Hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in perceptual wireless communication systems

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described. A network entity may partition one or more user devices (UEs) in a target area into groups and assign one UE per set to be a lead UE in order to aggregate shared sensor data without the significant sidelink overhead resulting from multicasting all sensor data or the significant uplink signaling overhead resulting from aggregating data within the network entity. For example, a network entity may send and a UE may receive a partition request message corresponding to a hierarchical partitioning scheme. In response to a partition request message, a UE may send a partition request feedback message which may include an indication of the UE's availability to act as a lead UE. A UE may receive a partition assignment message from the network entity which may include partitions between sets of UEs and an indication of a lead UE for a set of UEs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross-reference This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 331,099, filed Jun. 7, 2023, by KESAVAREDDIGARI et al., titled "HIERARCHICAL PARTITIONING AND SENSOR DATA AGGREGATION IN PERCEPTIVE WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS", which is assigned to the assignee of this application and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0002] The following relates to wireless communications including hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in perceptive wireless communication systems.

Background Art

[0003] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, including voice, video, packet data, messaging, and broadcast. These systems can support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple access systems include fourth-generation (4G) systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth-generation (5G) systems, sometimes referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ technologies such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multiple access communication system may include one or more base stations, each of which supports wireless communication for communication devices that may be known as user equipment (UE). [Overview of the Initiative]

[0004] The techniques described relate to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatus for supporting hierarchical partitioning of participating entities (e.g., dynamic grouping and regrouping of sets or subsets of devices), as well as sensor data aggregation and sensor data feature aggregation in perceptual wireless communication systems. For example, a network entity may partition one or more UEs in a target area into groups and assign one UE per set to be a lead UE to aggregate raw sensor data and compressed sensor data features. Such operation reduces the signaling overhead caused by multicasting raw sensor data, while also reducing the inaccuracies caused by aggregating sensor data features without aggregating the raw sensor data. For example, a network entity may send and a UE may receive partition request messages corresponding to a hierarchical partitioning scheme. In response to an initial partition request message, a UE may send a partition request feedback message that may include an indication of the UE's availability to act as a lead UE. A UE may receive a partition allocation message from a network entity, which may include partitions between sets of UEs and an indication of a lead UE for a set of UEs.

[0005] A method for wireless communication in a first UE is described. The method may include: receiving a first indication containing a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which multiple UEs are grouped into multiple disjoint sets of UEs to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and raw measurement data; sending a second indication containing a response message indicating participation in the hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in response to receiving the first indication; and receiving a third indication containing a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among the multiple disjoint sets of UEs, at least in part based on having sent the second indication, wherein the first set of UEs includes a first UE, and the public identifier is associated with a lead UE in the first set of UEs.

[0006] A device for wireless communication in a first UE is described. The device may include at least one processor, memory coupled to at least one processor, and instructions stored in at least one memory. The instructions may be executable by at least one processor and cause the device to receive a first indication including a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which multiple UEs are grouped into multiple disjoint sets of UEs in order to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and raw measurement data; in response to receiving the first indication, cause the device to send a second indication including a response message indicating participation in the hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session; and at least in part based on having sent the second indication, cause the device to receive a third indication including a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among multiple disjoint sets of UEs, where the first set of UEs includes a first UE, and the public identifier is associated with a lead UE in the first set of UEs.

[0007] Another device for wireless communication in a first UE is described. The device may include means for receiving a first indication which includes a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which a plurality of UEs are grouped into a plurality of disjoint sets of UEs in order to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and raw measurement data; means for transmitting a second indication which includes a response message indicating participation in the hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in response to receiving the first indication; and means for receiving a third indication which includes a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among a plurality of disjoint sets of UEs, at least in part on having transmitted the second indication which includes a first set of UEs, and the public identifier is associated with a lead UE in the first set of UEs.

[0008] A non-temporary computer-readable medium for storing code for wireless communication in a first UE is described. The code may include instructions executable by at least one processor, the instructions receiving a first indication including a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which multiple UEs are grouped into multiple disjoint sets of UEs to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and raw measurement data; in response to receiving the first indication, sending a second indication including a response message indicating participation in the hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session; and at least in part based on having sent the second indication, receiving a third indication including a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among multiple disjoint sets of UEs, the first set of UEs including a first UE, and the public identifier associated with a lead UE in the first set of UEs.

[0009] Some examples of methods, apparatus, and non-temporary computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting a fourth indication for indicating the availability of a first UE to act as a lead UE, which is multiplexed with, included in, or separate from a second indication; receiving a fifth indication that the first UE may be the lead UE of a first set of UEs, which is multiplexed with, included in, or separate from a third indication; and receiving unicast signaling, including raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data, from each of the first set of UEs, at least in part on the fact that the public identifier of the lead UE is the same as the public identifier of the first UE.

[0010] Some examples of methods, apparatus, and non-temporary computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting indications of one or more extracted features associated with combined raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data to a network entity, at least in part on the first UE receiving unicast signaling including raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data.

[0011] Some examples of methods, apparatus, and non-temporary computer-readable media described herein may further include an operation, feature, means, or instruction for receiving a fifth indication that a first UE may be a lead UE, and may be at least in part based on having transmitted a fourth indication that the first UE may be capable of functioning as a lead UE.

[0012] Some examples of methods, apparatus, and non-temporary computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting one or more parameters, including location information, the amount of sensor data generated by a first UE, the computing power capability associated with the first UE, or any combination thereof, and the reception of a fifth indication that the first UE may be a read UE may be based at least in part on one or more parameters.

[0013] Some examples of methods, apparatus, and non-temporary computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting to a network entity sensor data associated with a first set of UEs, sensor data extraction information associated with a first set of UEs, location information associated with a first UE or a first set of UEs, object occlusion information associated with a first set of UEs, partition cost information for sensor data associated with one or more UEs included in the first set of UEs and one or more UEs excluded from the first set of UEs but included in multiple disjoint sets of UEs, or partition reporting information including one or more of any combination thereof; and receiving a sixth indication showing a public identifier of an updated first set of UEs among multiple updated disjoint sets of UEs, an updated indication of a new lead UE, or any combination thereof.

[0014] Some examples of methods, apparatus, and non-temporary computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for calculating cost values ​​associated with a partition between a first set of UEs and a second set of UEs, wherein the partition cost information is at least partially based on received raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data.

[0015] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-temporary computer-readable media described herein, the partition cost information may, at least in part, be based on the absence of one or more UEs from a first set of UEs to a second set of UEs, and the reception of a sixth indication may include an indication of a decrease in the accuracy level of feature extraction associated with sensor data shared with the read UEs by a first set of UEs.

[0016] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-temporary computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for broadcasting indications of one or more extracted features associated with raw sensor data and raw measurement data to multiple UEs within and outside a first set of UEs, at least in part on existing connections for feature data sharing between a first UE and multiple UEs.

[0017] Some examples of methods, apparatus, and non-temporary computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving an indication that a second UE of a first set of UEs may be a lead UE, which is multiplexed with, included in, or separate from a third indication, and transmitting unicast signaling, including raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data, from the first UE to the second UE, at least in part, based on the indication that the second UE may be a lead UE.

[0018] Some examples of methods, apparatus, and non-temporary computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving a broadcast message containing one or more extracted features associated with raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data, at least in part based on the transmission of unicast signaling containing raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data from a second UE.

[0019] Some examples of methods, apparatus, and non-temporary computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting raw sensor data, raw measurement data, indications of one or more locally extracted features associated with raw sensor data or raw measurement data, or any combination thereof, to a network entity.

[0020] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-temporary computer-readable media described herein, sharing raw sensor data includes sharing wireless detection and ranging data, lighting detection and ranging data, camera image data, stereo vision image data, velocity information, location information, or any combination thereof.

[0021] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-temporary computer-readable media described herein, sharing raw measurement data includes sharing wireless channel statistics, channel status information, or a combination thereof of a vehicle UE, a cellular UE paired with a vehicle UE, or any combination thereof.

[0022] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-temporary computer-readable media described herein, the feature extraction output includes, at least in part, object bounding, object location estimation, object orientation estimation, object detection, object classification, reliability measurement, mapping, compression of wireless channel information, or any combination thereof, based on aggregated sensor data, wireless data, and raw data.

[0023] A method for wireless communication in a network entity is described. The method may include: sending a first indication to multiple user devices (UEs) that includes a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which the multiple UEs are grouped into multiple disjoint sets of UEs in order to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and raw measurement data; receiving a second indication in response to sending the first indication that includes a response message indicating participation in the hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session; and sending a third indication to the multiple UEs, at least in part, based on having received the second indication, that includes a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among the multiple disjoint sets of UEs, where the first set of UEs includes a first UE, and the public identifier is associated with a lead UE in the first set of UEs.

[0024] A device for wireless communication in a network entity is described. The device may include at least one processor, memory coupled to at least one processor, and instructions stored in at least one memory. The instructions may be executable by at least one processor and cause the device to send a first indication to multiple user devices (UEs) that includes a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which the multiple UEs are grouped into multiple disjoint sets of UEs in order to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and raw measurement data; in response to sending the first indication, the device to receive a second indication that includes a response message indicating participation in the hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session; and, at least in part, based on having received the second indication, the device to send a third indication that includes a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among the multiple disjoint sets of UEs, where the first set of UEs includes a first UE, and the public identifier is associated with a lead UE in the first set of UEs.

[0025] Another apparatus for wireless communication in a network entity will be described. The apparatus includes means for transmitting a first indication including a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which a plurality of user equipment (UEs) are grouped into a plurality of disjoint sets of UEs in order to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and the raw measurement data with the plurality of UEs; means for receiving a second indication including a response message indicating participation in the hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in response to transmitting the first indication; and means for transmitting a third indication including a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs of the plurality of disjoint sets of UEs to the plurality of UEs, at least partially based on receiving the second indication, wherein the first set of UEs includes a first UE and the public identifier is associated with a lead UE within the first set of UEs.

[0026] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication in a network entity will be described. The code may include instructions executable by at least one processor, the instructions transmitting a first indication including a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which a plurality of user equipment (UEs) are grouped into a plurality of disjoint sets of UEs in order to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and the raw measurement data with the plurality of UEs, receiving a second indication including a response message indicating participation in the hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in response to transmitting the first indication, transmitting a third indication including a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs of the plurality of disjoint sets of UEs to the plurality of UEs, at least partially based on receiving the second indication, wherein the first set of UEs includes a first UE and the public identifier is associated with a lead UE within the first set of UEs.

[0027] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non - transient computer - readable media described herein include a fourth indication for indicating the availability of a first UE to operate as a lead UE, the fourth indication being multiplexed with a second indication, included in the second indication, or separate from the second indication, receiving the fourth indication, a fifth indication that the first UE can be a lead UE of a first set of UEs, the fifth indication being multiplexed with a third indication, included in the third indication, or separate from the third indication, transmitting the fifth indication, and each lead UE receiving unicast signaling including raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data from each respective UE of each disjoint set of UEs of the plurality of disjoint sets of UEs, and further receiving an indication of combined sensors and data and one or more extracted features associated with the raw measurement data from each lead UE of the plurality of disjoint sets of UEs, at least partially based on receiving the unicast signaling.

[0028] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non - transient computer - readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting a fifth indication that the first UE can be a lead UE, and may be at least partially based on receiving an indication that the first UE may be capable of functioning as a lead UE.

[0029] Some examples of methods, apparatus, and non-temporary computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving one or more parameters, including location information, the amount of sensor data generated by a first UE, the computing power capability associated with the first UE, or any combination thereof, and receiving an indication that the first UE may be a read UE may be based at least in part on one or more parameters.

[0030] Some examples of methods, apparatus, and non-temporary computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving partition reporting information from one or more UEs of a first set of UEs, including raw sensor data and raw measurement data associated with the first set of UEs, sensor data extraction information associated with the first set of UEs, location information associated with the first UE or the first set of UEs, object occlusion information associated with the first set of UEs, partition cost information for sensor data associated with one or more UEs of a second set of UEs of a plurality of disjoint sets of UEs, or one or more of any combination thereof, and transmitting to the first set of UEs, the second set of UEs, or both, a sixth indication showing the public identifier of the updated first set of UEs of a plurality of updated disjoint sets of UEs, an updated indication of a new read UE, or any combination thereof.

[0031] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-temporary computer-readable media described herein, partition cost information includes cost values ​​associated with partitions between a first set of UEs and a second set of UEs.

[0032] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-temporary computer-readable media described herein, the partition cost information may, at least in part, be based on the absence of one or more UEs from a first set of UEs to a second set of UEs, and the transmission of a sixth indication may include an indication of a decrease in the accuracy level of feature extraction associated with sensor data shared with the read UEs by the first set of UEs.

[0033] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-temporary computer-readable media described herein, sharing raw sensor data includes sharing wireless detection and ranging data, lighting detection and ranging data, camera image data, stereo vision image data, velocity information, location information, or any combination thereof.

[0034] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-temporary computer-readable media described herein, sharing raw measurement data includes sharing wireless channel statistics, channel status information, or a combination thereof of a vehicle UE, a cellular UE paired with a vehicle UE, or any combination thereof.

[0035] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-temporary computer-readable media described herein, the feature extraction output includes, at least in part, object bounding, object location estimation, object orientation estimation, object detection, object classification, reliability measurement, mapping, compression of wireless channel information, or any combination thereof, based on aggregated sensor data, wireless data, and raw data. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0036] [Figure 1] An example of a wireless communication system that supports hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system, according to one or more aspects of this disclosure, is shown. [Figure 2] An example of a wireless communication system that supports hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system, according to one or more aspects of this disclosure, is shown. [Figure 3] An example of a wireless communication system 300 that supports hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system, according to one or more aspects of this disclosure, is shown. [Figure 4] An example of a hierarchical partitioning scheme that supports hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system is shown according to one or more aspects of this disclosure. [Figure 5] An example of a process flow supporting hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system, according to one or more aspects of this disclosure, is shown. [Figure 6] An example of a process flow supporting hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system, according to one or more aspects of this disclosure, is shown. [Figure 7] A block diagram of a device supporting hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system, according to one or more aspects of this disclosure, is shown. [Figure 8] A block diagram of a device supporting hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system, according to one or more aspects of this disclosure, is shown. [Figure 9] A block diagram of a communication manager supporting hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system, according to one or more aspects of this disclosure, is shown. [Figure 10] The diagram shows a system including a device that supports hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system, according to one or more aspects of this disclosure. [Figure 11]A block diagram of a device supporting hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system, according to one or more aspects of this disclosure, is shown. [Figure 12] A block diagram of a device supporting hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system, according to one or more aspects of this disclosure, is shown. [Figure 13] A block diagram of a communication manager supporting hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system, according to one or more aspects of this disclosure, is shown. [Figure 14] The diagram shows a system including a device that supports hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system, according to one or more aspects of this disclosure. [Figure 15] A flowchart illustrating a method for supporting hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system, according to one or more aspects of this disclosure, is shown. [Figure 16] A flowchart illustrating a method for supporting hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system, according to one or more aspects of this disclosure, is shown. [Figure 17] A flowchart illustrating a method for supporting hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system, according to one or more aspects of this disclosure, is shown. [Figure 18] A flowchart illustrating a method for supporting hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system, according to one or more aspects of this disclosure, is shown. [Figure 19] A flowchart illustrating a method for supporting hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system, according to one or more aspects of this disclosure, is shown. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0037] In some wireless communication systems, wireless devices can be supported by perception of the physical environment. For example, in perceptual wireless communication systems, perception may include raw measurement data collected from vehicle sensors and machine learning (ML) feature data, which can be used to improve the quality or effectiveness of various wireless communication tasks. Communication tasks that may benefit from perception may include beam management, beam interruption prediction, beam improvement, or other tasks.

[0038] User equipment (UEs) can generate raw sensor data and perform feature extraction. If the object or environment detected by the UE is occluded, the UE may not be able to perform feature extraction effectively. For example, a bounding box is a shape (e.g., a rectangle) that surrounds an object (e.g., on a camera image) and can specify the object's location, class (e.g., pedestrian or vehicle), and reliability (e.g., the likelihood that the object lies within the bounding box). In some cases, the bounding box of a detected object may be a smaller, partial bounding box resulting from an occluded field-of-view (FoV) in the sensor. In some cases, multiple UEs may share and aggregate extracted features to improve or enhance the quality and / or efficiency of a communication system. However, if UEs share incorrect features (e.g., a set of partial bounding boxes whose union surrounds only a portion of an object), the aggregation of extracted features may fail. For example, two UEs may extract a partial bounding box for the same occluded object, but the bounding box may not be recognized as belonging to the same object during feature aggregation due to the occlusion. Furthermore, efforts to improve feature aggregation by sending raw sensor data in addition to extracted features to multiple neighboring UEs sensing / measuring the same target can result in significant sidelink signaling overhead, while aggregation of extracted features or raw data in the network can result in significant uplink signaling overhead.

[0039] A network entity may partition one or more UEs within a target area into groups (e.g., disjoint sets or partitions), aggregate shared sensor data, and assign one UE per set to be the lead UE in order to reduce signaling overhead. For example, a network entity may send and a UE may receive partition request messages corresponding to a hierarchical partitioning scheme. In response to an initial partition request message, a UE may send a partition request feedback message that may include an indication of the UE's availability to act as the lead UE. A UE may receive a partition assignment message from a network entity, which may include one or more of the following: an indication that the UE will be placed in the nth partition, an identifier for the nth partition, an indication of the UEs placed in the nth partition (n≦m and m=1,2,...), and an indication of the lead UE for the set of UEs in the nth partition. For example, a UE may receive an indication that it can act as the lead UE, or a UE may receive an indication that a different UE can act as the lead UE. A UE assigned to a partition may send raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and raw measurement data to the read UE of that partition.

[0040] The aspects of this disclosure will first be described in the context of wireless communication systems. These aspects will be further illustrated and described with reference to wireless communication systems, hierarchical partitioning schemes, and process flows. The aspects of this disclosure will also be further illustrated and described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts related to hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in perceptual wireless communication systems.

[0041] Figure 1 shows an example of a wireless communication system 100 that supports hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communication system 100 may include one or more network entities 105, one or more UEs 115, and a core network 130. In some embodiments, the wireless communication system 100 may be a network that operates according to Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks, LTE Advanced (LTE-A) networks, LTE-A Pro networks, New Radio (NR) networks, or other systems and wireless technologies, including future systems and wireless technologies not expressly mentioned herein.

[0042] The network entity 105 may be distributed across a geographical area to form a wireless communication system 100 and may include devices of different forms or with different capabilities. In various embodiments, the network entity 105 may be referred to as a network element, mobility element, radio access network (RAN) node, or network equipment, among many technical terms. In some embodiments, the network entity 105 and UE 115 may communicate wirelessly over one or more communication links 125 (e.g., radio frequency (RF) access links). For example, the network entity 105 may support a coverage area 110 (e.g., a geographical coverage area) over which the UE 115 and the network entity 105 can establish one or more communication links 125. The coverage area 110 may be an embodiment of a geographical area over which the network entity 105 and UE 115 can support the communication of signals according to one or more radio access technologies (RATs).

[0043] The UE115 may be distributed throughout the coverage area 110 of the wireless communication system 100, and each UE115 may be fixed, mobile, or both at different times. The UE115 may be different forms of devices or devices with different capabilities. Several exemplary UE115 are shown in Figure 1. The UE115 described herein may support communication with various types of devices, such as other UE115 or network entities 105, as shown in Figure 1.

[0044] As described herein, a node of the wireless communication system 100, which may be referred to as a network node or wireless node, may be a network entity 105 (e.g., any network entity described herein), a UE 115 (e.g., any UE described herein), a network controller, a device, a computing system, one or more components, or another preferred processing entity configured to perform any of the techniques described herein. For example, a node may be a UE 115. In another embodiment, a node may be a network entity 105. In another embodiment, a first node may be configured to communicate with a second or third node. In one aspect of this embodiment, a first node may be a UE 115, a second node may be a network entity 105, and a third node may be a UE 115. In another aspect of this embodiment, a first node may be a UE 115, a second node may be a network entity 105, and a third node may be a network entity 105. In yet other embodiments of this embodiment, the first node, the second node, and the third node may differ from those of these embodiments. Similarly, references to UE115, network entity 105, apparatus, devices, computing systems, etc. may include disclosures that UE115, network entity 105, apparatus, devices, computing systems, etc. are nodes. For example, a disclosure that UE115 is configured to receive information from network entity 105 also discloses that the first node is configured to receive information from the second node.

[0045] In some embodiments, network entities 105 may communicate with the core network 130, communicate with each other, or communicate with both. For example, network entities 105 may communicate with the core network 130 via one or more backhaul communication links 120 (e.g., according to S1, N2, N3, or other interface protocols). In some embodiments, network entities 105 may communicate with each other via the backhaul communication links 120 (e.g., according to X2, Xn, or other interface protocols) either directly (e.g., directly between network entities 105) or indirectly (e.g., via the core network 130). In some embodiments, network entities 105 may communicate with each other via a midhaul communication link 162 (e.g., according to a midhaul interface protocol), or via a fronthaul communication link 168 (e.g., according to a fronthaul interface protocol), or via any combination thereof. The backhaul communication link 120, the midhaul communication link 162, or the fronthaul communication link 168 may consist of one or more wired links (e.g., electrical links, fiber optic links), one or more wireless links (e.g., wireless links, wireless optical links), or include such links, in various embodiments or combinations thereof. The UE 115 may communicate with the core network 130 via the communication link 155.

[0046] One or more of the network entities 105 described herein may include a base station 140 (e.g., base transceiver station, radio base station, NR base station, access point, radio transceiver, node B, enode B (eNodeB, eNB), next-generation node B or giganode B (both sometimes referred to as gNB), 5G NB, next-generation eNB (next-generation eNB, ng-eNB), home node B, home enode B, or other preferred terminology), or may be referred to as base station 140. In some embodiments, the network entity 105 (e.g., base station 140) may be implemented in an aggregated (e.g., monolithic, standalone) base station architecture, which may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single network entity 105 (e.g., a single RAN node such as base station 140).

[0047] In some embodiments, the network entity 105 may be implemented in a non-aggregated architecture (e.g., non-aggregated base station architecture, non-aggregated RAN architecture) that can be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed among two or more network entities 105, such as an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open RAN (O-RAN) (e.g., a network configuration supported by the O-RAN Alliance), or a virtualized RAN (vRAN) (e.g., a cloud RAN (C-RAN)). For example, a network entity 105 may include one or more of the following: a central unit (CU) 160, a distributed unit (DU) 165, a radio unit (RU) 170, a RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) 175 (e.g., a Near-Real Time RIC (RT-RIC), a Non-Real Time RIC (RT-RIC)), a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) 180 system, or any combination thereof. The RU 170 may also be referred to as a radio head, smart radio head, remote radio head (RRH), remote radio unit (RRU), or transmission reception point (TRP). In a non-aggregated RAN architecture, one or more components of network entity 105 may be located in adjacent locations, or one or more components of network entity 105 may be located in distributed locations (e.g., separate physical locations).In some embodiments, one or more network entities 105 of a non-aggregated RAN architecture may be implemented as virtual units (e.g., virtual CUs (VCUs), virtual DUs (VDUs), virtual RUs (VRUs)).

[0048] The functional division between CU160, DU165, and RU170 is flexible, and different functionalities may be supported depending on which function (e.g., network layer function, protocol layer function, baseband function, RF function, and any combination thereof) is performed in CU160, DU165, or RU170. For example, a functional division of the protocol stack may be adopted between CU160 and DU165, so that CU160 can support one or more layers of the protocol stack, and DU165 can support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. In some embodiments, CU160 may host higher protocol layer (e.g., layer 3 (L3), layer 2 (L2)) functionality and signaling (e.g., Radio Resource Control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP)). CU160 may connect to one or more DU165 or RU170, each of which may host lower protocol layers such as Layer 1 (L1) (e.g., physical (PHY) layer) or L2 (e.g., radio link control (RLC) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer) functionality and signaling, each of which may be at least partially controlled by CU160. Additionally or alternatively, a functional partition of the protocol stack may be employed between the DU165 and RU170, thereby allowing the DU165 to support one or more layers of the protocol stack, and the RU170 to support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. The DU165 may support one or more different cells (e.g., via one or more RU170).In some cases, the functional division between CU160 and DU165, or between DU165 and RU170, may be within the protocol layer (for example, some functions related to the protocol layer may be performed by one of CU160, DU165, or RU170, while other functions of the protocol layer may be performed by a different one of CU160, DU165, or RU170). CU160 may be further functionally divided into CU control plane (CU-CP) functions and CU user plane (CU-UP) functions. CU160 may be connected to one or more DU165s via midhaul communication links 162 (e.g., F1, F1-c, F1-u), and DU165s may be connected to one or more RU170s via fronthaul communication links 168 (e.g., open fronthaul (FH) interfaces). In some embodiments, a midhaul communication link 162 or a fronthaul communication link 168 may be implemented according to an interface (e.g., a channel) between layers of the protocol stack, supported by the corresponding network entity 105 communicating over such a communication link.

[0049] In a wireless communication system (e.g., wireless communication system 100), the infrastructure and spectral resources for radio access may provide an IAB network architecture (e.g., to a core network 130) by supporting wireless backhaul link capabilities to complement wired backhaul connections. In some cases, in an IAB network, one or more network entities 105 (e.g., IAB nodes 104) may be partially controlled by each other. One or more IAB nodes 104 may be referred to as a donor entity or IAB donor. One or more DU 165 or one or more RU 170 may be partially controlled by one or more CU 160 associated with a donor network entity 105 (e.g., donor base station 140). One or more donor network entities 105 (e.g., IAB donors) may communicate with one or more additional network entities 105 (e.g., IAB nodes 104) via supported access links and backhaul links (e.g., backhaul communication link 120). IAB node 104 may include an IAB mobile termination (IAB-MT) controlled (e.g., scheduled) by the DU165 of the coupled IAB donor. The IAB-MT may include a separate set of antennas for relaying communications with UE115, or it may share the same antennas of IAB node 104 (e.g., RU170) used for access to IAB node 104 via DU165 (e.g., a virtual IAB-MT (referred to as vIAB-MT)). In some embodiments, IAB node 104 may include a DU165 that supports communication links with additional entities (e.g., IAB node 104, UE115) in the relay chain or relay configuration of the access network (e.g., downstream).In such cases, one or more components of the non-aggregated RAN architecture (e.g., one or more IAB nodes 104, or components of IAB nodes 104) may be configured to operate in accordance with the techniques described herein.

[0050] In the case of the techniques described herein applied in the context of a non-aggregated RAN architecture, one or more components of the non-aggregated RAN architecture may be configured to support hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system, as described herein. For example, some operations described as being performed by UE115 or network entity 105 (e.g., base station 140) may, in addition or alternatively, be performed by one or more components of the non-aggregated RAN architecture (e.g., IAB node 104, DU165, CU160, RU170, RIC175, SMO180).

[0051] UE115 may include, or may be referred to as, a mobile device, wireless device, remote device, handheld device, or subscriber device, or any other preferred term; “device” may also be referred to as, among many other terms, a unit, station, terminal, or client. UE115 may also include, or may be referred to as, a personal electronic device, such as a cellular phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), tablet computer, laptop computer, or personal computer. In some embodiments, UE115 may include, or may be referred to as, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or a machine-type communications (MTC) device, among many other terms, which may be implemented in various items, among many other terms, such as home appliances, vehicles, meters, etc.

[0052] The UE115 described herein may be capable of communicating with other UE115s that can sometimes function as repeaters, as well as with various types of devices, including, among many examples, network entities 105 and network equipment, such as macro eNBs or gNBs, small cell eNBs or gNBs, or relay base stations.

[0053] UE115 and network entity 105 may communicate wirelessly with each other via one or more communication links 125 (e.g., access links) using resources associated with one or more carriers. The term “carrier” may refer to a set of RF spectral resources having a defined physical layer structure for supporting communication links 125. For example, a carrier used with respect to communication link 125 may include a portion of the RF spectral band (e.g., a bandwidth part (BWP)) operating according to one or more physical layer channels with respect to a given radio access technology (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR). Each physical layer channel may carry acquired signaling (e.g., synchronization signals, system information), control signaling that coordinates the operation with respect to the carrier, user data, or other signaling. Wireless communication system 100 may support communication with UE115 using carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation. UE115 may consist of multiple downlink component carriers and one or more uplink component carriers according to a carrier aggregation configuration. Carrier aggregation can be used with both frequency division duplexing (FDD) component carriers and time division duplexing (TDD) component carriers. Communication between network entity 105 and other devices may refer to communication between those devices and any part of network entity 105 (e.g., entity, sub-entity). For example, when referring to network entity 105, the terms “transmitting,” “receiving,” or “communicating” may refer to any part of network entity 105 in the RAN (e.g., base station 140, CU160, DU165, RU170) communicating with another device (e.g., directly or via one or more other network entities 105).

[0054] The signal waveform transmitted over the carrier may consist of multiple subcarriers (using multi-carrier modulation (MCM) techniques, such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM). In systems employing MCM techniques, a resource element may refer to one symbol period (e.g., duration of one modulation symbol) and one subcarrier, where the symbol period and subcarrier spacing may be inversely proportional. The amount of bits carried by each resource element may depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., modulation order, modulation coding rate, or both) so that a relatively large number of resource elements (e.g., within the transmission duration) and a relatively high-order modulation scheme can accommodate a relatively high communication rate. Wireless communication resources may refer to a combination of RF spectral resources, temporal resources, and spatial resources (e.g., spatial layers, beams), and the use of multiple spatial resources may improve the data rate or data integrity for communication with the UE115.

[0055] The time interval for network entity 105 or UE115 is, for example, T s = 1 / (Δf max ·N f ) can refer to a sampling period of seconds, which can be expressed in multiples of the basic time unit, where Δf max This can represent the supported subcarrier interval, N f This can represent the supported Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) size. The time interval of the communication resources can be organized according to radio frames, each having a specified duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms)). Each radio frame can be identified by a System Frame Number (SFN) (e.g., ranging from 0 to 1023).

[0056] Each frame may contain multiple sequentially numbered subframes or slots, each subframe or slot may have the same duration. In some examples, a frame may be divided into subframes (e.g., in the time domain), and each subframe may be further divided into a certain number of slots. Alternatively, each frame may contain a variable number of slots, the number of slots may depend on the subcarrier interval. Each slot may contain a certain number of symbol periods (e.g., depending on the length of the cyclic prefix added to the beginning of each symbol period). In some wireless communication systems 100, a slot may be further divided into a plurality of minislots, each associated with one or more symbols. Except for the cyclic prefix, each symbol period may contain one or more (e.g., N) f The sampling period may be associated with the number of symbols. The duration of the symbol period may depend on the subcarrier interval or the frequency band of operation.

[0057] A subframe, slot, minislot, or symbol may be the smallest scheduling unit (e.g., in the time domain) of the wireless communication system 100 and may be referred to as a Transmission Time Interval (TTI). In some embodiments, the TTI duration (e.g., the amount of symbol duration within the TTI) may be variable. Additionally or alternatively, the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 may be dynamically selected (e.g., in bursts of shortened TTIs, sTTIs).

[0058] With respect to carrier-based communications, physical channels can be multiplexed according to various techniques. For example, physical control channels and physical data channels can be multiplexed with respect to signaling over the downlink carrier using one or more of the following techniques: time division multiplexing (TDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), or hybrid TDM-FDM. A control domain (e.g., a control resource set, CORESET) relating to a physical control channel may be defined by a set of symbol periods and may extend over the system bandwidth or a subset of the system bandwidth of its carrier. One or more control domains (e.g., CORESET) may be configured with respect to a set of UE115s. For example, one or more of the UE115s may monitor or search for control domains with respect to control information according to one or more search space sets, each search space set may contain one or more control channel candidates at one or more aggregation levels, configured in a cascaded manner. The aggregation level for control channel candidates may refer to the amount of control channel resources (e.g., control channel elements, CCEs) associated with encoded information for a control information format with a given payload size. The search space set may include a common search space set configured to send control information to multiple UE115s, and a UE-specific search space set for sending control information to a specific UE115.

[0059] In some embodiments, network entities 105 (e.g., base stations 140, RU 170) may be mobile and therefore may provide communication coverage for a moving coverage area 110. In some embodiments, different coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may overlap, but these different coverage areas 110 may be supported by the same network entity 105. In some other embodiments, overlapping coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may be supported by different network entities 105. The wireless communication system 100 may include, for example, a heterogeneous network in which different types of network entities 105 provide coverage for various coverage areas 110 using the same or different radio access technologies.

[0060] Some UE115, such as MTC devices or IoT devices, may be low-cost or low-complexity devices that can provide automated communication between machines (e.g., via machine-to-machine (M2M) communication). M2M communication or MTC may refer to data communication technology that enables devices to communicate with each other or with a network entity 105 (e.g., base station 140) without human intervention. In some embodiments, M2M communication or MTC may include communication from devices that incorporate sensors or meters for measuring or capturing information, relaying such information to a central server or application program that uses the information, or presenting the information to a human interacting with the application program. Some UE115 may be designed to collect information or enable automated behavior of machines or other devices. Examples of applications for MTC devices include smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipment monitoring, healthcare monitoring, wildlife monitoring, weather and geological event monitoring, fleet management and tracking, remote security sensing, physical access control, and transaction-based business billing.

[0061] The wireless communication system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable low-latency communications, or various combinations thereof. For example, the wireless communication system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC). The UE 115 may be designed to support ultra-reliable, low-latency, or critical functions. Ultra-reliable communications may include private or group communications and may be supported by one or more services such as push-to-talk, video, or data. Support for ultra-reliable and low-latency functions may include service prioritization, and such services may be used for public safety or general commercial applications. The terms ultra-reliable, low-latency, and ultra-reliable low-latency may be used interchangeably in this specification.

[0062] In some embodiments, a UE 115 may be configured to support direct communication with other UEs 115 via a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 135 (e.g., according to a peer-to-peer (P2P) protocol, a D2D protocol, or a sidelink protocol). In some embodiments, one or more UEs 115 in a group performing D2D communication may be within the coverage area 110 of a network entity 105 (e.g., base station 140, RU 170), and the modes of such D2D communication may be configured (e.g., scheduled) by the network entity 105. In some embodiments, one or more UEs 115 in such a group may be outside the coverage area 110 of the network entity 105, or may be unable to receive or not configured to receive transmissions from the network entity 105. In some examples, a group of UE115s communicating via D2D communication may support a one-to-many (1:M) system where each UE115 transmits to each of the other UE115s in the group. In some embodiments, a network entity 105 may facilitate the scheduling of resources related to D2D communication. In some other embodiments, D2D communication may be performed between UE115s without the involvement of the network entity 105.

[0063] In some systems, the D2D communication link 135 may be an example of a communication channel between vehicles (e.g., UE115), such as a side-link communication channel. In some examples, vehicles may communicate using vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, or any combination thereof. Vehicles may signal information related to traffic conditions, signal scheduling, weather, safety, emergencies, or any other information related to the V2X system. In some examples, vehicles in a V2X system may communicate with roadside infrastructure such as roadside units, or with the network via one or more network nodes (e.g., network entity 105, base station 140, RU170) using vehicle-to-network (V2N), or both.

[0064] The core network 130 may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network 130 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC), which may include at least one control plane entity (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), an access and mobility management function (AMF)) that manages access and mobility, and at least one user plane entity (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), a Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or a user plane function (UPF)) that routes packets or interconnects to external networks. The control plane entity may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions, such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management, for UE 115 serviced by a network entity 105 (e.g., base station 140) associated with the core network 130. User IP packets may be forwarded via a user plane entity that may provide IP address assignment and other functions. The user plane entity may connect to an IP service 150 relating to one or more network operators. The IP service 150 may include access to the Internet, one or more intranets, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), or a packet-switched streaming service.

[0065] The wireless communication system 100 may operate using one or more frequency bands, which may range from 300 megahertz (MHz) to 300 gigahertz (GHz). Generally, the 300 MHz to 3 GHz range is known as the ultra-high frequency (UHF) range or decimeter band, as its wavelengths range from approximately 1 decimeter to 1 meter. UHF waves may be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features, sometimes referred to as clusters, but these waves can penetrate structures well enough for a macrocell to serve a UE 115 located indoors. Communication using UHF waves may be associated with smaller antennas and shorter distances (e.g., less than 100 kilometers) compared to communication using lower frequencies and longer waves in the high frequency (HF) or very high frequency (VHF) portions of the spectrum below 300 MHz.

[0066] The wireless communication system 100 can utilize both licensed and unlicensed RF spectrum bands. For example, the wireless communication system 100 may employ License Assisted Access (LAA), Unlicensed LTE (LTE-U) radio access technology, or NR technology in unlicensed bands such as the 5 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band. While operating using unlicensed RF spectrum bands, devices such as network entities 105 and UE115 may employ carrier sensing for collision detection and avoidance. In some examples, operation using unlicensed bands may be based on a carrier aggregation configuration in conjunction with component carriers operating using licensed bands (e.g., LAA). Operation using unlicensed spectrum may include, among many examples, downlink transmission, uplink transmission, P2P transmission, or D2D transmission.

[0067] A network entity 105 (e.g., base station 140, RU170) or UE 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas that can be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication, or beamforming. The antennas of the network entity 105 or UE 115 may be located in one or more antenna arrays or antenna panels that can transmit or receive MIMO operation or beamforming. For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may be co-located in an antenna assembly such as an antenna tower. In some embodiments, the antennas or antenna arrays associated with the network entity 105 may be located in diverse geographical locations. The network entity 105 may include an antenna array having a set of rows and columns of antenna ports that the network entity 105 can use to support beamforming of communication with the UE 115. Similarly, the UE 115 may include one or more antenna arrays that can support various MIMO or beamforming operations. As an addition or alternative, the antenna panel may support RF beamforming for signals transmitted through the antenna port.

[0068] Beamforming, sometimes referred to as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception, is a signal processing technique that can be used in a transmitting or receiving device (e.g., network entity 105, UE115) to shape or steer an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam, a receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitting and receiving devices. Beamforming can be achieved by combining signals communicated through the antenna elements of an antenna array such that some signals propagating along a particular orientation relative to the antenna array undergo constructive interference, while other signals undergo destructive interference. The modulation of signals communicated through antenna elements may include the transmitting or receiving device applying amplitude offset, phase offset, or both to the signals carried through the antenna elements associated with that device. The modulation associated with each antenna element may be defined by a beamforming weight set associated with a particular orientation (e.g., relative to the antenna array of the transmitting or receiving device, or to some other orientation).

[0069] A network entity may partition one or more UE115s within a target area into groups (e.g., disjoint sets or partitions) and assign one UE115 per set to be a lead UE115 in order to aggregate shared sensor data and reduce signaling overhead. For example, a network entity may send and a UE115 may receive partition request messages corresponding to a hierarchical partitioning scheme. In response to an initial partition request message, a UE115 may send a partition request feedback message which may include an indication of the availability of the UE115 to act as a lead UE115. A UE115 may receive a partition assignment message from a network entity which may include an indication of a partition between a first set of UE115s and a second set of UE115s (e.g., an indication of one or more groups of UE115s) and an indication of a lead UE115 for the set of UE115s. For example, UE115 may receive an indication that it can act as a lead UE, or a UE may receive an indication that a different UE115 can act as a lead UE115.

[0070] Figure 2 shows an example of a wireless communication system 200 that supports hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communication system 200 may include UE115-a, 115-b, 115-c, 115-d, 115-e, 115-f, and 115-g, which may be examples of UE115 as described with reference to Figure 1. Although shown in relation to a vehicle UE, UE115 may be an example of any type of UE.

[0071] Some communication systems, such as communication system 200, may support techniques that include perception of the physical environment. For example, in a perceptual wireless communication system, perception may consist of measurement data and ML feature data collected from vehicle sensors (e.g., RADAR, LiDAR, camera, GNSS, or IMU sensors). For example, UE115, which supports perceptual wireless communication, may use one or more sensors (e.g., RADAR, LiDAR, camera, etc.) to generate additional information about the physical environment, such as obstructions, traffic patterns, and pending accidents. For example, UE115-a may use various types of sensors to determine the location of one or more additional UEs located within the physical environment of UE115-a, or to detect pedestrians or accidents in front of the vehicle. In some examples, such information may be used to improve the quality or effectiveness of various wireless communication tasks. Communication tasks that may benefit from perception may include beam management, beam obstruction prediction, beam improvement, or other tasks. For example, by detecting the location of one or more additional UEs, UE115-a can predict beam obstruction (e.g., due to additional UEs or other detected obstacles), which can improve beam remediation or beam management procedures, among many other things.

[0072] In a wireless perception communication system, the UE115 can generate raw sensor data and perform feature extraction. Raw perception data or measurements may include RADAR point clouds, LiDAR point clouds, camera images, stereo vision images, velocity and direction information, and other data collected from the sensors. Feature extraction involves reducing large amounts of raw data into a compressed description of the raw data. For example, extracted features may include, among other possible features, compressed wireless channel features, indication and classification of detected objects (e.g., identifying another UE115 or pedestrian in camera data), bounding boxes around detected objects (e.g., boxes surrounding another UE115 or pedestrian in camera data), object location and orientation estimates, confidence measures resulting from bounding boxes (e.g., confidence values ​​or confidence scores), and 3D or depth maps. In some examples, feature extraction may be performed by ML or non-ML algorithms. In a wireless perception communication system, the UE115 or network entity 105 may combine perception-related measurement data (e.g., raw perception data) and local feature data from one or more vehicles with communication-related measurement data and related feature data from a cellular device (e.g., the UE115) to improve and enhance the quality and efficiency of the communication system.

[0073] In some examples, perception can involve multiple sensors observing the same vehicle or object, resulting in multiple interrelated measurements and multiple interrelated features extracted from these measurements. These interrelated measurements and features can be distributed across multiple vehicles. For example, in traffic scenario 205-a, UE115-b may be perceived by UE115-a and UE115-c.

[0074] In some cases, objects sensed by UE115 may be occluded. For example, in traffic scenario 205-a, UE115-c may be occluded from UE115-a by UE115-b. In such cases, UE115-a may not be able to effectively sense dimensions, orientation, direction of travel, or other information about other UE115s, such as UE115-c which is occluded from UE115-a by UE115-b. In another example, in traffic scenario 205-b, one or more UE115s (e.g., experiencing traffic congestion and located close to each other) may occlude the sensing ability of other UE115s. For example, UE115-e may occlude the forward view or sensing ability of both UE115-d and UE115-f, and UE115-g may occlude the rear view or sensing ability of UE115-f. In other words, due to traffic congestion, UE115-f may be positioned so close to UE115-e and UE115-g that UE115-f may not be able to accurately sense or detect the characteristics of the physical environment. For example, the camera on UE115-f may be close enough to UE115-e that UE115-e obstructs the camera's field of view on UE115-f. In that case, UE115-f may also fail to identify UE115-e as a vehicle because the camera on UE115-f is too close to UE115-e and can only observe a small portion of the vehicle. In other words, sensor occlusion can cause UE115-f to mis-extract features (e.g., bounding boxes or object classification).

[0075] To overcome inaccurate sensing data and extracted features, the network entity 105 may adjust the operating parameters (e.g., FoV, range, or resolution) for one or more sensors. However, these parameter adjustments do not overcome defects caused by sensor occlusion. If the object / environment detected by the UE is occluded, the UE may not be able to perform feature extraction effectively. For example, the bounding box of the detected object may be too small. In some cases, multiple UEs may share / aggregate extracted features to improve or enhance the quality and / or efficiency of the communication system. However, aggregation of extracted features may fail if the UEs share incorrect features (e.g., a set of partial bounding boxes whose union encloses only a portion of the object). For example, in traffic scenario 205-a, UE115-c is occluded from UE115-a, but UE115-a and UE115-b can sense UE115-c. UE115-a and UE115-b may extract and share their respective partial bounding boxes for UE115-c, but the bounding boxes may not be recognized as belonging to the same object during feature aggregation.

[0076] An object can be accurately observed by combining measurements or raw sensor data from multiple vehicle sensors in the object's vicinity. However, multicasting all raw sensor data and extracted features can result in significant sidelink signaling overhead, while aggregating extracted features or raw data in the network can result in significant uplink signaling overhead. Therefore, it may be advantageous to identify the optimal partition or grouping of a vehicle (e.g., UE115) where its interrelated raw sensing data and feature extraction data can be combined to improve the accuracy of the aggregated feature extraction. The aggregated extracted features may represent a smaller amount of data to be transmitted, for example, to network entity 105, compared to the raw sensing data and measurements.

[0077] This disclosure describes a method for locally aggregating raw sensing data related to partial measurements from vehicle sensors in an optimal and minimally overhead manner. UEs 115 within a target area may be partitioned into groups, each group may be assigned one lead UE 115. The lead UE 115 may receive raw sensing data for each UE within its group, aggregate the data, and perform feature extraction on the aggregated data. The lead UE 115 may also aggregate and utilize any features extracted and transmitted by individual UEs 115 within its group, as well as by any UE 115 outside its group that already share extracted features but do not share raw data. The lead UE 115 may broadcast the aggregated feature results to the UEs 115 within its group and to the network entity 105. Aggregating data at the local lead UE rather than the network entity 105 may reduce the demand on uplink capacity and result in less overhead on the V2V link.

[0078] Identifying the optimal partition or group of vehicles, which can improve the accuracy of feature extraction by combining interrelated raw sensory data and feature extraction data, is a combinatorial problem (i.e., there is a finite set of objects and a set of constraints such that we must find an object that satisfies all constraints). Such problems can be solved by employing iterative algorithms (e.g., simulated annealing or other ML-based improvement algorithms).

[0079] In V2V sensor sharing, UE115s within a group can broadcast features extracted from individual sensor measurements. The accuracy of feature extraction can be improved by employing feature aggregation. For example, cooperative driving using V2V sensor sharing utilizes V2V sharing of state information such as location and speed to coordinate the driving behavior of a group of vehicles. In V2V high-resolution sensor sharing for millimeter waves, a situation is considered where vehicles share raw sensor data and feature data to offset the adverse effects of shielding. However, in previous methods, raw sensor data is multicast to two or more vehicle UE115s, resulting in significant sidelink overhead. The method proposed in this disclosure strategically groups vehicle UE115s and aggregates raw sensor data and channel data in one lead UE per group. Thus, overhead is reduced, and the feature extraction output is more reliable and smaller in size than the raw sensor data. The lead UE115 may broadcast relatively small aggregated features to all UE115s within the group.

[0080] Figure 3 shows an example of a communication system 300 that supports hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communication system 300 includes network entities 105-a, UE115-a, UE115-b, UE115-c, UE115-d, UE115-e, and UE115-f, which may be examples of network entities 105 and UE115 as described with reference to Figure 1.

[0081] UE115 (e.g., UE115-b) may transmit a request to establish a sensing-based ML service session, and network entity 105-a may receive it. Network entity 105-a may transmit an acknowledgment of the request to establish the ML service session, as well as a request to provide information about vehicle sensors, vehicle sensor capabilities, onboard processor capabilities, and ML model capabilities, and UE115-b may receive it. UE115-b may transmit the requested information regarding vehicle sensors, vehicle sensor capabilities, onboard processor capabilities, and ML model capabilities, and network entity 105-a may receive it. Network entity 105-a may transmit a first configuration of sensors and sensor properties (e.g., range or FoV), an ML model, and ML model weights, and UE115-b may receive it.

[0082] Upon establishing an ML service session, UE115-b may transmit and network entity 105-a may receive a first set of data elements that may contain features extracted from raw data using an ML feature extraction model. Based on feedback from the ML service entity, network entity 105-a may transmit and UE115-b may receive a first request for a first gradient update to the ML model, a reconfiguration of sensor properties, and hierarchical partitioning of the UE.

[0083] As part of a first request for hierarchical partitioning of the UE, network entity 105-a may send and UE 115-b may receive a first indication, which includes a partition request message 310-a (e.g., a hierarchical data session request) that may initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session. UE 115-b may send a second indication, which includes a partition request response message 315-a indicating that UE 115-b is able to participate in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session. The partition request response message 315-a may also include an indication of UE 115-b's ability or availability to act as a lead UE for a partition or group.

[0084] Network entity 105-a may send and UE 115-b may receive a third indication, which includes a partition assignment message 320-a. The partition assignment message 320-a may include a first identifier (e.g., the partition index) for the partition or group to which UE 115-b may be assigned. In some examples, the first identifier may be a private or public identifier. For example, the partition assignment message 320-a, together with UE 115-a and UE 115-c, may assign UE 115-b to partition 305-a. The partition assignment message 320-a may also include a second identifier associated with the lead UE for the assigned partition. In some examples, the second identifier may be a private identifier of the lead UE, or a private hierarchical partitioning session-specific identifier of the lead UE. In some examples, the second identifier may be a public identifier of the lead UE. For example, UE 115-b may receive an indication that it will become the lead UE for partition 305-a. The lead UE 115-b may receive and aggregate sensing data and extracted features from non-read UEs (e.g., UE 115-a and UE 115-b) within partition 305-a. The lead UE 115-b may extract features from the aggregated sensing data and transmit the extracted features to network entity 105-a, non-read UEs 115-a and 115-b, or both. In some examples, a single public identifier may be included in partition message 320-a (e.g., a first identifier or a second identifier, or a single public identifier for a lead UE that may be interpreted as a UE identifier, or a public identifier for a partition corresponding to a lead UE). In some examples, partition message 320-a may include both the first and second public identifiers.

[0085] In some examples, a read UE115-b may transmit and a network entity 105-a may receive a cost inferred from its participation in a different partition 305-a than that of an adjacent UE115 (e.g., UE115-d within partition 305-b). In contrast to the aggregation of feature data received from any of partition 305, a read UE115-b may transmit and a network entity 105-a may receive a gain inferred by combining raw sensing data from a non-read UE115 in partition 305-a with any feature data received from a non-read UE115 in any partition 305. The cost and / or gain may be inferred or computed via ML model weights received from network entity 105-a.

[0086] A similar process may be performed with respect to UE115-d. UE115-d may send a request to establish a sensing-based ML service session, which network entity 105-a may receive. Network entity 105-a may send an acknowledgment of the request to establish the ML service session, as well as a request to provide information regarding vehicle sensors, vehicle sensor capabilities, onboard processor capabilities, and ML model capabilities, which UE115-d may receive. UE115-d may send the requested information regarding vehicle sensors, vehicle sensor capabilities, onboard processor capabilities, and ML model capabilities, which network entity 105-a may receive. Network entity 105-a may send a first configuration of sensors and sensor properties (e.g., range or FoV), an ML model, and ML model weights, which UE115-d may receive.

[0087] Upon establishing an ML service session, UE115-d may transmit and network entity 105-a may receive a first set of data elements that may contain features extracted from raw data using an ML feature extraction model. Based on feedback from the ML service entity, network entity 105-a may transmit and UE115-d may receive a first request for a first gradient update to the ML model, a reconfiguration of sensor properties, and hierarchical partitioning of the UE.

[0088] As part of a first request regarding hierarchical partitioning for the UE, network entity 105-a may send and UE 115-d may receive a first indication including a partition request message 310-b (e.g., a hierarchical data session request) that may initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session. UE 115-d may send a second indication including a partition request response message 315-b indicating that UE 115-d is able to participate in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session. The partition request response message 315-b may also include an indication of UE 115-b's ability or availability to act as a lead UE for a partition or group (or lack thereof).

[0089] Network entity 105-a may send and UE 115-d may receive a third indication, including partition assignment message 320-b. Partition assignment message 320-b may include a first identifier (e.g., a public identifier) ​​for the partition or group to which UE 115-d may be assigned. For example, partition assignment message 320-b may assign UE 115-d to partition 305-b together with UE 115-e and UE 115-f. Partition assignment message 320-b may also include a second identifier (e.g., a public identifier, a private identifier, or an identifier specific to the hierarchical partitioning session) associated with the lead UE for the assigned partition. For example, UE 115-d may receive an indication that UE 115-e will become the lead UE for partition 305-b. Non-lead UE 115-d may send sensing data and extracted features to lead UE 115-e. In some cases, a non-read UE115-d may receive aggregated features from aggregated sensing data from a read UE115-e.

[0090] In some examples, a non-read UE115-d (or read UE115-e, or both) may send and receive a cost inferred from joining a different partition 305-b than the adjacent UE115 (e.g., UE115-c in partition 305-a). The cost may be inferred or calculated via ML model weights received from network entity 105-a.

[0091] Network entity 105-a may change the partition assignment over multiple iterations over time to determine the optimal partitioning of the vehicle UE 115. For example, network entity 105-a may use the accuracy cost and gain of the features associated with the partition assignment of the first iteration, received from read UE 115, to update the partition assignment in a second iteration. This iterative hierarchical partitioning process is illustrated in more detail with reference to Figure 4.

[0092] Figure 4 shows an example of a hierarchical partitioning scheme 400 that supports hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. As described with reference to Figure 3, the network entity 105 may update the partition assignments over a series of iterations 405 (including indication of lead UEs for partition groups). The partition assignment updates may be based on the accuracy cost and gain of extracted features received from (or from, or both) lead UEs 115. In any iteration 405, a UE 115 that belongs to partition group 1 but has established a V2V sensor sharing connection with a UE belonging to another partition 2 will benefit from the extracted features but not from the raw sensing data of the UEs in partition 2. The network entity 105 may iterate the partition assignments to reduce the cost of refraining from sharing raw sensing data with each partition, while the feature extraction data can still be freely shared.

[0093] For example, the target area may be considered as a graph G=(V,E), vehicles as nodes in set V, and vehicles that are visible to each other may be connected by edges represented by set E. Graph G (e.g., the target area and the UEs within it) may be partitioned into a bipartite or n-partite graph to minimize the effects of occlusion, according to the techniques described herein. Partitions and participants within each partition may be updated iteratively as described herein. In a first iteration 405-a, some UEs 115 (e.g., UE115-a) may be assigned to partition group 1, and other UEs (e.g., UE115-b) may be assigned to partition group 2. In a second iteration 405-b (e.g., after network entity 105 has updated the partition assignments), UE115-c may be assigned to switch from partition group 2 to partition group 1. In the third iteration 405-c (for example, after network entity 105 has updated its partition assignment), UE115-d may be assigned to switch from partition group 1 to partition group 2.

[0094] In some cases, updated partition assignments may change the indicated lead UE for a partition group. For example, UE115-a may be assigned as the lead UE for partition group 1 in iteration 405-a and as the non-lead UE for partition group 1 in iteration 405-b. In another example, UE115-c may be the lead UE for partition group 2 in iteration 405-a. Network entity 105 assigns UE115-c to the graph

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[0095] Therefore, as described herein, a central entity (e.g., network entity 105 or server) may attempt to reach a partition where the cost of not sharing raw sensing data is reduced for any partition, while feature extraction data can still be freely shared.

[0096] Figure 5 shows an example of a process flow 500 supporting hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

[0097] The process flow 500 may or may not be implemented in the manner shown in Figures 1-4. The process flow 500 may include network entities 105-b, UE115-g, and UE115-h, which may be examples of corresponding devices described with reference to Figures 1-4.

[0098] As described in more detail with reference to Figure 2, UE115 may experience sensor occlusion, resulting in incomplete raw sensing data available at individual vehicle UE115s, which can lead to insufficient feature extraction and inadequate feature aggregation of features extracted by individual UE115s. As described herein, UE115s and network entities 105-b may perform hierarchical partitioning of participating UE115s, which can facilitate the effective aggregation of raw sensing data at one or more lead UEs by unicast signaling via sidelinks. At the cost of lower overhead, the aggregated raw data may result in better feature extraction output, as described herein.

[0099] In 505, one or more UE115s (for example, UE115-b and UE115-b among other UE115s) may perform ML service discovery procedures. For example, each UE115 may send a registration request. Network entity 105-b may send a registration acknowledgment (ACK) or a query for UE sensor and ML model information. Among many examples, a UE115 may send UE sensor and ML model information to network entity 105-b, and network entity 105-b may send an ML service request. A UE115 may send a response ML session request, and network entity 105-b may send an ML service ACK (for example, to perform training, inference, or performance improvement).

[0100] After performing ML service discovery in 505, UE115 and network entity 105-b may perform joint training and inference or performance improvement for the ML model as described herein. For example, after initiating an ML service session, UE115 may implement a training and inference feature extraction model. In 510, UE115 (e.g., UE115-g and UE115-h) may transmit feature information extracted from the sensing data to network entity 105-b. The extracted features may include, among other possible features, compressed wireless channel features, indication and classification of detected objects (e.g., identifying another UE115 or pedestrian in camera data), bounding boxes around detected objects (e.g., boxes surrounding another UE115 or pedestrian in camera data), object location and orientation estimates, confidence measures resulting from the bounding boxes (e.g., confidence values ​​or confidence scores), and three-dimensional (3-D) or depth maps.

[0101] In 515, network entity 105-b may transmit feedback signaling to UE 115 (for example, in response to sensing information). Network entity 105-b may also transmit gradient information at an aggregated level. UE 115 may continue backpropagation, adaptively adjust the sensing or feature extraction model, or initiate hierarchical partitioning based on feedback and sensor occlusion. For example, UE 115-g may detect occlusion, the amount of failed feature extraction, the quality or amount of raw sensor data or feature extraction that fails to meet a threshold, etc. In some examples, UE 115-g may report such detections to network entity 105-b, resulting in the initiation of hierarchical partitioning as described herein, or may autonomously initiate hierarchical partitioning as described herein.

[0102] In 520, network entity 105-b may send a request message to UE 115 (which may also be called, for example, a hierarchical partitioning initiation request). A hierarchical partitioning request message (e.g., a first indication) may initiate hierarchical partitioning for UE 115. A hierarchical partitioning request message may include a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session. Hierarchical partitioning may include grouping UEs into disjoint sets (e.g., partitions) of UEs in order to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs, where the feature extraction outputs correspond to raw measurement data, raw sensor data, or both.

[0103] In 525, UE115 may send a hierarchical partitioning start ACK message (e.g., a second indication) which may include an indication of lead availability. For example, UE115-g may indicate that it is not possible for UE115-g to support the role of lead UE115 in a partition of the UE (as described with reference to Figure 3, for example), or may refrain from including a positive indication that UE115-g can be lead UE115, while UE115-h may indicate that UE115-h can support the role of lead UE115 in a partition of the UE. In some examples, an indication that a UE can be lead UE115 may include one or more parameters, such as location information, the amount of sensor data (e.g., to save signaling overhead, the UE115 with the most data for transmission may be lead UE115), computing power capability, or any combination thereof.

[0104] Network entity 105-b may initiate iterative partitioning of UE115 and iterative allocation of lead UE115. For example, in 530, network entity 105-b may send a message containing partition information and lead allocation information. The message containing partition information (e.g., third indication) may contain identifiers assigned to a first set of UE115 (e.g., UE115-g and UE115-h). In some examples, the identifier may be a private identifier of the lead UE, or a private hierarchical partitioning session-specific identifier of the lead UE. In some examples, the identifier may be a public identifier of the lead UE. The identifier may correspond to one of the UE115 in a partition (e.g., UE115-h), which may identify UE115-h as the lead UE115 of the disjoint set of UE115 (e.g., partition).

[0105] In 535, UE115 may transmit feature information extracted from aggregating sensing data in lead UE115. Feature information may include adjusted data, extracted features, and other information. In some examples, lead UE115-h may receive unicast signaling from other UE115s in the UE115 disjoint set (e.g., from UE115-g) that includes raw sensor data, raw measurement data, local feature data extracted from individual UE data (i.e., locally extracted feature data), or a combination thereof. Raw sensor data may include wireless detection and ranging data, lighting detection and ranging data, camera image data, stereo vision image data, velocity information, location information, or any combination thereof. Feature extraction output may include object bounding, object location estimation, object orientation estimation, object detection, object classification, reliability measurement, mapping, wireless channel information compression, or any combination thereof, based at least partially on aggregated sensor data, wireless data, and raw data.

[0106] In some examples, lead UE115-h may broadcast indications of one or more extracted features associated with raw sensor data and raw measurement data to other UE115s within the partition (e.g., UE115-g), or to other UE115s outside the partition, or both. Such broadcasts may be achieved based on existing connections between UE115s for feature data sharing between them. In some examples, lead UE115-h, other UE115-g, or both may transmit extracted features associated with combined raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data to network entity 105-b. In some examples, UE115-h may receive unicast signaling from other UE115s and then forward the received data, or extracted feature data generated in lead UE115-h based on the received raw measurement and sensor data, or a combination thereof, to network entity 105-b.

[0107] In some examples, the information may include partition reporting information, which may include sensor data associated with UE115, sensor data extraction information associated with a set of UEs, location information, object occlusion information, partition cost information for sensor data associated with one or more UEs included in the set of UEs and one or more UEs excluded from the set of UEs, or one or more of any combination thereof. For example, each UE115 (or, for example, at least read UE115-h) may calculate a cost value associated with partitions between disjoint sets of UEs. Partition cost information may be obtained based on raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and extracted feature data (e.g., local feature data generated by UE115-h or received via unicast signaling from other UE115s in the partition). Partition cost information may include an indication of a decrease in the accuracy level of feature extraction associated with sensor data shared with read UE115-h by the first partition of UE115, based on the absence of additional UE115s (e.g., assigned to another disjoint set of UE115).

[0108] Based on this information, network entity 105-b may adjust one or more partitions (for example, add or remove one or more UEs 115 from a given partition, as will be described in more detail with reference to Figure 4), update the read UE assignments, or both. For example, network entity 105-b may send another message containing the updated partition information, the updated read assignment information, or both, as will be described in more detail with reference to Figure 6.

[0109] Figure 6 shows an example of a process flow 600 supporting hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

[0110] The process flow 600 may or may not be implemented in the manner shown in Figures 1-5. The process flow 600 may include network entities 105-c, UE115-i, and UE115-j, which may be examples of corresponding devices described with reference to Figures 1-5.

[0111] As described herein, sensor occlusion hindrances in feature extraction and hindrances in the aggregation of sensor-share-based features can occur in perceptual wireless environments. By aggregating or merging interrelated raw sensing data from groups of vehicles (e.g., disjoint sets of UE115 such as partitions), and by merging any available sensor-share-based features, the UE115 may be able to extract features more accurately (e.g., from raw sensor data, or raw measurement data, or both). Sending raw sensing data to a central entity (e.g., among many examples, network entity 105-c, ML server) for aggregation may incur additional overhead on uplink capacity. Instead, as described herein, sending raw sensing data from groups of UE115s (e.g., partitions) to assigned lead UE115-j for each partition may incur less overhead on sidelink (e.g., V2X or V2V) channel capacity. Such signaling may be performed in addition to, or instead of, local feature extraction.

[0112] To effectively share sensor data and improve the quality and accuracy of feature extraction, UE115 and network entity 105-c may perform iterative partitioning and lead assignment of UE115. UE115 and network entities may trigger and establish adaptive sensing and hierarchical partitioning triggered by sensor occlusion, as will be described in more detail with reference to Figure 5.

[0113] In the first iteration 605-a, in 610-a, network entity 105-c may transmit partition and read UE assignments to UE115-a and UE115-b. As illustrated with reference to Figure 5, the signaling may include indication of public identifiers assigned to a first set of UEs (e.g., a first partition). The public identifier may be associated with UE115-j, indicating that UE115-j is the read UE of the partition.

[0114] In 615-a, the UE115 can aggregate sensing data. UE115-i and UE115-j can perform partition-based aggregation of raw sensing data in the read UE115-j. For example, a non-read UE115 (e.g., UE115-i) can unicast raw sensor data, raw measurement data, local feature data, local feature extraction data, or a combination thereof to UE115-h (e.g., read UE115), which can then aggregate the received data.

[0115] In 620-a, UE115-j may broadcast extracted features (e.g., to other UE115s in the same partition and to other UE115s in other partitions). UE115-j may broadcast feature aggregations via V2V sensor sharing (e.g., across all UE115s). For example, UE115-j may transmit (e.g., broadcast) indications of one or more extracted features associated with raw sensor data and raw measurement data received from other UE115s (e.g., UE115-i) to other UE115s (e.g., including UE115-i) within and outside the partition, at least in part, based on existing connections for feature data sharing among various UE115s.

[0116] In 625-a, UE115-j (and other non-read UE115s such as UE115-i) may transmit partition reporting information to network entity 105-c. Partition reporting information may include UE sensing data, extracted features, the inferred cost of partitioning the UEs, or any combination thereof. For example, as described with reference to Figure 5, UE115 may calculate cost information associated with partitioning. For any UE115 contained in a different partition, cost information may arise because the sensor data and feature extraction performed by the partition's read UE115-j will be affected by the lack of raw sensor data, raw measurement data, attempt to generate feature extraction data (even incompletely) from the UE115s in the different partition, or a combination thereof. For a given partition or grouping of vehicle UE115s, the read UE115 extracts more accurate features (e.g., bounding boxes) based on aggregated raw sensing data and feature aggregation. For example, a read UE115-j may extract more accurate features than a non-read UE115-i. However, each partition or grouping is done at the cost of excluding raw sensing data from neighboring UE115s across the partition (e.g., from another partition or disjoint group). The cost of disjointing an edge e=(u,v) can be represented by c(e), which may be learned by a network entity 105-c. For example, an ML model may be trained to learn cost c(e) in terms of the loss of accuracy of the joint bounding box extracted without the raw sensing data contributed across edge e. An ML model may also be trained to learn the costs avoided by creating fewer partitions. Once the cost of edge c(e) is inferred (e.g., by an ML model), any incremental change in partitioning may be quantified as an incremental change in cost. All incremental changes in partitions may be represented as several nodes switching from V1 to V2, or vice versa.In that case, for example, the cost of partitioning might be described as follows:

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[0117] In iteration k (e.g., any iteration 605), the grouping or partitioning of vehicle UEs 115 is assigned by a network entity 105-c (which may be a gNB or an ML server). The central entity (e.g., network entity 105-c or a server) may also assign a lead UE (e.g., lead UE 115-j) to each group or partition created. Such lead assignments may be based on proximity (which may ensure the continuity of the same lead UE 115-j across multiple iterations in a dynamic environment), the size of the raw data that needs to be transmitted from other UEs 115 within the same partition, the computing power of the UE 115, the accuracy of the ML feature extraction model in the UE 115, or any combination thereof (e.g., any of these may be included in capability information such as the lead availability indication described with reference to 525 in Figure 5, or in partition reporting information described with reference to 625-a, or a combination thereof). As an addition or alternative, a hierarchical partitioning algorithm may be implemented so that vehicle UE115s within a partition or group (e.g., UE115-i) can select a lead UE based on the previously listed factors. If a UE115 within each partition or group does not have an established V2V connection with its respective lead UE115, the necessary V2V connection must be established. For example, a non-lead UE115-i may establish a V2V connection with a lead UE115-j.

[0118] Based on partition reporting information transmitted by one or more UE115s (including, for example, UE115-i and UE115-j), in 630, network entity 105-c may update partitions, update read UE115 assignments, or both. For example, network entity 105-c may change the partitioning to a disjoint set (as described, for example with reference to Figure 4) and assign a read UE115 to each set (e.g., each partition) (e.g., by moving exactly one UE from group 1 to group 2 or vice versa).

[0119] In 610-b (for example, during the second iteration 605-b), network entity 105-c may transmit an indication of an updated partition and read UE assignment. For example, an updated partition and read UE assignment may indicate a change to the partition and read UE assignment, such as moving UE 115 into or out of the current partition, changing the assignment of read UE 115-j to make UE 115-i the new read UE, or a combination thereof.

[0120] In 615-b, UE115 may aggregate sensing data. UE115-i and UE115-j may perform partition-based aggregation of raw sensing data in read UE115-i (for example, based on an updated read UE assignment, if the new read UE is UE115-i). For example, a non-read UE (e.g., UE115-j) may unicast raw sensor data, raw measurement data, local feature data, local feature extraction data, or a combination thereof to UE115-i (e.g., read UE115), and UE115-i may aggregate the received data.

[0121] In 620-b, UE115-i may broadcast extracted features (e.g., to other UE115s in the same partition and to other UE115s in other partitions). UE115-i may broadcast feature aggregations via V2V sensor sharing (e.g., across all UE115s). For example, UE115-i may transmit (e.g., broadcast) indications of one or more extracted features associated with raw sensor data and raw measurement data received from other UE115s (e.g., UE115-j) to other UE115s within and outside the partition (including UE115-j), at least in part on existing connections for feature data sharing among various UE115s.

[0122] In 625-b, UE115-i (and other non-read UEs such as UE115-j) may transmit partition reporting information to network entity 105-c. Partition reporting information may include UE sensing data, extracted features, the inferred cost of partitioning the UE, or any combination thereof.

[0123] UE115 and network entity 105-c may calculate and report cost information and continue updating partition and lead UE allocations over multiple iterations (for example, until network entity 105-c disables partitioning or the ML session ends).

[0124] Figure 7 shows a block diagram 700 of a device 705 that supports hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Device 705 may be an example of an embodiment of UE 115 described herein. Device 705 may include a receiver 710, a transmitter 715, and a communication manager 720. Device 705 may also include at least one processor. Each of these components may communicate with one another (for example, via one or more buses).

[0125] The receiver 710 may provide means for receiving information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information channels related to hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system). The information may be passed to other components of the device 705. The receiver 710 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

[0126] The transmitter 715 may provide means for transmitting signals generated by other components of device 705. For example, the transmitter 715 may transmit information such as packets associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system), user data, control information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the transmitter 715 may be co-located with the receiver 710 within a transceiver module. The transmitter 715 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

[0127] The communication manager 720, receiver 710, transmitter 715, or various combinations thereof, or various components thereof, may be examples of means for performing various forms of hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in the perceptual wireless communication system described herein. For example, the communication manager 720, receiver 710, transmitter 715, or various combinations thereof, or components thereof, may support a method for performing one or more of the functions described herein.

[0128] In some examples, the communications manager 720, the receiver 710, the transmitter 715, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in a communications management circuit). The hardware may include at least one processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a central processing unit (CPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a microcontroller, individual gate or transistor logic, individual hardware components, or any combination thereof that are configured as means for performing or supporting means for performing the functions described herein. In some examples, at least one processor and memory coupled to at least one processor may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., by having at least one processor execute instructions stored in at least one memory).

[0129] In addition or alternatively, in some examples, the communications manager 720, receiver 710, transmitter 715, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in code (e.g., as communications management software or firmware) executed by at least one processor. When implemented in code executed by at least one processor, the functions of the communications manager 720, receiver 710, transmitter 715, or various combinations or components thereof may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, CPU, ASIC, FPGA, microcontroller, or any combination of these or other programmable logic devices (e.g., configured as means for performing or supporting means for performing the functions described herein).

[0130] In some examples, the communications manager 720 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, acquiring, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or in cooperation with the receiver 710, the transmitter 715, or both. For example, the communications manager 720 may receive information from the receiver 710 and send information to the transmitter 715, or, in combination with the receiver 710, the transmitter 715, or both, acquire information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.

[0131] The communication manager 720 may support wireless communication in the first UE in accordance with the examples disclosed herein. For example, the communication manager 720 may support, is configured to support, or is operable to support, means for receiving a first indication which includes a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which multiple UEs are grouped into multiple disjoint sets of UEs to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and raw measurement data. The communication manager 720 may support, is configured to support, or is operable to support, means for sending a second indication which includes a response message indicating participation in the hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in response to receiving the first indication. The communications manager 720 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support, a means of receiving a third indication which includes a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among a plurality of disjoint sets of UEs, at least in part on having sent a second indication, wherein the first set of UEs includes a first UE and the public identifier is associated with a lead UE in the first set of UEs.

[0132] By including or configuring the communications manager 720 in accordance with the examples described herein, the device 705 (e.g., a processor controlling the receiver 710, transmitter 715, communications manager 720, or a combination thereof, or at least one processor coupled thereto) can support techniques for data adjustment and feature extraction, resulting in reduced overhead signaling, improved utilization of available system resources, improved feature detection and extraction, and an improved user experience.

[0133] Figure 8 shows a block diagram 800 of a device 805 that supports hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Device 805 may be an example of an embodiment of device 705 or UE 115 described herein. Device 805 may include a receiver 810, a transmitter 815, and a communication manager 820. Device 805 may also include at least one processor. Each of these components may communicate with one another (for example, via one or more buses).

[0134] The receiver 810 may provide means for receiving information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information channels related to hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system). The information may be passed to other components of device 805. The receiver 810 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

[0135] The transmitter 815 may provide means for transmitting signals generated by other components of device 805. For example, the transmitter 815 may transmit information such as packets associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system), user data, control information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the transmitter 815 may be co-located with the receiver 810 within a transceiver module. The transmitter 815 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

[0136] Device 805, or its various components, may be examples of means for performing various forms of hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system as described herein. For example, communication manager 820 may include a hierarchical data session request component 825, a join response message component 830, a hierarchical partition component 835, or any combination thereof. Communication manager 820 may be an example of a form of communication manager 720 as described herein. In some examples, communication manager 820, or its various components, may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, acquiring, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or in cooperation with receiver 810, transmitter 815, or both. For example, communication manager 820 may receive information from receiver 810 and send information to transmitter 815, or, in combination with receiver 810, transmitter 815, or both, acquire information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.

[0137] The communication manager 820 may support wireless communication in the first UE in accordance with the examples disclosed herein. The hierarchical data session request component 825 can support, is configured to support, or is operable to support, means for receiving a first indication which includes a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which multiple UEs are grouped into multiple disjoint sets of UEs to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and raw measurement data. The participation response message component 830 can support, is configured to support, or is operable to support, means for sending a second indication which includes a response message indicating participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in response to receiving the first indication. The hierarchical partition component 835 is capable, configured, or operable to support, a means of receiving a third indication, which includes a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among a plurality of disjoint sets of UEs, at least in part on having sent a second indication, wherein the first set of UEs includes a first UE, and the public identifier is associated with a lead UE in the first set of UEs.

[0138] Figure 9 shows a block diagram 900 of a communications manager 920 supporting hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Communications manager 920 may be an example of an embodiment of communications manager 720, communications manager 820, or both, as described herein. Communications manager 920, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various embodiments of hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system, as described herein. For example, communications manager 920 may include a hierarchical data session request component 925, a join response message component 930, a hierarchical partition component 935, a read assignment component 940, a data component 945, an extracted feature component 950, a parameter component 955, a partition reporting component 960, or any combination thereof. Each of these components may communicate with one another directly or indirectly (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0139] The communication manager 920 may support wireless communication in the first UE in accordance with the examples disclosed herein. The hierarchical data session request component 925 can support, is configured to support, or is operable to support, means for receiving a first indication which includes a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which multiple UEs are grouped into multiple disjoint sets of UEs to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and raw measurement data. The join response message component 930 can support, is configured to support, or is operable to support, means for sending a second indication which includes a response message indicating participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in response to receiving the first indication. The hierarchical partition component 935 is capable, configured, or operable to support, a means of receiving a third indication which includes a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among a plurality of disjoint sets of UEs, at least in part on having sent a second indication, wherein the first set of UEs includes a first UE and the public identifier is associated with a lead UE in the first set of UEs.

[0140] In some examples, the join response message component 930 is capable, configured, or operable to support means of sending a fourth indication indicating the availability of a first UE to act as a lead UE, the fourth indication being multiplexed with, included in, or separate from the second indication. In some examples, the lead assignment component 940 is capable, configured, or operable to support means of receiving a fifth indication indicating that the first UE is the lead UE of a first set of UEs, the fifth indication being multiplexed with, included in, or separate from the third indication. In some examples, the data component 945 is capable, configured, or operable to support means of receiving unicast signaling, including raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data, from each UE of a first set of UEs, at least in part on the fact that the public identifier of the read UE is the same as the public identifier of the first UE.

[0141] In some examples, the extracted feature component 950 is capable, configured, or operable to support means for transmitting indications of one or more extracted features associated with the combined raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data to a network entity, at least in part, based on the first UE receiving unicast signaling including raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data.

[0142] In some cases, the first UE receiving a fifth indication that it is a lead UE is at least partially based on having sent a fourth indication that it is capable of functioning as a lead UE.

[0143] In some examples, the parameter component 955 is capable, configured, or operable to support means for transmitting one or more parameters, including location information, the amount of sensor data generated by the first UE, the computing power capability associated with the first UE, or any combination thereof, and the receiving of a fifth indication that the first UE is the lead UE is at least partially based on one or more parameters.

[0144] In some examples, the partition reporting component 960 can support, is configured to support, or can operate to support, means of sending to a network entity partition reporting information which includes one or more of the following: sensor data associated with a first set of UEs, sensor data extraction information associated with a first set of UEs, location information associated with a first UE or a first set of UEs, object occlusion information associated with a first set of UEs, partition cost information for sensor data associated with one or more UEs included in the first set of UEs and one or more UEs excluded from the first set of UEs but included in multiple disjoint sets of UEs, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the hierarchical partitioning component 935 can support, is configured to support, or can operate to support, means of receiving a sixth indication showing the public identifier of an updated first set of UEs among multiple updated disjoint sets of UEs, an updated indication of a new lead UE, or any combination thereof.

[0145] In some examples, the data component 945 is capable of supporting, configured to support, or operable to support means for calculating cost values ​​associated with a partition between a first set of UEs and a second set of UEs, wherein the partition cost information is at least partially based on received raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data.

[0146] In some examples, partition cost information includes an indication of a decrease in the accuracy level of feature extraction associated with sensor data shared with the read UE by the first set of UEs, at least partially based on the absence of one or more UEs from the first set of UEs to the second set of UEs. In some examples, receiving a sixth indication is at least partially based on partition cost information.

[0147] In some examples, the extracted feature component 950 is capable, configured to, or operable to support means of broadcasting indications of one or more extracted features associated with raw sensor data and raw measurement data to multiple UEs within and outside the first set of UEs, at least in part on existing connections for feature data sharing between a first UE and multiple UEs.

[0148] In some examples, the lead assignment component 940 is capable, configured, or operable to support means for receiving an indication that a second UE of a first set of UEs is a lead UE, and a fifth indication is multiplexed with the third indication, included in the third indication, or separate from the third indication. In some examples, the data component 945 is capable, configured, or operable to support means for transmitting unicast signaling, including raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data, from the first UE to the second UE, at least in part, based on the indication that the second UE is a lead UE.

[0149] In some examples, the extracted feature component 950 is capable of supporting, configured to support, or operable to support, means of receiving a broadcast message containing one or more extracted features associated with the raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data, at least in part on the second UE sending a unicast signaling containing the raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data.

[0150] In some examples, the data component 945 can, is configured to, or can operate to support means for transmitting raw sensor data, raw measurement data, indications of one or more locally extracted features associated with the raw sensor data or raw measurement data, or any combination thereof, to a network entity.

[0151] In some examples, sharing raw sensor data includes sharing wireless detection and ranging data, lighting detection and ranging data, camera image data, stereo vision image data, speed information, location information, or any combination thereof.

[0152] In some examples, sharing raw measurement data includes sharing wireless channel statistics, channel status information, or a combination thereof, of a vehicle UE, a cellular UE paired with a vehicle UE, or any combination thereof.

[0153] In some examples, the feature extraction output may include object bounding, object location estimation, object orientation estimation, object detection, object classification, reliability measurement, mapping, compression of wireless channel information, or any combination thereof, based at least partially on aggregated sensor data, wireless data, and raw data.

[0154] Figure 10 shows a diagram of a system 1000 including a device 1005 that supports hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system, according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. Device 1005 may be an example of device 705, device 805, or UE 115, or may include components thereof, as described herein. Device 1005 may communicate (for example, wirelessly) with one or more network entities 105, one or more UE 115, or any combination thereof. Device 1005 may include components for bidirectional voice and data communication, comprising components for transmitting and receiving communications, such as a communication manager 1020, an input / output (I / O) controller 1010, a transceiver 1015, an antenna 1025, at least one memory 1030, a code 1035, and at least one processor 1040. These components may communicate electronically or be coupled (for example, operably, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more buses (e.g., bus 1045).

[0155] The I / O controller 1010 can manage input and output signals related to device 1005. The I / O controller 1010 can also manage peripherals not integrated into device 1005. In some cases, the I / O controller 1010 may represent physical connections or ports to external peripherals. In some cases, the I / O controller 1010 may utilize an operating system such as iOS®, ANDROID®, MS-DOS®, MS-WINDOWS®, OS / 2®, UNIX®, LINUX®, or another known operating system. Additionally or alternatively, the I / O controller 1010 may represent, or interact with, a modem, keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, or similar device. In some cases, the I / O controller 1010 may be implemented as part of at least one processor, such as at least one processor 1040. In some cases, the user may interact with the device 1005 via the I / O controller 1010 or via hardware components controlled by the I / O controller 1010.

[0156] In some cases, device 1005 may include a single antenna 1025. However, in some other cases, device 1005 may have two or more antennas 1025 that can simultaneously transmit or receive multiple wireless transmissions. Transceiver 1015 may communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas 1025, a wired link, or a wireless link, as described herein. For example, transceiver 1015 may represent a wireless transceiver and communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. Transceiver 1015 may also include a modem for modulating packets, providing those modulated packets to one or more antennas 1025 for transmission, and demodulating packets received from one or more antennas 1025. The transceiver 1015, or the transceiver 1015 and one or more antennas 1025, may be an example of a transmitter 715, a transmitter 815, a receiver 710, a receiver 810, or any combination thereof, or components thereof, as described herein.

[0157] At least one memory 1030 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). At least one memory 1030 may store computer-readable computer-executable code 1035, which, when executed by at least one processor 1040, causes device 1005 to perform various functions described herein. The code 1035 may be stored in a non-temporary computer-readable medium, such as system memory or another type of memory. In some cases, the code 1035 may not be directly executable by at least one processor 1040, but (for example, when compiled and executed) may cause the computer to perform functions described herein. In some cases, at least one memory 1030 may include a basic I / O system (BIOS) that can control basic hardware or software operations, such as interactions with peripheral components or peripheral devices.

[0158] At least one processor 1040 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general-purpose processors, DSPs, CPUs, microcontrollers, ASICs, FPGAs, programmable logic devices, individual gate or transistor logic components, individual hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, at least one processor 1040 may be configured to operate at least one memory array using at least one memory controller. In some other cases, at least one memory controller may be incorporated into at least one processor 1040. At least one processor 1040 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in at least one memory (e.g., at least one memory 1030) to cause device 1005 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system). For example, device 1005 or a component of device 1005 may include at least one processor 1040 and memory 1030 coupled to at least one processor 1040, wherein the at least one processor 1040 and memory 1030 are configured to perform various functions described herein.

[0159] The communication manager 1020 may support wireless communication in a first UE in accordance with examples disclosed herein. For example, the communication manager 1020 may support, be configured to support, or be operable to support, means for receiving a first indication including a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which multiple UEs are grouped into multiple disjoint sets of UEs to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and raw measurement data. The communication manager 1020 may support, be configured to support, or be operable to support, means for sending a second indication including a response message indicating participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in response to receiving the first indication. The communications manager 1020 is capable, configured, or operable to support, a means of receiving a third indication, which includes a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among a multiple disjoint sets of UEs, at least in part, based on having sent a second indication, wherein the first set of UEs includes a first UE, and the public identifier is associated with a lead UE in the first set of UEs (e.g., assigned to a lead UE, corresponding to a lead UE, or indicating a lead UE).

[0160] By including or configuring the communications manager 1020 in accordance with the examples described herein, device 1005 may support techniques for data adjustment and feature extraction, resulting in reduced overhead signaling, improved utilization of available system resources, improved feature detection and extraction, improved safety features, reduced occlusion, and improved user experience.

[0161] In some examples, the communication manager 1020 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, monitoring, transmitting) using or in cooperation with the transceiver 1015, one or more antennas 1025, or any combination thereof. Although the communication manager 1020 is shown as a separate component, in some examples, one or more functions described with reference to the communication manager 1020 may be supported or performed by at least one processor 1040, at least one memory 1030, code 1035, or any combination thereof. For example, code 1035 may include instructions executable by at least one processor 1040 that cause device 1005 to perform various forms of hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system as described herein, or at least one processor 1040 and at least one memory 1030 may be configured to perform or support such operations.

[0162] Figure 11 shows a block diagram 1100 of a device 1105 that supports hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Device 1105 may be an example of an embodiment of a network entity 105 described herein. Device 1105 may include a receiver 1110, a transmitter 1115, and a communications manager 1120. Device 1105 may also include at least one processor. Each of these components may communicate with one another (for example, via one or more buses).

[0163] Receiver 1110 may provide means for acquiring (e.g., receiving, determining, identifying) information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof, associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with the protocol stack), including I / Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, and service data units. The information may be passed to other components of device 1105. In some examples, receiver 1110 may support acquiring information by receiving signals via one or more antennas. As an addition or alternative, receiver 1110 may support acquiring information by receiving signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, optical fiber) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof.

[0164] The transmitter 1115 may provide a means for outputting (e.g., transmitting, providing, conveying, sending) information generated by other components of device 1105. For example, the transmitter 1115 may output information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof, associated with various channels (e.g., control channel, data channel, information channel, channel associated with protocol stack) (e.g., I / Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units). In some examples, the transmitter 1115 may support outputting information by transmitting signals through one or more antennas. As an addition or alternative, the transmitter 1115 may support outputting information by transmitting signals through one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the transmitter 1115 and receiver 1110 may be co-located within a transceiver that may include or be coupled with a modem.

[0165] The communication manager 1120, receiver 1110, transmitter 1115, or various combinations thereof, or various components thereof, may be examples of means for performing various forms of hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in the perceptual wireless communication system described herein. For example, the communication manager 1120, receiver 1110, transmitter 1115, or various combinations thereof, or components thereof, may support a method for performing one or more of the functions described herein.

[0166] In some examples, the communications manager 1120, the receiver 1110, the transmitter 1115, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in communications management circuits). The hardware may include at least one processor, DSP, CPU, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, microcontroller, individual gate or transistor logic, individual hardware components, or any combination thereof, which are configured as means for performing or supporting means for performing the functions described herein. In some examples, at least one processor and memory coupled with at least one processor may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., by having at least one processor execute instructions stored in at least one memory).

[0167] In addition or alternatively, in some examples, the communications manager 1120, receiver 1110, transmitter 1115, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in code (e.g., as communications management software or firmware) executed by at least one processor. When implemented in code executed by at least one processor, the functions of the communications manager 1120, receiver 1110, transmitter 1115, or various combinations or components thereof may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, CPU, ASIC, FPGA, microcontroller, or any combination of these or other programmable logic devices (e.g., configured as means for performing or supporting means for performing the functions described herein).

[0168] In some examples, the communications manager 1120 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, acquiring, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or in cooperation with the receiver 1110, the transmitter 1115, or both. For example, the communications manager 1120 may receive information from the receiver 1110 and send information to the transmitter 1115, or, in combination with the receiver 1110, the transmitter 1115, or both, acquire information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.

[0169] The communication manager 1120 may support wireless communication in a network entity in accordance with the examples disclosed herein. For example, the communication manager 1120 may support, be configured to support, or be operable to support, means of sending a first indication to a plurality of user devices (UEs) that includes a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which the plurality of UEs are grouped into a plurality of disjoint sets of UEs in order to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and raw measurement data. The communication manager 1120 may support, be configured to support, or be operable to support, means of receiving a second indication in response to having sent the first indication that includes a response message indicating participation in the hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session. The communications manager 1120 is capable of supporting, configured to support, or operable to support, a means of sending a third indication to multiple UEs, at least in part, based on the receipt of a second indication, which includes a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among multiple disjoint sets of UEs, where the first set of UEs includes a first UE and the public identifier is associated with a lead UE in the first set of UEs.

[0170] By including or configuring the communications manager 1120 in accordance with the examples described herein, the device 1105 (e.g., a processor controlling the receiver 1110, transmitter 1115, communications manager 1120, or a combination thereof, or coupled with them) can support techniques for data adjustment and feature extraction, resulting in reduced overhead signaling, improved utilization of available system resources, improved feature detection and extraction, and an improved user experience.

[0171] Figure 12 shows a block diagram 1200 of a device 1205 that supports hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Device 1205 may be an example of an embodiment of device 1105 or network entity 105 described herein. Device 1205 may include a receiver 1210, a transmitter 1215, and a communication manager 1220. Device 1205 may also include at least one processor. Each of these components may communicate with one another (for example, via one or more buses).

[0172] Receiver 1210 may provide means for acquiring (e.g., receiving, determining, identifying) information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof, associated with various channels (e.g., control channel, data channel, information channel, channel associated with the protocol stack), including I / Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, and service data units. The information may be passed to other components of device 1205. In some examples, receiver 1210 may support acquiring information by receiving signals via one or more antennas. As an addition or alternative, receiver 1210 may support acquiring information by receiving signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof.

[0173] The transmitter 1215 may provide a means for outputting (e.g., transmitting, providing, conveying, sending) information generated by other components of device 1205. For example, the transmitter 1215 may output information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof, associated with various channels (e.g., control channel, data channel, information channel, channel associated with protocol stack) (e.g., I / Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units). In some examples, the transmitter 1215 may support outputting information by transmitting signals through one or more antennas. As an addition or alternative, the transmitter 1215 may support outputting information by transmitting signals through one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the transmitter 1215 and receiver 1210 may be co-located within a transceiver that may include or be coupled with a modem.

[0174] Device 1205, or its various components, may be examples of means for performing various forms of hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system as described herein. For example, the communication manager 1220 may include a hierarchical data session request manager 1225, a join response message manager 1230, a hierarchical partition manager 1235, or any combination thereof. The communication manager 1220 may be an example of a form of the communication manager 1120 as described herein. In some examples, the communication manager 1220, or its various components, may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, acquiring, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or in cooperation with the receiver 1210, the transmitter 1215, or both. For example, the communication manager 1220 may receive information from the receiver 1210 and send information to the transmitter 1215, or, in combination with the receiver 1210, the transmitter 1215, or both, acquire information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.

[0175] The communication manager 1220 may support wireless communication in a network entity in accordance with the examples disclosed herein. The hierarchical data session request manager 1225 can support, is configured to support, or can operate to support, means of sending a first indication to multiple user devices (UEs) that includes a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which multiple UEs are grouped into multiple disjoint sets of UEs in order to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and raw measurement data. The join response message manager 1230 can support, is configured to support, or can operate to support, means of receiving a second indication in response to having sent the first indication that includes a response message indicating participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session. The hierarchical partition manager 1235 is capable of supporting, configured to support, or operable to support, a means of sending a third indication to multiple UEs, at least in part, based on the receipt of a second indication, which includes a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among multiple disjoint sets of UEs, where the first set of UEs includes a first UE and the public identifier is associated with a lead UE in the first set of UEs.

[0176] Figure 13 shows a block diagram 1300 of a communication manager 1320 that supports hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The communication manager 1320 may be an example of an aspect of the communication manager 1120, the communication manager 1220, or both, as described herein. The communication manager 1320, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system, as described herein. For example, the communication manager 1320 may include a hierarchical data session request manager 1325, a join response message manager 1330, a hierarchical partition manager 1335, a read assignment manager 1340, an extracted feature manager 1345, a partition reporting manager 1350, a parameter manager 1355, or any combination thereof. Each of these components may communicate with one another directly or indirectly (for example, via one or more buses), which may include communication within the protocol layer of the protocol stack, communication associated with the logical channels of the protocol stack (for example, between protocol layers of the protocol stack, within devices, components, or virtualization components associated with network entity 105, between devices, components, or virtualization components associated with network entity 105), or any combination thereof.

[0177] The communication manager 1320 may support wireless communication in a network entity in accordance with the examples disclosed herein. The hierarchical data session request manager 1325 can support, is configured to support, or can operate to support, means of sending a first indication to multiple user devices (UEs) that includes a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which multiple UEs are grouped into multiple disjoint sets of UEs in order to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and raw measurement data. The join response message manager 1330 can support, is configured to support, or can operate to support, means of receiving a second indication in response to having sent the first indication that includes a response message indicating participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session. The hierarchical partition manager 1335 is capable of supporting, configured to support, or operable to support, a means of sending a third indication to multiple UEs, at least in part, based on the receipt of a second indication, which includes a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among multiple disjoint sets of UEs, where the first set of UEs includes a first UE and the public identifier is associated with a lead UE in the first set of UEs.

[0178] In some examples, the join response message manager 1330 is capable, configured, or operable to support means of receiving a fourth indication indicating the availability of a first UE to act as a lead UE, the fourth indication being multiplexed with, included in, or separate from a second indication. In some examples, the lead assignment manager 1340 is capable, configured, or operable to support means of sending a fifth indication indicating that a first UE is the lead UE of a first set of UEs, the fifth indication being multiplexed with, included in, or separate from a third indication. In some examples, the extracted feature manager 1345 can, is configured to, or can operate to support means for each lead UE of a multiple disjoint set of UEs to receive indications of one or more extracted features associated with combined sensor and data and raw measurement data, at least in part on the fact that each lead UE has received unicast signaling including raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data from each respective UE of each disjoint set of UEs of the UE.

[0179] In some examples, the sending of a fifth indication that the first UE is the lead UE is at least partially based on the fact that the first UE has received an indication that it is capable of acting as the lead UE.

[0180] In some examples, the parameter manager 1355 is capable, configured, or operable to support means for receiving one or more parameters, including location information, the amount of sensor data generated by the first UE, the computing power capability associated with the first UE, or any combination thereof, and the receiving indication that the first UE is the lead UE is at least partially based on one or more parameters.

[0181] In some examples, the partition reporting manager 1350 can support, is configured to support, or can operate to support, means of receiving partition reporting information from one or more UEs of a first set of UEs, including raw sensor data and raw measurement data associated with the first set of UEs, sensor data extraction information associated with the first set of UEs, location information associated with the first UE or the first set of UEs, object occlusion information associated with the first set of UEs, partition cost information for sensor data associated with one or more UEs of a second set of UEs of a multiple disjoint set of UEs, or one or more of any combination thereof. In some examples, the hierarchical partition manager 1335 can support, is configured to support, or can operate to support, means of sending to the first set of UEs, the second set of UEs, or both, a sixth indication showing the public identifier of the updated first set of UEs of a multiple updated disjoint set of UEs, an updated indication of a new lead UE, or any combination thereof.

[0182] In some examples, partition cost information includes cost values ​​associated with partitions between a first set of UEs and a second set of UEs.

[0183] In some examples, partition cost information includes an indication of a decrease in the accuracy level of feature extraction associated with sensor data shared with the read UE by the first set of UEs, at least partially based on the absence of one or more UEs from the first set of UEs to the second set of UEs. In some examples, sending a sixth indication is at least partially based on partition cost information.

[0184] In some examples, sharing raw sensor data includes sharing wireless detection and ranging data, lighting detection and ranging data, camera image data, stereo vision image data, speed information, location information, or any combination thereof.

[0185] In some examples, sharing raw measurement data includes sharing wireless channel statistics, channel status information, or a combination thereof, of a vehicle UE, a cellular UE paired with a vehicle UE, or any combination thereof.

[0186] In some examples, the feature extraction output may include object bounding, object location estimation, object orientation estimation, object detection, object classification, reliability measurement, mapping, compression of wireless channel information, or any combination thereof, based at least partially on aggregated sensor data, wireless data, and raw data.

[0187] Figure 14 shows a diagram of a system 1400 including a device 1405 that supports hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system, according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. Device 1405 may be an example of the device 1105, device 1205, or network entity 105 described herein, or may include components thereof. Device 1405 may communicate with one or more network entities 105, one or more UEs 115, or any combination thereof, which may include communication via one or more wired interfaces, communication via one or more wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof. Device 1405 may include components that support outputting and acquiring communications, such as a communication manager 1420, a transceiver 1410, an antenna 1415, at least one memory 1425, a code 1430, and at least one processor 1435. These components may communicate electronically or be coupled (for example, operably, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more buses (e.g., bus 1440).

[0188] The transceiver 1410 may support bidirectional communication via a wired link, a wireless link, or both, as described herein. In some examples, the transceiver 1410 may include a wired transceiver and communicate bidirectionally with another wired transceiver. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the transceiver 1410 may include a wireless transceiver and communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. In some examples, the device 1405 may include one or more antennas 1415 that may be capable of transmitting or receiving wireless transmissions (e.g., simultaneously). The transceiver 1410 may also include a modem for modulating a signal, providing to transmit the modulated signal (e.g., by one or more antennas 1415, by a wired transmitter), receiving the modulated signal (e.g., from one or more antennas 1415, from a wired receiver), and demodulating the signal. In some implementations, the transceiver 1410 may include one or more interfaces, such as one or more interfaces coupled to one or more antennas 1415 configured to support various receiving or acquiring operations, or one or more interfaces coupled to one or more antennas 1415 configured to support various transmitting or output operations, or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the transceiver 1410 may include, or be configured to be coupled with, one or more processors or memory components capable of performing or supporting operations at least in part on received or acquired information or signals, or generating information or other signals for transmission or other output, or any combination thereof.In some implementations, the transceiver 1410, or the transceiver 1410 and one or more antennas 1415, or the transceiver 1410 and one or more antennas 1415 and one or more processor or memory components (e.g., at least one processor 1435, or at least one memory 1425, or both) may be included in a chip or chip assembly installed in device 1405. In some examples, the transceiver may be capable of operating to support communication over one or more communication links (e.g., communication link 125, backhaul communication link 120, midhaul communication link 162, fronthaul communication link 168).

[0189] At least one memory 1425 may include RAM and ROM. At least one memory 1425 may store computer-readable computer-executable code 1430, which, when executed by at least one processor 1435, causes device 1405 to perform various functions described herein. The code 1430 may be stored in a non-temporary computer-readable medium, such as system memory or another type of memory. In some cases, the code 1430 may not be directly executable by at least one processor 1435, but (for example, when compiled and executed) may cause the computer to perform functions described herein. In some cases, at least one memory 1425 may include a BIOS that can control basic hardware or software operations, such as interactions with peripheral components or peripheral devices.

[0190] At least one processor 1435 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general-purpose processors, DSPs, ASICs, CPUs, FPGAs, microcontrollers, programmable logic devices, individual gate or transistor logic, individual hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, at least one processor 1435 may be configured to operate at least one memory array using at least one memory controller. In some other cases, at least one memory controller may be incorporated into at least one processor 1435. At least one processor 1435 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in at least one memory (e.g., at least one memory 1425) to cause device 1405 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system). For example, device 1405 or a component of device 1405 may include at least one processor 1435 and memory 1425 coupled to at least one processor 1435, wherein the at least one processor 1435 and memory 1425 are configured to perform various functions described herein. At least one processor 1435 may be an example of a cloud computing platform (e.g., one or more physical nodes and supporting software such as an operating system, virtual machine, or container instance) that can host functions to perform the functions of device 1405 (e.g., by executing code 1430). At least one processor 1435 may be any one or more preferred processors capable of executing scripts or instructions of one or more software programs stored in device 1405 (for example, in at least one memory 1425). In some implementations, at least one processor 1435 may be a component of a processing system.A processing system may generally refer to a system or set of machines or components that receive inputs, process those inputs, and generate a set of outputs (which may be passed to other systems or components of device 1405, for example). For example, the processing system of device 1405 may refer to a system that includes various other components or sub-components of device 1405, such as at least one processor 1435, or transceiver 1410, or communication manager 1420, or other components of device 1405 or combinations of components. The processing system of device 1405 may interface with other components of device 1405, process information (such as inputs or signals) received from other components, or output information to other components. For example, the chip or modem of device 1405 may include a processing system and one or more interfaces for outputting information, or for acquiring information, or both. One or more interfaces may be implemented, or include, in particular, a first interface configured to output information and a second interface configured to acquire information, or the same interface configured to output information and acquire information, among many implementation forms. In some implementations, one or more interfaces may refer to an interface between the chip or modem's processing system and a transmitter, thereby allowing device 1405 to transmit information output from the chip or modem. Additionally or alternatively, in some implementations, one or more interfaces may refer to an interface between the chip or modem's processing system and a receiver, thereby allowing device 1405 to receive information or signal inputs, which can then be passed to the processing system. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the first interface may also receive information or signal inputs, and the second interface may also output information or signal outputs.

[0191] In some examples, bus 1440 may support (e.g., internal) communications of the protocol layer of the protocol stack. In some examples, bus 1440 may support communications associated with logical channels of the protocol stack (e.g., between protocol layers of the protocol stack), which may include communications performed within a component of device 1405 or between different components of device 1405 that may be located side-by-side or in different locations (for example, device 1405 may refer to a system in which one or more of the communications manager 1420, transceiver 1410, at least one memory 1425, code 1430, and at least one processor 1435 may be located in one of the different components or divided into different components).

[0192] In some examples, the communications manager 1420 may manage the manner of communication with the core network 130 (e.g., via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links). For example, the communications manager 1420 may manage the transfer of data communications for client devices, such as one or more UEs 115. In some examples, the communications manager 1420 may manage communication with other network entities 105 and may include a controller or scheduler for coordinating with other network entities 105 to control communication with the UEs 115. In some examples, the communications manager 1420 may support an X2 interface within LTE / LTE-A wireless communications network technology to provide communication between network entities 105.

[0193] The communication manager 1420 may support wireless communication in a network entity in accordance with the examples disclosed herein. For example, the communication manager 1420 may support, be configured to support, or be operable to support, means of sending a first indication to a plurality of user devices (UEs) that includes a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which the plurality of UEs are grouped into a plurality of disjoint sets of UEs in order to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and raw measurement data. The communication manager 1420 may support, be configured to support, or be operable to support, means of receiving a second indication in response to having sent the first indication that includes a response message indicating participation in the hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session. The communications manager 1420 is capable of supporting, configured to support, or operable to support, a means of sending a third indication to multiple UEs, at least in part, based on the receipt of a second indication, which includes a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among multiple disjoint sets of UEs, where the first set of UEs includes a first UE and the public identifier is associated with a lead UE in the first set of UEs.

[0194] By including or configuring the communications manager 1420 in accordance with the examples described herein, the device 1405 may support techniques for data adjustment and feature extraction, resulting in reduced overhead signaling, improved utilization of available system resources, improved feature detection and extraction, improved safety features, reduced occlusion, and improved user experience.

[0195] In some examples, the communications manager 1420 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, acquiring, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or in cooperation with the transceiver 1410, one or more antennas 1415 (e.g., where applicable), or any combination thereof. Although the communications manager 1420 is shown as a separate component, in some examples, one or more functions described with reference to the communications manager 1420 may be supported or performed by the transceiver 1410, at least one processor 1435, at least one memory 1425, code 1430, or any combination thereof. For example, code 1430 may include instructions executable by at least one processor 1435 that cause device 1405 to perform various forms of hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communications system as described herein, or at least one processor 1435 and at least one memory 1425 may be configured to perform or support such operations.

[0196] Figure 15 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1500 that supports hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The operation of method 1500 may be implemented by a UE or its components as described herein. For example, the operation of method 1500 may be performed by a UE 115 as described with reference to Figures 1 to 10. In some examples, the UE may execute a set of instructions for controlling functional elements of the wireless UE in order to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the wireless UE may perform aspects of the described functions using dedicated hardware.

[0197] In 1505, the method may include receiving a first indication that includes a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which multiple UEs are grouped into multiple disjoint sets of UEs in order to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and raw measurement data. The operation of 1505 may be performed according to examples such as those disclosed herein. In some examples, the operation of 1505 may be performed by a hierarchical data session request component 925, as described with reference to Figure 9.

[0198] In 1510, the method may include sending a second indication in response to receiving a first indication, which includes a response message indicating participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session. The operation of 1510 may be performed according to examples such as those disclosed herein. In some examples, the operation of 1510 may be performed by a join response message component 930, as described with reference to Figure 9.

[0199] In 1515, the method may include, at least in part, receiving a third indication which includes a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among a plurality of disjoint sets of UEs, where the first set of UEs includes a first UE, and the public identifier is associated with a lead UE in the first set of UEs (e.g., assigned to a lead UE, corresponding to a lead UE, or indicating a lead UE). The operation of 1515 may be performed according to examples such as those disclosed herein. In some examples, the operation of 1515 may be performed by a hierarchical partition component 935, as described with reference to Figure 9.

[0200] Figure 16 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1600 that supports hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The operation of method 1600 may be implemented by a UE (which may be referred to as the first UE) or its components as described herein. For example, the operation of method 1600 may be performed by a UE 115 (e.g., a lead UE) as described with reference to Figures 1 to 10. In some examples, the UE may execute a set of instructions for controlling functional elements of the wireless UE in order to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the wireless UE may perform aspects of the described functions using dedicated hardware.

[0201] In 1605, the method may include receiving a first indication that includes a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which multiple UEs are grouped into multiple disjoint sets of UEs in order to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and raw measurement data. The operation of 1605 may be performed according to examples such as those disclosed herein. In some examples, the operation of 1605 may be performed by a hierarchical data session request component 925, as described with reference to Figure 9.

[0202] In 1610, the method may include sending a second indication in response to receiving a first indication, which includes a response message indicating participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session. The operation of 1610 may be performed according to examples such as those disclosed herein. In some examples, the operation of 1610 may be performed by a join response message component 930, as described with reference to Figure 9.

[0203] In 1615, the method may include sending a fourth indication to show the availability of a first UE to act as a lead UE, the fourth indication being multiplexed with the second indication, included in the second indication, or separate from the second indication. The operation of 1615 may be performed according to examples such as those disclosed herein. In some examples, the operation of 1615 may be performed by a join response message component 930, as described with reference to Figure 9.

[0204] In 1620, the method may include, at least in part, receiving a third indication which includes a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among a plurality of disjoint sets of UEs, where the first set of UEs includes a first UE, and the public identifier is associated with a lead UE in the first set of UEs (e.g., assigned to a lead UE, corresponding to a lead UE, or indicating a lead UE). The operation of 1620 may be performed according to examples such as those disclosed herein. In some examples, the operation of 1620 may be performed by a hierarchical partition component 935, as described with reference to Figure 9.

[0205] In 1625, the method may include receiving a fifth indication that a first UE is the lead UE of a first set of UEs, the fifth indication being multiplexed with the third indication, included in the third indication, or separate from the third indication. The operation of 1625 may be performed according to examples such as those disclosed herein. In some examples, the operation of 1625 may be performed by the lead allocation component 940, as described with reference to Figure 9.

[0206] In 1630, the method may include receiving unicast signaling, including raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data, from each UE of a first set of UEs, at least in part on the fact that the public identifier of the lead UE is the same as the public identifier of the first UE. The operation of 1630 may be performed according to examples such as those disclosed herein. In some examples, the operation of 1630 may be performed by data component 945, as described with reference to Figure 9.

[0207] Figure 17 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1700 supporting hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The operation of method 1700 may be implemented by a UE (which may be referred to as the first UE) or its components as described herein. For example, the operation of method 1700 may be performed by a UE 115 (e.g., a non-read UE) as described with reference to Figures 1 to 10. In some examples, the UE may execute a set of instructions for controlling functional elements of the wireless UE in order to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the wireless UE may perform aspects of the described functions using dedicated hardware.

[0208] In 1705, the method may include receiving a first indication that includes a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which multiple UEs are grouped into multiple disjoint sets of UEs in order to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and raw measurement data. The operation of 1705 may be performed according to examples such as those disclosed herein. In some examples, the operation of 1705 may be performed by a hierarchical data session request component 925, as described with reference to Figure 9.

[0209] In 1710, the method may include sending a second indication in response to receiving a first indication, which includes a response message indicating participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session. The operation of 1710 may be performed according to examples such as those disclosed herein. In some examples, the operation of 1710 may be performed by a join response message component 930, as described with reference to Figure 9.

[0210] In 1715, the method may include, at least in part, receiving a third indication which includes a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among a plurality of disjoint sets of UEs, based on having sent a second indication, wherein the first set of UEs includes a first UE and the public identifier is associated with a lead UE in the first set of UEs. The operation of 1715 may be performed according to examples such as those disclosed herein. In some examples, the operation of 1715 may be performed by a hierarchical partition component 935, as described with reference to Figure 9.

[0211] In 1720, the method may include receiving an indication that the second UE of a first set of UEs is a lead UE, which is multiplexed with, included in, or separate from a third indication. The operation of 1720 may be performed according to examples such as those disclosed herein. In some examples, the operation of 1720 may be performed by a lead allocation component 940, as described with reference to Figure 9.

[0212] In 1725, the method may include transmitting unicast signaling, including raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data, from the first UE to the second UE, at least in part on an indication that the second UE is the lead UE. The operation of 1725 may be performed according to examples such as those disclosed herein. In some examples, the operation of 1725 may be performed by data component 945, as described with reference to Figure 9.

[0213] Figure 18 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1800 that supports hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The operation of method 1800 may be implemented by a network entity (e.g., network entity 105) or its components as described herein. For example, the operation of method 1800 may be performed by a network entity as described with reference to Figures 1 to 6 and Figures 11 to 14. In some examples, the network entity may execute a set of instructions for controlling functional elements of a wireless network entity in order to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the wireless network entity may perform aspects of the described functions using dedicated hardware.

[0214] In 1805, the method may include sending a first indication to multiple user devices (UEs) that includes a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which the multiple UEs are grouped into multiple disjoint sets of UEs in order to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and raw measurement data. The operation of 1805 may be performed according to examples such as those disclosed herein. In some examples, the operation of 1805 may be performed by a hierarchical data session request manager 1325, as described with reference to Figure 13.

[0215] In 1810, the method may include receiving a second indication in response to sending a first indication, which includes a response message indicating participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session. The operation of 1810 may be performed according to examples such as those disclosed herein. In some examples, the operation of 1810 may be performed by a join response message manager 1330, as described with reference to Figure 13.

[0216] In 1815, the method may include sending a third indication to a plurality of UEs, at least in part, based on the receipt of a second indication, which includes a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among a plurality of disjoint sets of UEs, where the first set of UEs includes a first UE (e.g., a lead UE and at least one non-lead UE), and the public identifier is associated with the lead UE in the first set of UEs. The operation of 1815 may be performed according to examples such as those disclosed herein. In some examples, the operation of 1815 may be performed by a hierarchical partition manager 1335, as described with reference to Figure 13.

[0217] Figure 19 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1900 that supports hierarchical partitioning and sensor data aggregation in a perceptual wireless communication system according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The operation of method 1900 may be implemented by a network entity or its components, as described herein. For example, the operation of method 1900 may be performed by a network entity, as described with reference to Figures 1 to 6 and Figures 11 to 14. In some examples, the network entity may execute a set of instructions for controlling functional elements of a wireless network entity in order to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the wireless network entity may perform aspects of the described functions using dedicated hardware.

[0218] In 1905, the method may include sending a first indication to multiple user devices (UEs) that includes a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which the multiple UEs are grouped into multiple disjoint sets of UEs in order to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and raw measurement data. The operation of 1905 may be performed according to examples such as those disclosed herein. In some examples, the operation of 1905 may be performed by a hierarchical data session request manager 1325, as described with reference to Figure 13.

[0219] In 1910, the method may include receiving a second indication in response to sending a first indication, which includes a response message indicating participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session. The operation of 1910 may be performed according to examples such as those disclosed herein. In some examples, the operation of 1910 may be performed by a join response message manager 1330, as described with reference to Figure 13.

[0220] In 1915, the method may include receiving a fourth indication for the availability of a first UE (e.g., at least a portion of a set of multiple UEs) to act as a lead UE, the fourth indication being multiplexed with the second indication, included in the second indication, or separate from the second indication. The operation of 1915 may be performed according to examples such as those disclosed herein. In some examples, the operation of 1915 may be performed by the participate response message manager 1330, as described with reference to Figure 13.

[0221] In 1920, the method may include sending a third indication to a plurality of UEs, at least in part, based on the receipt of a second indication, which includes a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among a plurality of disjoint sets of UEs, where the first set of UEs includes a first UE (e.g., a lead UE and at least one non-lead UE), and the public identifier is associated with the lead UE in the first set of UEs. The operation of 1920 may be performed according to examples such as those disclosed herein. In some examples, the operation of 1920 may be performed by the hierarchical partition manager 1335, as described with reference to Figure 13.

[0222] In 1925, the method may include transmitting a fifth indication that a first UE is the lead UE of a first set of UEs, the fifth indication being multiplexed with the third indication, included in the third indication, or separate from the third indication. The operation of 1925 may be performed according to examples such as those disclosed herein. In some examples, the operation of 1925 may be performed by the lead allocation manager 1340, as described with reference to Figure 13.

[0223] In 1930, the method may include each lead UE receiving an indication of one or more extracted features associated with the combined sensor and data and raw measurement data from each lead UE in the multiple disjoint sets of UEs, at least in part, based on the fact that each lead UE has received unicast signaling including raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data from each UE in each disjoint set of UEs in the multiple disjoint sets of UEs. The operation of 1930 may be performed according to examples such as those disclosed herein. In some examples, the operation of 1930 may be performed by the extracted feature manager 1345, as described with reference to Figure 13.

[0224] The following provides an overview of the various aspects of this disclosure.

[0225] Embodiment 1: A method for wireless communication in a first UE, comprising: receiving a first indication including a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which a plurality of UEs are grouped into a plurality of disjoint sets of UEs in order to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and raw measurement data; sending a second indication including a response message indicating participation in the hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in response to receiving the first indication; and receiving a third indication including a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among a plurality of disjoint sets of UEs, at least based on having sent the second indication, wherein the first set of UEs includes a first UE, and the public identifier is associated with a lead UE in the first set of UEs.

[0226] Embodiment 2: The method according to Embodiment 1, further comprising: transmitting a fourth indication for indicating the availability of a first UE to act as a lead UE, which is multiplexed with, included in, or separate from a second indication; receiving a fifth indication that the first UE is the lead UE of a first set of UEs, which is multiplexed with, included in, or separate from a third indication; and receiving unicast signaling, including raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data, from each of the first set of UEs, at least in part on the fact that the public identifier of the lead UE is the same as the public identifier of the first UE.

[0227] Embodiment 3: The method according to Embodiment 2, further comprising the first UE transmitting an indication of one or more extracted features associated with the combined raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data to a network entity, at least in part, based on the first UE receiving unicast signaling including raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data.

[0228] Embodiment 4: The method of any of Embodiments 2 to 3, wherein the receipt of a fifth indication that a first UE is a lead UE is at least in part based on the fact that the first UE sent a fourth indication that it is capable of functioning as a lead UE.

[0229] Embodiment 5: The method of any two embodiments to four, further comprising transmitting one or more parameters, including location information, the amount of sensor data generated by the first UE, the computing power capability associated with the first UE, or any combination thereof, wherein the first UE receives a fifth indication that it is a lead UE, at least in part on one or more of the parameters.

[0230] Embodiment 6: The method according to any two embodiments 2 to 5, further comprising transmitting to a network entity: sensor data associated with a first set of UEs; sensor data extraction information associated with a first set of UEs; location information associated with a first UE or a first set of UEs; object occlusion information associated with a first set of UEs; partition cost information for sensor data associated with one or more UEs included in the first set of UEs and one or more UEs excluded from the first set of UEs but included in multiple disjoint sets of UEs; or one or more of any combination thereof; and receiving a sixth indication showing a public identifier of an updated first set of UEs among multiple updated disjoint sets of UEs; an updated indication of a new lead UE; or any combination thereof.

[0231] Embodiment 7: The method according to Embodiment 6, further comprising calculating a cost value associated with a partition between a first set of UEs and a second set of UEs, wherein the partition cost information is based on received raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data.

[0232] Embodiment 8: The method of any one of embodiments 6 to 7, wherein the partition cost information includes an indication of a decrease in the accuracy level of feature extraction associated with sensor data shared with the lead UE by the first set of UEs, at least in part on the absence of one or more UEs from the first set of UEs to the second set of UEs, and receiving a sixth indication is at least in part on the partition cost information.

[0233] Embodiment 9: The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 8, further comprising broadcasting indications of one or more extracted features associated with raw sensor data and raw measurement data to multiple UEs within a first set of UEs and outside the first set of UEs, at least in part on an existing connection for feature data sharing between a first UE and multiple UEs.

[0234] Embodiment 10: The method of any one embodiment 1 to 9, further comprising receiving an indication that a second UE of a first set of UEs is a lead UE, which is multiplexed with, included in, or separate from a third indication, and transmitting unicast signaling, including raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data, from the first UE to the second UE, at least in part based on the indication that the second UE is a lead UE.

[0235] Embodiment 11: The method of Embodiment 10, further comprising receiving a broadcast message from a second UE containing one or more extracted features associated with the raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data, at least in part on the transmission of a unicast signaling containing raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data from a second UE.

[0236] Embodiment 12: The method according to any one of Embodiments 10 to 11, further comprising transmitting raw sensor data, raw measurement data, indication of one or more locally extracted features associated with the raw sensor data or raw measurement data, or any combination thereof, to a network entity.

[0237] Embodiment 13: The method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 12, wherein sharing raw sensor data includes sharing wireless detection and distance measurement data, lighting detection and distance measurement data, camera image data, stereo vision image data, speed information, location information, or any combination thereof.

[0238] Embodiment 14: The method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 13, wherein sharing raw measurement data includes sharing wireless channel statistics, channel status information, or a combination thereof of a vehicle UE, a cellular UE paired with a vehicle UE, or any combination thereof.

[0239] Embodiment 15: The method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 14, wherein the feature extraction output includes object bounding, object location estimation, object orientation estimation, object detection, object classification, reliability measurement, mapping, compression of wireless channel information, or any combination thereof, based at least in part on aggregated sensor data, wireless data, and raw data.

[0240] Embodiment 16: A method for wireless communication in a network entity, comprising: transmitting a first indication to a plurality of user devices (UEs) including a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which the plurality of UEs are grouped into a plurality of disjoint sets of UEs in order to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and raw measurement data; receiving a second indication in response to transmitting the first indication including a response message indicating participation in the hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session; and transmitting a third indication to the plurality of UEs, at least in part on having received the second indication, including a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among a plurality of disjoint sets of UEs, wherein the first set of UEs includes a first UE, and the public identifier is associated with a lead UE in the first set of UEs.

[0241] Embodiment 17: The method of Embodiment 16, further comprising: receiving a fourth indication for indicating the availability of a first UE to act as a lead UE, which is multiplexed with, included in, or separate from a second indication; transmitting a fifth indication that the first UE is the lead UE of a first set of UEs, which is multiplexed with, included in, or separate from a third indication; and each lead UE receiving an indication of one or more extracted features associated with combined sensor and data and raw measurement data from each lead UE in a plurality of disjoint sets of UEs, at least in part on the fact that each lead UE has received unicast signaling including raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and local feature data from each of the UEs in a plurality of disjoint sets of UEs.

[0242] Embodiment 18: The method of Embodiment 17, wherein the transmission of a fifth indication that a first UE is a lead UE is at least in part based on the receipt of an indication that the first UE is capable of functioning as a lead UE.

[0243] Embodiment 19: The method according to any one of Embodiments 17 to 18, further comprising receiving one or more parameters including location information, the amount of sensor data generated by the first UE, the computing power capability associated with the first UE, or any combination thereof, wherein receiving an indication that the first UE is a lead UE is at least partially based on one or more parameters.

[0244] Embodiment 20: The method according to any one of embodiments 16 to 19, further comprising receiving partition reporting information from one or more UEs of a first set of UEs, including raw sensor data and raw measurement data associated with the first set of UEs, sensor data extraction information associated with the first set of UEs, location information associated with the first UE or the first set of UEs, object occlusion information associated with the first set of UEs, partition cost information for sensor data associated with one or more UEs of a second set of UEs of a plurality of disjoint sets of UEs, or one or more of any combination thereof; and transmitting to the first set of UEs, the second set of UEs, or both, a sixth indication indicating a public identifier of an updated first set of UEs of a plurality of updated disjoint sets of UEs, an updated indication of a new lead UE, or any combination thereof.

[0245] Embodiment 21: The method according to Embodiment 20, wherein the partition cost information includes cost values ​​associated with a partition between a first set of UEs and a second set of UEs.

[0246] Embodiment 22: The method of any one of embodiments 20 to 21, wherein the partition cost information includes an indication of a decrease in the accuracy level of feature extraction associated with sensor data shared with the lead UE by the first set of UEs, at least in part on the absence of one or more UEs from the first set of UEs to the second set of UEs, and transmitting a sixth indication is at least in part on the partition cost information.

[0247] Embodiment 23: The method according to any one of Embodiments 16 to 22, wherein sharing raw sensor data includes sharing wireless detection and distance measurement data, lighting detection and distance measurement data, camera image data, stereo vision image data, speed information, location information, or any combination thereof.

[0248] Embodiment 24: The method according to any one of Embodiments 16 to 23, wherein sharing raw measurement data includes sharing wireless channel statistics, channel status information, or a combination thereof of a vehicle UE, a cellular UE paired with a vehicle UE, or any combination thereof.

[0249] Embodiment 25: The method according to any one of Embodiments 16 to 24, wherein the feature extraction output includes object bounding, object location estimation, object orientation estimation, object detection, object classification, reliability measurement, mapping, compression of wireless channel information, or any combination thereof, based at least in part on aggregated sensor data, wireless data, and raw data.

[0250] Embodiment 26: Apparatus for wireless communication in a first UE, comprising at least one processor, memory coupled to at least one processor, and instructions stored in at least one memory and executable by at least one processor, wherein the instructions cause the apparatus to perform the method described in any of Embodiments 1 to 15.

[0251] Embodiment 27: Apparatus for wireless communication in a first UE, comprising at least one means for performing the method described in any of Embodiments 1 to 15.

[0252] Embodiment 28: A non-temporary computer-readable medium for storing code for wireless communication in a first UE, wherein the code comprises instructions executable by at least one processor, and the instructions perform the method described in any of Embodiments 1 to 15.

[0253] Embodiment 29: A device for wireless communication in a network entity, comprising at least one processor, memory coupled to at least one processor, and instructions stored in at least one memory and executable by at least one processor, wherein the instructions cause the device to perform the method described in any of Embodiments 16 to 25.

[0254] Embodiment 30: An apparatus for wireless communication in a network entity, comprising at least one means for performing the method described in any of Embodiments 16 to 25.

[0255] Embodiment 31: A non-temporary computer-readable medium for storing code for wireless communication in a network entity, wherein the code comprises instructions executable by at least one processor, and the instructions perform the method described in any of Embodiments 16 to 25.

[0256] The methods described herein illustrate possible implementations, and it should be noted that the operations and steps may be reconfigured or modified, and other implementations are possible. Furthermore, combinations of two or more of these methods may also be used.

[0257] While various embodiments of LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR systems may be described for illustrative purposes, and the terms LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR may be used in most of the descriptions, the techniques described herein are applicable beyond the scope of LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR networks. For example, the techniques described may be applicable to a variety of other wireless communication systems, such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, and other systems and wireless technologies not expressly mentioned herein.

[0258] The information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a wide variety of technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips, which may be referred to throughout this description, may be represented by voltage, electric current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0259] Various exemplary blocks and components described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or run using general-purpose processors, DSPs, ASICs, CPUs, FPGAs or other programmable logic devices, individual gate or transistor logic, individual hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, at least one processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. At least one processor may be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0260] The functions described herein may be implemented using hardware, software executed by at least one processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented using software executed by at least one processor, the functions may be stored as instructions or code in one or more computer-readable media, or transmitted using such media. Other embodiments and implementations are within the scope of this disclosure and the accompanying claims. For example, due to the nature of the software, the functions described herein may be implemented using software executed by at least one processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination thereof. The features implementing these functions may also be physically located in various locations, including being distributed so that parts of the functions are implemented in different physical locations.

[0261] Computer-readable media include both non-temporary computer storage media and communication media, including any media that facilitates the transfer of computer programs from one location to another. Non-temporary storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general-purpose computer or a dedicated computer. Examples, but not limited to, non-temporary computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disc (CD) ROM or other optical disc storage, magnetic disc storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-temporary media that can be used to transport or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures, and that can be accessed by a general-purpose computer or a dedicated computer, or a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor. Furthermore, any connection may be appropriately referred to as computer-readable media. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then those coaxial cables, fiber optic cables, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included within the definition of computer-readable media. Disks and discs, as used herein, include CDs, laserdiscs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs. A disk may reproduce data magnetically, and a disc may reproduce data optically using a laser. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0262] Where used herein, including in the claims, “or” in an enumeration of items (for example, an enumeration of items followed by phrases such as “at least one of the following” or “one or more of the following”) means an inclusive enumeration, such as when the enumeration “at least one of A, B, or C” means A or B or C, or AB or AC or BC, or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Where used herein, the phrase “based on” should not be interpreted as referring to a closed set of conditions. For example, an exemplary step described as “based on condition A” may be based on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In other words, where used herein, the phrase “based on” should be interpreted in the same way as the phrase “at least partially based on.”

[0263] The term “determine” or “to determine” encompasses a wide range of actions, and therefore “determine” may include calculating, calculating, processing, deriving, investigating, searching (such as by searching a table, database, or other data structure), clarifying, etc. “Determine” may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data stored in memory), etc. Furthermore, “determine” may also include resolving, obtaining, selecting, choosing, establishing, and other similar actions.

[0264] In the attached diagrams, similar components or features may have the same reference label. Furthermore, various components of the same type may be distinguished by adding a dash and a second label that distinguishes similar components after the reference label. Where only the first reference label is used herein, its description is applicable to any of the similar components having the same first reference label, regardless of the second reference label or any other subsequent reference labels.

[0265] The descriptions provided herein in relation to the accompanying drawings are illustrative and do not represent all embodiments that may be implemented or that fall within the claims. The term “exemplary” as used herein means “serving as an example, illustration, or representation,” and does not mean “preferred” or “advantageous over other embodiments.” “Modes for carrying out the invention” include specific details intended to provide an understanding of the techniques described. However, these techniques can be practiced without these specific details. In some cases, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the concept of the embodiments described.

[0266] The descriptions herein are provided to enable those skilled in the art to construct or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Therefore, the disclosure is not limited to the embodiments and designs described herein, but should be given the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A device for wireless communication in a first user equipment (UE), At least one processor, The device comprises at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one memory contains an instruction, and when the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the device Receiving a first indication, which includes a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which multiple UEs are grouped into multiple disjoint sets of UEs in order to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and the raw measurement data, In response to receiving the first indication, a second indication is sent, which includes a response message indicating participation in the hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session. Receiving a third indication, at least in part, based on having sent the second indication, which includes a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among the plurality of disjoint sets of UEs, wherein the first set of UEs includes the first UE, and the public identifier is associated with a lead UE in the first set of UEs; A device that can perform the following action.

2. When the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the device further: Transmitting a fourth indication for the availability of the first UE to act as the lead UE, wherein the fourth indication is multiplexed with the second indication, included in the second indication, or separate from the second indication. Receiving a fifth indication that the first UE is the lead UE of the first set of UEs, wherein the fifth indication is multiplexed with the third indication, included in the third indication, or separate from the third indication. Receiving unicast signaling, including the raw sensor data, the raw measurement data, and local feature data, from each of the first set of UEs, at least in part on the fact that the public identifier of the read UE is the same as the public identifier of the first UE, The apparatus according to claim 1, which is capable of performing the following.

3. When the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the device further: Based at least in part on the first UE receiving the unicast signaling including the raw sensor data, the raw measurement data, and the local feature data, the first UE transmits an indication of one or more extracted features associated with the combined raw sensor data, the raw measurement data, and the local feature data to a network entity. The apparatus according to claim 2, which is capable of performing the following.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein receiving the fifth indication that the first UE is the lead UE is at least in part based on having transmitted the fourth indication that the first UE is capable of functioning as the lead UE.

5. When the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the device further: Transmitting one or more parameters, including location information, the amount of sensor data generated by the first UE, the computing power capability associated with the first UE, or any combination thereof, wherein receiving the fifth indication that the first UE is the read UE is at least partially based on the one or more parameters, The apparatus according to claim 2, which is capable of performing the following.

6. When the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the device further: Transmitting to a network entity, partition reporting information including sensor data associated with the first set of UEs, sensor data extraction information associated with the first set of UEs, location information associated with the first UE or the first set of UEs, object occlusion information associated with the first set of UEs, partition cost information for sensor data associated with one or more UEs included in the first set of UEs and one or more UEs excluded from the first set of UEs but included in the multiple disjoint sets of UEs, or one or more of any combination thereof, Receiving a sixth indication showing the public identifier of the first updated set of UEs among multiple updated disjoint sets of UEs, an updated indication of a new lead UE, or any combination thereof, The apparatus according to claim 2, which is capable of performing the following.

7. When the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the device further: Calculating a cost value associated with a partition between the first set of UEs and the second set of UEs, wherein the partition cost information is calculated based on the received raw sensor data, the raw measurement data, and the local feature data. The apparatus according to claim 6, which is capable of performing the following.

8. The partition cost information includes an indication of a decrease in the accuracy level of feature extraction associated with the sensor data shared with the read UE by the first set of UEs, at least in part on the absence of one or more UEs from the first set of UEs to the second set of UEs. Receiving the sixth indication is at least partially based on the partition cost information, The apparatus according to claim 6.

9. When the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the device further: Broadcasting indications of one or more extracted features associated with the raw sensor data and the raw measurement data to multiple UEs within the first set of UEs and outside the first set of UEs, at least in part on existing connections for feature data sharing between the first UE and multiple UEs. The apparatus according to claim 1, which is capable of performing the following.

10. When the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the device further: Receiving an indication that the second UE of the first set of UEs is the lead UE, wherein the indication is multiplexed with the second indication, included in the second indication, or separate from the second indication. Transmitting unicast signaling, including the raw sensor data, the raw measurement data, and local feature data, from the first UE to the second UE, at least in part, based on the indication that the second UE is the lead UE. The apparatus according to claim 1, which is capable of performing the following.

11. When the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the device further: Receiving a broadcast message containing one or more extracted features associated with the raw sensor data, the raw measurement data, and the local feature data, at least in part, based on the transmission of the unicast signaling including the raw sensor data, the raw measurement data, and the local feature data from the second UE, The apparatus according to claim 10, which is capable of performing the following.

12. When the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the device further: Transmitting the raw sensor data, the raw measurement data, the indication of one or more locally extracted features associated with the raw sensor data or the raw measurement data, or any combination thereof, to a network entity. The apparatus according to claim 10, which is capable of performing the following.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein sharing raw sensor data includes sharing wireless detection and distance measurement data, lighting detection and distance measurement data, camera image data, stereo vision image data, speed information, location information, or any combination thereof.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein sharing raw measurement data includes sharing wireless channel statistics, channel status information, or a combination thereof of a vehicle UE, a cellular UE paired with the vehicle UE, or any combination thereof.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the feature extraction output includes, at least in part, object bounding, object location estimation, object orientation estimation, object detection, object classification, reliability measurement, mapping, compression of wireless channel information, or any combination thereof, based on aggregated sensor data, wireless data, and raw data.

16. A device for wireless communication in a network entity, At least one processor, The device comprises at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one memory contains an instruction, and when the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the device Sending a first indication to multiple user devices (UEs), including a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which the multiple UEs are grouped into multiple disjoint sets of UEs in order to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and the raw measurement data; In response to sending the first indication, a second indication is received, which includes a response message indicating participation in the hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session. To transmit to the plurality of UEs a third indication, at least in part, based on having received the second indication, the third indication includes a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among the plurality of disjoint sets of UEs, wherein the first set of UEs includes a first UE, and the public identifier is associated with a lead UE in the first set of UEs. A device that can perform the following action.

17. When the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the device further: Receiving a fourth indication for the availability of the first UE to act as a read UE, wherein the fourth indication is multiplexed with the second indication, included in the second indication, or separate from the second indication. Transmitting a fifth indication that the first UE is the lead UE of the first set of UEs, wherein the fifth indication is multiplexed with the third indication, included in the third indication, or separate from the third indication. Each lead UE receives an indication of one or more extracted features associated with the combined raw sensor data and raw measurement data from each lead UE of the multiple disjoint sets of the UE, at least in part on the fact that each lead UE of the multiple disjoint sets of the UE receives unicast signaling including the raw sensor data, the raw measurement data, and local feature data from each UE of the multiple disjoint sets of the UE, The apparatus according to claim 16, which is capable of performing the following.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein transmitting the fifth indication that the first UE is the lead UE is at least in part based on having received the indication that the first UE is capable of functioning as the lead UE.

19. When the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the device further: It is possible to receive one or more parameters, including location information, the amount of sensor data generated by the first UE, the computing power capacity associated with the first UE, or any combination thereof, and to receive the indication that the first UE is the read UE, based at least in part on the one or more parameters, The apparatus according to claim 17.

20. When the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the device further: Receiving partition reporting information from one or more UEs in the first set of UEs, including the raw sensor data and raw measurement data associated with the first set of UEs, sensor data extraction information associated with the first set of UEs, location information associated with the first UE or the first set of UEs, object occlusion information associated with the first set of UEs, partition cost information for sensor data associated with one or more UEs in the second set of UEs in the plurality of disjoint sets of UEs, or one or more of any combination thereof; Sending to the first set of UEs, the second set of UEs, or both, a sixth indication showing the public identifier of the first set of UEs among a plurality of updated disjoint sets of UEs, an updated indication of the new lead UEs of the first set of UEs, or any combination thereof, The apparatus according to claim 16, which is capable of performing the following.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the partition cost information includes cost values ​​associated with partitions between the first set of UEs and the second set of UEs.

22. The partition cost information includes an indication of a decrease in the accuracy level of feature extraction associated with the sensor data shared with the read UE by the first set of UEs, at least in part on the absence of one or more UEs from the first set of UEs to the second set of UEs. The transmission of the sixth indication is at least partially based on the partition cost information. The apparatus according to claim 20.

23. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein sharing raw sensor data includes sharing wireless detection and distance measurement data, lighting detection and distance measurement data, camera image data, stereo vision image data, speed information, location information, or any combination thereof.

24. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein sharing raw measurement data includes sharing wireless channel statistics, channel status information, or a combination thereof of a vehicle UE, a cellular UE paired with the vehicle UE, or any combination thereof.

25. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the feature extraction output includes, at least in part, object bounding boxes, object location estimation, object orientation estimation, object detection, object classification, confidence values, mapping, compression of wireless channel information, or any combination thereof, based on aggregated sensor data, wireless data, and raw data.

26. A method for wireless communication in a first user device (UE), Receiving a first indication, which includes a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which multiple UEs are grouped into multiple disjoint sets of UEs in order to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and the raw measurement data, In response to receiving the first indication, a second indication is sent, which includes a response message indicating participation in the hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session. Receiving a third indication, at least in part, based on having sent the second indication, which includes a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among the plurality of disjoint sets of UEs, wherein the first set of UEs includes the first UE, and the public identifier is associated with a lead UE in the first set of UEs; Methods that include...

27. Transmitting a fourth indication for the availability of the first UE to act as the lead UE, wherein the fourth indication is multiplexed with the second indication, included in the second indication, or separate from the second indication. Receiving a fifth indication that the first UE is the lead UE of the first set of UEs, wherein the fifth indication is multiplexed with the third indication, included in the third indication, or separate from the third indication, Receiving unicast signaling, including the raw sensor data, the raw measurement data, and local feature data, from each of the first set of UEs, at least in part on the fact that the public identifier of the read UE is the same as the public identifier of the first UE, The method according to claim 26, further comprising:

28. Transmitting to a network entity, partition reporting information including sensor data associated with the first set of UEs, sensor data extraction information associated with the first set of UEs, location information associated with the first UE or the first set of UEs, object occlusion information associated with the first set of UEs, partition cost information for sensor data associated with one or more UEs included in the first set of UEs and one or more UEs excluded from the first set of UEs but included in the multiple disjoint sets of UEs, or one or more of any combination thereof, Receiving a sixth indication showing the public identifier of the first updated set of UEs among multiple updated disjoint sets of UEs, an updated indication of a new lead UE, or any combination thereof, The method according to claim 27, further comprising:

29. Broadcasting indications of one or more extracted features associated with the raw sensor data and the raw measurement data to multiple UEs within the first set of UEs and outside the first set of UEs, at least in part on existing connections for feature data sharing between the first UE and multiple UEs. The method according to claim 26, further comprising:

30. A method for wireless communication in a network entity, Sending a first indication to multiple user devices (UEs), including a request to initiate participation in a hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session in which the multiple UEs are grouped into multiple disjoint sets of UEs in order to share raw sensor data, raw measurement data, and feature extraction outputs corresponding to the raw sensor data and the raw measurement data; In response to sending the first indication, a second indication is received, which includes a response message indicating participation in the hierarchical partitioning-based data sharing session. To transmit to the plurality of UEs a third indication, at least in part, based on having received the second indication, the third indication includes a public identifier assigned to a first set of UEs among the plurality of disjoint sets of UEs, wherein the first set of UEs includes the first UE, and the public identifier is associated with a lead UE in the first set of UEs. Methods that include...

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