Information processing device, communication device, information processing method, communication method, and system

Abstract

Appropriate use of wireless sensing. [Solution] An information processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a communication unit and a control unit. The communication unit transmits a sensing instruction to a participant selected from among a plurality of communication devices in response to receiving a sensing request. The communication unit receives sensing data acquired by the participant based on the sensing instruction. The control unit restricts the provision of sensing products related to the sensing data based on restriction information, which includes information representing a restricted area.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, a communication apparatus, an information processing method, a communication method, and a system in a mobile communication system.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, research on wireless sensing technology using radio frequency signals has been progressing. For example, 5G wireless sensing using signals of the 5th generation mobile communication system New Radio (5G NR) of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP (registered trademark)) (for example, Non-Patent Document 1), Wi-Fi sensing using signals of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), etc. have been studied.

[0003] In addition, integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) that integrates a communication function and a sensing function has been studied.

[0004] Information regarding characteristics of an object (such as shape, size, orientation, speed, position, distance between objects, or relative movement, etc.) may be obtained by wireless sensing.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0005]

Non-Patent Document 1

[0006] As mentioned above, wireless sensing is being considered for 3GPP 5G NR, but progress has not yet been made in considering specific methods for controlling sensing. If this is not clearly defined, the accuracy (performance) of wireless sensing may be insufficient, potentially leading to increased communication overhead due to false object detection and a decline in the quality of services provided by external application functions.

[0007] Therefore, one of the objectives of this disclosure is to provide an information processing device and a communication device that can appropriately utilize wireless sensing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An information processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a communication unit that, upon receiving a sensing request, transmits a sensing instruction to a participant selected from among a plurality of communication devices and receives sensing data acquired by the participant based on the sensing instruction, and a control unit that restricts the provision of sensing products related to the sensing data based on restriction information including information representing a restricted area. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to one aspect of this disclosure, wireless sensing can be appropriately utilized. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the schematic functional configuration of each device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic hardware configuration of each device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of a first sensing step according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of information management regarding sensing capabilities in an SF according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a second sensing step according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows an example of privacy management information. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows an example of a second sensing step according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for determining whether or not to provide sensing results to the source of the sensing request. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows an example of variations in privacy management information. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process that determines whether or not sensing results should be provided to the source of the sensing request, based on the privacy management information shown in Figure 10. [Figure 12] Figure 12 shows an example of a variation of the second procedure. [Figure 13] Figure 13 shows an example of another variation of the second procedure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the present specification and drawings, for elements that can be similarly described, duplicate descriptions may be omitted by assigning the same reference numerals.

[0012] In the present disclosure, the text enclosed by “()” in a sentence may indicate an explanation (for example, a spelling explanation), a paraphrase, a specific example, a supplementary explanation, etc. for the immediately preceding text. Also, in the present disclosure, the text enclosed by “[]” in a sentence may be interpreted as the meaning of the entire sentence including this, or the meaning of the entire sentence may be interpreted without including this (ignoring it). Note that “()” and “[]” may be used for other purposes / meanings.

[0013] In the present disclosure, “A / B” and “at least one of A and B” may be read interchangeably. Also, in the present disclosure, “A / B / C” may mean “at least one of A, B, and C”.

[0014] In the present disclosure, the network function (Network Function (NF)) may include, for example, at least one of the following: · Application Function (AF) (for example, a function that realizes an application server outside the 5G core network (5G Core Network (5GC))), · Access and Mobility management Function (AMF) (for example, a function that manages the registration, location, etc. of a UE), · Data Network (DN) (for example, a function that realizes a data network outside the 5GC), · Location Management Function (LMF) (for example, a function of communication control related to location information services), · Non-3GPP Inter-Working Function (N3IWF) (for example, a function that connects an untrusted non-3GPP access network and the 5GC), ·Network Exposure Function(NEF) (e.g., a function that provides an external application interface for 5GC NF services), ·Network Slice Selection Function(NSSF) (e.g., a function that selects network slices), ·Network Data Analytics Function(NWDAF) (e.g., a function that analyzes network data), ·Operation, Administration and Maintenance(Management)(OAM) (e.g., a function that provides means for operation, administration and maintenance), ·Policy Control Function(PCF) (e.g., a function that controls the quality, policies, etc. of the data transfer path), ·Session Management Function(SMF) (e.g., a function that manages sessions), ·Trusted Non-3GPP Gateway Function(TNGF) (e.g., a function that connects a trusted non-3GPP access network to 5GC), ·Trusted WLAN Interworking Function(TWIF) (e.g., a function that connects a trusted non-3GPP access network to 5GC for 5G-incompatible UEs via a Wireless Local Area Network(LAN)), ·(Radio) Access Network((R)AN) (e.g., a function that provides a radio access network), ·User Equipment(UE) (e.g., a function that provides user access to network services via a wireless interface), ·Unified Data Management(UDM) (e.g., a function that stores / manages subscriber information, UE authentication information, etc.), ·Unified Data Repository(UDR) (e.g., a function that manages authentication / authorization based on subscriber information), • User Plane Function (UPF) (for example, a function that transmits user data packets).

[0015] It should be noted that these are merely examples, and it is understood that other non-fundamental features are also covered in this disclosure.

[0016] <System> Figure 1 shows an example of a schematic configuration of a system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. System 1 includes User Equipment (UE) 10, Base Station (BS) 20, Network Function (NF) server 30, and Application Server 40. System 1 may also be called a [wireless / information] communication system.

[0017] System 1 is, for example, a system compliant with a 3GPP Technical Specification (TS). More specifically, for example, System 1 may be a system compliant with a TS for 5th generation mobile communication system (5G) or New Radio (NR).

[0018] System 1 is not limited to this example and may include systems utilizing Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 6th generation mobile communication system (6G), xth generation mobile communication system (xG (where x is, for example, an integer or decimal)), New Radio (NR), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM®), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi®), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX®), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-WideBand (UWB), Bluetooth®, and other wireless communication methods, as well as next-generation systems that are extended, modified, created, or defined based on these.

[0019] In other words, terms related to 5G in this disclosure can be interpreted as terms related to other technologies / systems. Furthermore, when such interpretations are made, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that, for example, NF can be interpreted as having a similar function (or a device having a similar function) to the NF of 5G.

[0020] In System 1, UE10 receives wireless communication services using Network (NW) 3000. NW3000 corresponds to the cellular network to which UE10 can connect.

[0021] In this disclosure, cellular network may be interpreted as mobile network, wireless communication network, 5G core network (5GC), [3GPP] access network, etc. 5GC may include, for example, an optical fiber network. In this disclosure, 5GC, network, physical network, and core network (CN) may be interpreted as interchangeable.

[0022] UE10 connects to NW3000 via BS20. UE10 may be a mobile device (mobile communication terminal) such as a smartphone, tablet, or wearable device, or it may be a fixed communication terminal. UE10 may be a device mounted on a moving object (e.g., a vehicle), the moving object itself, or a device included in the moving object (held by a person riding in the moving object).

[0023] UE10 may utilize (or be equipped with) a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) / Embedded SIM (eSIM) of an operator providing wireless communication services using NW3000. Furthermore, UE10 may switch connections to different operators' NW3000s by switching the Access Point Name (APN) configuration profile.

[0024] In System 1, the communication link going to (receiving) BS20 and going out of (transmitting) UE10 may be called the uplink (UL), and the communication link going out of (transmitting) BS20 and going to (receiving) UE10 may be called the downlink (DL).

[0025] BS20 provides UE10 with a Radio Access Network (RAN). An area on the Radio Access Network where wireless communication is possible is also called a cell. In this disclosure, BS and (Radio) Access Network ((R)AN) may be used interchangeably.

[0026] BS20 is, for example, a gNB. The gNB provides NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE and is connected to 5GC via the NG interface. BS20 may also be an en-gNB. The en-gNB provides NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE and operates as a secondary node in E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0027] UE10 / BS20 / NF Server 30 / Application Server 40 may have wireless sensing capabilities, for example, they may have a sensing transmitter / receiver. UE10 / BS20 may use the sensing transmitter / receiver to perform wireless sensing around its own terminal and acquire sensing data.

[0028] UE10 / BS20 / NF Server 30 / Application Server 40 may have devices (cameras, sensors, lasers, etc.) for sensing means other than wireless sensing (e.g., image sensing, light detection and ranging (LiDAR)).

[0029] The sensing of UE10 / BS20 / NF Server 30 / Application Server 40 may be at least one of monostatic sensing, bistatic sensing, or multistatic sensing.

[0030] Monostatic sensing may be a sensing method in which the system itself transmits a sensing signal (e.g., a specific reference signal) and receives an echo signal [from the target] to acquire sensing data. Bistatic sensing may be a sensing method in which the system itself or a cooperating UE10 / BS20 / NF server 30 / application server 40's sensing transmitter transmits a signal, and the cooperating UE10 / BS20 / NF server 30 / application server 40 or the system's sensing receiver receives the signal [affected by the target]. Multistatic sensing may refer to a sensing method in which multiple sensing transmitters / multiple sensing receivers exist for a target.

[0031] The NF server 30 provides at least one of the functions of the NF described above. Figure 1 shows an NF server 30 providing an AMF, an NF server 30 providing an SMF, an NF server 30 providing a UPF, and so on. In this disclosure, the NF server 30 and NFs (e.g., AMF, NEF, NSSF, PCF, SMF, etc.) are interchangeable.

[0032] In this disclosure, NF may include a Sensing Function (SF) that manages, controls, and analyzes sensing.

[0033] The application server 40 may correspond to the above-mentioned AF as defined for the 5G Core Network (5GC). In this disclosure, the application server 40, app, AF, etc., are interchangeable.

[0034] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, the application server 40 may be an external application server (external AF) belonging to a network outside 5GC (which may also be called an untrusted AF, located outside the operator's trust domain), and may communicate with the NF server 30 within 5GC via the NEF. The application server 40 may also be an internal application server (internal AF) included within 5GC (which may also be called a trusted AF, located within the operator's trust domain), although this is not shown in the figure, and may communicate with the NF server 30 within 5GC [without going through the NEF].

[0035] The application server 40 (e.g., an untrusted AF) may support the exchange of information by service providers other than telecommunications carriers to provide services related to the UE10 using communications, via an API that makes the 5GC services (NF, especially control NF) accessible from the outside. Such exchange of information may include, for example, requesting and obtaining information about the location / state of the UE10, and specifying the quality of service (such as communication speed) for the UE10.

[0036] Any device shown in Figure 1 may also be called a network node, node, server, [wired / wireless] communication device, information processing device, etc. Furthermore, the lines between devices in Figure 1 indicate logical connections and do not necessarily have to be physically connected directly (they may be connected indirectly via another device).

[0037] <Configuration of each device> Examples of the configurations of each device (UE10, BS20, NF server 30, application server 40) according to the embodiments of this disclosure will be described.

[0038] <<Functional Configuration>> Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the schematic functional configuration of each device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, UE10 includes a control unit 110, a communication unit 120, an input / output unit 130, and a storage unit 140.

[0039] Furthermore, BS20, NF server 30, and application server 40 may have a similar functional configuration. For this reason, in Figure 2, the symbols for the functional blocks corresponding to each device are also shown, with the largest digit of the symbol representing each device (for example, for BS20, the largest digit "2" in "20") replaced with "1". For example, BS20 comprises a control unit 210, a communication unit 220, an input / output unit 230, and a storage unit 240. The following description will focus on the functional blocks of UE10, but it should be understood that similar descriptions apply to other devices.

[0040] This example primarily shows the functional blocks of the characteristic parts of this embodiment, and each device may also have other functional blocks necessary for other processes. Furthermore, the configuration may omit some functional blocks.

[0041] The control unit 110 controls the UE 10 and provides various functions. For example, the control unit 110 may control communication with other devices via the communication unit 120. The control unit 110 may also acquire information necessary for processing based on information received via the communication unit 120. The control unit 110 may also be called a processing unit.

[0042] The communication unit 120 communicates (transmits / receives) with other devices via wired or wireless connections. The communication unit 120 may obtain information from the received signal and output it to the control unit 110, or it may convert information input from the control unit 110 into a signal and transmit it. The communication unit 120 may be configured as an integrated transmitting and receiving unit (a unit capable of both transmitting and receiving), or it may be composed of separate transmitting and receiving units.

[0043] The input / output unit 130 may include an input unit that accepts input from a human operator or acquires information by performing measurements (sensing) of the surrounding environment. The input unit may be connected to a predetermined device, storage medium, etc., and accept data input. The input unit may output the input results to, for example, the control unit 110.

[0044] Furthermore, the input / output unit 130 may include an output unit that outputs data, content, etc., in a format perceptible to humans. The output unit may include a display unit that displays images, an audio output unit that outputs sound, and the like.

[0045] Either the communication unit 120 or the input / output unit 130, or a combination thereof, may function as a sensing transmitter / receiver. Sensing performed via the communication unit 120 may be wireless sensing, while sensing performed via the input / output unit 130 may be non-wireless sensing. The sensing unit may be called a sensing unit, a measurement unit, etc. For example, the measurement unit may perform sensing using the sensing method described later and acquire the sensed data.

[0046] The memory unit 140 stores (holds) various information that the UE 10 uses for processing. The control unit 110 may instruct the memory unit 140 to read or write data.

[0047] <<Hardware Configuration>> Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the schematic hardware configuration of each device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Each device comprises an antenna 910, a radio frequency (RF) circuit 920, a processor 930, a network interface 940, an input / output device 950, a memory 960, and a storage device 970.

[0048] For example, the control unit X10 (X=1, 2, 3, 4; the same applies hereafter) described above may be implemented by a processor 930. The communication unit X20 may be implemented by an antenna 910 / RF circuit 920 / network interface 940. The input / output unit X30 may be implemented by an input device / output device 950. The storage unit X40 may be implemented by a memory 960 / storage 970.

[0049] The hardware configuration of each device may include one or more of the elements shown in Figure 3, or it may omit some of the elements. For example, UE10 may not have a network interface 940.

[0050] Antenna 910 converts a signal into radio waves and radiates the radio waves into space. Antenna 910 also receives radio waves in space and converts the radio waves into signals. Multiple antennas 910 may be mounted, or they may include a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna, or they may include a single antenna for transmitting and receiving. Antenna 910 may include a directional antenna, or it may include multiple antenna elements.

[0051] The RF circuit 920 performs analog processing on the signals transmitted and received via the antenna 910. The RF circuit 920 may include filters (e.g., high-frequency filters, low-pass filters), amplifiers, modulators, frequency synthesizers, analog-to-digital conversion circuits, digital-to-analog conversion circuits, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) / Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) processing circuits, and the like.

[0052] The RF circuit 920 may perform amplification, filtering, and demodulation to a baseband signal on the received radio frequency band signal and output it to the processor 930. The RF circuit 920 may also perform modulation to a radio frequency band, filtering, and amplification on the baseband signal input from the processor 930 and transmit the radio frequency band signal via the transmitting and receiving antenna 910. The RF circuit 920 may also perform physical layer processing (for example, processing of lower-level functions of the physical layer), and may perform beamforming processing such as analog beamforming and digital beamforming.

[0053] The processor 930 may control the entire device. The processor 930 may read programs (program code), software (software modules), data, etc., from the storage 970 into the memory 960 and perform various processes according to these. For example, the processor 930 may execute and control an operating system (OS) program loaded into the memory 960.

[0054] The processor 930 may consist of a central processing unit (CPU) that includes interfaces with peripheral devices, control units, arithmetic units, registers, etc. The processor 930 may also include a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural processing unit (NPU), and the like.

[0055] The processor 930 may perform digital processing of signals transmitted and received via the antenna 910 and the RF circuit 920. This digital processing may include processing at the physical layer (e.g., processing of higher-level functions of the physical layer), processing at layers above the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and processing such as modulation, demodulation, coding, decoding, and scrambling. The processor 930 also processes signals transmitted and received via the network interface 940.

[0056] The processor 930 may include multiple processors or it may be a single processor. The multiple processors may include a baseband processor that performs the digital processing and one or more processors that perform other processing (e.g., overall control).

[0057] The network interface 940 may be, for example, a network adapter, which is connected to an external network via a wired connection and performs signal transmission and reception.

[0058] The RF circuit 920, processor 930, and network interface 940 may be configured as an integrated unit. The RF circuit 920, processor 930, and network interface 940 may also be referred to as a network controller, network card, or communication module.

[0059] The input / output device 950 includes input devices that accept input from the outside or acquire information about the surrounding environment (e.g., keyboard, mouse, microphone, switch, button, camera, sensor, etc.), output devices that perform output to the outside (e.g., display, speaker, Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamp, etc.), and devices that integrate these (e.g., touch panel). A locator for acquiring location information (e.g., a receiver compatible with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)) may also be included as a sensor.

[0060] Memory 960 is a computer-readable non-temporary recording medium that stores programs executed by the processor 930, parameters related to those programs, and various other information. Memory 960 may include at least one of Read Only Memory (ROM), Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM), (Electrically EPROM (EEPROM)), Random Access Memory (RAM), and flash memory. All or part of memory 960 may be contained within the processor 930. Memory 960 may also be called registers, cache, main memory, etc.

[0061] Storage 970 is a computer-readable, non-temporary recording medium that stores various types of information. Storage 970 may include, for example, at least one of the following: flexible disks, floppy disks, magneto-optical disks (e.g., Compact Disc ROM (CD-ROM)), digital multipurpose disks, Blu-ray® disks), removable disks, hard disk drives (HDDs), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., Solid State Drives (SSDs)). Storage 970 may also be called auxiliary storage.

[0062] Furthermore, each device, such as the processor 930 and the memory 960, may be connected by a bus for communicating information. A single bus may be used within the device, or different buses may be used between the devices.

[0063] Furthermore, BS20 may be separated into three elements: a Radio Unit (RU), a Distributed Unit (DU), and a Central Unit (CU). The RU implements RF processing and lower-level physical layer functions. The DU implements higher-level physical layer functions, MAC layer functions, and Radio Link Control (RLC) layer functions. The CU implements Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer functions.

[0064] In this disclosure, BS20 may include a single device that implements all the functions of RU, DU, and CU, or it may include multiple devices, each implementing some of the functions of RU, DU, and CU.

[0065] Furthermore, other devices in this disclosure may also be implemented by multiple devices located physically separately from each other. Conversely, multiple different devices in this disclosure (for example, two or more of UE10, BS20, NF server 30, and application server 40) may be implemented as a single device.

[0066] Furthermore, all or part of the devices described herein may mean logical devices implemented by virtual machines, containers, Docker, etc., or physical devices that operate such logical devices.

[0067] <Example of operation> The following describes examples of the operation of each device / function according to the embodiments of this disclosure. The communication methods (wireless communication methods, control methods) described below may be applied to the system 1 described above.

[0068] In the following descriptions of this disclosure, reference numerals may be omitted. For example, UE in the following descriptions may mean UE10.

[0069] In the following description, each device / function may be interpreted as one or more functional blocks (e.g., control unit 110, communication unit 120) or hardware configuration (e.g., RF circuit 920, processor 930) within the device / function.

[0070] In this disclosure, sensing, wireless sensing, and collaborative sensing (CS) may be interpreted interchangeably. CS may mean sensing in which multiple BS / UEs perform overlapping area / time sensing [and obtain sensing results based on this sensing data].

[0071] In this disclosure, SF may be interpreted as other NFs in the NW (e.g., NWDAF), or as SF / other NFs. One or more steps (processes) performed by one device / function in the following description may be interpreted as steps performed in a distributed manner by multiple devices / functions. For example, one of these devices / functions may perform part of the one or more steps, and the other may perform the remainder of the one or more steps. For example, in the first to third steps described below, SF receives a first sensing request and sends a second sensing request, which may cover the following: "either the SF or the other NF receives the first sensing request, [sends information to the other (e.g., that the first sensing request has been received, an instruction to send a second sensing request, etc.)] and the other sends a second sensing request."

[0072] In the following procedure, UE may be interpreted as UE / BS. For example, UE information may be interpreted as BS information, and the BS to be sensed may be determined based on the BS information.

[0073] <<First step in sensing>> Figure 4 shows an example of a first sensing step according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0074] In step S101, the sensing requester (e.g., AF or UE) sends a sensing request (which may also be called the first sensing request) to the SF. The sensing request may include information to identify the sensing participants (which may also be called subjects, implementers, etc.) (e.g., UE information, area information, time information, etc., or a combination thereof). The information to identify the sensing participants may also be called sensing participant identification information, participant identification information, or simply identification information.

[0075] In this disclosure, if the sensing requester is a UE / trusted AF, the transmission and reception between the requester and the SF (e.g., sending a sensing request) may not be conducted via the NEF (via the BS or directly). If the sensing requester is an untrusted AF, the transmission and reception between the requester and the SF may be conducted via the NEF.

[0076] The UE information only needs to be information that identifies the UE to be sensed, and may include, for example, at least one of the following: ·Generic Public Subscription Identifier (GPSI), ·Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI), ·NR Cell Global Identifier (NCGI), • NR Cell Identify (NCI) or Cell Identifier (Identifier (ID) gNB ID, • Internet Protocol (IP) address (e.g., Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4) address, Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) address, IPv6 prefix), • MAC address, • External Group Identifier • Internal Group Identifier Any other identifier to identify the UE (e.g., UE ID), the UE's telephone number itself, or information related to the telephone number (e.g., Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number (MSISDN))).

[0077] The UE information included in a sensing request may include UE information indicating the UE that requested the sensing (which may also be called the requesting UE or demanding UE). The requesting UE may be the UE that sends the sensing request, or it may be the UE that notifies the AF that it wishes to receive the sensing results.

[0078] Area information may be information indicating the area to be sensed, for example, information indicating the area (region / domain) where the UE is located [currently, in the past, or in the future]. Area information may also be information indicating prohibited routes. Area information may be included in UE information.

[0079] The above area may be indicated by at least one of the following: a range of latitude and longitude [from a reference point], distance [from a reference point], a geographical area, a tracking area (TA), or it may be predefined by the requesting party / SF / NEF. The area information may include at least one of the following: a reference point, a range of latitude and longitude [from a reference point], distance [from a reference point], an address / shape indicating the geographical area, a list of TA identifiers (Tracking Area Identity (TAI)), a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) ID, or an area identifier (Identifier (ID)) predefined by the requesting party / SF / NEF. The above reference point may be pre-set by the requesting party / SF / NEF, or it may be the current location of the UE.

[0080] Time information may be information indicating the time [of the sensing target], and may include information about the time [when the UE is located in the above region / area]. The above time may be identified based on at least one of the following: start time, end time, duration from the start time, time zone, period, offset [of the period from a specific time]. The unit of time may be expressed as, for example, seconds, minutes, hours. Furthermore, time information is not limited to information that directly represents "time," but may also represent information that represents some kind of timing.

[0081] Furthermore, if the UE information is an external (proprietary) ID different from the ID (e.g., GPSI) of a 3GPP domain (under 5GS management), the requesting party / NEF may have information regarding the mapping (correspondence) between the 3GPP domain ID and the external ID. In this disclosure, UE information may be interpreted as UE information converted to a 3GPP domain ID by the NEF or another NF.

[0082] Furthermore, in this disclosure, UE information may be in list format or any format (e.g., array format, vector format, etc.). In other words, the information in this disclosure may be interpreted as information [list], identifying information, specifying information, etc. The UE information may include one or more values ​​that represent an individual UE (e.g., one IP address) or one or more values ​​that represent multiple UEs (e.g., a range of IP addresses, the area information mentioned above).

[0083] The requesting party may derive the remaining information from one or two of the following: UE information, area information, and time information. Furthermore, the requesting party may derive at least one of the UE information, area information, and time information based on predetermined settings / values ​​(which may be called default settings / values). For example, the default value for time information may indicate a predetermined time after the current time.

[0084] The requesting party may derive the remaining information from any or two of the following: UE information, area information, time information, etc. Furthermore, the SF / NEF may derive at least one of the following information not included in the sensing request: UE information, area information, time information, etc., based on any or two of the UE information, area information, time information, etc. included in the sensing request. For example, the requesting party / SF / NEF may have prior knowledge of the correspondence between UEs and areas, and may derive area information from UE information, or UE information from area information, based on that correspondence.

[0085] Furthermore, the requesting party / SF / NEF may derive at least one of the UE information, area information, and time information based on predetermined settings / values ​​(which may be called default settings / values, for example). For example, the default value for time information may indicate a predetermined time after the current time.

[0086] In step S102, the SF discovers the sensing participants (hereinafter also referred to as participants) [based on the first sensing request]. In this disclosure, discovery, determination, identification, etc., may be interpreted interchangeably. The participants may be one or more devices (BS / UE). If multiple participants are discovered, the sensing may be a CS or individual sensings.

[0087] For example, the SF may identify the requesting UE based on the UE information of the first sensing request in step S101 and determine the BS / UE located near the requesting UE as a participant. Alternatively, the SF may determine the BS / UE located in or near the area based on the area information of the first sensing request in step S101 as a participant.

[0088] Whether a device is near the requesting UE, or is included in / near the area, may be determined based on the location information of each device (requesting UE, each BS, each UE), or based on the communication / connection status of each device. The SF may determine as a participant any BS / UE that is expected to be included in / near the area at a time determined based on time information.

[0089] The first sensing request may include information that explicitly or implicitly designates the CS, and the SF may decide, based on this information, to take control for the CS with respect to the first sensing request (for example, to discover multiple participants). The information that implicitly designates the CS may be the aforementioned UE information, area information, or information indicating sensing accuracy.

[0090] The SF may receive information regarding sensing capabilities (which may also be called sensing functions) from the BS / UE in advance. The SF may determine which BS / UEs are candidates for participation based on the sensing capabilities of each BS / UE, and may select participants from among the candidates in step S102. The information regarding sensing capabilities may include information indicating that [the device] supports / has (or does not support / does not have) sensing [functions / capabilities], or it may include information indicating the available sensing means [of the device]. The information regarding sensing capabilities may be included in UE capability information, or it may be included in any inter-device messages / signaling.

[0091] In this disclosure, the sensing means and the sensing method may be interpreted as interchangeable.

[0092] Prior to step S102, the SF may send an inquiry to the BS / UE requesting it to report information regarding sensing capabilities. The BS / UE may then send information regarding sensing capabilities to the SF in response to the inquiry. The sending and receiving of such inquiries and information regarding sensing capabilities may be controlled via a specific NF (e.g., AMF).

[0093] Furthermore, the BS / UE may transmit information regarding sensing capabilities to the SF at any time. This timing may occur at a specific period / duration / frequency. The above specific period / duration / frequency may be predetermined, or information indicating the above specific period / duration / frequency may be notified from the SF to the BS / UE.

[0094] When SF receives information about a new / different sensing capability for a given BS / UE, it may store the current timing as the timing (which may be called the update timing) when this sensing capability information is updated.

[0095] The update timing may be before step S101 (which may be called step S100, for example), before step S102, or at any other time.

[0096] It is preferable that the SF controls the transmission of the above query to update information regarding sensing capability immediately before step S102.

[0097] The SF / specific NF (e.g., AMF) may store the sensing capability of the BS / UE in association with at least one of the following: information to identify the BS / UE (e.g., UE information), the update timing, etc. (for example, in the form of a [Reference] table). Note that the SF may not be limited to tables, but may use any format such as lists or arrays to associate and store this information.

[0098] Figure 5 shows an example of information management regarding sensing capabilities in an SF according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. This example shows how UE information (e.g., UE ID), the last update date (year, month, day), and available sensing means are managed in a table format. In Figure 5, for example, UE1 is shown to have terahertz waves and millimeter waves available as sensing means, and its last update date is June 20, 2024.

[0099] In step S103, the SF sends a sensing request to the participant [via a BS / UE near the participant]. The sensing request in step S103 (which may be called a second sensing request) may contain the same information as the first sensing request in step S101, or it may contain different information. For example, the UE information (or area information or time information) included in the second sensing request may represent a portion of the content (e.g., some UEs, some areas, some times) included in the UE information (or area information or time information) included in the first sensing request. Second sensing requests to multiple participants may be configured such that the UE information (or area information or time information) included in them, when combined, is the same as or corresponds to the content of the UE information (or area information or time information) included in the first sensing request.

[0100] The second sensing request from the SF to the participant may be sent using, for example, RRC signaling (e.g., an RRC reconfiguration message).

[0101] In step S104, each participant who receives a sensing request in step S103 may perform sensing based on the sensing request and collect sensing data. For example, a participant may perform sensing at the time indicated by the time information of the sensing request / in the area indicated by the area information of the sensing request.

[0102] Furthermore, the second sensing request may include information that explicitly or implicitly designates a CS, and based on this information, the participant may determine that the sensing to be performed is a CS and may perform different controls than those for individual sensings that are not CS.

[0103] In step S105, each participant may transmit sensing data to the SF. In step S105, participants may also calculate sensing results based on the sensing data and transmit such sensing results to the SF together with or instead of the sensing data. In this disclosure, participants may also transmit sensing data / sensing results to other devices (e.g., edge servers [in / outside the operator's trust domain], any NF, other AF, etc.).

[0104] In step S106, the SF may calculate the sensing result based on the sensing data / sensing results received from each participant (for example, by integrating these data / results). In this disclosure, the SF may receive sensing data / sensing results directly from participants, or it may receive (acquire) sensing data / sensing results received by other devices (e.g., edge servers [in / outside the operator's trust domain], any NF, other AF, etc.) via said other devices.

[0105] In step S107, the SF may transmit the sensing results (for example, at least one of the sensing results transmitted by the participant in step S105 and the sensing results calculated by the SF in step S106) to the requester of the sensing (requesting AF or requesting UE). The SF may transmit some or all of the sensing data from each participant to the requester along with or instead of the sensing results. In this disclosure, the SF may transmit sensing data / sensing results to other devices (e.g., edge servers [in / outside the operator's trust domain], any NF, other AF, etc.). In this disclosure, the requester of the sensing may receive sensing data / sensing results directly from the SF, or may receive (acquire) sensing data / sensing results received by other devices (e.g., edge servers [in / outside the operator's trust domain], any NF, other AF, etc.) via said other devices. Furthermore, if the requesting UE has notified the AF that it wishes to receive the sensing results, the AF may also send the sensing results / sensing data to the requesting UE.

[0106] The requesting party may also perform sensing themselves and derive sensing results / sensing data, and may calculate the final sensing result based on these sensing results / sensing data and the received sensing results / sensing data (for example, by integrating these results / data).

[0107] In this disclosure, sensing results / sensing data may be interpreted interchangeably with information regarding sensing results.

[0108] According to the first sensing procedure described above, sensing can be performed on UEs in the appropriate area / time. According to the first procedure, for example, sensing from multiple UEs (such as cars) can be integrated to detect the overall situation (such as road conditions). The drawback of sensing by only one UE, such as the existence of parts that cannot be detected due to obstacles, can be expected to be improved by performing CS in the first procedure.

[0109] <<Second step in sensing>> As described above, the technology of this disclosure allows for obtaining desired sensing results by having UE10 and / or BS20 perform sensing. However, there are cases where it is undesirable to disclose the sensing results from the standpoint of protecting privacy. Therefore, in the second sensing step relating to this disclosure, the disclosure of the sensing results is restricted under certain conditions.

[0110] Figure 6 outlines a second sensing step according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In the example shown in Figure 6, Alice, Bob, and Charlie are each holding a terminal device. Specifically, Alice, Bob, and Charlie are users of UE10a, UE10b, and UE10c, respectively.

[0111] SF30 can be implemented, for example, in the NW3000 shown in Figure 1, and can provide sensing services. SF30 can process sensing requests transmitted from AF40 shown in Figure 1 or Figure 4. SF30 may also process sensing requests transmitted from UE10. In this embodiment, SF30 may process sensing requests transmitted from UE10a to UE10c.

[0112] SF30 may select a participant to perform sensing in response to an received sensing request. The participant may be a UE10 or a BS20. SF30 may then send sensing instructions (or sensing settings) to the selected participant.

[0113] Participants perform sensing according to sensing instructions. This allows participants to obtain the requested sensing data. Then, participants transmit the obtained sensing data to the SF30.

[0114] SF30 may generate sensing results based on sensing data received from participants. SF30 may then transmit the sensing results to the source of the sensing request. However, SF30 is configured with privacy management information, as described below. This privacy management information may represent individuals or communication devices to whom sensing results may be provided within a restricted area specified by the user.

[0115] In the example shown in Figure 6, Area A is set as a restricted area by Alice in the privacy management information 31. A restricted area may represent an area where the provision or disclosure of sensing products related to sensing data acquired in that area to a third party may be restricted. Sensing products may be sensing data acquired by a participant, sensing results generated based on sensing data, or intermediate data obtained during the process of generating sensing results from sensing data. Note that a restricted area set by a user is sometimes called a "sensitive area." A sensitive area is an area where the user's privacy should be protected. Also, in the example shown in Figure 6, it is assumed that sensing results are transmitted to authorized users in SF30.

[0116] In this embodiment, Area A represents a predetermined area including Alice's home. Furthermore, the privacy management information 31 may indicate that sensing results based on sensing data acquired in Area A may only be provided to Alice and persons authorized by Alice. In this embodiment, the privacy management information 31 indicates that sensing results based on sensing data acquired in Area A may only be provided to Alice and Bob.

[0117] In this case, SF30 may determine whether the sensing data received from the participant was acquired in a sensitive area registered in the privacy management information 31. In this embodiment, SF30 determines whether the sensing data received from the participant was acquired in area A. If the sensing data was not acquired in area A, SF30 may send the sensing result to the source of the sensing request. SF30 may also determine whether the participant is located within a sensitive area before sending a sensing instruction to the participant. If the participant is located within a sensitive area, SF30 may not send a sensing instruction, or may use the sensing instruction to specify a sensitive area and notify the participant that there is no need to collect radio wave data within the sensitive area.

[0118] When sensing data is acquired in area A, SF30 may decide whether or not to transmit the sensing result depending on the source of the sensing request. Specifically, if the source of the sensing request is the requester of a sensitive area, SF30 may transmit the sensing result to the source of the sensing request. In this embodiment, area A is set up at the request of Alice. Therefore, when SF30 receives a sensing request from Alice, it may transmit the sensing result to Alice (i.e., UE10a).

[0119] When the source of a sensing request is registered as an authorized person in the privacy management information 31, SF30 may send the sensing result to the source of the sensing request. In this embodiment, Bob is registered as an authorized person for area A. In this case, when SF30 receives a sensing request from Bob, it may send the sensing result to Bob (i.e., UE10b).

[0120] If the source of the sensing request is not a requester of a sensitive area and is not registered as an authorized person in the privacy management information 31, SF30 does not send the sensing results to the source of the sensing request. In this embodiment, Charlie is not registered as an authorized person for area A. In this case, when SF30 receives a sensing request from Charlie, it does not send the sensing results to Charlie (i.e., UE10c). In this case, SF30 may send Charlie a rejection report. A rejection report may indicate that it is not possible to provide sensing results corresponding to the sensing request.

[0121] Thus, according to the second procedure, a user who requires privacy protection (in this case, Alice) can control who receives (or publishes) sensing data (or sensing results) obtained in a desired sensitive area by setting privacy management information 31. For example, Alice can prevent image data of her home from being obtained by a third party. Alice can also control or restrict who receives sensing results based on sensing data obtained in a sensitive area by designating an authorized person (Bob in Figure 6). This protects the user's privacy and prevents or suppresses the leakage of sensing data to malicious third parties.

[0122] Figure 7 shows an example of privacy management information 31. Privacy management information 31 manages sensitive areas (restricted areas), clients, and authorized persons. Note that privacy management information 31 may also manage other types of information.

[0123] A sensitive area may represent an area designated by a user requiring privacy protection, where the provision or disclosure of sensing products related to sensing data acquired in that area to third parties may be restricted. A sensitive area may be represented by latitude and longitude. Alternatively, a sensitive area may be represented by location information convertible to latitude and longitude. Furthermore, a sensitive area may be represented by a place name. In addition, a sensitive area may be represented using a cell or TAI (Tracking Area Identity) provided by each base station. The conversion between longitude / latitude and cell / TAI can be performed on the 5G system side. A sensitive area may also be specified using an index based on a space-filling curve. For example, a spatial index may be generated by encoding location coordinates using a space-filling curve such as a Hilbert curve, and a sensitive area may be specified using that spatial index.

[0124] The "requester" represents information that identifies the user requesting or demanding the setting of a sensitive area (for example, the user's name). The privacy management information 31 may also include information that identifies the terminal device used by the requester. Furthermore, the "requester" in the privacy management information 31 may be associated with information that identifies the terminal device used by that requester.

[0125] An authorized user represents a user who can obtain sensing products related to sensing data of a sensitive area. In this case, the provision of sensing products related to sensing data of the sensitive area is permitted in response to sensing requests from such users. Alternatively, an authorized user may be an AF40 (or an application ID, etc.). In this case, the provision of sensing products related to sensing data of the sensitive area is permitted in response to sensing requests from the AF.

[0126] Authorized persons may be designated by the client of the sensitive area. Privacy management information 31 may include information identifying the terminal device used by the authorized person. In addition, information identifying the terminal device used by the authorized person may be linked to the "authorized person" in privacy management information 31.

[0127] In this embodiment, Alice is requested to configure sensitive area A. Dave is requested to configure sensitive area D. Alice is also permitted to provide Bob with sensing data or sensing results acquired in sensitive area A.

[0128] The privacy management information 31 is an example of restriction information for controlling the provision of sensing products related to sensing data acquired in a designated restricted area (e.g., a sensitive area). That is, SF30 may restrict the provision of sensing products based on a sensitive area related to the user's privacy, or it may restrict the provision of sensing products based on a restricted area related to any other arbitrary restricting factor.

[0129] Figure 8 shows an example of a second sensing procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the source of the sensing request (i.e., the sensing requester) is UE10. For example, in the example shown in Figure 6, UE10a, UE10b, or UE10c is the source of the sensing request. However, AF40 may be the source of the sensing request instead of UE10. Also, UE10 and / or BS20 shown in Figure 4 may act as participants in sensing. That is, UE10 and / or BS20 may collect specified sensing data in response to a sensing request. Therefore, in the following description, communication devices that can act as participants in sensing (UE10 and / or BS20) may be referred to as "candidate participants".

[0130] In this embodiment, the privacy management information 31 is set in SF30. For example, the privacy management information 31 may be stored in a memory area provided by SF30. Alternatively, the privacy management information 31 may be stored in a memory area accessible to SF30. In any case, SF30 can access the privacy management information 31 as needed.

[0131] In S201, the source of the sensing request (in this case, UE10) sends the sensing request to SF30. The sensing request may be the same as the sensing request sent in S101 shown in Figure 4. In this case, the sensing request may include information to identify the sensing participants (e.g., UE information, area information, time information, or a combination thereof). The sensing request may also include service requirement information that represents the requirements for the sensing service. The service requirement information may include one or more of the following: information specifying the sensing method (e.g., 3GPP sensing, image sensing), information specifying the sensing accuracy, information specifying the maximum sensing delay, information specifying the frequency of the sensing signal, information specifying the resources allocated to sensing, and information specifying the acceptable false positive rate.

[0132] In S202, SF30 selects (or discovers) a participant from the candidate participants based on the sensing request. At this time, SF30 may select one or more participants based on the information included in the sensing request for identifying the sensing participant. For example, UE10 / BS20 located within a predetermined area may be selected as a participant. Alternatively, SF30 may select one or more participants based on service requirements information and the capability information of each candidate participant. For example, UE10 / BS20 that satisfies the requirements expressed in the service requirements information may be selected as a participant. Specifically, UE10 / BS20 located within a predetermined area and that satisfies the requirements expressed in the service requirements information may be selected as a participant.

[0133] In S203, SF30 sends sensing instructions to the participants. The sensing instructions may include information indicating the sensing method to be performed. The sensing instructions may also include the service requirements information described above. In other words, the sensing instructions may include some or all of the information contained in the sensing request.

[0134] In S204, the participant performs the specified sensing in response to receiving a sensing instruction. That is, the participant performs sensing based on the sensing instruction transmitted from SF30 and acquires sensing data. For example, if the sensing instruction specifies image sensing, the participant may acquire image data using a camera.

[0135] In S205, the participant transmits the sensing data acquired in S204 to SF30. The sensing data may be transmitted directly from the participant to SF30, or it may be forwarded from the participant to SF30 via a designated NF within NW3000.

[0136] In S206, SF30 generates sensing results based on sensing data acquired from participants. For example, suppose a sensing request asks for the recognition of object attributes (car, bicycle, pedestrian, etc.). In this case, SF30 recognizes the object attributes by performing predetermined image recognition processing on the image data acquired from participants.

[0137] Furthermore, SF30 may generate sensing results by fusing multiple sets of sensing data. In this case, SF30 may acquire multiple sets of sensing data from one participant, or multiple sets of sensing data from multiple participants. For example, SF30 may generate sensing results by acquiring image data and LiDAR data from one or more participants and performing sensor fusion.

[0138] In S207, SF30 determines whether or not to provide the sensing results generated in S206 to the source of the sensing request. At this time, SF30 refers to the privacy management information. The processing in S207 will be described later.

[0139] If SF30 determines that it is acceptable to provide the sensing results to the source of the sensing request, it transmits the sensing results to the source of the sensing request in S208. The sensing results may also be transmitted to a predetermined device specified in the sensing request.

[0140] If the source of the sensing request is not authorized to receive the sensing results, SF30 sends a rejection report to the source of the sensing request in S209. The rejection report may indicate that sensing results corresponding to the sensing request cannot be provided. The rejection report may also indicate the reason why sensing results corresponding to the sensing request cannot be provided. In this case, the rejection report may indicate that the sensing was performed in another person's sensitive area.

[0141] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the process for determining whether or not to provide the sensing results to the source of the sensing request. This process corresponds to S207 shown in Figure 8 and is executed by SF30.

[0142] In S211, SF30 determines whether sensing was performed in a sensitive area registered in the privacy management information 31. At this time, SF30 may also determine whether the sensing data received from the participant was acquired in a sensitive area registered in the privacy management information 31. It is assumed that SF30 is aware of the location of each participant. For example, if the sensing participant is BS20, its location may be registered in SF30 as fixed information. If the sensing participant is UE10, SF30 may detect its location in real time. If the sensing participant is a mobile BS20, SF30 may also detect its location in real time.

[0143] If sensing is not being performed within the sensitive area, SF30 determines that it may provide the sensing results to the source of the sensing request. In this case, SF30 may send the sensing results to the source of the sensing request in S208. If sensing is being performed within the sensitive area, SF30 proceeds to S212. In the following description, the sensitive area where sensing is being performed as specified by the sensing request may be referred to as the "target sensitive area".

[0144] In S212, SF30 determines whether the source of the sensing request (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "sensing requester") is the requester of the sensitive area. If the sensing requester is the requester of the sensitive area, SF30 determines that it may provide the sensing results to the sensing requester. In this case, SF30 may send the sensing results to the sensing requester in S208. If the sensing requester is not the requester of the sensitive area, SF30 proceeds to S213.

[0145] In S213, SF30 determines whether the sensing requester is registered as an authorized person in the privacy management information 31. If the sensing requester is registered as an authorized person, SF30 determines that it may provide the sensing results to the sensing requester. In this case, SF30 may transmit the sensing results to the sensing requester in S208.

[0146] If the sensing requester is not the requester of the sensitive area in question and is not registered as an authorized subject, SF30 sends a rejection report to the sensing requester in S209. The rejection report may be sent directly to the sensing requester or forwarded to the sensing requester via a designated device within NW3000.

[0147] In the example shown in Figure 8, the decision of whether or not to provide the sensing results to the sensing requester is made after the sensing results have been generated, but the second step is not limited to this sequence. For example, SF30 may decide whether or not to provide the sensing results to the sensing requester before generating the sensing results. In this case, if the sensing results are not to be provided to the sensing requester, there is no need to generate the sensing results, which can reduce the load on SF30.

[0148] Next, we will explain the operation of SF30 when Alice, Bob, and Charlie, as shown in Figure 6, each request a sensing service. Alice, Bob, and Charlie will use UE10a, UE10b, and UE10c, respectively. Here, it is assumed that SF30 is configured with information indicating that UE10a is the terminal device used by Alice, UE10b is the terminal device used by Bob, and UE10c is the terminal device used by Charlie. In addition, it is assumed that SF30 is configured with the privacy management information 31 shown in Figure 7.

[0149] SF30 acquires sensing data from participants in response to sensing requests. If sensing is not performed within a sensitive area, SF30 determines that it may provide the sensing results to the sensing requester. In other words, in this case, regardless of who the sensing requester is, the sensing results are provided to the sensing requester who sent the sensing request. The following describes the case where sensing is performed within Area A, which is registered as a sensitive area.

[0150] When SF30 receives a sensing request from UE10a, it refers to the privacy management information 31 for "Alice," the user of UE10a. As shown in Figure 7, "Alice" is the requester who set Area A as a sensitive area. That is, the determination in S212 in Figure 9 is "Yes." In this case, SF30 may send the sensing result to UE10a.

[0151] When SF30 receives a sensing request from UE10b, it refers to the privacy management information 31 for "Bob," the user of UE10b. "Bob" is not the requester who set Area A as a sensitive area, as shown in Figure 7. However, "Bob" is registered in the privacy management information 31 as an authorized person for Area A. That is, the determination in S213 in Figure 9 is "Yes." In this case, SF30 may send the sensing result to UE10b.

[0152] When SF30 receives a sensing request from UE10c, it refers to the privacy management information 31 for "Charlie," the user of UE10c. "Charlie" is not the requester who set Area A as a sensitive area, as shown in Figure 7. Also, "Charlie" is not registered in the privacy management information 31 as an authorized person for Area A. In other words, the determinations in S212 and S213 in Figure 9 are both "No." In this case, SF30 does not send the sensing result to UE10c. Alternatively, SF30 may send a rejection report to UE10c.

[0153] Thus, in the second step, when sensing data is acquired within a sensitive area, SF30 may restrict the provision of sensing products related to the sensing data (e.g., sensing data, sensing results, or intermediate data). That is, SF30 restricts the provision of sensing products based on restriction information (e.g., privacy management information 31 representing a sensitive area) that includes information representing a restricted area. In this case, SF30 may restrict the provision of sensing products based on the restriction information and information related to the requester of the sensing request. Specifically, when sensing data is acquired within a sensitive area and the sensing requester is not a designated entity related to the privacy management information 31, SF30 restricts the provision of sensing products related to the sensing data. The designated entity may be, for example, the requester of the sensitive area. In this case, the sensing products are provided only to the requester of the sensitive area. Alternatively, the designated entity may be an authorized person designated by the requester of the sensitive area. In other words, a requester in a sensitive area can provide the necessary sensing product to the desired target (e.g., family, friends, etc.). Thus, a sensing system with high security and convenience is constructed. The information related to the source of the sensing request may directly or indirectly represent the sensing requester. For example, the information related to the source of the sensing request may be information that identifies the UE that sent the sensing request, or information that identifies the user of that UE. Also, when a sensing request is sent from AF40, the information related to the source of the sensing request may be information that identifies AF40, or information that identifies the application running on AF40.

[0154] In the example shown in Figure 7, sensing data is transmitted from the participant to SF30, but the second step is not limited to this method. For example, the participant may generate sensing results or intermediate data from the sensing data and transmit the sensing results or intermediate data from the participant to SF30. Also, in cases where sensing results are generated by fusing sensing data transmitted from multiple participants, SF30 may refer to the privacy management information 31 to determine whether or not to provide the sensing results when one or more of those participants are located within the sensitive area. Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 7, SF30 generates sensing results from the sensing data and transmits them to the sensing requester, but SF30 may also transmit sensing data intermediate data to the sensing requester.

[0155] Figure 10 shows an example of a variation in privacy management information. In this embodiment, the privacy management information 32 may include filtering information for sensing data to be provided to authorized persons for each sensitive area. Filtering may include processing of sensing data or sensing results, or processing to remove a portion of the sensing data or sensing results. In the example shown in Figure 10, if the sensing data includes image data acquired from area A, it is shown that a blurred image is provided to authorized persons.

[0156] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a process that determines whether or not sensing results may be provided to a sensing requester based on the privacy management information shown in Figure 10. Note that steps S211 to S213 may be substantially the same in Figure 9 and Figure 11.

[0157] When the sensing requester is authorized, SF30 generates filtered sensing results in S221. For example, if the filtering information specifies "blurred image," SF30 generates sensing results after applying a blurring process to the image data (or a part of the image data) acquired as sensing data. Then, SF30 sends the filtered sensing results to the sensing requester. At this time, SF30 may also send information indicating the type of filtering performed to the sensing requester along with the sensing results.

[0158] Thus, SF30 may set sensitive areas where the provision or disclosure of sensing results is restricted, in response to a user's request. This can protect the privacy of each user. However, if sensitive areas are set unconditionally in response to each user's request, the area from which sensing results cannot be obtained will increase, potentially reducing the convenience of the sensing service. Therefore, it is preferable for the provider of the sensing service to verify the relationship between the requested sensitive area and the person who requested it when a request for setting a sensitive area is made. For example, if the requested sensitive area is owned by the person who requested that sensitive area, the setting of the sensitive area may be permitted. Conversely, if the requested sensitive area is owned by someone else, the setting of the sensitive area may be refused. This can protect the privacy of each user while minimizing the reduction in the convenience of the sensing service. Note that SF30 (or a designated NF within NW3000 that operates in response to a request from SF30) may perform the above verification automatically without human intervention.

[0159] In the embodiments shown in Figures 10 and 11, whether or not filtering processing is performed is controlled, but the level of filtering processing to be performed may be defined according to the attributes of the sensing requester. For example, the attributes of the sensing requester may be defined as the person themselves (the requester of the privacy management information 31), a person subject to Level 1 authorization, a person subject to Level 2 authorization, a person subject to non-authorization, etc. Furthermore, for each attribute of the sensing requester, the level of filtering processing may be defined as no filtering, low-level filtering, high-level filtering, prohibition of providing sensing results, etc. In this case, when SF30 receives a sensing request, it checks the attributes of the sensing requester. SF30 then applies sensing processing to the sensing data received from the participant at a level corresponding to the attributes of the sensing requester. Finally, SF30 provides the sensing product obtained by applying the filtering processing to the requester of the sensing request. Specifically, when the sensing requester is the requester of privacy management information 31, SF30 may generate sensing products without applying filtering to the sensing data. When the sensing requester is a Level 1 authorized party, SF30 may generate sensing products by applying low-level filtering to the sensing data. When the sensing requester is a Level 2 authorized party, SF30 may generate sensing products by applying high-level filtering to the sensing data. When the sensing requester is an unauthorized party, SF30 does not provide sensing products.

[0160] <<Variation 1 of the second procedure>> In the procedure shown in Figures 6 to 11, SF30 performs privacy protection controls after acquiring sensing data from the participant. However, SF30 may also perform privacy protection controls before sending sensing instructions to the participant.

[0161] Figure 12 shows an example of a variation of the second procedure. Note that steps S201 to S202 are substantially the same in Figures 8 and 12. That is, SF30 selects a sensing participant in response to a sensing request received from the sensing requester. The participant may be BS20, UE10, or both BS20 and UE10.

[0162] In the procedure shown in Figure 12, SF30 determines in S207 whether it is permissible to provide sensing data or sensing results to the sensing requester before sending a sensing instruction to the participant. The processing in S207 may be substantially the same in Figures 8 and 12. That is, SF30 may determine whether it is permissible to provide sensing data / sensing results to the sensing requester based on the location of the selected participant. If the selected participant is located within a sensitive area and the sensing requester is not authorized as a destination for sensing data / sensing results, SF30 does not need to send a sensing instruction to the participant. However, it is preferable for SF30 to send a rejection report to the sensing requester. Thus, according to the procedure shown in Figure 12, unnecessary traffic (sending sensing instructions from SF30 to the participant and sending sensing data from the participant to SF30) can be reduced.

[0163] <<Variation 2 of the second procedure>> In the procedure shown in Figures 6 to 12, privacy protection control is performed on the NW3000 side (SF30 in the embodiment). However, privacy protection control may also be performed on the wireless access network side. In the example shown in Figure 1 or Figure 4, the wireless access network may be provided by BS20. Alternatively, the wireless access network may consist of BS20 and UE10.

[0164] Privacy management information is set in the wireless access network. In this embodiment, privacy management information corresponding to each BS20 is set. However, it is not necessary to set privacy management information for all BS20s. In addition, privacy management information related to the communication area covered by the BS20 may be set for the BS20. For example, if a sensitive area is set within the communication area covered by the BS20, or if the communication area covered by the BS20 overlaps with a part of the sensitive area, privacy management information related to that sensitive area may be set for the BS20. In addition to being set for each BS20, privacy management information may also be set for the SF30.

[0165] Privacy management information may be set directly on each BS20. Alternatively, privacy management information may be set on each BS20 from a predetermined NF (e.g., SF30) within the NW3000.

[0166] Privacy management information may be stored in the storage area provided by BS20. Alternatively, privacy management information may be stored in a storage area accessible to BS20. In either case, BS20 shall be able to access privacy management information as needed.

[0167] Figure 13 shows an example of another variation of the second procedure. Note that steps S201 to S203 are substantially the same in Figures 8 and 13. That is, SF30 selects a sensing participant in response to a sensing request received from the sensing requester. The participant may be BS20, UE10, or both BS20 and UE10. Then, SF30 sends a sensing instruction to the selected participant.

[0168] In the following description, a UE10 selected as a participant may be referred to as "UE10p." Similarly, a BS20 selected as a participant, or a BS20 connected to a UE10p selected as a participant, may be referred to as "BS20p."

[0169] In S204, the participants (UE10p / BS20p) acquire sensing data according to sensing instructions. When sensing data is acquired by UE10p, the sensing data transmitted from UE10p to SF30 may be temporarily held by BS20p.

[0170] In S231, BS20p determines whether or not to provide the sensing data acquired in S204 to the sensing requester. At this time, SF30 may refer to, for example, the privacy management information 31 shown in Figure 7. Here, the determination process in S231 may be substantially the same as the determination process in S207 performed by SF30 in the procedure shown in Figure 8. That is, BS20p may perform the same process as the flowchart shown in Figure 9.

[0171] If sensing data may be provided to the sensing requester, BS20p may transmit the sensing data to SF30 in S205. In this case, SF30 may generate sensing results based on the sensing data in S206. SF30 may also transmit the sensing results to the sensing requester in S208.

[0172] If the sensing requester is not authorized as a destination for sensing data, BS20p may send a rejection report to SF30 in S232. The rejection report may indicate that sensing data corresponding to the sensing request cannot be provided. Alternatively, the rejection report may be forwarded from BS20p to the sensing requester via SF30.

[0173] Thus, in the procedure shown in Figure 13, similar to the procedure shown in Figure 8, sensitive areas are set up where the provision or disclosure of sensing results is restricted upon request from the user, thus protecting the privacy of each user. Furthermore, since the provision or disclosure of sensing data is restricted on the wireless access network (e.g., BS20), the burden on SF30 can be reduced.

[0174] In the embodiment shown in Figure 13, BS20 controls the restriction on the provision of sensing data, but UE10, which acts as a participant, may also control the restriction on the provision of sensing data. In this case, privacy management information 31 may be provided to UE10. Furthermore, when UE10 performs sensing in response to a sensing instruction, if it is located within the sensitive area, it does not need to transmit the acquired sensing data to SF30.

[0175] In the embodiments shown in Figures 6 to 13, the provision of sensing data / sensing results is restricted based on privacy management information. However, in the sensing system relating to this disclosure, a UE10 (unrestricted UE) that is not subject to this restriction may be provided. In this case, information identifying the unrestricted UE may be registered in the sensing system. For example, in the procedure shown in Figure 8, information identifying the unrestricted UE may be set in SF30 together with the privacy management information. Also, in the procedure shown in Figure 13, when the UE registration of the unrestricted UE is performed in BS20, or when an unrestricted UE is handed over, information identifying the unrestricted UE may be set in BS20 together with the privacy management information. In addition, predetermined attribute information may be assigned to the unrestricted UE. This attribute information may indicate that it is not subject to the restrictions imposed by the privacy management information. Furthermore, when a sensing request is sent from an unrestricted UE (i.e., when a sensing request is sent from a UE10 that has the identification information of an unrestricted UE or a UE10 that has been assigned predetermined attribute information), the SF30 / BS20 may provide sensing data / sensing results to the sensing requester, regardless of whether sensing was performed within a sensitive area or not. Note that an unrestricted UE may be, for example, a terminal device of a country or a predetermined agency.

[0176] <Note> The following invention is added with respect to one embodiment of this disclosure. [Note 1] A communication unit that, upon receiving a sensing request, transmits a sensing instruction to a participant selected from among multiple communication devices, and receives sensing data acquired by the participant based on the sensing instruction, A control unit that restricts the provision of sensing products related to the sensing data based on restriction information including information representing a restricted area, An information processing device equipped with the following features. [Note 2] The restricted area, as represented by the aforementioned restriction information, is a sensitive area where privacy should be protected. The information processing apparatus described in Appendix 1, characterized in that it is a processing apparatus. [Note 3] The control unit restricts the provision of sensing products related to the sensing data based on the restriction information and information related to the source of the sensing request. The information processing apparatus according to Appendix 1 or 2, characterized in that it is the same as described in Appendix 1 or 2. [Note 4] When the sensing data is acquired within the restricted area and the source of the sensing request is not a predetermined entity related to the restriction information, the control unit restricts the provision of the sensing product. An information processing device according to any one of the appendices 1 to 3, characterized in that it is the same as described in appendice 1 to 3. [Note 5] When the source of the sensing request is the requester of the restricted area, the control unit provides the sensing product to the source of the sensing request. If the source of the sensing request is not the requester of the restricted area, the control unit shall not provide the sensing product to the source of the sensing request. An information processing device as described in any one of the appendices 1 to 4, characterized by the above. [Note 6] The aforementioned restriction information includes information representing authorized persons for the aforementioned restricted area, When the source of the sensing request is the authorized person, the control unit provides the sensing product to the source of the sensing request. If the source of the sensing request is neither the requester of the restricted area nor the authorized person, the control unit shall not provide the sensing product to the source of the sensing request. An information processing device according to any one of the appendices 1 to 5, characterized in that it is the same as described in appendice 1 to 5. [Note 7] The restriction information includes information representing the correspondence between the attributes of the source of the sensing request and the level of filtering processing applied to the sensing data for the restricted area. The control unit applies filtering processing to the sensing data at a level corresponding to the attributes of the source of the sensing request. An information processing device according to any one of the appendices 1 to 6, characterized in that it is the same as described in appendice 1 to 6. [Note 8] The restriction information includes, for the restricted area, information representing authorized persons and information representing filtering processing for the sensing data. When the source of the sensing request is the authorized person, the control unit provides the sensing product obtained by applying the filtering process to the sensing data to the source of the sensing request. An information processing device according to any one of the appendices 1 to 7, characterized by the above. [Note 9] If the participant is located within the restricted area and the source of the sensing request is not the designated entity related to the restricted information, the communication unit shall not transmit the sensing instruction to the participant. An information processing device according to any one of the appendices 1 to 8, characterized by the above. [Note 10] A communication unit receives a sensing instruction from an information processing device that performs sensing-related processing based on a sensing request, and transmits sensing data acquired based on the sensing instruction to the information processing device. The system includes a control unit that restricts the provision of sensing data based on restriction information including information representing a restricted area, When the sensing data is acquired within the restricted area, the control unit restricts the transmission of the sensing data to the information processing device. A communication device characterized by the following features. [Note 11] When the information processing device receives a sensing request, it sends a sensing instruction to a participant selected from among multiple communication devices. The information processing device receives sensing data acquired by the participant based on the sensing instruction, The information processing device includes the step of restricting the provision of sensing products related to the sensing data based on restriction information including information representing a restricted area, Information processing methods including [Note 12] The communication device receives a sensing instruction from an information processing device that performs sensing-related processing based on a sensing request, The communication device transmits the sensing data acquired based on the sensing instruction to the information processing device. The communication device restricts the provision of the sensing data based on restriction information including information representing a restricted area. The steps include: when the sensing data is acquired within the restricted area, restricting the communication device from transmitting the sensing data to the information processing device; A communication method that includes this. [Note 13] A system comprising an information processing device described in any of the appendices 1 to 9 and a communication device described in appendice 10. [Note 14] A communication device that performs sensing in response to sensing instructions transmitted from an information processing device, The aforementioned information processing device is A first communication unit that transmits a sensing instruction to the communication device in response to receiving a sensing request and receives sensing data from the communication device, The system includes a first control unit that restricts the provision of sensing products related to the sensing data based on restriction information including information representing a restricted area, The aforementioned communication device is A second communication unit that receives the sensing instruction from the information processing device and transmits the sensing data to the information processing device, The system comprises a second control unit which acquires sensing data in response to the second communication unit receiving the sensing instruction. A communication device characterized by the following features.

[0177] <Variation> In addition, terms used in this disclosure and terms necessary for understanding this disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meaning.

[0178] In this disclosure, terms such as apparatus, circuit, device, section, and unit are interchangeable.

[0179] The information, parameters, etc., described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, relative values ​​from a given value, or corresponding other information. For example, wireless resources may be indicated by a given index.

[0180] The names used for parameters and other elements in this disclosure are not restrictive in any way. Furthermore, mathematical formulas and other elements that use these parameters may differ from those explicitly disclosed in this disclosure.

[0181] The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of the various different techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0182] Input and output information and signals may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or managed using a management table. Input and output information and signals may be overwritten, updated, or appended to. Output information and signals may be deleted. Input information and signals may be transmitted to other devices.

[0183] Any information described in this disclosure (e.g., variables, constants, parameters) may be notified from any first device (e.g., UE / BS) to any second device (e.g., BS / UE), even if not specifically stated in the embodiments described above. Notification of any information may be interpreted as notification of information indicating / specifying (or relating to) the value of such any information.

[0184] In this disclosure, the words “notify,” “request,” “activate,” “deactivate,” “indicate,” “select,” “configure,” “update,” and “determine” may be interpreted as interchangeable.

[0185] In this disclosure, the terms "support," "control / operate / use," and "are controllable / operate / available" may be interpreted as interchangeable.

[0186] In this disclosure, notification of information is not limited to the manner / embodiments described herein and may be carried out by other means. For example, notification of information in this disclosure may be carried out by radio access-related signaling, RAN-related signaling, core network-related signaling, other signals, or a combination thereof. In this disclosure, signaling, messages, parameters, fields, information elements (IE), settings, etc., may be interpreted interchangeably.

[0187] Wireless access-related signaling may include signaling related to wireless access (wireless interface) between UE-RAN, and may also fall under Access Stratum (AS) signaling. Wireless access-related signaling may also include physical layer signaling, upper layer signaling, etc.

[0188] Physical layer signaling may include, for example, Downlink Control Information (DCI) and Uplink Control Information (UCI). Upper layer signaling may include, for example, Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling and Medium Access Control (MAC) signaling.

[0189] RRC signaling may include broadcast information (e.g., Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB)). MAC signaling may include MAC Control Element (MAC CE), MAC Protocol Data Unit (MAC PDU), etc.

[0190] RAN-related signaling may include signaling for RAN-to-RAN control, such as Xn Application Protocol (XnAP) signaling.

[0191] Core network-related signaling may include signaling for control between UEs and CNs, such as Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling. Core network-related signaling may also include signaling for control between CNs, such as Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) messages.

[0192] Furthermore, notification of the specified information (for example, notification that "X is the case") is not limited to explicit notification, but may also be made implicitly (for example, by not notifying the specified information or by notifying other information).

[0193] Software should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, procedures, functions, and so on, whether they are called software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or by any other name.

[0194] Furthermore, software, instructions, information, etc., may be transmitted and received via a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using at least one of wired technology (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)) and wireless technology (such as infrared or microwave), then at least one of these wired and wireless technologies is included in the definition of a transmission medium.

[0195] In this disclosure, terms such as "Base Station (BS)", "wireless base station", "relay station", "fixed station", "NodeB", "eNB (eNodeB)", "gNB (gNodeB)", "access point", "Transmission Point (TP)", "Reception Point (RP)", "Transmission / Reception Point (TRP)", "panel", "cell", "sector", "cell group", "carrier", and "component carrier" may be used interchangeably.

[0196] In this disclosure, terms such as "Mobile Station (MS)," "user terminal," "User Equipment (UE)," and "terminal" may be used interchangeably.

[0197] Any device in this disclosure may also be called a server, device, transmitter, receiver, wireless communication device, information processing device, etc., and these terms may be interchangeable. Any device in this disclosure may be a device mounted on a moving object, a device contained within a moving object (held by a person riding in the moving object), or the moving object itself. Such moving objects include, but are not limited to, vehicles, transport vehicles, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, connected cars, excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders, dump trucks, forklifts, trains, buses, handcarts, rickshaws, ships and other watercraft, airplanes, rockets, satellites, drones, multicopters, quadcopters, balloons, and items mounted on them. Such moving objects may also be autonomous / autonomous. In this disclosure, a moving object may also be interchangeable with a non-moving object (for example, a non-moving object that a person can ride in).

[0198] Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be used individually, in combination, or switched between as needed during execution. Furthermore, the processing procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc., of each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be rearranged or some steps may be omitted, as long as they are consistent. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present various step elements using exemplary order and are not limited to the specific order presented.

[0199] In this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based solely on" unless otherwise specified. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based solely on" and "based at least on."

[0200] Any reference to elements using the designations “first,” “second,” etc., as used in this disclosure does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient way to distinguish between two or more elements. Accordingly, the references to the first and second elements do not imply that only two elements may be employed or that the first element must precede the second element in any way.

[0201] As used in this disclosure, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” and any variations thereof mean any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are “connected” or “coupled” with each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. The coupling or connection between elements may be via at least one of wired and wireless connections.

[0202] In this disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "combine" may be interpreted similarly to "different."

[0203] Where the terms “include,” “including,” and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms are intended to be inclusive, as is the term “comprising.” Furthermore, the term “or” as used in this disclosure is not intended to mean exclusive OR.

[0204] In this disclosure, if articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, this disclosure may include the fact that the noun following these articles is plural.

[0205] In this disclosure, words such as "decision," "judgment," "determination," "selection," "specification," "calculation," "calculation," "processing," "derivation," "search," "confirmation," "assumption," and "expectation" may be interpreted as interchangeable.

[0206] In this disclosure, terms such as "less than or equal to," "less than," "greater than or equal to," "more than," and "equal to" may be interpreted interchangeably. In addition, in this disclosure, terms meaning "good," "bad," "big," "small," "high," "low," "early," "slow," "wide," and "narrow" may be interpreted interchangeably, not limited to the positive, comparative, and superlative degrees. Furthermore, in this disclosure, terms meaning "good," "bad," "big," "small," "high," "low," "early," "slow," "wide," and "narrow" may be interpreted interchangeably, not limited to the positive, comparative, and superlative degrees, by adding "i-th" (where i is any integer) to the expression (for example, "highest" may be interpreted interchangeably with "i-th highest").

[0207] In this disclosure, "of," "for," "regarding," "related to," and "associated with" may be interpreted as being interchangeable.

[0208] Although the invention described herein has been explained in detail above, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the invention described herein is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The descriptions herein are illustrative and not intended to be restrictive in any way to the invention described herein.

Claims

1. A communication unit that, upon receiving a sensing request, transmits a sensing instruction to a participant selected from among multiple communication devices, and receives sensing data acquired by the participant based on the sensing instruction, A control unit that restricts the provision of sensing products related to the sensing data based on restriction information including information representing a restricted area, An information processing device equipped with the following features.

2. The restricted area, as represented by the aforementioned restriction information, is a sensitive area where privacy should be protected. The information processing apparatus according to feature 1.

3. The control unit restricts the provision of sensing products related to the sensing data based on the restriction information and information related to the source of the sensing request. The information processing apparatus according to feature 1.

4. When the sensing data is acquired within the restricted area and the source of the sensing request is not a predetermined entity related to the restriction information, the control unit restricts the provision of the sensing product. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3.

5. When the source of the sensing request is the requester of the restricted area, the control unit provides the sensing product to the source of the sensing request. If the source of the sensing request is not the requester of the restricted area, the control unit shall not provide the sensing product to the source of the sensing request. The information processing apparatus according to feature 4.

6. The aforementioned restriction information includes information representing authorized persons for the aforementioned restricted area, When the source of the sensing request is the authorized person, the control unit provides the sensing product to the source of the sensing request. If the source of the sensing request is neither the requester of the restricted area nor the authorized person, the control unit shall not provide the sensing product to the source of the sensing request. The information processing apparatus according to feature 4.

7. The restriction information includes information representing the correspondence between the attributes of the source of the sensing request and the level of filtering processing applied to the sensing data for the restricted area. The control unit applies filtering processing to the sensing data at a level corresponding to the attributes of the source of the sensing request. The information processing apparatus according to feature 4.

8. The restriction information includes, for the restricted area, information representing authorized persons and information representing filtering processing for the sensing data. When the source of the sensing request is the authorized person, the control unit provides the sensing product obtained by applying the filtering process to the sensing data to the source of the sensing request. The information processing apparatus according to feature 4.

9. If the participant is located within the restricted area and the source of the sensing request is not the designated entity related to the restricted information, the communication unit shall not transmit the sensing instruction to the participant. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3.

10. A communication unit receives a sensing instruction from an information processing device that performs sensing-related processing based on a sensing request, and transmits sensing data acquired based on the sensing instruction to the information processing device. The system includes a control unit that restricts the provision of sensing data based on restriction information including information representing a restricted area, When the sensing data is acquired within the restricted area, the control unit restricts the transmission of the sensing data to the information processing device. A communication device characterized by the following features.

11. When the information processing device receives a sensing request, it sends a sensing instruction to a participant selected from among multiple communication devices. The information processing device receives sensing data acquired by the participant based on the sensing instruction, The information processing device includes the step of restricting the provision of sensing products related to the sensing data based on restriction information including information representing a restricted area, Information processing methods including

12. The communication device receives a sensing instruction from an information processing device that performs sensing-related processing based on a sensing request, The communication device transmits the sensing data acquired based on the sensing instruction to the information processing device. The communication device restricts the provision of the sensing data based on restriction information including information representing a restricted area. The steps include: when the sensing data is acquired within the restricted area, restricting the communication device from transmitting the sensing data to the information processing device; A communication method that includes this.

13. A system comprising an information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 and a communication device according to claim 10.

14. A communication device that performs sensing in response to sensing instructions transmitted from an information processing device, The aforementioned information processing device is A first communication unit that transmits a sensing instruction to the communication device in response to receiving a sensing request and receives sensing data from the communication device, The system includes a first control unit that restricts the provision of sensing products related to the sensing data based on restriction information including information representing a restricted area, The aforementioned communication device is A second communication unit that receives the sensing instruction from the information processing device and transmits the sensing data to the information processing device, The system comprises a second control unit which acquires sensing data in response to the second communication unit receiving the sensing instruction. A communication device characterized by the following features.

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