receiver device 20 knows exactly when the transmitter device 10 starts transmitting a detection signal and can estimate the distance D2 from the transmitter device 10 to the receiver device 20 through the reflection path. In this case, the distance D3 from the receiver device 20 to the object can be calculated as D3=D1-D2. Therefore, when the locations of the receiver device 20 and the transmitter device 10 are known (e.g., in the case of distributed access devices (e.g., gNB-DU)), this embodiment can be used to enhance the positioning algorithm.

[0160] Similarly, if the transmitter device 10 is able to receive radar signals and is able to accurately calculate the distance D1 and / or angle A1 between the transmitter and the detected object, and forwards this information along with its own (relative) position information, the receiver device can use this information together with information on the detected signals received via the direct non-reflected path (i.e., typically the first instance of a series of detected signals) and the reflected path to more accurately calculate the distance between the receiver and the transmitter, the position of the receiver relative to the transmitter, or the absolute geographical position of the receiver.

[0161] In addition to or independently of other embodiments, if the transmitter device 10 is capable of receiving radar signals and is able to accurately calculate the distance D4 and / or angle A4 between the transmitter device and the receiver device, e.g., by directing radar sensing and beamforming towards the receiver device, and transmitting D4 and / or A4 (possibly together with transmitter position information) to the receiver device, the receiver device can use this information to calculate the position of the receiver device, e.g., to verify or further improve the accuracy of the distance D4 and / or angle A4, or to detect or verify movement of the transmitter relative to the receiver by correlating the received distance D4 and / or angle A4 with sensing signals received by the receiver device itself from the transmitter via a direct, non-reflective path, or to combine with distance measurements obtained through other means, such as performing TDOA-based distance / position estimation between the transmitter device and the receiver device. In other words, a method is provided for measuring the distance and / or angle between a transmitter and a receiver device, whereby the transmitter uses radar-based sensing to determine the distance and / or angle between itself and the receiver device and transmits the determined distance and / or angle to the receiver device, whereby the receiver device uses the distance and / or angle received from the transmitter to verify / correlate it with the determined distance and / or angle based on other means (such as distributed sensing measurements / results, ranging (e.g. using TDOA or round trip time measurements), or GNSS position of the receiver and / or transmitter), and / or to determine a geographic location or relative coordinates (of the receiver or transmitter) (e.g. using the distance / angle between the receiver and transmitter, or a relative coordinate system using a reference point, e.g. a receiver with coordinates (0,0,0))) and / or detect movement of the transmitter relative to the receiver.

[0162] In examples where either the transmitter device 10 or the receiver device 20 optionally includes a non-distributed radar, positioning information is derived from alternative positioning or ranging techniques, such as round trip time, angle of arrival, time of flight, etc., enabled by signals, such as positioning signals over either the standard Uu interface or the PC5 (sidelink) interface, e.g., 5G positioning or ranging techniques.

[0163] After the IF signal is generated in the IF mixer 207-1 of the receiver device 20, the signal is band-pass or low-pass filtered and converted to a digital signal using a filter component 207-2 and an ADC component 207-3. If the use of the IF data requires the removal of returns (reflected chirp signals) below a certain minimum "range" (distance from the transmitter device 10 to the target and back to the receiver device 20), the IF signal is high-pass filtered (as part of the band-pass filter). Additionally, the IF signal may be low-pass filtered to prevent aliasing at the upper frequency range of the ADC 207-3.

[0164] The resulting digital data from the ADC 207-3 is processed using a digital signal processing system 207-4 to produce sensing information (e.g., sensing measurements / results or application specific data). Alternatively, digital signal processing can be omitted by communicating the resulting digital data to the transmitter device 10 (e.g., as an RRC measurement report) or to a network function / device (e.g., through a NAS message or user plane message). The processed received sensing signals, digital data, sensing measurements / results, application specific data, and / or other sensing information / results are transmitted to the transmitter device 10 or a cloud computing resource, e.g., an edge server, which returns the processing results to the receiver device 20.

[0165] Optionally, based on the results of the above digital signal processing, the receiver device 20 transmits updated and improved target location information (TLI) and / or location / motion / vibration information of the receiver device (e.g., acquired by its motion sensor 208) to the transmitter device 10 during radar processing using standard (e.g., 5G) communication between the receiver device 20 and the transmitter device 10 to enable continued accurate beamforming to the target by the transmitter device 10, adjust the beamforming to the target by the transmitter device 10, adjust the detection signal transmitted by the transmitter device 10, adjust the detection signal configuration information used by the transmitter device 10 and / or transmitted to the receiver device, or update the target and / or receiver location information by the transmitter device 10 based on the target location information, receiver location / motion / vibration information, processed detection signal, resulting digital data, application-specific data, and / or other detection information / results received from the receiver device 20 in the course of the distributed radar process.

[0166] It should be noted that the receiver device 20 has limited information about the exact location of the target due to the equal time delay reflected sensing signals lying on a spatial ellipse (limited in part by the beam width of the transmitted signal). The target object may have moved to the edge of the transmitter beam, requiring the transmitter device 10 to update its transmitter target direction.

[0167] Optionally, motion compensation is performed and detected motion of the transmitter device 10 and / or receiver device 20 is subtracted during data processing, the receiver motion sensor 208 acquires a sensor signal (motion data sequence) of the motion of the receiver device 20 and the transmitter motion sensor 108 acquires the motion of the transmitter device 10.

[0168] Finally, the input information is collected and the resulting digital data (D-DISP) is stored and displayed by the receiver device 20 using its user interface and data storage 210. The exact nature and details of the user interface, data storage, and display process will depend on the type and nature of the receiver device 20 (e.g., UE) and can range from a high resolution display with an advanced user interface to a very simple numeric display or the generation of an alarm.

[0169] Distributed detection flow chart FIG. 4 illustrates generally a flow diagram of a sensing operation, for example a radar-based sensing operation, between a transmitter device and a receiver device according to one embodiment.

[0170] In an optional initial session request step (RS-REQ) S401, a receiver device (e.g., an access device or a terminal device) uses wireless communication to send a sensing / service session request (e.g., using an RRC message) to a transmitter device (e.g., an access device or a terminal device) with information about the receiver device's location and informs the transmitter device that measurements are required. Optionally, an initial target location estimate and required scanning time are also provided by the receiver device.

[0171] In an optional response request confirmation / rejection step (REQ-CONF / DEN) S402, the transmitter device determines whether it can respond to the request (e.g., whether it can provide sufficient bandwidth for the signal given the current communication demands) and sends an acknowledgement or rejection response to the receiver device.

[0172] Alternatively, the transmitter device may search for potential receiver devices close to the intended target (e.g., by requesting the potential receiver device to transmit its known location information by requesting its last known location from a location database / service, or by obtaining a location from the potential receiver device through trilateration / triangulation / round trip time calculations based on signals received from the potential receiver device) and may actively request to use the receiver device for detection.

[0173] A time synchronization and delay compensation step (T-SYNC / D-COMP) S403 is then initiated to synchronize the receiver clock to the transmitter clock by sending a timing signal to the receiver device.

[0174] In a subsequent optional target position acquisition step (TP-ACQ) S404, target location information is identified by the transmitter device, for example by performing an approximate radar object location scan in the direction indicated by the receiver device as the target initial location estimate.

[0175] Then, in a transmitter beamforming direction selection step (BFD-SEL) S405, the transmitter device selects a suitable direction (for beamforming) for the distributed sensing function based on the target location information as the transmitter target direction.

[0176] In a next signal parameter generation, eg chirp parameter generation step (CP-GEN) S406, the transmitter device selects appropriate parameters of the signal and generates matching parameters for signal generation (eg by DFT-s-OFDM processing).

[0177] Then, in a subsequent (radar-based) sensing session parameters transmission step (RSP-TX) SD407, the generation parameters, the selected start time, the transmitter device location and the target location information are protected, e.g. encrypted using an encryption algorithm, transmitted to the receiver device and decrypted at the receiver device using a corresponding decryption algorithm.

[0178] In the next receiver-transmitter relative position and delay estimation step (RX-TX-P / D-EST) S408, the receiver device uses the location of the transmitter and its own known receiver location or round trip delay measurements to calculate the relative offset (and equivalent optical transit time) between the transmitter device and the receiver device.

[0179] At the start of a signal (e.g., a chirp), the transmitter device initiates a transmitter generation step (TX-C-GEN) S409, generates a signal or a signal sequence based on the generation parameters, and transmits the signal or signal sequence via an antenna beam formed in the transmitter target direction.

[0180] In an optional transmitter motion sequence transmission step (TX-MOV-TX) S410, the transmitter device communicates the movements and / or vibrations of the transmitter device detected during the sequence to the receiver device as a transmitter motion data sequence.

[0181] In a receiver device reflected signal acquisition step (RX-R-SIG-ACQ) S411, the receiver device collects reflected radio signals using beamformed reception directed toward the target and acquires a received signal.

[0182] The above steps S401 to S411 are also applicable to a CSI-based distributed sensing system, in which case the procedure ends here.

[0183] In case of a radar / chirp based distributed sensing system, the following steps S412 to S416 are added.

[0184] In an optional receiver IF signal generation step (RX-IF-GEN) S412, the receiver device uses the obtained detection signal start time, transmitter-receiver delay, and detection signal generation parameters to generate a synthetic internal analog detection signal that matches the emitted detection signal, and mixes this signal with the received signal to generate the IF signal. Additionally or alternatively, the receiver performs measurements (e.g., determining the time of arrival of the received detection signal, determining the angle of arrival of the detection signal, determining the signal amplitude or frequency) or performs digital signal processing of the received detection signal (e.g., performing filtering of the signal, such as bandpass filtering, or determining signal modifications).

[0185] In a subsequent optional receiver signal processing step (RX-SIG-PROC) S413, the resulting IF digital signal data or resulting output of the measurements and / or digital signal processing performed on the received sensing signal is processed to produce sensing information (e.g. sensing measurements / results or application specific data such as object location, movement, vibration, etc.). Additionally or alternatively, the resulting IF digital signal data or resulting output of the measurements and / or digital signal processing performed on the received sensing signal and / or the produced sensing information is transmitted to a sensing service or transmitter device for further processing.

[0186] Further, in an optional receiver target location update transmission step (RX-TP-UD-TX) S414, the receiver device transmits updated and improved target location information to the transmitter device based on the results of step S413, enabling the transmitter device to continue accurate beamforming to the target.

[0187] Additionally, an optional transmitter and receiver motion compensation step (TX / RX-MOV-COMP) S415 is integrated in which the measured motion and / or vibration of the transmitter and receiver devices is subtracted from the motion detected by the radar.

[0188] Finally, in a user interface, data storage and display step (UI / DS / DISP) S416, the resulting data is stored and displayed by the receiver device and (if necessary) input information is collected using the user interface.

[0189] Additional embodiments below provide details of the application-specific processing applied to the digitized IF signal (eg, of step S413 of FIG. 4).

[0190] FIG. 5 illustrates generally a flow diagram of a location and motion detection process according to one embodiment.

[0191] This embodiment may be relevant for use cases such as object counting, object motion detection and measurement, infrastructure monitoring, etc. In such cases, the receiver or transmitter device may require setting up a process for periodic radar operation, e.g., repeating radar detections every 15 minutes.

[0192] In an initial background clutter subtraction step (BG-C-SUB) S501, background subtraction of clutter (e.g., unwanted multipath signals) is performed from the digital IF signal (i.e., IF frequency data). Background subtraction is achieved by distinguishing between foreground and background information based on the variation of data received at different times. This is achieved by applying a recursive moving average (RMA) or Gaussian mixture model (GMM) to learn the mean value of the path distribution.

[0193] Then, in a surface identification step (SF-ID) S502, individual surfaces are identified from the constant lines detected in the IF frequency data.

[0194] For objects with measurable velocity, in a surface velocity identification (SF-V-ID) step S503, the velocity of each isolated surface is identified by the average phase change of the data extracted from that surface over several consecutive sensed signals after phase extraction and phase unwrapping, for example by applying a Doppler FFT. A sensed signal reflected from a moving surface experiences a Doppler frequency shift proportional to the velocity of the surface. This frequency shift results in a phase shift in the detected sensed signal.

[0195] For objects with slow, long-term motion, the slow motion detection step (SL-MOV-DET) S504 can find the motion by periodically determining the object's location (range, direction) and calculating the change in its location over time.

[0196] FIG. 6 illustrates generally a flow diagram of a heart and respiration rate detection process according to one embodiment.

[0197] Again, in an initial background clutter subtraction step (BG-C-SUB) S601, background subtraction of clutter is performed from the digital IF signal (ie, IF frequency data).

[0198] Then, in a target surface selection step (T-SF-SEL) S602, the correct surface of the targeted user is selected from a constant line in the IF frequency data (in the correct range).

[0199] In a subsequent phase data isolation step (PD-ISO) S603, the phase data from the selected surface is isolated and phase unwrapped (e.g., by applying a Doppler FFT). Alternatively, the phase can be represented by the complex sine and cosine components of the signal (which makes phase unwrapping unnecessary).

[0200] Then, in a phase filtering step (PS-FIL) S604, the phase signal is bandpass filtered for a heart rate frequency range (e.g., 0.6-4 Hz) and / or a respiration rate frequency range (e.g., 0.1-0.6 Hz) to derive heart rate and / or respiration rate data.

[0201] Finally, in a vital signal extraction step (VS-EXTR) S605, the resulting data is processed to extract vital sign signals from the noise, compensate for noise and background motion using algorithms such as deep neural networks trained on datasets collected with "gold standards" such as electrocardiograms (ECGs) and / or stretch breathing sensors, and extract the desired signals (heart rate, respiration rate), signal variability (e.g., heart rate variability), and confidence values ​​for the accuracy of the data values.

[0202] FIG. 7 illustrates generally a flow diagram of a skin conductivity measurement process according to one embodiment.

[0203] Again, in an initial background clutter subtraction step (BG-C-SUB) S701, background subtraction of clutter is performed from the digital IF signal (ie, IF frequency data).

[0204] Then, in a subsequent surface identification step (SF-ID) S702, individual surfaces are identified from the constant lines in the IF frequency data.

[0205] In a subsequent reflectance estimation step (R-EST) S703, the total reflectance of the selected surface is estimated from the amplitude of the surface IF signal.

[0206] The resulting total reflectance is then compared to a dataset of surface values ​​in a skin permittivity determination step (SKP-DET) S704 to obtain a skin permittivity value corresponding to the mm-wave frequency used.

[0207] As the mm-wave frequency varies in time, a small spectral value of the surface IF amplitude over time of the sensed signal can be calculated.

[0208] An embodiment including several receiver devices (as UEs, base stations, or a mixture thereof) cooperate in the radar detection process by receiving reflected radio waves from at least one transmitter device and jointly perform the operations described in the above embodiments for a single receiver device.

[0209] Multi-receiver distributed detection 8 illustrates generally a signaling and processing diagram of a radar detection process in a multiple receiver system according to one embodiment. The signaling and processing diagram illustrates information exchange between system components as arrows, processing steps performed by components as blocks located below each component, and time proceeds from top to bottom in FIG.

[0210] In steps 801 and 802, both the first and second receiver devices (RX1, RX2) request a radar session by signaling respective radar session requests (RS-REQ1, RS-REQ2) to the transmitter device (TX). Alternatively, in step 801, only the first receiver sends a request to the transmitter device. The transmitter device can search for other suitable receiver devices close to the first receiver and / or the intended target. Thus, one of the receiver devices (e.g., Rx1) sends a request, and the transmitter device identifies the second receiver device (e.g., Rx2) and responds in step 805 without the need for a request in step 802.

[0211] Alternatively, the transmitter device may search for potential receiver devices close to the intended target (e.g., by requesting the potential receiver device to transmit its known location information by requesting its last known location from a location database / service, or by obtaining a location from the potential receiver device through trilateration / triangulation / round trip time calculations based on signals received from the potential receiver device) and may actively request that a first and second receiver device be used for detection.

[0212] In step 803, the transmitter device performs any necessary setup (e.g., clock synchronization, object position estimation, transmitter / receiver position difference, etc.) for each receiver device (e.g., using mechanisms described in other embodiments).

[0213] The transmitter device then signals signal parameters, such as chirp parameters (CRP-P) and timing information, to both receiver devices in steps 804 and 805. The signal parameters of steps 804 and 805 can also be transmitted without a request from the receiver devices (e.g., if the receiver devices are part of the infrastructure).

[0214] In step 806, the transmitter device performs a sensing operation, e.g., a radar sensing operation, by emitting a sensing signal, e.g., a chirp signal, in accordance with the signaled signal parameters and timing information (e.g., using mechanisms described in other embodiments).

[0215] In steps 807 and 808, the receiver device detects the detection signal, e.g., reflected from a common target. The receiver device then processes the received reflected detection signal for detection purposes (e.g., using mechanisms described in other embodiments; e.g., in the case of a chirp signal, the receiver device calculates an IF signal using the received reflected chirp signal and an internal synthesized chirp signal that matches the transmitted chirp signal).

[0216] Then, in steps 809 and 810, at each receiver device, a detection process, e.g., radar process (e.g., as described in other embodiments), is performed to generate, e.g., a range ellipse (RE) based on, e.g., the IF frequency data obtained in steps 807 and 808 and the transmitter / receiver position difference signaled from the transmitter device or obtained at the receiver device.

[0217] Following this, in step 811, the receiver devices exchange their derived data (RD) with each other (e.g., digitized IF data acquired using synchronized clocks, radar setup parameters such as range and angle to the transmitter device, or derived range ellipse data). In steps 812 and 813, the receiver devices detect unique spatial locations (UL) of objects and / or surfaces based on their RD, e.g., by finding intersections of range ellipses and constraining the location by the direction angle of the transmit beam and the beam spread angle of the transmit beam. Alternatively, the receiver devices transmit their RD to the transmitter device TX (e.g., base station) or a sensing service in the core network, so that the transmitter device TX or the sensing service can derive sensing data related to, e.g., the location.

[0218] In one example, the transmitter device or core network requires network functionality with a database that stores the identity of the receiver device and its location.

[0219] FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example of improved position location estimation with one transmitter device TX and two receiver devices RX1 and RX2 according to an embodiment.

[0220] The IF signals measured at the two receiver devices RX1 and RX2 provide a first equidistant return ellipse (range ellipse) 91 at the first receiver device RX1 and a second equidistant return ellipse (range ellipse) 92 at the second receiver device RX2. The two range ellipses 91, 92 provide two intersection points indicated by respective star markers in FIG. 9.

[0221] However, in the example of FIG. 9, only one of the intersections is selected as the location of interest 95 because it meets the following three criteria that define a unique location of interest: 1) on the return ellipse 91 of the first receiver device RX1; 2) on the return ellipse 92 of the second receiver device RX2; and 3) Within the beamforming direction and beam spread 90 of the transmitted radar signal

[0222] In an alternative embodiment, a transmitter device may function as one of multiple receiver devices, in which case the transmitter device and receiver device are co-located, thus generating equidistant range circles instead of range ellipses.

[0223] The use of both a transmitter device and a receiver device that operate to receive and process radar signals enables improved position location estimation when the locations of the receiver device and transmitter device are known (e.g., in the case of a distributed access device unit (e.g., gNB-DU)).

[0224] FIG. 10 illustrates diagrammatically an example of improved position location estimation with one receiver device RX1 and one transmitter device TX also operating as a receiver device according to an embodiment.

[0225] In the example of Fig. 10, an equidistant return ellipse (range ellipse) 91 for the receiver device RX1 is obtained, and an equidistant return circle (range circle) 93 for the combined transmitter / receiver device TX is obtained. Again, only one of the intersection points (star markers) is selected as the location of interest 95, as it satisfies the following three criteria that define a unique location of interest: 1) TX return circle is on 93, 2) It is on the return ellipse 95 of RX1, and 3) Within the beamforming direction and beam spread 90 of the transmitted radar signal

[0226] In an alternative embodiment related to FIG. 10, the target object is also a UE with RX capability. Thus, the target object at the target location 95 can estimate the distance D2 to the TX by the received chirp signal. The receiver device RX1 also obtains the direct distance D1 (without reflection) to the TX by the received chirp signal or using round trip time measurement or other distance calculation methods (such as TDOA). Furthermore, the receiver device RX1 can obtain the distance D to the TX on the target location 95 by the received reflected chirp signal. Thus, the distance from RX1 to the target object is D3=D-D2. If the locations of TX and RX1 are known, the location of the target object can be identified because D3 and D2 are known.

[0227] Distributed detection powered by network capabilities Another embodiment is presented in FIG. 11, which shows an example of a distributed sensing system in which a network (e.g., an RF Sensing Management Function (RSMF) deployed by a 5G core network) configures / controls configuration parameters and / or sensing requirements and / or collects / combines sensing results of sensing transmitters and / or sensing receivers. Such an RSMF may be deployed as a separate function / service in the core network, as part of an existing function in the core network (e.g., as part / extension of a Location Management Function specified in 3GPP TS 23.273), as part of a wireless access device (such as a base station), or as part of an application function, edge application, or cloud server (which indirectly provides configuration information or sensing requirements and / or receives sensing results via a Network Exposure Function (NEF)), generally considered a sensing service, and / or supporting the functionality described for the sensing services described in other embodiments.

[0228] The RSMF includes a network communication unit capable of sending and receiving messages to and from the detection transmitter, the detection receiver, and / or other core network functions / services (e.g., as specified in 3GPP TS 23.501), includes a non-volatile storage for storing detection capabilities received from the detection transmitter or the detection receiver, executes detection applications or operations, determines parameters to be configured for the detection transmitter and / or the detection receiver (e.g., based on capabilities received from the detection receiver and / or the detection transmitter, detection requirements (e.g., received from or determined by an application or other service), and / or information about the object of interest), collects detection results from the detection transmitter and / or the detection receiver, and / or further processes the received / collected detection results.

[0229] The RSMF is deployed as part of a system including a set of sensing transmitter devices (e.g., base stations, access points, or UEs (e.g., mobile phones)) and a set of sensing receiver devices (e.g., base stations, access points, or UEs (e.g., mobile phones)), whereby the RSMF is directly or indirectly (securely) connected to these sensing transmitter devices and sensing receiver devices via a set of wireless and / or wired connections, whereby the RSMF and the involved sensing transmitter devices and sensing receiver devices communicate with each other via a messaging protocol (e.g., a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocol defined in 3GPP® TS 24.501, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol defined in 3GPP® TS 38.331, or a protocol based on or extending the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) or the NR Positioning Protocol (NRPP) defined in 3GPP® TS 37.355, TS 38.455, respectively).

[0230] The RSMF, sensing transmitter device, and / or sensing receiver device support a method / service flow that includes the following steps, performed in any order: When a UE registers with a network, the UE provides its wireless sensing capabilities to the RMSF, such as device information (such as the number of antennas or supported frequency ranges), wireless sensing signal processing capabilities, the ability to be a sensing receiver, a sensing transmitter, or both, wireless sensing signal transmission capabilities (e.g., frequency, timing, phase, types of signals the UE can generate), etc. The UE's wireless sensing capabilities also include its own location information, if known. Alternatively or additionally, the UE's location is obtained from a Location Management Function (LMF) or a location server, or from a wireless access device (e.g., a base station) to which the UE is connected. Similarly, when a wireless access device such as a base station (e.g., a mobile base station relay device) is added to the network, the wireless access device provides its wireless sensing capabilities to the RSMF. The wireless access device or core network function (e.g., AMF) to which the UE is registered forwards / redirects signals or messages or capability information received from the UE to the RSMF (e.g., based on the UE's identity, session ID, or RSMF identity provided in the registration message) to the RSMF. The UE also sends its capabilities after initial registration using an RRC UECapabilityInformation message (specified in 3GPP® TS38.331), through an LPP ProvideCapabilities message (specified in 3GPP® TS37.355), or as part of a detection session setup request message (e.g., a separate / new Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message that extends a message defined in 3GPP® TS24.501, a separate / new Radio Resource Control (RRC) message that extends a message defined in 3GPP® TS38.331, or a separate / new LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) or NR Positioning Protocol (NRPP) message that extends a message defined in 3GPP® TS37.355 or TS38.455). It should be noted that the capabilities of each device involved in detection are different.For example, the RF signal processing capabilities of the UE may differ from those of the base station, e.g., the UE may be able to determine the location or movement of an object of interest but not be able to determine the shape of the object of interest, or, e.g., the UE may be able to receive sensing signals and perform measurements on the received signals but not be able to generate and transmit wireless sensing signals. Thus, the configurations of each of these sensing transmitter and receiver devices may differ or change depending on the capabilities or roles they play (e.g., acting as a sensing transmitter or as a sensing receiver). If a device can act as both a sensing transmitter and a sensing receiver, the transmitting and receiver roles may be independently configured and / or enabled and may change dynamically (e.g., acting as a sensing transmitter and a sensing receiver intermittently or acting as both a sensing transmitter and a sensing receiver simultaneously depending on a given schedule or based on messages received, e.g., by the RSMF, other network functions, or local applications). - The RSMF determines a set of wireless access devices (e.g., base stations, etc.), UEs, and / or other devices to use for sensing based on core network services (e.g., provided by or via GMLC, LMF, AMF), external applications (e.g., provided via the NEF), or UE sensing needs (provided during registration to the core network) and / or based on received capabilities, and configures one (or more) of these devices as a transmitter of a wireless sensing signal. To achieve this, the core network service provides sensing related information (e.g., sensing needs / requirements) by issuing a sensing request to the RSMF using a network-initiated location request (NI-LR) (e.g., defined in TS 23.273), which is extended to include information about the object to be sensed and / or sensing requirements (e.g., which sensing results need to be calculated, such as speed, and / or accuracy requirements), sensing configuration information (e.g., object location / area / volume information), and / or capability information of one or more sensing receivers or sensing transmitters, and the RSMF receives and interprets this request, at which point the RSMF starts selecting and configuring a sensing transmitter device. Similarly, the UE issues a mobile-originated location request (MO-LR) to the RMSF, or another client (e.g., application function) issues a mobile-terminated location request (MT-LR) to the RMSF to convey the above-mentioned information. Additionally, the RSMF configures one or more of the set of wireless access devices (e.g., base stations), UEs, and / or other devices used for sensing as receivers of wireless sensing signals. The sensing transmitters and sensing receivers are also co-located. The device configuration information includes information regarding the wireless sensing signal being used (as described in other embodiments) (e.g., timing, frequency, phase offset, identity of the wireless sensing signal), identity of the algorithm or filter used for processing, a wireless sensing application or session identifier, destination of the signal processing results, etc.Some of these parameters are also determined by the device itself, e.g., the sensing transmitter determines the timing of the sensing signal (i.e., which resources are used for the sensing signal). Such parameters are exchanged directly with the receiver (e.g., through Downlink Control Information (DCI) or Sidelink Control Information (SCI) signals / messages specified in 3GPP TS38.212 (e.g., using identifiable specific (new) formats to indicate sensing signal parameters such as reception or transmission and / or frequency of the sensing signal), or through a Semi-Persistent Schedule (SPS) indicating a recurring set of resources used for the sensing signal) or indirectly through the core network. - The RSMF obtains information about a set of objects of interest based on the detection needs of core network services or external applications, including (coarse) location information (or e.g. last known location) or area information where the objects of interest are expected or frequently found (e.g. factory, hospital or home address, or a designated (geographical) area / volume), or includes information on how to identify a particular object of interest (e.g. physical characteristics, material, shape, etc.), or includes an identity ID of a device owned or carried by a person (e.g. as described in other embodiments). The RSMF uses this information about the set of objects of interest to select and configure a set of detection transmitter devices and / or detection receiver devices that will participate in the detection of the indicated object / area / volume of interest (this includes information about the wireless detection signal to use, as described in the previous bullet point), and / or forwards / configures part of this information to the set of detection transmitter and / or detection receiver devices. Additionally, the RSMF, sensing transmitter, or receiver device itself provides position / location information regarding itself, other sensing transmitter devices, or other sensing receiver devices to other sensing transmitter and receiver devices.

[0231] Alternatively, if this information is not available, the RSMF triggers a (broadcast) search function, where sensing transmitters are requested to sense the environment and determine coarse location information of a set of objects of interest.

[0232] Alternatively or additionally, one (or more) of the devices involved in the detection (e.g., a base station including both detection transmitter and detection receiver capabilities) determines the rough position / location of the target object (e.g., based on non-distributed radar-based detection) and provides this information to the RSMF. Alternatively or additionally, the rough location (or last known location) of the target object, or more generally the location / area / volume of the target, is provided by an external application (e.g., through the NEF) or is obtained, for example, from the LMF [specified in 3GPP® TS 23.273] or the Network Data Analysis Function (NWDAF) [specified in 3GPP® TS 23.288] (e.g., based on the identity of the device / UE expected / known to be connected / carried by the target object). The RSMF or the detection transmitter / receiver provides the rough position / location information about the target object, or more generally the location / area / volume of the target, to the involved detection receiver devices and detection transmitter devices.

[0233] Alternatively or additionally, the sensing function / service (RSMF) obtains information (e.g., their identities and estimated locations) about devices in the vicinity of the object of interest (e.g., a set of nearby base stations or UEs that can participate in the (distributed) sensing of the intended object and can (or have been) authorized by the network, the user of the device, or the owner of the person or object of interest to participate in the (distributed) sensing of the intended object). The authorization information (including user consent information) is stored (e.g., in a Unified Data Management (UDM) function of the core network) as part of the user's subscription and / or as part of the RSMF and / or is received from a service or application function or an external application (e.g., through the NEF). The RSMF uses the information about sensing transmitter devices and sensing receiver devices in the vicinity of the object of interest in selecting and configuring the sensing transmitter and sensing receiver devices to use. The devices involved in the sensing are invited / configured to participate in the sensing session by sending a message including a session identifier and / or a sensing signal identifier.

[0234] Alternatively or additionally, an initial radar scan or sensing operation performed by one of the sensing devices supporting both transmitter and receiver roles indicates that the accuracy of the obtained sensing measurements is not sufficient to meet a desired accuracy (e.g., indicated / received / configured in the RSMF, for example, by an external application). The involved sensing devices either determine this themselves and inform the RSMF, or the RSMF determines this based on the sensing results received from each sensing device. Alternatively or additionally, the RSMF determines based on the capabilities of the sensing transmitter and receiver devices and / or the bands / spectrum available in a particular area and / or through previous measurements (e.g., obtained by / from a network analysis function such as the NWDAF), that the accuracy by the involved sensing transmitter / receiver devices and / or the accuracy that can be obtained in a given sensing area is not sufficient for the requirements of the application. The RSMF uses this information (possibly along with received capability and location information of detection transmitters and detection receivers in the area) as a trigger to select other / additional detection transmitter devices and / or detection receiver devices in the vicinity of the object of interest and / or improve detection measurements and detection accuracy (e.g., by changing to a higher frequency, wider bandwidth, by increasing the number of signals and / or signal measurements, or by selecting different algorithms). The RSMF enables one or more of the selected detection transmitter or receiver devices to enable detection, for example by initiating a detection session. The activation of the detection transmitters and / or receivers is either automatically triggered by receiving the above mentioned detection configuration (e.g. given a start time or a set of time intervals during which detection signals are transmitted) or through a separate message (e.g. an additional LPP message including a detection session identifier) ​​or a separate signal (e.g. detection of an identifiable detection signal matching one or more of the given signal characteristics or signal identifiers provided during the configuration). - one or more sensing transmitter devices direct wireless sensing signals to the target object (e.g., by directing wireless sensing signals to the target location / area / volume) based on the received configuration information and / or the rough location of the target object, or more generally the target location / area / volume. The time at which such signals are transmitted is based on, for example, timing information (e.g., sensing start time, a set of time intervals of sensing, or a set of (pre-configured) time / frequency resources) that is configured and shared, for example, with the sensing receiver device and other sensing transmitter devices. The sensing receiver device receives the reflected wireless sensing signals and is able to recognize and process the received reflected sensing signals based on the provided wireless sensing configuration information (e.g., as described in other embodiments). In one example, based on the received reflected signal, timing information (e.g., configured or as part of the timestamp information in the signal) regarding when the signal was transmitted, its known location, and the location of the sensing transmitter (e.g., base station), the position / location of the target object can be estimated, for example, by using triangulation. Additionally or alternatively, each sensing receiver device or sensing transmitter device transmits its wireless sensing signal measurements and / or processing results to a configured destination (e.g., RSMF) that can collect the results and perform further processing on these results. The RSMF uses all received / collected measurements and / or (partial) sensing results to determine a set of sensing results, based on the sensing requirements received in the location / sensing request (e.g., received from an application). The sensing results (e.g., target location) are provided to the entity (e.g., GMLC / AMF / NEF / UE) that issued or forwarded the "enhanced" location information request to the RSMF. Alternatively or additionally, the sensing results are stored in a shared storage, e.g., Unified Data Repository (UDR).

[0235] In other words, the RSMF is typically capable of obtaining wireless sensing capabilities of sensing receiver devices and / or sensing transmitter devices, configuring one or more sensing transmitter devices and / or sensing receiver devices to participate in distributed wireless sensing of objects of interest, configuring a wireless sensing enabled UE with information regarding the network entity or destination server to which wireless sensing results should be sent, configuring a wireless sensing enabled sensing transmitter and / or sensing receiver with information regarding when and how to transmit, receive and / or process wireless sensing signals, and collecting wireless sensing measurements / results from the sensing transmitter devices and / or sensing receiver devices for further processing.

[0236] In summary, systems and methods are described for providing sensing capabilities, e.g., radar-based sensing capabilities, in a wireless communications system, where a portion of the communications spectrum is configured such that sensing can be performed in a manner such that the parameters that need to be communicated are configured for the required application, while the lack of analog signal exchange and the additional path length caused by the distance between the transmitter and receiver (and in embodiments the distance between the receiver and the target) are compensated for by establishing a distributed sensing system between a wireless access device (e.g., a base station) or terminal device as a transmitter device and a terminal device or wireless access device (e.g., a base station) as a receiver device for a certain period of time.

[0237] While the present invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and the foregoing description, such illustration and description is to be considered as illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive. The present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. The present invention is applicable to various types of UE or terminal devices, such as mobile phones, vital signs monitoring / telemetry devices, smart watches, detectors, vehicles (for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication or more general vehicle-to-all (V2X) communication), V2X devices, Internet of Things (IoT) hubs, IoT devices including low-power medical sensors for health monitoring, medical (emergency) diagnostic and treatment devices for hospitals or emergency personnel, virtual reality (VR) headsets, etc.

[0238] Furthermore, the above embodiments may be implemented in a semi-distributed deployment, where the base station is a central unit (e.g., gNB-CU), there are two distributed units (e.g., gNB-DU), one distributed unit acts as a transmitter device and the other distributed unit acts as a receiver device, and the central unit is an entity that synchronizes the distributed units.

[0239] A base station is any network access device (such as a base station, Node B (eNB, eNodeB, gNB, gNodeB, ng-eNB, etc.), integrated access and backhaul (IAB) relay node, access point, etc.) that provides a geographic coverage area.

[0240] Furthermore, at least some of the above embodiments are implemented to provide a new product class of network equipment for 5G / 6G / xG cellular networks or (low / mid-cost) reconfigurable intelligent surfaces to improve cellular network coverage, reliability, and speed.

[0241] Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims in practicing the claimed invention. In the claims, the word "comprises" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the singular elements do not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit performs the functions of several items recited in the claims. Throughout the description and claims, the phrases "at least one of A, B, and C" or "at least one of A, B, or C" should be understood to generally mean "A and / or B and / or C". The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. The above description details certain embodiments of the invention. However, no matter how detailed the foregoing appears in the text, it will be understood that the invention may be practiced in many ways and is therefore not limited to the disclosed embodiments. It should be noted that the use of a particular term in describing a particular feature or embodiment of the invention does not imply that the term has been redefined herein to be limited to include the particular characteristics of the feature or embodiment of the invention with which the term is associated.

[0242] The described operations as shown in Figures 4 to 7 may each be implemented as program code means of a computer program and / or as dedicated hardware in the associated network device or functionality. The computer program may be stored and / or distributed on a suitable medium, such as an optical storage medium or a solid-state medium, supplied together with or as part of other hardware, but also distributed in other forms, such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless communication systems.

Claims

1. 1. An apparatus for providing sensing capability to a wireless communication device, comprising: a wireless communication unit for receiving a communication signal from a remote wireless communication device at another communication end; a receiving front end for receiving a radio frequency signal; a detection unit for detecting a detection signal at the output of the receiver front end based on detection parameter information contained in the received communication signal; Based on the received detection signal and the detection parameter information included in the received communication signal, determining the timing, phase shift, frequency, amplitude, or signal modification of the detected signal to further determine whether the detected signal is reflected by an object of interest or transmitted via a direct, non-reflected path; generating and transmitting a filtered signal to a further processing unit to extract sensing information about the target object; and Identifying the location, movement, or structure of a target object an analysis system that performs at least one of An apparatus comprising:

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the detected signal is a radar signal, a chirp signal, or a training symbol for channel state information.

3. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to send a sensing measurement request to the remote wireless communication device using the wireless communication unit to receive at least one of sensing parameter information, resource allocation information for sensing, or a location of the remote wireless communication device.

4. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus uses the wireless communication unit to transmit to a remote wireless communication device at least one of an indication of a scanning time required for a detection measurement and a direction and range to the object of interest, an indication of a location or area of ​​the object of interest, an indication of a location or area of ​​the wireless communication device, or an indication of a direction and range between the wireless communication device and the remote wireless communication device.

5. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detection parameter information comprises one or more pieces of information selected from a set comprising timing, phase and frequency information, an identification of an algorithm or filter used for processing, an application identifier, or a detection signal identifier or a detection profile identifier of the received detection signal.

6. 6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a signal generator for generating an internal composite detection signal based on the detection parameter information included in the received communication signal or based on an auxiliary signal, and wherein the analysis system combines the internal composite detection signal with the received detection signal.

7. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the signal generator uses a discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing signal generation process of the wireless communication unit to generate a chirp signal as the internal synthesized detection signal that matches the received detection parameter information.

8. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the analysis system generates an intermediate frequency signal by combining the internal synthesized detection signal with the received detection signal, performs filtering and analog-to-digital conversion of the intermediate frequency signal to obtain a digital intermediate frequency signal, and processes the digital intermediate frequency signal to generate position, motion, or structure data, or transmits the digital intermediate frequency signal to the remote wireless communication device, or network function / device, or cloud for further processing.

9. 9. The device of claim 8, wherein the analysis system detects the location and / or movement of the object of interest based on isolated surfaces derived from constant lines detected in the digital intermediate frequency signal, detects heart rate and breathing rate based on isolated and unwrapped phase data of selected surfaces derived from constant lines detected in the digital intermediate frequency signal, or measures skin conductivity based on an estimate of total reflectance of selected surfaces derived from constant lines detected in the digital intermediate frequency signal.

10. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus provides a time delay measurement function by performing two-way time delay measurements in conjunction with the remote wireless communication device using the wireless communication unit.

11. 11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one motion sensor for measuring movement and / or vibration of the wireless communication device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the measured movement and / or vibration of the wireless communication device is communicated to the remote wireless communication device.

13. 13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a low-resolution non-dispersive analysis system for providing non-dispersive location scanning capability.

14. 14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the analysis system detects a unique spatial location of the surface of the target object by finding an intersection of equidistant return ellipses or equidistant return circles of a receiver device of the detection signals and constraining the location by the direction angle and beam divergence angle of a transmitter beam of the remote wireless communication device.

15. 15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the analysis system detects that the detection information about the target object or the identified position, movement or structure of the target object does not correspond to given information about how to identify the object, and based on the detection, the apparatus discards the received detection signal or detection information and does not perform any further processing on the measurements, results and / or input / output data and / or does not send them to a further processing unit.

16. 16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the analysis system detects biometric information based on the sensing information about the target object and / or the identified position, movement, or structure of the target object, whereby the sensing session is continued or terminated, the sensing information is accepted for further processing / storage or discarded, or a different target object, a different wireless communication device, or a different remote wireless communication device is selected, depending on whether the respective biometric information is detected.

17. A wireless communication device comprising an apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

18. 20. A system comprising at least one wireless communication device according to claim 17 and at least one remote wireless communication device for transmitting the received detection signal.

19. 20. The system of claim 18, wherein the remote wireless communication device determines whether it can respond to a sensing measurement request received from the wireless communication device and responds with a sensing session confirm message or a sensing session reject message based on the result of the determination.

20. 20. The system of claim 18 or 19, wherein the remote wireless communication device identifies the sensing parameter information including at least one parameter of a signal to be used as the sensing signal, a coarse location of the object of interest, and a position offset from the remote wireless communication device to the wireless communication device, and communicates the sensing parameter information and a future time of a first sensing signal to the wireless communication device.

21. 21. The system of claim 18, wherein the remote wireless communication device transmits the detection signal at a communicated future time by using a discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing signal generation process of a wireless communication unit to generate the detection signal by transforming the single carrier nature of a discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing signal into a linear combination of circularly transformed detection signals in the time domain.

22. 22. The system of claim 18, wherein the remote wireless communication device determines the angle of interest and the distance to the target object by using location estimation sensing operations of a non-distributed sensing system provided in the remote wireless communication device.

23. 23. The system of claim 18, wherein the remote wireless communication device performs two-way time delay measurements in cooperation with the wireless communication device using a wireless communication unit, or the remote wireless communication device performs detection of the wireless communication device of interest using non-distributed radar operation, calculates a time delay based on the detection results of the non-distributed radar operation, and transmits the calculated time delay to the wireless communication device.

24. 24. The system of claim 18, wherein clock level synchronization between the remote wireless communication device and the wireless communication device is achieved by a time synchronization and delay compensation measurement process using wireless communication signals.

25. 25. The system of claim 18, wherein the wireless communication device transmits a resource scheduling message to the remote wireless communication device requesting scheduling of sensing session resources, and the remote wireless communication device responds to the wireless communication device with a downlink control information message including the assigned resources.

26. 1. A method of providing sensing capability to a wireless communication device, comprising: receiving a communication signal from a remote wireless communication device at another communication end; detecting a sensed signal at an output of a radio frequency receiver front end based on sensed parameter information contained in the received communication signal; Based on the received detection signal and the detection parameter information included in the received communication signal, determining the timing, phase shift, frequency, amplitude, or signal modification of the detected signal to further determine whether the detected signal is reflected by an object of interest or transmitted via a direct, non-reflected path; generating and transmitting a filtered signal to a further processing unit to extract sensing information about the target object; and Identifying the location, movement, or structure of a target object and performing at least one of A method comprising:

27. 27. A computer program comprising code means for causing the steps of the method of claim 26 when executed on a processor of a wireless communication device.

28. An apparatus for making an emergency call, comprising: a communication unit including a transmitter and a receiver; a controller for controlling the communication unit; wherein the controller performs a sensing session upon receiving a request from a network node to sense an object.

29. The request: Approval information, Information about the object, such as object location, object area, or object volume, or a condition related to the object, such as mobility, position, vital signs, etc.; Contextual information such as the presence of other people around the victim, the distance between the person and their device relative to the victim, the number of injured people, nearby debris, etc. Destination server identifier or address (e.g., IP address, URL), network functions / devices or emergency response points; The credentials (e.g., public key) used to encrypt the result, or The desired detection results, such as the target's location, movement, or vital signs 30. The apparatus of claim 28, further comprising one or more configuration parameters comprising:

30. 30. Apparatus according to claim 28 or 29, wherein the network node comprises an emergency answering point or is connected via a network to an emergency answering point.

31. 30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the controller initiates an emergency call to the network node requesting the sensing session.

32. 32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the controller includes location information in the emergency call.

33. 33. The apparatus of claim 31 or 32, wherein the controller includes available sensing results in the emergency call.

34. 34. The device of claim 31, 32 or 33, wherein the controller includes an indication that sensing capabilities and / or sensing results of the device are available or obtainable.

35. A network node in a communications network, comprising: a communication unit including a transmitter and a receiver; a controller for controlling the communication unit; wherein the controller, upon receiving an emergency call from a first wireless device, requests one or more wireless sensing devices in the vicinity of the first wireless device to perform sensing sessions for designated targets.

36. 1. A method for operating an apparatus, comprising: receiving a detection request for a specified target victim in the vicinity of the device; performing a sensing session based on the sensing request; A method comprising:

37. 1. A method for operating a network node, comprising: receiving an emergency call from a first wireless device; requesting one or more sensing wireless devices in proximity to the first wireless device to conduct a sensing session for a designated target victim; A method comprising:

38. 38. A computer program comprising code means for causing the steps of the method according to claim 36 or 37 when executed on a processor of a wireless communication device.

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