Wireless communication for extended reality devices

Abstract

Methods (S100, S100') for a wireless device (121) in a wireless communication network where the wireless device comprises an image capturing device oriented towards a scene (150) and related aspects are provided. The method (S100, S100') comprises, in response to obtaining an indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in data to be transmitted to a network node (110) from the wireless device (121) and one or more other wireless devices located in the same area as the wireless device, wherein each of the one or more other wireless devices (122) comprises an image capturing device oriented towards the scene, receiving (S103) a respective differential dataset from each wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices, each received differential dataset including data being specific for each individual wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices, and transmitting (S104) the common dataset and the differential datasets to the network node. The common dataset includes data from the image capturing device of the wireless device that is common for the wireless device and the one or more other wireless devices and the differential datasets include data from the image capturing devices of the wireless device and the one or more other wireless devices that is specific for each individual wireless device.

Description

[0001] WIRELESS COMMUNICATION FOR EXTENDED REALITY DEVICES

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The herein disclosed technology relates in general to wireless communication systems and methods. In particular, the therein disclosed technology relates to methods, systems and other related aspects for transmission data reduction for extended reality (XR) devices in a wireless communication system.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Extended reality (XR) devices have revolutionized the way we interact with digital content, providing immersive experiences that bridge the gap between the physical and virtual worlds. The field of XR has witnessed significant advancements in recent years, driven by technological breakthroughs and increased consumer demand for more immersive and interactive experiences. XR provides a wide range of applications across industries, including gaming, entertainment, education, training, healthcare, architecture, and more. It offers opportunities for realistic simulations, virtual prototyping, interactive storytelling, telepresence, and collaborative experiences, among others.

[0006] Extended Reality is an umbrella term that encompasses a spectrum of immersive technologies, including virtual reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR). VR completely immerses a user in computer-generated environments, blocking out the physical world and replacing it with a simulated reality. AR overlays digital information or virtual objects onto the real-world environment, enhancing the user's perception of reality. Lastly, MR combines elements of both VR and AR, allowing virtual objects to interact with the real world and vice versa.

[0007] XR applications are often experienced through various devices equipped with displays and motion tracking systems, such as headsets (sometimes accompanied by handheld controllers for facilitating interaction with the virtual world), smartphones, tablets, smart glasses or the like. These devices typically further comprise cameras and / or sensors enabling the device to capture data of the physical world and overlay digital content onto it.

[0008] Now, the amount of information displayed and captured by an XR device is often very high which has a significant impact on the amount of data to be transmitted and received by one or more XR devices when they are operating in a mobile or wireless communication network. This places a significant bandwidth burden on the mobile or wireless communication network which also needs to ensure that there are enough resources available for other users either running XR or other applications in the network. SUMMARY

[0009] It is therefore an object of the herein disclosed technology to provide methods for a wireless device in a wireless communication network, wireless devices, methods for a network node in a wireless communication network, network nodes, and thereto related aspects, which seek to mitigate, alleviate, or eliminate one or more of the deficiencies in the art and disadvantages singly or in any combination.

[0010] This object is achieved by means of a method for a wireless device in a wireless communication network, a wireless device, a method for a network node in a wireless communication network, a network node, a computer program, and a computer-readable storage medium as defined in the appended claims.

[0011] Some embodiments advantageously provide methods performed by a wireless device in a wireless communication network, wireless devices, methods for a network node in a wireless communication network, network nodes, computer programs, and computer-readable storage media that improve resource utilization, reduce interference, and / or enable power savings.

[0012] Various aspects and embodiments of the technology disclosed herein are defined below and in the accompanying independent and dependent claims.

[0013] According to an aspect there is provided a method for a wireless device in a wireless communication network where the wireless device comprises an image capturing device oriented towards a scene. The method comprises, in response to obtaining an indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in data to be transmitted to a network node from the wireless device and one or more other wireless devices located in the same area as the wireless device, wherein each of the one or more other wireless devices comprises an image capturing device oriented towards the scene, receiving a respective differential dataset from each wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices, each received differential dataset including data being specific for each individual wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices, and transmitting the common dataset and the differential datasets to the network node. The common dataset includes data from the image capturing device of the wireless device that is common for the wireless device and the one or more other wireless devices and the differential datasets include data from the image capturing devices of the wireless device and the one or more other wireless devices that is specific for each individual wireless device.

[0014] According to an aspect, there is provided a wireless device comprising an image capturing device oriented towards a scene, one or more processors, and one or more memory storage areas comprising program code, the one or more memory storage areas and the program code being configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the wireless device to at least, in response to obtaining an indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in data to be transmitted to a network node from the wireless device and one or more other wireless devices located in the same area as the wireless device, wherein each of the other wireless devices comprises an image capturing device oriented towards the scene, receive a respective differential dataset from each wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices, each received differential dataset including data being specific for each individual wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices, and transmit the common dataset and the differential datasets to the network node. The common dataset includes data from the image capturing device of the wireless device that is common for the wireless device and the one or more other wireless devices and the differential datasets include data from the image capturing device of the wireless device and the one or more other wireless devices that is specific for each individual wireless device. With this aspect of the disclosed technology, similar advantages and preferred features are present as in the other aspects.

[0015] According to another aspect, there is provided a network node in a wireless communication network, where the network node is configured to transmit and receive data to and from each wireless device in a group of wireless devices located in the same area. Each wireless device of the group of wireless devices comprises an image capturing device oriented towards a scene. The method comprises, in response to obtaining an indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in image data to be transmitted to the group of wireless devices from the network node, transmitting each differential dataset to each respective wireless device of the group of wireless devices, and transmitting the common dataset to a subset of wireless devices of the group of wireless devices so that the subset of wireless devices relays the common dataset to the other wireless devices of the group of wireless device. The common dataset includes image data that is common for the group of wireless devices and the differential datasets includes image data that is specific for each individual wireless device of the group of wireless devices. With this aspect of the disclosed technology, similar advantages and preferred features are present as in the other aspects.

[0016] According to another aspect, there is provided a network node comprising one or more processors, and one or more memory storage areas comprising program code, the one or more memory storage areas and the program code being configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the network node to at least, in response to obtaining an indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in image data to be transmitted to a group of wireless devices located in the same area from the network node, each wireless device of the group of wireless devices comprising an image capturing device oriented towards a scene, transmit each differential dataset to each respective wireless device of the group of wireless devices, and transmit the common dataset only to a subset of wireless devices of the group of wireless devices so that the subset of wireless devices relays the common dataset to the other wireless devices of the group of wireless devices. The common dataset includes image data that is common for the group of wireless devices and the differential datasets include image data that is specific for each individual wireless device of the group of wireless devices. With this aspect of the disclosed technology, similar advantages and preferred features are present as in the other aspects.

[0017] According to another aspect there is provided a method for a wireless device in a wireless communication network, where the wireless device comprises an image capturing device oriented towards a scene. The method comprises, in response to obtaining an indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in data to be transmitted to a network node from the wireless device and one or more other wireless devices located in the same area as the wireless device, where each of the one or more other wireless devices comprises an image capturing device oriented towards the scene, transmitting a signal to each wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices, the transmitted signal comprising an instruction to omit transmission of the common dataset to the network node, and transmitting the common dataset and the differential dataset of the wireless device to the network node. The common dataset includes data from the image capturing device of the wireless device that is common for the wireless device and the one or more other wireless devices and the differential datasets includes data from the image capturing devices of the wireless device and the one or more other wireless devices that is specific for each individual wireless device. With this aspect of the disclosed technology, similar advantages and preferred features are present as in the other aspects.

[0018] According to another aspect there is provided a wireless device comprising an image capturing device oriented towards a scene, one or more processors, and one or more memory storage areas comprising program code, the one or more memory storage areas and the program code being configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the wireless device to at least, in response to obtaining an indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in data to be transmitted to a network node from the wireless device and one or more other wireless devices located in the same area as the wireless device, wherein each of the one or more other wireless devices comprises an image capturing device oriented towards the scene, transmit a signal to each wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices, the transmitted signal comprising an instruction to omit transmission of the common dataset to the network node, and transmit the common dataset and the differential dataset of the wireless device to the network node. The common dataset includes data from the image capturing device of the wireless device that is common for the wireless device and the one or more other wireless devices and the differential datasets includes data from the image capturing devices of the wireless device and the one or more other wireless devices that is specific for each individual wireless device. With this aspect of the disclosed technology, similar advantages and preferred features are present as in the other aspects.

[0019] According to another aspect, there is provided a method for a wireless device in a wireless communication network, where the wireless device comprises an image capturing device oriented towards a scene. The method comprises transmitting pose information to a network node, the pose information including a position of the wireless device and an orientation of the image capturing device of the wireless device, and, in response to receiving a signal from the network node, the received signal being indicative of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in data to be transmitted from a group of wireless devices to the network node, transmitting the common dataset of the group of wireless devices and the differential dataset of the wireless device to the network node while other wireless devices in the group of wireless devices omit transmission of the common dataset to the network node. The group of wireless devices is formed by the wireless device and one or more other wireless devices located in the same area, each wireless device of the other wireless devices comprising an image capturing device oriented towards the scene. The common dataset includes data from the image capturing device of the wireless device that is common for the group of wireless devices and the differential datasets includes data from the image capturing devices of each wireless device of the group of wireless devices that is specific for each individual wireless device. With this aspect of the disclosed technology, similar advantages and preferred features are present as in the other aspects.

[0020] According to another aspect, there is provided a wireless device comprising an image capturing device oriented towards a scene, one or more processors, and one or more memory storage areas comprising program code, the one or more memory storage areas and the program code being configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the wireless device to at least transmit pose information to a network node, the pose information including a position of the wireless device and an orientation of the image capturing device of the wireless device. Then, in response to receiving a signal from the network node, the received signal being indicative of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in data to be transmitted from a group of wireless devices to the network node, the one or more memory storage areas and the program code being configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the wireless device to at least, transmit the common dataset of the group of wireless devices and the differential dataset of the wireless device to the network node while other wireless devices in the group of wireless devices omit transmission of the common dataset to the network node. The group of wireless devices is formed by the wireless device and one or more other wireless devices located in the same area, each wireless device of the other wireless devices comprising an image capturing device oriented towards the scene. The common dataset includes data from the image capturing device of the wireless device that is common for the group of wireless devices and the differential datasets includes data from the image capturing devices of each wireless device of the group of wireless devices that is specific for each individual wireless device. With this aspect of the disclosed technology, similar advantages and preferred features are present as in the other aspects.

[0021] According to another aspect, there is provided a computer program, comprising instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to any one of the embodiments disclosed herein. With this aspect of the disclosed technology, similar advantages and preferred features are present as in the other aspects.

[0022] According to another aspect, there is provided a (non-transitory) computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured to be executed by one or more processors of a processing device, the one or more programs comprising instructions for performing the method according to any one of the embodiments disclosed herein. With this aspect of the disclosed technology, similar advantages and preferred features are present as in the other aspects.

[0023] The term "non-transitory," as used herein, is intended to describe a computer-readable storage medium (or "memory") excluding propagating electromagnetic signals, but are not intended to otherwise limit the type of physical computer-readable storage device that is encompassed by the phrase computer-readable medium or memory. For instance, the terms "non-transitory computer readable medium" or "tangible memory" are intended to encompass types of storage devices that do not necessarily store information permanently, including for example, random access memory (RAM). Program instructions and data stored on a tangible computer-accessible storage medium in non- transitory form may further be transmitted by transmission media or signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals, which may be conveyed via a communication medium such as a network and / or a wireless link. Thus, the term "non-transitory", as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0024] The disclosed aspects and preferred embodiments may be suitably combined with each other in any manner apparent to anyone of ordinary skill in the art, such that one or more features or embodiments disclosed in relation to one aspect may also be considered to be disclosed in relation to another aspect or embodiment of another aspect. Further embodiments of the disclosure are defined in the dependent claims. It should be emphasized that the term "comprises / comprising" when used in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, or components. It does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components, or groups thereof. 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.

[0025] An advantage of some embodiments is that amount of transmission resources needed for XR applications may be reduced.

[0026] An advantage of some embodiments is that the spectral interference caused by wireless devices and network nodes may be reduced as the number of transmissions (and their content size) may be reduced.

[0027] An advantage of some embodiments is that the power consumption of wireless devices and the network node may be reduced as the number of transmissions (and their content size) and the air-time may be reduced.

[0028] These and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will in the following be further clarified with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.

[0029] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] The foregoing will be apparent from the following more particular description of the example embodiments, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the example embodiments.

[0031] Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of a wireless device in a wireless communication network together with one other wireless device, where each wireless device has an image capturing device oriented towards a scene in accordance with some embodiments.

[0032] Fig. 2 is a schematic illustration of a wireless device in a wireless communication network together with one other wireless device, where each wireless device has an image capturing device oriented towards a scene in accordance with some embodiments.

[0033] Fig. 3 is a schematic flowchart representation of a method for a wireless device in a wireless communication network in accordance with some embodiments. Fig. 4 is a schematic flowchart representation of a method for a wireless device in a wireless communication network in accordance with some embodiments.

[0034] Figs. 5a-5d is a series of schematic illustrations of a wireless device in a wireless communication network together with one other wireless device, where each wireless device has an image capturing device oriented towards a scene in accordance with some embodiments.

[0035] Figs. 6a-6d is a series of schematic illustrations of a wireless device in a wireless communication network together with one other wireless device, where each wireless device has an image capturing device oriented towards a scene in accordance with some embodiments.

[0036] Fig. 7 is a schematic illustration of a wireless device in a wireless communication network together with one other wireless device, where each wireless device has an image capturing device oriented towards a scene in accordance with some embodiments.

[0037] Fig. 8 is a schematic illustration of a wireless device in a wireless communication network together with one other wireless device, where each wireless device has an image capturing device oriented towards a scene in accordance with some embodiments.

[0038] Fig. 9 is a schematic flowchart representation of a method for a network node in a wireless communication network in accordance with some embodiments.

[0039] Fig. 10 is a schematic block diagram representation of a wireless device in accordance with some embodiments.

[0040] Fig. 11 is a schematic block diagram representation of a network node in accordance with some embodiments.

[0041] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] Aspects of the present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. The control device and method disclosed herein can, however, be realized in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the aspects set forth herein. Like numbers in the drawings refer to like elements throughout.

[0043] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects of the present disclosure only, and is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. 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. The terminology "at least one of A and B" should in the present context be read as A and / or B, where A and B can be any arbitrary items or elements in a set. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the steps, services and functions explained herein may be implemented using individual hardware circuitry, using software functioning in conjunction with a programmed microprocessor or general-purpose computer, using one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) and / or using one or more Digital Signal Processors (DSPs). It will also be appreciated that when the present disclosure is described in terms of a method, it may also be embodied in one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the one or more memories store one or more programs that perform the steps, services and functions disclosed herein when executed by the one or more processors.

[0044] As used herein, relational terms, such as "first" and "second," "top" and "bottom," and the like, may be used solely to distinguish one entity or element from another entity or element without necessarily requiring or implying any physical or logical relationship or order between such entities or elements. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting the concepts described herein. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes" and / or "including" when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0045] In embodiments described herein, the joining term, "in communication with" and the like, may be used to indicate electrical or data communication, which may be accomplished by physical contact, induction, electromagnetic radiation, radio signaling, infrared signaling or optical signaling, for example. One having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that multiple components may interoperate, and modifications and variations are capable of achieving electrical and data communication. In some embodiments described herein, the terms "coupled," "connected," and the like, may be used herein to indicate a connection, although not necessarily directly, and may include wired and / or wireless connections.

[0046] The term "network node" or "radio network node" as used herein may be any kind of network node comprised in a wireless communication network capable of communicating with a wireless device and / or with another network node. Thus, a network node may comprise any of a base station (BS), a radio base station, a base transceiver station (BTS), a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), an evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB), or a next generation node B (gNB or gNodeB).

[0047] The non-limiting terms wireless device (WD) or a user equipment (UE) are used interchangeably herein. The WD herein can be any type of wireless device capable of communicating with a network node or another WD over radio signals. The WD may be a user device. It should however be noted that the term wireless device (WD), or in particular, the term user equipment (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 surveillance camera).

[0048] Note that although terminology from one particular wireless technology, such as, for example, 3GPP 5th generation mobile communication technology (5G), may be used in this disclosure, this should not be seen as limiting the scope of the disclosure to only the aforementioned system. Other wireless technologies, including without limitation 3GPP 4th generation mobile communication technology (4G), 3GPP 6th generation mobile communication technology (6G), or any future wireless system may also benefit from exploiting the techniques disclosed herein. Furthermore, it should be noted that the description herein focuses on a 3GPP cellular communications system and, as such, 3GPP terminology or terminology similar to 3GPP terminology is oftentimes used. However, the concepts disclosed herein are not limited to a 3GPP system. Furthermore, although the term "cell" is used herein, it should be understood that (particularly with respect to 5G NR) beams may be used instead of cells and, as such, concepts described herein apply equally to both cells and beams.

[0049] In 6G it is expected that there would be massive number of devices in a small area. Some of these devices aim to send measurements, or in more general terms, data to network nodes. Some devices require large amounts of bandwidth for transmitting data for some use-cases such as XR applications. Thus, 5G evolution and 6G networks are expected to host intense bandwidth consuming applications like XR, video streaming, etc. Some embodiments herein focus on scenarios with multi-device applications, which work in close proximity to each other, e.g., multi-device gaming in game rooms malls or multidevice video streaming with overlapping frames, etc. However, there are also industrial deployments where multiple workers are using Head Mounted Devices (HMDs) that use bandwidth-demanding applications. One thing to consider in such scenarios is the presence of overlapping data or content. In some situations, the majority of the data or content in the frame(s) captured by different devices may be similar or overlapping. These multiple devices will accordingly send their data that may happen to repeat considerably or partially. This may cause an issue as these applications are extremely bandwidth demanding, and thus may consume large amount of system and radio resources. Hence, some embodiments herein relate to solutions for reducing the transmission bandwidth use by removing or suppressing the repetitive / redundant parts, which otherwise put significant stress on the transmission resources.

[0050] Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 are schematic illustrations of a wireless device 121 in a wireless communications network together with one other wireless device 122, where each wireless device 121, 122 has an image capturing device oriented towards a scene 150 in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, the wireless communications network may be a radio communication network, such as 5G or NR network. Although, the wireless communication network is exemplified herein as a 5G or NR network, the wireless communications network may also employ any other similar or future technology, as already mentioned. In particular, Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 illustrate an uplink scenario in accordance with some embodiments.

[0051] The wireless devices 121, 122 are served by a network node 110 in a cell of the network node 110. Each wireless device 121, 122 is configured to communicate within the wireless communication network via the network node 110 over a radio link served by the network node 110. Utilizing the radio link, a bidirectional communication flow may be set up between the wireless devices 121, 122 and any entity capable of communication via the wireless communications network 100. The wireless devices 121, 122 may transmit data over an air or radio interface to the network node 110 in uplink (UL) transmissions and the network node 110 may transmit data over an air or radio interface to the wireless devices 121 in downlink (DL) transmissions. A wireless device 121, 122 may as mentioned refer to any suitable type of wireless device (WD) or User Equipment (UE) having one or more image capturing devices. The wireless device 121, 122 is capable of communicating with a network node and / or with another wireless device in a cellular, mobile or radio communication network or system. Examples of such wireless devices are smart phones, tablets, XR devices (e.g., XR headsets, XR goggles, XR glasses, XR lenses, and the like). Moreover, the wireless device may be a vehicle or be integrated in a vehicle. A vehicle may for example be a motor vehicle, a drone, an Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) or an Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) in a factory hall or warehouse.

[0052] In the depicted embodiment, the "wireless device" 121, 122 is illustrated as an XR headset, each worn by a respective user 131, 132. Here, the XR device 121, 122 is assumed to be capable of communicating with a network node 110 using a suitable communication protocol. However, in some embodiments, the "wireless device" may comprise two devices or components such as for example an XR device (e.g., an XR headset) and a handheld communication device (e.g., a smartphone) connected to the XR device. This may for example be the case when the XR device is incapable of communicating with a network node 110 on its own. Instead, the data can be relayed between the XR device and the network node 110 via the handheld communication device. The connection between the XR device and the handheld communication device a wired or wireless connection. However, in some embodiments the wireless device is a smartphone comprising an integrated image capturing device.

[0053] Further, two wireless devices (WDs) 121, 122 are located closely in the same area or region. Each wireless device (WD) 121, 122 comprises an image capturing device (e.g., a camera). In in the depicted embodiments of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 the wireless devices 121, 122 are worn on the heads of two users observing an industry production line 150. Here the wireless devices 121, 122 may for example be in the form of an AR headset where digital data is overlaid on the images of the industry production line 150 captured by each AR headset. The overlaid data may for example be various production parameters (e.g., machine type, machine settings, products, and so forth). However, it should be noted that a similar configuration is achievable by means of a smartphone whose camera is oriented towards the industry production line 150.

[0054] Moreover, each WD 121, 122 is associated with a dataset that contains two parts. Namely, a common dataset "D" and a differential dataset "6D". The differential dataset 6Dj is specific for each individual WDi (i.e., different among the wireless devices 121, 122). More specifically, the common dataset includes data from the image capturing devices of the WDs that is common for all WDs 121, 122, (within the same region or area) while the differential datasets 6Dj includes image data from the image capturing devices of the WDs 121, 122 that is specific for each WD 121, 122 (within the same region or area). It may be noted that wireless devices 121, 122 that are located within the same area or region and whose image capturing devices are oriented towards the same scene 150 may be referred to as a "group of wireless devices" in the following. The common and differential datasets are schematically indicated by the field of view (FOV) of each WD 121, 122, where the differential dataset 6Di of one WD 122 is indicated in the first non-overlapping FOV 142, the differential dataset 6D2 of the other WD 121 is indicated in the second non-overlapping FOV 141, while the common dataset D is indicated by the overlapping FOV 143.

[0055] Accordingly, in the depicted scenarios of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, both of the WDs 121, 122 have some common data that is to be transmitted in uplink 161, 162. Thus, the conventional way of transmitting the data would be that each WD 121, 122 transmits the common part D and their respective differential part 6Dj, as indicated by the dashed arrows 161, 162. To this end, it is herein proposed that in such scenarios, the WDs are configured such that only a subset (in the depicted case only one) of the wireless devices of the group of wireless devices transmits the common dataset to the network node while the other wireless devices omit transmission of the common dataset.

[0056] In more detail, one WD may act as a "master" 121 while the other WDs 122 act as "slaves", where the "slave" WDs 122 are configured to transmit 171 their differential datasets 6Dj to the "master" WD 121 using sidelink (SL) transmission, whereupon the "master" WD 121 transmits 172 the common dataset and all differential datasets to the network node 110 (as depicted in Fig. 1). In other words, all data is relayed via a subset of the wireless devices. However, in some embodiments, the "slave" WD 122 may be configured to transmit 174 their respective differential datasets 6Dj to the network node 110 and omit transmission of the common dataset to the network node 110, while the "master" WD 121 transmits 173 its differential dataset and the common dataset to the network node 110. In either case, one transmission of the common dataset is "saved" for each "slave" WD 122. Thus, for large data sizes of the common part "D", which may be the case for XR applications, the saving in bandwidth and energy may be considerable. In more detail, if there are N WDs 121, 122 with a common dataset D, the resource saving corresponding to (N-1)*D information bits.

[0057] Further details and examples related to signalling protocols are given in reference to Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 below. In the present context, the term "sidelink" is to be understood as a general term for communication between two devices, such as for example 3GPP (e.g., based on LTE, NR), Bluetooth or Wi-Fi technologies.

[0058] Fig. 3 is a schematic flowchart representation of a method S100 for a wireless device 121 in accordance with some embodiments. The wireless device 121 comprises an image capturing device. The method is preferably performed by a wireless device 121 in a wireless communication network when the image capturing device is oriented towards a scene. In the following discussion related to Fig. 3, references will also be made to Figs. 5a, 5b, and 5c and Figs. 6a, 6b, and 6c, which schematically illustrate some of the steps of the method S100 in order to further elucidate some embodiments.

[0059] In some embodiments, the method S100 comprises receiving S101 pose information of the one or more other wireless devices 122, the pose information including a position of the one or more other wireless devices 122 and an orientation of the image capturing device of each wireless device 122 of the one or more other wireless devices 122. This is for example indicated in Fig. 5a. The position of the one or more other wireless devices may for example include GPS coordinates, or any other data in any suitable coordinate system defining a position of the other wireless device 122 as readily understood by the skilled person in the art. Besides being absolute (i.e. referenced in a coordinate system), the position may also be the relative position among the two or more coordinating wireless devices. The orientation of the camera device may for example be given by a heading angle or azimuth angle in relation to a common reference (e.g., north) as readily understood by the skilled person in the art.

[0060] In some embodiments, the method comprises obtaining S104 an indication of a presence of a common dataset D and differential datasets 6 Di in data to be transmitted to a network node 110 from the wireless device 121 and one or more other wireless devices 122 located in the same area as the wireless device.

[0061] In some embodiments, the obtaining S104 an indication of the presence of a common dataset and differential datasets comprises obtaining the indication of the presence of the common dataset and differential datasets based on the received S101 pose information. In other words, the method S100 may comprise detecting a presence of a common dataset D and differential datasets 6Dj in data to be transmitted to a network node 110 from the wireless device 121 and one or more other wireless devices 122 located in the same area as the wireless device based on the received pose information. In more detail, with knowledge of the pose information of each wireless device 121, 122 in the same area or region, the WD 121 can deduce or derive the amount of overlap between each individual dataset that is to be transmitted to the network node 110.

[0062] Accordingly, in some embodiments, the presence of a common dataset and differential datasets (i.e., the overlap) is detected or determined by the "master" WD 121 based on the pose information the WDs 121, 122.

[0063] Further, in some embodiments, the obtaining S104 an indication of the presence of a common dataset and differential datasets comprises receiving a signal S103 from the network node 110, the signal being indicative the presence of the common dataset and differential datasets. The network node 110 may for example determine the presence of a common dataset and differential datasets from a group of wireless devices located in the same area or region based on pose information of each WD 121, 122 or based on a detected overlap in the data transmitted by each individual WD 121, 122.

[0064] In some embodiments, the network node 110 determines the orientation of the image capturing device of each wireless device located in the same area or region based on beamforming information of each wireless device. The position (and in some cases the orientation) of each wireless device may for example be reported by the WDs (using external positioning systems such as GPS or other sensors such as gyroscopes and accelerometers). However, the position of each wireless device may also be derived from radio ranging, and / or based on angle of arrival measurements.

[0065] Accordingly, in some embodiments, the presence of a common dataset and differential datasets (i.e., the overlap) is detected or determined by the network node 110 based on the pose information the WDs 121, 122. Thus, in some embodiments, the method S100 comprises transmitting S102 the pose information to the network node 110. The network node 110 may then be configured to instruct the other WDs 122 to omit a transmission of the common dataset D, and to instruct the other WDs 122 to transmit their respective differential datasets 6Dj to the "master" WD 121. Analogously, the "master" WD 121 is instructed by the network node 110 to transmit the common dataset and its differential dataset, and to relay the other differential datasets (of the other WDs 122). This process is illustrated in Figs. 6a, 6b, and 6c. The "instructions" sent by the network node 110 to the WDs 121, 122 may be understood as that the network node 110 configures the WDs 121, 122 accordingly.

[0066] In some embodiments, the obtaining S104 an indication of the presence of a common dataset and differential datasets to be transmitted to the network node 110 from the wireless device 121 and the one or more other wireless devices 122 comprises obtaining S105 an indication of an overlap satisfying a threshold in the data content in the datasets to be transmitted from the group of wireless devices to the network node 110. In other words, even though there may be some overlap in the data to be transmitted from each WD 121, 122, the overlap has to be large enough (i.e., size of the common dataset D has to be above some value / threshold) for the method S100 to be executed. The value / threshold may be static or it may be dynamically set based on e.g., bandwidth availability, amount of information content, system resources, number of nodes involved, etc. The threshold value may either be configured autonomously by a central node or it may be configured by the network node 110. Moreover, the threshold value may also be scenario dependent or depend on the deployment. One other factor that may influence the threshold value is the amount of energy and the computational resources needed.

[0067] Further, the method S100 comprises, in response to obtaining the indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in data to be transmitted to the network node 110 from the wireless device 121 and the one or more other wireless devices 122, receiving S106 (video) codec information of each wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices 122. The (video) codec information may for example comprise file format (e.g., avi, mpeg, mov, etc.), frame rate (frames per second -fps), Group of Pictures (GOP) settings, and so forth. The reporting of the (video) codec information may for example be done on application layer information or Radio Resource Control (RRC) based capability reporting information.

[0068] Moreover, the method S100 may comprise transmitting S107 a signal to at least a subset of the one or more other wireless devices based on the received codec information. The transmitted S107 signal comprises an instruction to re-configure the applied (video) codec of each wireless device of the subset of the one or more other wireless devices 122. Moreover, the method S100 may comprise re-configuring S108 the applied (video) codec of the wireless device 121 based on the received codec information. In some embodiments, the transmitted S107 signal comprises an instruction to re-configured the applied (video) codec of each wireless device to a particular (video codec). This may for example be the same (video) codec as applied by the (master) wireless device 121. However, in some embodiments it may be more efficient to re-configure S108 the applied (video) codec of the (master) wireless device 121 to a common (video) codec of the group of wireless devices.

[0069] The reconfiguration of the applied (video) codec, whether by the other wireless devices 122 or by the wireless device 121, may comprise reconfiguring or changing a frame rate, switching file format, reconfiguring or changing GOP settings. In reference to the GOP settings, each wireless device of the group of wireless devices may for example reconfigure the applied (video) codec so that each WD 121, 122 generates an l-frame (intra coded picture) at the same matching periodicity. In other words, so that all WDs 121, 122 of the group of WDs generate l-frames at the same time instants. In some embodiments, each wireless device of the group of wireless devices reconfigures the applied (video) codec so that each WD 121, 122 generates a set number (N) of P-frames (predictive coded pictures) between two l-frames with the same matching periodicity among the group of WDs. In other words, each WD of the group of WDs generate P-frames at the same time instants.

[0070] In some embodiments, the method S100 comprises transmitting S109 a signal to each wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices 122 based on the received (video) codec information. Here, the transmitted S109 signal comprises instructions to synchronize a frame rate of each image capturing device of the one or more other wireless devices 122, and synchronizing a frame rate of the image capturing device of the wireless device 121 based on the received (video) codec information.

[0071] The method S100 comprises, in response to obtaining S104 an indication of a presence of a common dataset D and differential datasets 6 Di in data to be transmitted to a network node 110 from the wireless device 121 and one or more other wireless devices 122 located in the same area as the wireless device, receiving Sill a respective differential dataset 6Dj from each wireless device 122 of the one or more other wireless devices 122, each received differential dataset 6Dj including data being specific for each individual wireless device 122 of the one or more other wireless devices 122. In some embodiments, the respective differential datasets are received via one or more 3GPP sidelink channels, via Bluetooth, or via Wi-Fi.

[0072] The method S100 further comprises transmitting S112 the common dataset D and (all of) the differential datasets 6Dj to the network node. In other words, the method S100 comprises transmitting S112 the common dataset, the received Sill differential datasets and the differential dataset associated with the wireless device 121. The transmission S112 of the common dataset D and (all of) the differential datasets 6Dj is done under the assumption that the other wireless devices 122 omit transmission of the common dataset D. Accordingly, all data is relayed via the wireless device 121 ("master"), thereby saving UL transmission resources associated with the transmission of the common dataset from all other wireless devices 122.

[0073] In some embodiments, the "master" WD may instruct the other WDs 122 to omit or partially omit transmission of the common dataset D and to send their differential datasets 6Dj to the "master" WD 121. Accordingly, the method S100 may further comprise transmitting S110 a signal to the other wireless devices 122 to omit transmission of the common dataset D and to send their differential datasets 6Dj to the "master" WD 121. The "master" WD 121 then receives Sill the differential datasets 6Dj and transmits S112 the common dataset D and all differential datasets to the network node 110. This process is illustrated in Figs. 5a, 5b, and 5c. As used herein, the term "in response to obtaining a presence of a scenario" may be construed to mean "if a scenario is present", "when a scenario is present", or "upon a scenario being present", "in response to detecting that a scenario is present", "in response to determining that a scenario is present", or "in response to receiving a signal indicating that a scenario is present" depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase "if it is determined' or "when it is determined" or "in an instance of" may be construed to mean "upon determining or "in response to determining" or "upon detecting and identifying occurrence of an event" or "in response to detecting occurrence of an event" depending on the context.

[0074] Fig. 4 is a schematic flowchart representation method S100' for a wireless device 121 in accordance with some embodiments. The wireless device 121 comprises an image capturing device. The method is preferably performed by a wireless device 121 in a wireless communication network when the image capturing device is oriented towards a scene. In the following discussion related to Fig. 5, references will also be made to Figs. 5a, 5b, and 5d and Figs. 6a, 6b, and 6d, which schematically illustrate some of the steps of the method S100' in order to further elucidate some embodiments.

[0075] Some of the features and steps of the method S100' depicted in Fig. 4 are the same as for the features and steps of the method S100 depicted in Fig. 3, and will for the sake of brevity and conciseness be omitted in the following description in relation to Fig. 4. As readily understood by the skilled person in the art, the common features and steps discussed in the foregoing are analogously applicable.

[0076] In contrast to the above-described embodiments in reference to Fig. 3, the "master" WD 121 does not relay the differential datasets 6Dj of the other wireless devices 122. In more detail, the method S100' comprises in response to obtaining S104 an indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in data to be transmitted to a network node 110 from the wireless device 121 and one or more other wireless devices 122 located in the same area as the wireless device 121, transmitting S110 a signal to each wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices 122, where the transmitted S110 signal comprises an instruction to omit transmission of the common dataset to the network node 110. Furthermore, the method S100' comprises, in response to obtaining S104 an indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets, transmitting S113 the common dataset and the differential dataset of the wireless device 121 to the network node 110. Here each of the one or more other wireless devices 122 comprises an image capturing device oriented towards the scene 150.

[0077] Accordingly, the other WDs 122 are instructed by the "master" WD to omit transmission of the common dataset and to transmit their respective differential dataset, while the "master" WD 121 transmits the common dataset and its differential dataset. This process is for example indicated in Figs. 5a, 5b, and 5d. As before, the presence of a common dataset and differential datasets may be detected or determined by the "master" WD based on received S101 pose information of the other WDs 122, or it may be indicated in a signal received S102 from the network node S100. In the latter case, the instruction to the wireless device 121 and the other wireless devices 122 may be signalled by the network node 110. This process is for example indicated in Figs. 6a, 6b, and 6d.

[0078] As before, the common dataset includes data from the image capturing device of the wireless device 121 that is common for the wireless device 121 and the one or more other wireless devices 122 and the differential datasets includes data from the image capturing devices of the wireless device 121 and the one or more other wireless devices 122 that is specific for each individual wireless device 121, 122.

[0079] Executable instructions for performing these functions are, optionally, included in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or other computer program product configured for execution by one or more processors.

[0080] Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 are schematic illustrations of a wireless device 121 in a wireless communications network together with one other wireless device 122, where each wireless device 121, 122 has an image capturing device oriented towards a scene 150 in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, the wireless communications network may be a radio communication network, such as 5G or NR network. Although, the wireless communication network is exemplified herein as a 5G or NR network, the wireless communications network may also employ any other similar or future technology, as already mentioned. In particular, Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 illustrate a downlink scenario in accordance with some embodiments. In other words, the scene and features are analogous to the description above with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, but is now from the perspective of the network node 110. As readily understood by the skilled person in the art, analogous advantages and features are analogously applicable in the downlink case as for the uplink case.

[0081] As before, each WD 121, 122 is associated with a dataset that contains two parts. Namely, a common dataset "D" and a differential dataset "6D". The differential dataset 6Dj is specific for each individual WDi (i.e., different among the wireless devices 121, 122). More specifically, the common dataset includes data to the WDs that is common for all WDs 121, 122, (within the same region or area) while the differential datasets 6Dj includes image data to the WDs 121, 122 that is specific for each WD 121, 122 (within the same region or area). It may be noted that wireless devices 121, 122 that are located within the same area or region and whose image capturing devices are oriented towards the same scene 150 may be referred to as a "group of wireless devices" in the following. The common and differential datasets are schematically indicated by the field of view (FOV) of each WD 121, 122, where the differential dataset 6Di of one WD 122 is indicated in the first non-overlapping FOV 142, the differential dataset 6D2 of the other WD 121 is indicated in the second non-overlapping FOV 141, while the common dataset D is indicated by the overlapping FOV 143.

[0082] Accordingly, in the depicted scenarios of Fig. 7 and Fig. 8, both of the WDs 121, 122 have some common data that is to be received in downlink 161, 162 (i.e., transmitted from the network node 110). Thus, the conventional way of transmitting the data would be that the network node 110 transmits the common part D and their respective differential part 6 Di to each WD 121, 122 as indicated by the dashed arrows 181, 182. To this end, it is herein proposed that in such scenarios, the network node 110 is configured such that the common dataset D is transmitted to only a subset (in the depicted case only one) of the wireless devices of the group of wireless devices the other wireless devices 122 do not receive a transmission of the common dataset from the network node 110. Instead, the network node 110 may instruct the subset of wireless devices 121 to relay the common dataset D to the other wireless devices 122 (scenario in Fig. 1) while the network node transmits each differential dataset 6Dj to each respective wireless device 121, 122. However, in some embodiments, the network node 110 transmits the common data and all differential datasets 6Dj to the subset of wireless devices 121 and instructs the subset of wireless devices to relay the common dataset D and the respective differential dataset 6Dj to each of the other wireless devices 122 (scenario in Fig. 2). In either case, downlink transmission resources may be saved as the oftentimes large common dataset D no longer needs to be transmitted to each individual wireless device 121, 122 from the network node 110.

[0083] Further details and examples and signalling information are given in reference to Fig. 9 below. Fig. 9 is a schematic flowchart representation of a method for a network node 110 in a wireless communications network. The network node 110 is configured to transmit and receive data to and from each wireless device 121, 122 in a group of wireless devices located in the same area, each wireless device 121, 122 of the group of wireless devices comprising an image capturing devices oriented towards a scene 150.

[0084] The method S200 may comprise receiving S201 pose information of each wireless devices of the group of wireless devices. The pose information includes a position of each wireless device and an orientation of the image capturing devices of each wireless device of the group of wireless devices. As before, the network node 110 may determine the orientation of the image capturing device of each wireless device 121, 122 located in the same area or region based on beamforming information of each wireless device 121, 122. The position (and in some cases the orientation) of each wireless device may for example reported by the WDs (using external positioning systems such as GPS or other sensors such as gyroscopes and accelerometers). However, the position of each wireless device 121, 122 may also be derived from radio ranging, and / or based on angle of arrival measurements. Further, in some embodiments, the method S200 comprises receiving S202 image data from each wireless device. The network node ma accordingly process the received S202 image data in order to determine a degree of overlap in the image data received from the different wireless devices. In some embodiments the network node 110 distinguishes that a group of WDs are going to transmit common data to the network node based on received S201, measurements and / or information from WDs 121, 122. The received S201, S202 measurements or information from WDs may comprise, positions of the WDs, orientations of the image capturing devices, and direction of movement of the WDs. This may include data from inertial sensors such as gyroscope, accelerometers, etc. Moreover, in some embodiments, the method S200 comprises receiving S203 one or more signals from a subset of wireless devices, where the received S203 signals are indicative the presence of the common dataset D and differential datasets 6Dj.

[0085] In some embodiments, the method S200 comprises obtaining S204 an indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in image data to be transmitted to the group of wireless devices from the network node. In some embodiments, the obtaining S204 an indication of the presence of a common dataset D and differential datasets 6Dj comprises obtaining S204 the indication of the presence of the common dataset D and differential datasets 6Dj based on the received S201 pose information.

[0086] In some embodiments, the obtaining an indication of the presence of a common dataset D and differential datasets 6Dj comprises detecting an overlap in a data content within image data received S202 from the group of wireless devices. Accordingly, the method S200 may comprise receiving S202 image data from each wireless device 121, 122, and detecting or determining an overlap in the image data received from the group of wireless devices. Accordingly, the term "in response to obtaining the indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in image data to be transmitted to the group of wireless devices from the network node" may comprise "in response to detecting or determining a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in image data to be transmitted to the group of wireless devices from the network node".

[0087] In some embodiments, the obtaining S204 an indication of the presence of a common dataset D and differential datasets 6Dj comprises receiving S203 the one or more signals from the subset of wireless devices 121. Here, the one or more received S203 signals are indicative the presence of the common dataset D and differential datasets 6D|. In other words, the presence of a common dataset and differential datasets (i.e., the overlap) is detected or determined by the "master" WD 121, which subsequently signals this to the network node 110. In some embodiments, the obtaining S204 an indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in image data to be transmitted to the group of wireless devices from the network node comprises obtaining S205 an indication of an overlap satisfying a threshold in the data content in the datasets to be transmitted to the group of wireless devices from the network nod. In other words, even though there may be some overlap in the data to be transmitted to each WD 121, 122, the overlap has to be large enough (i.e., size of the common dataset D has to be above some value / threshold) for the method S200 to be executed.

[0088] Further, in some embodiments, the method S200 comprises in response to obtaining the indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in image data to be transmitted to the group of wireless devices from the network node, receiving S206 (video) codec information of each wireless device 121, 122. The (video) codec information may for example comprise file format (e.g., avi, mpeg, mov, etc.), frame rate (frames per second - fps), Group of Pictures (GOP) settings, and so forth. The reporting of the (video) codec information may for example be done on application layer information or Radio Resource Control (RRC) based capability reporting information.

[0089] Moreover, the method S200 may comprise transmitting S207 a signal to one or more wireless devices of the group of wireless devices based on the received codec information. The transmitted S207 signal comprises an instruction to re-configure the applied (video) codec of the one or more wireless devices of the group of wireless devices.

[0090] In some embodiments, the method S200 comprises transmitting S208 a signal to each wireless device of the group of wireless devices based on the received (video) codec information. Here, the transmitted S107 signal comprises instructions to synchronize a frame rate of each image capturing device of each wireless device of the group of wireless devices.

[0091] It should be noted that the presence of a common dataset and a differential dataset may be detected or determined by an application server in communicative connection with the WDs 121, 122. The application server in turn requests the WDs to execute the methods according to embodiments disclosed herein. Thus, the technology disclosed herein is not contingent upon the provision of a cellular network. Thus, any communication technology (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ethernet, etc.) that provides connection to the application server is applicable. Thus, for the purpose of the embodiments disclosed herein, some or all functions of the network node may be performed by an application server. Further, in some embodiments, in response to obtaining the indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in image data to be transmitted to the group of wireless devices from the network node, transmitting S209 a signal to the subset of wireless devices 121, Here, the transmitted S209 signal is indicative of a configuration for the subset of wireless devices 121 to relay the common dataset to the other wireless devices 122 of the group of wireless devices. Accordingly, the network may configure the "relay-protocol" for the WDs 121, 122. Similarly, the network node 110 may transmit a signal each wireless device 122 of the other wireless devices 122 of the group of wireless devices, where the transmitted signal comprises information about how the data will be transmitted to the other wireless devices 122 and how the received data from the network node 110 and the "master" WD 121 should be combined to recover the original data. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the network node 110 transmits information, to the other wireless devices 122, about multiple paths that the data is coming from (partly from DL transmission and partly from SL transmission). Thereby, each of the other wireless devices is configured with the information about how the data is transmitted to them and how it should be combined to recover the original data. The instructions or information from the network node 110 may be transmitted on an application layer.

[0092] Further, the method S200 comprises, in response to obtaining S204 an indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in image data to be transmitted to the group of wireless devices from the network node, transmitting S210 each differential dataset to each respective wireless device 121, 122 of the group of wireless devices, and transmitting S211 the common dataset to a subset of wireless devices 121 of the group of wireless devices so that the subset of wireless devices 121 relays the common dataset to the other wireless devices 122 of the group of wireless devices. Moreover, the common dataset D includes image data that is common for the group of wireless devices and the differential datasets 6Dj includes image data that is specific for each individual wireless device of the group of wireless devices. This corresponds to the scenario depicted in Fig. 7.

[0093] Executable instructions for performing these functions are, optionally, included in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or other computer program product configured for execution by one or more processors.

[0094] Fig. 10 is a schematic illustration of a wireless device (WD) 121 in accordance with some embodiments. The wireless device 121 comprises processing circuitry 11 (may also be referred to as control circuitry 11) and a memory 12. Alternatively, the processing circuitry 11 may be distributed over several circuitry devices. The processing circuitry 11 may comprise one or more processors, such as a central processing unit (CPU), microcontroller, or microprocessor. The one or more processors may be configured to execute program code stored in the memory 12, in order to carry out various functions and operations of the wireless device 121 in addition to the methods S100, S100' disclosed herein. The processor(s) 11 may be or include any number of hardware components for conducting data or signal processing or for executing computer code stored in the memory 12. The memory 12 optionally includes high-speed random-access memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM, or other random access solid-state memory devices; and optionally includes non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state storage devices. The memory 12 may include database components, object code components, script components, or any other type of information structure for supporting the various activities of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the processing circuitry 11 may include baseband processing circuitry and application processing circuitry.

[0095] As used herein, wireless device (WD) 121 refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other wireless devices. Unless otherwise noted, the term WD 121 may be used interchangeably herein with user equipment (UE). Communicating wirelessly may involve transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information through air. In some embodiments, a WD 121 may be configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a WD 121 may be designed to transmit information to a network on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the network. The WD 121 supports device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, vehicle-to- vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) and may in this case be referred to as a D2D communication device.

[0096] As illustrated in Fig. 10, the wireless device 121 comprises antenna 52, interface 50, processing circuitry 11, memory 12, user interface equipment 13, an image capturing device 40, power source 30, and power circuitry 31. The wireless device 121 may include multiple sets of one or more of the illustrated components for different wireless technologies supported by wireless device 121, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, or Bluetooth wireless technologies, just to mention a few. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or set of chips as other components within wireless device 121.

[0097] The antenna 52 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals, and is connected to interface 50. In certain alternative embodiments, antenna 52 may be separate from wireless device 121 and be connectable to wireless device 121 through an interface or port. Antenna 52, interface 50, and / or processing circuitry 11 may be configured to perform any receiving or transmitting operations described herein as being performed by a wireless device 121. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a network node and / or another WD.

[0098] The interface 50 comprises RF front-end circuitry 51 and the antenna 52. The RF front-end circuitry 51 comprises one or more filters 53, one or more amplifiers 54 (e.g. VGAs and LGAs), one or more mixers 55, one or more ADCs 56, one or more PLLs 57, and one or more DACs 58. The RF front-end circuitry 51 is connected to the antenna 52 and processing circuitry 11, and is configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 52 and processing circuitry 11. The RF front-end circuitry 51 may be coupled to or a part of the antenna 52. In some embodiments, the wireless device may not include separate RF front-end circuitry 51, rather, the processing circuitry 11 may comprise RF front-end circuitry and may be connected to antenna 52.

[0099] Similarly, in some embodiments, some or all of RF transceiver circuitry may be considered a part of the RF front-end circuitry 51. Moreover, the RF front-end circuitry 51 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or wireless devices via a wireless connection. The RF front-end circuitry 51 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of components of the RF front-end circuitry 51. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 52. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 52 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the RF front-end circuitry 51. The digital data may be passed to processing circuitry 11. In other embodiments, the interface 50 may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0100] The user interface equipment 13 may provide components that allow for a human user to interact with the wireless device 121. Such interaction may be of many forms, such as visual, audial, tactile, etc. User interface equipment 13 may be operable to produce output to the user and to allow the user to provide input to wireless device 13. The type of interaction may vary depending on the type of user interface equipment 13 installed in wireless device 121.

[0101] The WD 121 further comprises an image capturing device (e.g., a camera) 40 configured to capture images of a scene towards which the camera is oriented. However, even though the image capturing device 40 is illustrated as an integrated part of the wireless device 121, the image capturing device 40 may be a separate component provided on a separate device in communication with the wireless device 121. For example, the image capturing device 40 may be provided on an XR device that is connected to the wireless device 121. Here, the XR device (e.g., XR headset) is assumed to be unable to communicate with a network node (e.g., using cellular communication technologies), but instead in communicative connection with the wireless device 121 (e.g., via Bluetooth) that in turn is configured to communicate with the network node. Image data may accordingly be relayed between the XR device and the network node via the wireless device 121. However, in some embodiments the wireless device is an XR device capable of communicating with a network node.

[0102] The wireless device 121 may comprise further auxiliary equipment that is operable to provide more specific functionality, which may not be generally performed by wireless devices 121 ,122. This may comprise specialized sensors for doing measurements for various purposes, interfaces for additional types of communication such as wired communications etc. The inclusion and type of components of auxiliary equipment may vary depending on the embodiment and / or scenario.

[0103] The power source 30 may, in some embodiments, be in the form of a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic devices or power cells, may also be used. Wireless device 121 may further comprise power circuitry 31 for delivering power from power source 30 to the various parts of the wireless device 121 which need power from power source 30 to carry out any functionality described or indicated herein. Power circuitry 31 may in certain embodiments comprise power management circuitry. Power circuitry 31 may additionally or alternatively be operable to receive power from an external power source, in which case the wireless device 121 may be connectable to the external power source (such as an electricity outlet) via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. The power circuitry 31 may also in certain embodiments be operable to deliver power from an external power source to the power source 30. This may be, for example, for the charging of the power source 30. The power circuitry 31 may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 30 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the wireless device 121 to which power is supplied.

[0104] Accordingly, Fig. 10 schematically illustrates a wireless device 121 comprising an image capturing device 40 oriented towards a scene, one or more processors, and one or more memory storage areas comprising program code, the one or more memory storage areas and the program code being configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the wireless device to at least perform the method S100, S100' according to any one of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0105] In more detail, the one or more memory storage areas 12 and the program code being configured to, with the one or more processors 11, cause the wireless device 121 to at least in response to obtaining an indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in data to be transmitted to a network node from the wireless device 121 and one or more other wireless devices located in the same area as the wireless device, receive a respective differential dataset from each wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices, each received differential dataset including data being specific for each individual wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices, and transmit the common dataset and the differential datasets to the network node. Here, each of the other wireless devices comprises an image capturing device oriented towards the scene. Moreover, the common dataset includes data from the image capturing device 40 of the wireless device 121 that is common for the wireless device 121 and the one or more other wireless devices and the differential datasets include data from the image capturing device 40 of the wireless device 121 and the one or more other wireless devices that is specific for each individual wireless device.

[0106] Fig. 11 is a schematic illustration of a network node 110 according to some embodiments. In particular, the network node 110 is configured to perform the techniques described in the foregoing with reference to Fig. 9. The network node 110 comprises control circuitry 402. The control circuitry 402 may physically comprise one single circuitry device. Alternatively, the control circuitry 402 may be distributed over several circuitry devices.

[0107] As shown in the example of Fig. 11, the network node 110 may further comprise a transceiver 406 and a memory 408. The control circuitry 402 is communicatively connected to the transceiver 406 and the memory 408. The control circuitry 402 may comprise a data bus. The control circuitry 402 may communicate with the transceiver 406 and / or the memory 408 via the data bus. The control circuitry 402 may be configured to carry out overall control of functions and operations of the network node 110. The control circuitry 402 may be any suitable type of computation unit. The control circuitry 402 may comprise a processor 404, such as a central processing unit (CPU), microcontroller, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), field programmable gate array (FPGA), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or any other form of circuit. The processor 404 may be configured to execute program code stored in the memory 408, in order to carry out functions and operations of the network node 110. The control circuitry 402 is configured to perform the steps of the method S200 as described above in connection with Fig. 9. The steps may be implemented in one or more functions stored in the memory 408.

[0108] The transceiver 406 may be configured to enable the network node 110 to communicate with other devices, such as wireless devices, other radio nodes (e.g., base stations or relay nodes), etc. The transceiver 406 may thus both transmit and receive data. Even though illustrated as a single unit, the transceiver 406 may be distributed over several transceiver units of the network node 110. The transceiver 406 may be configured to communicate over one or more communication protocol known in the art. Examples include, but are not limited to, long range radio communication technologies (e.g. cellular radio technologies such as GSM, GPRS, EDGE, LTE, LTE-Advanced, 5G, 5G NR, 6G and so on), as well as short to mid-range technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Wireless Local Area (LAN), e.g. IEEE 802.11 etc.

[0109] Even though not explicitly illustrated in Fig. 11, the network node 110 may further comprise means for receiving user input, such as one or more of a keyboard, a mouse, and a touchscreen etc. The network node 110 may further comprise means for displaying information to a user, such as a display. The memory 408 may be configured to store received or transmitted data and / or executable program instructions. The memory 408 may also be configured to store any form of beamforming information, reference signals, and / or feedback data or information. The memory 408 may be any suitable type of computer readable memory and may be of volatile and / or non-volatile type. The memory 408 may for instance be one or more of a buffer, a flash memory, a hard drive, a removable media, a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, a random access memory (RAM), or another suitable device. The memory 408 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In a typical arrangement, the memory 408 may include a non-volatile memory for long term data storage and a volatile memory that functions as system memory for the network node 110. The memory 408 may exchange data with the circuitry 402 over the data bus. Accompanying control lines and an address bus between the memory 408 and the circuitry 402 also may be present.

[0110] Functions and operations of the network node 110 may be implemented in the form of executable logic routines (e.g., lines of code, software programs, etc.) that are stored on a non-transitory computer readable recording medium (e.g., the memory 408) of the network node 110 and are executed by the circuitry 402 (e.g. using the processor 404). Put differently, when it is stated that the circuitry 402 is configured to execute a specific function or operation, the processor 404 of the circuitry 402 may be configured execute program code portions stored on the memory 408, wherein the stored program code portions correspond to the specific function or operation. Furthermore, the functions and operations of the circuitry 402 may be a stand-alone software application or form a part of a software application that carries out additional tasks related to the circuitry 402. The described functions and operations may be considered a method that the corresponding device is configured to carry out, such as the method 200 discussed above in connection with Fig. 9. Also, while the described functions and operations may be implemented in software, such functionality may as well be carried out via dedicated hardware or firmware, or some combination of one or more of hardware, firmware, and software.

[0111] In the following, the function and operations of the network node 110 in accordance with some embodiments is described. The network node 110 accordingly comprises one or more processors 404, and one or more memory storage areas 408 comprising program code, the one or more memory storage 408 areas and the program code being configured to, with the one or more processors 404, cause the network node 110 to at least in response to obtaining an indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in image data to be transmitted, to a group of wireless devices located in the same area, from the network node 110, transmit each differential dataset to each respective wireless device of the group of wireless devices, and transmit the common dataset only to a subset of wireless devices of the group of wireless devices so that the subset of wireless devices relays the common dataset to the other wireless devices of the group of wireless devices. Here, each wireless device of the group of wireless devices comprises an image capturing device oriented towards a scene, and the common dataset includes image data that is common for the group of wireless devices and the differential datasets include image data that is specific for each individual wireless device of the group of wireless devices.

[0112] Generally, all terms used herein are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the relevant technical field, unless a different meaning is clearly given and / or is implied from the context in which it is used.

[0113] Reference has been made herein to various embodiments. However, a person skilled in the art would recognize numerous variations to the described embodiments that would still fall within the scope of the claims.

[0114] For example, the method embodiments described herein discloses example methods through steps being performed in a certain order. However, it is recognized that these sequences of events may take place in another order without departing from the scope of the claims. Furthermore, some method steps may be performed in parallel even though they have been described as being performed in sequence. Thus, the steps of any methods disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless a step is explicitly described as following or preceding another step and / or where it is implicit that a step must follow or precede another step.

[0115] In the same manner, it should be noted that in the description of embodiments, the partition of functional blocks into particular units is by no means intended as limiting. Contrarily, these partitions are merely examples. Functional blocks described herein as one unit may be split into two or more units. Furthermore, functional blocks described herein as being implemented as two or more units may be merged into fewer (e.g. a single) unit.

[0116] Any feature of any of the embodiments disclosed herein may be applied to any other embodiment, wherever suitable. Likewise, any advantage of any of the embodiments may apply to any other embodiments, and vice versa.

[0117] Hence, it should be understood that the details of the described embodiments are merely examples brought forward for illustrative purposes, and that all variations that fall within the scope of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method (S100) for a wireless device in a wireless communication network, the wireless device comprising an image capturing device oriented towards a scene, the method comprising: in response to obtaining an indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in data to be transmitted to a network node from the wireless device and one or more other wireless devices located in the same area as the wireless device, wherein each of the one or more other wireless devices comprises an image capturing device oriented towards the scene: receiving (S103) a respective differential dataset from each wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices, each received differential dataset including data being specific for each individual wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices, and transmitting (S104) the common dataset and the differential datasets to the network node; wherein the common dataset includes data from the image capturing device of the wireless device that is common for the wireless device and the one or more other wireless devices and the differential datasets include data from the image capturing devices of the wireless device and the one or more other wireless devices that is specific for each individual wireless device.

2. The method (S100) according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving (S101) pose information of the one or more other wireless devices, the pose information including a position of the one or more other wireless devices and an orientation of the image capturing device of each wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices.

3. The method (S100) according to claim 2, wherein the obtaining an indication of the presence of a common dataset and differential datasets comprises obtaining the indication of the presence of the common dataset and differential datasets based on the received pose information.

4. The method (S100) according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining an indication of the presence of a common dataset and differential datasets comprises receiving (S102) a signal from the network node, the signal being indicative the presence of the common dataset and differential datasets.

5. The method (S100) according to any one of claims 1-4, further comprising: in response to obtaining the indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in data to be transmitted to the network node from the wireless device and the one or more other wireless devices:receiving (S105) codec information of each wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices.

6. The method (S100) according to claim 5, further comprising: transmitting (S106) a signal to at least a subset of the one or more other wireless devices based on the received codec information, the transmitted signal comprising an instruction to re-configure the applied codec; and / or re-configuring (S108) the applied codec of the wireless device based on the received codec information.

7. The method (S100) according to claim 5 or 6, further comprising: transmitting (S107) a signal to each wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices based on the received codec information, the transmitted signal comprising instructions to synchronize a frame rate of each image capturing device of the one or more other wireless devices; and synchronizing a frame rate of the image capturing device of the wireless device based on the received codec information.

8. The method (S100) according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the obtaining an indication of the presence of a common dataset and differential datasets to be transmitted to the network node from the wireless device and the one or more other wireless devices comprises obtaining an indication of an overlap satisfying a threshold in the data content in the datasets to be transmitted to the network node from the wireless device and the one or more other wireless devices.

9. The method (S100) according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein the respective differential datasets are received via one or more 3GPP sidelink channels, via Bluetooth, or via Wi-Fi10. A computer program product, comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor of a wireless device, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method (S100) according to any one of the claims 1-9.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor of a wireless device, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method (S100) according to any one of the claims 1-9.

12. A wireless device (121) comprising an image capturing device (40) oriented towards a scene (150), one or more processors (11), and one or more memory storage areas (12) comprising program code, the one or more memory storage areas and the program code being configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the wireless device (121) to at least: in response to obtaining an indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in data to be transmitted to a network node (110) from the wireless device (121) and one or more other wireless devices (122) located in the same area as the wireless device, wherein each of the other wireless devices comprises an image capturing device oriented towards the scene (150): receive a respective differential dataset from each wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices (122), each received differential dataset including data being specific for each individual wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices (122), and transmit the common dataset and the differential datasets to the network node (110); wherein the common dataset includes data from the image capturing device of the wireless device (121) that is common for the wireless device and the one or more other wireless devices (122) and the differential datasets include data from the image capturing device of the wireless device (121) and the one or more other wireless devices (122) that is specific for each individual wireless device.

13. A method (S200) for a network node in a wireless communication network, wherein the network node is configured to transmit and receive data to and from each wireless device in a group of wireless devices located in the same area, each wireless device of the group of wireless devices comprising an image capturing devices oriented towards a scene, the method (S200) comprising: in response to obtaining an indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in image data to be transmitted to the group of wireless devices from the network node: transmitting (S204) each differential dataset to each respective wireless device of the group of wireless devices; transmitting (S205) the common dataset to a subset of wireless devices of the group of wireless devices so that the subset of wireless devices relays the common dataset to the other wireless devices of the group of wireless devices; wherein the common dataset includes image data that is common for the group of wireless devices and the differential datasets includes image data that is specific for each individual wireless device of the group of wireless devices.

14. The method (S200) according to claim 13, further comprising: in response to obtaining the indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in image data to be transmitted to the group of wireless devices from the network node:transmitting (S209) a signal to the subset of wireless devices, the transmitted signal being indicative of a configuration for the subset of wireless devices to relay the common dataset to the other wireless devices of the group of wireless devices.

15. The method (S200) according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the obtaining an indication of the presence of a common dataset and differential datasets comprises detecting an overlap in a data content within image data received from the group of wireless devices.

16. The method (S200) according to claim 13 or 14, further comprising: receiving (S201) pose information of each wireless devices of the group of wireless devices, the pose information including a position of each wireless device and an orientation of the image capturing devices of each wireless device of the group of wireless devices; and wherein the obtaining an indication of the presence of a common dataset and differential datasets comprises obtaining the indication of the presence of the common dataset and differential datasets based on the received pose information.

17. The method (S200) according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the obtaining an indication of the presence of a common dataset and differential datasets comprises receiving (S203) one or more signals from the subset of wireless devices, the one or more received signals being indicative the presence of the common dataset and differential datasets.

18. A computer program product, comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor of a wireless device, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method (S200) according to any one of the claims 13-17.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor of a wireless device, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method (S200) according to any one of the claims 13-17.

20. A network node (110) comprising one or more processors (404), and one or more memory storage areas (408) comprising program code, the one or more memory storage areas and the program code being configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the network node (110) to at least: in response to obtaining an indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in image data to be transmitted to a group of wireless devices (121, 122) located in the samearea from the network node (110), each wireless device of the group of wireless devices comprising an image capturing device oriented towards a scene: transmit each differential dataset to each respective wireless device of the group of wireless devices; transmit the common dataset only to a subset of wireless devices (121) of the group of wireless devices so that the subset of wireless devices relays the common dataset to the other wireless devices (122) of the group of wireless devices; wherein the common dataset includes image data that is common for the group of wireless devices and the differential datasets include image data that is specific for each individual wireless device of the group of wireless devices.

21. A method (S100') for a wireless device in a wireless communication network, the wireless device comprising an image capturing device oriented towards a scene, the method (S100') comprising: in response to obtaining an indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in data to be transmitted to a network node from the wireless device and one or more other wireless devices located in the same area as the wireless device, wherein each of the one or more other wireless devices comprises an image capturing device oriented towards the scene: transmitting (S109) a signal to each wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices, the transmitted signal comprising an instruction to omit transmission of the common dataset to the network node; transmitting (S110) the common dataset and the differential dataset of the wireless device to the network node; wherein the common dataset includes data from the image capturing device of the wireless device that is common for the wireless device and the one or more other wireless devices and the differential datasets includes data from the image capturing devices of the wireless device and the one or more other wireless devices that is specific for each individual wireless device.

22. A wireless device (121) comprising an image capturing device (40) oriented towards a scene (150), one or more processors (11), and one or more memory storage areas (12) comprising program code, the one or more memory storage areas and the program code being configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the wireless device (121) to at least: in response to obtaining an indication of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in data to be transmitted to a network node from the wireless device (121) and one or moreother wireless devices (122) located in the same area as the wireless device, wherein each of the one or more other wireless devices comprises an image capturing device oriented towards the scene (150): transmit a signal to each wireless device of the one or more other wireless devices (122), the transmitted signal comprising an instruction to omit transmission of the common dataset to the network node; transmit the common dataset and the differential dataset of the wireless device (121) to the network node (110); wherein the common dataset includes data from the image capturing device of the wireless device that is common for the wireless device and the one or more other wireless devices and the differential datasets includes data from the image capturing devices of the wireless device and the one or more other wireless devices that is specific for each individual wireless device.

23. A method (S100') for a wireless device in a wireless communication network, the wireless device comprising an image capturing device oriented towards a scene, the method (S100') comprising: transmitting (Sill) pose information to a network node, the pose information including a position of the wireless device and an orientation of the image capturing device of the wireless device; in response to receiving a signal from the network node, the received signal being indicative of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in data to be transmitted from a group of wireless devices to the network node: transmitting (S110) the common dataset of the group of wireless devices and the differential dataset of the wireless device to the network node while other wireless devices in the group of wireless devices omit transmission of the common dataset to the network node; wherein the group of wireless devices is formed by the wireless device and one or more other wireless devices located in the same area, each wireless device of the other wireless devices comprising an image capturing device oriented towards the scene; and wherein the common dataset includes data from the image capturing device of the wireless device that is common for the group of wireless devices and the differential datasets includes data from the image capturing devices of each wireless device of the group of wireless devices that is specific for each individual wireless device.

24. A wireless device (121) comprising an image capturing device (40) oriented towards a scene (150), one or more processors (11), and one or more memory storage areas (12) comprising program code, the one or more memory storage areas and the program code being configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the wireless device (121) to at least:transmit pose information to a network node (110), the pose information including a position of the wireless device (121) and an orientation of the image capturing device of the wireless device; in response to receiving a signal from the network node (110), the received signal being indicative of a presence of a common dataset and differential datasets in data to be transmitted from a group of wireless devices to the network node: transmit the common dataset of the group of wireless devices and the differential dataset of the wireless device to the network node while other wireless devices (122) in the group of wireless devices omit transmission of the common dataset to the network node; wherein the group of wireless devices is formed by the wireless device (121) and one or more other wireless devices (122) located in the same area, each wireless device of the other wireless devices comprising an image capturing device oriented towards the scene (150); and wherein the common dataset includes data from the image capturing device of the wireless device that is common for the group of wireless devices and the differential datasets includes data from the image capturing devices of each wireless device of the group of wireless devices that is specific for each individual wireless device.

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