Cooperation of wireless sensing with multiple network nodes

Abstract

The management and coordination of sensing may be performed through a Session Management Function for Wireless Sensing (S-SMF) that provides policies, configuration data, or sensing assistance data related to a wireless sensing session. The S-SMF may be independent and separated from a Session Management Function (SMF) that provides communication session-related policies and configuration data. The S-SMF manages wireless sensing sessions, and the SMF manages other communication sessions. Additional functions may include a Sensing Anchor Function (AMF) configured to control the wireless sensing session and a Sensing Data Storage Function (S-UPF) configured to store wireless sensing result data from the wireless sensing session.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This book generally targets wireless sensing. More specifically, the management and coordination of wireless sensing can be improved for systems involving multiple network nodes.

Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication technology is moving the world towards an increasingly connected and networked society. Wireless communication relies on efficient network resource management and allocation between user mobile stations and wireless access network nodes (including, but not limited to, wireless access network ("RAN") nodes and base stations). New generation networks are expected to provide high-speed, low-latency, and ultra-reliable communication capabilities to meet the requirements from different industries and users. User mobile stations or user equipment ("UE") are becoming more complex, and the amount of continuously communicated data is increasing. With the development of more advanced radar and sensing systems, communication between UEs can be modernized.

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0003] This book relates to a method, system, and device for the management and coordination of wireless sensing that can be improved for a system with multiple network nodes. The management and coordination of wireless sensing can be implemented through a Session Management Function for Wireless Sensing (S-SMF) that provides policies, configuration data, or sensing support data related to a wireless sensing session. The S-SMF may be independent and decoupled from a Session Management Function for Communication Purposes (from SMF) that provides communication session-related policies and configuration data. The S-SMF manages wireless sensing sessions, and the SMF manages other communication sessions. Additional functions may include a Sensing Anchor Function (AMF) configured to control a wireless sensing session and a Sensing Data Storage Function (S-UPF) configured to store wireless sensing result data from a wireless sensing session.

[0004] In one embodiment, a method for wireless sensing includes triggering a wireless sensing session for a sensing purpose, coordinating via a signaling procedure, and managing the operation of the wireless sensing session based on the coordination. Triggering, coordinating, and managing are performed by a core network sensing management function (S-SMF). Triggering is triggered by the S-SMF independently or in response to receiving a command regarding a "sensing service request" from another node or entity. Coordinating is performed using a core network sensing anchor function (AMF) including a wireless sensing context, and coordinating is performed using a core network sensing data storage function (S-UPF) including wireless sensing session result data. The method includes selecting a target core network sensing anchor function before triggering. The method includes triggering the reading of wireless sensing session result data. The reading is performed by the core network S-SMF independently or in response to receiving a "sensing result data read request" command from another node or entity. The wireless sensing session result data comprises sensing result data associated with a wireless sensing session implemented by a base station and / or a user equipment (UE). The method includes storing the wireless sensing session result data by a core network sensing data storage function entity (S-UPF). The wireless sensing session comprises different wireless sensing types including at least target positioning, radio channel estimation, environment imaging or object detection based on radar type sensing, and / or biological indicators. The wireless sensing session comprises functions implemented by local wireless sensors within a base station and / or a user equipment (UE).

[0005] In another embodiment, a wireless communication device includes a processor and a memory, and the processor is configured to read code from the memory and implement any of the methods recited herein.

[0006] In another embodiment, a computer program product includes computer-readable program media code stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to implement any of the methods recited herein.

[0007] In another embodiment, a system includes a Session Sensing Management Function (S-SMF) for providing policies, configuration data, or sensing assistance data related to a wireless sensing session, and a Session Management Function (SMF) for providing communication session-related policies and configuration data, where the S-SMF is independent of and separated from the SMF. The system further includes a User Equipment (UE) and a base station between the UE and the access and mobility management function (AMF), S-SMF, or SMF. The base station generates a wireless sensing signal according to the policies, configuration data, or sensing assistance data provided by the S-SMF, and the wireless sensing signal is related to the UE, the target entity, or the environment. The S-SMF manages the wireless sensing session, and the SMF manages other communication sessions. The management of the wireless sensing session includes reading wireless sensing session result data. The reading is performed independently or in response to receiving a "sensing result data read request" command from another node or entity. The sensing session result data includes data associated with the wireless sensing session performed by the base station and / or the UE. The wireless sensing session comprises different wireless sensing types including at least target positioning, radio channel estimation, environment imaging or object detection based on radar-type sensing, and / or biological indicators.

[0008] In another embodiment, the system includes a sensing anchor function (AMF) configured to control a wireless sensing session, a sensing management function (S-SMF) configured to manage the wireless sensing session, and a sensing data storage function (S-UPF) configured to store wireless sensing result data from the wireless sensing session. Managing further includes providing wireless sensing session-related policies, providing wireless sensing session-related configuration data and / or assistance data, and distributing wireless sensing session result data to another node or entity. The wireless sensing session result data is reported by a base station, a user equipment (UE), and / or distributed from the S-UPF. The sensing management function (S-SMF) includes a centralized management point within the system. The sensing management function is provided with a sensing session management function (S-SMF) for sensing purposes rather than for communication purposes. The sensing result data includes sensing result data associated with a wireless sensing session implemented by a base station and / or a user equipment (UE). The wireless sensing session includes different wireless sensing types including at least target positioning determination, radio channel estimation, environment imaging or object detection based on radar-type sensing, and / or biological indicators.

[0009] In one embodiment, a wireless communication device includes a processor and a memory, and the processor is configured to read code from the memory and implement any of the embodiments discussed above.

[0010] In one embodiment, a computer program product includes computer-readable program media code stored thereon, and when the code is executed by a processor, it causes the processor to implement any of the embodiments discussed above.

[0011] In some embodiments, there exists a wireless communication device comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the processor is configured to read code from the memory and perform any method enumerated in any of the embodiments. In some embodiments, a computer program product comprises computer-readable program media code stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform any method enumerated in any of the embodiments. The above and other aspects and their implementations are described in more detail in the drawings, the description, and the claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Detailed Description The present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof and illustrate, by way of example, specific embodiments of the embodiments. However, it should be noted that the present disclosure can be embodied in various different forms, and thus the claimed subject matter is not intended to be construed as limited to any of the embodiments described below.

[0026] Throughout the specification and claims, terms may have subtle meanings suggested or implied in a context other than an explicitly stated meaning. Similarly, phrases such as "in one embodiment" or "in some embodiments" as used herein do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, and phrases such as "in another embodiment" or "in other embodiments" as used herein do not necessarily refer to different embodiments. Phrases such as "in one implementation" or "in some implementations" as used herein do not necessarily refer to the same implementation, and phrases such as "in another implementation" or "in other implementations" as used herein do not necessarily refer to different implementations. For example, the claimed subject matter is intended to include, in whole or in part, combinations of exemplary embodiments or implementations.

[0027] In general, technical terms can be understood, at least in part, from their use in context. For example, terms such as "and", "or", or "and / or" as used herein can include various meanings that can depend, at least in part, on the context in which such terms are used. Typically, "or" is intended to mean, when used to associate a list such as A, B, or C, A, B, and C used in an inclusive sense here, and A, B, or C used in an exclusive sense here. In addition, terms such as "one or more" or "at least one" as used herein can, at least in part, depending on the context, be used to describe any feature, structure, or property in the singular sense, or to describe a combination of features, structures, or properties in the plural sense. Similarly, again, terms such as "a", "an", or "the" can be understood, at least in part, depending on the context, to convey either a singular use or a plural use. In addition, the terms "based on" or "determined by" can be understood not to necessarily intend to convey an exclusive set of factors, but rather, again, can, at least in part, depending on the context, allow for the presence of additional factors that are not necessarily explicitly described.

[0028] Radio Resource Control (RRC) is a protocol layer between the UE and the base station at the IP level (radio network layer). Various radio resource control (RRC) states such as RRC connected (RRC_CONNECTED), RRC inactive (RRC_INACTIVE), and RRC idle (RRC_IDLE) states can exist. RRC messages are transported via the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP). The UE can transmit data irregularly (periodically and / or aperiodically) in the RRC_INACTIVE state without transitioning to the RRC_CONECTED state. This can save UE power consumption and signaling overhead. This can be done through the Random Access Channel (RACH) protocol scheme or the Configured Grant (CG) scheme. The wireless communication described herein can be done through wireless access. Additionally, the described embodiments include sensing communication or sensing signals, which can be either physically different or logically different from the wireless communication. Figures 1-2 show an exemplary radio access network (RAN) node (e.g., base station) and user equipment, and a messaging environment, which can be applicable to both wireless communication and sensing communication.

[0029] In some wireless communication systems (such as 4G-LTE and 5G-NR), the RAN node can transmit downlink pilot reference signals such as SSB and SI-RS, and the UE receives, measures, and processes them so that the UE can grasp the connection quality of the communication radio link (「RL」). This can be done between the serving RAN node and the UE to maintain mobility and service continuity. 「UE-based measurement and reporting」 is an example of perception configured by the network. However, there can be more and different measurement, perception, and reporting examples between the network and the UE. The network and the UE can measure, detect, and sense objects other than pilot reference signals for communication. Perception can enable measurement, detection, and sensing of the UE's local environment and the UE's resource utilization context. The perception results may be provided to the UE's serving RAN node, and thus the serving RAN node can grasp the UE's local environment and resource utilization context and dynamically improve the connection quality of the communication RL with the UE.

[0030] An integrated wireless sensing and communication (ISAC) system can enable the serving RAN node to actively sense the body or hand gestures of a human user, for example, based on radar-type sensing techniques. This sensing can be faster than other examples (such as traditional UE-based measurement reports), for example, with a latency shorter than 10 ms. The serving RAN node can then take more forward-looking and faster actions to improve the connection quality of the radio link (RL). Exemplary RLs and exemplary components are described below. ·C-RL = Communication Radio Link: A radio link between a RAN node and a UE, between RAN nodes, or between UEs that serves the purpose of wireless communication (e.g., transferring data). ·S-RL = Sense Radio Link: A virtual radio link between a RAN node and a UE, between a RAN node and the environment, between RAN nodes, between UEs, or between a UE and its environment that serves a radio sensing purpose (e.g., detecting and / or sensing something). ·ISAC RAN Node = A RAN node that can perform both wireless communication and wireless sensing services. The ISAC RAN node may refer to an eNB (4G advanced), a gNB (5G advanced), or an xNB (6G+) for future use. ·ISAC RAN Node (C) = A RAN node (e.g., a legacy RAN node) that can perform only wireless communication services. ·ISAC RAN Node (S) = A RAN node (e.g., a radar type node) that can perform only wireless sensing services. ·Sensing Service = An end-to-end (E2E) operation with a sensing purpose. ·Sensing Session = A sensing operation process triggered and executed by a system with multiple network nodes (e.g., an IMT system). ·Master ISAC RAN Node = An ISAC RAN node that plays a master role in dual connectivity (DC) operation. ·Secondary ISAC RAN Node = An ISAC RAN node that plays a secondary role in DC operation.

[0031] With the development of International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) wireless communication systems (such as 4G-LTE and 5G-NR) and various advanced radar and sensing systems, integration can be difficult from the perspectives of architecture / capability design and network / air interface resource usage, etc. The next-generation version of the IMT wireless system in the future may integrate and harmonize various wireless sensing functions with their own communication functions. The Radio Access Network (RAN) node may provide both wireless communication and wireless sensing capabilities and services. The end-to-end (E2E) wireless sensing operation for sensing services or tasks may include multiple network nodes (e.g., CN, RAN, and / or UE), which may cause competition to trigger and execute the wireless sensing service. As described in the following embodiments, the management and coordination of wireless sensing operations involving multiple network nodes can be simplified.

[0032] In various networks, there may exist RAN nodes (e.g., base stations) that can support multiple network types (or multi-generation networks including 4G, 5G, 6G, etc.). Similarly, the RAN node may support either wireless communication or wireless sensing, or both. To improve sensing within a network with multiple nodes, there may exist an entity for controlling, managing, and / or coordinating sensing. In one embodiment, a Sensing Session Management Function (S-SMF) may be used for sensing among multiple network nodes.

[0033] Figure 1 shows an exemplary ( "RAN") node or base station 102. The RAN node may also be referred to as a radio network node. The RAN node 102 may further be identified as a NodeB (NB, e.g., eNB or gNB) in a mobile telecommunications context. The exemplary RAN node may include a radio Tx / Rx circuitry 113 for receiving and transmitting using a user equipment (UE) 104. The RAN node may also include a network interface circuitry 116 for coupling the RAN node to a core network 110, e.g., an optical or wired interconnect, Ethernet®, and / or other data transmission media / protocols.

[0034] The RAN node may also include a system circuitry 122. The system circuitry 122 may include a processor 124 and / or a memory 126. The memory 126 may include operations 128 and control parameters 130. The operations 128 may include instructions for execution on one or more of the processors 124 to support functioning of the RAN node. For example, the operations may handle random access transmission requests from multiple UEs. The control parameters 130 may include, or support execution of, the operations 128. For example, the control parameters may include network protocol settings, random access messaging format rules, bandwidth parameters, radio frequency mapping assignments, and / or other parameters.

[0035] Figure 2 shows an exemplary random access messaging environment 200. In the random access messaging environment, the UE 104 may communicate with the RAN node 102 via a random access channel 252. In this embodiment, the UE 104 supports one or more subscriber identification modules (SIMs), such as SIM1 202. An electrical and physical interface 206 connects the SIM1 202 to the rest of the user equipment hardware, e.g., through a system bus 210.

[0036] The mobile device 200 includes a communication interface 212, system logic 214, and a user interface 218. The system logic 214 may include any combination of hardware, software, firmware, or other logic. The system logic 214 may be implemented, for example, using one or more system-on-chips (SoCs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), discrete analog and digital circuits, and other circuitry. The system logic 214 is part of the implementation of any desired functionality within the UE 104. In that regard, the system logic 214 may include, by way of example, logic for decoding and playing music and video, such as MP3, MP4, MPEG, AVI, FLAC, AC3, or WAV decoding and playback, launching applications, receiving user input, saving and retrieving application data, establishing, maintaining, and terminating a cellular phone call or data connection for Internet connectivity in one example, establishing, maintaining, and terminating a wireless network connection, a Bluetooth® connection, or other connection, and facilitating the display of relevant information regarding the user interface 218. The user interface 218 and input 228 may include a graphical user interface, a touch sensor display, haptic feedback or other haptic output, voice or face recognition input, buttons, switches, speakers, and other user interface elements. Additional examples of the input 228 include a microphone, video and still image cameras, temperature sensors, vibration sensors, rotation and orientation sensors, headset and microphone input / output jacks, universal serial bus (USB) connectors, memory card slots, radiation sensors (e.g., IR sensors), and other types of input.

[0037] System logic 214 may include one or more processors 216 and a memory 220. The memory 220 stores control instructions 222 that are executed, for example, by the processor 216 to perform the desired functionality for the UE 104. Control parameters 224 provide and define the configuration and operational options for the control instructions 222. The memory 220 may also store any BT, Wifi, 3G, 4G, 5G, or other data 226 that the UE 104 will transmit or has received through the communication interface 212. In various implementations, system power may be supplied by a power storage device such as the battery 282.

[0038] In the communication interface 212, radio frequency (RF) transmission (Tx) and reception (Rx) circuitry 230 handles the transmission and reception of signals through one or more antennas 232. The communication interface 212 may include one or more transceivers. The transceiver may be a wireless transceiver that includes modulation / demodulation circuitry, digital / analog converters (DACs), shaping tables, analog / digital converters (ADCs), filters, waveform shapers, filters, preamplifiers, power amplifiers, and / or other logic for transmitting and receiving through one or more antennas or (for some devices) through a physical (e.g., wired) medium.

[0039] The transmitted and received signals may conform to any of a wide variety of formats, protocols, modulations (e.g., QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM, or 256-QAM), frequency channels, bit rates, and encodings. As one specific example, communication interface 212 may include a transceiver that supports transmission and reception under 2G, 3G, BT, Wifi, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA)+, and 4G / Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards. However, the techniques described below are applicable to other wireless communication technologies regardless of whether they are derived from the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®), GSM® Association, 3GPP2, IEEE, or other partnership or standards bodies.

[0040] Figure 3 shows a single connectivity wireless communication system. Single connectivity (SC) may include a UE that has only a master communication radio link (M-C-RL) and / or a master sensing radio link (M-S-RL) and does not have a radio link on the secondary RAN node side. Conversely, dual connectivity (DC) includes a UE that has a secondary communication radio link (S-C-RL) and / or a secondary sensing radio link (S-S-RL) on the secondary RAN node side.

[0041] In an IMT wireless communication system (such as 4G-LTE and 5G-NR), as shown in Figure 3, a radio access network (RAN) node may transmit downlink (DL) pilot reference signals such as SSB, cSI-RS, etc. The UE receives, measures, and processes them so that the UE can wirelessly grasp the connection quality of the radio link (RL). The UL measurement report is fed back to the serving RAN node. This can be communication between the serving RAN node and the UE to maintain communication service sustainability. This is an example regarding single connectivity (SC).

[0042] "UE-based DL measurement and UL reporting" is an example of wireless sensing configured by the RAN. However, more types of wireless sensing may exist between the RAN node and the UE, between RAN nodes, or between UEs. The RAN and the UE can measure, detect, and sense local aspects and objects other than pilot reference signals for communication or sensing purposes. Wireless sensing may be triggered by an upper layer or a third-party entity. For example, the UE can sense its local environment (e.g., user gestures, nearby objects, and radio conditions) and resource utilization context (e.g., radio / computing / interference status) via its local sensors. This sensing information can be provided as "sensing result information" to its serving RAN node. Based on the wireless sensing, the serving RAN node can gain an understanding of the UE's environment or any target entity and resource utilization context, perform adaptive measurements, and improve wireless communication with the UE.

[0043] In one example, in a millimeter-wave (e.g., above 6 GHz) communication context, due to the larger path loss and vulnerable millimeter-wave channel conditions within the high-frequency band, the body and hand gestures of human users can impose harmful disadvantages on UE wireless communication, such as blocking and interference of the RL. Previously, the serving RAN node relied on other reactive mechanisms to improve the quality of the RL, but this was often not fast or responsive enough as they relied on time-consuming activities on the UE side. By using an integrated wireless communication and sensing system in a dual-functional RAN node, the serving RAN node can sense and detect the body and hand gestures of human users much more quickly and in advance, based on either of the identified radar-type techniques (using sensing signals), and thus the serving RAN node can take anticipatory actions to improve the quality of the communication RL.

[0044] Figure 4 shows a dual connectivity wireless communication system. Dual connectivity (DC) involves a UE with a secondary communication radio link (S-C-RL) and / or a secondary sensing radio link (S-S-RL). SC and DC connectivity are further described below, including with respect to Figure 8. For example, DC operation may include any of the following combinations of X-X-RL. · M-C-RL + M-S-RL, · M-C-RL + S-C-RL, · M-C-RL + S-S-RL, · M-S-RL + S-C-RL, · M-S-RL + S-S-RL, or · S-C-RL + S-S-RL.

[0045] In Figure 4, the UE communicates with RAN Node 1 using both C-RL and S-RL. There is a second RAN Node that provides only S-RL towards the environment. The core network, RAN Node, and UE are all AC compliant in this embodiment. In other words, they are capable of both wireless communication and wireless sensing wirelessly. The communication radio link is shown as "C-RL" and still serves the communication purpose, while the sensing radio link is shown as "S-RL", which exists as a logical function but can also be physically implemented together with "C-RL". The ISAC compliant RAN Node may perform a certain type of wireless sensing towards a certain target UE via "S-RL", or may also perform wireless sensing towards the environment via "S-RL" while assisting or without assisting UE involvement.

[0046] In some embodiments, there may be communication with a master node and a secondary node that are not co-located. A plurality of RAN nodes of the same or different radio access technologies (“RATs”) (e.g., eNB, gNB, xNB) can be deployed within the same or different frequency carriers in a given geographical area, and they can cooperate with each other via dual connectivity operation to provide a joint communication service for the same target UE. The system can be referred to as a multi-RAT dual connectivity (“MR-DC”) architecture with a master node (“MN”) and a secondary node (“SN”) that are not located in the same place.

[0047] Figure 5 shows an exemplary radio access network (「RAN」) node that communicates with a user equipment (「UE」) through multiple links for dual functionality. One of the dual functions is wireless communication and the other is wireless sensing. The wireless communication includes at least one wireless link (「C-RL」) for wirelessly transmitting and receiving (signaling and / or user) data between the RAN node and the UE. The wireless sensing includes a sensing wireless link (「S-RL」). The S-RL is configured and used to wirelessly sense and detect something between the RAN node and the UE along the radiation path. The sensing wireless link (「S-RL」) is a logical wireless link that is not used for the purpose of wirelessly transmitting and receiving (signaling and / or user) data but is used for the purpose of wirelessly sensing and detecting something along the radiation path. The dual-function RAN node includes a single RAN node that can perform both wireless communication and wireless sensing operations with a target UE. Specifically, Figure 5 illustrates a dual-function RAN node that transmits a sensing wireless link (「S-RL」) to the UE, which then returns a signal (e.g., an echo signal / response) to the RAN node. In addition to the wireless sensing of the S-RL, the dual-function RAN node has a communication wireless link (「C-RL」). The C-RL includes a downlink from the RAN node to the UE and an uplink from the UE to the RAN node. As shown in Figure 5, the dual-function RAN node can simultaneously configure and maintain both the S-RL and the C-RL with the target UE. For handling the communication C-RL, it may be the same as the legacy system (e.g., compliant with 4G-LTE or 5G-NR specifications).

[0048] Figure 6 shows a communication schematic diagram involving dual-functional RAN node communication with a communication wireless link ("C-RL") and a sensing wireless link ("S-RL"). The RAN node (also referred to as a base station) establishes the communication C-RL 602 with the UE. In addition, the second function of the RAN node is to provide the S-RL 604 to the UE. In response to the S-RL 604, the UE provides a response 606. The response 606 can be referred to as an echo signal that is transmitted by the UE as part of the sensing operation S-RL in a direct response to the reception on the S-RL 604. The S-RL may be a wireless link that is logically separated from the communication C-RL. Physically, however, the S-RL may share the same air / wireless resources (e.g., time / frequency / space / code, etc.) as the communication C-RL or use different ones. Figure 6 shows an embodiment using different air / wireless resources, and the wireless signal between the RAN node and the UE carries either data information or sensing-related information, but not both, in this embodiment.

[0049] FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of a wireless network system architecture. This architecture is merely an example, and more or fewer components may exist to implement the embodiments described herein. The interconnections or communications between components are identified as N1, N2, N4, N6, N7, N8, N10, and N11, which may be referred to in the description or by other figures. FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary user equipment ("UE") 104. UE 702 is a device that accesses a wireless network (e.g., 5GS) and obtains services via an NG-RAN node or base station 704. UE 702 interacts with an access and mobility management function ("AMF") 706 of the core network via NAS signaling. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary base station or NG-RAN 102. The NG-RAN node 704 is involved in air interface resource scheduling and air interface connection management of the network to which the UE accesses. AMF 706 includes the following functionality, namely, registration management, connection management, reachability management, and mobility management. AMF 706 also performs access authentication and access authorization. AMF 706 is the NAS security termination and relays the session management NAS between UE 702 and SMF 708, etc.

[0050] The SMF 708 includes the following functionalities, namely, session management such as session establishment, modification, and release, UE IP address allocation and management (including optional authorization), selection and control of the uplink function, downlink data notification, etc. The user plane function ("UPF") 710 includes the following functionalities, namely, an anchor point for RAT-in / intra mobility, packet routing and forwarding, traffic usage reporting, QoS handling for the user plane, downlink packet buffer, and downlink data notification trigger, etc. The integrated data management ("UDM") 712 manages the subscription profile for the UE. The subscription includes data used for mobility management (e.g., restricted area), session management (e.g., QoS profile). The subscription data also includes slice selection parameters, which are used for the AMF 706 to select the appropriate SMF 708. The AMF 706 and SMF 708 obtain the subscription from the UDM 712. The subscription data may be stored in the integrated data repository using the UDM 712, which uses such data in response to receiving a request from the AMF 706 or SMF 708. The policy control function ("PCF") 714 includes the following functionalities, namely, supporting an integrated policy framework, controlling network behavior, providing policy rules, controlling plane functions, enforcing policy rules, and implementing a front end to access subscription information related to policy decisions in the user data repository. The network exposure function ("NEF") 716 is optionally deployed to exchange information with external third parties. In one embodiment, the application function ("AF") 716 may store application information in the integrated data repository via the NEF. The UPF 710 communicates with the data network 718.

[0051] The Access Mobility Function (「AMF」) and the Session Management Function (「SMF」) are control plane entities, and the User Plane Function (「UPF」) is a user plane entity in New Radio (「NR」) or 5GC. The signaling connection between the AMF / SMF and the MN may be the Next Generation - Control Plane (「NG-C」) / MN interface. The signaling connection between the MN and the SN may be the Xn - Control Plane (「Xn-C」) interface. The signaling connection between the MN and the UE may be the Uu - Control Plane (「Uu-C」) RRC interface.

[0052] As described below, additional components or entities for the wireless sensing session or sensing signals may exist. Figure 7 shows signals for communication signals, but an additional sensing session management function 708 may exist, which may be referred to as the S-SMF for managing the sensing session. Similarly, a wireless sensing user plane function 710 may exist, which may be referred to as the S-UPF.

[0053] The end-to-end (E2E) wireless sensing operation for a sensing service or task may include multiple network nodes (e.g., CN, RAN, and UE) that trigger the wireless sensing service. In the embodiments of this specification, the handling of the wireless sensing service can be more efficiently coordinated / managed for multiple network nodes. Figure 8 shows an exemplary architecture for the end-to-end (E2E) wireless sensing operation.

[0054] The ISAC RAN node may be referred to as a base station and may include a control plane (CP) and a user plane (UP). In an exemplary core network (CN) domain, at least the following three functional entities for the wireless sensing operation may exist. · The 「Core Network Sensing Anchor Function」 may be an anchor point for controlling the sensing session, which may be associated with the ISAC RAN node, the UE, and / or the environment. · The "Core Network Sensing Management Function" may be a unified management point for managing wireless sensing sessions, which includes providing wireless sensing session-related policies and / or configuration data and / or sensing support data, etc., and may also include circulating sensing result data. · The "Core Network Sensing Data Storage Function" may be a data storage point for storing sensing result data reported by the ISAC RAN node and / or the UE.

[0055] The interface between the "Core Network Sensing Anchor Function" entity and the "Core Network Sensing Management Function" entity may be shown as "N-SBA" (a service-based architecture such as 5GC). A single "Core Network Sensing Management Function" entity may be connected to multiple "Core Network Sensing Anchor Function" entities. The N-SBA signaling procedure may carry sensing session-related signaling data.

[0056] The interface between the "Core Network Sensing Data Storage Function" entity and the "Core Network Sensing Management Function" entity is shown as "N4". A single "Core Network Sensing Management Function" entity may be connected to multiple "Core Network Sensing Data Storage Function" entities. The N4 signaling procedure may carry sensing session-related signaling data. The N4 data flow procedure may carry sensing session result data.

[0057] The interface between the "Core Network Sensing Anchor Function" entity and the "ISAC RAN Node - CP part" may be shown as "N2". The N2 signaling procedure carries sensing session-related signaling data. The interface between the "Core Network Sensing Data Storage Function" entity and the "ISAC RAN Node - UP part" is shown as "N3". The N3 data flow procedure may carry sensing session result data. Core network awareness management function

[0058] The "Core Network Sensing Management Function" entity may select (from multiple options) a target "Core Network Sensing Anchor Function" entity by itself, independently, or in response to receiving a "Sensing Service Request" message from any other entity, and trigger a wireless sensing session. This can cooperate with the selected "Core Network Sensing Anchor Function" entity via the N-SBA signaling procedure for managing the wireless sensing session operation.

[0059] The "Core Network Sensing Management Function" entity may select (from multiple options) a target "Core Network Sensing Data Storage Function" entity by itself, independently, or in response to receiving a "Sensing Result Data Read Request" message from any other entity, and trigger the reading of sensing session result data. This can cooperate with the selected "Core Network Sensing Data Storage Function" entity via the N4 signaling procedure for reading the relevant sensing session result data.

[0060] The "Core Network Sensing Management Function" entity may read the relevant sensing session result data from the target "Core Network Sensing Data Storage Function" entity via the N4 data flow procedure. Core network awareness anchor function

[0061] The "Core Network Sensing Anchor Function" entity can trigger a radio sensing session by itself, independently, or in response to receiving a "Sensing Service Request" message from any ISAC RAN node or from a UE. This can cooperate with the "Core Network Sensing Management Function" entity via the N-SBA signaling procedure for radio sensing session operation. In response to obtaining the necessary radio sensing session policies and / or configuration data and / or sensing support data, the "Core Network Sensing Anchor Function" entity can cooperate with the target ISAC RAN node. This can be done through the control plane (CP) part via the N2 signaling procedure for triggering and controlling the radio sensing session operation. Core network awareness data storage function

[0062] The "Core Network Sensing Data Storage Function" entity may store sensing session result data in response to receiving them reported from the ISAC RAN node. This can be done through the user plane (UP) part via the N3 data flow procedure. The "Core Network Sensing Data Storage Function" entity can transfer the sensing session result data to the "Core Network Sensing Management Function" entity via the N4 data flow procedure by itself, independently, or in response to receiving a "Sensing Result Data Read Request" message from the "Core Network Sensing Management Function" entity. The "Core Network Sensing Data Storage Function" entity can also transfer the sensing session result data to the ISAC RAN node through the user plane (UP) part via the N3 data flow procedure in response to receiving a "Sensing Result Data Transfer Command" from the "Core Network Sensing Management Function" entity.

[0063] FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of a network system for sensing between a plurality of network nodes. The ISAC base station includes a control plane (CP) and a user plane (UP). The network system in FIG. 9 provides wireless sensing signals and sensing data management / coordination through a sensing SMF (S-SMF) and a sensing UPF (S-UPF). This sensing may be part of a sensing session handled by the network. FIG. 9 illustrates sensing entities that may be different from their communication counterparts (SMF / UPF). These may be additional entities for sensing, while the SMF / UPF handle communication.

[0064] The access mobility function (AMF) may be for communication and / or sensing. Conversely, the S-SMF and S-UPF may be dedicated or exclusive to a wireless sensing session. The sensing-SMF (S-SMF) may correspond to a "core network sensing management function" entity. Similarly, the sensing-UPF (S-UPF) may correspond to a "core network sensing data storage function" entity. In some embodiments, the AMF may be enhanced with ISAC capabilities and correspond to a "core network sensing anchor function" entity. The S-SMF may actively trigger a related wireless sensing session towards an appropriate target AMF entity.

[0065] The S-SMF may obtain sensing data for the application / environment. In one embodiment, the sensing data may include environmental imaging data for a particular area with a certain imaging resolution and update period (e.g., 1m resolution and 30-second update period within a large sports stadium). In other examples, the sensing data may be from a drone and include drone trajectory information in a certain airspace to locate an illegally intruding drone. The imaging for this example may have an imaging resolution of 0.1m and an update period of 5 seconds. In this example, the drone is much smaller than the sports stadium and may require a finer sensing resolution for the sensing radio link RL. This configuration may be adapted to sense the drone with a finer resolution. In another example, the sensing session may be for obtaining vehicle cluster information within an urban area (e.g., for traffic policy steering). This example may have an imaging resolution of 0.5m and an update period of 60 seconds.

[0066] Figure 10 shows an embodiment of sensing communication between multiple network nodes. At block 1002, a sensing SMF (S-SMF) triggers a sensing session. In one embodiment, the S-SMF cooperates with a selected AMF entity via an N-SBA signaling procedure to trigger a desired wireless sensing task. At block 1004, the S-SMF sends a "Sensing Service Request" message to the AMF entity, which provides sensing session related policy and configuration assistance data. Regarding the sports stadium example, the data may include sensing session id = XXXX, sensing task type = "Target Imaging", sensing mode = "Radar type mechanism", sensing target area = "Sports stadium", sensing operating frequency band = "60 GHz", sensing operating bandwidth = "600 MHz", imaging resolution = "1 m", and imaging update period = "30 seconds". Regarding the drone example, the data may include sensing session id = YYYY, sensing task type = "Target Object Trace", sensing mode = "Radar type mechanism", sensing target area = "Shown airspace area", sensing operating frequency band = "200 GHz", sensing operating bandwidth = "10 GHz", imaging resolution = "0.1 m", and imaging update period = "5 seconds". Regarding the vehicle cluster example, the data may include sensing session id, sensing task type = "Target Object Detection", sensing mode = "Radar type mechanism", sensing target area = "Shown ground area", preferred sensing operating frequency band = "100 GHz", preferred sensing operating bandwidth = "5 GHz", imaging resolution = "0.5 m", and imaging update period = "60 seconds".

[0067] In response to receiving a "Perception Service Request" message, the AMF entity determines whether it can perform the required radio perception task. If approved, the AMF entity shall prepare the required radio perception operation at block 1006 and reply with a "Perception Service Request Confirmation Response" message. If denied, the AMF entity shall reply with a "Perception Service Denial" message containing a denial cause value instead of a confirmation response from block 1006. At block 1008, the AMF entity starts a perception session setup procedure via the N2 interface towards the target ISAC base station / gNB. The base station may perform the required radio perception operation wirelessly at block 1010. This may be based on the received perception session-related policies and configuration assistance data.

[0068] After obtaining perception session result data (e.g., imaging of a target sports stadium or drone trajectory information), the ISAC gNB / base station collects the result data within the UP part at blocks 1012 - 1014 and periodically reports them via an N3 data flow procedure towards the indicated perception-UPF (S-UPF) entity. The S-UPF entity stores the reported perception session result data from the ISAC gNB / base station UP part associated with the perception session identification. The S-SMF may read out the desired perception session result data from the S-UPF entity via the N4 procedure.

[0069] In an alternative embodiment, the AMF from FIG. 9 may be modified for ISAC compatibility for future networks (e.g., 6th generation {6G} networks). In one embodiment, this AMF may be referred to as a Sensing AMF (S-AMF). Additionally, the ISAC base station is an xNB for the updated network. The 6G AMF entity in the 6GC with ISAC capabilities corresponds to the "Core Network Sensing Anchor Function" entity. The modified AMF entity may obtain sensing data and actively trigger relevant radio sensing service requests towards the S-SMF entity.

[0070] FIG. 11 shows another embodiment of a network system for sensing between multiple network nodes. Each of the ISAC base stations includes a control plane (CP) and a user plane (UP). The network system in FIG. 11 provides sensing signal and sensing data management / coordination through a Sensing SMF (S-SMF), a Sensing UPF (S-UPF), and an AMF. This sensing may be part of a sensing session handled by the network.

[0071] Figure 11 illustrates two base stations (Base Station 1 and Base Station 2). These may be xNB nodes. The base stations can start / trigger a sensing session, and thus, the sensing SMF or sensing UPF does not need to repeat the sensing. The sensing-SMF entity corresponds to the "Core Network Sensing Management Function" entity, and the sensing-UPF entity is connected to the sensing-SMF entity via the N4 interface and corresponds to the "Core Network Sensing Data Storage Function" entity. The AMF may be a modified AMF that corresponds to the "Core Network Sensing Anchor Function" entity. In this embodiment, Base Station 1 is performing a radio sensing operation triggered by the forward sensing-SMF entity as described above (based on the sensing session id). The sensing-SMF entity may already have read the desired sensing session result data regarding the sensing session id from the sensing-UPF entity. In Figure 11, Base Station 2 may desire to obtain sensing data. In this embodiment, Base Station 2 may actively trigger a related radio sensing service request to the AMF as shown in Figure 12.

[0072] Figure 12 shows another embodiment of the sensing communication between multiple network nodes. In this embodiment, the base station 2 may initiate a sensing request, and the AMF may automatically transfer the request and sensing data as appropriate. Specifically, in block 1202, the base station 2 cooperates with the AMF entity through the N2 signaling procedure for triggering a desired wireless sensing task by sending a "Sensing Service Request" message to the AMF entity. In block 1204, the AMF entity cooperates with the sensing-SMF entity through the N-SBA signaling procedure for triggering a desired wireless sensing task by sending the "Sensing Service Request" message to the sensing-SMF entity. In response to processing the "Sensing Service Request" message, the sensing-SMF entity determines whether a wireless sensing operation is being performed (e.g., based on the sensing session id) and whether the desired sensing session result data regarding that session id is available. If the sensing-SMF entity determines not to perform the desired wireless sensing task again, it may, in block 1206, reply to the AMF entity with a "Sensing Result Data Transfer Request" message. In response to receiving the "Sensing Result Data Transfer Request" message, the AMF entity automatically transfers the "Sensing Result Data Transfer Request" message to the base station 2 in block 1208. In response to receiving the "Sensing Result Data Transfer Request" message, the base station 2 prepares to receive the desired sensing session result data regarding that specific session id in block 1210. The base station 2 replies to the AMF entity with a "Sensing Result Data Transfer Response" message in block 1212. The AMF entity automatically transfers the "Sensing Result Data Transfer Response" message to the sensing-SMF entity in block 1214. The sensing-SMF entity commands the sensing-UPF entity to transfer the desired sensing session result data of a specific session id to the base station 2 in block 1216 through the N3 data flow procedure.In block 1218, the sensing-UPF entity transmits the desired sensing session result data for a specific session id to base station 2 with an association with the specific session id. Base station 2 acquires the sensing session result data in block 1220. This may collect and acquire the desired sensing session result data for a specific session id from the sensing-UPF entity via the N3 data flow procedure.

[0073] Figure 13 shows a wireless sensing example using user equipment (UE) positioning. Positioning is an example of wireless sensing. In this example, the position / location of the UE is determined. In other embodiments, the sensing may be for something other than the position / location, which is merely an example of a sensing signal. Other wireless sensing examples include wireless channel estimation, environmental imaging, and object detection. This may be based on a radar-type mechanism. In other examples, the ISAC-capable UE may perform various wireless sensing regarding the user's biological indicators based on its local wireless sensor. Figure 13 illustrates UE positioning as an example, but any of the other types of wireless sensing operations may be managed and controlled by the IMT system in other embodiments. UE positioning sensing-related data (e.g., positioning assistance data, configuration data, PRS measurement result data) may be transferred via a signaling bearer / connection (e.g., SRB and NGAP). In other wireless sensing embodiments, there may be more types and different amounts of wireless sensing-related data that can be transferred and / or stored by the IMT system. As shown, for UE positioning, there may be associated sensing procedures for the coordination of wireless sensing operations with multiple network nodes (e.g., LMF, AMF, RAN, UE).

[0074] In block 1302, there are requests related to location services, which can originate from several entities in the 5GC (e.g., GMLC). As described, this embodiment is specific to location, positioning, or location / position services, but this is merely one example of sensed data. In another embodiment, the serving AMF for the target UE may determine the need for location services in block 1304 (e.g., to locate the UE for an emergency call). In another embodiment, the UE requests location services (e.g., positioning or delivery of assistance data) from the serving AMF at the NAS level in block 1306.

[0075] In block 1308, the AMF transfers the location service request to the LMF. In block 1310, the LMF initiates location procedures with the serving and potentially neighboring base stations to obtain positioning measurements or assistance data. In an alternative embodiment, the LMF initiates location procedures with the UE in block 1312 to obtain a location estimate or positioning measurement, or transfers location assistance data to the UE. The LMF provides a location service response to the AMF in block 1314, including any required results (e.g., success or failure indication and, if requested and obtained, a location estimate for the UE). In response to block 1302, the AMF returns a location service response to the AMF in block 1316 (response from block 1314), including any required results (e.g., a location estimate for the UE). In response to block 1304, the AMF uses the location service response (response received in block 1314) to assist the service triggered in this block 1304 in block 1318 (e.g., provide a location estimate associated with an emergency call to the GMLC). In response to block 1306, the AMF returns a location service response to the UE in block 1320, including any required results (e.g., a location estimate for the UE).

[0076] The systems and processes described above may be programmed in devices such as one or more integrated circuits, one or more processors, etc., encoded in a signal-carrying medium such as memory, a computer-readable medium, or processed by a controller or computer. The data may be analyzed within a computer system and used to generate a spectrum. If the method is implemented by software, the software may reside in or interface with a memory, a synchronizer, a communication interface, or a non-volatile or volatile memory that communicates with a transmitter, which resides in a storage device. A circuit or electronic device is designed to transmit data to another location. The memory may contain an ordered list of executable instructions for implementing a logical function. The described logical function or any system element may be implemented through an optical circuit network, a digital circuit network, through source code, through an analog circuit network, through an analog source such as analog electricity, an audio, or a video signal, or a combination. The software may be embodied in any computer-readable or signal-carrying medium for use by or in connection with an instruction-executable system, apparatus, or device. Such a system may include a computer-based system, a processor-containing system, or another system that can selectively fetch instructions from an instruction-executable system, apparatus, or device that can also execute the instructions.

[0077] "Computer-readable media", "machine-readable media", "propagated signal" media, and / or "signal-bearing media" may include any device for storing, communicating, propagating, or transporting software for use by or in connection with an instruction-executable system, apparatus, or device. A machine-readable media may optionally, but not by way of limitation, be an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. A non-exhaustive list of examples of machine-readable media would include electrical connections "electronic devices" having one or more wires, portable magnetic or optical disks, volatile memory such as random access memory "RAM", read-only memory "ROM", erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), or optical fiber. Machine-readable media may also include tangible media on which software is printed so that the software is electronically stored as an image or in another format (e.g., through optical scanning) and can then be compiled and / or interpreted or otherwise processed. The processed media may then be stored in a computer and / or machine memory.

[0078] The illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended to provide a general understanding of the structure of the various embodiments. The illustrations are not intended to serve as a complete description of all of the elements and features of the apparatus and systems that utilize the structures or methods described herein. Many other embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of this disclosure. Other embodiments may also be utilized and derived from this disclosure such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In addition, the illustrations are merely representative and may not be drawn to scale. Some of the ratios within the illustrations may be exaggerated while others may be minimized. Accordingly, this disclosure and the figures should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0079] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure may be referred to herein, individually and / or collectively, simply for convenience and without any intention of voluntarily limiting the scope of the application to any particular invention or inventive concept, by the term "invention." Further, while specific embodiments are illustrated and described herein, it is to be understood that any subsequent arrangement designed to achieve the same or similar purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. The present disclosure is intended to cover any subsequent adaptation or variation of various embodiments. Combinations of the above-described embodiments and other embodiments not specifically described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the description.

[0080] The phrase "coupled with" is defined to mean either directly connected or indirectly connected through one or more intermediate components. Such intermediate components may include both hardware and software-based components. Variations in the arrangement and type of components may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims as described herein. Additional, different, or fewer components may be provided.

[0081] The above-disclosed subject matter should be considered illustrative, not restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, extensions, and other embodiments that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, to the maximum extent permitted by law, the scope of the invention should be determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of the following claims and their equivalents, and should not be restricted or limited by the foregoing detailed description. Although various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention should not be restricted except as illuminated by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for wireless sensing, comprising: triggering a wireless sensing session for sensing purposes; cooperating via a signaling procedure; and managing the operation of the wireless sensing session based on the cooperation. A method as described above.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the triggering, cooperation, and management are performed by a core network sensing management function (S-SMF).

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the triggering is triggered by the S-SMF independently or in response to receiving a command regarding a "sensing service request" from another node or entity.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the cooperation is performed using a core network sensing anchor function (AMF) including a wireless sensing context, and the cooperation is performed using a core network sensing data storage function (S-UPF) including the wireless sensing session result data.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising selecting a target core network sensing anchor function before the triggering.

6. The method according to claim 2, further comprising triggering the reading of wireless sensing session result data.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the reading is performed by the core network S-SMF independently or in response to receiving a "sensing result data read request" command from another node or entity.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the wireless sensing session result data comprises sensing result data associated with the wireless sensing session performed by a base station and / or a user equipment (UE).

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising storing the sensing session result data by a core network sensing data storage function entity (S-UPF).

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless sensing session comprises at least different wireless sensing types including target positioning, radio channel estimation, environmental imaging or object detection based on radar type sensing, and / or biological indicators.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the wireless sensing session comprises functions performed by local wireless sensors within a base station and / or a user equipment (UE).

12. A wireless communication device comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the processor is configured to read code from the memory and implement the method according to any one of claims 1-11.

13. A computer program product comprising computer-readable program media code stored thereon, wherein the code, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-11.

14. A system, a session management function for wireless sensing (S-SMF) for providing policies, configuration data, or sensing support data related to a wireless sensing session, and a session management function (SMF) for providing communication session-related policies and configuration data, wherein the S-SMF is independent of and separated from the SMF. A system comprising the above.

15. A user equipment (UE), and a base station between the UE and the access and mobility management function (AMF), the S-SMF, or the SMF. The system according to claim 14, further comprising the above.

16. The base station generates a wireless sensing signal according to policies, configuration data, or sensing support data provided by the S-SMF, and the wireless sensing signal is related to the UE, a target entity, or the environment. The system according to claim 15.

17. The S-SMF manages the wireless sensing session, and the SMF manages other communication sessions. The system according to claim 15.

18. The management of the wireless sensing session includes reading wireless sensing session result data. The system according to claim 17.

19. The reading is performed independently or in response to receiving a "sensing result data read request" command from another node or entity. The system according to claim 18.

20. The sensing session result data includes data associated with the wireless sensing session performed by the base station and / or the UE. The system according to claim 18.

21. The wireless sensing session of the system according to claim 14 comprises at least different wireless sensing types including target positioning, radio channel estimation, environment imaging or object detection based on radar type sensing, and / or biological indicators.

22. A system comprising: A sensing anchor function (AMF) configured to control a wireless sensing session; A sensing session management function (S-SMF) configured to manage the wireless sensing session; A sensing data storage function (S-UPF) configured to store wireless sensing result data from the wireless sensing session The system comprising the above.

23. The managing further comprises: Providing wireless sensing session related policies; Providing wireless sensing session related configuration data and / or support data; Circulating the wireless sensing session result data to another node or entity The system according to claim 22, comprising the above.

24. The wireless sensing session result data of the system according to claim 23 is reported by a base station, a user equipment (UE), and / or circulated from the S-UPF.

25. The sensing session management function (S-SMF) of the system according to claim 23 comprises a single management point within the system.

26. The sensing management function of the system according to claim 22 comprises a sensing session management function (S-SMF) for sensing purposes rather than for communication purposes.

27. The sensing result data of the system according to claim 22 comprises sensing result data associated with the wireless sensing session performed by a base station and / or a user equipment (UE).

28. The wireless sensing session of the system according to claim 22 comprises at least different wireless sensing types including target positioning, radio channel estimation, environment imaging or object detection based on radar type sensing, and / or biological indicators.

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