Electronic device used in a wireless communication system

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electronic device, a method, and a storage medium used in a wireless communication system. An electronic device used on the control device side of a wireless communication system, which transmits a multiplexed signal to a terminal device, wherein the multiplexed signal multiplexes both a communication signal and a sensing signal, and the sensing signal is used to determine the position of the terminal device by sensing at least the distance between the terminal device and the electronic device, the angle between the terminal device and the electronic device, and / or the moving speed of the terminal device, and includes a processing circuit configured to receive an echo signal generated by at least reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction of the sensing signal by the terminal device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] (Cross - reference to related applications) This application claims priority based on Chinese Patent Application No. 202210826602.7, titled "Electronic Device, Method, and Storage Medium Used in a Wireless Communication System", filed on July 13, 2022, and all of its content is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication systems, and specifically to technologies related to the integration of communication and sensing.

Background Art

[0003] Generally, communication can represent the transmission of information between two or more parties. Generally, sensing can represent the detection of the state, characteristics, etc. of things in the environment. The use cases of sensing can vary according to the application requirements of different industries, such as, for example, autonomous vehicle / drone detection, real - time monitoring of the environment, monitoring of weather or air pollution, etc. The targets of sensing can be, for example, sensing of obstacles, sensing of object positions, sensing of object moving speeds, sensing of air humidity / particle matter concentrations, etc. Conventionally, communication and sensing exist independently. There is a need for a solution to integrate communication and sensing.

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] The present disclosure proposes a solution related to the integration of communication and sensing. Specifically, the present disclosure provides an electronic device, a method, and a storage medium used in a wireless communication system.

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to an electronic device used on the control device side of a wireless communication system. This electronic device transmits a multiplexed signal to a terminal device, and the multiplexed signal multiplexes both a communication signal and a sensing signal. The sensing signal is used to determine the position of the terminal device by sensing at least the distance between the terminal device and the electronic device, the angle between the terminal device and the electronic device, and / or the moving speed of the terminal device, and includes a processing circuit configured to receive an echo signal generated by at least reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction of the sensing signal by the terminal device.

[0006] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method used on the control device side of a wireless communication system. This method includes transmitting a multiplexed signal to a terminal device, where the multiplexed signal multiplexes both a communication signal and a sensing signal. The sensing signal is used to determine the position of the terminal device by sensing at least the distance between the terminal device and the electronic device, the angle between the terminal device and the electronic device, and / or the moving speed of the terminal device, and receiving an echo signal generated by at least reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction of the sensing signal by the terminal device.

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to an electronic device used on the terminal device side of a wireless communication system. This electronic device includes a processing circuit configured to receive a multiplexed signal from a base station. The multiplexed signal multiplexes both a communication signal and a sensing signal. An echo signal generated by at least reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction of the sensing signal by the electronic device is propagated to one or more base stations including the base station, and the sensing signal is used to determine the position of the electronic device by sensing at least the distance between the electronic device and the base station, the angle between the electronic device and the base station, and / or the moving speed of the electronic device.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method used on the terminal device side of a wireless communication system. This method includes receiving a multiplexed signal from a base station, where the multiplexed signal multiplexes both a communication signal and a sensing signal. The echo signal generated by at least reflecting, scattering, and / or diffracting the sensing signal by the electronic device is propagated to one or more base stations including the base station, and the sensing signal is used to determine the position of the electronic device by sensing at least the distance between the electronic device and the base station, the angle between the electronic device and the base station, and / or the moving speed of the electronic device.

[0009] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to an electronic device used on the core network side of a wireless communication system. This electronic device includes receiving, from a base station, information indicating an echo signal generated by at least reflecting, scattering, and / or diffracting a sensing signal by a terminal device, and determining a sensing result for the terminal device based on at least a difference between the sensing signal and the echo signal, where the sensing result includes the distance between the terminal device and the base station, the angle between the terminal device and the base station, the moving speed of the terminal device, and / or the position of the terminal device, and transmitting the sensing result to the base station, and includes a processing circuit configured to perform the above.

[0010] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method used on the core network side of a wireless communication system. This method includes receiving, from a base station, information indicating an echo signal generated by at least reflecting, scattering, and / or diffracting a sensing signal by a terminal device, and determining a sensing result for the terminal device based on at least a difference between the sensing signal and the echo signal, where the sensing result includes the distance between the terminal device and the base station, the angle between the terminal device and the base station, the moving speed of the terminal device, and / or the position of the terminal device, and transmitting the sensing result to the base station.

[0011] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions, which, when executed, implement the method described in the above manner.

[0012] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to an apparatus. The apparatus includes a processor and a storage device, where the storage device stores executable instructions that, when executed, implement the method described above.

[0013] The above summary is provided to summarize some exemplary embodiments and provide a basic understanding of each aspect of the subject matter described herein. Therefore, the above features are merely examples and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the specific embodiments described in conjunction with the following drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] When considering the following detailed description of the embodiments in conjunction with the drawings, the content of the present disclosure can be better understood. The same or similar reference numerals are used in each drawing to represent the same or similar components. Each drawing is included herein together with the following detailed description, forms a part of the specification, exemplifies the embodiments of the present disclosure, and is for interpreting the principles and advantages of the present disclosure.

[0015]

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[0016] Although the embodiments described in the content of the present disclosure can be variously modified and alternative forms are possible, the specific embodiments are shown as examples in the drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and their detailed descriptions are not intended to limit the embodiments to the specific forms disclosed, but rather are intended to include all modifications, equivalents, and alternative solutions that fall within the spirit and scope of the claims.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, representative applications of each aspect such as devices and methods according to the present disclosure will be described. The description of these examples is made only to add context and assist in understanding the described embodiments. Therefore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following described embodiments may be implemented without some or all of the specific details. In other cases, well-known process steps are not described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the described embodiments. Other applications are possible and the solutions of the present disclosure are not limited to these examples.

[0018] Typically, a wireless communication system includes at least a control device, a terminal device, and a device on the core network side.

[0019] In the present disclosure, the term "base station" or "control device" has all the broad meanings in the general sense and includes at least a radio communication station that facilitates communication as part of a wireless communication system or a radio system. As an example, the base station may be, for example, an eNB of the 4G communication standard, a gNB of the 5G NR communication standard, a base station of the 6G communication standard, a remote radio head, a wireless access point, a drone control tower, or a communication device that performs similar functions. In the present disclosure, the "base station" and the "control device" may be used interchangeably, or the "control device" may be realized as part of the "base station". Hereinafter, taking the base station as an example, application examples of the base station / terminal device will be described in detail while associating with the drawings.

[0020] In the present disclosure, the term "terminal device" or "user equipment (UE)" has all the broad meanings in the general sense and includes at least a terminal device that facilitates communication as part of a wireless communication system or a radio system. As an example, the terminal device may be, for example, a terminal device such as a mobile phone, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, an in-vehicle communication device, a wearable device, a sensor, or an element thereof. In the present disclosure, the "terminal device" and the "user equipment" (hereinafter may be abbreviated as "UE") may be used interchangeably, or the "terminal device" may be realized as part of the "user equipment".

[0021] In the present disclosure, the term "control device side" / "base station side" has all the broad meanings in the general sense and generally indicates the side that transmits data in the downlink of the communication system. Similarly, the term "terminal device side" / "user equipment side" has all the broad meanings in the general sense and may correspondingly indicate the side that receives data in the downlink of the communication system.

[0022] It should be noted that, hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure have been described mainly based on a communication system including a base station and a user equipment. However, these descriptions may be extended to the case of any other type of communication system including a control device side and a terminal device side accordingly. For example, in the case of the downlink, the operation on the control device side may correspond to the operation of the base station, while the operation on the user equipment side may correspond to the operation of the terminal device accordingly.

[0023] In the present disclosure, the term "device on the core network side" or "entity on the core network side" has all the general meanings and may be a network element device that provides one or more functions on the core network side, or, in an appropriate case, a software and / or hardware module that provides one or more functions on the core network side. In particular, when providing one or more functions on the core network side in a distributed manner, the "device on the core network side" or "entity on the core network side" may be a general term for the devices and / or modules that implement these one or more functions. Hereinafter, the "device on the core network side" or "entity on the core network side" may also be abbreviated as the "core network".

[0024] As introduced in the background art section, conventionally, communication and sensing exist independently. However, there are many disadvantages in the separate setting of communication and sensing.

[0025] On the one hand, there are many limitations in traditional sensing technologies (e.g., wireless sensing technologies) themselves. For example, in traditional sensing technologies, when multiple devices perform sensing in the same environment, interference occurs between devices using the same spectrum. Also, for example, traditional sensing technologies are related to dedicated assemblies of dedicated systems, such as radar / lidar devices, so relatively high device costs are required, and due to the separation of the dedicated system from the actual service application, it is difficult to provide service applications using the sensing results. Also, for example, the communication coverage network between traditional wireless sensing devices has a relatively small coverage range, and it is difficult to transmit and apply sensing data within a wide range. Also, for example, traditional sensing technologies have limitations in terms of connectivity, and operators can only provide connectivity for the transmission of sensing data from UEs. In addition, due to the limitation of the sensing range of traditional sensing technologies, for example, only distance and angle can be sensed.

[0026] On the other hand, the separate setting of communication and sensing leads to waste of resources because each needs to occupy its own dedicated spectrum and / or hardware resources. In addition, when it is necessary to provide a service that combines communication services and sensing services, the separate setting of communication and sensing also leads to relatively high latency.

[0027] By integrating communication and sensing, the disadvantages of the separate settings of the above communication and sensing can be advantageously overcome. For example, by integrating sensing and communication, air interface resources can be shared, thereby improving resource utilization. Further, for example, when communication and sensing are integrated, by making use of spectrum / resource management in a conventional wireless communication system, interference between sensing devices can be minimized. Also, for example, large-scale sensing can be performed by making use of a conventional wireless communication network (e.g., a cellular network). In addition, it is also possible to support communication between wireless sensing devices by means of a local wireless network. The sensing devices are not limited to lidar, millimeter-wave radar, and ToF (Time of Flight) cameras that use conventional sensing technologies, but can further call on more devices to participate in sensing and provide a wider range of sensing services. Further, for example, when communication and sensing are integrated, the radio frequency module of a conventional wireless communication system can be reused for sensing, thereby reducing costs. Also, for example, by integrating communication and sensing, sensing can be easily accessed by a service application program because it is no longer separated from the service application.

[0028] When communication and sensing are integrated, sensing may be performed among a plurality of entities. Fig. 1 schematically shows various sensing links in the integration of communication and sensing. As shown in Fig. 1, for example, the sensing link may specifically be: 1) a base station echo sensing link, where the base station transmits a sensing signal and receives an echo signal generated by at least reflecting, scattering, and / or diffracting the sensing signal through an object such as a vehicle; 2) an inter-base station sensing link, where base station 2 (or base station 1) receives a sensing signal transmitted by base station 1 (or correspondingly base station 2); 3) an uplink sensing link, where the base station receives a sensing signal transmitted by the UE; 4) a downlink sensing link, where the UE receives a sensing signal transmitted by the base station; 5) a UE echo sensing link, where the UE transmits a sensing signal and receives an echo signal generated by at least reflecting, scattering, and / or diffracting the sensing signal through an object such as a person; 6) an inter-UE sensing link, where UE2 (or UE1) receives a sensing signal transmitted by UE1 (or correspondingly UE2). Each sensing link in Fig. 1 takes one transmitting node and one receiving node as an example. In an actual system, different sensing links may be selected according to different sensing requirements. The transmitting nodes and receiving nodes of various sensing links may be one or more, and the actual sensing system may include various different sensing links. Note that in the base station sensing link and UE sensing link in Fig. 1, a person and a vehicle are taken as examples of sensing targets. In reality, there may be various sensing targets, such as buildings, obstacles on the road, animals, etc. More particularly, various sensing links may be used to sense the medium (e.g., air) between the transmitting node and the receiving node.

[0029] Fig. 1 further shows a sensing server, which can collect data related to sensing from the base station and process the data to obtain a sensing result. For example, the sensing server may be located in the core network of a wireless communication system. For example, the sensing server shown in Fig. 1 may function as a location server to be described later. For example, it may be an entity for providing a positioning management function (Location Management Function, LMF) in the core network.

[0030] Using the sensing links shown in FIG. 1, specific objects can be appropriately sensed in various scenarios. For example, based on the sensing results of various sensing objects, the presence of obstacles, the position of specific objects, the moving speed of specific objects, the humidity / particle matter concentration of the air, etc. can be determined.

[0031] FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B schematically show exemplary scenarios and exemplary applications of the integration of communication and sensing, respectively.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 2A, the base station can establish communication links with several terminals (such as in-vehicle terminals, drones, mobile phones shown as UEs in the figure, etc.). At the same time, for example, sensing links can also exist between the base station and the terminals (the in-vehicle terminal and the drone shown in FIG. 2A), between the base station and the obstacle (the tree shown in FIG. 2A), and between the terminals and other objects. In such scenarios, various applications, such as drone operation, autonomous driving, robot motion control, augmented reality, smart factory, smart logistics, and smart transportation, etc. can be realized.

[0033] FIG. 2B shows an exemplary application of smart transportation. For example, through the sensing link between the base station and the terminal on the vehicle (such as an in-vehicle terminal or a mobile communication device), the base station can sense the position, speed, moving direction, etc. of the vehicle, thereby assisting in realizing functions such as traffic guidance and safety alerts.

[0034] More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a communication-sensing integration solution that mainly uses a base station echo sensing link to sense a UE. In particular, the present disclosure enables the base station to transmit a multiplexed signal in which a communication signal and a sensing signal are multiplexed to the UE, and by using the sensing signal to sense information related to the positioning of the UE (for example, the distance between the base station and the UE, the angle between the base station and the UE, and / or the moving speed of the UE, etc.), the information obtained by the sensing signal can be utilized to provide extended services (for example, adjusting the transmission frequency of the communication signal to increase resource utilization, providing more accurate and reliable positioning by the UE, reducing power consumption, etc.).

[0035] The following will describe the solution of the present disclosure in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0036] (Structure and operation flow of the base station according to the embodiment of the present disclosure) First, with reference to FIG. 3, the conceptual structure of the electronic device 30 used in the control device / base station according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 3, the electronic device 30 may include a processing circuit 302. This processing circuit 302 is configured to transmit a multiplexed signal to the UE, where the multiplexed signal multiplexes both a communication signal and a sensing signal, and the sensing signal is used to determine the position of the UE by sensing at least the distance between the UE and the electronic device 30, the angle between the UE and the electronic device 30, and / or the moving speed of the UE, and to receive at least the echo signal generated by reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction of the sensing signal by the UE.

[0038] The processing circuit 302 may be in the form of a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processing circuit, such as an ASIC. For example, the processing circuit 302 can be composed of a circuit (hardware) or a central processing unit (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)). Note that a program (software) for operating the circuit (hardware) or the central processing unit may be loaded onto the processing circuit 302. This program is stored in a memory (e.g., arranged in the memory 304) or an externally connected external storage medium and can be downloaded via a network (e.g., the Internet).

[0039] In one implementation, the processing circuit 302 may include a signal multiplexing unit. This signal multiplexing unit may multiplex a communication signal used for communication and a sensing signal used for sensing by adopting an appropriate multiplexing method. For example, the communication signal and the sensing signal may be multiplexed using a multiplexing method such as time-division multiplexing, frequency-division multiplexing, code-division multiplexing, or space-division multiplexing.

[0040] In one implementation, the processing circuit 302 may further include a communication control unit that controls communication with the UE (optionally via the communication unit 306) and communication with an entity of the core network as needed. This communication control unit may, for example, control to transmit a multiplexed signal in which both a communication signal and a sensing signal are multiplexed to the UE, and control to receive from the UE at least an echo signal generated by reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction of the sensing signal by the UE. Optionally, it may control to transmit control information (e.g., including information indicating how the communication signal and the sensing signal are multiplexed and information indicating the transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning, but not limited thereto) to the UE, and optionally control to transmit information (e.g., including information indicating the echo signal and request information requesting cooperative sensing, but not limited thereto) to the core network.

[0041] Optionally, the electronic device 30 may further include a memory 304 and a communication unit 306 shown by dotted lines in the figure. Note that the electronic device 30 may further include other members not shown, such as a radio frequency link, a baseband processing unit, a network interface, a processor, a controller, etc. The processing circuit 302 may be associated with the memory 304 and / or the communication unit 306. For example, the processing circuit 302 may be directly or indirectly connected to the memory 304 for data access (for example, there may be other members connected in the middle). Further, for example, the processing circuit 302 may be directly or indirectly connected to the communication unit 306 for transmitting radio signals via the communication unit 306 and receiving radio signals via the communication unit 306.

[0042] The memory 304 can store various information generated by the processing circuit 302 or used in the operation of the processing circuit 302 (for example, information regarding the echo signal received from the UE, information regarding the multiplexing method, and threshold information for adjusting the transmission frequency of the reference signal related to positioning, etc.), programs and data used in the operation of the electronic device 30, data transmitted by the communication unit 306, etc. Since the memory 304 can be located inside the processing circuit 302 or outside the electronic device 30, it is drawn with a dotted line. The memory 304 may be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. For example, the memory 304 may include, but is not limited to, a random access memory (RAM), a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory.

[0043] The communication unit 306 may be configured to communicate with the terminal device under the control of the processing circuit 302 (for example, a communication control unit). In one example, the communication unit 306 may be implemented as a transmitter or a transceiver including communication members such as an antenna array and / or a radio frequency link.

[0044] Although FIG. 3 shows the processing circuit 302 and the communication unit 306 as being separated, the processing circuit 302 may be implemented to include the communication unit 306, for example, in combination with a communication control unit. Note that the processing circuit 302 may be implemented to include one or more other members of the electronic device 30, or the processing circuit 302 may be implemented as the electronic device 30 itself. When actually implemented, the processing circuit 302 may be implemented as a chip (for example, an integrated circuit module including a single wafer), a hardware member, or a complete product.

[0045] It should be noted that each of the above units is merely a logical module divided according to its specific realized function, and is not for limiting the specific implementation manner. For example, it may be implemented in a manner of software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. When actually implemented, each of the above units may be implemented as an independent physical entity, or may be implemented by a single entity (for example, a processor (such as a CPU or a DSP), an integrated circuit, etc.). Note that the fact that each of the above units is shown by a dotted line in the drawing indicates that these units may not actually exist, and the operations / functions they realize may be realized by the processing circuit itself.

[0046] Hereinafter, each operation performed by the electronic device 30 which is a base station will be described in detail with reference to the conceptual operation flow 40 on the control device / base station side shown in FIG. 4.

[0047] The operation of the base station starts at S402.

[0048] In S404, the base station transmits a multiplexed signal in which both a communication signal and a sensing signal are multiplexed to the UE. In particular, the base station may transmit the multiplexed signal using beamforming so that the multiplexed signal is transmitted in a manner that is directed to a specific UE. Such a manner is particularly advantageous for sensing a specific UE using the sensing signal in the multiplexed signal.

[0049] According to the present disclosure, the communication signal may be any signal used for wireless communication. In particular, the communication signal may include one or more of a positioning reference signal (PRS), a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS), a sounding reference signal (SRS), and a communication data signal (PRS, DMRS, CSI-RS, and SRS are used as positioning-related reference signals described later), and the sensing signal may be multiplexed with any one of the above communication signals. According to the present disclosure, the sensing signal may be any suitable signal for determining the position of the UE by sensing at least the distance between the UE and the base station, the angle between the UE and the base station, and / or the moving speed of the UE. For example, the sensing signal itself may not carry information that needs to be decoded by the sensing target (e.g., UE), and is intended to generate an echo signal by being at least reflected, scattered, and / or diffracted by the sensing target, so that the sensing result can be determined based on, for example, the difference between the sensing signal and the echo signal.

[0050] According to the present disclosure, the communication signal and the sensing signal may be multiplexed by any suitable multiplexing method. For example, multiplexing methods such as time-division multiplexing, frequency-division multiplexing, code-division multiplexing, or space-division multiplexing may be used to multiplex the communication signal and the sensing signal. Preferably, the communication signal and the sensing signal may be time-division multiplexed in symbol units. "In symbol units" may mean, for example, that in the same slot, some symbols are used for the communication signal and some other symbols are used for the sensing signal. Advantageously, such a multiplexing method is simple in calculation and easy to implement, and can save resource overheads such as spectrum.

[0051] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary multiplexing method used for multiplexing communication signals and sensing signals according to the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, taking 5G NR as an example, the duration of one radio frame is 10 ms, and one radio frame may include 10 subframes with a length of 1 ms. Depending on different subcarrier intervals, one subframe may include different numbers (e.g., n) of slots, and each slot may include 14 symbols. According to the present disclosure, some symbols within the same slot may be used for communication signals, and some others may be used for sensing signals. As shown in FIG. 5, symbols 0 to 5 and symbols 7 to 12 within one slot may be used for communication, and symbols 6 and 13 may be used for sensing.

[0052] FIG. 5 shows a specific scheme for dividing symbols within one slot, but it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to such a scheme. For example, some consecutive symbols may be used for sensing signals. For example, symbols 0 to 10 are used for communication, but symbols 11 to 13 may be used for sensing. Also, for example, sensing signals may be arranged at some positions within one slot at non-uniform intervals. For example, symbols 0 to 2, 4 to 8, 10 to 13 are used for communication, but symbols 3 and 9 may be used for sensing. It should be understood that any one of the above schemes is not limiting, and some symbols in one slot may be selected in any appropriate manner for use in communication signals, and the remaining symbols may be used for sensing signals. Note that FIG. 5 introduces the multiplexing of sensing signals and communication signals by taking the frame structure of 5G NR as an example, but the multiplexing method of the present disclosure can also be applied to any frame structure, and the communication signals and sensing signals may be multiplexed in a time-division manner in terms of symbol units.

[0053] According to the present disclosure, the multiplexing method for multiplexing communication signals and sensing signals may be a pre-determined / stipulated one (e.g., the default multiplexing method defined in the relevant communication standard), or may be dynamically determined (e.g., according to the dynamically determined required sensing signal transmission density). In the latter case, before step S404 shown in FIG. 4, the base station may transmit multiplexing information instructing the UE on how the communication signals and sensing signals are multiplexed. For example, the base station may transmit information indicating which multiplexing method is being used to the UE, and in particular, when performing time-division multiplexing on a symbol-by-symbol basis, may specifically indicate which symbols in one slot are used for the sensing signals.

[0054] Continuing to refer to FIG. 4, upon the base station transmitting the multiplexing signal to the UE in S404, the sensing signals multiplexed in the multiplexing signal may be at least reflected, scattered, and / or diffracted by the UE. In the present disclosure, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the signals generated by the sensing signals being at least reflected, scattered, and / or diffracted by the UE are collectively referred to as echo signals. The term "echo signal" should be understood from a broad perspective, that is, any signal that has experienced the path loss by the UE and whose signal wave of the sensing signal is propagated to the base station through the UE.

[0055] In S406 in FIG. 4, the base station receives such echo signals. By transmitting the multiplexing signal in which the communication signals and sensing signals are multiplexed and receiving the echo signals of the sensing signals, the integration of communication and sensing can be realized.

[0056] The conceptual operation flow of the base station ends at S408.

[0057] It should be noted that the operation steps of the base station shown in FIG. 4 are only schematic. In practice, the operation of the base station may further include some additional or alternative steps. For example, as described above, before transmitting the multiplexed signal, the base station may transmit multiplexing information indicating how the communication signal and the sensing signal are multiplexed to the UE. Also, for example, as will be described in detail below, after receiving the echo signal, the base station may transmit information indicating the echo signal to the core network and receive information indicating the sensing result from the core network.

[0058] The basic operation of the base station according to the present disclosure has been described above. As can be understood, the integration of communication and sensing can be realized by multiplexing the communication signal and the sensing signal. Based on this, the base station can provide extended services by using the sensing result according to the situation. The following will describe this.

[0059] (Operation of the base station side for the first extended service according to the present disclosure) According to the first extended service of the present disclosure, the sensing signal may be used to determine the moving speed of the UE, and the base station may dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of the reference signal related to positioning based on mobile communication positioning technology (hereinafter abbreviated as the reference signal related to positioning or the positioning-related reference signal) based on the moving speed of the UE determined by sensing, so as to provide higher positioning accuracy and reliability, while increasing the resource utilization rate as much as possible and reducing the power consumption. According to the present disclosure, the positioning-related reference signal may be a reference signal used when positioning the UE using mobile communication positioning technology. For example, the positioning-related reference signal may include one or more of the positioning reference signal (PRS), the demodulation reference signal (DMRS), the channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), and the sounding reference signal (SRS).

[0060] After receiving the echo signal of the sensing signal, the base station may transmit information indicating the echo signal to the core network, for example, so that the core network can obtain a sensing result including one or more of, for example, the distance between the UE and the base station, the angle between the UE and the base station, the moving speed of the UE, and the position of the UE. For example, the information indicating the echo signal may at least include one or more of the amplitude of the echo signal, the phase of the echo signal, the frequency of the echo signal, the transmission time of the sensing signal, the reception time of the echo signal, and the flight time from the transmission of the sensing signal to the reception of the echo signal.

[0061] According to the present disclosure, the sensing result may be determined based at least on the difference between the sensing signal and the echo signal. Such differences may include, for example, one or more of a Doppler frequency shift, a flight time, an amplitude change, a frequency change, and a phase change. The specific sensing principle will be described in detail below with reference to the operation of the electronic device of the core network.

[0062] It should be noted that, preferably in the present disclosure, the sensing result is determined by the core network. However, in some implementations, the base station itself may sense the distance, angle, moving speed, and / or position of the UE based on a similar sensing principle. In such a case, the base station may not transmit the information indicating the echo signal to the core network and may calculate the sensing result by itself based on the difference between the sensing signal and the echo signal.

[0063] According to the first extended service of the present disclosure, the base station may determine the magnitude relationship between the moving speed of the UE and at least one threshold based on the sensing result, and dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of the reference signal related to positioning based on the determination. As described above, the sensing result may directly include the moving speed of the UE, or may not explicitly include the moving speed of the UE, but may include information indicating the position of the UE (for example, the distance between the UE and the base station, the angle between the UE and the base station, and / or the position of the UE). In the latter case, the base station may determine the moving speed of the UE based on the change range between two sensing results (for example, the distance change range and / or the angle change range and / or the position change range), or the change range between the sensing result and the previously determined distance between the UE and the base station / the angle between the UE and the base station and / or the position of the UE.

[0064] Specifically, in response to determining that the moving speed of the UE is less than or equal to the first threshold, the base station reduces the transmission frequency of the reference signal related to positioning. In response to determining that the moving speed of the UE is higher than the first threshold and less than or equal to the second threshold, the base station maintains the transmission frequency of the reference signal related to positioning. In response to determining that the moving speed of the UE is higher than the second threshold, the base station improves the transmission frequency of the reference signal related to positioning and / or transmits request information to the core network to request one or more other base stations to cooperate in sensing the UE (for example, to jointly determine the distance / angle between the UE and the base station, the moving speed of the UE, and / or the position of the UE). Preferably, the base stations performing cooperative sensing may be one or more base stations participating in the positioning of the UE based on mobile communication positioning technology (for example, the mobile communication positioning technology described below with reference to FIG. 6). In this way, the scheduling of participating in cooperative sensing can be made easier, and the accuracy of the sensing result can be improved. Alternatively, the base stations performing cooperative sensing may be selected by the core network based on the reference signal receiving power (RSRP) of each base station. For example, one or more base stations having the maximum RSRP may be used as the base stations participating in cooperative sensing.

[0065] According to the present disclosure, the base station can determine the specific values of each threshold and the adjustment amplitude for the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal according to the actual situation. In the above, a method of dynamically adjusting the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal was introduced by taking two thresholds as an example, but this is not restrictive, and finer-grained or coarser-grained adjustments can also be made according to actual needs. For example, only one threshold may be set, and when the moving speed of the UE is lower than this threshold, the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal is dynamically reduced, while when the moving speed of the UE is higher than this threshold, the transmission frequency is dynamically increased. Also, for example, more thresholds may be set, and the base station may adjust the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal with different adjustment amplitudes according to a certain threshold interval of the moving speed of the UE.

[0066] According to one specific implementation manner, improving or reducing the transmission frequency of the reference signal related to positioning may include shortening or extending the transmission period of the positioning-related reference signal. This is particularly applicable when the positioning-related reference signal is transmitted periodically. For example, when the base station determines that it is necessary to improve the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal after determining the magnitude relationship between the moving speed of the UE and at least one threshold, the base station may transmit this positioning-related reference signal with a smaller transmission period than before. Similarly, for example, when the base station determines that it is necessary to reduce the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal, the base station may transmit this positioning-related reference signal with a longer transmission period than before.

[0067] According to one specific implementation manner, improving or reducing the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal may further include increasing or decreasing the symbol density occupied by the positioning-related reference signal. For example, when it is determined that the base station needs to improve the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal, for example, by arranging the positioning-related reference signal in each symbol of one frame in a higher density manner, the number of symbols occupied by the positioning-related reference signal in one frame can be improved, and further, the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal within a substantially predetermined period (for example, within one or more predetermined frames) can be improved. Similarly, when it is determined that the base station needs to reduce the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal, for example, the positioning-related reference signal can be arranged in each symbol of one frame in a lower density manner, and further, the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal within a substantially predetermined period can be improved.

[0068] According to the present disclosure, when the base station determines that it is necessary to improve or reduce the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal, the base station may send a message to the UE to notify such a change. For example, the base station may notify the UE of a new transmission period of the positioning-related reference signal, or notify the UE of a new arrangement manner of the positioning-related reference signal within the frame.

[0069] The above has described the basic operations of the base station that provides the first extended service by using the sensing result according to the present disclosure. According to the present disclosure, the base station that provides the first extended service may perform some alternative or additional operations. The following will describe this.

[0070] According to one implementation manner, after the base station obtains a sensing result (for example, a sensing result obtained based on a sensing signal transmitted by a single base station (i.e., the base station) when the UE is moving slowly, or a cooperative sensing result obtained based on sensing signals transmitted by multiple base stations when the UE is moving fast), in order to check the position of the UE indicated by this sensing result, the base station may further transmit this sensing result to the UE (a specific checking operation will be described below with reference to the operations at the UE side). Then, the base station may receive a checking result from the UE and further dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based on the checking result.

[0071] Specifically, the UE may autonomously determine its own position and transmit to the base station, as the checking result, the difference between the autonomously determined position and the position determined from the sensing result received by the base station. For example, when the position difference indicated by this checking result is smaller than a predetermined threshold, the base station may reduce or maintain the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal, and when the position difference indicated by this checking result is larger than the predetermined threshold, the base station may increase the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal. Alternatively, the UE may compare the calculated position difference with the predetermined threshold by itself, and only feedback to the base station the information indicating to maintain the current transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal when this position difference is lower than the predetermined threshold, and when this position difference is larger than the predetermined threshold, feedback the value of this position difference to the base station so that the base station dynamically increases the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal according to the magnitude of this difference. Advantageously, with such an implementation manner, the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal can be adjusted more appropriately based on the feedback of the UE.

[0072] According to one implementation manner, the base station may dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based on the positioning requirements of the UE. For example, the base station may first receive information indicating the positioning requirements from the UE. For example, this information indicating the positioning requirements may be information directly indicating what positioning accuracy the UE needs, or information indirectly indicating the positioning accuracy requirement, such as the application enabled by the UE (for example, an application related to the navigation function may indicate a relatively high positioning accuracy requirement). Subsequently, the base station may determine the requirement for the positioning accuracy of the UE based on the information indicating the positioning requirements received from the UE. Subsequently, the base station may dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based on the determined requirement for the positioning accuracy of the UE. For example, in response to determining that the requirement for the positioning accuracy of the UE is low, the base station may maintain or reduce the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal, and in response to determining that the requirement for the positioning accuracy of the UE is high, the base station may improve the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal and / or send request information to an entity in the core network to request one or more other base stations to cooperate in sensing the position of the UE. As described above, preferably, the base stations performing cooperative sensing may be one or more base stations participating in the positioning of the UE based on mobile communication positioning technology.

[0073] It should be noted that the base station may dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based only on the sensing result, only on the demand for the positioning accuracy of the UE, or based on a combination of the sensing result and the demand for the positioning accuracy of the UE. In any one of these three cases, the base station may further dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based on the feedback on the positioning result of the UE as described above. In particular, in the implementation manner where the base station dynamically adjusts the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based on a combination of the sensing result and the demand for the positioning accuracy of the UE, for example, the base station first determines one or more thresholds for dynamically adjusting the transmission frequency based on the moving speed according to the requirement for the positioning accuracy of the UE, and then may dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based on the determined one or more thresholds according to the sensed moving speed of the UE at any time.

[0074] (Base station side operation of the second extended service according to the present disclosure) According to the second extended service of the present disclosure, the sensing signal may be used to determine the position of the UE, and the base station can provide a more reliable and accurate positioning by jointly applying both the sensing positioning and the positioning based on the mobile communication positioning technology to determine the position of the UE.

[0075] In a conventional wireless communication system, the UE is positioned by relying on mobile communication positioning technology. In the present disclosure, the mobile communication positioning technology is a technology used for positioning in a conventional wireless communication system. For example, in 5G, the mobile communication positioning technology may include Assisting-Global Navigation Satellite System (A-GNSS), Downlink-Time Difference of Arrival (DL-TDOA), Uplink-Time Difference of Arrival (UL-TDOA), Downlink-Angle of Departure (DL-AoD), Uplink-Angle of Arrival (UL-AoA), Multi-Round Trip Time (Multi-RTT), NR Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID), and positioning based on motion sensors such as gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers, etc.

[0076] Figure 6 schematically shows some mobile communication positioning technologies used in 5G. As shown in Figure 6, these mobile communication positioning technologies generally distribute positioning-related reference signals between the base station and the UE, measure the received positioning-related reference signals by the base station / UE, and report the measurement results to the location server located in the core network and / or receive auxiliary positioning data from the location server as needed, and finally determine the location of the UE. Note that the mobile communication positioning technologies shown in Figure 6 generally involve the primary serving base station of the UE and one or more other base stations jointly positioning the UE. Table 1 below shows an overview of the mobile positioning technologies commonly used in 5G.

[0077]

Table 1

[0078] With the development of various industries, there are various applications with high requirements for positioning reliability and accuracy, such as automotive networks, autonomous driving, smart manufacturing, smart logistics, drones, asset tracking, etc. It may be difficult to meet the requirements for positioning reliability and accuracy in these application scenarios only by using conventional mobile communication positioning technologies. By using the solution of integrating communication and sensing in the present disclosure and fusing sensing positioning with conventional positioning technologies, more reliable and accurate positioning can be provided.

[0079] According to the second extended service of the present disclosure, the base station can obtain the first position of the UE (i.e., the position based on mobile communication positioning) based on mobile communication positioning technologies (for example, one or more of the A-GNSS, DL-TDOA, UL-TDOA, DL-AoD, UL-AOA, Multi-RTT, NR E-CID and positioning based on motion sensors introduced above). At the same time, based on the sensing result, the second position of the UE (i.e., the position based on sensing) can be determined, and the first position and the second position can be weighted respectively to finally determine the position of the UE.

[0080] For example, the base station may determine the first position of the UE by itself based on mobile communication positioning technologies, or receive information indicating the first position of the UE from a core network (for example, a location server).

[0081] As described above when introducing the first extended service, the base station may transmit information indicating the echo signal of the sensing signal to the core network in order to obtain a sensing result including, for example, one or more of the distance between the UE and the base station, the angle between the UE and the base station, the moving speed of the UE, and the position of the UE, by, for example, the core network calculating the sensing result for the UE. The base station may determine the second position of the UE based on the sensing result received from the core network. For example, when the sensing result does not directly indicate the position of the UE but indicates the distance between the UE and the base station, the angle between the UE and the base station, and / or the moving speed of the UE, the base station may determine the second position of the UE based on the distance, angle, and / or speed information of the UE, the previously determined position of the UE, and any other available auxiliary information.

[0082] According to the present disclosure, the base station may determine the weights used for the first position and the second position in any suitable manner. For example, when the communication signal and the sensing signal are time-division multiplexed, the weights of the first position and the second position may be determined based on the ratio between the number of symbols occupied by the communication signal and the number of symbols occupied by the sensing signal in a predetermined period. For example, the predetermined period may be one slot. Also, for example, the base station may assign weights according to the accuracies of the first position and the second position. For example, the base station monitors the respective accuracies of the mobile communication positioning and the sensing positioning within a certain period based on the feedback information regarding the position of the UE, and may assign relatively high weights to the positions determined by the positioning method with relatively high accuracy. According to the present disclosure, the weights assigned to the first position and the second position may be dynamically adjusted according to the actual situation (for example, the multiplexing method adopted and / or the accuracies of the two positioning methods). In some cases (for example, when the accuracy of the positioning result obtained by operating one of the positioning methods is low), the weight of zero value may be assigned to the positioning result obtained by operating one of the positioning methods.

[0083] As described above, two extended services according to the present disclosure have been explained. In practice, these two extended services may be implemented in combination. For example, the base station may dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based on the perceived moving speed of the UE and / or the positioning demand of the UE. At the same time, the base station may use an appropriate mobile communication positioning method based on the positioning-related reference signal to determine the first position of the UE, use the sensing result to determine the second position of the UE, and determine the position of the UE by weighting the first position and the second position respectively. Further optionally, the base station may feedback the position obtained by the weighting calculation (i.e., the position obtained by jointly performing positioning by applying the sensing technology and the mobile communication positioning technology) to the UE, and may also adjust the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based on further feedback of the UE with respect to this position.

[0084] (Structure and operation flow of UE according to the present disclosure) As described above, the exemplary structure and exemplary operations of the base station according to the present disclosure have been described in detail. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 7 to 8, the exemplary structure and exemplary operation flow of the terminal device according to the present disclosure will be described.

[0085] First, with reference to FIG. 7, the conceptual structure of the electronic device 70 used in the terminal device / UE of the embodiment according to the present disclosure will be described.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 7, the electronic device 70 may include a processing circuit 702. This processing circuit 702 may be configured to receive a multiplexed signal from the base station. The multiplexed signal multiplexes both a communication signal and a sensing signal. The echo signal generated by at least reflecting, scattering, and / or diffracting the sensing signal by the electronic device 70 is propagated to one or more base stations including the base station, and the sensing signal is used to determine the position of the electronic device 70 by sensing at least the distance between the electronic device 70 and the base station, the angle between the electronic device 70 and the base station, and / or the moving speed of the electronic device 70.

[0087] The processing circuit 702 may be in the form of a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processing circuit, such as an ASIC. For example, the processing circuit 702 can be composed of a circuit (hardware) or a central processing unit (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)). Note that a program (software) for operating the circuit (hardware) or the central processing unit may be loaded onto the processing circuit 702. This program is stored in a memory (e.g., arranged in the memory 704) or an externally connected external storage medium and can be downloaded via a network (e.g., the Internet).

[0088] In one implementation, the processing circuit 702 may include a communication control unit that controls communication with the base station (optionally via the communication unit 706). This communication control unit may control, for example, to receive a multiplexed signal in which both a communication signal and a sensing signal are multiplexed from the base station, and optionally receive control information from the base station (e.g., information indicating how the communication signal and the sensing signal are multiplexed and information indicating the transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning, but not limited thereto), and optionally control to transmit information such as information indicating its positioning requirement to the base station.

[0089] In one alternative implementation, the processing circuit 702 may further include a positioning unit. This positioning unit may autonomously determine the position of the electronic device 70 using the applicable positioning technology. This positioning unit compares the autonomously determined position with the position indicated in the information received from the base station, determines the position difference between the two, and may feedback to the base station based on this position difference so that the base station dynamically adjusts the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based on the feedback of the electronic device 70 as described above.

[0090] Optionally, the electronic device 70 may further include a memory 704 and a communication unit 706 shown by dotted lines in the figure. Note that the electronic device 70 may further include other members not shown, such as a radio frequency link, a baseband processing unit, a network interface, a processor, a controller, etc. The processing circuit 702 may be associated with the memory 704 and / or the communication unit 706. For example, the processing circuit 702 may be directly or indirectly connected to the memory 704 for data access (for example, there may be other members connected in the middle). Further, for example, the processing circuit 702 may be directly or indirectly connected to the communication unit 706 for transmitting radio signals via the communication unit 706 and receiving radio signals via the communication unit 706.

[0091] The memory 704 can store various information generated by the processing circuit 702 or used in the operation of the processing circuit 702 (for example, information related to the positioning requirements of the electronic device 702, information related to the multiplexing method, information on the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal, data used for autonomous positioning, etc.), programs and data used in the operation of the electronic device 70, data transmitted by the communication unit 706, etc. Since the memory 704 can be located inside the processing circuit 702 or outside the electronic device 70, it is drawn with a dotted line. The memory 704 may be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. For example, the memory 704 may include, but is not limited to, a random access memory (RAM), a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory.

[0092] The communication unit 706 may be configured to communicate with a base station under the control of the processing circuit 702 (for example, a communication control unit). In one example, the communication unit 706 may be implemented as a transmitter or a transceiver including communication members such as an antenna array and / or a radio frequency link.

[0093] Although FIG. 7 shows the processing circuit 702 and the communication unit 706 as being separated, the processing circuit 702 may be implemented to include the communication unit 706. Note that the processing circuit 702 may be implemented to include one or more other members of the electronic device 70, or the processing circuit 702 may be implemented as the electronic device 70 itself. When actually implemented, the processing circuit 702 may be implemented as a chip (for example, an integrated circuit module including a single wafer), a hardware member, or a complete product.

[0094] It should be noted that each of the above units is merely a logical module divided according to its specific implemented function, and is not for restricting the specific implementation method. For example, it may be implemented in a software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware manner. When actually implemented, each of the above units may be implemented as an independent physical entity, or may be implemented by a single entity (for example, a processor (such as a CPU or a DSP), an integrated circuit, etc.). Note that the fact that each of the above units is shown by a dotted line in the drawings indicates that these units may not actually exist, and the operations / functions they implement may be implemented by the processing circuit itself.

[0095] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 8, a conceptual operation flow 80 of the electronic device 70 on the terminal device / UE side will be described.

[0096] The operation of the UE starts at S802.

[0097] In S804, the UE receives from the base station a multiplexed signal in which both the communication signal and the sensing signal described above are multiplexed. As described above, the multiplexed signal may be a signal multiplexed using any appropriate multiplexing method. As described above, the multiplexing method for multiplexing the communication signal and the sensing signal may be one determined / agreed in advance (for example, the default multiplexing method defined in the relevant communication standard), or may be determined dynamically (for example, based on the required sensing signal transmission density determined dynamically). In the former case, the UE may multiplex the communication signal and the sensing signal according to the multiplexing method determined / agreed in advance. In the latter case, the UE may receive in advance (for example, before S804) information instructing the multiplexing method from the base station.

[0098] With the UE receiving the multiplexed signal from the base station, the sensing signal in the multiplexed signal may be at least reflected, scattered, and / or diffracted by the UE naturally. The echo signal generated by at least reflecting, scattering, and / or diffracting the sensing signal by the UE may be propagated to one or more base stations including the base station transmitting the multiplexed signal, whereby this one or more base stations can sense this UE, particularly the distance between the UE and the base station, the angle between the UE and the base station, and / or the moving speed of the UE, and thereby determine the position of the UE. It should be noted that the reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction of the sensing signal by the UE occur physically naturally, that is, it is transparent to the UE. In some embodiments according to the present disclosure, the UE does not need to perform a receiving operation and an analyzing operation for the sensing signal. However, when the UE has the ability to analyze the sensing signal, it may analyze the received sensing signal by itself to autonomously and / or assist in determining the sensing result. In fact, the entire multiplexed signal is reflected, scattered, and / or diffracted by the UE. However, the base station only pays attention to the changes generated after the sensing signal is reflected, scattered, and / or diffracted, and senses the UE based on this change.

[0099] The conceptual operation flow of the UE ends at S806.

[0100] It should be noted that the operation steps of the UE shown in FIG. 8 are only schematic. In practice, the operation of the UE may further include some additional or alternative steps. For example, as described above, before receiving the multiplexed signal, the UE may receive multiplexing information from the base station indicating how the communication signal and the sensing signal are multiplexed.

[0101] The basic operation of the UE according to the present disclosure has been described above. As can be understood, the integration of communication and sensing can be realized by multiplexing the communication signal and the sensing signal. As described in detail above, the present disclosure further provides extended services based on the integration of communication and sensing. The technical concepts and features of these extended services have been described above with reference to the operations on the base station side. The following describes the specific operations on the UE side in these extended services.

[0102] As described above, according to the first extended service of the present disclosure, the sensing signal may be used to determine the moving speed of the UE, and the base station may dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of the reference signal related to positioning based on the mobile communication positioning technology based on the moving speed of the UE determined by sensing. In the first extended service, the UE may receive information indicating the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal from the base station. In particular, as described in detail above, the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal may be dynamically adjusted based on one or both of the sensing result of the moving speed of the UE based on the sensing signal and the requirement for positioning accuracy. In the latter case, the UE may transmit in advance to the base station information indicating its positioning requirement so that the base station determines the requirement for the positioning accuracy of the UE based on the information indicating its positioning requirement. For example, the information indicating this positioning requirement may be information directly indicating the requirement of the UE for what positioning accuracy, such as specific accuracy requirement parameters, or accuracy requirement levels. Or, the information indicating this positioning requirement may be information indirectly indicating the positioning accuracy requirement, such as the application enabled by the UE.

[0103] As described above, in the first extended service and the second extended service according to the present disclosure, the UE may receive information indicating the UE position from the base station in both cases, check this position, and feedback the check result to the base station for the base station to further adjust the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal.

[0104] Specifically, the information indicating the UE position received by the UE from the base station may include a sensing result based on a sensing signal or a joint positioning result. As described above, the sensing result may include the distance between the sensed UE and the base station, the angle between the UE and the base station, the moving speed of the UE, and / or the position of the UE. The joint positioning result may include the position of the UE determined based on both the first position of the UE based on the mobile communication positioning technology and the second position based on the sensing result as described in the above details. In particular, when the sensing result itself does not directly include the position of the UE, the UE may use the distance, position, and / or moving speed information included in the sensing result and any other applicable information, and use any applicable method to determine the position based on the sensing result.

[0105] After receiving the information indicating the position of the UE from the base station, the UE may autonomously determine its own position without using this information. The UE may select any applicable (e.g., supported by the UE) positioning method and determine its own position independently of the position information received from the base station. For example, the UE may include estimating the position of the UE based on one or more of the position information obtained based on the RAT-only-DL positioning technology, the position information based on A-GNSS, the position information obtained based on the Global Positioning System (GPS), the previous positioning result, and the motion information of the UE determined based on the motion sensor.

[0106] After the UE autonomously determines its position, the UE may determine the difference between the autonomously determined position and the position indicated in the information received from the base station, and feedback it to the base station based on this difference. For example, the UE may feedback the difference value itself to the base station as the check result of the position indicated in the information received from the base station so that the base station dynamically adjusts the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based on the magnitude relationship between this position difference and a predetermined threshold. Alternatively, the UE compares the position difference calculated by itself with the predetermined threshold, and only feedbacks to the base station the information indicating to maintain the current transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal when this position difference is lower than the predetermined threshold, and feedbacks the value of this position difference to the base station so that the base station dynamically improves the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal according to the magnitude of this difference when this position difference is greater than the predetermined threshold.

[0107] (Structure and operation flow of electronic devices on the core network side according to the present disclosure) As described above, the exemplary structures and exemplary operations of the base station and the UE according to the present disclosure have been described in detail. Hereinafter, the exemplary structure and exemplary operation flow of the electronic device on the core network side according to the present disclosure will be described in conjunction with FIGS. 9 to 11.

[0108] First, with reference to FIG. 9, the conceptual structure of the electronic device 90 used on the core network side of the embodiment according to the present disclosure will be described. The electronic device 90 on the core network side according to the present disclosure may be an electronic device that provides both a positioning service and a sensing service. For example, the electronic device 90 may be used for the position server or the sensing server mentioned above. In particular, the electronic device 90 may be used for an entity that provides a positioning management function (LMF).

[0109] As shown in FIG. 9, the electronic device 90 may include a processing circuit 902. This processing circuit 902 receives information indicating an echo signal generated by at least reflecting, scattering, and / or diffracting a sensing signal by the UE from a base station, and determines a sensing result for the UE based on at least a difference between the sensing signal and the echo signal, where the sensing result includes a distance between the UE and the base station, an angle between the UE and the base station, a moving speed of the UE, and / or a position of the UE, and may be configured to transmit the sensing result to the base station.

[0110] The processing circuit 902 may be in the form of a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processing circuit, such as an ASIC. For example, the processing circuit 902 can be composed of a circuit (hardware) or a central processing unit (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)). Note that a program (software) for operating the circuit (hardware) or the central processing unit may be loaded onto the processing circuit 902. This program is stored in a memory (e.g., arranged in the memory 904) or an externally connected external storage medium and can be downloaded via a network (e.g., the Internet).

[0111] In one implementation, the processing circuit 902 may include a communication control unit that controls communication with the base station (optionally via the communication unit 906). This communication control unit is controlled, for example, to receive information indicating the amplitude, frequency, and / or phase of an echo signal generated by at least reflecting, scattering, and / or diffracting a sensing signal by the UE from the base station, transmit a sensing result for the UE to the base station, and optionally be controlled to receive from the base station request information such as requesting one or more other base stations to cooperate in sensing the position of the UE.

[0112] In one implementation, the processing circuit 902 may further include a sensing result determination unit. This sensing result determination unit may determine the sensing result for the UE based on at least the difference between the sensing signal and the echo signal (for example, one or more of the Doppler frequency shift, the time of flight, the amplitude change, the frequency change, and the phase change). As described above, the sensing result may include the distance between the UE and the base station, the angle between the UE and the base station, the moving speed of the UE, and / or the position of the UE.

[0113] Optionally, the electronic device 90 may further include a memory 904 and a communication unit 906 shown by dotted lines in the figure. Note that the electronic device 90 may further include other members not shown, such as a network interface, a processor, a controller, etc. The processing circuit 902 may be associated with the memory 904 and / or the communication unit 906. For example, the processing circuit 902 may be directly or indirectly connected to the memory 904 for data access (for example, there may be other members connected in the middle). Further, for example, the processing circuit 902 may be directly or indirectly connected to the communication unit 906 for signal transmission via the communication unit 906 and signal reception via the communication unit 906.

[0114] The memory 904 can store various information generated by the processing circuit 902 or used in the operation of the processing circuit 902 (for example, information related to the sensing signal and the echo signal), programs and data used in the operation of the electronic device 90, data transmitted by the communication unit 906, etc. Since the memory 904 may be located inside the processing circuit 902 or outside the electronic device 90, it is drawn with a dotted line. The memory 904 may be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. For example, the memory 904 may include, but is not limited to, a random access memory (RAM), a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a read only memory (ROM), and a flash memory.

[0115] The communication unit 906 may be configured to communicate with a base station under the control of the processing circuit 902 (e.g., a communication control unit). In one example, the communication unit 906 may be implemented as a communication member that performs wired communication via a cable such as an optical fiber. In one example, the communication unit 906 may include a communication member suitable for performing wireless communication.

[0116] Although FIG. 9 shows the processing circuit 902 and the communication unit 906 as being separated, the processing circuit 902 may be implemented to include the communication unit 906. Note that the processing circuit 902 may be implemented to include one or more other members of the electronic device 90, or the processing circuit 902 may be implemented as the electronic device 90 itself. When actually implemented, the processing circuit 902 may be implemented as a chip (e.g., an integrated circuit module including a single wafer), a hardware member, or a complete product.

[0117] It should be noted that each of the above units is merely a logical module divided according to its specific realized function, and is not for limiting the specific realization method. For example, it may be realized in a manner of software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. When actually realized, each of the above units may be realized as an independent physical entity, or may be realized by a single entity (e.g., a processor (such as a CPU or DSP), an integrated circuit, etc.). Note that the fact that each of the above units is shown by a dotted line in the drawing indicates that these units may not actually exist, and the operations / functions they realize may be realized by the processing circuit itself.

[0118] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 10, a conceptual operation flow 100 of the electronic device 90 on the core network side will be described.

[0119] The operation of the electronic device on the core network side starts at S1002.

[0120] In S1004, the electronic device on the core network side receives information about the echo signal generated by at least reflecting, scattering, and / or diffracting the sensing signal by the UE from the base station, and calculates the sensing result based on this information. For example, such information may at least include one or more pieces of information among the amplitude of the echo signal, the phase of the echo signal, the frequency of the echo signal, the transmission time of the sensing signal, the reception time of the echo signal, and the flight time from the transmission of the sensing signal by the base station to the reception of the echo signal of this sensing signal. According to one implementation method, what amplitude, frequency, phase, signal type, pattern, and / or sequence the base station transmits the sensing signal with may be predetermined and may also be known to the core network. In such a case, the base station may just transmit the information of the echo signal to the electronic device on the core network side. According to another implementation method, the electronic device on the core network side may receive in advance (for example, before S1004 or in S1004) from the base station information indicating the sensing signal itself, such as information indicating the amplitude, frequency, phase, signal type, pattern, and / or sequence of the sensing signal.

[0121] After that, in S1006, the electronic device on the core network side may determine the sensing result for the UE based at least on the difference between the sensing signal and the echo signal. According to the present disclosure, such a difference may include one or more of a Doppler frequency shift, a flight time, an amplitude change, a frequency change, and a phase change. FIGS. 11A and 11B show the basic principle of sensing.

[0122] FIG. 11A shows an exemplary principle in which a single base station participates in sensing. When a single base station participates in sensing (for example, as described above, when the moving speed of the UE is relatively low or when the requirement for the positioning accuracy of the UE is relatively low), this base station can function as a transmission end of the sensing signal and can also function as a reception end of the echo signal of the sensing signal. When this base station transmits a sensing signal to the UE that is a reflector, this sensing signal is propagated to this base station as an echo signal after at least reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction by the UE. After at least reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction by the UE, the amplitude, phase, and / or frequency of this echo signal are different from the original sensing signal. Based on the changes in the amplitude, phase, and / or frequency between the sensing signal and the echo signal, in combination with the time of flight, for example, the distance and angle between the base station and the UE can be determined. In particular, when the UE moves at a constant speed, there is also a Doppler frequency shift between the sensing signal and the echo signal. By further combining the Doppler frequency shift with the amplitude, phase, frequency, and time of flight, the moving speed of the UE can also be determined.

[0123] In the case shown in FIG. 11A, the base station transmits information related to the received echo signal to the electronic device on the core network side, and the electronic device on the core network side can calculate the distance, angle, and / or moving speed of the UE based on the principle shown in FIG. 11A. Note that the electronic device on the core network side can also selectively calculate the position of the UE with reference to any other available information (for example, the position of the base station that transmits the sensing signal and the past position of the UE stored) in addition to the sensed distance, angle, and / or moving speed information.

[0124] FIG. 11B shows an exemplary principle in which multiple base stations participate in sensing. When multiple base stations participate in sensing (for example, as described above, when the moving speed of the UE is relatively high or the requirement for the positioning accuracy of the UE is relatively high), one base station can function as a transmission end of the sensing signal, and another one or more base stations can function as a reception end of the echo signal. As shown in FIG. 11B, when the transmitting-end base station transmits a sensing signal to the UE which is a reflector, this sensing signal may be propagated to the receiving-end base station as an echo signal after at least reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction by the UE. As described with reference to FIG. 11A, after at least reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction by the UE, the amplitude, phase, and / or frequency of this echo signal are different from the original sensing signal, and there may also be a Doppler frequency shift between the sensing signal and the echo signal. Based on the time of flight, amplitude change, phase change, frequency change, and / or Doppler frequency shift, for example, the distance, angle, and the moving speed of the UE between the receiving-end base station and the UE can be determined.

[0125] It should be noted that in the case of FIG. 11B, although not shown in the figure, this sensing signal may be propagated to the transmitting-end base station as an echo signal after at least reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction by the UE. In such a case, it is similar to the principle of FIG. 11A. The transmitting-end base station may transmit information regarding the received echo signal to the electronic device on the core network side to perform the calculation of the sensing result.

[0126] <## Although only two base stations are shown in Fig. 11B, there may be two or more base stations that cooperate in the sensing of the UE. In such a case, the sensing signal transmitted by one base station may be propagated as an echo signal to a plurality of receiving base stations through at least reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction of the UE, and each receiving base station participating in the cooperative sensing may transmit information indicating the echo signal it has received to a device on the core network side. Note that when a plurality of base stations cooperate to sense the UE, each base station may transmit its own sensing signal to the UE. The device on the core network side may calculate the sensing result by combining at least the information on the echo signal of the sensing signal it transmits to the UE transmitted by each base station and the information on the echo signal of the sensing signal transmitted by one or more other base stations to the UE transmitted by each base station.

[0127] Returning to Fig. 10, after determining the sensing result for the UE, the electronic device on the core network side may transmit this sensing result to the base station in S1008.

[0128] The conceptual operation flow of the electronic device on the core network side ends at S1010.

[0129] It should be noted that the operation steps of the electronic device on the core network side shown in FIG. 10 are only schematic. In practice, the operation of the electronic device on the core network side may further include some additional or alternative steps. For example, the electronic device on the core network side may receive request information from the base station requesting one or more other base stations to cooperate in sensing the position of the UE, and in response to this request, send information instructing participation in cooperative sensing to one or more base stations. Preferably, the electronic device on the core network side may schedule one or more base stations participating in the positioning of the UE based on mobile communication positioning technology to perform cooperative sensing. As described above, the mobile communication positioning technology may include, for example, DL-TDOA, UL-TDOA, DL-AoD, UL-AOA, Multi-RTT, and ID NR E-CID. For example, the electronic device on the core network side may send information instructing participation in cooperative sensing to one or more base stations participating in the positioning of the UE based on mobile communication positioning technology. Thereafter, this electronic device may receive information instructing one or more echo signals from each base station as described with reference to FIG. 11B, and combine the received information with any other available information to sense the position of the UE.

[0130] The basic operations of the electronic device on the core network side according to the present disclosure have been described above. It should be understood that in the present disclosure, preferably, the electronic device on the core network side performs calculations related to sensing. However, this is not restrictive, and the base station may perform such calculations.

[0131] (Interaction between Base Station, UE, and Core Network) The schematic configurations and operation flows of the base station, terminal device, and core network side entity according to the present disclosure have been described above in connection with the drawings. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 12A and 12B, the exemplary interaction between the base station, UE, and core network according to the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

[0132] FIG. 12A shows the interaction between the base station, the UE, and the core network when the base station starts sensing. For example, when the base station determines that it is necessary to enable dynamic adjustment of the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal, it starts transmitting a multiplexed signal in which communication and sensing signals are multiplexed to the UE. As shown in FIG. 12A, gNB1, which is the primary serving base station of the UE, may transmit the multiplexed signal to the UE and receive an echo signal of the sensing signal multiplexed in the multiplexed signal from the UE. Subsequently, gNB1 may transmit information regarding the echo signal to the LMF of the core network. The LMF may calculate the difference between the echo signal and the sensing signal and determine a sensing result for the UE based at least on this difference, as described in detail above. As described above, the sensing result may include the distance between the UE and gNB1, the angle between the UE and gNB1, the moving speed of the UE, and / or the position of the UE. Subsequently, the LMF may transmit the sensing result to gNB1. gNB1 may determine the moving speed of the UE based on the sensing result and dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based on the moving speed of the UE. gNB1 may notify the UE of the adjusted transmission frequency.

[0133] After gNB1 receives the sensing result from the LMF, if gNB1 determines that it is necessary to request cooperation in sensing from other base stations based on this sensing result (for example, when gNB1 determines that the moving speed of the UE is higher than a predetermined threshold), gNB1 may additionally send request information to the LMF requesting one or more other base stations to cooperate in sensing the position of the UE. After receiving such request information, the LMF may select appropriate base stations participating in cooperative sensing (for example, those base stations participating in the positioning of the UE based on mobile communication positioning technology) and send an instruction to these base stations (gNB2 shown in FIG. 12A) to perform cooperative sensing. The base stations participating in cooperative sensing will then, as described with reference to FIG. 11B, receive the echo signal of the sensing signal transmitted to gNB1 (and other base stations participating in cooperative sensing) from the UE, and / or transmit its own sensing signal to the UE, receive the echo signal of this sensing signal, and send information regarding this one or more echo signals to the LMF (for simplicity, these processes are not shown in FIG. 12A). After receiving information regarding the echo signal from each base station participating in cooperative sensing, the LMF may combine this information to determine the sensing result of cooperative sensing and send this result to the primary service base station gNB1 of the UE. gNB1 may then dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based on this sensing result of cooperative sensing.

[0134] Optionally, as described above, gNB1 may send to the UE the position information based on the sensing result or the position information jointly determined based on both sensing and mobile communication positioning technology. The UE may check the position indicated in this sensing result based on the autonomously determined position and feedback the check result to gNB1. gNB1 may further dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based on this feedback and instruct the UE with a new transmission frequency.

[0135] FIG. 12B shows the interaction between the base station, the UE, and the core network when the UE starts sensing. For example, the UE triggers gNB1, which is the primary service base station of the UE, to transmit a multiplexed signal in which a communication signal and a sensing signal are multiplexed, by sending a positioning requirement to gNB1. Thereafter, as described with reference to FIG. 12B, gNB1 may receive an echo signal of the sensing signal from the UE and send information indicating the echo signal to the LMF of the core network. The LMF may calculate the sensing result and send the sensing result to gNB1. gNB1 may dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based on both the requirement for the positioning accuracy of the UE and the moving speed of the UE determined based on the sensing result. gNB1 may notify the UE of the adjusted transmission frequency.

[0136] After gNB1 receives the positioning requirement from the UE, if it is determined that gNB1 needs to request cooperation in sensing from other base stations based on this positioning requirement (for example, when gNB1 determines that the UE has a high requirement for positioning accuracy), gNB1 may additionally send request information to the LMF requesting one or more other base stations to cooperate in sensing the position of the UE. After receiving such request information, the LMF may select appropriate base stations participating in cooperative sensing (for example, those base stations participating in the positioning of the UE based on mobile communication positioning technology), and send an instruction to these base stations (gNB2 shown in FIG. 12B) to perform cooperative sensing. The base stations participating in cooperative sensing may then receive the corresponding echo signal and send information regarding the echo signal to the LMF, as described with reference to FIGS. 11B and 12A. The LMF may combine this information to determine the sensing result of cooperative sensing and send this result to the primary service base station gNB1 of the UE. gNB1 may then dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based on the sensing result of this cooperative sensing.

[0137] As described with reference to FIG. 12A, optionally, gNB1 may transmit to the UE location information based on the sensing result or location information jointly determined based on both sensing and mobile communication positioning technology. The UE may check the location indicated in this sensing result based on the autonomously determined location and feedback the check result to gNB1. gNB1 may further dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of the positioning-related reference signal based on this feedback and instruct the UE of the new transmission frequency.

[0138] It should be noted that the interactions shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B are only schematic and not restrictive. For example, according to the present disclosure, the multiplexed signal in which the sensing signal and the multiplexed signal are multiplexed may be transmitted periodically instead of being triggered by the base station or the UE.

[0139] As described above, the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. According to the present disclosure, extended services can be realized in achieving the integration of communication and sensing.

[0140] It should be understood that the machine-executable instructions in the machine-readable storage medium or program product according to the embodiments of the present disclosure may be configured to execute operations corresponding to the embodiments of the above devices and methods. When referring to the embodiments of the above devices and methods, the embodiments of the machine-readable storage medium or program product are clear to those skilled in the art and will not be described repeatedly. Machine-readable storage media and program products for carrying or containing the above machine-executable instructions are also included within the scope of the present disclosure. Such storage media may include, but are not limited to, flexible disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, memory cards, memory sticks, etc.

[0141] It should also be understood that the above-described series of processes and devices may be implemented by software and / or firmware. When implemented by software and / or firmware, a program constituting this software is installed in a computer having a dedicated hardware structure from a storage medium or a network, for example, the general-purpose computer 1300 shown in FIG. 13. When various programs are installed in this computer, various functions and the like can be executed. FIG. 13 shows a block diagram of an exemplary structure of a computer as an information processing device that can be employed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. In one example, this computer may correspond to the above-described exemplary core network-side device according to the present disclosure. In another example, this computer may correspond to the above-described exemplary terminal device according to the present disclosure.

[0142] In FIG. 13, a central processing unit (CPU) 1301 executes various processes according to a program stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 1302 or a program loaded from a storage portion 1308 into a random access memory (RAM) 1303. In the RAM 1303, data necessary when the CPU 1301 executes various processes and the like is also stored as needed.

[0143] The CPU 1301, the ROM 1302, and the RAM 1303 are connected to each other via a bus 1304. An input / output interface 1305 is also connected to the bus 1304.

[0144] Members such as an input portion 1306 including a keyboard, a mouse, etc., an output portion 1307 including a display, for example, a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), etc., and a speaker, etc., a storage portion 1308 including a hard disk, etc., and a communication portion 1309 including a network interface card, for example, a LAN card, a modem, etc., are connected to the input / output interface 1305. The communication portion 1309 executes communication processing via a network, for example, the Internet.

[0145] If necessary, the driver 1310 is also connected to the input / output interface 1305. Removable media 1311, such as magnetic disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, semiconductor memories, etc., are installed in the driver 1310 as necessary, and the computer programs read therefrom are installed in the storage portion 1308 as necessary.

[0146] When the above series of processes are realized by software, a program constituting the software is installed from a network, such as the Internet, or a storage medium, such as the removable media 1311.

[0147] As should be understood by those skilled in the art, such a storage medium is not limited to the removable media 1311 shown in FIG. 13, in which a program is stored and distributed separately from the device to provide the program to the user. Examples of the removable media 1311 include magnetic disks (including flexible disks (registered trademark)), optical disks (including compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) and digital versatile disk (DVD)), magneto-optical disks (including mini disk (MD) (registered trademark)), and semiconductor memories. Alternatively, the storage medium may be a ROM 1302, a hard disk included in the storage portion 1308, etc., in which a program is stored and distributed to the user together with the device including them.

[0148] The technology of the present disclosure can be used in various products.

[0149] For example, the electronic device 30 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be realized as various control devices / base stations, or may be included in various control devices / base stations, but the method shown in FIG. 4 may also be realized by various control devices / base stations. For example, the electronic device 70 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be realized as various terminal devices / user devices, or may be included in various terminal devices / user devices, but the method shown in FIG. 8 may also be realized by various terminal devices / user devices.

[0150] For example, the control device / base station mentioned in the present disclosure may be implemented as any type of base station, such as an evolved Node B (gNB), for example, a macro gNB and a small gNB. The small gNB may be a gNB that covers a cell smaller than a macro cell, such as a pico gNB, a micro gNB, and a home (femto) gNB. Alternatively, the base station may be implemented as any other type of base station, such as a NodeB and a Base Transceiver Station (BTS). The base station may include a main body configured to control wireless communication (also referred to as base station equipment), and one or more Remote Radio Heads (RRHs) installed at a location different from the main body. Also, various types of terminals described below can all operate as a base station by temporarily or semi-permanently executing base station functions.

[0151] For example, the terminal device mentioned in the present disclosure is also referred to as a user equipment in some examples, and may be implemented as a mobile terminal (such as a smartphone, a tablet computer (PC), a notebook PC, a portable game terminal, a portable / dongle-type mobile router, and a digital imaging device) or a vehicle-mounted terminal (such as an in-vehicle navigation device). The user equipment may be implemented as a terminal that executes machine-to-machine (M2M) communication (also referred to as a machine type communication (MTC) terminal). Note that the user equipment may be a wireless communication module (for example, an integrated circuit module including a single wafer) installed in each of the above terminals.

[0152] Hereinafter, examples according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 17.

[0153] [Examples related to base stations] It should be understood that the term base station in the present disclosure has its general meaning and includes a radio communication station for facilitating communication as at least part of a wireless communication system or radio system. Examples of base stations may include, but are not limited to, for example, one or both of a base transceiver station (BTS) and a base station controller (BSC) in a GSM (registered trademark) system, one or both of a radio network controller (RNC) and a Node B in a WCDMA (registered trademark) system, an eNB in LTE and LTE-Advanced systems, a gNB, an eLTE eNB, etc. that appear in a 5G communication system, or a corresponding network node in a future communication system. Some functions in the base station of the present disclosure may be realized as an entity having a communication control function in D2D, M2M, and V2V communication scenarios, or may be realized as an entity that plays a spectrum coordination role in a cognitive radio communication scenario.

[0154] (First example) FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a first example of a schematic configuration of a gNB to which the technology of the content of the present disclosure can be applied. The gNB 1400 includes a plurality of antennas 1410 and base station equipment 1420. The base station equipment 1420 and each antenna 1410 may be connected to each other via an RF cable. In one implementation, the gNB 1400 (or the base station equipment 1420) here may correspond to the above electronic device 30.

[0155] Each of the antennas 1410 includes one or a plurality of antenna elements (for example, antenna elements included in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna), and is used for the base station equipment 1420 to transmit and receive wireless signals. As shown in FIG. 14, the gNB 1400 may include a plurality of antennas 1410. For example, the plurality of antennas 1410 may be compatible with a plurality of frequency bands used by the gNB 1400.

[0156] The base station apparatus 1420 includes a controller 1421, a memory 1422, a network interface 1423, and a wireless communication interface 1425.

[0157] The controller 1421 may be, for example, a CPU or a DSP, and operates various upper-layer functions of the base station apparatus 1420. For example, the controller 1421 generates data packets based on the data in the signal processed by the wireless communication interface 1425, and passes the generated packets via the network interface 1423. The controller 1421 can bundle data from a plurality of baseband processors to generate a bundle packet and pass the generated bundle packet. The controller 1421 may have a logical function for executing control such as, for example, radio resource control, radio bearer control, mobility management, admission control, and scheduling. This control may be executed in cooperation with a neighboring gNB or a core network node. The memory 1422 includes a RAM and a ROM, and stores programs executed by the controller 421 and various types of control data (for example, a terminal list, transmission power data, and scheduling data).

[0158] The network interface 1423 is a communication interface for connecting the base station device 1420 to the core network 1424. The controller 1421 may communicate with a core network node or another gNB via the network interface 1423. In this case, the gNB 1400 and the core network node or another gNB may be connected to each other via a logical interface (e.g., the S1 interface and the X2 interface). The network interface 1423 may be a wired communication interface or a wireless communication interface for a wireless backhaul line. When the network interface 1423 is a wireless communication interface, the network interface 1923 may use a relatively high frequency band for wireless communication compared to the frequency band used by the wireless communication interface 1425.

[0159] The wireless communication interface 1425 supports any cellular communication scheme (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced), and provides a wireless connection to terminals located in the cell of the gNB 1400 via the antenna 1410. The wireless communication interface 1425 may generally include, for example, a baseband (BB) processor 1426 and an RF circuit 1427. The BB processor 1426 performs, for example, coding / decoding, modulation / demodulation, and multiplexing / demultiplexing, and may also perform various types of signal processing for layers (e.g., L1, Media Access Control (MAC), Radio Link Control (RLC), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP)). As an alternative to the controller 1421, the BB processor 1426 may have some or all of the above logical functions. The BB processor 1426 may be a memory that stores a communication control program, or may be a module that includes a processor configured to execute a program and associated circuits. The update program may change the functions of the BB processor 1426. This module may be a card or blade inserted into the slot of the base station device 1420. Alternatively, this module may be a chip installed on the card or blade. At the same time, the RF circuit 1427 includes, for example, a mixer, a filter, and an amplifier, and may distribute and receive wireless signals via the antenna 1410. FIG. 14 shows an example in which one antenna 1410 is connected to one RF circuit 1427, but the present disclosure is not limited to this illustration, and multiple antennas 1410 may be connected to one RF circuit 1427 simultaneously.

[0160] As shown in FIG. 14, the wireless communication interface 1425 may include a plurality of BB processors 1426. For example, the plurality of BB processors 1426 are compatible with a plurality of frequency bands used by the gNB 1400. As shown in FIG. 14, the wireless communication interface 1425 may include a plurality of RF circuits 1427. For example, the plurality of RF circuits 1427 may be compatible with a plurality of antenna elements. FIG. 14 shows an example in which the wireless communication interface 1425 includes a plurality of BB processors 1426 and a plurality of RF circuits 1427, but the wireless communication interface 1425 may include a single BB processor 1426 or a single RF circuit 1427.

[0161] (Second example) FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a second example of a schematic configuration of a gNB to which the technology of the content of the present disclosure can be applied. The gNB 1530 includes a plurality of antennas 1540, base station equipment 1550, and a RRH 1560. The RRH 1560 and each antenna 1540 may be connected to each other via an RF cable. The base station equipment 1550 and the RRH 1560 may be connected to each other via, for example, a high-speed line of an optical fiber cable. In one implementation, the gNB 1530 (or the base station equipment 1550) here may correspond to the above-described electronic device 30.

[0162] Each of the antennas 1540 includes one or more antenna elements (for example, a plurality of antenna elements included in a MIMO antenna), and the RRH 1560 is used to transmit and receive wireless signals. As shown in FIG. 15, the gNB 1530 may include a plurality of antennas 1540. For example, the plurality of antennas 1540 may be compatible with a plurality of frequency bands used by the gNB 1530.

[0163] The base station device 1550 includes a controller 1551, a memory 1552, a network interface 1553, a wireless communication interface 1555, and a connection interface 1557. The controller 1551, the memory 1552, and the network interface 1553 are the same as the controller 1421, the memory 1422, and the network interface 1423 described with reference to FIG. 14.

[0164] The wireless communication interface 1555 supports any cellular communication scheme (e.g., LTE and LTE-Advanced), and provides wireless communication to terminals located in the sector area corresponding to the RRH 1560 via the RRH 1560 and the antenna 1540. The wireless communication interface 1555 may generally include, for example, a BB processor 1556. The BB processor 1556 is the same as the BB processor 1426 described with reference to FIG. 14, except that the BB processor 1556 is connected to the RF circuit 1564 of the RRH 1560 via the connection interface 1557. As shown in FIG. 15, the wireless communication interface 1555 may include a plurality of BB processors 1556. For example, the plurality of BB processors 1556 may be compatible with a plurality of frequency bands used by the gNB 1530. FIG. 15 shows an example in which the wireless communication interface 1555 includes a plurality of BB processors 1556, but the wireless communication interface 1555 may include a single BB processor 1556.

[0165] [[ID=!]] The connection interface 1557 is an interface for connecting the base station device 1550 (wireless communication interface 1555) to the RRH 1560. The connection interface 1557 may be a communication module for communication in the above high-speed line for connecting the base station device 1550 (wireless communication interface 1555) to the RRH 1560.

[0166] The RRH 1560 includes a connection interface 1561 and a wireless communication interface 1563.

[0167] The connection interface 1561 is an interface for connecting the RRH 1560 (radio communication interface 1563) to the base station device 1550. The connection interface 1561 may be a communication module used for communication in the high-speed line.

[0168] The radio communication interface 1563 distributes and receives radio signals via the antenna 1540. The radio communication interface 1563 generally may include, for example, an RF circuit 1564. The RF circuit 1564 includes, for example, a mixer, a filter, and an amplifier, and may distribute and receive radio signals via the antenna 1540. FIG. 15 shows an example in which one antenna 1540 is connected to one RF circuit 1564, but the present disclosure is not limited to this illustration, and a plurality of antennas 1540 may be connected to one RF circuit 1564 simultaneously.

[0169] As shown in FIG. 15, the radio communication interface 1563 may include a plurality of RF circuits 1564. For example, the plurality of RF circuits 1564 may support a plurality of antenna elements. FIG. 15 shows an example in which the radio communication interface 1563 includes a plurality of RF circuits 1564, but the radio communication interface 1563 may include a single RF circuit 1564.

[0170] [Example regarding user equipment] (First example) FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a smartphone 1600 to which the technology of the content of the present disclosure can be applied. The smartphone 1600 includes a processor 1601, a memory 1602, a storage device 1603, an external connection interface 1604, an imaging device 1606, a sensor 1607, a microphone 1608, an input device 1609, a display device 1610, a speaker 1611, a wireless communication interface 1612, one or more antenna switches 1615, one or more antennas 1616, a bus 1617, a battery 1618, and an auxiliary controller 1619. In one implementation, the smartphone 1600 (or the processor 1601) here may correspond to the electronic device 70 described above.

[0171] The processor 1601 may be, for example, a CPU or a system-on-chip (SoC), and controls the functions of the application layer and other layers of the smartphone 1600. The memory 1602 includes a RAM and a ROM, and stores data and programs executed by the processor 1601. The storage device 1603 may include storage media, such as semiconductor memories and hard disks. The external connection interface 1604 is an interface for connecting external devices (e.g., memory cards and universal serial bus (USB) devices) to the smartphone 1600.

[0172] The imaging device 1606 includes an image sensor (e.g., a charge-coupled device (CCD) and a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS)), and generates a captured image. The sensor 1607 may include a group of sensors, such as a measurement sensor, a gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and an acceleration sensor. The microphone 1608 converts the sound input to the smartphone 1600 into an audio signal. The input device 1609 includes, for example, a touch sensor, a keypad, a keyboard, a button, or a switch configured to detect a touch on the screen of the display device 1610, and receives an operation or information input by the user. The display device 1610 includes a screen (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) and an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display), and displays the output image of the smartphone 1600. The speaker 1611 converts the audio signal output from the smartphone 1600 into sound.

[0173] The wireless communication interface 1612 supports any cellular communication scheme (e.g., LTE and LTE-Advanced) and performs wireless communication. The wireless communication interface 1612 generally may include, for example, a BB processor 1613 and an RF circuit 1619. The BB processor 1613 may perform, for example, coding / decoding, modulation / demodulation, and multiplexing / demultiplexing, and may perform various types of signal processing used for wireless communication. At the same time, the RF circuit 1614 includes, for example, a mixer, a filter, and an amplifier, and may distribute and receive wireless signals via the antenna 1616. The wireless communication interface 1612 may be a single chip module on which the BB processor 1613 and the RF circuit 1614 are integrated. As shown in FIG. 16, the wireless communication interface 1612 may include a plurality of BB processors 1613 and a plurality of RF circuits 1614. FIG. 16 shows an example in which the wireless communication interface 1612 includes a plurality of BB processors 1613 and a plurality of RF circuits 1614, but the wireless communication interface 1612 may include a single BB processor 1613 or a single RF circuit 1614.

[0174] In addition to the cellular communication scheme, the wireless communication interface 1612 can support other types of wireless communication schemes, such as short-range wireless communication schemes, near-field communication schemes, and wireless local area network (LAN) schemes. In this case, the wireless communication interface 1612 may include a BB processor 1613 and an RF circuit 1614 for each wireless communication scheme.

[0175] Each of the antenna switches 1615 switches the connection destination of the antenna 1616 among a plurality of circuits (for example, circuits used for different wireless communication schemes) included in the wireless communication interface 1612.

[0176] Each of the antennas 1616 includes one or more antenna elements (for example, a plurality of antenna elements included in a MIMO antenna), and is used for the wireless communication interface 1612 to distribute and receive wireless signals. As shown in FIG. 16, the smartphone 1600 may include a plurality of antennas 1616. FIG. 16 shows an example in which the smartphone 1600 includes a plurality of antennas 1616, but the smartphone 1600 may include a single antenna 1616.

[0177] Note that the smartphone 1600 may include an antenna 1616 for each wireless communication scheme. In this case, the antenna switch 1615 may be omitted from the configuration of the smartphone 1600.

[0178] The bus 1617 connects the processor 1601, the memory 1602, the storage device 1603, the external connection interface 1604, the imaging device 1606, the sensor 1607, the microphone 1608, the input device 1609, the display device 1610, the speaker 1611, the wireless communication interface 1612, and the auxiliary controller 1619 to each other. The battery 1618 provides power to each block of the smartphone 1600 shown in FIG. 16 via a feeder, and the feeder is partially shown by a dotted line in the figure. The auxiliary controller 1619 operates the minimum necessary functions of the smartphone 1600, for example, in the sleep mode.

[0179] (Second example) FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an automotive navigation device 1720 to which the technology of the present disclosure can be applied. The automotive navigation device 1720 includes a processor 1721, a memory 1722, a global positioning system (GPS) module 1724, a sensor 1725, a data interface 1726, a content player 1727, a storage medium interface 1728, an input device 1729, a display device 1730, a speaker 1731, a wireless communication interface 1733, one or more antenna switches 1736, one or more antennas 1737, and a battery 1738. In one implementation, the automotive navigation device 1720 (or the processor 1721) here may correspond to the electronic device 50 and / or the electronic device 100 described above.

[0180] The processor 1721 may be, for example, a CPU or an SoC, and controls a navigation function and other functions of the automotive navigation device 1720. The memory 1722 includes a RAM and a ROM, and stores data and programs executed by the processor 1721.

[0181] The GPS module 1724 measures the position (e.g., latitude, longitude, and altitude) of the automotive navigation device 1720 using GPS signals received from GPS satellites. The sensor 1725 may include a group of sensors, such as a gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and a barometric pressure sensor. The data interface 1726 is connected to, for example, an in-vehicle network 1741 via a terminal not shown, and acquires data generated by the vehicle (e.g., vehicle speed data).

[0182] Content player 1727 reproduces content stored on a medium (such as a CD and a DVD), and this storage medium is inserted into the storage medium interface 1728. The input device 1729 includes, for example, a touch sensor, a button, or a switch configured to detect a touch on the screen of the display device 1730, and receives an operation or information input from the user. The display device 1730 includes, for example, a screen of an LCD or an OLED display, and displays an image of the navigation function or reproduced content. The speaker 1731 outputs the voice of the navigation function or reproduced content.

[0183] The wireless communication interface 1733 supports any cellular communication scheme (such as LTE and LTE-Advanced) and performs wireless communication. The wireless communication interface 1733 generally may include, for example, a BB processor 1734 and an RF circuit 1735. The BB processor 1734 may perform, for example, coding / decoding, modulation / demodulation, and multiplexing / demultiplexing, and may perform various types of signal processing used for wireless communication. At the same time, the RF circuit 1735 includes, for example, a mixer, a filter, and an amplifier, and may distribute and receive wireless signals via the antenna 1737. The wireless communication interface 1733 may be one chip module on which the BB processor 1734 and the RF circuit 1735 are integrated. As shown in FIG. 17, the wireless communication interface 1733 may include a plurality of BB processors 1734 and a plurality of RF circuits 1735. FIG. 17 shows an example in which the wireless communication interface 1733 includes a plurality of BB processors 1734 and a plurality of RF circuits 1735, but the wireless communication interface 1733 may include a single BB processor 1734 or a single RF circuit 1735.

[0184] In addition to the cellular communication scheme, the wireless communication interface 1733 can support other types of wireless communication schemes, such as short-range wireless communication schemes, near-field communication schemes, and wireless LAN schemes. In this case, for various wireless communication schemes, the wireless communication interface 1733 may include a BB processor 1734 and an RF circuit 1735.

[0185] Each of the antenna switches 1736 switches the connection destination of the antenna 1737 among a plurality of circuits (for example, circuits used for different wireless communication schemes) included in the wireless communication interface 1733.

[0186] Each of the antennas 1737 includes one or more antenna elements (for example, a plurality of antenna elements included in a MIMO antenna), and is used for the wireless communication interface 1733 to distribute and receive wireless signals. As shown in FIG. 17, the automotive navigation device 1720 may include a plurality of antennas 1737. FIG. 17 shows an example in which the automotive navigation device 1720 includes a plurality of antennas 1737, but the automotive navigation device 1720 may include a single antenna 1737.

[0187] Note that the automotive navigation device 1720 may include an antenna 1737 for each wireless communication scheme. In this case, the antenna switch 1736 may be omitted from the configuration of the automotive navigation device 1720.

[0188] The battery 1738 provides power to each block of the automotive navigation device 1720 shown in FIG. 17 via a feeder, and the feeder is partially shown by a dotted line in the figure. The battery 1738 accumulates the power provided from the vehicle.

[0189] The technology of the content of the present disclosure may be implemented as an in-vehicle system (or vehicle) 1740 including one or more blocks among the in-vehicle navigation device 1720, the in-vehicle network 1741, and the vehicle module 1742. The vehicle module 1742 generates vehicle data (such as vehicle speed, engine speed, and fault information) and outputs the generated data to the in-vehicle network 1741.

[0190] As described above, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to the drawings. However, the present disclosure is, of course, not limited to the above examples. Those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications within the scope of the appended claims, and it should be understood that these changes and modifications are naturally included within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0191] It should be understood that the machine-executable instructions in the machine-readable storage medium or program product according to the embodiments of the present disclosure may be configured to execute operations corresponding to the embodiments of the above devices and methods. When referring to the embodiments of the above devices and methods, the embodiments of the machine-readable storage medium or program product are clear to those skilled in the art, so they will not be repeatedly described. The machine-readable storage medium and program product for carrying or containing the above machine-executable instructions are also included within the scope of the present disclosure. Such storage media may include, but are not limited to, flexible disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, memory cards, memory sticks, etc.

[0192] Also, it should be understood that the above series of processes and devices may be implemented by software and / or firmware. When implemented by software and / or firmware, a corresponding program that constitutes the software corresponding to the storage medium of the related device (such as the memory 304, 704, or 904 of the electronic device 30 shown in FIG. 3, the electronic device 70 shown in FIG. 7, or the electronic device 90 shown in FIG. 9) is stored, and when the program is executed, various functions can be executed.

[0193] For example, in the above embodiments, the multiple functions included in one unit may be realized by separate devices. Optionally, in the above embodiments, the multiple functions realized by multiple units may each be realized by separate devices. Also, one of the above functions may be realized by multiple units. Needless to say, such a configuration is included within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0194] In this specification, the steps described in the flowchart include not only the processes executed in time series in the above order, but also processes that are not necessarily executed in time series and may be executed in parallel or independently. Of course, it goes without saying that in the steps that are processed in time series, this order may be appropriately changed.

[0195] Although the present disclosure and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and conversions are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as limited by the appended claims. And the terms "including", "comprising" or any other modification of the embodiments of the present disclosure are intended to cover non-exclusive "including", whereby a process, method, article, or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or further includes elements specific to such a process, method, article, or device. In the absence of further limitations, the element limited by the phrase "including one..." does not exclude the further existence of another same element in the process, method, article, or device including the said element.

[0196] Note that the present disclosure may have the following configuration. (1) An electronic device used on the control device side of a wireless communication system, To transmit a multiplexed signal to a terminal device, the multiplexed signal multiplexes both a communication signal and a sensing signal, and the sensing signal is used to determine the position of the terminal device by sensing at least the distance between the terminal device and the electronic device, the angle between the terminal device and the electronic device, and / or the moving speed of the terminal device. An electronic device including a processing circuit configured to receive, by the terminal device, at least an echo signal generated by reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction with respect to the sensing signal. (2) The electronic device according to (1), wherein the communication signal and the sensing signal are time-division multiplexed in symbol units. (3) The electronic device according to (1) or (2), wherein the processing circuit is further configured to transmit multiplexing information indicating how the communication signal and the sensing signal are multiplexed to the terminal device. (4) The processing circuit further transmits information indicating at least the echo signal to an entity of a core network, and receives a sensing result including the distance, the angle, the moving speed, and / or the position of the terminal device from the entity, and the sensing result is determined based on at least a difference between the sensing signal and the echo signal, and the difference includes one or more of a Doppler frequency shift, a time of flight, an amplitude change, a frequency change, and a phase change. The electronic device according to (1). (5) The processing circuit further determines a magnitude relationship between the moving speed of the terminal device and at least one threshold based on the sensing result, and dynamically adjusts a transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning based on the determination. The electronic device according to (4). (6) The processing circuit further reduces a transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning in response to determining that the moving speed of the terminal device is equal to or less than a first threshold, and In response to determining that the moving speed of the terminal device is higher than a first threshold value and equal to or lower than a second threshold value, maintaining the transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning; In response to determining that the moving speed of the terminal device is higher than the second threshold value, increasing the transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning, and / or sending request information to the entity of the core network and requesting one or more other electronic devices to cooperate to sense the terminal device, the electronic device according to (5). (7) Increasing or decreasing the transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning includes shortening or lengthening the transmission period of the reference signal, or increasing or decreasing the symbol density occupied by the reference signal, the electronic device according to (6). (8) The processing circuit further receives information indicating a positioning requirement from the terminal device, determines a requirement for the positioning accuracy of the terminal device, dynamically adjusting the transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning based on the determined requirement for the positioning accuracy of the terminal device, maintaining or reducing the transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning in response to determining that the requirement for the positioning accuracy of the terminal device is low, and increasing the transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning in response to determining that the requirement for the positioning accuracy of the terminal device is high, and / or sending request information to the entity of the core network and requesting one or more other electronic devices to cooperate to sense the position of the terminal device, the electronic device according to (1). (9) The one or more other electronic devices are one or more base stations participating in the positioning of the terminal device based on mobile communication positioning technology, and the mobile communication positioning technology includes one or more of downlink arrival time difference DL-TDOA, uplink arrival time difference UL-TDOA, downlink departure angle DL-AoD, uplink arrival angle UL-AOA, multi-round trip delay Multi-RTT, and new radio extended cell ID NR E-CID, the electronic device according to (6) or (8). (10) The processing circuit further is to obtain a first position of the terminal device based on mobile communication positioning technology, where the mobile communication positioning technology includes one or more of assisted global satellite navigation system positioning A-GNSS, positioning based on a motion sensor, DL-TDOA, UL-TDOA, DL-AoD, UL-AOA, Multi-RTT, and NR E-CID, is to determine a second position of the terminal device based on the sensing result, and is configured to determine the position of the terminal device by weighting the first position and the second position respectively, the electronic device according to (4). (11) When the communication signal and the sensing signal are time-division multiplexed, the weights of the first position and the second position are determined based on the ratio between the number of symbols occupied by the communication signal and the number of symbols occupied by the sensing signal in a predetermined period, the electronic device according to (10). (12) The processing circuit further is to transmit information indicating the position of the terminal device to the terminal device, where the information includes the position determined based on the sensing result or the first position and the second position, and is configured to dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of the reference signal related to positioning based on the feedback of the terminal device on the information indicating the position of the terminal device, the electronic device according to (4) or (10). (13) The communication signal includes one or more of a positioning reference signal PRS, a data demodulation reference signal DMRS, a channel state measurement reference signal CSI-RS, a sounding reference signal SRS, and a communication data signal, the electronic device according to (1). (14) The positioning-related reference signal includes one or more reference signals among positioning reference signal PRS, demodulation reference signal DMRS, channel state information reference signal CSI-RS, and sounding reference signal SRS, and the electronic device according to (5) or (8). (15) A method used on the control device side of a wireless communication system, transmitting a multiplexed signal to a terminal device, where the multiplexed signal multiplexes both a communication signal and a sensing signal, and the sensing signal is used to determine the position of the terminal device by sensing at least the distance between the terminal device and the electronic device, the angle between the terminal device and the electronic device, and / or the moving speed of the terminal device, and receiving, by the terminal device, at least an echo signal generated by reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction of the sensing signal. (16) An electronic device used on the terminal device side of a wireless communication system, including a processing circuit configured to receive a multiplexed signal from a base station, where the multiplexed signal multiplexes both a communication signal and a sensing signal, and an echo signal generated by at least reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction of the sensing signal by the electronic device is propagated to one or more base stations including the base station, and the sensing signal is used to determine the position of the electronic device by sensing at least the distance between the electronic device and the base station, the angle between the electronic device and the base station, and / or the moving speed of the electronic device. (17) The communication signal and the sensing signal are time-division multiplexed in symbol units, and the electronic device according to (16). (18) The processing circuit is further configured to receive multiplexing information from the base station indicating how the communication signal and the sensing signal are multiplexed, and the electronic device according to (16) or (17). (19) The processing circuit is further configured to configured to receive information indicating a transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning from the base station, wherein the transmission frequency of the reference signal is dynamically adjusted based on a sensing result with respect to a moving speed of the electronic device based on the sensing signal, the electronic device according to (16) or (17). (20) The processing circuit further transmits information indicating a positioning requirement to the base station, and configured to receive information indicating a transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning from the base station, wherein the transmission frequency of the reference signal is dynamically adjusted based on a requirement for positioning accuracy, the electronic device according to (16) or (17). (21) The processing circuit further receives, from the base station, information indicating a position of the electronic device, the information including a sensing result or a joint positioning result based on a sensing signal, the sensing result including a sensed distance, angle, moving speed, and / or position of the electronic device, and the joint positioning result including a position of the electronic device determined based on both a first position of the electronic device based on a mobile communication positioning technique and a second position based on a sensing result, autonomously determines the position of the electronic device, and is configured to feedback to the base station based on a difference between the autonomously determined position and the position indicated in the information received from the base station, the electronic device according to (16) or (17). (22) Autonomously determining the position of the electronic device includes estimating the position of the electronic device based on one or more pieces of information among position information obtained based on RAT-only-DL positioning technology, position information based on assisted global navigation satellite system positioning A-GNSS, position information obtained based on global positioning system GPS, and motion information of the electronic device determined based on a previous positioning result and a motion sensor, the electronic device according to (21). (23) A method used on the terminal device side of a wireless communication system, including receiving a multiplexed signal from a base station, The multiplexed signal multiplexes both a communication signal and a sensing signal. An echo signal generated by at least reflecting, scattering, and / or diffracting the sensing signal by the electronic device is propagated to one or more base stations including the base station, and The sensing signal is used to determine the position of the electronic device by sensing at least the distance between the electronic device and the base station, the angle between the electronic device and the base station, and / or the moving speed of the electronic device. (24) An electronic device used on the core network side of a wireless communication system, Receiving, from the base station, information indicating an echo signal generated by at least reflecting, scattering, and / or diffracting the sensing signal by the terminal device, Determining a sensing result for the terminal device based on at least a difference between the sensing signal and the echo signal, wherein the sensing result includes the distance between the terminal device and the base station, the angle between the terminal device and the base station, the moving speed of the terminal device, and / or the position of the terminal device, An electronic device including a processing circuit configured to transmit the sensing result to the base station. (25) The electronic device according to (24), wherein the difference includes one or more of a Doppler frequency shift, a time of flight, an amplitude change, a frequency change, and a phase change. (26) The circuit system further Receiving, from the base station, request information for requesting one or more other base stations to cooperate in sensing the position of the terminal device, Transmitting information for instructing one or more base stations participating in the positioning of the terminal device based on mobile communication positioning technology, where the mobile communication positioning technology includes one or more of Assisted Global Navigation Satellite System positioning A-GNSS, Downlink Time Difference of Arrival DL-TDOA, Uplink Time Difference of Arrival UL-TDOA, Downlink Angle of Departure DL-AoD, Uplink Angle of Arrival UL-AOA, Multi-Round Trip Delay Multi-RTT, and New Radio Enhanced Cell ID NR E-CID, the electronic device according to (24) or (25). (27) A method used on the core network side of a wireless communication system, Receiving, from a base station, information indicating an echo signal generated by at least reflecting, scattering, and / or diffracting a sensing signal by a terminal device, Determining a sensing result for the terminal device based on at least a difference between the sensing signal and the echo signal, where the sensing result includes a distance between the terminal device and the base station, an angle between the terminal device and the base station, a moving speed of the terminal device, and / or a position of the terminal device, Including transmitting the sensing result to the base station, the method. (28) A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed, implement the method according to any one of (15), (23), and (27). (29) A device including a processor and a storage device storing executable instructions that, when executed, implement the method according to any one of (15), (23), and (27).

Claims

1. An electronic device used on the control device side of a wireless communication system, which transmits a multiplexed signal to a terminal device, the multiplexed signal multiplexing both a communication signal and a sensing signal, and the sensing signal is used to determine the position of the terminal device by sensing at least the distance between the terminal device and the electronic device, the angle between the terminal device and the electronic device, and / or the moving speed of the terminal device, and includes a processing circuit configured to receive at least an echo signal generated by reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction of the sensing signal by the terminal device.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the communication signal and the sensing signal are time-division multiplexed in symbol units.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to transmit multiplexing information indicating how the communication signal and the sensing signal are multiplexed to the terminal device.

4. The processing circuit is further configured to transmit information indicating at least the echo signal to an entity of a core network, and receive a sensing result including the distance, the angle, the moving speed, and / or the position of the terminal device from the entity, wherein the sensing result is determined based on at least a difference between the sensing signal and the echo signal, and the difference includes one or more of a Doppler frequency shift, a time of flight, an amplitude change, a frequency change, and a phase change. The electronic device according to claim 1.

5. The processing circuit is further configured to determine a magnitude relationship between the moving speed of the terminal device and at least one threshold based on the sensing result, and dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning based on the determination. The electronic device according to claim 4.

6. The processing circuit is further configured to reduce the transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning in response to determining that the moving speed of the terminal device is equal to or less than a first threshold, maintain the transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning in response to determining that the moving speed of the terminal device is higher than the first threshold and equal to or less than a second threshold, in response to determining that the moving speed of the terminal device is higher than the second threshold, improve the transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning, and / or The electronic device according to claim 5, which is configured to send request information to the entity of the core network and request one or more other electronic devices to cooperate to sense the terminal device.

7. Improving or reducing the transmission frequency of the reference signal related to positioning includes shortening or extending the transmission period of the reference signal, or increasing or decreasing the symbol density occupied by the reference signal, the electronic device according to claim 6.

8. The processing circuit further receives information indicating the positioning requirement from the terminal device, determines the requirement for the positioning accuracy of the terminal device, dynamically adjusts the transmission frequency of the reference signal related to positioning based on the determined requirement for the positioning accuracy of the terminal device, maintains or reduces the transmission frequency of the reference signal related to positioning in response to determining that the requirement for the positioning accuracy of the terminal device is low, and in response to determining that the requirement for the positioning accuracy of the terminal device is high, improves the transmission frequency of the reference signal related to positioning and / or sends request information to the entity of the core network to request one or more other electronic devices to cooperate to sense the position of the terminal device, the electronic device according to claim 1.

9. The one or more other electronic devices are one or more base stations participating in the positioning of the terminal device based on mobile communication positioning technology, and the mobile communication positioning technology includes one or more of downlink arrival time difference DL-TDOA, uplink arrival time difference UL-TDOA, downlink departure angle DL-AoD, uplink arrival angle UL-AOA, multi-round-trip delay Multi-RTT and new radio extended cell ID NR E-CID, the electronic device according to claim 6 or 8.

10. The processing circuit further obtains a first position of the terminal device based on mobile communication positioning technology, where the mobile communication positioning technology includes one or more of A-GNSS, positioning based on a motion sensor, DL-TDOA, UL-TDOA, DL-AoD, UL-AOA, Multi-RTT and NR E-CID, determines a second position of the terminal device based on the sensing result, and weights the first position and the second position respectively to determine the position of the terminal device, the electronic device according to claim 4.

11. In the case where a communication signal and a sensing signal are time-division multiplexed, the weights of the first position and the second position are determined based on the ratio between the number of symbols occupied by the communication signal and the number of symbols occupied by the sensing signal in a predetermined period. The electronic device according to claim 10.

12. The processing circuit further transmits information indicating the position of the terminal device to the terminal device, where the information includes the position determined based on the sensing result or the first position and the second position, and is configured to dynamically adjust the transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning based on feedback from the terminal device with respect to the information indicating the position of the terminal device. The electronic device according to claim 4 or 10.

13. The communication signal includes one or more signals among a positioning reference signal PRS, a data demodulation reference signal DMRS, a channel state measurement reference signal CSI-RS, a sounding reference signal SRS, and a communication data signal. The electronic device according to claim 1.

14. The reference signal related to positioning includes one or more reference signals among a positioning reference signal PRS, a demodulation reference signal DMRS, a channel state information reference signal CSI-RS, and a sounding reference signal SRS. The electronic device according to claim 5 or 8.

15. A method used on the control device side of a wireless communication system, transmitting a multiplexed signal to a terminal device, where the multiplexed signal multiplexes both a communication signal and a sensing signal, and the sensing signal is used to determine the position of the terminal device by sensing at least the distance between the terminal device and the electronic device, the angle between the terminal device and the electronic device, and / or the moving speed of the terminal device, and receiving, by the terminal device, at least an echo signal generated by reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction with respect to the sensing signal. A method.

16. An electronic device used on the terminal device side of a wireless communication system, including a processing circuit configured to receive a multiplexed signal from a base station, where the multiplexed signal multiplexes both a communication signal and a sensing signal, and an echo signal generated by at least reflection, scattering, and / or diffraction of the sensing signal by the electronic device is propagated to one or more base stations including the base station, and The sensing signal is an electronic device used to determine the position of the electronic device by sensing at least the distance between the electronic device and the base station, the angle between the electronic device and the base station, and / or the moving speed of the electronic device.

17. The electronic device according to claim 16, wherein the communication signal and the sensing signal are time-division multiplexed in symbol units.

18. The electronic device according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to receive multiplexing information indicating how the communication signal and the sensing signal are multiplexed from the base station.

19. The processing circuit further is configured to receive information indicating the transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning from the base station, and the transmission frequency of the reference signal is dynamically adjusted based on the sensing result for the moving speed of the electronic device based on the sensing signal. The electronic device according to claim 16 or 17.

20. The processing circuit further transmits information indicating the positioning requirement to the base station, and is configured to receive information indicating the transmission frequency of a reference signal related to positioning from the base station, and the transmission frequency of the reference signal is dynamically adjusted based on the requirement for positioning accuracy. The electronic device according to claim 16 or 17.

21. The processing circuit further receives information indicating the position of the electronic device from the base station, where the information includes a sensing result or a joint positioning result based on the sensing signal, the sensing result includes the sensed distance, the angle, the moving speed, and / or the position of the electronic device, and the joint positioning result includes the position of the electronic device determined based on both the first position of the electronic device based on mobile communication positioning technology and the second position based on the sensing result. And autonomously determines the position of the electronic device. The electronic device according to claim 16 or 17, which is configured to feedback to the base station based on the difference between the autonomously determined position and the position indicated in the information received from the base station.

22. Autonomously determining the position of the electronic device includes estimating the position of the electronic device based on one or more of the position information obtained based on the RAT-only-DL positioning technology, the position information based on the assist global navigation satellite system positioning A-GNSS, the position information acquired based on the global positioning system GPS, the previous positioning result, and the motion information of the electronic device determined based on the motion sensor. The electronic device according to claim 21.

23. A method used on the terminal device side of a wireless communication system, including receiving a multiplexed signal from a base station, wherein the multiplexed signal multiplexes both a communication signal and a sensing signal, the echo signal generated by at least reflecting, scattering, and / or diffracting the sensing signal by the electronic device is propagated to one or more base stations including the base station, and the sensing signal is used to determine the position of the electronic device by sensing at least the distance between the electronic device and the base station, the angle between the electronic device and the base station, and / or the moving speed of the electronic device. Method.

24. An electronic device used on the core network side of a wireless communication system, receiving from a base station information indicating an echo signal generated by at least reflecting, scattering, and / or diffracting a sensing signal by a terminal device, and determining a sensing result for the terminal device based on at least a difference between the sensing signal and the echo signal, the sensing result including the distance between the terminal device and the base station, the angle between the terminal device and the base station, the moving speed of the terminal device, and / or the position of the terminal device, and including a processing circuit configured to transmit the sensing result to the base station. Electronic device.

25. The difference includes one or more of a Doppler frequency shift, a time of flight, an amplitude change, a frequency change, and a phase change. The electronic device according to claim 24.

26. The circuit system further includes receiving from the base station request information for requesting one or more other base stations to cooperate in sensing the position of the terminal device, Transmitting information instructing one or more base stations participating in the positioning of the terminal device based on mobile communication positioning technology, where the mobile communication positioning technology includes one or more of assisted global navigation satellite system positioning A-GNSS, downlink arrival time difference DL-TDOA, uplink arrival time difference UL-TDOA, downlink departure angle DL-AoD, uplink arrival angle UL-AOA, multi-round trip delay Multi-RTT, and new radio extended cell ID NR E-CID, the electronic device according to claim 24 or 25.

27. A method used on the core network side of a wireless communication system, comprising: Receiving from a base station information indicating an echo signal generated by at least reflecting, scattering, and / or diffracting a sensing signal by a terminal device; Determining a sensing result for the terminal device based on at least a difference between the sensing signal and the echo signal, where the sensing result includes a distance between the terminal device and the base station, an angle between the terminal device and the base station, a moving speed of the terminal device, and / or a position of the terminal device; Transmitting the sensing result to the base station.

28. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed, implement the method according to any one of claims 15, 23, and 27.

29. A device comprising: A processor; and A storage device storing executable instructions that, when executed, implement the method according to any one of claims 15, 23, and 27.

30. A computer program product including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to execute the method according to any one of claims 15, 23, and 27.

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