Hybrid Transmitting and Receiving Method for Integrated Sensing and Communication

Abstract

A wireless communication and sensing method including: performing, by a wireless communication and sensing node, a communication function of an integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) signal through one or more communication antennas; and performing, by the wireless communication and sensing node, a sensing function of the ISAC signal through one or more communication antennas and one or more dedicated sensing antennas.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This document covers wireless communications in general, and the sixth generation (6G) in particular. th This applies to communications using the IEEE 802.11n standard. [Background technology]

[0002] Integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) is expected to provide significant added value to communication systems in the 6G era. One major challenge in adopting ISAC is how to eliminate self-interference (e.g., in monostatic sensing situations).

[0003] Full-duplex communication systems are very complex and expensive, but sensing or radar has a simpler way to deal with self-interference because the sensing signal can be clearly designed.

[0004] The detection signal in the existing ISAC method can use an Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) signal or a Frequency-Modulated Continuous-Wave (FMCW) signal.

[0005] If OFDM signals are used for sensing, it is possible to reuse the communication signals to avoid the sensing overhead, however, complex full-duplex hardware is required to cancel self-interference, and the sensing beam may be different from the communication beam.

[0006] If full duplex is supported for communication, the sensing function uses the antenna as for full duplex communication. If FMCW signals are used for sensing, self-interference cancellation may be easier. However, a separate duplex implementation requires dedicated antennas for sensing and communication. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To overcome the above problems, the present disclosure proposes an ISAC scheme in which the communication subsystem is half-duplex and has the same antenna for transmission and reception, while the sensing subsystem is full-duplex and has separate antennas for transmission and reception. Furthermore, the communication antenna is reused by the sensing subsystem for transmission or reception.

[0008] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for wireless communication and sensing, which in one embodiment includes performing, by a wireless communication and sensing node, a communication function of integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) signals through one or more communication antennas, and performing, by the wireless communication and sensing node, a sensing function of the ISAC signals through one or more communication antennas and one or more dedicated sensing antennas.

[0009] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a wireless communication and sensing node, which in one embodiment includes one or more communication antennas configured to perform integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) signal communication and ISAC signal sensing functions, and one or more dedicated sensing antennas configured to perform ISAC signal sensing functions.

[0010] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for wireless communication and sensing, in one embodiment, the method includes transmitting a sensing signal of an integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) signal through a first set of antenna ports and receiving an echo signal associated with the sensing signal of the ISAC signal through a second set of antenna ports, the first set of antenna ports being different from the second set of antenna ports.

[0011] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a first wireless communication and sensing node, in one embodiment, comprising a communication unit configured to transmit sensing signals of an integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) signal through a first set of antenna ports and to receive echo signals associated with the sensing signals of the ISAC signal through a second set of antenna ports, the first set of antenna ports being different from the second set of antenna ports.

[0012] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a wireless communication system, in one embodiment, comprising a first wireless communication and sensing node configured to transmit sensing signals of an integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) signal through a first set of antenna ports and a second wireless communication and sensing node configured to receive echo signals associated with the sensing signals of the ISAC signal through a second set of antenna ports, the first set of antenna ports being different from the second set of antenna ports.

[0013] Various embodiments preferably realize the following features: Preferably, communication signals of the ISAC signal are transmitted and received by one or more communication antennas, and detection signals of the ISAC signal are received by one or more communication antennas and transmitted by one or more dedicated detection antennas.

[0014] Preferably, communication signals of the ISAC signal are transmitted and received by one or more communication antennas, and detection signals of the ISAC signal are transmitted by one or more communication antennas and received by one or more dedicated detection antennas.

[0015] Preferably, the communication function is half-duplex. Preferably, the sensing function is full duplex.

[0016] Preferably, the one or more communications antennas comprise at least one of the following configurations: a uniform linear array, a uniform two-dimensional array, or an irregular array.

[0017] Preferably, the one or more sensing dedicated antennas include at least one of the following configurations: a uniform linear array, a uniform two-dimensional array, or an irregular array.

[0018] Preferably, the communication functionality uses at least one of an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) waveform or a discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM) waveform.

[0019] Preferably, the detection function uses at least one of a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) signal, an OFDM signal, a pulsed signal, a low correlation sequence signal, or a continuous wave (CW) signal.

[0020] Preferably, the one or more communication antennas are configured to transmit and receive communication signals of the ISAC signal, and the one or more dedicated sensing antennas are configured to receive sensing signals of the ISAC signal.

[0021] Preferably, the first set of antenna ports and the second set of antenna ports are dedicated to sensing signals.

[0022] Preferably, one of the first group of antenna ports and the second group of antenna ports is configured to carry out communications related to ISAC signals, and the other of the first group of antenna ports and the second group of antenna ports is dedicated to sensing signals.

[0023] Preferably, the first group of antenna ports and the second group of antenna ports correspond to wireless communication and sensing nodes.

[0024] Preferably, one of the first antenna port group and the second antenna port group corresponds to a first wireless communication / detection node, and the other of the first antenna port group and the second antenna port group corresponds to a second wireless communication / detection node different from the first wireless communication / detection node.

[0025] Preferably, the first wireless communication and sensing node further comprises a processor configured to perform the wireless communication and sensing method of any one of the methods described.

[0026] The present disclosure also relates to a computer program product having stored thereon a computer readable program medium code which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform a wireless communication method as set forth in any one of the preceding methods.

[0027] The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are directed to providing features that will become readily apparent by reference to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. According to various embodiments, exemplary systems, methods, apparatus, and computer program products are disclosed herein. However, it is understood that these embodiments are presented by way of example and not limitation, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure that various modifications may be made to the disclosed embodiments while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0028] Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the exemplary embodiments and applications described and illustrated herein. Additionally, the specific order and / or hierarchy of steps of the methods disclosed herein are merely example approaches. Based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of steps of a disclosed method or process can be rearranged while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the methods and techniques disclosed herein present various steps or operations in a sample order, and that, unless otherwise stated, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0029] These and other aspects and their implementations are described in more detail in the drawings, description, and claims. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0030] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a wireless terminal according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a radio network node according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 1 illustrates a hybrid ISAC transmit / receive scheme with a sensing-only transmit antenna according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1 illustrates another hybrid ISAC transmission and reception scheme with a sensing-only transmit antenna according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] 1 illustrates another hybrid ISAC transmission and reception scheme with a sensing-only transmit antenna according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 1 illustrates another hybrid ISAC transmission and reception scheme with a sensing-only transmit antenna according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 illustrates a hybrid ISAC transmit / receive scheme with a sensing-only receive antenna according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 1 illustrates another hybrid ISAC transmission and reception scheme with a sensing-only receive antenna according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 1 illustrates another hybrid ISAC transmission and reception scheme with a sensing-only receive antenna according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] 1 illustrates another hybrid ISAC transmission and reception scheme with a sensing-only receive antenna according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] 1 shows a flowchart of a method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] 1 shows a flowchart of a method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0031] FIG. 1 relates to a schematic diagram of a wireless terminal 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The wireless terminal 10 may be a user equipment (UE), a mobile phone, a laptop, a tablet computer, an e-book, or a portable computer system, and is not limited herein. The wireless terminal 10 may include a processor 100, such as a microprocessor or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a storage unit 110, and a communication unit 120. The storage unit 110 may be any data storage device that stores program code 112 that is accessed and executed by the processor 100. Embodiments of the storage unit 112 include, but are not limited to, a subscriber identity module (SIM), a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory, a random-access memory (RAM), a hard disk, and an optical data storage device. The communication unit 120 may be a transceiver, and is used to transmit and receive signals (e.g., messages or packets) according to the processing results of the processor 100. In one embodiment, the communication unit 120 transmits and receives signals through at least one antenna 122 shown in FIG.

[0032] In one embodiment, the memory unit 110 and the program code 112 may be omitted and the processor 100 may include a memory unit having the program code stored therein.

[0033] The processor 100 may, for example, by executing the program code 112, perform any one of the steps of the exemplary embodiments on the wireless terminal 10.

[0034] The communication unit 120 may be a transceiver. Alternatively, or in addition, the communication unit 120 may be a combination of a transmitting unit and a receiving unit configured to transmit and receive signals, respectively, to and from a wireless network node (e.g., a base station).

[0035] 2 relates to a schematic diagram of a radio network node 20 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The radio network node 20 may be a satellite, a base station (BS), a smart node, a network entity, a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Serving Gateway (S-GW), a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW), a radio access network (RAN) node, a next generation RAN (NG-RAN) node, a gNB, an eNB, a gNB central unit (gNB-CU), a gNB distributed unit (gNB-DU), a data network, a core network, or a Radio Network Controller (RNC), and is not limited herein. In addition, the radio network node 20 may comprise (perform) at least one network function, such as an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), a user place function (UPF), a policy control function (PCF), and an application function (AF). The radio network node 20 may include a processor 200, such as a microprocessor or an ASIC, a storage unit 210, and a communication unit 220. The storage unit 210 may be any data storage device that stores program code 212 that is accessed and executed by the processor 200. Examples of the storage unit 212 include, but are not limited to, a SIM, a ROM, a flash memory, a RAM, a hard disk, and an optical data storage device.The communication unit 220 may be a transceiver and is used to transmit and receive signals (e.g., messages or packets) according to the processing results of the processor 200. In one example, the communication unit 220 transmits and receives signals through at least one antenna 222 shown in FIG.

[0036] In one embodiment, the memory unit 210 and the program code 212 may be omitted. The processor 200 may include a memory unit having program code stored therein.

[0037] The processor 200 may perform any of the steps described in the exemplary embodiments on the radio network node 20, for example by executing the program code 212.

[0038] The communication unit 220 may be a transceiver. Alternatively, or in addition, the communication unit 220 may be a combination of a transmitting unit and a receiving unit configured to transmit and receive, respectively, signals to and from a wireless terminal (e.g., a user equipment or another wireless network node).

[0039] In one embodiment, a hybrid ISAC transmit / receive scheme is provided with a sensing-only transmit antenna as shown in FIG.

[0040] This embodiment includes a 64-antenna multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system, plus a single antenna dedicated to sensing. The MIMO system transmits and receives communication signals, and also receives sensing signals. Note that the single antenna (i.e., the transmit antenna dedicated to sensing) is used only to transmit sensing signals.

[0041] In this embodiment, the communication function is a conventional MIMO system. The sensing function is a Single-input Multiple-output (SIMO) radar. The sensing-only transmit antennas can be omnidirectional or directional.

[0042] In one embodiment, a directional sensing transmit antenna can help limit self-interference received by the receive antenna, which transmits a sensing signal, and a 64 antenna array receives the echo sensing signal.

[0043] In one embodiment, another hybrid ISAC transmit / receive scheme is provided with a sensing-only transmit antenna as shown in FIG.

[0044] This embodiment includes a 64-antenna MIMO system plus four antennas dedicated to sensing. The MIMO system transmits and receives communication signals and also receives sensing signals. The four antennas are used only to transmit sensing signals.

[0045] With this scheme, the communication function is a conventional MIMO system. The sensing function is a MIMO radar. The sensing-only transmitting antennas can be omnidirectional or directional.

[0046] In one embodiment, a directional sensing transmit antenna helps limit self-interference received by the receive antennas. It transmits the sensing signal and a 64-antenna array receives the echo sensing signal. This MIMO radar can be equivalent to a 256-antenna virtual array, which improves the resolution of the angle estimate.

[0047] In one embodiment, another hybrid ISAC transmit / receive scheme is provided with a sensing-only transmit antenna as shown in FIG.

[0048] This embodiment includes a 64 antenna array dedicated to sensing in addition to a single antenna system that transmits and receives communication signals and also receives sensing signals. The 64 antennas are used only to transmit sensing signals.

[0049] With this scheme, the communication function is a conventional single antenna system. The sensing function is a MISO radar. The sensing-only transmit antenna can be omnidirectional or directional.

[0050] In one embodiment, a directional sensing transmit antenna helps limit self-interference received by the receive antenna, which transmits the sensing signal, and a single antenna receives the echo sensing signal.

[0051] In one embodiment, another hybrid ISAC transmit / receive scheme is provided with a sensing-only transmit antenna as shown in FIG.

[0052] This embodiment includes a single antenna dedicated to sensing in addition to a single antenna system that transmits and receives communication signals and also receives sensing signals, and a dedicated sensing antenna that is used only to transmit sensing signals.

[0053] With this method, the communication function is a conventional single antenna system. The sensing function is a SISO radar. The sensing-only transmitting antenna can be omnidirectional or directional.

[0054] In one embodiment, a directional sensing transmit antenna helps limit self-interference received by the receive antenna, which transmits the sensing signal, and a dual function receive antenna receives the echo sensing signal.

[0055] In one embodiment, another hybrid ISAC transmit / receive scheme is provided with a sensing-only receive antenna as shown in FIG.

[0056] This embodiment includes a 64-antenna MIMO system, plus a single antenna dedicated to sensing. The MIMO system transmits and receives communication signals, and also transmits sensing signals. The single antenna is used only to receive the sensing signal.

[0057] With this scheme, the communication function is a conventional MIMO system. The sensing function is a MISO radar. The sensing-only receive antenna can be omnidirectional or directional.

[0058] In one embodiment, the directional sensing receive antenna helps to limit the self-interference transmitted by the transmitting antenna: a 64 antenna array transmits the sensing signal and a single antenna receives the echo sensing signal.

[0059] In one embodiment, another hybrid ISAC transmit / receive scheme is provided with a sensing-only receive antenna as shown in FIG.

[0060] This embodiment includes a 64-antenna MIMO system plus four antennas dedicated to sensing. The MIMO system transmits and receives communication signals and also transmits sensing signals. The four antennas are used only to receive the sensing signals.

[0061] With this method, the communication function is a conventional MIMO system. The sensing function is a MIMO radar. The sensing-only receiving antenna can be omnidirectional or directional.

[0062] In one embodiment, the directional sensing receive antennas help limit the self-interference transmitted by the transmitting antennas. A 64-antenna array transmits the sensing signal, and four antennas receive the echo sensing signal. This MIMO radar can be equivalent to a 256-antenna virtual array, which improves the resolution of the angle estimation.

[0063] In one embodiment, another hybrid ISAC transmit / receive scheme is provided with a sensing-only receive antenna as shown in FIG.

[0064] This embodiment includes a 64 antenna array dedicated to sensing in addition to a single antenna system that transmits and receives communication signals and also transmits sensing signals, with the 64 antennas being used only to receive sensing signals.

[0065] With this method, the communication function is a conventional single antenna system, the sensing function is a SIMO radar, and the sensing-only receiving antenna can be omnidirectional or directional.

[0066] In one embodiment, the directional sensing receive antennas help limit the self-interference transmitted by the transmitting antennas: a single antenna transmits the sensing signal and a 64 antenna array receives the echo sensing signal.

[0067] In one embodiment, another hybrid ISAC transmit / receive scheme is provided with a sensing-only receive antenna as shown in FIG.

[0068] This embodiment includes a single antenna dedicated to sensing in addition to a single antenna system that transmits and receives communication signals and also transmits sensing signals, and a dedicated sensing antenna that is used only to receive sensing signals.

[0069] With this method, the communication function is a conventional single antenna system. The sensing function is a SISO radar. The sensing-only receive antenna can be omnidirectional or directional.

[0070] In one embodiment, a directional sensing receive antenna helps to limit the self-interference transmitted by the transmit antenna: the dual-function transmit antenna transmits the sensing signal, and the dedicated sensing antenna receives the echo sensing signal.

[0071] From the antenna port point of view, the proposed transmission and reception scheme also exhibits a difference with existing antenna port allocations: the antenna ports are configured such that the channel carried by one symbol on an antenna port can be inferred from the channel carried by another symbol on the same antenna port. In this disclosure, uplink and downlink communications share an antenna port, and sensing signals are transmitted and received through separate antenna ports. For the BS, uplink means receiving and downlink means transmitting. For the UE, uplink means transmitting and downlink means receiving.

[0072] In one embodiment, the antenna ports for the communication function and the sensing function are set as Table 1. It should be noted that the sensing function uses two dedicated antenna port groups for transmitting sensing signals and receiving (corresponding echo signals) sensing signals, respectively.

[0073] [Table 1]

[0074] In one embodiment, the antenna ports for the communication function and the sensing function are set as in Table 2. In this embodiment, the sensing function uses a set of dedicated antenna ports to transmit sensing signals and reuses the communication antenna ports to receive the sensing signals (corresponding echo signals).

[0075] [Table 2]

[0076] In one embodiment, the antenna ports for the communication function and the sensing function are set as in Table 3. In this embodiment, the sensing function reuses the communication antenna ports to transmit sensing signals and uses dedicated antenna ports to receive the sensing signals (corresponding echo signals).

[0077] [Table 3]

[0078] In one embodiment, the antenna ports for the communication function and the sensing function are set as Table 4. In this embodiment, the sensing function uses a dedicated antenna port of Node A to transmit a sensing signal, and uses another antenna port of Node B to receive the sensing signal (corresponding echo signal). The antenna port of Node B can be either a communication antenna port or a dedicated antenna port for sensing.

[0079] [Table 4]

[0080] In one embodiment, the antenna ports for the communication function and the sensing function are set as Table 5. In this embodiment, the sensing function reuses the communication antenna port of Node A to receive the sensing signal (corresponding echo signal) and uses another Node B antenna port to transmit the sensing signal. The Node B antenna port can be either a communication antenna port or a dedicated sensing antenna port.

[0081] [Table 5]

[0082] 11 shows a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method shown in FIG. 11 may be used in a wireless communication and sensing node (e.g., a network node, a BS, a UE), and includes the following steps:

[0083] Step 1101: Perform a communication function of an ISAC signal via one or more communication antennas. Step 1102: Perform a detection function for ISAC signals via one or more communication antennas and one or more dedicated detection antennas.

[0084] In this embodiment, the wireless communication and sensing node performs a communication function of the ISAC signal (e.g., related to or corresponding to the ISAC signal) via one or more communication antennas (e.g., transmits and / or receives communication signals on the ISAC signal), and in addition, the wireless communication and sensing node performs a sensing function of the ISAC signal (e.g., transmits and / or receives sensing signals on the ISAC signal via one or more communication antennas and one or more dedicated sensing antennas).

[0085] In this disclosure, for a sensing function, one node transmits an ISAC signal and the same or another node receives the sensing portion / signal in the ISAC signal and extracts / determines (sensing) information related to the sensed target / object from / based on the corresponding radio channel / path information. For a communication function, one node transmits an ISAC signal and another node receives the communication portion / signal in the ISAC signal and extracts / determines (communication) information (e.g., data) carried in the ISAC signal. Since the communication function also needs to obtain channel information for demodulation, the sensing signal may be used as a reference signal for the communication signal.

[0086] In one embodiment, communication signals for the ISAC signal are transmitted and received by one or more communication antennas, and detection signals for the ISAC signal are received by one or more communication antennas and transmitted by one or more dedicated detection antennas.

[0087] In one embodiment, communication signals for the ISAC signal are transmitted and received by one or more communication antennas, and detection signals for the ISAC signal are transmitted by one or more communication antennas and received by one or more dedicated detection antennas.

[0088] In one embodiment, the communication function is half-duplex. In one embodiment, the sensing function is full duplex.

[0089] In one embodiment, the one or more communications antennas comprise at least one of the following structures: a uniform linear array, a uniform two-dimensional array, or an irregular array.

[0090] In one embodiment, the one or more sensing dedicated antennas comprise at least one of the following structures: a uniform linear array, a uniform two-dimensional array, or an irregular array.

[0091] In one embodiment, the communication functionality uses at least one of an OFDM waveform or a discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) waveform.

[0092] In one embodiment, the detection function uses at least one of an FMCW signal, an OFDM signal, a pulsed signal, a low correlation sequence signal, or a continuous wave (CW) signal.

[0093] 12 shows a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method shown in FIG. 12 may be used in (e.g., performed by) a wireless communication and sensing node (e.g., a network node, a BS, a UE), and includes the following steps:

[0094] Step 1201: Transmit a detection signal of an ISAC signal through a first group of antenna ports. Step 1202: Receive echo signals associated with the detection signals of the ISAC signals via a second group of antenna ports.

[0095] In Fig. 12, the wireless communication and sensing node uses a first set of antenna ports to transmit ISAC sensing signals and a second set of antenna ports to receive (echo signals associated with / corresponding to) the sensing signals, and the first set of antenna ports is different from the second set of antenna ports. In other words, the wireless communication and sensing node uses separate sets of antenna ports for transmitting and receiving sensing signals.

[0096] In one embodiment, a first set of antenna ports and a second set of antenna ports are dedicated to sensing signals (see Table 1).

[0097] In one embodiment, one of the first and second antenna ports is configured to perform communications related to ISAC signals, and the other of the first and second antenna ports is dedicated to sensing signals (see Tables 2 and 3).

[0098] In one embodiment, the first antenna port group and the second antenna port group belong to (eg, correspond to) a single wireless communication and sensing node (see Tables 1 to 3).

[0099] For example, an exemplary communication and sensing node in this disclosure may be: Transmitting a detection signal of an ISAC signal through a first group of antenna ports; and The communication unit may include a communication unit configured to receive echo signals associated with the detection signals of the ISAC signal through a second set of antenna ports different from the first set of antenna ports.

[0100] In one embodiment, one of the first antenna port group and the second antenna port group belongs to a first wireless communication and detection node (e.g., corresponds to the first wireless communication and detection node), and the other of the first antenna port group and the second antenna port group belongs to a second wireless communication and detection node different from the first wireless communication and detection node (e.g., corresponds to the second wireless communication and detection node) (see Tables 4 and 5).

[0101] For example, the wireless communication and sensing system of the present disclosure may include a first wireless communication and sensing node and a second wireless communication and sensing node, where the first wireless communication and sensing node is configured to transmit a sensing signal of the ISAC signal through a first set of antenna ports, and the second wireless communication and sensing node is configured to receive (an echo signal associated with / corresponding to) the sensing signal of the ISAC signal through a second set of antenna ports, the first set of antenna ports being different from the second set of antenna ports.

[0102] Although various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it should be understood that they are presented only as examples and not as limitations. Similarly, various diagrams may depict exemplary architectures or configurations, which are provided to enable those skilled in the art to understand exemplary features and functions of the present disclosure. However, such a person will understand that the present disclosure is not limited to the exemplary architectures or configurations shown, but can be implemented using various alternative architectures and configurations. In addition, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, one or more features of one embodiment can be combined with one or more features of another embodiment described herein. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the exemplary embodiments described above.

[0103] It will also be understood that any reference herein to an element using a designation such as "first," "second," etc., does not generally denote a limitation on the quantity or order of those elements. Rather, these designations may be used herein as a convenient means of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, a reference to a first and a second element does not imply that only two elements may be used or that the first element must in any way precede the second element.

[0104] Additionally, those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any one of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, and symbols that may be referred to in the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0105] Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that any one of the various illustrative logical blocks, units, processors, means, circuits, methods, and functions described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented by electronic hardware (e.g., a digital implementation, an analog implementation, or a combination of the two), firmware, various forms of program or design code incorporating instructions (which may be referred to herein for convenience as "software" or "software units"), or any combination of these approaches.

[0106] To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware, firmware, and software, various example components, blocks, units, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software, or a combination of these approaches, depends on the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in various ways for each particular application, and such implementation decisions do not cause a departure from the scope of the present disclosure. According to various embodiments, a processor, device, component, circuit, structure, machine, unit, etc. may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein. The term "configured to" or "configured for" as used herein with respect to a specified task or function refers to a processor, device, component, circuit, structure, machine, unit, etc. that is physically constructed, programmed, and / or arranged to perform the specified task or function.

[0107] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various example logical blocks, units, devices, components, and circuits described herein may be implemented in or executed by an integrated circuit (IC), which may include a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof. The logical blocks, units, and circuits may further include an antenna and / or a transceiver to communicate with various components in the network or device. The general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suitable configuration for performing the functions described herein. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code. Thus, the steps of a method or algorithm disclosed herein may be implemented as software stored on a computer-readable medium.

[0108] Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that can enable transfer of a computer program or code from one place to another. Storage media may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.

[0109] The term "unit" as used herein refers to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of these elements for performing the relevant functions described herein. In addition, for purposes of explanation, various units are described as separate units, but as will be apparent to one skilled in the art, two or more units may be combined to form a single unit that performs the relevant functions according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0110] Additionally, memory or other storage, as well as communication components, may be used in embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be appreciated that for clarity, the above description describes embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to various functional units and processors. However, it will be apparent that any suitable distribution of functionality between various functional units, processing logic elements, or domains may be used without detracting from the disclosure. For example, functions shown as being performed by separate processing logic elements or controllers may be performed by the same processing logic element or controller. Thus, references to specific functional units are not intended to indicate a strict logical or physical structure or organization, but merely to suitable means for providing the described functionality.

[0111] Various modifications to the implementations described in this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other implementations without departing from the scope of the claims. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the novel features and principles disclosed herein, as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. performing, by the wireless communication and sensing node, a communication function of an integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) signal through one or more communication antennas; performing, by said wireless communication and sensing node, a sensing function for said ISAC signal through said one or more communication antennas and one or more dedicated sensing antennas; A wireless communication and sensing method comprising:

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the ISAC signal communication signal is transmitted and received by the one or more communication antennas, and the ISAC signal detection signal is received by the one or more communication antennas and transmitted by the one or more dedicated detection antennas.

3. 3. The wireless communication and sensing method of claim 1, wherein a communication signal of the ISAC signal is transmitted and received by the one or more communication antennas, and a detection signal of the ISAC signal is transmitted by the one or more communication antennas and received by the one or more dedicated sensing antennas.

4. 4. The wireless communication and detection method according to claim 1, wherein the communication function is half-duplex.

5. The wireless communication and sensing method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sensing function is full duplex.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the one or more communication antennas have at least one of the following structures: a uniform linear array, a uniform two-dimensional array, or an irregular array.

7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the one or more dedicated sensing antennas have at least one of the following structures: a uniform linear array, a uniform two-dimensional array, or an irregular array.

8. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the communication function uses at least one of an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) waveform or a discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM) waveform.

9. 9. The wireless communication and sensing method according to claim 1, wherein the sensing function uses at least one of a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) signal, an OFDM signal, a pulse signal, a low correlation sequence signal, or a continuous wave (CW) signal.

10. one or more communications antennas configured to perform integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) signal communication functions and detection functions of said ISAC signals; one or more dedicated sensing antennas configured to perform the detection function of said ISAC signals; A wireless communication and sensing node comprising:

11. 11. The wireless communication and sensing node of claim 10, wherein the one or more communication antennas are configured to transmit and receive communication signals of the ISAC signal, and the one or more dedicated sensing antennas are configured to receive sensing signals of the ISAC signal.

12. 12. The wireless communication and sensing node of claim 10 or 11, wherein the one or more communication antennas are configured to transmit and receive communication signals of the ISAC signal, and the one or more sensing dedicated antennas are configured to transmit sensing signals of the ISAC signal.

13. 13. The wireless communication and detection node according to claim 10, wherein the communication function is half-duplex.

14. The wireless communication and sensing node according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the sensing function is full duplex.

15. The wireless communication and sensing node of any of claims 10 to 14, wherein the one or more communication antennas have at least one of the following structures: a uniform linear array, a uniform two-dimensional array, or an irregular array.

16. The wireless communication and sensing node of any of claims 10 to 15, wherein the one or more dedicated sensing antennas have at least one of the following structures: a uniform linear array, a uniform two-dimensional array, or an irregular array.

17. 17. The wireless communication and sensing node of claim 10, wherein the communication function uses at least one of an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) waveform or a discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM) waveform.

18. 18. The wireless communication and sensing node of claim 10, wherein the sensing function uses at least one of a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) signal, an OFDM signal, a pulse signal, a low correlation sequence signal, or a continuous wave (CW) signal.

19. transmitting sensing signals of an integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) signal via a first group of antenna ports; receiving echo signals associated with the detection signals of the ISAC signal via a second set of antenna ports; Including, the first set of antenna ports is different from the second set of antenna ports; Wireless communication and sensing methods.

20. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first set of antenna ports and the second set of antenna ports are dedicated to the sensing signals.

21. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein one of the first set of antenna ports and the second set of antenna ports is configured to carry out communications related to the ISAC signal, and the other of the first set of antenna ports and the second set of antenna ports is dedicated to the detection signal.

22. The wireless communication and sensing method according to any one of claims 19 to 21, wherein the first group of antenna ports and the second group of antenna ports correspond to wireless communication and sensing nodes.

23. The wireless communication / detection method according to any one of claims 19 to 21, wherein one of the first antenna port group and the second antenna port group corresponds to a first wireless communication / detection node, and the other of the first antenna port group and the second antenna port group corresponds to a second wireless communication / detection node different from the first wireless communication / detection node.

24. Communication Unit A first wireless communication and sensing node comprising: The communication unit includes: transmitting a sensing signal of an integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) signal through a first group of antenna ports; and receiving echo signals associated with the detection signals of the ISAC signals via a second set of antenna ports; It is structured as follows: the first set of antenna ports is different from the second set of antenna ports; A first wireless communication and sensing node.

25. The first wireless communication and sensing node of claim 24, further comprising a processor configured to perform the wireless communication and sensing method of any one of claims 20 to 23.

26. a first wireless communication and sensing node configured to transmit sensing signals of an integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) signal through a first set of antenna ports; a second wireless communication and sensing node configured to receive echo signals associated with the sensing signals of the ISAC signal via a second set of antenna ports; Equipped with the first set of antenna ports is different from the second set of antenna ports; Wireless communication and sensing systems.

27. 27. The wireless communication system of claim 26, wherein the first set of antenna ports and the second set of antenna ports are dedicated to the sensing signal.

28. 27. The wireless communication system of claim 26, wherein one of the first set of antenna ports and the second set of antenna ports is configured to carry out communications related to the ISAC signal, and the other of the first set of antenna ports and the second set of antenna ports is dedicated to the detection signal.

29. A computer program product having stored thereon a computer-readable program medium code, the code, when executed by a processor, causing the processor to implement a wireless communication and sensing method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 and 19 to 23.

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