Sensing method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications. Provided are a sensing method and apparatus. In the method, a sensing apparatus may receive a first echo signal corresponding to a first sensing signal, receive visual region indication information used for indicating a region covered by the first sensing signal, and perform sensing on the basis of the first echo signal and the visual region indication information, such as imaging a target or determining the position of the target. Since a sensing apparatus takes, during a sensing process, into account a region covered by a first sensing signal, the sensing apparatus can limit the range of influence of first sensing data obtained on the basis of a first echo signal, thus avoiding the influence of the first sensing data on a sensing result of a region that is not covered by the first sensing signal and the first echo signal, and thereby obtaining a more accurate sensing result.

Description

Sensing method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on January 25, 2024, with application number 202410110909.6 and invention name “Perception Method and Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a sensing method and device. Background Art

[0003] With the development of communication technology, more and more communication scenarios have emerged, such as human-connected scenarios, Internet of Things scenarios, or vehicle-connected scenarios. In order to enhance the business capabilities in these scenarios, the concept of integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) has been proposed. ISAC means that the radio access network (RAN) nodes and / or terminals (hereinafter referred to as sensing devices) have sensing capabilities in addition to communication capabilities. Therefore, the sensing device can perceive the target through the sensing signal. However, the accuracy of the perception results obtained by sensing the target according to the current method is not high.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a sensing method and device that can improve the accuracy of sensing results.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, a perception method is provided, which can be performed by a network node. The network node herein can refer to the network node itself, or to a processor, module, logical node, chip, or chip system within the network node that implements the method. Exemplarily, the network node is a perception device, server, or core network element. For example, the perception device is a RAN node or terminal.

[0008] The method includes: obtaining first perception data, receiving visible area indication information, and performing perception based on the first perception data and the visible area indication information. The first perception data is obtained based on a first echo signal corresponding to the first perception signal. For example, the network node can obtain the first perception data directly based on the received first echo signal, or receive the first perception data from a perception device that receives the first echo signal. The visible area indication information is used to indicate the first visible area or the second visible area, the first visible area being the area covered by the first perception signal (also referred to as the visible area of ​​the first perception signal), and the second visible area being the area covered by the first echo signal (also referred to as the visible area of ​​the first echo signal).

[0009] Based on the method provided in the first aspect above, the network node can perform perception in combination with the area covered by the first echo signal. For example, the influence range of the first perception data can be limited to the area covered by the first echo signal, thereby avoiding the influence of the first perception data on the perception results of the area not covered by the first echo signal, so as to improve the accuracy of the perception results.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the area covered by the first perception signal is an area that the first perception signal can reach; or, the area covered by the first perception signal is an area covered by an antenna that sends the first perception signal; or, the area covered by the first perception signal is an area covered by a perception device that sends the perception signal.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the area covered by the first echo signal can be determined based on the area covered by the first perception signal and the area covered by the beam receiving the first echo signal. For example, the area covered by the first echo signal is the intersection or union of the area covered by the first perception signal and the area covered by the beam receiving the first echo signal. Alternatively, the area covered by the first echo signal can be determined based on the area covered by the first perception signal and the area covered by the antenna receiving the first echo signal. For example, the area covered by the first echo signal is the intersection or union of the area covered by the first perception signal and the area covered by the antenna receiving the first echo signal. Alternatively, it can be determined based on the area covered by the first perception signal and the area covered by the sensing device receiving the first echo signal. For example, the area covered by the first echo signal is the intersection or union of the area covered by the first perception signal and the area covered by the sensing device receiving the first echo signal.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the visible area indication information is used to indicate a first visible area, and the visible area indication information includes at least one of the following: position information of the first visible area, environmental information, beam width information of a transmitting beam of a first perception signal, orientation information of a transmitting beam, or position information of an array element that transmits the first perception signal; or, the visible area indication information is used to indicate a second visible area, and the visible area indication information includes at least one of the following: position information of the second visible area, environmental information, beam width information of a transmitting beam of a first perception signal, orientation information of a transmitting beam, position information of an array element that transmits the first perception signal, beam width information of a receiving beam of a first echo signal, orientation information of a receiving beam, or position information of an array element that receives the first echo signal.

[0013] Based on the above possible implementations, if the visible area indication information indicates a first visible area, the network node may determine the first visible area based on one or more of the following: location information of the first visible area, environmental information, beam width information of the transmit beam of the first perception signal, transmit beam orientation information, or location information of the array element transmitting the first perception signal. If the visible area indication information indicates a second visible area, the network node may determine the second visible area based on one or more of the following: location information of the second visible area, environmental information, beam width information of the transmit beam of the first perception signal, transmit beam orientation information, location information of the array element transmitting the first perception signal, beam width information of the receive beam of the first echo signal, receive beam orientation information, or location information of the array element receiving the first echo signal.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending first indication information, the first indication information indicating an area covered by a first sensing device, the first sensing device being a sensing device that receives the first echo signal. Optionally, the first sensing device is a network node.

[0015] Based on the above possible implementation methods, the network node can indicate the area covered by the first sensing device to other sensing devices other than the first sensing device, so that the other sensing devices can determine whether they can perceive the target together with the first sensing device. For example, if the area covered by the other sensing devices overlaps with the area covered by the first sensing device, the other sensing devices can determine to perceive the target together with the first sensing device; if the area covered by the other sensing devices does not overlap with the area covered by the first sensing device, the other sensing devices can determine not to perceive the target together with the first sensing device. In addition, the other sensing devices can also adjust the direction of sending the first sensing signal according to the first indication information to optimize the area covered by the first echo signal, for example, to make the area covered by the first echo signal larger or maximized.

[0016] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending indication information of the target area, where the indication information of the target area is used to determine the visible area indication information.

[0017] Based on the possible implementations described above, the network node can indicate a target area so that a device receiving the indication information can determine whether it can participate in sensing. For example, if the area covered by the device includes the target area, the device determines that it can participate in sensing; if the area covered by the device does not include the target area, the device determines that it will not participate in sensing. Furthermore, the device can also adjust the direction in which it transmits the first sensing signal based on the indication information to optimize the area covered by the first echo signal, for example, ensuring that the area covered by the first echo signal includes the target area.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the first visible area includes a target area.

[0019] Based on the above possible implementation methods, perception of the target area can be achieved.

[0020] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving second indication information for indicating an area covered by the second perception device, and determining whether the second perception device can participate in perception based on the second indication information.

[0021] Based on the possible implementations described above, the network node can determine whether the second sensing device can participate in perception based on the area covered by the second sensing device. Taking the second sensing device as the sensing device that sends the first sensing signal as an example, the network node can determine whether the area covered by the second sensing device overlaps with the area covered by the first sensing device. If so, the network node determines that the second sensing device participates in perception; if not, the network node determines that the second sensing device does not participate in perception. Alternatively, the network node determines whether the area covered by the second sensing device includes the target area. If so, the network node determines that the second sensing device participates in perception; if not, the network node determines that the second sensing device does not participate in perception.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: sending third indication information, the third indication information instructing the second sensing device to participate in the perception, or instructing the second sensing device not to participate in the perception. It is understandable that the third indication information is ultimately sent to the second sensing device.

[0023] Based on the above possible implementation manner, the network node may indicate the result of its determination of whether the second perception device can participate in perception to the second perception device, so that the second perception device can determine whether it can participate in perception.

[0024] In one possible implementation, if the visible area indication information is used to indicate the first visible area, the above-mentioned perception based on the first perception data and the visible area indication information includes: determining the second visible area based on the visible area indication information; and perceiving based on the first perception data and the second visible area.

[0025] Based on the possible implementations described above, if the network node obtains a first visible area through the visible area indication information, the network node can determine a second visible area based on the visible area indication information. For example, the network node determines a third visible area. The third visible area is the area covered by the beam receiving the first echo signal or the area covered by the first sensing device. The network node further determines the first visible area based on the visible area indication information and determines the second visible area based on the first and third visible areas. Subsequently, the network node can perform sensing in conjunction with the second visible area to improve the accuracy of the sensing results.

[0026] In a second aspect, a sensing method is provided, which can be performed by a sensing device. The sensing device herein can refer to the sensing device itself, or to a processor, module, logical node, chip, or chip system within the sensing device that implements the method. Exemplarily, the sensing device is a RAN node, terminal, or the like.

[0027] The method includes: sending a first perception signal and visible area indication information, wherein the visible area indication information is used to indicate a first visible area, and the first visible area is an area covered by the first perception signal.

[0028] Based on the method provided in the second aspect above, the sensing device, in addition to transmitting the first sensing signal, also transmits visible area indication information to indicate the area covered by the first sensing signal. This allows a device, such as a network node, that receives the visible area indication information to perform sensing based on the visible area indication information, thereby improving the accuracy of sensing results.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the area covered by the first perception signal is the area that the first perception signal can reach; or, the area covered by the first perception signal is the area covered by the antenna that sends the first perception signal; or, the area covered by the first perception signal is the area covered by the above-mentioned perception device.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the visible area indication information includes at least one of the following: position information of the first visible area, environmental information, beam width information of a transmission beam of the first perception signal, orientation information of the transmission beam, or position information of an array element that sends the first perception signal.

[0031] Based on the above possible implementation methods, the perception device can indicate the first visible area through the position information of the first visible area, environmental information, beam width information of the transmission beam of the first perception signal, direction information of the transmission beam, or position information of the array element sending the first perception signal.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving first indication information, where the first indication information indicates an area covered by the first perception device; and the sending of the first perception signal includes: sending the first perception signal according to the first indication information.

[0033] Based on the above possible implementation methods, the sensing device can send the first sensing signal according to the area covered by the first sensing device, so that the first sensing signal can reach the area covered by the first sensing device, so that the first sensing device receives the first sensing signal.

[0034] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving indication information of the target area; and determining visible area indication information according to the indication information of the target area.

[0035] Based on the above possible implementation methods, the perception device can determine the target area according to the above indication information, optimize the area covered by the first perception signal according to the target area, for example, so that the area covered by the first perception signal includes the target area, and determine the visible area indication information based on the area covered by the optimized first perception signal.

[0036] In a possible implementation, the first visible area includes a target area.

[0037] Based on the above possible implementation methods, perception of the target area can be achieved.

[0038] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending second indication information, where the second indication information indicates an area covered by the sensing device.

[0039] Based on the above possible implementation manner, a device that receives the second indication information, such as a network node, can determine whether the sensing device can participate in sensing according to the area covered by the sensing device.

[0040] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving third indication information, where the third indication information instructs the perception device to participate in perception.

[0041] Based on the above possible implementations, the sensing device can determine that it can participate in the sensing. Therefore, the sensing device can send the first sensing signal at a later time.

[0042] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the above-mentioned method. The communication device may be the network node described in the first aspect; alternatively, the communication device may be the sensing device described in the second aspect. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the above-mentioned method. The modules, units, or means may be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above-mentioned functions.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the communication device may include an interface module and a processing module. The interface module, also referred to as an interface unit, is configured to implement the sending and / or receiving functions described in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The interface module may be comprised of an interface circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface. The processing module may be configured to implement the processing functions described in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The processing module may be, for example, a processor.

[0044] In a possible implementation, the interface module includes a sending module and a receiving module, which are respectively used to implement the sending and receiving functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof.

[0045] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor; the processor is coupled to a memory, and after reading instructions from the memory, executes the method according to any of the above aspects in accordance with the instructions. The communication device may be the network node described in the first aspect; or the communication device may be the sensing device described in the second aspect.

[0046] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory for storing program instructions and data. Optionally, the memory is integrated with the processor; or the memory is independent of the processor.

[0047] In one possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. Optionally, when the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0048] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and an interface circuit; the interface circuit being configured to receive a computer program or instruction and transmit it to the processor; and the processor being configured to execute the computer program or instruction, thereby causing the communication device to perform the method described in any of the above aspects. The communication device may be the network node described in the first aspect; alternatively, the communication device may be the sensing device described in the second aspect.

[0049] In one possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. Optionally, when the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0050] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium. When the computer-readable storage medium is run on a computer, the computer can execute the method described in any one of the above aspects.

[0051] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in any one of the above aspects.

[0052] In an eighth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes a network node for executing the method described in the first aspect, and a perception device for executing the method described in the second aspect.

[0053] Among them, the technical effects brought about by any possible implementation method in the third to eighth aspects can be referred to the technical effects brought about by any aspect in the first to second aspects or different possible implementation methods in any aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0054] It is understandable that, provided that the solutions are not contradictory, the solutions in each aspect can be combined. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055] FIG1A is a schematic diagram of a sensing mode provided in this application;

[0056] FIG1B is a second schematic diagram of the perception mode provided by this application;

[0057] FIG1C is a third schematic diagram of the sensing mode provided in this application;

[0058] FIG1D is a fourth schematic diagram of the sensing mode provided in this application;

[0059] FIG1E is a fifth schematic diagram of the sensing mode provided in this application;

[0060] FIG1F is a sixth schematic diagram of the sensing mode provided in this application;

[0061] FIG2A is a schematic diagram of the beam coverage range of the antenna array element of the sensing device provided by the present application;

[0062] FIG2B is a schematic diagram of a synthetic aperture provided by this application;

[0063] FIG2C is a schematic diagram of a mixed pore size provided by the present application;

[0064] FIG3A is a schematic diagram of a process of a target imaging method provided in this application;

[0065] FIG3B is a schematic diagram of an imaging scene provided in this application;

[0066] FIG3C is a schematic diagram of the imaging results provided in this application;

[0067] FIG3D is a second schematic diagram of the imaging results provided in this application;

[0068] FIG4A is a schematic diagram of a positioning target provided by this application;

[0069] FIG4B is a second schematic diagram of a positioning target provided by this application;

[0070] FIG5A is a first schematic diagram of a visual area for sensing signals provided in the present application;

[0071] FIG5B is a second schematic diagram of the visible area of ​​the sensing signal provided by the present application;

[0072] FIG5C is a third schematic diagram of the visible area of ​​the sensing signal provided by the present application;

[0073] FIG5D is a fourth schematic diagram of the visible area of ​​the sensing signal provided by the present application;

[0074] FIG5E is a fifth schematic diagram of the visible area of ​​the sensing signal provided by the present application;

[0075] FIG5F is a first schematic diagram of the visible area of ​​the echo signal provided by the present application;

[0076] FIG5G is a second schematic diagram of the visible area of ​​the echo signal provided by the present application;

[0077] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the communication system architecture provided by this application;

[0078] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the communication device provided in this application;

[0079] FIG8 is a flowchart of the sensing method provided in this application;

[0080] FIG9 is a second flow chart of the sensing method provided in this application;

[0081] FIG10 is a third flow chart of the sensing method provided in this application;

[0082] FIG11 is a fourth flow chart of the sensing method provided in this application;

[0083] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0084] Before introducing the technical solution of this application, the relevant technical terms involved in this application are explained. It is understood that these explanations are intended to make this application easier to understand and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0085] 1. Perception

[0086] In this application, perception can be used to obtain characteristic information of a target (e.g., information related to characteristics such as the target's position or posture). Perception can be performed in conjunction with communication. For example, a perception device can transmit a perception signal, receive an echo signal (or reflection signal) reflected by the perception signal from the target, and obtain the aforementioned information based on the echo signal.

[0087] 2. Sensing device

[0088] In this application, a sensing device can be used to sense a target. The sensing device can be any device with sensing capabilities. Optionally, the sensing device can also have communication capabilities. Exemplarily, the sensing device is a RAN node or a terminal.

[0089] The RAN node in this application may also be referred to as a RAN device or network device. RAN nodes include, but are not limited to, an evolved NodeB (eNB) or e-NodeB in long term evolution (LTE), an evolved NodeB (ng-eNB) in next generation LTE, a gNodeB or gNB in ​​new radio (NR), a transmitting point (TP) or a transmission receiving point (TRP), a base station in subsequent 3GPP evolution, a next generation NodeB (gNB), a next generation base station in a sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, an access node in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a router, and the like. A base station may be a macro base station, a micro base station, a pico base station, a small cell, a relay station, or a balloon base station. Multiple base stations can support networks with the same technology mentioned above, or they can support networks with different technologies mentioned above. A base station can include one or more co-sited or non-co-sited TRPs. A RAN node can also be a device that acts as a base station in device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, drone communication, and machine communication. A RAN node can also be a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. A RAN node can also be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), a radio unit (RU), a roadside unit (RSU) with base station function, a wired access gateway, or a core network element. A RAN node can also be a server, a wearable device, a machine communication device, or an on-board device. For example, a RAN node in vehicle to everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0090] In this application, the CU and DU may be separately configured or may be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU may be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). It is understood that the CU may be classified as a network device in an access network, or as a network device in a core network, without limitation herein.

[0091] Exemplarily, in the present application, the DU can be used to send perception signals and / or receive echo signals. The DU can also be used to send or receive visible area indication information. The CU can be used to perform perception based on the first perception data and the visible area indication information, such as imaging a target or determining the location of a target. The RU can be used to send perception signals and / or receive echo signals. The RU can also be used to send or receive visible area indication information. It can be understood that the DU can also be used to perform perception based on the first perception data and the visible area indication information, without limitation.

[0092] It is understandable that in different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an open radio access network (ORAN) system, CU may also be referred to as O-CU (open CU), DU may also be referred to as O-DU, CU-CP may also be referred to as O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be referred to as O-CU-UP, and RU may also be referred to as O-RU. In addition, any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0093] The terminal in this application can be deployed on land, including indoors, outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water surface (such as ships, etc.); it can also be deployed in the air (such as airplanes, balloons and satellites, etc.). The terminal can also be called a terminal device, and the terminal device can be a user equipment (UE), a mobile station (MS), a mobile terminal (MT), a site, etc., or a device for providing voice or data connectivity to users. Among them, UE includes a handheld device with wireless communication function, a vehicle-mounted device (for example, a device set in a car, bicycle, electric car, airplane, ship, train, high-speed rail, etc.), a wearable device (such as a smart watch, a smart bracelet, a pedometer, etc.) or a computing device. Exemplarily, the UE can be a mobile phone, a mobile internet device (MID) or a computer with wireless transceiver function. A UE may also be a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless modem, a smart point of sale (POS) machine, customer-premises equipment (CPE), an intelligent robot, a robotic arm, workshop equipment, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in unmanned driving, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, an on-board terminal, a roadside unit (RSU) with terminal functions, or an aerial device (e.g., an intelligent robot, a hot air balloon, a drone, an airplane), etc. A terminal may also be other devices with terminal functions, for example, a terminal may also be a device that functions as a terminal in D2D communication.

[0094] The terminal of the present application can be an on-board module, on-board module, on-board component, on-board chip, or on-board unit that is built into a vehicle as one or more components or units. The vehicle can implement the method of the present application through the built-in on-board module, on-board module, on-board component, on-board chip, or on-board unit. Therefore, the present application can be applied to vehicle networking, such as vehicle to everything (V2X), long-term evolution vehicle (LTE-V), vehicle to vehicle (V2V), etc.

[0095] It is understandable that in some scenarios, the roles of RAN nodes and terminals are relative. For example, a helicopter or drone, which is usually configured as a terminal, can also be configured as a mobile base station, and the device that accesses the RAN node via the helicopter or drone is configured as a terminal.

[0096] 3. Target

[0097] In this application, the target is an object that can be sensed by a sensing device. The target may be mobile (for example, the target is a car, etc.) or non-mobile (for example, the target is a building, etc.). The target may have communication capabilities (for example, the target is a terminal) or non-communication capabilities (for example, the target is a passive object such as a car or a bicycle). Exemplarily, the targets include but are not limited to: animals, various buildings, various engineering vehicles, various means of transport, or the various terminals described above. Among them, engineering vehicles are, for example, excavators, cranes, or backhoes. Means of transport can be used to transport goods, etc., such as vehicles, trains, high-speed trains, airplanes, or drones.

[0098] 4. Scattering points

[0099] In this application, a scattering point refers to the point where a signal sent by a sensing device contacts a target. For example, when a signal sent by a sensing device reaches a target, it is reflected, scattered, or diffracted on the target surface, forming an echo signal of the signal. The point on the target surface where reflection, scattering, or diffraction occurs can be considered a scattering point. It should be understood that scattering points can also be named in other ways, such as reflection points or diffraction points. This application uses scattering points as an example for description.

[0100] It is understood that a target may correspond to at least one scattering point. When a target corresponds to multiple scattering points, the multiple scattering points may be contact points between different signals sent by the same sensing device and the target, or contact points between signals sent by different sensing devices and the target, without limitation.

[0101] 5. Perception Mode

[0102] In this application, a sensing mode refers to the mode in which a sensing device senses a target, including single-station sensing mode, dual-station sensing mode, or multi-station sensing mode. Single-station sensing mode, dual-station sensing mode, and multi-station sensing mode are distinguished based on the number of sensing devices and whether the devices transmitting and receiving signals are the same. This is explained in detail below.

[0103] Single-station sensing mode refers to a mode in which a single sensing device senses a target. That is, in single-station sensing mode, the sensing device that transmits and receives signals is the same. For example, in Figure 1A, the sensing device is a RAN node. The RAN node can transmit a sensing signal, receive an echo signal from the sensing signal, and sense the target based on the echo signal. For another example, in Figure 1B, the sensing device is a terminal. The terminal can transmit a sensing signal, receive an echo signal from the sensing signal, and sense the target based on the echo signal.

[0104] The dual-station sensing mode refers to a mode in which the target is sensed by two sensing devices. That is, in the dual-station sensing mode, the sensing devices that transmit and receive signals are different. For example, in Figure 1C, the sensing device that transmits the signal and the sensing device that receives the signal are both RAN nodes, but the two RAN nodes are different. Specifically, RAN node 1 can transmit a sensing signal, RAN node 2 can receive the echo signal of the sensing signal, and perceive the target based on the echo signal. For another example, in Figure 1D, the sensing device that transmits the signal and the sensing device that receives the signal are both terminals, but the two terminals are different. Specifically, terminal 1 can transmit a sensing signal, terminal 2 can receive the echo signal of the sensing signal, and perceive the target based on the echo signal. For another example, in Figure 1E, the sensing device that transmits the signal is a RAN node, and the sensing device that receives the signal is a terminal. Specifically, the RAN node can transmit a sensing signal (the sensing signal is a downlink signal), the terminal can receive the echo signal of the sensing signal, and perceive the target based on the echo signal. For another example, in Figure 1F, the sensing device that transmits the signal is a terminal, and the sensing device that receives the signal is a RAN node. Specifically, the terminal may send a perception signal (the perception signal is an uplink signal), the RAN node may receive an echo signal of the perception signal, and perceive the target according to the echo signal.

[0105] Multi-station sensing mode refers to a mode in which three or more sensing devices are used to sense a target. Some of these sensing devices are used to transmit sensing signals, while others are used to receive echo signals from the sensing signals and sense the target based on these echo signals. For example, in the case of three sensing devices, one sensing device transmits a sensing signal, while the other two sensing devices receive echo signals from the sensing signal and sense the target based on these echo signals. Alternatively, two sensing devices transmit sensing signals, while another sensing device receives echo signals from the sensing signals sent by the two sensing devices and senses the target based on these echo signals.

[0106] This application primarily uses single-station sensing mode and dual-station sensing mode sensing targets as examples to illustrate. The logic of multi-station sensing mode sensing targets is similar to that of dual-station sensing mode sensing targets, differing in the number of sensing devices that transmit signals and / or the number of sensing devices that receive signals. Therefore, the introduction to multi-station sensing mode sensing targets can refer to the description of dual-station sensing mode sensing targets in this application and will not be repeated here.

[0107] 6. Real aperture, synthetic aperture, and hybrid aperture imaging

[0108] In this application, the real aperture refers to the physical size of the sensing device's antenna. When using a sensing device for measurement, the larger the aperture of the sensing device's antenna, the higher the spatial resolution. However, the size of the real aperture is often limited by hardware or scene constraints, thus limiting the spatial resolution. In specific applications, spatial resolution can be improved through the use of synthetic apertures or hybrid apertures.

[0109] In the present application, a virtual large aperture array, i.e., a synthetic aperture, can be formed by moving the position of the antenna, or the position and direction of the antenna. The synthetic aperture is usually much larger than the real aperture, so extremely high spatial resolution can be obtained. For example, FIG2A shows the coverage range of a beam with a beam width (or beam angle) of α when the antenna array element of the sensing device transmits the beam. When the antenna array element shown in FIG2A moves upward at a speed v, a synthetic aperture as shown in FIG2B can be formed. In FIG2B, the beams emitted from the second antenna array element to the fourth antenna array element from top to bottom can cover the target, so for the target, these three antenna array elements can form a synthetic aperture corresponding to the target. Obviously, the size of the synthetic aperture is larger than the real aperture of a single antenna array element.

[0110] In this application, the real aperture and the synthetic aperture can form a hybrid aperture. For example, the real aperture device and the synthetic aperture device serve as the transmitter and receiver of the signal respectively, or the real aperture device and the synthetic aperture device serve as the receiver and transmitter of the signal respectively to form a hybrid aperture to obtain high resolution in multiple dimensions. For example, the RAN node serves as a real aperture device, and the vehicle serves as a synthetic aperture device. The RAN node is configured with antennas distributed in the vertical direction to provide angular resolution in the pitch direction. The vehicle forms a synthetic aperture through movement to provide angular resolution in the azimuth direction, and the large-bandwidth perception signal provides distance resolution in the distance direction. When the pitch angle provided by the RAN node is When the direction angle provided by the vehicle is θ, the hybrid aperture system composed of the RAN node and the vehicle can be shown in Figure 2C. In Figure 2C, the pitch angle The angle θ is the angle between the vertical direction and the direction in which the RAN node transmits or receives signals. The direction angle θ is the angle between the horizontal direction and the direction in which the vehicle receives or transmits signals. The distance direction is the direction from the RAN node to the target, from the target to the vehicle, or from the vehicle to the target, or from the target to the RAN node. In other words, the distance here refers to the sum of the distance from the RAN node to the target and the distance from the target to the vehicle.

[0111] It is understandable that for the single-station sensing mode, the sensing device can use a real aperture or a synthetic aperture to sense the target. For the dual-station sensing mode, the sensing signal can be sent through a real aperture or a synthetic aperture, and the echo signal can be received through a real aperture or a synthetic aperture. When the sensing signal and the echo signal are transmitted using different types of apertures, a hybrid aperture system can be formed. In other words, the real aperture can be combined with the single-station sensing mode or the dual-station sensing mode to sense the target. The synthetic aperture can be combined with the single-station sensing mode or the dual-station sensing mode to sense the target. The hybrid aperture can be combined with the dual-station sensing mode to sense the target. It is understandable that after the sensing device senses the target, it can obtain sensing data and process the sensing data to obtain a sensing result. However, the accuracy of the sensing result obtained by sensing the target according to the current method is not high. The following examples illustrate the sensing device imaging the target and the sensing device determining the target position.

[0112] 7. Target imaging method

[0113] In one possible implementation, the sensing device may use a back projection (BP) algorithm to image the target. Specifically, as shown in FIG3A , the method may include the following steps:

[0114] S301: The sensing device receives an echo signal through at least one receiving channel within a T0 time period.

[0115] In this application, a receiving channel can be understood as a channel through which an antenna array element receives an echo signal. Different receiving channels correspond to different antenna array element positions, and / or different directions of beams transmitted by the antenna array element, and / or different beam widths of beams transmitted by the antenna array element.

[0116] S302: The sensing device performs pulse compression on the echo signal received by each receiving channel in at least one receiving channel to obtain at least one range image.

[0117] In the present application, the range image is the result obtained by pulse compressing the echo signal received by the sensing device through a single receiving channel within a period of time (such as the T0 time period). Therefore, each receiving channel in the at least one receiving channel can correspond to a range image. The range image can be considered as a one-dimensional image, and can also be called a one-dimensional range image. The range image can be represented by a complex vector, which can represent the amplitude and phase of each scattering point detected in the above time period in the distance dimension. The above-mentioned scattering points can be scattering points on the same target or scattering points on different targets. It can be understood that the amplitude and phase of a scattering point can reflect the intensity of the scattering point, so the range image can be used to image the target.

[0118] S303: The sensing device projects at least one range image into a coordinate system corresponding to the space where the target is located to obtain an imaging result of the target.

[0119] The coordinate system corresponding to the target space can be a two-dimensional coordinate system or a three-dimensional coordinate system. The coordinate system can be divided into different grids according to the direction of the coordinate axis, and the sensing device can project the range image onto the corresponding grid intersection.

[0120] Exemplarily, the sensing device projects at least one range image into the same coordinate system to obtain an imaging result of the target. Alternatively, when the number of at least one range image is greater than one, the sensing device may project each of these range images into different coordinate systems to obtain multiple sub-images, and then synthesize the multiple sub-images to obtain an imaging result of the target.

[0121] In summary, the sum of the projections of the range images corresponding to all receiving channels onto a grid intersection in the coordinate system corresponding to the target's space is the imaging result at that grid intersection. The sensing device obtains the imaging result of each grid intersection to obtain the imaging result of the target.

[0122] It should be understood that the BP algorithm is only an exemplary algorithm for target imaging. In specific applications, the sensing device can also image the target using other algorithms. For example, the sensing device can also image the target using a range Doppler algorithm (RD algorithm). Specifically, the sensing device performs pulse compression on the echo signals received through at least one receiving channel during the T0 time period in the fast time dimension to obtain at least one range image. The sensing device then transforms the at least one range image into the range Doppler domain through Fourier transform along the slow time dimension to obtain the imaging result of the target.

[0123] In the above imaging process, the sensing device images based on the fact that the sensing signal or echo signal can cover the entire area of ​​the space where the target is located. Therefore, when the sensing signal or echo signal cannot cover the entire area of ​​the space where the target is located, the imaging result of the target will be inaccurate.

[0124] For example, in the imaging scene shown in FIG3B , there is an obstacle or obstruction (not shown in FIG3B ) between target 311 (including five scattering points) and target 312 (including five scattering points). Therefore, sensing device 1 (located at position 314, for transmitting sensing signals) and sensing device 2 (located at position 313, for receiving echo signals) cannot detect target 312, and sensing device 3 (located at position 316, for transmitting sensing signals) and sensing device 4 (located at position 315, for receiving echo signals) cannot detect target 311. If the obstacle or obstruction between targets 311 and 312 is a wall, and the materials on both sides of the wall are different, the intensity of the scattering points included in target 311 will be different from the intensity of the scattering points included in target 312. For example, if the intensity of the scattering points included in target 311 is greater than the intensity of the scattering points included in target 312, imaging targets 311 and 312 according to the above imaging method will produce the imaging results shown in FIG3C . In Figure 3C, the imaging results of target 311 (the left column) can be seen, but the imaging results of target 312 (the right column) are not clear. This is because when projecting the range image, the range image of target 311 is projected in the coordinate system corresponding to the entire space shown in Figure 3B, without considering that sensing device 1 and sensing device 2 are actually unable to detect the area on the right side of the wall (the side where target 312 is located). This will cause the side lobes corresponding to target 311 (such as the side lobes of the point spread function) to spread to the entire space, interfering with the imaging results of target 312, covering up the main lobe of target 312, and ultimately reducing the imaging quality.

[0125] 8. Method for the sensing device to determine the target position

[0126] Please refer to Figure 4A. Sensing device 1 and sensing device 2 respectively sense the target through the single-station sensing mode to determine the position of the target. Specifically, sensing device 1 sends a sensing signal, receives the echo signal of the sensing signal, and determines the distance R1 between sensing device 1 and the target based on the time of sending the sensing signal, the time of receiving the sensing signal, and the speed of light. Similarly, sensing device 2 can determine the distance R2 between itself and the target. Sensing device 1 or sensing device 2 draws a circle with sensing device 1 as the center and R1 as the radius, and draws a circle with sensing device 2 as the center and R2 as the radius. The two circles intersect and have two intersection points. If the position of the target is determined based on the fact that the sensing signal or echo signal can cover the entire area of ​​the space where the target is located, sensing device 1 or sensing device 2 can determine that the target is located at one of the two intersection points, but cannot determine which specific intersection point it is located at, that is, position ambiguity occurs and the target cannot be accurately located.

[0127] It is understandable that similar problems also exist when using the dual-station sensing mode to sense the target. The difference is that R1 in Figure 4A is replaced by the sum of the distance from the sensing device that sends the sensing signal (denoted as sensing device 3) to the target and the distance from the target to the sensing device that receives the echo signal (denoted as sensing device 4), and the circle with R1 as the radius in Figure 4A is replaced by an ellipse with sensing device 3 and sensing device 4 as the foci. For any two points P1 and P2 on the ellipse, the sum of the distance from P1 to sensing device 3 and the distance from P1 to sensing device 4 is equal to the sum of the distance from P2 to sensing device 3 and the distance from P2 to sensing device 4. R2 in Figure 4A and the circle with R2 as the radius should also be processed similarly. In this way, two ellipses can be obtained, and these two ellipses intersect and have two intersection points. Specifically, it can be shown in Figure 4B. If the position of the target is determined based on the perception signal or echo signal covering the entire area of ​​the space where the target is located, the perception device 3 or the perception device 4 can determine that the target is located at one of the two intersections, but cannot determine which specific intersection it is located at, and cannot accurately locate the target.

[0128] The above example illustrates the case where the presence of an obstruction in the target space causes the perception signal or echo signal to be unable to cover the entire target space. In specific applications, in addition to obstructions, there are other reasons that may cause the perception signal or echo signal to be unable to cover the entire target space. For example, real apertures, synthetic apertures, and hybrid apertures cover different areas, so the perception signal or echo signal sent or received using different apertures by the perception device may cover different areas, which may result in the perception signal or echo signal being unable to cover the entire target space.

[0129] In summary, if the target is perceived based on the perception signal or the echo signal covering the entire area of ​​the space where the target is located, the accuracy of the perception result obtained will be low.

[0130] In order to improve the accuracy of perception results, the present application provides a perception method that can be applied to network nodes. The network node can obtain the first perception data and the area covered by the first echo signal, and perform perception based on the first perception data and the area covered by the first echo signal, such as imaging the target or determining the position of the target. Among them, the first perception data is obtained based on the first echo signal corresponding to the first perception signal. It can be understood that after the network node obtains the area covered by the first echo signal, it can limit the influence range of the first perception data in the space where the target is located to the area covered by the first echo signal during the perception process, so as to avoid the influence of the first perception data on the perception results of the area not covered by the first echo signal, so as to obtain more accurate perception results.

[0131] Taking the imaging scene shown in Figure 3B as an example, since sensing devices 1 and 2 are actually unable to detect the right side of the wall, that is, the echo signal received by sensing device 2 cannot cover the right side of the wall, the influence range of the range image of target 311 should be the range on the left side of the wall in the coordinate system corresponding to the entire space shown in Figure 3B. For the BP algorithm, when projecting the range image, the range image of target 311 can be projected to the range on the left side of the wall in the coordinate system, rather than to the range on the right side of the wall. For the RD algorithm, the range image on the right side of the wall can be erased from the range image of target 311 obtained after pulse compression, while the range image on the left side of the wall is retained. Therefore, the above method can effectively prevent the sidelobes corresponding to target 311 from interfering with the imaging results of target 312, so the imaging result shown in Figure 3D can be obtained. Figure 3D shows the imaging results of target 311 (the left column) and the imaging results of target 312 (the right column).

[0132] Taking the positioning scenario shown in Figure 4A as an example, sensing devices 1 and 2 are actually unable to detect the lower intersection of the two intersections, that is, the echo signals received by sensing devices 1 and 2 cannot cover the lower intersection, so it can be determined that the target is located at the upper intersection. Similarly, for the positioning scenario shown in Figure 4B, sensing devices 3 to 6 are actually unable to detect the lower intersection of the two intersections, that is, the echo signals received by sensing devices 4 and 6 cannot cover the lower intersection, so it can be determined that the target is located at the upper intersection.

[0133] In this application, the area covered by the echo signal may also be referred to as the visible area of ​​the echo signal. In addition to the area covered by the echo signal, this application also relates to the area covered by the perception signal (also referred to as the visible area of ​​the perception signal). In order to better understand the method provided by this application, the visible area of ​​the perception signal and the visible area of ​​the echo signal are described below.

[0134] 9. Visual area of ​​​​perception signal

[0135] In this application, the visible area of ​​the perception signal is related to multiple items of information including the position of the perception device that sends the perception signal, the position of the antenna that sends the perception signal, the radiation direction of the antenna that sends the perception signal, the orientation of the beam that sends the perception signal, the beam width of the beam that sends the perception signal, or information about the environment perceived by the perception signal. The above-mentioned environment information may indicate at least one of the following: whether there is an obstruction in the environment perceived by the perception signal, the position of the obstruction, the shape of the obstruction, the size of the obstruction, or the position of the vertex of the obstruction (such as the highest point of the obstruction).

[0136] In this application, in order to apply to various perception scenarios, the visible area of ​​the perception signal can be understood in different ways. The following is explained using the following cases 1 to 3 as examples.

[0137] Case 1: The visible area of ​​a sensing signal is the area that the sensing signal can reach or the area covered by the beam transmitting the sensing signal. For example, in Figure 5A, the sensing device transmits the sensing signal via beam 1 with a beamwidth of α. The area that beam 1 can reach is the visible area of ​​the sensing signal. In Case 1, the visible area of ​​the sensing signal can be determined based on the orientation and beamwidth of the beam transmitting the sensing signal.

[0138] Case 2: The visible area of ​​the perception signal is the area covered by the antenna transmitting the perception signal. For example, in Figure 5B, antenna 1 transmitting the perception signal can emit at least one beam in a certain direction, where the at least one beam includes the beam transmitting the perception signal. The area that can be reached by the at least one beam is the visible area of ​​the perception signal, or the area that can be reached by the signal transmitted by antenna 1 in the above direction (i.e., the radiation direction of antenna 1) is the visible area of ​​the perception signal.

[0139] In case 2, the visible area of ​​the sensing signal can be determined based on the position of the antenna that sends the sensing signal and the radiation direction of the antenna that sends the sensing signal. It is understandable that the position of the antenna that sends the sensing signal can also be replaced by the position of the sensing device that sends the sensing signal.

[0140] Case 3: The visible area of ​​the sensing signal is the area covered by the sensing device that transmits the sensing signal. It is understood that if a sensing device is deployed with a single antenna, the area covered by that antenna is the sensing device's coverage area. Alternatively, if a sensing device is deployed with multiple antennas, the intersection of the areas covered by these multiple antennas is the sensing device's coverage area. Taking the example of antennas 2 and 3 deployed on a sensing device, the visible area of ​​the sensing signal is the area covered by the dashed line in Figure 5C. Alternatively, if a sensing device is deployed with multiple antennas, the union of the areas covered by these multiple antennas is the sensing device's coverage area. Taking the example of antennas 2 and 3 deployed on a sensing device, the visible area of ​​the sensing signal is the area covered by the dashed line in Figure 5D. It is understood that if the sensing device's coverage area is the intersection of the areas covered by multiple antennas, the smaller the area covered by the sensing device, the better the sensing performance, such as imaging clarity and positioning accuracy. If the sensing device's coverage area is the union of the areas covered by multiple antennas, the larger the area covered by the sensing device, the better the sensing coverage.

[0141] In case 3, the visible area of ​​the sensing signal can be determined based on the position of at least one antenna deployed on the sensing device and the radiation direction of the at least one antenna. It is understandable that the position of the at least one antenna can also be replaced by the position of the sensing device.

[0142] In specific applications, the environment perceived by the perception signal may contain not only the target but also obstructions to the target. Therefore, the visible area of ​​the perception signal is also related to environmental information. Taking the above-mentioned case 1 as an example, the visible area of ​​the perception signal is the area not obstructed by obstructions within the area determined by the orientation of the beam transmitting the perception signal and the beamwidth of the beam. It is understood that whether an area is obstructed by obstructions can be determined from the perspective of the perception device transmitting the perception signal. For example, the visible area of ​​the perception signal can be the area covered by the dotted line in Figure 5E. It is understood that the above-mentioned environmental information can be used to determine whether an area is obstructed by obstructions from the perspective of the perception device transmitting the perception signal. For case 2, the visible area of ​​the perception signal is the area not obstructed by obstructions within the area determined by the position of the antenna transmitting the perception signal and the radiation direction of the antenna. For case 3, the visible area of ​​the perception signal is the area not obstructed by obstructions within the area determined by the position of at least one antenna deployed on the perception device and the radiation direction of at least one antenna.

[0143] 10. Visible area of ​​echo signal

[0144] In one possible design, the visible area of ​​the echo signal is related to the visible area of ​​the perception signal corresponding to the echo signal and the area covered by the beam receiving the echo signal. For example, the visible area of ​​the echo signal is the intersection of the visible area of ​​the perception signal and the area covered by the beam receiving the echo signal. Taking the visible area of ​​the perception signal shown in Case 1 as an example, the visible area of ​​the echo signal can be as shown in Figure 5F. In the present application, the area covered by the beam receiving the echo signal can be determined based on the beam width of the beam and the direction of the beam.

[0145] It is understood that if there are obstructions in the environment where the echo signal is perceived, and described from the perspective of the sensing device receiving the echo signal, the visible area of ​​the echo signal is the area not obstructed by the obstruction at the intersection of the visible area of ​​the sensed signal and the first area. The first area is determined based on the beam width and orientation of the beam receiving the echo signal. Taking the visible area of ​​the sensed signal shown in Case 1 as an example, the visible area of ​​the echo signal can be as shown in Figure 5G.

[0146] It is understood that the visible area of ​​the echo signal can also be the union of the visible area of ​​the sensed signal and the area covered by the beam receiving the echo signal. If there is an obstruction in the environment where the echo signal is sensed, and described from the perspective of the sensing device receiving the echo signal, the visible area of ​​the echo signal is the area not obstructed by the obstruction in the union of the visible area of ​​the sensed signal and the first area.

[0147] Another possible design is that the visible area of ​​the echo signal is related to the visible area of ​​the perception signal corresponding to the echo signal and the area covered by the antenna that receives the echo signal. For example, the visible area of ​​the echo signal is the intersection of the visible area of ​​the perception signal and the area covered by the antenna that receives the echo signal, or the visible area of ​​the echo signal is also the union of the visible area of ​​the perception signal and the area covered by the antenna that receives the echo signal. In the present application, the area covered by the antenna that receives the echo signal can be determined based on the position of the antenna and the radiation direction of the antenna. Among them, the position of the antenna can also be replaced by the position of the perception device that receives the echo signal.

[0148] It is understood that if there is an obstruction in the environment where the echo signal is perceived, and described from the perspective of the sensing device receiving the echo signal, the visible area of ​​the echo signal is the area not obstructed by the obstruction at the intersection of the visible area of ​​the sensing signal and the second area, or the visible area of ​​the echo signal is the area not obstructed by the obstruction at the union of the visible area of ​​the sensing signal and the second area. The second area is determined based on the position of the antenna receiving the echo signal and the radiation direction of the antenna.

[0149] In another possible design, the visible area of ​​the echo signal is related to the visible area of ​​the sensing signal corresponding to the echo signal and the area covered by the sensing device that receives the echo signal. For example, the visible area of ​​the echo signal is the intersection of the visible area of ​​the sensing signal and the area covered by the sensing device that receives the echo signal, or the visible area of ​​the echo signal is the union of the visible area of ​​the sensing signal and the area covered by the sensing device that receives the echo signal.

[0150] It is understandable that if one antenna is deployed on the sensing device, the area covered by the antenna is the area covered by the sensing device. The area covered by the antenna is the area that can be reached by at least one beam emitted by the antenna, and at least one beam includes a beam for receiving echo signals. If multiple antennas are deployed on the sensing device that receives echo signals, the intersection of the areas covered by the multiple antennas is the area covered by the sensing device, or the union of the areas covered by the multiple antennas is the area covered by the sensing device. In summary, the area covered by the sensing device that receives echo signals can be determined based on the position of at least one antenna deployed on the sensing device and the radiation direction of at least one antenna. It is understandable that the position of at least one antenna can also be replaced by the position of the sensing device.

[0151] It will be understood that if there are obstructions in the environment where the echo signal is perceived, and described from the perspective of the sensing device receiving the echo signal, the visible area of ​​the echo signal is the area not obstructed by the obstruction at the intersection of the visible area of ​​the sensing signal and the third area, or the visible area of ​​the echo signal is the area not obstructed by the obstruction at the union of the visible area of ​​the sensing signal and the third area. The third area is determined based on the position and radiation direction of at least one antenna deployed on the sensing device receiving the echo signal.

[0152] In this application, it is possible to determine whether an obstruction exists in the environment perceived by the echo signal from the perspective of a sensing device receiving the echo signal based on environmental information. The environmental information may indicate at least one of the following: whether an obstruction exists in the environment perceived by the echo signal, the location of the obstruction, the shape of the obstruction, the size of the obstruction, or the location of the vertex of the obstruction (e.g., the highest point of the obstruction).

[0153] In summary, the visible area of ​​the echo signal can be understood as the intersection or union of the fourth area and the fifth area. The fourth area is the area covered by the beam that sends the perception signal, and the fifth area is the area covered by the beam that receives the echo signal; alternatively, the fourth area is the area covered by the antenna that sends the perception signal, and the fifth area is the area covered by the antenna that receives the echo signal; alternatively, the fourth area is the area covered by the perception device that sends the perception signal, and the fifth area is the area covered by the perception device that receives the echo signal.

[0154] In the above example, the fourth and fifth areas correspond to the same granularity, for example, both corresponding to beams or antennas. In specific applications, the fourth and fifth areas can also correspond to different granularities. For example, the fourth area may be the area covered by the beam that transmits the perception signal, and the fifth area may be the area covered by the antenna that receives the echo signal; or the fourth area may be the area covered by the perception device that transmits the perception signal, and the fifth area may be the area covered by the beam that receives the echo signal, and so on. These are not listed here one by one.

[0155] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0156] The method provided in this application can be used in various communication systems. For example, the communication system can be a long term evolution (LTE) system, a fifth generation (5G) communication system, a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, a third generation partnership project (3GPP) related communication system, a future evolutionary communication system (such as a sixth generation (6G) communication system, etc.), or a system integrating multiple systems, etc., without limitation. Among them, 5G can also be called new radio (NR). The method provided in this application is described below using the communication system 60 shown in Figure 6 as an example. Figure 6 is only a schematic diagram and does not constitute a limitation on the applicable scenarios of the technical solution provided in this application.

[0157] As shown in Figure 6, it is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 60 provided in this application. In Figure 6, the communication system 60 may include a network node 601 (only one is shown) and a target 602. The network node 601 may be a node with communication capability and computing capability. Optionally, the network node 601 also has perception capability. For example, the network node 601 is a perception device, a server or a core network element. Among them, the server is, for example, an application server, a cloud server or a perception server. The core network element is, for example, an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, a session management function (SMF) network element, a perception management network element or a newly added network element. For the introduction of the perception device and the target, please refer to the corresponding description above.

[0158] In some embodiments, network node 601 can detect target 602 using a single-station sensing mode, obtain sensing data, and acquire a visible area of ​​an echo signal (e.g., the echo signal of sensing signal 1) used to sense target 602. Based on the sensing data and the visible area of ​​the echo signal, network node 601 can perform sensing, such as imaging target 602 or determining the location of target 602. The above process will be described in detail in the method shown in FIG. 10 below.

[0159] Optionally, the communication system 60 further includes a sensing device 603 .

[0160] In some embodiments, network node 601 and sensing device 603 can detect target 602 using a dual-station sensing mode to obtain sensing data. Network node 601 can also obtain the visible area of ​​the echo signal used to sense target 602 (e.g., the echo signal of sensing signal 2) and perform sensing based on the sensing data and the visible area of ​​the echo signal, such as imaging target 602 or determining the location of target 602. This process is described in detail in the method shown in FIG8 below.

[0161] Optionally, the communication system 60 further includes a sensing device 604 .

[0162] In some embodiments, sensing device 603 and sensing device 604 can detect target 602 using a dual-station sensing mode, obtain sensing data, and send the sensing data to network node 601. Network node 601 can also obtain the visible area of ​​the echo signal used to sense target 602 (such as the echo signal of sensing signal 3), and perform sensing based on the sensing data and the visible area of ​​the echo signal, such as imaging target 602 or determining the location of target 602. The above process is described in detail in the method shown in Figure 11 below.

[0163] It is understandable that, in addition to the above examples, the sensing device 603 or the sensing device 604 may also detect the target 602 through a single-station sensing mode, obtain sensing data, and send the sensing data to the network node 601. The network node 601 may also obtain a visible area of ​​an echo signal (not shown in FIG. 6 ) used to sense the target 602, and perform sensing based on the sensing data and the visible area of ​​the echo signal, such as imaging the target 602 or determining the position of the target 602.

[0164] The communication system 60 shown in FIG6 is for example only and is not intended to limit the technical solutions of this application. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in a specific implementation, the communication system 60 may also include other devices, and the number of network nodes, sensing devices, and targets may also be determined based on specific needs without limitation.

[0165] Optionally, each device in Figure 6 of the present application (such as network node 601, perception device 603 or perception device 604, etc.) can also be referred to as a communication device, which can be a general device or a dedicated device. This application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0166] Optionally, the relevant functions of each device in Figure 6 of the present application (such as network node 601, perception device 603 or perception device 604, etc.) can be implemented by a single device, or by multiple devices together, or by one or more functional modules within a device, and this application does not make any specific restrictions on this. It is understandable that the above functions can be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or a combination of hardware and software, or virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (for example, a cloud platform).

[0167] In a specific implementation, each device in FIG6 of the present application (e.g., network node 601, sensing device 603, or sensing device 604) can adopt the composition structure shown in FIG7, or include the components shown in FIG7. FIG7 shows a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a communication device applicable to the present application. The communication device 70 includes at least one processor 701 and at least one communication interface 704 for implementing the method provided in the present application. The communication device 70 may also include a communication line 702 and a memory 703.

[0168] The processor 701 can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits used to control the execution of the program of the present application.

[0169] The communication link 702 may include a path for transmitting information between the above components, such as a bus.

[0170] Communication interface 704 is used to communicate with other devices or communication networks. Communication interface 704 can be any transceiver-like device, such as an Ethernet interface, a radio access network (RAN) interface, a wireless local area network (WLAN) interface, a transceiver, a pin, a bus, an interface circuit, or a transceiver circuit.

[0171] The memory 703 can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited to this. The memory can be independent and coupled to the processor 701 via a communication line 702. The memory 703 can also be integrated with the processor 701. The memory provided in this application can generally be non-volatile.

[0172] Among them, the memory 703 is used to store computer-executable instructions involved in executing the solution provided by this application, and is controlled by the processor 701. The processor 701 is used to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 703, thereby implementing the method provided by this application. Alternatively, optionally, in this application, the processor 701 may also perform the processing-related functions of the method provided below in this application, and the communication interface 704 is responsible for communicating with other devices or communication networks, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0173] Optionally, the computer-executable instructions in this application may also be referred to as application code, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0174] The coupling in this application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms, and is used for information exchange between devices, units or modules.

[0175] As an embodiment, the processor 701 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 in FIG. 7 .

[0176] As an embodiment, the communication device 70 may include multiple processors, such as processor 701 and processor 707 in Figure 7. Each of these processors may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. The processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0177] As an embodiment, the communication device 70 may further include an output device 705 and / or an input device 706. The output device 705 is coupled to the processor 701 and can display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device 705 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector. The input device 706 is coupled to the processor 701 and can receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, the input device 706 can be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensor device.

[0178] It is understandable that the composition structure shown in Figure 7 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. In addition to the components shown in Figure 7, the communication device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or arrange the components differently.

[0179] The method provided by the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Each network element in the following embodiment may include the components shown in FIG7 , which will not be described in detail.

[0180] It is understood that in this application, " / " can indicate that the objects associated with each other are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can mean A or B; "and / or" can be used to describe that there are three relationships between the associated objects, for example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, expressions similar to "at least one of A, B and C" or "at least one of A, B or C" are usually used to indicate any of the following: A exists alone; B exists alone; C exists alone; A and B exist at the same time; A and C exist at the same time; B and C exist at the same time; A, B and C exist at the same time. The above uses A, B and C as an example to illustrate the optional items of the item. When there are more elements in the expression, the meaning of the expression can be obtained according to the above rules.

[0181] In order to facilitate the description of the technical solutions of the present application, in the present application, words such as "first" and "second" may be used to distinguish between technical features with the same or similar functions. The words such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and the words such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit them to be different. In the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design. The use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a concrete way for easy understanding.

[0182] It is understood that the "embodiment" mentioned throughout the specification means that the specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the various embodiments in the entire specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It is understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the sequence number of each process does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the present application.

[0183] It can be understood that in this application, "when...", "in the case of...", "if" and "if" all mean that corresponding processing will be taken under certain objective circumstances, and do not limit the time, nor do they require any judgment action when implementing them, nor do they mean that there are other limitations.

[0184] The term "simultaneously" in this application may be understood as at the same time point, within a period of time, or within the same cycle.

[0185] It is understood that some optional features in this application may, in certain scenarios, be implemented independently of other features, such as the solution on which they are currently based, to solve corresponding technical problems and achieve corresponding effects. They may also be combined with other features in certain scenarios as needed. Accordingly, the devices provided in this application may also implement these features or functions accordingly, which will not be described in detail here.

[0186] It is understandable that the same step or steps or technical features with the same function in different embodiments of the present application can be referenced to each other.

[0187] It is understood that the processing of user personal information involved in this application, such as collection, storage, use, processing, transmission, provision, and disclosure, complies with the provisions of relevant laws and regulations and does not violate public order and good morals. For example, in this application, the processing of user personal information is carried out with the user's authorization, which is explained here and will not be repeated below.

[0188] It is understood that in the present application, the network node and / or the sensing device (such as the first sensing device and / or the second sensing device) can perform some or all of the steps in the present application. These steps are only examples, and the present application can also perform other steps or variations of various steps. In addition, the steps can be performed in a different order than presented in the present application, and it is possible that not all of the steps in the present application need to be performed.

[0189] It is understandable that the method provided below in this application uses a network node and a perception device as an example of the execution subject of the interaction diagram to illustrate the method, but this application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction diagram. For example, the network node in the method provided in the following embodiment of this application may also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the network node to implement the method, or a logical node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the network node function; the perception device in the method provided below in this application may also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the perception device to implement the method, or a logical node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the perception device function.

[0190] First, the perception method provided in this application is introduced by taking the network node 601 and the perception device 603 using the dual-station perception mode to perceive the target 602 as an example.

[0191] As shown in FIG8 , a sensing method provided by the present application may include the following steps:

[0192] S801: The network node 601 obtains first perception data.

[0193] In this application, the first sensing data is obtained based on the first echo signal corresponding to the first sensing signal. S801 is described below using the following scenarios 1 and 2 as examples.

[0194] Scenario 1: Sensing device 603 sends a first sensing signal, and network node 601 receives a first echo signal. For example, sensing device 603 is RAN node 1 in Figure 1C, and network node 601 is RAN node 2 in Figure 1C; or, sensing device 603 is terminal 1 in Figure 1D, and network node 601 is terminal 2 in Figure 1D; or, sensing device 603 is the RAN node in Figure 1E, and network node 601 is the terminal in Figure 1E; or, sensing device 603 is the terminal in Figure 1F, and network node 601 is the RAN node in Figure 1F.

[0195] In scenario 1, after receiving the first echo signal, network node 601 can perform pulse compression on the first echo signal to obtain a range profile of target 602, i.e., first sensing data. Alternatively, network node 601 can determine a first distance, i.e., first sensing data, based on the first echo signal, so that the location of target 602 can be subsequently determined based on the first distance. The first distance is the sum of the distance from sensing device 603 to target 602 and the distance from target 602 to network node 601.

[0196] Scenario 2: Network node 601 sends a first sensing signal, and sensing device 603 receives a first echo signal. For example, network node 601 is RAN node 1 in Figure 1C, and sensing device 603 is RAN node 2 in Figure 1C; or, network node 601 is terminal 1 in Figure 1D, and sensing device 603 is terminal 2 in Figure 1D; or, network node 601 is the RAN node in Figure 1E, and sensing device 603 is the terminal in Figure 1E; or, network node 601 is the terminal in Figure 1F, and sensing device 603 is the RAN node in Figure 1F.

[0197] In scenario 2, after receiving the first echo signal, the sensing device 603 may process the first echo signal to obtain first sensing data, and send the first sensing data to the network node 601. For example, the sensing device 603 may process the information carried by the first echo signal, such as by performing operations such as encapsulation and modulation, to obtain the first sensing data, and send the first sensing data to the network node 601. For another example, the sensing device 603 may perform pulse compression on the first echo signal to obtain a range profile of the target 602, i.e., the first sensing data, and send the first sensing data to the network node 601. For another example, the sensing device 603 may determine a first distance based on the first echo signal, i.e., the first sensing data, and send the first sensing data to the network node 601.

[0198] S802: The sensing device 603 sends visible area indication information to the network node 601. Correspondingly, the network node 601 receives the visible area indication information from the sensing device.

[0199] In the present application, the visible area indication information corresponding to the above-mentioned scene 1 and scene 2 includes different contents, which are described below for scene 1 and scene 2 respectively.

[0200] Scenario 1:

[0201] In one possible design, the visible area indication information is used to indicate a first visible area. The first visible area is the area covered by the first perception signal (i.e., the visible area of ​​the first perception signal). The introduction of the area covered by the first perception signal can refer to the description of the visible area of ​​the perception signal above, and will not be repeated here.

[0202] Exemplarily, the visible area indication information includes at least one of the following: position information of the first visible area, first environment information, beam width information of the transmission beam of the first perception signal, direction information of the transmission beam, or position information of the array element sending the first perception signal.

[0203] In the present application, the position information of the first visible area is used to indicate the position of the first visible area.

[0204] For example, the position information of the first visual area includes the coordinates of multiple points on the boundary of the first visual area. The multiple points may indicate a convex hull. The various coordinates involved in this application may be three-dimensional coordinates or two-dimensional coordinates. These coordinates may be coordinates in a global coordinate system (such as an earth coordinate system), or coordinates in a local coordinate system (such as a local coordinate system with a sensing device that sends a sensing signal or a sensing device that receives an echo signal as the origin). A unified description is made here and no further details are given below.

[0205] For another example, the position information of the first visible area includes the coordinates of the center point of the first visible area and a radius R. R is equal to the distance between a point Q on the boundary of the first visible area and the center point, and point Q is the closest point, the farthest point, or any point between the closest point and the farthest point from the center point.

[0206] For another example, the position information of the first visible area includes the coordinates of the center point of the first visible area and the first length. Optionally, the position information of the first visible area also includes a second length and / or a third length. If the coordinates of the center point are two-dimensional coordinates, the first length is equal to the length of the first visible area, the second length is equal to the width of the first visible area, or the first length is equal to the width of the first visible area, and the second length is equal to the length of the first visible area. If the coordinates of the center point are three-dimensional coordinates, the first length, the second length and the third length can be equal to the length of the first visible area, the width of the first visible area and the height of the first visible area, respectively.

[0207] In the present application, the first environmental information is used to indicate at least one of the following: whether there is an obstruction in the environment where the target 602 is located, the location of the obstruction, the shape of the obstruction, the size of the obstruction, or the location of the vertex of the obstruction (such as the highest point of the obstruction). The beam width information of the transmission beam of the first perception signal is used to indicate the beam width of the transmission beam, for example, the information includes the beam width of the transmission beam. The direction information of the transmission beam is used to indicate the direction of the transmission beam, for example, the information includes the angle of the antenna that transmits the transmission beam. The position information of the array element that sends the first perception signal is used to indicate the position of the array element, for example, the information includes the coordinates of the array element or the coordinates of the perception device 603.

[0208] It can be understood that after receiving the visible area indication information, the network node 601 can determine the first visible area.

[0209] Exemplarily, if the visible area indication information includes the location information of the first visible area, the network node 601 may determine the first visible area based on the location information of the first visible area. For example, the first visible area is the area corresponding to the convex hull, or a circular area or a spherical area obtained with the center point coordinates as the center and R as the radius, or a square area or a cube area obtained with the center point coordinates as the center and the first length as the side length.

[0210] Exemplarily, if the visible area indication information includes beam width information of the transmitting beam of the first perception signal, direction information of the transmitting beam, and position information of the array element sending the first perception signal, the network node 601 can determine the area covered by the transmitting beam based on this information and determine the area as the first visible area.

[0211] Illustratively, if the visible area indication information includes the position information of the array element that sends the first perception signal, the network node 601 may determine, based on the information, the area covered by the array element that sends the first perception signal, and determine the area as the first visible area.

[0212] Exemplarily, if the visible area indication information includes the position information of the first visible area and the first environmental information, and the first environmental information indicates the position of the obstruction, the network node 601 may determine the first visible area based on the position information of the first visible area and the position of the obstruction. For example, if the obstruction is not located in the area determined according to the position information of the first visible area, the network node 601 determines the first visible area based on the position information of the first visible area; if the obstruction is located in the area determined according to the position information of the first visible area, the network node 601 may determine the first visible area based on the position information of the array element that sends the first perception signal, or the network node 601 may determine the first visible area based on the beam width information of the transmitted beam, the direction information of the transmitted beam, and the position information of the array element that sends the first perception signal. For example, the network node 601 determines the area in the area determined according to the position information of the first visible area that is not blocked by the obstruction from the perspective of the sensing device 603 as the first visible area.

[0213] Scenario 2:

[0214] In a possible design, the visible area indication information is used to indicate a third visible area. The third visible area is the area covered by the beam receiving the first echo signal, the area covered by the antenna receiving the first echo signal, or the area covered by the first sensing device. Among them, the first sensing device is the sensing device that receives the first echo signal. In scenario 2, the first sensing device is sensing device 603. For an introduction to the area covered by the beam receiving the first echo signal, reference can be made to the description of the area covered by the beam receiving the echo signal in the previous text, for an introduction to the area covered by the antenna receiving the first echo signal, reference can be made to the description of the area covered by the antenna receiving the echo signal in the previous text, and for an introduction to the area covered by the first sensing device, reference can be made to the description of the area covered by the sensing device receiving the echo signal in the previous text, and no further details will be given.

[0215] Exemplarily, the visible area indication information includes at least one of the following: position information of the third visible area, first environment information, beam width information of the receiving beam of the first echo signal, direction information of the receiving beam, or position information of an array element receiving the first echo signal.

[0216] In the present application, the position information of the third visual area is used to indicate the position of the third visual area. The manner in which the position information of the third visual area indicates the position of the third visual area is similar to the manner in which the position information of the first visual area indicates the position of the first visual area, and reference may be made to the corresponding description above. The first environmental information is used to indicate at least one of the following: whether there is an obstruction in the environment where the target 602 is located, the position of the obstruction, the shape of the obstruction, the size of the obstruction, or the position of the vertex of the obstruction (such as the highest point of the obstruction). The beam width information of the receiving beam of the first echo signal is used to indicate the beam width of the receiving beam, for example, the information includes the beam width of the receiving beam. The orientation information of the receiving beam is used to indicate the orientation of the receiving beam, for example, the information includes the angle of the antenna that transmits the receiving beam. The position information of the array element that receives the first echo signal is used to indicate the position of the array element, for example, the information includes the coordinates of the array element or the coordinates of the sensing device 603.

[0217] It is understandable that after receiving the visible area indication information, the network node 601 may determine the third visible area. Specifically, reference may be made to the process of the network node 601 determining the first visible area, which will not be described in detail.

[0218] In one possible implementation, for scenarios 1 and 2 above, the sensing device 603 may determine the visible area indication information based on previously determined imaging results. Alternatively, the sensing device 603 may detect the surrounding environment using at least one of a camera, radar, or lidar to determine the visible area indication information.

[0219] Optionally, the sensing device 603 may send visible area indication information to the network node 601 based on a request from the network node 601 .

[0220] It is understandable that the present application does not limit the execution order of S801 to S802. For example, S801 may be executed first and then S802, or S802 may be executed first and then S801, or S801 and S802 may be executed simultaneously.

[0221] S803: The network node 601 performs perception according to the first perception data and the visible area indication information.

[0222] In one possible implementation, the network node 601 determines the second visible area based on the visible area indication information and performs perception based on the first perception data and the second visible area. In this application, the second visible area is the area covered by the first echo signal or the visible area of ​​the first echo signal. For an introduction to the second visible area, reference can be made to the description of the visible area of ​​the echo signal above and will not be repeated here.

[0223] It is understandable that for the above scenario 1, the network node 601 can determine a third visible area and determine the second visible area based on the third visible area and the first visible area. The third visible area is the area covered by the beam receiving the first echo signal, the area covered by the antenna receiving the first echo signal, or the area covered by the first sensing device. In scenario 1, the area covered by the first sensing device is the area covered by the network node 601.

[0224] Exemplarily, network node 601 determines a third visible area based on previously determined imaging results, or determines the third visible area by detecting the surrounding environment using at least one of a camera, radar, or lidar. Subsequently, network node 601 determines a second visible area based on the third visible area and the first visible area. For example, the second visible area is the intersection of the first and third visible areas, or the union of the first and third visible areas.

[0225] It can be understood that for the above scenario 2, the network node 601 may determine the first visible area, and determine the second visible area according to the third visible area and the first visible area.

[0226] Exemplarily, network node 601 determines a first visible area based on previously determined imaging results, or determines the first visible area by detecting the surrounding environment using at least one of a camera, radar, or lidar. Subsequently, network node 601 determines a second visible area based on the third visible area and the first visible area. For example, the second visible area is the intersection of the first and third visible areas, or the union of the first and third visible areas.

[0227] The above example is described using one first echo signal as an example. In a specific application, the second visible area may also be an area covered by multiple first echo signals, for example, the second visible area is the union or intersection of the areas covered by multiple first echo signals.

[0228] It is understandable that after the network node 601 determines the second visible area, it can perform perception based on the first perception data and the second visible area to limit the influence range of the first perception data to the area covered by the first echo signal, thereby improving the accuracy of the perception results.

[0229] For example, taking the imaging of target 602 as an example, when the network node 601 projects the first perception data into the coordinate system of the space where the target 602 is located, the projection is performed within the second visible area, and the area outside the second visible area (that is, the non-visible area of ​​the first echo signal or the invisible area of ​​the first echo signal) is not projected to reduce the sidelobe interference to the area outside the second visible area and obtain more accurate imaging results.

[0230] For example, taking the positioning of the target 602 as an example, the network node 601 may determine that the target 602 is located within the second visible area and cannot be located outside the second visible area, thereby reducing the probability of position ambiguity and improving positioning accuracy.

[0231] Based on the method shown in FIG8 , network node 601 can perform perception based on the area covered by the first echo signal, limiting the impact range of the first perception data to the area covered by the first echo signal, thereby preventing the first perception data from affecting the perception results in areas not covered by the first echo signal. Therefore, the method shown in FIG8 can improve the accuracy of the perception results.

[0232] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the method shown in FIG8 , the first sensing device may indicate the area covered by the first sensing device (also referred to as the visible area of ​​the first sensing device) to at least one sensing device, so that at least one sensing device can determine whether it can participate in the perception. Taking scenario 1 as an example, as shown in FIG9 , the method shown in FIG8 further includes the following steps:

[0233] S800A: The network node 601 sends first indication information to the sensing device 603. Correspondingly, the sensing device 603 receives the first indication information from the network node 601.

[0234] The first indication information indicates the area covered by network node 601. In this application, the area covered by network node 601 may also be referred to as the visible area of ​​network node 601. In scenario 1, network node 601 is used to receive the first echo signal, so the description of the area covered by network node 601 can refer to the description of the area covered by the sensing device for receiving the echo signal.

[0235] Exemplarily, the first indication information includes at least one of the following: location information of the area covered by the network node 601, second environmental information or location information of the network node 601. Among them, the location information of the area covered by the network node 601 is used to indicate the location of the area covered by the network node 601. It can be understood that the way in which the location information of the area covered by the network node 601 indicates the location of the area covered by the network node 601 is similar to the way in which the location information of the first visible area indicates the location of the first visible area, and reference can be made to the corresponding description above. The second environmental information is used to indicate at least one of the following: whether there is an obstruction in the environment where the target 602 is located, the location of the obstruction, the shape of the obstruction, the size of the obstruction or the location of the vertex of the obstruction (such as the highest point of the obstruction). The second environmental information and the first environmental information may be the same or different. Taking the example of the second environmental information being different from the first environmental information, the second environmental information and the first environmental information both indicate the same environment (such as the environment where the target 602 is located), but the coordinate systems corresponding to the second environmental information and the first environmental information are different; or, the second environmental information is used to determine whether there is an obstruction from the perspective of the network node 601, and the first environmental information is used to determine whether there is an obstruction from the perspective of the sensing device 603.

[0236] In one possible implementation, the network node 601 broadcasts the first indication information. After receiving the first indication information, the sensing device 603 can determine whether to participate in the perception based on the first indication information, or determine whether to send the first perception signal to the network node 601 based on the first indication information. For example, if the area covered by the sensing device 603 does not overlap with the area covered by the network node 601, that is, the network node 601 and the sensing device 603 cannot perceive the same area, then the sensing device 603 determines not to participate in the perception; if the area covered by the sensing device 603 overlaps with the area covered by the network node 601, that is, the network node 601 and the sensing device 603 can perceive the same area, then the sensing device 603 determines to participate in the perception. The area covered by the sensing device 603 can also be referred to as the visible area of ​​the sensing device 603. In scenario 1, the sensing device 603 is used to send the first perception signal, so the introduction to the area covered by the sensing device 603 can refer to the previous description of the area covered by the sensing device that sends the perception signal.

[0237] In another possible implementation, network node 601 identifies at least one sensing device and sends first indication information to each of the at least one sensing device. After receiving the first indication information, the at least one sensing device may determine whether to participate in sensing based on the first indication information. The at least one sensing device includes sensing device 603. The at least one sensing device supports providing its own visible area.

[0238] Optionally, before S800A, multiple sensing devices may report to the network node 601 whether they support providing their own visible areas. In this way, the network node 601 may select a sensing device that supports providing its own visible area from the multiple sensing devices, such as the at least one sensing device mentioned above.

[0239] It is understandable that the sensing device 603 can also adjust the direction of sending the first sensing signal according to the first indication information to optimize the area covered by the first echo signal. For example, the sensing device 603 can adjust the direction of sending the first sensing signal by adjusting at least one of its own position, the direction of the beam sending the first sensing signal, or the beam width of the beam sending the first sensing signal, so that the area covered by the first echo signal becomes larger or maximized, thereby improving the accuracy of the sensing result. Taking the sensing device 603 as an intelligent driving vehicle as an example, the sensing device 603 can plan its own driving path according to the first indication information. When the sensing device 603 drives according to the driving path, the area covered by the first echo signal can be enlarged. Taking the sensing device 603 as a base station as an example, the sensing device 603 can adjust the parameters of the antenna sending the first sensing signal according to the first indication information to achieve the adjustment of the direction of the beam sending the first sensing signal and / or the beam width of the beam sending the first sensing signal, so that the area covered by the first echo signal is maximized.

[0240] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the method shown in FIG8 , the first sensing device can indicate the target area to the sensing device that sends the first sensing signal (hereinafter referred to as the second sensing device), so that the second sensing device adjusts the direction of sending the first sensing signal so that the first visible area includes the target area, thereby further improving the accuracy of the sensing result. Taking scenario 1 as an example, as shown in FIG9 , the method shown in FIG8 further includes the following steps:

[0241] S800B: The network node 601 sends the indication information of the target area to the sensing device 603. Correspondingly, the sensing device 603 receives the indication information of the target area from the network node 601.

[0242] In the present application, the indication information of the target area is used to indicate the target area. The target area is an area that needs to be sensed, and the network node 601 can obtain it from the application layer or the application server. The target area may include the target 602. Exemplarily, the indication information of the target area includes the location information of the target area and / or the location information of the non-target area. The non-target area is an area that does not need to be sensed, or an area other than the target area in the space where the target 602 is located. For example, the non-target area is an area where a strong scattering point is located, and / or an area where an interference source is located. It can be understood that the indication information of the target area and the first indication information can be included in the same message or in different messages respectively, without limitation.

[0243] It can be understood that after the perception device 603 receives the indication information of the target area, it can adjust the direction of sending the first perception signal so that the first visible area includes the target area, or the first visible area does not include or includes less non-target areas, so as to further improve the accuracy of the perception results.

[0244] It is understandable that the target area indication information can also be used to determine the visible area indication information. For example, after the sensing device 603 adjusts the direction of sending the first sensing signal according to the target area indication information, it determines the area covered by the first sensing signal based on the adjusted direction of sending the first sensing signal, and sends the visible area indication information to the network node 601.

[0245] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the method shown in FIG8 , the second sensing device may indicate the area covered by the second sensing device to the first sensing device so that the first sensing device can determine whether the second sensing device can participate in the sensing. Taking scenario 1 as an example, as shown in FIG9 , the method shown in FIG8 further includes the following steps:

[0246] S800C: The sensing device 603 sends second indication information to the network node 601. Correspondingly, the network node 601 receives the second indication information from the sensing device 603.

[0247] In the present application, the second indication information may indicate the area covered by the sensing device 603. For example, the second indication information includes at least one of the following: location information of the area covered by the sensing device 603, first environmental information, or location information of the sensing device 603. The location information of the area covered by the sensing device 603 may indicate the area covered by the sensing device 603. In scenario 1, the sensing device 603 is used to send a first sensing signal, so the introduction to the area covered by the sensing device 603 may refer to the previous description of the area covered by the sensing device that sends the sensing signal. It can be understood that the way in which the sensing device 603 indicates the location of the area covered by the sensing device 603 is similar to the way in which the location information of the first visible area indicates the location of the first visible area, and reference may be made to the corresponding description in the previous text.

[0248] It is understandable that after receiving the second indication information, the network node 601 can determine whether the sensing device 603 can participate in the sensing based on the second indication information. For example, if the area covered by the sensing device 603 does not overlap with the area covered by the network node 601, that is, the network node 601 and the sensing device 603 cannot perceive the same area, then the network node 601 determines that the sensing device 603 does not participate in the sensing; if the area covered by the sensing device 603 overlaps with the area covered by the network node 601, that is, the network node 601 and the sensing device 603 can perceive the same area, then the network node 601 determines that the sensing device 603 participates in the sensing.

[0249] It can be understood that if the network node 601 receives second indication information from multiple sensing devices, the network node 601 can determine the sensing devices that participate in the sensing from the multiple sensing devices. For example, for any one of the multiple sensing devices (referred to as sensing device 1), if the overlapping area of ​​the area covered by sensing device 1 and the area covered by network node 601 is greater than or equal to a certain threshold, the network node 601 determines that sensing device 1 participates in the sensing to increase the area perceived by the network node 601 and sensing device 1 (hereinafter referred to as area 1). And / or, if the area covered by sensing device 1 includes the target area, the network node 601 determines that sensing device 1 participates in the sensing to increase the probability that area 1 includes the target area. And / or, if the intersection of the area covered by sensing device 1 and the area covered by network node 601 includes the target area, the network node 601 sensing device 1 participates in the sensing so that area 1 includes the target area. And / or, if the area covered by sensing device 1 does not include a non-target area, the network node 601 determines that sensing device 1 participates in the sensing to reduce the probability that area 1 includes a non-target area. And / or, if the intersection of the area covered by sensing device 1 and the area covered by network node 601 does not include a non-target area, network node 601 determines that sensing device 1 participates in sensing, such that area 1 does not include a non-target area. Therefore, the above method can optimize area 1, thereby improving the accuracy of the sensing results. Sensing device 1 is used to transmit sensing signals, so the description of the area covered by sensing device 1 can refer to the description of the area covered by the sensing device transmitting the sensing signal above.

[0250] S800D: The network node 601 sends third indication information to the sensing device 603. Correspondingly, the sensing device 603 receives the third indication information from the network node 601.

[0251] It can be understood that if the network node 601 determines that the perception device 603 participates in the perception, the network node 601 can send third indication information to the perception device 603 to instruct the perception device 603 to participate in the perception.

[0252] Optionally, if the network node 601 determines that the perception device 603 does not participate in the perception, the network node 601 may send third indication information to the perception device 603 to indicate that the perception device 603 cannot participate in the perception.

[0253] The method shown in Figure 8 is described by taking the example of the network node 601 and the sensing device 603 using the dual-station sensing mode to sense the target 602. The sensing method provided by the present application is described below by taking the network node 601 using the single-station sensing mode to sense the target 602 as an example.

[0254] As shown in FIG10 , a sensing method provided by this application may include the following steps:

[0255] S1001: The network node 601 sends a first perception signal, and receives a first echo signal corresponding to the first perception signal.

[0256] Exemplarily, the network node 601 may send a first sensing signal in the direction of the target 602. After the first sensing signal reaches the target 602, it is reflected, scattered, or diffracted on the surface of the target 602, forming an echo signal of the first sensing signal, i.e., a first echo signal, which is received by the network node 601. The network node 601 is, for example, the RAN node in FIG. 1A or the terminal in FIG. 1B.

[0257] S1002: The network node 601 obtains first perception data according to the first echo signal.

[0258] For example, network node 601 may perform pulse compression on the first echo signal to obtain a range profile of target 602, i.e., first sensing data. Alternatively, network node 601 may determine a first distance based on the first echo signal, so as to subsequently determine the position of target 602 based on the first distance. The first distance is the sum of the distance from sensing device 603 to target 602 and the distance from target 602 to network node 601.

[0259] S1003: The network node 601 determines the area covered by the first echo signal.

[0260] In one possible implementation, the network node 601 may determine the area covered by the first echo signal based on the previously determined imaging results. Alternatively, the network node 601 may detect the surrounding environment through at least one of a camera, a radar, or a lidar to determine the area covered by the first echo signal. Alternatively, the network node 601 may determine the area covered by the first echo signal based on the position of the antenna that sends the first perception signal and the position of the antenna that receives the first echo signal. Alternatively, the network node 601 may determine the area covered by the first echo signal based on the beam width of the beam that sends the first perception signal, the direction of the beam that sends the first perception signal, the position of the antenna that sends the first perception signal, the beam width of the beam that receives the first echo signal, the direction of the beam that receives the first echo signal, and the position of the antenna that receives the first echo signal.

[0261] It is understandable that the present application does not limit the execution order of S1002 to S1003. For example, S1002 may be executed first and then S1003, or S1003 may be executed first and then S1002, or S1002 and S1003 may be executed simultaneously.

[0262] S1004: The network node 601 performs perception based on the first perception data and the area covered by the first echo signal.

[0263] It can be understood that the specific process of S1004 is similar to that of S803. Please refer to the corresponding description in S803 and no further details will be given.

[0264] The above example is based on the example of network node 601 sending one first perception signal and receiving a first echo signal corresponding to the first perception signal. In specific applications, network node 601 may also send multiple first perception signals and receive corresponding first echo signals. Subsequently, network node 601 may determine perception data based on these first echo signals and determine the areas covered by these first echo signals, and then perform perception based on the determined perception data and areas. The areas covered by these first echo signals are the union or intersection of the areas covered by each first echo signal.

[0265] Based on the method shown in Figure 10, the network node 601 can use a single-station perception mode to perceive the target 602. During the perception process, combined with the area covered by the first echo signal, the influence range of the first perception data can be limited to the area covered by the first echo signal, thereby avoiding the impact of the first perception data on the perception results of the area not covered by the first echo signal, so as to improve the accuracy of the perception results.

[0266] In the methods illustrated in Figures 8 to 10 , network node 601 has sensing capabilities and can send sensing signals or receive echo signals. In specific applications, network node 601 may also be used to process sensing data rather than send sensing signals or receive echo signals. The sensing method provided in this application is described below using the example of sensing device 603 and sensing device 604 sensing target 602 using a dual-station sensing mode.

[0267] As shown in FIG11 , a sensing method provided by the present application may include the following steps:

[0268] S1101: The sensing device 603 sends a first sensing signal, and the sensing device 604 receives a first echo signal.

[0269] Exemplarily, sensing device 603 may transmit a first sensing signal in the direction of target 602. After the first sensing signal reaches target 602, it is reflected, scattered, or diffracted on the surface of target 602, forming an echo signal of the first sensing signal, i.e., a first echo signal, which is received by sensing device 604. For example, sensing device 603 is RAN node 1 in Figure 1C, and sensing device 604 is RAN node 2 in Figure 1C; or, sensing device 603 is terminal 1 in Figure 1D, and sensing device 604 is terminal 2 in Figure 1D; or, sensing device 603 is the RAN node in Figure 1E, and sensing device 604 is the terminal in Figure 1E; or, sensing device 603 is the terminal in Figure 1F, and sensing device 604 is the RAN node in Figure 1F.

[0270] S1102 : The sensing device 604 sends first sensing data to the network node 601 . Correspondingly, the network node 601 receives the first sensing data from the sensing device 604 .

[0271] Illustratively, after receiving the first echo signal, the sensing device 604 may process the first echo signal to obtain first sensing data, and send the first sensing data to the network node 601. For example, the sensing device 604 may process the information carried by the first echo signal, such as by performing operations such as encapsulation and modulation, to obtain the first sensing data, and send the first sensing data to the network node 601. For another example, the sensing device 604 may perform pulse compression on the first echo signal to obtain a range profile of the target 602, i.e., the first sensing data, and send the first sensing data to the network node 601. For another example, the sensing device 604 may determine a first distance based on the first echo signal, i.e., the first sensing data, and send the first sensing data to the network node 601.

[0272] S1103: The network node 601 determines the area covered by the first echo signal.

[0273] In one possible implementation, the sensing device 604 uses the method shown in FIG8 to determine the area covered by the first echo signal and sends visible area indication information to the network node 601. The visible area indication information indicates the area covered by the first echo signal, i.e., the second visible area. For example, the visible area indication information includes at least one of the following: location information of the second visible area, third environmental information, beamwidth information of the transmit beam of the first sensing signal, orientation information of the transmit beam, location information of the array element transmitting the first sensing signal, beamwidth information of the receive beam of the first echo signal, orientation information of the receive beam, or location information of the array element receiving the first echo signal. The location information of the second visible area is used to indicate the second visible area. The manner in which the location information of the second visible area indicates the second visible area is similar to the manner in which the location information of the first visible area indicates the first visible area, and reference may be made to the corresponding description in S802. The third environmental information is used to indicate at least one of the following: whether there are any obstructions in the environment where the target 602 is located, the location of the obstructions, the shape of the obstructions, the size of the obstructions, or the location of the vertex of the obstructions (e.g., the highest point of the obstructions).

[0274] It can be understood that after receiving the visible area indication information, the network node 601 can determine the area covered by the first echo signal according to the visible area indication information.

[0275] Illustratively, if the visible area indication information includes the location information of the second visible area, the network node 601 may determine the second visible area according to the location information of the second visible area.

[0276] Exemplarily, if the visible area indication information includes beam width information of a transmit beam of a first perception signal, orientation information of the transmit beam, position information of an array element that transmits the first perception signal, beam width information of a receive beam of a first echo signal, orientation information of the receive beam, and position information of an array element that receives the first echo signal, the network node 601 may determine the area covered by the transmit beam based on the beam width information of the transmit beam, orientation information of the transmit beam, and position information of the array element that transmits the first perception signal; determine the area covered by the receive beam based on the beam width information of the receive beam, orientation information of the receive beam, and position information of the array element that receives the first echo signal; and determine the second visible area based on the area covered by the transmit beam and the area covered by the receive beam. For example, the second visible area is the union or intersection of the area covered by the transmit beam and the area covered by the receive beam.

[0277] Exemplarily, if the visible area indication information includes the position information of the array element that sends the first sensing signal and the position information of the array element that receives the first echo signal, the network node 601 may determine the area covered by the sensing device 603 based on the position information of the array element that sends the first sensing signal, determine the area covered by the sensing device 604 based on the position information of the array element that receives the first echo signal, and determine the second visible area based on the area covered by the sensing device 603 and the area covered by the sensing device 604. For example, the second visible area is the union or intersection of the area covered by the sensing device 603 and the area covered by the sensing device 604.

[0278] Exemplarily, if the visible area indication information includes the position information of the second visible area and third environmental information, and the third environmental information indicates the position of an obstruction, the network node 601 may determine the second visible area based on the position information of the second visible area and the position of the obstruction. For example, if the obstruction is not located in the area determined based on the position information of the second visible area, the network node 601 may determine the second visible area based on the position information of the second visible area; if the obstruction is located in the area determined based on the position information of the second visible area, the network node 601 may determine the second visible area based on the position information of the array element that transmits the first perception signal and the position information of the array element that receives the first echo signal.

[0279] In another possible implementation, sensing device 603 sends fourth indication information to network node 601, where the fourth indication information indicates the first visible area. For example, the fourth indication information includes at least one of the following: location information of the first visible area, third environmental information, beamwidth information of the transmit beam of the first sensing signal, information about the orientation of the transmit beam, or location information of the array element that transmits the first sensing signal. Sensing device 604 sends fifth indication information to network node 601, where the fifth indication information indicates the third visible area. The third visible area is the area covered by the beam that receives the first echo signal or the area covered by the first sensing device. The first sensing device is the sensing device that receives the first echo signal. In this example, the first sensing device is sensing device 604. For example, the fifth indication information includes at least one of the following: location information of the third visible area, fourth environmental information, beamwidth information of the receive beam of the first echo signal, information about the orientation of the receive beam, or location information of the array element that receives the first echo signal. The fourth environmental information is used to indicate at least one of the following: whether there is an obstruction in the environment where the target 602 is located, the location of the obstruction, the shape of the obstruction, the size of the obstruction, or the location of the vertex of the obstruction (such as the highest point of the obstruction). The fourth environmental information and the third environmental information may be the same or different. For example, if the fourth environmental information and the third environmental information are different, the fourth environmental information and the third environmental information both indicate the same environment (such as the environment where the target 602 is located), but the coordinate systems corresponding to the fourth environmental information and the third environmental information are different; or, the fourth environmental information is used to determine whether there is an obstruction from the perspective of the sensing device 604, and the third environmental information is used to determine whether there is an obstruction from the perspective of the sensing device 603.

[0280] It is understandable that after receiving the fourth indication information and the fifth indication information, the network node 601 can determine the second visible area based on the fourth indication information and the fifth indication information. For example, the network node 601 determines the first visible area based on the fourth indication information, determines the third visible area based on the fifth indication information, and determines the second visible area based on the third visible area and the first visible area. For example, the second visible area is the intersection of the first visible area and the third visible area, or the union of the first visible area and the third visible area.

[0281] It can be understood that the present application does not limit the execution order of S1102 to S1103. For example, S1102 can be executed first and then S1103, or S1103 can be executed first and then S1102, or S1102 and S1103 can be executed simultaneously.

[0282] S1104: The network node 601 performs perception based on the first perception data and the area covered by the first echo signal.

[0283] It can be understood that the specific process of S1104 is similar to that of S803. Please refer to the corresponding description in S803 and no further details will be given.

[0284] The above example is explained by taking the example of the perception device 603 sending a first perception signal and the perception device 604 receiving the first echo signal corresponding to the first perception signal. In specific applications, there can be multiple first perception signals, and accordingly, there can be multiple first echo signals. In addition, the perception devices that send the multiple first perception signals can be the same or different, and the perception devices that receive the multiple first echo signals can be the same or different. In this case, the network node 601 can obtain the perception data corresponding to the multiple first echo signals, and determine the areas covered by the multiple first echo signals, and then perform perception based on the determined perception data and areas. The area covered by the multiple first echo signals is the union or intersection of the areas covered by each first echo signal.

[0285] Based on the method shown in Figure 11, the network node can limit the influence range of the first perception data to the area covered by the first echo signal, avoiding the impact of the first perception data on the perception results of the area not covered by the first echo signal, so as to improve the accuracy of the perception results.

[0286] It can be understood that in the methods shown in Figures 8 to 11, the actions of the network node 601 or the perception device 603 or the perception device 604 can be executed by the processor 701 in the communication device 70 shown in Figure 7 calling the application code stored in the memory 703, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0287] The various embodiments mentioned above in this application can be combined without limitation if there is no contradiction between the solutions.

[0288] The above mainly introduces the solution provided by this application from the perspective of interaction between various network elements. Accordingly, this application also provides a communication device, which can be a network node in the above method embodiment, or a device including the above network node, or a component that can be used in a network node; or, the communication device can be a sensing device (such as sensing device 603 or sensing device 604) in the above method embodiment, or a device including the above sensing device, or a component that can be used in a sensing device. It is understandable that in order to implement the above functions, the above network node or sensing device, etc., includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to performing each function. It should be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in combination with the various exemplary units and algorithmic operations described in the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is implemented in hardware or in a manner where computer software drives hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professionals and technicians can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0289] The present application can divide the network nodes or sensing devices into functional modules according to the above method examples. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It is understood that the division of modules in this application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0290] For example, FIG12 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 120, where the functional modules are integrated. Communication device 120 includes an interface module 1201 and a processing module 1202. Interface module 1201, also known as an interface unit, performs transceiver operations and may be, for example, an interface circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface. Processing module 1202, also known as a processing unit, performs operations other than transceiver operations and may be, for example, a processing circuit or a processor.

[0291] In some embodiments, the communication device 120 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 12 ) for storing program instructions and data.

[0292] Exemplarily, the communication device 120 is used to implement the functions of the network node 601. The communication device 120 is, for example, the network node 601 described in the embodiment shown in FIG8 , the embodiment shown in FIG9 , the embodiment shown in FIG10 , or the embodiment shown in FIG11 .

[0293] The processing module 1202 is configured to obtain first sensing data. The first sensing data is obtained based on a first echo signal corresponding to the first sensing signal. For example, the processing module 1202 may be configured to execute S801, S1002, or S1102.

[0294] Interface module 1201 is configured to receive visible area indication information. The visible area indication information indicates a first visible area or a second visible area, where the first visible area is the area covered by the first perception signal, and the second visible area is the area covered by the first echo signal. For example, interface module 1201 may be configured to execute S802, S1003, or S1103.

[0295] The processing module 1202 is further configured to perform perception based on the first perception data and the visible area indication information. For example, the processing module 1202 may be configured to execute S803, S1004, or S1104.

[0296] In one possible implementation, the visible area indication information is used to indicate a first visible area, and the visible area indication information includes at least one of the following: position information of the first visible area, environmental information, beam width information of a transmitting beam of a first perception signal, orientation information of a transmitting beam, or position information of an array element that transmits the first perception signal; or, the visible area indication information is used to indicate a second visible area, and the visible area indication information includes at least one of the following: position information of the second visible area, environmental information, beam width information of a transmitting beam of a first perception signal, orientation information of a transmitting beam, position information of an array element that transmits the first perception signal, beam width information of a receiving beam of a first echo signal, orientation information of a receiving beam, or position information of an array element that receives the first echo signal.

[0297] In a possible implementation, the interface module 1201 is further configured to send first indication information, where the first indication information indicates an area covered by a first sensing device, where the first sensing device is a sensing device that receives a first echo signal.

[0298] In a possible implementation, the interface module 1201 is further configured to send indication information of the target area, where the indication information of the target area is used to determine the visible area indication information.

[0299] In a possible implementation, the first visible area includes a target area.

[0300] In one possible implementation, the interface module 1201 is further used to receive second indication information, where the second indication information indicates an area covered by the second perception device; and the processing module 1202 is further used to determine whether the second perception device can participate in perception based on the second indication information.

[0301] In a possible implementation, the interface module 1201 is further configured to send third indication information, where the third indication information indicates that the second perception device participates in perception, or indicates that the second perception device cannot participate in perception.

[0302] In one possible implementation, the visible area indication information is used to indicate the first visible area, and the processing module 1202 is specifically used to determine the second visible area based on the visible area indication information, where the second visible area is the area covered by the first echo signal; the processing module 1202 is also specifically used to perform perception based on the first perception data and the second visible area.

[0303] When used to implement the functions of the network node 601, for other functions that the communication device 120 can implement, reference can be made to the embodiment shown in Figure 8, the embodiment shown in Figure 9, the embodiment shown in Figure 10 or the embodiment shown in Figure 11, and no further details will be given.

[0304] Alternatively, illustratively, the communication device 120 is configured to implement the functionality of the sensing device. The communication device 120 is, for example, the sensing device 603 in the embodiment shown in FIG8 or FIG9 , or the network node 601 in the embodiment shown in FIG10 , or the sensing device 603 in the embodiment shown in FIG11 .

[0305] Among them, the interface module 1201 is used to send a first perception signal.

[0306] The interface module 1201 is further configured to send visible area indication information. The visible area indication information is used to indicate a first visible area, where the first visible area is an area covered by the first perception signal.

[0307] In a possible implementation, the visible area indication information includes at least one of the following: position information of the first visible area, environmental information, beam width information of a transmission beam of the first perception signal, orientation information of the transmission beam, or position information of an array element that sends the first perception signal.

[0308] In a possible implementation, the interface module 1201 is further configured to receive first indication information, where the first indication information indicates an area covered by the first sensing device; the interface module 1201 is specifically configured to send a first sensing signal according to the first indication information.

[0309] In a possible implementation, the interface module 1201 is further configured to receive indication information of a target area; and the processing module 1202 is configured to determine the visible area indication information according to the indication information of the target area.

[0310] In a possible implementation, the first visible area includes a target area.

[0311] In a possible implementation, the interface module 1201 is further configured to send second indication information, where the second indication information indicates an area covered by the communication device.

[0312] In a possible implementation, the interface module 1201 is further configured to receive third indication information, where the third indication information indicates that the second perception device participates in perception.

[0313] When used to implement the function of the sensing device, regarding other functions that the communication device 120 can implement, please refer to the relevant introduction of the embodiment shown in Figure 8, the embodiment shown in Figure 9, the embodiment shown in Figure 10 or the embodiment shown in Figure 11, and no further details will be given.

[0314] In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art may appreciate that the communication device 120 may be in the form shown in Figure 7. For example, the processor 701 in Figure 7 may call computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 703 to enable the communication device 120 to execute the method described in the above method embodiment.

[0315] Exemplarily, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 1202 and the interface module 1201 in FIG12 may be implemented by the processor 701 in FIG7 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 703. Alternatively, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 1202 in FIG12 may be implemented by the processor 701 in FIG7 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 703, and the functions / implementation processes of the interface module 1201 in FIG12 may be implemented by the communication interface 704 in FIG7.

[0316] It is understandable that one or more of the above modules or units can be implemented by software, hardware or a combination of the two. When any of the above modules or units is implemented by software, the software exists in the form of computer program instructions and is stored in a memory, and a processor can be used to execute the program instructions and implement the above method flow. The processor can be built into an SoC (system on chip) or an ASIC, or it can be an independent semiconductor chip. In addition to the core used to execute software instructions to perform calculations or processing within the processor, it can further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), PLDs (programmable logic devices), or logic circuits that implement dedicated logic operations.

[0317] When the above modules or units are implemented in hardware, the hardware can be any one or any combination of a CPU, a microprocessor, a digital signal processing (DSP) chip, a microcontroller unit (MCU), an artificial intelligence processor, an ASIC, a SoC, an FPGA, a PLD, a dedicated digital circuit, a hardware accelerator or a non-integrated discrete device, which can run the necessary software or not rely on the software to execute the above method flow.

[0318] Optionally, the present application also provides a chip system, comprising: at least one processor and an interface, wherein the at least one processor is coupled to a memory via the interface, and when the at least one processor executes a computer program or instruction in the memory, the method in any of the above method embodiments is executed. In one possible implementation, the chip system also includes a memory. Optionally, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0319] Optionally, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium. All or part of the processes in the above-mentioned method embodiments can be completed by a computer program to instruct the relevant hardware. The program can be stored in the above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium. When the program is executed, it can include the processes of the above-mentioned method embodiments. The computer-readable storage medium can be an internal storage unit of the communication device of any of the above-mentioned embodiments, such as a hard disk or memory of the communication device. The above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium can also be an external storage device of the above-mentioned communication device, such as a plug-in hard disk, a smart memory card (smart media card, SMC), a secure digital (secure digital, SD) card, a flash card (flash card), etc. equipped on the above-mentioned communication device. Furthermore, the above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium can also include both the internal storage unit of the above-mentioned communication device and an external storage device. The above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium is used to store the above-mentioned computer program and other programs and data required by the above-mentioned communication device. The above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or is to be output.

[0320] Optionally, the present application also provides a computer program product. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments may be completed by a computer program instructing related hardware. The program may be stored in the above computer program product, and when executed, the program may include the processes in the above method embodiments.

[0321] Optionally, the present application also provides a computer instruction. All or part of the process in the above method embodiment can be completed by the computer instruction to instruct the relevant hardware (such as a computer, processor, network node or sensing device, etc.). The program can be stored in the above computer-readable storage medium or in the above computer program product.

[0322] Optionally, the present application further provides a communication system, comprising: the network node 601 in the above embodiment. Optionally, the communication system further comprises the sensing device 603 in the above embodiment. Optionally, the communication system further comprises the sensing device 604 in the above embodiment.

[0323] Through the description of the above implementation methods, technical personnel in the relevant field can clearly understand that for the convenience and simplicity of description, only the division of the above-mentioned functional modules is used as an example. In actual applications, the above-mentioned functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0324] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the modules or units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0325] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may be one physical unit or multiple physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed in multiple places. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0326] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit. The aforementioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional units.

[0327] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited to this. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A sensing method, characterized in that, The method includes: Obtaining first sensing data, where the first sensing data is obtained based on a first echo signal corresponding to a first sensing signal; Receiving visible region indication information, where the visible region indication information is used to indicate a first visible region or a second visible region, the first visible region is the region covered by the first sensing signal, and the second visible region is the region covered by the first echo signal; Performing sensing according to the first sensing data and the visible region indication information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The visible region indication information is used to indicate the first visible region, and the visible region indication information includes at least one of the following: position information of the first visible region, environmental information, beam width information of a transmission beam of the first sensing signal, orientation information of the transmission beam, or position information of an element that transmits the first sensing signal; or The visible region indication information is used to indicate the second visible region, and the visible region indication information includes at least one of the following: position information of the second visible region, environmental information, beam width information of a transmission beam of the first sensing signal, orientation information of the transmission beam, position information of an element that transmits the first sensing signal, beam width information of a reception beam of the first echo signal, orientation information of the reception beam, or position information of an element that receives the first echo signal.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method is applied to a first sensing device. Before obtaining the first sensing data, the method further includes: Sending first indication information, where the first indication information indicates the region covered by the first sensing device, and the first sensing device is a sensing device that receives the first echo signal.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: Sending indication information of a target region, where the indication information of the target region is used to determine the visible region indication information.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The first visible region includes the target region.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receiving second indication information, where the second indication information indicates the region covered by a second sensing device; Determining whether the second sensing device can participate in sensing according to the second indication information.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein The method further includes: Sending third indication information, where the third indication information indicates that the second sensing device participates in sensing, or indicates that the second sensing device cannot participate in sensing.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The visible region indication information is used to indicate the first visible region. The performing sensing according to the first sensing data and the visible region indication information includes: Determining a second visible region according to the visible region indication information, where the second visible region is the region covered by the first echo signal; Performing sensing according to the first sensing data and the second visible region.

9. A perception method, characterized in that, The method includes: Sending a first sensing signal; Sending visible region indication information, where the visible region indication information is used to indicate a first visible region, and the first visible region is the region covered by the first sensing signal.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The visual area indication information includes at least one of the following: the position information of the first visual area, environmental information, the beam width information of the transmission beam of the first sensing signal, the orientation information of the transmission beam, or the position information of the element that transmits the first sensing signal.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receiving first indication information, where the first indication information indicates the area covered by the first sensing device; The sending of the first sensing signal includes: Sending the first sensing signal according to the first indication information.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The method further includes: Receiving indication information of a target area; Determining the visual area indication information according to the indication information of the target area.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The first visual area includes the target area.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9-13, characterized in that, The method is applied to a second sensing device. Before sending the first sensing signal, the method further includes: Sending second indication information, where the second indication information indicates the area covered by the second sensing device.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The method further includes: Receiving third indication information, where the third indication information indicates that the second sensing device participates in sensing.

16. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes: a processing module and an interface module; The processing module is configured to obtain first sensing data, where the first sensing data is obtained based on a first echo signal corresponding to the first sensing signal; The interface module is configured to receive visual area indication information, where the visual area indication information is used to indicate a first visual area or a second visual area, the first visual area is the area covered by the first sensing signal, and the second visual area is the area covered by the first echo signal; The processing module is further configured to perform sensing according to the first sensing data and the visual area indication information.

17. The communication device according to claim 16, wherein The visual area indication information is used to indicate the first visual area, and the visual area indication information includes at least one of the following: the position information of the first visual area, environmental information, the beam width information of the transmission beam of the first sensing signal, the orientation information of the transmission beam, or the position information of the element that transmits the first sensing signal; or The visual area indication information is used to indicate the second visual area, and the visual area indication information includes at least one of the following: the position information of the second visual area, environmental information, the beam width information of the transmission beam of the first sensing signal, the orientation information of the transmission beam, the position information of the element that transmits the first sensing signal, the beam width information of the reception beam of the first echo signal, the orientation information of the reception beam, or the position information of the element that receives the first echo signal.

18. The communication device according to claim 16 or 17, wherein The interface module is further configured to send first indication information, where the first indication information indicates the area covered by the communication device, and the communication device is a sensing device that receives the first echo signal.

19. The communication device according to any one of claims 16-18, wherein The interface module is further configured to send indication information of a target area, and the indication information of the target area is used to determine the visible area indication information.

20. The communication device according to claim 19, wherein, The first visible area includes the target area.

21. The communication device according to any one of claims 16-20, wherein The interface module is further configured to receive second indication information, and the second indication information indicates an area covered by a second sensing device; The processing module is further configured to determine whether the second sensing device can participate in sensing according to the second indication information.

22. The communication device according to claim 21, wherein The interface module is further configured to send third indication information, and the third indication information indicates that the second sensing device participates in sensing, or indicates that the second sensing device cannot participate in sensing.

23. The communication device according to any one of claims 16-22, characterized in that, The visible area indication information is used to indicate a first visible area, The processing module is specifically configured to determine a second visible area according to the visible area indication information, and the second visible area is an area covered by the first echo signal; The processing module is further specifically configured to perform sensing according to the first sensing data and the second visible area.

24. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes: an interface module; The interface module is configured to send a first sensing signal; The interface module is further configured to send visible area indication information, and the visible area indication information is used to indicate a first visible area, and the first visible area is an area covered by the first sensing signal.

25. The communication device according to claim 24, wherein The visible area indication information includes at least one of the following: position information of the first visible area, environmental information, beam width information of a transmission beam of the first sensing signal, orientation information of the transmission beam, or position information of an element that transmits the first sensing signal.

26. The communication device according to claim 24 or 25, wherein The interface module is further configured to receive first indication information, and the first indication information indicates an area covered by a first sensing device; The interface module is specifically configured to send the first sensing signal according to the first indication information.

27. The communication device according to claim 26, wherein The communication device further includes: a processing module; The interface module is further configured to receive indication information of a target area; The processing module is configured to determine the visible area indication information according to the indication information of the target area.

28. The communication device according to claim 27, wherein The first visible area includes the target area.

29. The communication device according to any one of claims 24-28, wherein The interface module is further configured to send second indication information, and the second indication information indicates an area covered by the communication device.

30. The communication device according to claim 29, wherein The interface module is further configured to receive third indication information, and the third indication information indicates that the communication device participates in sensing.

31. A communication device, characterized in that, Comprising: a processor, the processor is coupled to a memory, the memory is used to store programs or instructions, and when the programs or instructions are executed by the processor, the device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, or executes the method according to any one of claims 9 to 15.

32. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program or instruction is executed, it causes the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, or the method according to any one of claims 9 to 15.

33. A computer program product, which includes computer program code, characterized in that, When the computer program code runs on a computer, it causes the computer to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, or to implement the method according to any one of claims 9 to 15.

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