Triggering an IoT discovery procedure

Abstract

A method performed by a first device (300, 3112A, 4200, 300, 3110, 5300) for triggering a discovery procedure about an object (302, 33112B, 4200) is provided. The method includes receiving (700) a reflection of a signal; and using (702) the reflection to detect the object and determine at least one of (i) that the object (302, 3112B, 4200) was not previously detected, and (ii) additional information about the object. The method further includes, responsive to detection of the object, triggering (704) a discovery procedure about the object to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with at least one of the first device and a second device and / or a capability of the candidate device. Methods performed by first and second devices, and related methods and apparatus are also disclosed.

Description

TRIGGERING AN IOT DISCOVERY PROCEDURETECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to a method performed by a first device for triggering a discovery procedure about an object, and related methods and apparatuses.BACKGROUND

[0002] Hypermedia as the Engine of Application State (HATEOAS) is a constraint of a representational state transfer (REST) application architecture that distinguishes it from other network application architectures. In a REST application architecture, hypermedia clients or agents may perform a continuous process of discovery through available processes. Clients can interact with applications whose servers provide information dynamically through hypermedia. A REST client may need little to no prior knowledge about how to interact with an application or server beyond a generic understanding of hypermedia.

[0003] In the case of the web, a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) in which hypertext markup language (HTML) websites are served to HTTP Clients. HTTP Clients can request HTML content using well-known approaches (e.g., GET, POST, etc.) and receive structured HTML content with standardized media types and link relations. Web servers host that content (e.g., resources) and provide unique addressing via uniform resource locators (URLs). At a later point in time, a client may discover that the HTML under the same URL has changed.

[0004] An Internet of Things (loT) domain also includes a concept of HATEOAS and REST interactions, but a Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) is used instead of HTTP for REST interactions. CoAP endpoints can be small servers hosting resources that are shared over CoAP URLs (e.g., coap: / / sensor.iot.org:5683 / lamp?rt=light-lux) and can be equally exposed. In an loT domain, there may not be a single way to present information, such as with HTML and the web, and there may not be interoperability out-of-the-box. Figure l is a signaling diagram showing an example of a sample request and response over CoAP. As shown in Figure 1, a client sends a request to a server to get the temperature. The server responds to the client with a 2.05 content response providing the temperature of “22.5 C”. See e.g., “Integration of Heterogeneous Devices and Communication Models via the Cloud in the Constrained Internet of Thins”, F. Van den Abeele, J. Hoebeke, I. Moerman, P. Demeester, International Journal of Distributed Sensor Networks, DO: 10.1155 / 2015 / 683425 (2015).

[0005] From an application perspective, the ecosystem still may be divided into vertical silos of different domains and vendors. For example, World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) maystandardize a format referred to as Thing Description (TD). Other standards development organizations (SDOs) (e.g., Open Mobile Alliance (OMA), Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF), etc.) also may standardize formats that include specific domain knowledge. Meanwhile, Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Constrained RESTful Environments (CoRE) Working Group (WG) tries to provide attributes that are related to link and form relation types (see e.g., CoRE Link Format and CoRE Interfaces). Discovery of resources over CoAP may be done in multiple ways, such as with a Resource Directory (RD), over Internet Protocol (IP) multicast, or with DNS- SD, for example. However, networks continue to be heterogeneous. For example, some scenarios may use multicast, while other scenarios may use a master / slave approach. Still other scenarios may have NATs cloud native messaging and firewalls, while other scenarios may simply have globally addressable IPv6 addresses. Moreover, some devices may be asleep while other devices may be permanently connected.SUMMARY

[0006] There currently exist certain challenges. Approaches may be lacking for devices to periodically perform a discovery process in order to update a list of capabilities and available devices. For example, devices implementing HATEOS need to periodically perform a discovery process in order to update a list of capabilities and available devices in the form of links and link relations. Such a process can be an expensive process in terms of battery consumption, where one request can generate dozens or hundreds of responses and use considerable airtime.

[0007] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. An object of some example embodiments presented herein is to trigger a discovery process on a device (e.g., a device with a constrained battery) when a new object is found, instead of a time-based process for example. A technical effect, therefore, may be energy savings for the device. For example, based on discovering information about the object, the information may trigger whether a further discovery process regarding the object may be needed. The further discovery procedure may be triggered, therefore, based on context about the object (as opposed to a time-based discovery procedure, for example), which may result in energy savings for the device. For example, if the device does not learn any new information about the object, then a further discovery process about the object may not be needed; or, if there is a change / new information about the object, a further discovery process about the object may proceed (e.g., to discover new network elements and services). Further, as a consequence of a reflection of a signal being used to detect the object and / or determine the information, a furthertechnical effect may be that the trigger and / or discovered information may not be tied to a particular network protocol as a sensing signal is used.

[0008] In some embodiments, a method performed by a first device for triggering a discovery procedure about an object is provided. The method includes receiving a reflection of a signal; and using the reflection to detect the object and determine at least one of (i) that the object was not previously detected, and (ii) additional information about the object. The method further includes, responsive to detection of the object, triggering a discovery procedure about the object to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with at least one of the first device and a second device and / or a capability of the candidate device.

[0009] In some embodiments, the additional information includes at least one of (i) a characteristic of the object and (ii) a characteristic of the object and an identification of a type of the object.

[0010] The characteristic can include at least one of a location of the object, a speed of the object, and a property of the object determined from the reflection.

[0011] In some embodiments, the identification of the type of the object includes that the object is a first user equipment, UE.

[0012] The first device can include a network node, and in some embodiments, the method further includes transmitting the signal.

[0013] In some embodiments, based on the detection of the object, the method further includes initiating, towards the second device, a notification including at least one of that the object is detected and the additional information about the object.

[0014] The first device, in some embodiments, includes a network node, the object includes a first Internet of Things, loT, device, and the second device includes a second loT device.

[0015] In some embodiments, the first device includes a first UE, and the method further includes transmitting the signal; and performing the discovery procedure based on use of at least one of the detection of the object and the additional information to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with the first device and / or a capability of the candidate device.

[0016] The first device can include a network node and the second device can include a UE, and in some embodiments, the method further includes transmitting the signal.

[0017] Triggering of the discovery procedure can include triggering the discovery procedure to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with the second device and / or a capability of the candidate device and, in some embodiments, the method further includes initiating, towards the second device, a notification including at least one of that the object is acandidate device that can communicate with the second device and / or the capability of the candidate device.

[0018] The signal can include at least one of a dedicated sensing signal and a signal for sensing and communications.

[0019] In other embodiments, a method performed by a second device for triggering a discovery procedure about an object is provided. The method includes receiving a reflection of a signal transmitted by a first device; and using the reflection to detect the object and determine at least one of (i) that the object was not previously detected, and (ii) additional information about the object. The method further includes, responsive to detection of the object is detected, triggering a discovery procedure about the object to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with the second device and / or a capability of the candidate device.

[0020] In some embodiments, the method further includes performing the discovery procedure based on use of at least one of detection of the object and the additional information to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with the second device and / or a capability of the candidate device.

[0021] The additional information can include at least one of (i) a characteristic of the object, and (ii) a characteristic of the object and an identification of a type of the object.

[0022] The characteristic can include at least one of a location of the object, a speed of the object, and a property of the object determined from the reflection.

[0023] The identification of the type of the object can include that the object is UE.

[0024] In some embodiments, the second device includes a first loT device, the first device includes a network node, and the object includes a second loT device.

[0025] The signal can include at least one of a dedicated sensing signal and a signal for sensing and communications.

[0026] In some embodiments, a first device is provided. The first device includes at least one processor and at least one memory connected to the at least one processor and storing program code that is executed by the at least one processor to perform operations. The operations comprise to receive a reflection of a signal; and to use the reflection to detect the object and determine at least one of (i) that the object was not previously detected, and (ii) additional information about the object. The operations further include, responsive to detection of the object, to trigger a discovery procedure about the object to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with at least one of the first device and a second device and / or a capability of the candidate device.

[0027] In some embodiments, the at least one memory is connected to the at least one processor and stores program code that is executed by the at least one processor to perform any of the operations of the first device discussed herein.

[0028] In other embodiments, a computer program comprising program code to be executed by at least one processor of a first device is provided. Execution of the program code causes the first device to perform operations comprising to receive a reflection of a signal; and to use the reflection to detect the object and determine at least one of (i) that the object was not previously detected, and (ii) additional information about the object. The operations further include, responsive to detection of the object, to trigger a discovery procedure about the object to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with at least one of the first device and a second device and / or a capability of the candidate device.

[0029] In some embodiments, execution of the program code causes the first to perform any of the operations of the first device discussed herein.

[0030] In yet other embodiments, a computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium including program code to be executed by at least one processor of a first device is provided. Execution of the program code causes the first device to perform operations comprising to receive a reflection of a signal; and to use the reflection to detect the object and determine at least one of (i) that the object was not previously detected, and (ii) additional information about the object. The operations further include, responsive to detection of the object, to trigger a discovery procedure about the object to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with at least one of the first device and a second device and / or a capability of the candidate device.

[0031] In some embodiments, execution of the program code causes the first device to perform any of the operations of the first device discussed herein.

[0032] In some embodiments, a second device is provided. The second device comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory connected to the at least one processor and storing program code that is executed by the at least one processor to perform operations. The operations comprise to receive a reflection of a signal transmitted by a first device; and to use the reflection to detect the object and determine at least one of (i) that the object was not previously detected, and (ii) additional information about the object. The operations further include, responsive to detection of the object is detected, to trigger a discovery procedure about the object to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with the second device and / or a capability of the candidate device.

[0033] In some embodiments, the at least one memory is connected to the at least one processor and stores program code that is executed by the at least one processor to perform any of the operations of the second device discussed herein.

[0034] In other embodiments, a computer program comprising program code to be executed by at least one processor of a second device is provided. Execution of the program code causes the second device to perform operations. The operations comprise to receive a reflection of a signal transmitted by a first device; and to use the reflection to detect the object and determine at least one of (i) that the object was not previously detected, and (ii) additional information about the object. The operations further include, responsive to detection of the object is detected, to trigger a discovery procedure about the object to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with the second device and / or a capability of the candidate device.

[0035] In some embodiments, execution of the program code causes the second device to perform any of the operations of the second device discussed herein.

[0036] In yet other embodiments, a computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium including program code to be executed by at least one processor of a second device is provided. Execution of the program code causes the second device to perform operations. The operations comprise to receive a reflection of a signal transmitted by a first device; and to use the reflection to detect the object and determine at least one of (i) that the object was not previously detected, and (ii) additional information about the object. The operations further include, responsive to detection of the object is detected, to trigger a discovery procedure about the object to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with the second device and / or a capability of the candidate device.

[0037] In some embodiments, execution of the program code causes the second device to perform any of the operations of the second device discussed herein.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate certain non-limiting embodiments of present concepts. In the drawings:

[0039] Figure l is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a request and response over CoAP;

[0040] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a device OSI stack;

[0041] Figure 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of devices and a local network where a discovery procedure is triggered about an object according to some embodiments;

[0042] Figure 3B is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of operations of a first device corresponding to Figure 3 A according to some embodiments;

[0043] Figure 4A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a first device and a local network where a discovery procedure is triggered about an object according to some embodiments;

[0044] Figure 4B is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of operations of a first device corresponding to Figure 4A according to some embodiments;

[0045] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of devices and a local network where a discovery procedure is triggered about an object according to some embodiments;

[0046] Figure 5B is a sequence diagram illustrating another example of operations of devices corresponding to Figure 5A according to some embodiments;

[0047] Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating operations of a device (e.g., a UE) according to some embodiments;

[0048] Figures 7-10 are flow charts illustrating operations of a first device according to some embodiments;

[0049] Figures 11-12 are flow charts illustrating operations of a second device according to some embodiments;

[0050] Figure 13 is a block diagram of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments;

[0051] Figure 14 is a block diagram of a UE according to some embodiments;

[0052] Figure 15 is a block diagram of a network node in accordance with some embodiments; and

[0053] Figure 16 is a block diagram of a virtualization environment in accordance with some embodiments.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] Concepts will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which examples of embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. Concepts may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should also be noted that these embodiments are not mutually exclusive. Components from one embodiment may be tacitly assumed to be present / used in another embodiment.

[0055] The following description presents some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter. These embodiments are presented as teaching examples and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosed subject matter. For example, certain details of the described embodiments may be modified, omitted, or expanded upon without departing from the scope of the described subject matter.

[0056] Sensing (e.g., radar) and communication typically use separate infrastructure. For example, cellular communications use wireless networks such as GSM, UMTS, Fourth Generation (4G) / Long Term Evolution (LTE), and Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR). Similarly, dedicated radar stations typically may be used for weather forecasting, air traffic control, etc. Although there have been some combinations of sensing and communication (e.g., positioning in cellular networks; weather forecasting using wireless link transmissions, etc.), such combinations typically have been developed ad-hoc.

[0057] Advances in hardware and signal processing, however, may have brought joint communication and sensing (JCAS) close to reality. A combination of communication and sensing may capitalize on commonalities in the fields of sensing (e.g., radar) and communication (e.g., cellular communications), such as the presence of a transmitter and a receiver; the use of electromagnetic waves for transmitting signals; the presence of a channel that distorts and corrupts the transmitted signal, etc. For instance, communication signals may be reused for sensing purposes. For example, a signal may be broadcasted by a base station to convey a message to one or several mobile terminals. Such a signal, directly or after reflections, may be received and processed by a sensing component to sense or detect the presence of an object(s). Sensing may include (i) testing a hypothesis (e.g., whether there is an object in the surroundings or not; whether there has been a change in a surrounding environment with respect to the last time an object was sensed or not), or (ii) inferring a metric (e.g., the coordinates and / or the speed of an object, etc.).

[0058] Sensing operations of example embodiments herein take place on radio resources that are shared between communication and sensing. The term “sensing” herein refers to the transmission of a sensing signal and the reception of the corresponding reflections (e.g., due to the presence of an object, diffraction, diffusion, and other phenomena).

[0059] Sensing includes two cases: (i) Mono-static sensing, in which the transmitter of the sensing signal and the corresponding receiver are co-located and typically are part of the same device; and (ii) Bi-static sensing, in which the transmitter of the sensing signal and the corresponding receiver are different devices and are typically placed in different locations. As discussed further herein, sensing involves the detection of an object that is not the transmitter or the receiver.

[0060] Power, or energy, constrained devices may implement specific receiver functionality that allows for waking up the receiver with a specific signal (e.g., a wake up signal (WUS)). That is, a WUS can be transmitted to force a receiver to switch from a low power consumption (e.g., sleep) mode in which it cannot receive regular transmissions to a normal mode. Such receivers may be referred to as wake up receivers (WURs). A WUR may be expected to wake up every time that it receives a WUS.

[0061] As previously referenced, devices (e.g. loT devices) implementing HATEOAS, for example, periodically perform a process in order to update a list of capabilities and available devices in the form of links and link-relations. Such an approach can be an expensive process in terms of battery consumption. For example, one request may generate dozens or hundreds of responses and use considerable airtime.

[0062] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to this or other challenges. The present disclosure relates to triggering a discovery process on a device (e.g., a device with a constrained battery) when a new object is found, instead of a time-based process for example.

[0063] Examples of the present disclosure include use of sensing capabilities (e.g. Sixth Generation (6G) sensing capabilities) to trigger a discovery process on a device (e.g. a constrained UE having limited battery capacity) when a new object(s) (e.g., device(s)) are detected.

[0064] Examples herein include the following operations by a device: performing a sensing procedure that includes transmission of a sensing signal; detecting the presence of one or more objects that may be devices; and initiating a discovery procedure. As discussed further herein, the different devices (e.g., bases stations, devices, UE, etc.) may perform the operations.

[0065] In some embodiments, a method performed by a first device for triggering a discovery procedure about an object is provided. The method includes receiving (operation 700 in Figure 7) a reflection of a signal; and using (operation 702 in Figure 7) the reflection to detect the object and determine at least one of (i) that the object was not previously detected, and (ii) additional information about the object. The method further includes, responsive to detection of the object, triggering (operation 704 in Figure 7) a discovery procedure about the object to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with at least one of the first device and a second device.

[0066] Using the reflection may include receiving the reflection, and based on the received signal, detecting the object and determining from the received signal at least one of (i) that the object was not previously detected, and (ii) additional information about the object.

[0067] The additional information can include at least one of (i) a characteristic of the object, and (ii) a characteristic of the object and an identification of a type of the object. The characteristic can include at least one of a location of the object, a speed of the object, and a property of the object determined from the reflection. Identification of the type of the object can include that the object is a first UE.

[0068] Figure 3A is a schematic drawing of a first example; and Figure 3B is a signaling diagram that corresponds to the first example shown in Figure 3A. As shown in Figures 3A and 3B, a sensing procedure 306 takes place at a network node 300 (e.g., a base station). That is, the network node 300 transmits a radio signal (Tx-s) and, based on the received reflection (Rx-s) of the signal, the network node 300 determines that a candidate device(s) 302 is present. Thus, in the first example the sensing procedure is carried out by network node 300 (e.g., a base station). That is, network node 300 transmits the sensing signal and waits for the corresponding reflection(s).

[0069] Different types of additional information about the candidate device(s) 302 may be determined from the sensing procedure. For example:• Network node 300 may determine that there is an object(s) 302 detected (e.g., a new object that was not previously detected), without knowing further characteristics about the detected object(s) 302.• Network node 300 may determine that there is an object(s) 302 detected (e.g., based on the location, speed, or some other characteristic of the object(s) 302 determined from the reflected signals), without knowing of a type of the object.• Network node 300 may determine that there is an object(s) 302 detected and its type(s) (e.g., based on the location, speed, or some other characteristic of the object(s) 302 determined from the reflected signals).

[0070] After detecting 308 the candidate object(s) 302 from the sensing procedure 306, the network node 300 notifies 310 one or more second device 304 (e.g., loT device(s), such as a UE or a computer) about the detected object(s) 302 that may be a device(s). The notification 310 can be sent to the second device(s) 304 by the network node 300 as shown in Figures 3 A and 3B. In other examples, a different network node (not shown in Figures 3A and 3B) notifies the second device(s) 304 after a signaling exchange between the network nodes.

[0071] Upon receiving the notification 310, the second device(s) 304 triggers 312 a discovery procedure. The discovery procedure may in turn depend on the type of determination made by the sensing procedure 306 by the network node 300 and / or the notification 310 sent to the second device(s) 304. For example:• Network node 300 may determine that there is an object(s) 302 detected (e.g., a new object that was not previously detected), without knowing further characteristics about the detected object(s) 302. Detection of the object(s) 302 can trigger a general discovery procedure.• Network node 300 may determine that there is an object(s) 302 detected without knowing of a type of the object(s) 302 (e.g., without knowing that a detected object 302 has a shape similar to certain household appliance). Detection of the object(s) 302 can trigger a discovery procedure to determine the type(s) of the detected object(s) 302.• Network node 300 may determine that there is an object(s) 302 detected and its type(s) (e.g., a vehicle). Detection of the object(s) 302 and its type can trigger a discovery procedure specific for the detected type(s) of detected object(s) 302.

[0072] Alternatively, in the first example, the sensing procedure is not mono-static, but rather is bi-static. That is, a first device 300a (e.g., network node 300, which can be a base station) transmits a sensing signal (Tx-s) and a second network node (e.g., a second base station) receives the reflection of the signal (Rx-s). The notification 310 can be sent to the second device 304 by the second network node. Alternatively, a different network node (e.g., the first network node 300) can send the notification 310 to the second device 304 device after a signaling exchange between the two network nodes.

[0073] In this example, the notification 310 sent to the second device 304 (an loT computer 304 in this example) then triggers a discovery process. The discovery procedure can happen at multiple layers of the loT computer’s 304 network stack or at the application level, as shown in the schematic drawings of an example of a generic device open systems interconnection (OSI) stack in Figure 2.

[0074] The discovery procedure can use an IPv6 / IPv4 multicast message, a CoAP multicast message, a DNS-SD discovery message, a query to a well-known resource, a DHCP option, a query to a specific directory service hosting resource links like a Resource Directory (RD) or in some other form from a local network 306. Without limitation, the following examples of discovery procedures for services and endpoints can be used:• Over IPv6 or IPv4, with an application-specific discovery message to a bespoke IP address (e.g., for IPv6 in the form of “FF0x::l”).• Over CoAP Multicast, a CoAP message to an “All CoAP Nodes” CoAP multicast address as specified on RFC7252 (e.g., “224.0.1.187” on IPv4 and “FF0X::FD” on IPv6).- When an endpoint with resource type rt=core.rd is found (e.g., an RD), then a specific discovery procedure can be triggered to find further resources as specified by RFC9176.- At the application layer, an endpoint may expose some resource used specifically for service and resource discovery. For example, over CoAP, the . / well -known / core resource; and over HTTP, index.html• Over DHCP, the endpoint broadcasts a DHCPDIS COVER message on the network subnet using the destination address “255.255.255.255”, for example, or the specific subnet broadcast address.• Services and applications may have their own discovery procedure using a database system where endpoints register and a lookup can be performed.• Over DNS-SD using standard DNS packets and record types as specified on RFC6763.

[0075] In an example implementation of the first example, a room can contain the second device 304 (e.g., UE / computer 304). Second device 304 can perform a discovery procedure when a new object 302 (e.g., a smartphone 302) enters the room (e.g., to offer its services). The first device 300 (e.g., network node 300 (which a base station in this example)) periodically performs sensing procedure 306 using Tx-S and Rx-s. Upon sensing a change in the room that may correspond to the new object 302 that is an loT device (e.g., smartphone 302), the first device 300 notifies 310 the second device 304 about the change, triggering the discovery procedure. The second device 304 may be subscribed to a notification service, for example, in order to receive notification 310.

[0076] Whether the change in the room corresponds to a detected object 304 that is, for example, an loT device or not can depend on the situation. For example, if the room corresponds to a meeting room, then people may enter the room with or without an loT device (e.g., smartphone 302). On the other hand, in an industrial setting for example, every new detected object 302 entering a production line can correspond to an loT device (e.g., an automatic guided vehicle or AGV).

[0077] Further, the determination of the sensing procedure may be further used to discriminate whether a detected object 302 is a candidate loT device or not. For example, if the detected object 302 has a large sensing signature (that is, Rx-s), the sensing procedure may assume that that the detected object 302 is a larger metallic object (e.g., an AGV in a factory room). In contrast, a small sensing signature (Rx-s) may correspond to a person in the room.

[0078] Figure 4A is a schematic drawing of a second example; and Figure 4B is a signaling diagram that corresponds to the second example shown in Figure 4A. As shown in Figures 4A and4B, a sensing procedure 400 using Tx-s and Rx-s takes place at the first device 300 (e.g. an loT device such as a UE or a computer 300). That is, the first device 300 transmits a radio signal (Tx- s) and, based on the received reflection(s) of the signal (Rx-s), the first device 300 detects that an object 302 (e.g., smartphone 302) is a candidate device.

[0079] Thus, in the second example, a mono-static sensing procedure is carried by the first device 300, which is an loT device for example. That is, first device 300 transmits the sensing signal (Tx-s) and first device 300 waits for the corresponding reflection(s) (Rx-s) of the transmitted signal. A network node (e.g., a base station) is not involved in theses operations. For example, in the second example, there is no notification from a base station to an loT device regarding the detection of an object 302 that is a candidate device.

[0080] Different types of additional information about the candidate device(s) 302 may be determined from the sensing procedure 400. For example:

[0081] First device 300 may determine that there is an object(s) 302 detected (e.g., a new object that was not previously detected), without knowing further characteristics about the detected object(s) 302.

[0082] First device 300 may determine that there is an object(s) 302 detected (e.g., based on the location, speed, or some other characteristic of the object(s) 302 determined from the reflected signals), without knowing of a type of the object.

[0083] First device 300 may determine that there is an object(s) 302 detected and its type(s) (e.g., based on the location, speed, or some other characteristic of the object(s) 302 determined from the reflected signals).

[0084] After detecting 402 the candidate object(s) 302 from the sensing procedure 400, the first device 300 triggers 404 a discovery procedure. The discovery procedure may in turn depend on the type of determination made by the sensing procedure 400 by the first device 300. For example:

[0085] First device 300 may determine that there is an object(s) 302 detected (e.g., a new object that was not previously detected), without knowing further characteristics about the detected object(s) 302. Detection of the object(s) 302 can trigger a general discovery procedure.

[0086] First device 300 may determine that there is an object(s) 302 detected without knowing of a type of the object(s) 302 (e.g., without knowing that a detected object 302 has a shape similar to certain household appliance). Detection of the object(s) 302 can trigger a discovery procedure to determine the type(s) of the detected object(s) 302.

[0087] First device 300 may determine that there is an object(s) 302 detected and its type(s) (e.g., a vehicle). Detection of the object(s) 302 and its type can trigger a discovery procedure specific for the detected type(s) of detected object(s) 302.

[0088] The discovery procedure can use an IPv6 / IPv4 multicast message, a CoAP multicast message, a DNS-SD discovery message, a query to a well-known resource, a DHCP option, a query to a specific directory service hosting resource links like a Resource Directory (RD) or in some other form from a local network 306. Without limitation, the following examples of discovery procedures for services and endpoints can be used:• Over IPv6 or IPv4, with an application-specific discovery message to a bespoke IP address (e.g., for IPv6 in the form of “FFOx:: 1”).• Over CoAP Multicast, a CoAP message to an “All CoAP Nodes” CoAP multicast address as specified on RFC7252 (e.g., “224.0.1.187” on IPv4 and “FF0X::FD” on IPv6).• When an endpoint with resource type rt=core.rd is found (e.g., an RD), then a specific discovery procedure can be triggered to find further resources as specified by RFC9176.• At the application layer, an endpoint may expose some resource used specifically for service and resource discovery. For example, over CoAP, the , / well-known / core resource; and over HTTP, index.html.• Over DHCP, the endpoint broadcasts a DHCPDIS COVER message on the network subnet using the destination address “255.255.255.255”, for example, or the specific subnet broadcast address.• Services and applications may have their own discovery procedure using a database system where endpoints register and a lookup can be performed.• Over DNS-SD using standard DNS packets and record types as specified on RFC6763.

[0089] In an example implementation of the second example, first device 300 is an loT device and moves around within a building. First device 300 can perform a discovery procedure when a new object 302 (e.g., a smartphone 302) is detected proximate the first device 300. That is, first device 300 does not perform discovery continuously. Rather, a discovery procedure can be triggered when a new object 302 (e.g., an loT device 302) is detected. JCAS may be used, such that first device 300 uses communication signals that it transmits for other purposes (e.g., to communicate to other devices / nodes) for sensing the presence of a new object(s) 302. When a new object(s) 302 is detected, the detection triggers the discovery procedure.

[0090] Further, the determination of the sensing procedure may be further used to discriminate whether a detected object 302 is a candidate loT device or not. For example, if the detected object 302 has a large sensing signature (that is, Rx-s), the sensing procedure may assume that that thedetected object 302 is a larger metallic object (e.g., an AGV in a factory room). In contrast, a small sensing signature (Rx-s) may correspond to a person in the room.

[0091] Figure 5A is a schematic drawing of a third example; and Figure 5B is a signaling diagram that corresponds to the third example shown in Figure 5A. As shown in Figures 5A and 5B, a sensing procedure 500 is shared between the first device 304 (e.g., network node) and a second device 300 (e.g., an loT device, such as a UE or a computer). That is, the first device 304 transmits a radio signal (Tx-s). The second device 300 determines, based on the received reflection(s) (Rx-S) of the signal, whether an object(s) 302, which can be a candidate device(s), is detected. In other words, a bi-static sensing procedure is used in the third example. Thus, in the third example, a network node 304 is involved in the sensing procedure 500, but the network node 500 does not send a notification to the second device 300 regarding detection of the candidate object(s) 302.

[0092] Different types of additional information about the candidate device(s) 302 may be determined from the sensing procedure 500. For example:

[0093] First device 304 may determine that there is an object(s) 302 detected (e.g., a new object that was not previously detected), without knowing further characteristics about the detected object(s) 302.

[0094] First device 304 may determine that there is an object(s) 302 detected (e.g., based on the location, speed, or some other characteristic of the object(s) 302 determined from the reflected signals), without knowing of a type of the object.

[0095] First device 304 may determine that there is an object(s) 302 detected and its type(s) (e.g., based on the location, speed, or some other characteristic of the object(s) 302 determined from the reflected signals).

[0096] After detecting 502 the candidate object(s) 302 from the sensing procedure 500, the first device 304 triggers 502 a discovery procedure. The discovery procedure may in turn depend on the type of determination made by the sensing procedure 500 by the first device 304. For example:

[0097] First device 304 may determine that there is an object(s) 302 detected (e.g., a new object that was not previously detected), without knowing further characteristics about the detected object(s) 302. Detection of the object(s) 302 can trigger a general discovery procedure.

[0098] First device 304 may determine that there is an object(s) 302 detected without knowing of a type of the object(s) 302 (e.g., without knowing that a detected object 302 has a shape similar to certain household appliance). Detection of the object(s) 302 can trigger a discovery procedure to determine the type(s) of the detected object(s) 302.

[0099] First device 304 may determine that there is an object(s) 302 detected and its type(s) (e.g., a vehicle). Detection of the object(s) 302 and its type can trigger a discovery procedure specific for the detected type(s) of detected object(s) 302.

[0100] The discovery procedure can use an IPv6 / IPv4 multicast message, a CoAP multicast message, a DNS-SD discovery message, a query to a well-known resource, a DHCP option, a query to a specific directory service hosting resource links like a Resource Directory (RD) or in some other form from a local network 306. Without limitation, the following examples of discovery procedures for services and endpoints can be used:• Over IPv6 or IPv4, with an application-specific discovery message to a bespoke IP address (e.g., for IPv6 in the form of “FF0x::l”).• Over CoAP Multicast, a CoAP message to an “All CoAP Nodes” CoAP multicast address as specified on RFC7252 (e.g., “224.0.1.187” on IPv4 and “FF0X::FD” on IPv6).• When an endpoint with resource type rt=core.rd is found (e.g., an RD), then a specific discovery procedure can be triggered to find further resources as specified by RFC9176.• At the application layer, an endpoint may expose some resource used specifically for service and resource discovery. For example, over CoAP, the , / well-known / core resource; and over HTTP, index.html.• Over DHCP, the endpoint broadcasts a DHCPDIS COVER message on the network subnet using the destination address “255.255.255.255”, for example, or the specific subnet broadcast address.• Services and applications may have their own discovery procedure using a database system where endpoints register and a lookup can be performed.

[0101] Over DNS-SD using standard DNS packets and record types as specified on RFC6763.

[0102] The third example is different from sending WUS / WUR signals to the second device 300. WUS / WUR are transmitted directly to a device (e.g., an loT device) with the purpose of waking up the device and making the device available for communication. In contrast, the third example includes:• The transmission of a signal (Tx-s) by the network node 304. The signal can be dedicated for the purpose of sensing or can be used for sensing and some other purpose (e.g., a communications reference signal).• The second device 300 receives the signal (Rx-s) after Tx-s has propagated through the channel. The second device 300 uses the received signal, Rx-s, to determine whether a candidate device 302 is detected or not. In some cases, the second device 300 will notdetect the presence of candidate devices 302 and, thus, the second device 300 will not proceed with a discovery procedure.

[0103] Figure 6 is a flow chart of operations in the third example from the second device 300 point of view. The operations start 600 with second device 300 (referred to as a UE in Figure 6) available 602 to discover an object (302) (referred to as a new device 302 in Figure 6). In operation 604, the second device 300 waits for input from network node 304. Responsive to receiving input from network node 304, second device 300 determines, in operation 606, whether the input triggers a discovery procedure based on the detection of an object or does not trigger a discovery procedure because an object was not detected. If no, an object 302 was not detected, operations return to operation 602. If yes, in operation 608, an object 302 was detected, the discovery procedure is triggered; and the operations end 610.

[0104] In an example implementation of the third example, second device 300 detects a new object(s) 302, but does not perform a discovery procedure continuously. Rather, the discovery procedure is triggered when a new object is detected. JCAS may be used, such that second device 300 uses communication signals that it receives (e.g., periodic broadcast signals from the network node 304 (e.g., a base station) used for synchronization, etc.) for sensing the presence of a new object(s) 302. When a new object(s) 302 is detected, the detection triggers the discovery procedure.

[0105] Figure 8 is a flow chart illustrating further operations of a first device according to some embodiments. When the first device comprises a network node (e.g., network 300, 3110, 5300), the method further includes transmitting (800) the signal. Based on the detection of the object (e.g., object 302, 3112B, 4200), the method further includes initiating (802), towards a second device (e.g., device 304, 3112B, 4200), a notification including at least one of that the object is detected and the additional information about the object.

[0106] In the method, the device can include a network node (e.g., network node 300, 3110, 5300), the object (e.g., object 302, 3112B, 4200) which can be a first loT device, and the second device (e.g., object 304, 3112A, 4200) which can be a second loT device.

[0107] Figure 9 is a flow chart illustrating further operations of a first device according to some embodiments. When the first device comprises a first UE, the method can further include transmitting (900) the signal; and performing (902) the discovery procedure based on use of at least one of the detection of the object (e.g., object 302, 3112B, 4200) and the additional information to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with the first device and / or a capability of the candidate device.

[0108] Figure 10 is a flow chart illustrating further operations of a first device according to some embodiments. When the first device comprises a network node (e.g., network node 300,3110, 5300) and the second device (e.g., device 304, 3112A, 4200) comprises a UE, the method further includes transmitting (1000) the signal. In such embodiments, the triggering (operation 704 of Figure 7) of the discovery procedure includes triggering the discovery procedure to determine whether the object (e.g., object 302, 3112B, 4200) is a candidate device that can communicate with the second device (e.g., device 300, 3112A, 4200) and / or a capability of the candidate device. The method further includes initiating (1002), towards the second device (e.g., device 300, 3112A, 4200), a notification including at least one of that the object is a candidate device that can communicate with the second device and / or the capability of the candidate device.

[0109] The signal can include at least one of a dedicated sensing signal and a signal for sensing and communications.

[0110] Operations of the first device (implemented using the structure of Figures 4 or 5) have been discussed with reference to the flow charts of Figures 7-10 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, modules may be stored in memory 4202, 5304 (also referred to herein as at least one memory) of Figures 4 or 5, and these modules may provide instructions so that when the instructions of a module are executed by respective first device processing circuitry 4202, 5302 (also referred to herein as at least one processor), first device 4200, 5300 performs respective operations of the flow charts of Figures 7-10.[oni] In some embodiments, a method performed by a second device (e.g., device 300, 3112A, 4200) for triggering a discovery procedure about an object is provided. The method includes receiving (operation 1100 in Figure 11) a reflection of a signal transmitted by a first device (e.g., device 304, 3110, 5300); and using (operation 1102 in Figure 11) the reflection to detect the object and determine at least one of (i) that the object (e.g., object 302, 3112B, 4200) was not previously detected, and (ii) additional information about the object. The method further includes, responsive to detection of the object is detected, triggering (operation 1104 in Figure 11) a discovery procedure about the object to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with the second device and / or a capability of the candidate device.

[0112] Using the reflection may include receiving the reflection, and based on the received signal, detecting the object and determining from the received signal at least one of (i) that the object was not previously detected, and (ii) additional information about the object.

[0113] In some embodiments, the method of the second device further includes performing (operation 1200 in Figure 12) the discovery procedure based on use of at least one of detection of the object (e.g., object 302, 3112B, 4200) and the additional information to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with the second device and / or a capability of the candidate device. The additional information can include at least one of (i) a characteristic ofthe object (e.g., object 302, 3112B, 4200), and (ii) a characteristic of the object and an identification of a type of the object. The characteristic can include at least one of a location of the object (e.g., 302, 3112B, 4200), a speed of the object, and a property of the object determined from the reflection. The identification of the type of the object (e.g., 302, 3112B, 4200) can include that the object is a UE.

[0114] In some embodiments, the second device (e.g., device 300, 3112A, 4200) includes a first device, the first device (e.g., 304, 3110, 5300) includes a network node, and the object (e.g., object 302, 3112B, 4200) includes a second loT device.

[0115] In some embodiments, the signal includes at least one of a dedicated sensing signal and a signal for sensing and communications.

[0116] Operations of the second device (implemented using the structure of Figure 4) have been discussed with reference to the flow charts of Figures 11-12 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, modules may be stored in memory 4202 (also referred to herein as at least one memory) of Figure 4, and these modules may provide instructions so that when the instructions of a module are executed by respective second device processing circuitry 4202 (also referred to herein as at least one processor), second device 4200 performs respective operations of the flow charts of Figures 11-12.

[0117] In some embodiments of second devices and related methods, operations from the flow chart of Figure 12 may be optional. For example, the operations of block 1200 may be optional.

[0118] Technical advantages provided by certain embodiments of the present disclosure may include that a discovery process is triggered that depends on context instead of a time-based discovery process. As a consequence, there may be energy savings for the device that performs, or is involved with, the discovery procedure. Furthermore, the discovery procedure is not tied to a specific network protocol as a consequence of using a sensing signal.

[0119] Figure 13 shows an example of a communication system 3100 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0120] In the example, the communication system 3100 includes a telecommunication network 3102 that includes an access network 3104, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 3106, which includes one or more core network nodes 3108. The access network 3104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 3110a and 3110b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 3110), or any other similar 3GPP access node or non-3GPP access point. The network nodes 3110 facilitate direct or indirect connection of UE, such as by connecting UEs 3112a, 3112b, 3112c, and 3112d (one or more ofwhich may be generally referred to as UEs 3112) to the core network 3106 over one or more wireless connections.

[0121] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 3100 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 3100 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0122] The UEs 3112 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 3110 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 3110 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 3112 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 3102 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 3102.

[0123] In the depicted example, the core network 3106 connects the network nodes 3110 to one or more hosts, such as host 3116. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 3106 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 3108) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 608. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0124] The host 3116 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 3104 and / or the telecommunication network 3102, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 3116may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0125] As a whole, the communication system 3100 of Figure 13 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 5302.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0126] In some examples, the telecommunication network 3102 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 3102 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 3102. For example, the telecommunications network 602 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0127] In some examples, the UEs 3112 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 3104 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 3104. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi -RAT or multi -standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0128] In the example, the hub 3114 communicates with the access network 3104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 612c and / or 612d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 610b). In some examples, the hub 3114 may be a controller, router, contentsource and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 3114 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 3106 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 3114 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 3110, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 3114. As another example, the hub 3114 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 3114 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 3114 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 3114 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 3114 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0129] The hub 3114 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 3110b. The hub 3114 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 3114 and UEs (e.g., UE 3112c and / or 3112d), and between the hub 3114 and the core network 3106. In other examples, the hub 3114 is connected to the core network 3106 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 3114 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 3104 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 3110 while still connected via the hub 3114 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 3114 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 3110b. In other embodiments, the hub 3114 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 3110b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels. The network nodes 3110a, 3110b and / or the UEs 3112a, 3112b, 3112c, 3112d may be configured to perform the methods or flowcharts or signaling diagrams as described in relation to one or more of Figures 3B, 4B, 5B, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12.

[0130] Figure 14 shows a UE 4200 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other devices (e.g., UEs). Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console ordevice, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by 3GPP, including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) LTE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE. The UE 4200 may be configured to perform the methods or flowcharts or signaling diagrams as described in relation to one or more of Figures 3B, 4B, 5B, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12.

[0131] A LIE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a communication link described herein, a 3 GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0132] The UE 4200 includes processing circuitry 4202 (also referred to herein as at least one processor) that is operatively coupled via a bus 4204 to an input / output interface 4212, a power source 4208, a memory 4210, a communication interface 4212, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 7. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0133] The processing circuitry 4202 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 4210. The processing circuitry 4202 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general -purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 4202 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0134] In the example, the input / output interface 4212 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 4200. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0135] In some embodiments, the power source 4208 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 4208 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 4208 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 4200 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging the power source 4208. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 4208 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 4200 to which power is supplied.

[0136] The memory 4210 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 4210 includes one or more application programs 4214, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 4216. The memory 4210 may store, for use by the UE 4200, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0137] The memory 4210 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage(HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 4210 may allow the UE 4200 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 4210, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0138] The processing circuitry 4202 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 4212. The communication interface 4212 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 4222. The communication interface 4212 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 4218 and / or a receiver 4220 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 4218 and receiver 4220 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 4222) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0139] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 4212 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short- range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 5302.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / intemet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0140] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 4212, via a wireless connection to a network node.Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0141] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0142] A device, when in the form of an loT device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city, wearable technology, extended reality, industrial application, and healthcare.

[0143] By way of example, the loT device for a home, an office, a building or an infrastructure may be a baking scale, a coffee machine, a grill, a fridge, a refrigerator, a freezer, a microwave oven, an oven, a toaster, a water tap, a water heater, a water geyser, a sauna, a vacuum cleaner, a washer, a dryer, a dishwasher, a door, a window, a curtain, a blind, a furniture, a light bulb, a fan, an air-conditioner, a cooler, an air purifier, a humidifier, a speaker, a television, a laptop, a personal computer, a gaming console, a remote control, a vent, an iron, a steamer, a pressure cooker, a stove, an electric stove, a hair dryer, a hair styler, a mirror, a printer, a scanner, a photocopier, a projector, a hologram projector, a 3D printer, a drill, a hand-dryer, an alarm clock, a clock, a security camera, a smoke alarm, a fire alarm, a connected doorbell, an electronic door lock, a lawnmower, a thermostat, a plug, an irrigation control device, a flood sensor, a moisture sensor, a motion detector, a weather station, an electricity meter, a water meter, and a gas meter.

[0144] By further ways of example, the loT device for use in a city, urban, or rural areas may be connected street lighting, a connected traffic light, a traffic camera, a connected road sign, an air control / monitor, a noise level detector, a transport congestion monitoring device, a transport controlling device, an automated toll payment device, a parking payment device, a sensor for monitoring parking usage, a traffic management device, a digital kiosk, a bin, an air quality monitoring sensor, a bridge condition monitoring sensor, a fire hydrant, a manhole sensor, a tarmac sensor, a water fountain sensor, a connected closed circuit television, a scooter, a hoverboard, a ticketing machine, a ticket barrier, a metro rail, a metro station device, a passenger information panel, an onboard camera, and other connected device on a public transport vehicle.

[0145] As further way of example, the communication loT device may be a wearable device, or a device related to extended reality, wherein the device related to extended reality may be a device related to augmented reality, virtual reality, merged reality, or mixed reality. Examples of such loT devices may be a smart-band, a tracker, a haptic glove, a haptic suit, a smartwatch, clothes, eyeglasses, a head mounted display, an ear pod, an activity monitor, a fitness monitor, a heart rate monitor, a ring, a key tracker, a blood glucose meter, and a pressure meter.

[0146] As further ways of example, the loT device may be an industrial application device wherein an industrial application device may be an industrial unmanned aerial vehicle, an intelligent industrial robot, a vehicle assembly robot, and an automated guided vehicle.

[0147] As further ways of example, the loT device may be a transportation vehicle, wherein a transportation vehicle may be a bicycle, a motor bike, a scooter, a moped, an auto rickshaw, a rail transport, a train, a tram, a bus, a car, a truck, an airplane, a boat, a ship, a ski board, a snowboard, a snow mobile, a hoverboard, a skateboard, roller-skates, a vehicle for freight transportation, a drone, a robot, a stratospheric aircraft, an aircraft, a helicopter and a hovercraft.

[0148] As further ways of example, the loT device may be a health or fitness device, wherein a health or fitness device may be a surgical robot, an implantable medical device, a non-invasive medical device, and a stationary medical device which may be: an in-vitro diagnostic device, a radiology device, a diagnostic imaging device, and an x-ray device.

[0149] Figure 15 shows a network node 5300 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to a device or equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a device (e.g., a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment), in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), BSs (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), NR NodeBs (gNBs)), and UEs. The network node 5300 may be configured to perform the methods or flowcharts or signaling diagrams as described in relation to one or more of figures 3B, 4B, 5B, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12.

[0150] BSs may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A BS may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integratedradio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0151] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi -standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0152] The network node 5300 includes a processing circuitry 5302, a memory 5304 (also referred to herein as at least one memory), a communication interface 5306, and a power source 5308. The network node 5300 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 5300 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 5300 may be configured to support multiple RATs. In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 5304 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 5310 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 5300 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 5300, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z- wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 5300.

[0153] The processing circuitry 5302 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 5300 components, such as the memory 5304, to provide network node 5300 functionality.

[0154] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 5302 includes a system on a chip. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 5302 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF)transceiver circuitry 5312 and baseband processing circuitry 5314. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 5312 and the baseband processing circuitry 5314 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 5312 and baseband processing circuitry 5314 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0155] The memory 5304 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer- readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 5302. The memory 5304 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 5302 and utilized by the network node 5300. The memory 5304 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 5302 and / or any data received via the communication interface 5306. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 5302 and memory 5304 is integrated.

[0156] The communication interface 5306 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 5306 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 5316 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 5306 also includes radio front-end circuitry 5318 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 5310. Radio front-end circuitry 5318 comprises filters 5320 and amplifiers 5322. The radio front-end circuitry 5318 may be connected to an antenna 5310 and processing circuitry 5302. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 5310 and processing circuitry 5302. The radio front-end circuitry 5318 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio frontend circuitry 5318 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 5320 and / or amplifiers 5322. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 5310. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 5310 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 5318. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 5302. In otherembodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0157] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 5300 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 5318, instead, the processing circuitry 5302 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 5310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 5312 is part of the communication interface 5306. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 5306 includes one or more ports or terminals 5316, the radio front-end circuitry 5318, and the RF transceiver circuitry 5312, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 5306 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 5314, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0158] The antenna 5310 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 5310 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 5318 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 5310 is separate from the network node 5300 and connectable to the network node 5300 through an interface or port.

[0159] The antenna 5310, communication interface 5306, and / or the processing circuitry 5302 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 5310, the communication interface 5306, and / or the processing circuitry 5302 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0160] The power source 5308 provides power to the various components of network node 5300 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 5308 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 5300 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 5300 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 5308. As a further example, the power source 5308 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0161] Embodiments of the network node 5300 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 15 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 5300 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 5300 and to allow output of information from the network node 5300. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 5300.

[0162] Figure 16 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 6500 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 6500 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. The virtual environment 6500 may be configured to perform the methods or flowcharts or signaling diagrams as described in relation to one or more of figures 3B, 4B, 5B, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12.

[0163] Applications 6502 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment 6500 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0164] Hardware 6504 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 6506 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 6508a and 6508b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 6508), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 6506 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 6508.

[0165] The VMs 6508 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 6506. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 6502 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 6508, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0166] In the context of NFV, a VM 6508 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 6508, and that part of hardware 6504 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 6508 on top of the hardware 6504 and corresponds to the application 6502.

[0167] Hardware 6504 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 6504 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 6504 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 6510, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 6502. In some embodiments, hardware 6504 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 6512 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0168] Although the network nodes and UEs described herein may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise network nodes and UEs with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these network nodes and UEs may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information,comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node and / or UE(s), and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, network nodes and UEs may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0169] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the network nodes and UEs, but are enjoyed by the network nodes and UEs as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0170] Further definitions and embodiments are discussed below.

[0171] In the above-description of various embodiments of the present disclosure, it is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of present concepts. Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which present concepts belong. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0172] When an element is referred to as being "connected", "coupled", "responsive", or variants thereof to another element, it can be directly connected, coupled, or responsive to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected", "directly coupled", "directly responsive", or variants thereof to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. Furthermore, "coupled", "connected", "responsive", or variants thereof as used herein may include wirelessly coupled, connected, or responsive. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and / or clarity. The term "and / or" (abbreviated “ / ”) includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0173] It will be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements / operations, these elements / operations should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element / operation from another element / operation. Thus a first element / operation in some embodiments could be termed a second element / operation in other embodiments without departing from the teachings of present concepts. The same reference numerals or the same reference designators denote the same or similar elements throughout the specification.

[0174] As used herein, the terms "comprise", "comprising", "comprises", "include", "including", "includes", "have", "has", "having", or variants thereof are open-ended, and include one or more stated features, integers, elements, steps, components or functions but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, elements, steps, components, functions or groups thereof. Furthermore, as used herein, the common abbreviation "e.g.", which derives from the Latin phrase "exempli gratia," may be used to introduce or specify a general example or examples of a previously mentioned item, and is not intended to be limiting of such item. The common abbreviation "i.e.", which derives from the Latin phrase "id est," may be used to specify a particular item from a more general recitation.

[0175] Example embodiments are described herein with reference to block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations of methods, apparatus (systems and / or devices) and / or computer program products. It is understood that a block of the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations, can be implemented by computer program instructions that are performed by one or more computer circuits. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor circuit of a general purpose computer circuit, special purpose computer circuit, and / or other programmable data processingcircuit to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer and / or other programmable data processing apparatus, transform and control transistors, values stored in memory locations, and other hardware components within such circuitry to implement the functions / acts specified in the block diagrams and / or flowchart block or blocks, and thereby create means (functionality) and / or structure for implementing the functions / acts specified in the block diagrams and / or flowchart block(s).

[0176] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a tangible computer- readable medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the functions / acts specified in the block diagrams and / or flowchart block or blocks. Accordingly, embodiments of present concepts may be embodied in hardware and / or in software (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) that runs on a processor such as a digital signal processor, which may collectively be referred to as "circuitry," "a module" or variants thereof.

[0177] It should also be noted that in some alternate implementations, the functions / acts noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the flowcharts. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality / acts involved. Moreover, the functionality of a given block of the flowcharts and / or block diagrams may be separated into multiple blocks and / or the functionality of two or more blocks of the flowcharts and / or block diagrams may be at least partially integrated. Finally, other blocks may be added / inserted between the blocks that are illustrated, and / or blocks / operations may be omitted without departing from the scope of present concepts. Moreover, although some of the diagrams include arrows on communication paths to show a primary direction of communication, it is to be understood that communication may occur in the opposite direction to the depicted arrows.

[0178] Many variations and modifications can be made to the embodiments without substantially departing from the principles of the present concepts. All such variations and modifications are intended to be included herein within the scope of present concepts. Accordingly, the above disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, and not restrictive, and the examples of embodiments are intended to cover all such modifications, enhancements, and other embodiments, which fall within the spirit and scope of present concepts. Thus, to the maximum extent allowed by law, the scope of present concepts are to be determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of the present disclosure including the examples ofembodiments and their equivalents, and shall not be restricted or limited by the foregoing detailed description.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method performed by a first device (300, 3112A, 4200, 300, 3110, 5300) for triggering a discovery procedure about an object (302, 33112B, 4200) , the method comprising: receiving (700) a reflection of a signal; using (702) the reflection to detect the object and determine at least one of (i) that the object (302, 3112B, 4200) was not previously detected, and (ii) additional information about the object; and responsive to detection of the object, triggering (704) a discovery procedure about the object to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with at least one of the first device and a second device and / or a capability of the candidate device.

2. The method of Claim 1, wherein the additional information comprises at least one of (i) a characteristic of the object (302, 3112B, 4200), and (ii) a characteristic of the object and an identification of a type of the object.

3. The method of Claim 2, wherein the characteristic comprises at least one of a location of the object (302, 3112B, 4200), a speed of the object, and a property of the object determined from the reflection.

4. The method of any one of Claims 2 to 3, wherein the identification of the type of the object (302, 3112B, 4200) comprises that the object is a first user equipment, UE.

5. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the first device comprises a network node (300, 3110, 5300), the method further comprising: transmitting (800) the signal.

6. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein based on the detection of the object (302, 3112B, 4200), the method further comprising: initiating (802), towards the second device (304, 3112B, 4200), a notification comprising at least one of that the object is detected and the additional information about the object.

7. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the first device comprises a network node (300, 3110, 5300), the object (302, 3112B, 4200) comprises a first Internet ofThings, loT, device, and the second device (304, 3112A, 4200) comprises a second loT device.

8. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the first device (300, 3112 A, 4200) comprises a first user equipment, UE, the method further comprising: transmitting (900) the signal; and performing (902) the discovery procedure based on use of at least one of the detection of the object (302, 3112B, 4200) and the additional information to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with the first device and / or a capability of the candidate device.

9. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the first device comprises a network node (300, 3110, 5300) and the second device (304, 3112A, 4200) comprises a user equipment, the method further comprising: transmitting (1000) the signal.

10. The method of Claim 9, wherein the triggering (704) of the discovery procedure comprises triggering the discovery procedure to determine whether the object (302, 3112B, 4200) is a candidate device that can communicate with the second device (300, 3112 A, 4200) and / or a capability of the candidate device, the method further comprising: initiating (1002), towards the second device (300, 3112A, 4200), a notification comprising at least one of that the object is a candidate device that can communicate with the second device and / or the capability of the candidate device.

11. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 10, wherein the signal comprises at least one of a dedicated sensing signal and a signal for sensing and communications.

12. A method performed by a second device (300, 3112A, 4200) for triggering a discovery procedure about an object (302, 3112B, 4200), the method comprising: receiving (1100) a reflection of a signal transmitted by a first device (304, 3110, 5300); using (1102) the reflection to detect the object and determine at least one of (i) that the object (302, 3112B, 4200) was not previously detected, and (ii) additional information about the object; and responsive to detection of the object, triggering (1104) a discovery procedure about the object to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with thesecond device and / or a capability of the candidate device.

13. The method of Claim 12, further comprising: performing (1200) the discovery procedure based on use of at least one of detection of the object (302, 3112B, 4200) and the additional information to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with the second device and / or a capability of the candidate device.

14. The method of any one of Claims 12 to 13, wherein the additional information comprises at least one of (i) a characteristic of the object (302, 3112B, 4200), and (ii) a characteristic of the object and an identification of a type of the object.

15. The method of Claim 14, wherein the characteristic comprises at least one of a location of the object (302, 3112B, 4200), a speed of the object, and a property of the object determined from the reflection.

16. The method of any one of Claims 14 to 15, wherein the identification of the type of the object (302, 3112B, 4200) comprises that the object is a user equipment, UE.

17. The method of any one of Claims 12 to 16, wherein the second device (300, 3112A, 4200) comprises a first Internet of Things, loT, device, the first device (304, 3110, 5300) comprises a network node, and the object (302, 3112B, 4200) comprises a second loT device.

18. The method of any one of Claims 12 to 17, wherein the signal comprises at least one of a dedicated sensing signal and a signal for sensing and communications.

19. A first device (300, 3112A, 4200, 300, 3110, 5300) comprising: at least one processor (4202, 5302); at least one memory (4210, 5304) connected to the at least one processor (4202, 5302) and storing program code that is executed by the at least one processor to perform operations comprising: receive a reflection of a signal; use the reflection to detect an object and determine at least one of (i) that the object was not previously detected, and (ii) additional information about the object; andresponsive to the detection of the object, trigger a discovery procedure about the object to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with at least one of the first device and a second device and / or a capability of the candidate device.

20. The first device of Claim 19, wherein the at least one memory (4210, 5304) is connected to the at least one processor (4202, 5302) and stores program code that is executed by the at least one processor to perform operations according to any one of Claims 2 to 11.

21. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by at least one processor (4202, 5302) of a first device (300, 3112A, 4200, 300, 3110, 5300), whereby execution of the program code causes the first device (300, 3112A, 4200, 302, 3110, 5300) to perform operations comprising: receive a reflection of a signal; use the reflection to detect an object and determine at least one of (i) that the object was not previously detected, and (ii) additional information about the object; and responsive to the detection of the object, trigger a discovery procedure about the object to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with at least one of the first device and a second device and / or a capability of the candidate device.

22. The computer program of Claim 21, whereby execution of the program code cause the first device (300, 3112A, 4200, 302, 3110, 5300) to perform operations according to any of Claims 2 to 11.

23. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium (4210, 5304) including program code to be executed by at least one processor (4202, 5302) of a first device (300, 3112A, 4200, 300, 3110, 5300), whereby execution of the program code causes the first device (300, 3112A, 4200, 302, 3110, 5300) to perform operations comprising: receive a reflection of a signal; use the reflection to detect an object and determine at least one of (i) that the object was not previously detected, and (ii) additional information about the object; and responsive to the detection of the object, trigger a discovery procedure about the object to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with at least one of the first device and a second device and / or a capability of the candidate device.

24. The computer program product of Claim 23, whereby execution of the program code causes the first device (300, 3112A, 4200, 302, 3110, 5300) to perform operations according to any of Claims 2 to 11.

25. A second device (300, 3112A, 4200) comprising: at least one processor (4202); at least one memory (4210) connected to the at least one processor (4202) and storing program code that is executed by the at least one processor to perform operations comprising: receive a reflection of a signal transmitted by a first device; use the reflection to detect an object and determine at least one of (i) that the object was not previously detected, and (ii) additional information about the object; and responsive to the detection of the object, trigger a discovery procedure about the object to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with the second device and / or a capability of the candidate device.

26. The second device of Claim 25, wherein the at least one memory (4210) is connected to the at least one processor (4202) and stores program code that is executed by the at least one processor to perform operations according to any one of Claims 12 to 18.

27. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by at least one processor (4202) of a second device (300, 3112 A, 4200), whereby execution of the program code causes the second device (300, 3112A, 4200) to perform operations comprising: receive a reflection of a signal transmitted by a first device; use the reflection to detect an object and determine at least one of (i) that the was not previously detected, and (ii) additional information about the object; and responsive to the detection of the object, trigger a discovery procedure about the object to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with the second device and / or a capability of the candidate device.

28. The computer program of Claim 27, whereby execution of the program code cause the second device (300, 3112 A, 4200) to perform operations according to any of Claims 12 to 18.

29. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium (4210)including program code to be executed by at least one processor (4202) of a second device (300, 3112 A, 4200), whereby execution of the program code causes the second device (300, 3112 A, 4200) to perform operations comprising: receive a reflection of a signal transmitted by a first device; use the reflection to detect an object and determine at least one of (i) that the object was not previously detected, and (ii) additional information about the object; and responsive to the detection of the object, trigger a discovery procedure about the object to determine whether the object is a candidate device that can communicate with the second device and / or a capability of the candidate device.

30. The computer program product of Claim 29, whereby execution of the program code causes the second device (300, 3112 A, 4200) to perform operations according to any of Claims 12 to 18.

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