Sensing reference signal for high velocity and high ranging resolution

Abstract

A method performed by a first device in a communication system is disclosed. The method includes accessing a configuration of the first device comprising (i) a plurality of reference signals having different bandwidths, and (ii) an indication to the first device regarding how to use at least one reference signal from the plurality of reference signals to obtain a measurement of at least one of a velocity or a Doppler shift of a target, and a range or delay value of the target. The method further includes obtaining a measurement of at least one of (i) a velocity or a Doppler shift of a target and (ii) a range or delay value of the target based on at least one reference signal from the plurality of reference signals.

Description

SENSING REFERENCE SIGNAL FOR HIGH VELOCITY AND HIGH RANGING RESOLUTIONTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to communications, and more particularly to methods and related devices and network nodes performing wireless and / or cellular based communications and signaling.BACKGROUND

[0002] Joint Communication and Sensing (JCAS) and integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) are emerging as promising use cases in future wireless cellular communications, such as 6G. The principal idea is to utilize cellular communication nodes (e.g., base stations and / or user equipment (UE) devices) to sense the environment by either using communication-specific signals or dedicated sensing signals, and provide information, such as location, shape, and / or speed of the objects in the surrounding area. Some of the possible applications of sensing using cellular communication systems include traffic monitoring, drone detection, gesture / motion detection, presence detection of objects or persons, vital sign detection, environment mapping, and particle / pollution detection, among others.

[0003] In practice, sensing can be conducted using either i) a single node where the transmitter and receiver are co-located (monostatic) or ii) multiple nodes, i.e., where the transmitter and receiver(s) are positioned in different locations (bi-static or multi-static).SUMMARY

[0004] In one embodiment, the disclosed subject matter includes a method performed by a first device in a communication system that includes accessing a configuration of the first device comprising (i) a plurality of reference signals having different bandwidths, and (ii) an indication to the first device regarding how to use at least one reference signal from the plurality of reference signals to obtain a measurement of at least one of a velocity or a Doppler shift of a target, and a range or delay value of the target. The method further includes obtaining a measurement of at least one of (i) a velocity or a Doppler shift of a target and (ii) a range or delay value of the target based on at least one reference signal from the plurality of reference signals.

[0005] In one embodiment, the disclosed subject matter includes a first device that comprises processing circuitry, and at least one memory storing instructions executable by the processingcircuitry to perform operations to: access a configuration of the first device comprising (i) a plurality of reference signals having different bandwidths, and (ii) an indication to the first device regarding how to use at least one reference signal from the plurality of reference signals to obtain a measurement of at least one of a velocity or a Doppler shift of a target, and a range or delay value of the target, and obtain a measurement of at least one of (i) a velocity or a Doppler shift of a target and (ii) a range or delay value of the target based on at least one reference signal from the plurality of reference signals.

[0006] In one embodiment, the disclosed subject matter includes a computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions executable by processing circuitry of a first device, the instructions executed by the processing circuitry to perform operations to: access a configuration of the first device comprising (i) a plurality of reference signals having different bandwidths, and (ii) an indication to the first device regarding how to use at least one reference signal from the plurality of reference signals to obtain a measurement of at least one of a velocity or a Doppler shift of a target, and a range or delay value of the target, and obtain a measurement of at least one of (i) a velocity or a Doppler shift of a target and (ii) a range or delay value of the target based on at least one reference signal from the plurality of reference signals.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate certain non-limiting embodiments of inventive concepts. In the drawings:

[0008] Figure 1 is a diagram of a reflected signal being received by a first device in a bistatic radar scenario according to some embodiments;

[0009] Figure 2 is an exemplary pulse train that is transmitted for determining a Doppler - induced frequency shift from a moving target according to some embodiments;

[0010] Figure 3 is an exemplary delay-Doppler receive processing diagram according to some embodiments;

[0011] Figure 4 depicts plots that graphically represent an ambiguity function of a radar pulse based on a QPSK sequence and a ZC sequence according to some embodiments;

[0012] Figure 5 is a diagram of an exemplary sensing signal structure according to some embodiments;

[0013] Figure 6 is a diagram of an exemplary sensing signal structure according to some embodiments;

[0014] Figure 7 is a signaling diagram depicting the communication and processing of a sensing signal according to some embodiments;

[0015] Figure 8 is a flow chart illustrating example operations for obtaining measurements related to a target based on one or more reference signals according to some embodiments;

[0016] Figure 9 is a block diagram of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments;

[0017] Figure 10 is a block diagram of a user equipment in accordance with some embodiments

[0018] Figure 11 is a block diagram of a network node in accordance with some embodiments;

[0019] Figure 12 is a block diagram of a host computer communicating with a user equipment in accordance with some embodiments; and

[0020] Figure 13 is a block diagram of a virtualization environment in accordance with some embodiments; and

[0021] Figure 14 is a block diagram of an Over the Top (OTT) communications network in accordance with some embodiments.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art, in which examples of embodiments of inventive concepts are shown. Inventive concepts may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of present inventive concepts to those skilled in the art. It should also be noted that these embodiments are not mutually exclusive. Components from one embodiment may be tacitly assumed to be present / used in another embodiment.

[0023] As indicated above, in a monostatic radar the transmitter and receiver elements are co-located (i.e. , positioned on the same communications node). Notably, the transmitter sends a waveform that is reflected by the environment and targets. These transmitted reflections can bereceived by the receiver and processed (e.g., by the receiver and / or some another connected entity) to obtain information about the environment and / or targets.

[0024] A radar pulse that spans one or multiple orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols would allow for an easy integration of radar into the communication system. For example, for New Radio (NR) 30 kilohertz (kHz) numerology, the OFDM symbol duration (including a cyclic prefix) is approximately 36 microseconds ( / is). A radar pulse spanning a single OFDM symbol duration would have the same length. A round trip time of 36 is corresponds to single-way distance of 5.4 kilometers (km). For objects closer than 5.4 km, the echo (i.e., reflected signal) would arrive back to the monostatic communications node while its transmitter is stilling transmitting the radar pulse.

[0025] As such, the reflected signal is received in the presence of strong self-interference (i.e., the transmitted signal that leaks into the receiver). A receiver capable of receiving the signal in this manner may be called a full-duplex capable receiver. Full-duplex capability places high requirements on the receiver and potentially on the transmitter (e.g., linearity), especially for high transmit powers where high self-interference cancellation is required.

[0026] In a bi-static and / or multi-static radar, the transmitter and receiver are not co-located and thus avoid the full-duplex related problems outlined above for the monostatic radar. Rather, in bistatic radar, distance measurements are based on determining the Time of Flight (ToF) of the signal sent from transmitter via the target to the receiver. As shown in Figure 1, a communication system 100 includes a first device 101 (e.g., a receiver device, such as a UE) that is configured to receive a reflected signal 120 that is reflected from a target 105 (e.g., a human or a target device, such as a vehicle). Notably, reflected signal 120 originates as a transmitted signal 110 that is transmitted by a second device 102 (e.g., a transmitter device, such as a base station). Using Figure 1 as an example, the ToF of the signal sent from transmitting second device 102 to receiving first device 101 via target 105 may be determined and / or defined by the amount of time that transpires between the point in time when signal 110 is initially transmitted and the point in time when the reflected signal 120 initially reaches first device 101.

[0027] All possible target positions for a measured ToF value are located on an ellipsis (e.g., an ellipsoid in three dimensions) with focal points given by the transmitter and receiver locations. To determine the target position, the transmitter and receiver node locations, the ToF, and either the Angle of Departure (AoD) or Angle of Arrival (Ao A) must be known. Notably, at least one of the AoD or AoA is needed to determine the target location on the ellipse given by the transmitter and receiver location and ToF. In order to accurately determine the ToF, thetransmitter and receiver need to be accurately synchronized. This is one of the primary challenges for successfully utilizing bi-static and multistatic radars.

[0028] In multistatic radar, more than two network nodes participate in the radar operation. For example, with one transmitter and three receivers, three ellipses can be determined and the target is located where the three ellipses intersect. This method requires ToF estimates from at least three receiver devices, but the angle information is not needed (although such data can be used to improve performance) for positioning in three dimensions (3D).

[0029] The disclosed subject matter also pertains to the estimating the range and / or distance of the target (e.g., from the receiver device) and the velocity and / or Doppler signature of the target. For conducting a range estimation using a monostatic radar, the distance between the radar node and the target is determined based on the ToF, i.e., R = c0T / 2 , with T equal to the time duration between the pulse transmission and reception, and c0representing the speed of light. Two targets that are located further apart than the range resolution, Rr= c0 / (2BW), can still be distinguished as separate objects. In contrast, two targets that are positioned closer than Rrmay appear as a single target. Notably, the range resolution is inversely proportional to the radar signal bandwidth, BW. Similar expressions can be derived for bistatic radar.

[0030] Similarly, one way to determine the velocity (or speed) of a target is to estimate a Doppler-induced frequency shift attributed to a moving target on a received signal. As used herein, the term velocity is used interchangeably with the term speed and intended to be synonymous with the same. Knowing the Doppler signature from a target can also assist in classifying targets (e.g., a pedestrian has a particular Doppler profile due to movement of the person’s legs and arms, and is typically moving slower than a vehicle), or differentiating reflected signals from stationary clutter and moving targets.

[0031] The Doppler-induced frequency shift from a moving target on the received signal can be determined by measuring the phase difference between received pulses of a pulse train. In Figure 2, a pulse train 210 with pulses 210-213 occurring every Trepseconds (e.g., see Trep202 depicted in Figure 2) is transmitted. Assuming perfect phase and frequency synchronization between a stationary transmitter, a stationary receiver, and a stationary target, the distance for the ‘transmitter-target-receiver’ signal path does not change and each received pulse has the same phase shift relative to its transmitted copy (i.e., no phase difference is observed between consecutively received pulses). With a moving target, the distance of the ‘transmitter-target- receiver’ signal path changes over time, which manifests itself in a phase change between consecutively received pulses that can be used to determine a Doppler shift. The phase changecan be represented as and / or determined by A<p = 2 / r ■ ■ Trep, with fdrepresenting the Doppler shift induced by the moving target. The Doppler shift depends on the velocity of the target, its direction relative to the transmitter and receiver, as well as the carrier frequency fc. For example, a target moving with velocity v towards a monostatic radar results in a Doppler shift of fd= 2vfc / c0, with c0and fcrepresenting the speed of light and carrier frequency, respectively.

[0032] In a bi-static or multistatic radar, the Doppler shift is typically less, depending on signal path geometry among the transmitter, receiver, and target.

[0033] Two quantities related to Doppler estimation are maximum unambiguous velocity vu= — — — and the velocity resolution vr= — — — , with M representing the number of pulses fcTrep 2fcMTrep in the pulse train. The maximum unambiguous velocity is the highest velocity that can be unambiguously determined from — vuto vuand with M pulses this range is divided into M velocity bins of size vr.

[0034] A typical receive processing is shown in Figure 3, which illustrates an example Delay-Doppler receive processing chain 300. Each pulse (e.g., pulse 301) of a received signal is assumed to be prefixed with a cyclic extension (CE). When the receiver device performs a cyclic correlation (per pulse) of the received signal with the transmitted pulses (without cyclic extension), the outcome of each correlator (e.g., AT cyclic correlators 302) (per pulse) is the cyclic convolution between the periodic autocorrelation function (ACF) of the transmitted pulses (without cyclic extension) and the impulse response between the transmitter and receiver (i.e., the response of the objects). It is easy to construct pulses that have very good periodic ACFs (e.g., in the sense that the ACF has one non-zero position and otherwise only zeros). In some embodiments, the cyclic correlation may be determined by performing a frequency-domain matched filter, i.e., transform the received signal (per pulse) into frequency-domain using a fast Fourier transform (FFT), multiplying the transformed signal with the conjugate complex of the frequency-domain representation (e.g., FFT) of the transmitted pulse (without cyclic extension), and transform the result back into the time-domain using an inverse FFT (IFFT). The size of the FFT is determined by the pulse length (without cyclic extension) and the sampling rate, the IFFT size can be selected based on the desired range accuracy.

[0035] The output of the cyclic correlators 302, arranged in 2D (e.g., delay per cyclic correlator x number of radar pulses), is called delay -time representation 303 and is depicted in a delay-time plane. Multiple FFTs 304 (e.g., one FFT per relevant cyclic correlator output sample) applied across different pulses (e.g., same delay sample in each cyclic correlator output) converts the delay-time representation into delay-Doppler representation 305 as depicted in a delay-Doppler plane. In the delay-Doppler representation 305, objects manifest themselves as peaks at corresponding delay and Doppler values. As shown in delay-Doppler representation 305 of Figure 5, three targets are detected and are indicated by the three black squares in the delay- Doppler plane.

[0036] In an OFDM-based radar system, the pulses would typically be generated by applying a sequence in the frequency -domain to the allocated subcarriers of the OFDM modulator and adding the cyclic extension (e.g., a cyclic prefix). In principle, every sequence that has constant magnitude may result in a time-domain signal that can have a perfect periodic ACF and may be used as radar sequence. However, under a large Doppler shift (e.g., for fast moving targets) application of a Zadoff-Chu (ZC) sequence may be an ideal choice. Since the frequency-domain representation of a ZC sequence is another ZC sequence, it can be specified either in time or frequency. In the following, it is assumed that ZC sequences are described in the frequency-domain.

[0037] Figure 4 shows the ambiguity function of radar pulses based on a Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) sequence (e.g., see QPSK plot 401) and a ZC sequence (e.g., see ZC plot 402). Both sequences have a constant magnitude and have very good properties (e.g., the peak of the abs(ACF) is distinct and the sidelobes are low in Figure 4) when the Doppler value is small. However, when subjected to a large frequency shift, the ZC sequence notably outperforms the QPSK sequence (as further illustrated by plots 401 and 402).

[0038] The FFT processing described above assumes that for each received radar pulse, the peak associated to the same target occurs in the same range cell. Namely, the position change of the target (e.g., in meters) during the integration period (i.e., the time period spanning from the first radar pulse to the last radar pulse processed by the FFT across symbols) is less than the size / length of a range cell when the target is moving sufficiently slow. However, if the velocity of the target is extremely high, a target peak may occur at a first range cell (e.g., delay sample in matched filter output) during the first received radar pulse, but moves during the integration period at an excessive speed that causes the target’s target peak to occur in second / another range cell (e.g., delay sample in matched filter output) in a later received radar pulse.

[0039] In one example, a first sensing signal includes fc= GHz (carrier frequency), vu= 50 m / s (unambiguous velocity of target), vr= 1 m / s (velocity resolution), and Rr= 1 m (range resolution). To fulfill the required range resolution, a signaling bandwidth of BW > 150 MHz is needed by the transmitter device. To fulfill the unambiguous velocity, the transmitter determines Trep< 0.5 ms. To fulfill the velocity resolution, M > 100 is obtained.Assuming a target travels with v = vu= 50 m / s, the target will move during the integration time (i.e., the time period spanning from the first radar pulse to the last radar pulse), which is Tint=M ’ Trep= 50 ms, a distance determined by v ■ Tint= 2.5 m. Notably, this distance is presently equal to more than one range cell (which is determined by the range resolution, Rr= 1 m). Notably, the target will be observed at two or more different range cells during the integration period. This scenario is referred to herein as range cell migration.

[0040] One possibility to solve the problem of range cell migration is to only consider a fraction of the signaling bandwidth for the Doppler determination, which can increase the range cell size. For example, using a 25 MHz frequency equates to a range cell size of 6 meters.

[0041] However, the ambiguity function associated with very good high-speed properties requires that the complete ZC sequence (i.e., a sequence mapped over the complete signaling BW) is processed. Notably, it is not sufficient to process only a fraction or portion of the ZC sequence (i.e., over a corresponding fraction or portion of the signaling bandwidth).

[0042] As a result, a sensing signal structure is therefore needed that provides for an accurate ambiguity function at high speed while contemporaneously addressing the range cell migration problem.

[0043] In some embodiments, a sensing signal (or reference signal) may be composed of two parts: 1) a wideband signal portion that fulfills the range resolution requirement(s) and 2) a narrowband signal portion that provides coarse range cells that are sufficiently large enough to minimize or avoid the occurrence of range cell migration when this reference signal is processed.

[0044] An exemplary sensing signal 500 is constructed as shown in Figure 5. Notably, the sensing signal 500 includes M symbols, which are collectively labeled symbols 54OO-54OM-I. Each symbol includes a wideband signal portion 510 and a narrowband signal portion 520. Notably, wideband signal portion 510 includes a bandwidth size of BW1, while narrowband signal portion 520 includes a bandwidth size of BW2. For example, the wideband signal portion 510 has a bandwidth that fulfills the required range resolution, i.e.,BW1 >2Rr

[0045] Likewise, the narrowband signal portion 520 has a small enough bandwidth that avoids or minimizes range cell migration during the integration period, i.e.— — > a ■ M ■ Trev■ vu. 2BW2p

[0046] The left-hand side of this equation represents the range resolution of a signal with bandwidth BW2. The right-hand side of this equation (except the factor a) is the range change, or how much a target with velocity vumoves during the integration period, which is equal to theproduct of M ■ Trep. A target that is already at the beginning of the integration period at the border between two range cells might migrate anyway, the factor a (which is typically larger than one) provides a margin towards this effect. Inserting the formulas for M and Trep, enables the following equation / relationship to be derived:

[0047] As depicted in Figure 5, both the wideband signal portion 510 and narrowband signal portion 520 are multiplexed on a subcarrier comb without empty subcarriers in between. Another possibility would be to use larger comb spacings, e.g., multiplexing the first signal portion on every 4thsubcarrier 4k and the second signal portion on every 4thsubcarrier shifted by two, e.g., 2 + 4k. Multiplexing in this manner has the advantage that the combs interfere less in cases involving large frequency shifts.

[0048] In Figure 5, both the wideband signal portion 510 and narrowband signal portion 520 have the same periodicity Trepand same number of repetitions M. Since the wideband signal portion 510 is primarily used for ranging, wideband signal portion 510 could have a different periodicity (e.g., a smaller period) and also contain a different number of pulses (e.g., typically a smaller number) such that the integration period of the wideband signal portion 510 is shorter (i.e., the target would move less during this period). In this case, the wideband signal portion 510 and narrowband signal portion 520 may not necessarily start or end in the same symbol, and at least one symbol would contain either only the wideband signal portion 510 or the narrowband signal portion 520.

[0049] Alternatively, if the integration period becomes too long when integrating over all symbols of the wideband signal portion 510 (e.g., because both signal portions contain the same number of pulses and periodicity), the integration of the wideband signal portion 510 could be limited to a subset of the symbols. This process can be repeated across different subsets of symbols and the results may be combined to improve performance.

[0050] Another possibility is to multiplex a wideband signal portion 610 and a narrowband signal portion 620 at different frequencies using FDM as shown in Figure 6Error! Reference source not found.. In scenarios involving a high frequency shift, interference between the wideband signal portion 610 and the narrowband signal portion 620 is lower since the two signal portions only share a single border. Notably, this interference can be further reduced by inserting a guard band 615 between the wideband signal portion 610 and a narrowband signal portion 620. One drawback of this solution is an increased overall bandwidth, for the comb construction the total bandwidth is determined by FVF1. while for the FDM construction the overall bandwidth isdetermined by BITT + BIT2 (plus guard band). Also, both wideband signal portion 610 and a narrowband signal portion 620 can have a different periodicity and a different number of symbols, as described in the comb construction.

[0051] In other embodiments, one possibility is to multiplex wideband and narrowband signal portions into different time periods, e.g., OFDM symbols. Likewise, both the wideband and narrowband signal portions can have a different periodicity and different number of symbols, as described in the comb construction. Advantages using time division duplex (TDD) is that the total bandwidth can be limited to BITT and the Peak to Average Power Ratio (PAPR) remains low if each of the individual signal portions has a low PAPR.

[0052] In some embodiments, a first device, e.g., a UE, is configured with one or more reference signals and at least one of a desired ranging resolution and a desired maximum unambiguous velocity / Doppler. 3GPP RAN4 UE requirements may then imply that both / multiple reference signals or signal parts must be used to comply with the requirements. The UE then picks - based on configured ranging resolution and / or maximum unambiguous velocity / Doppler - the proper signal part(s) for each measurement (assuming a single reference signal has been configured) or suitable reference signal(s) for each measurement (assuming two or more reference signals have been configured). The unambiguous velocity / Doppler threshold can be expressed as velocity or Doppler frequency.

[0053] In order for the receiver of the measurements to know which velocity / Doppler and range belong to the same target the measurement report(s) needs to contain for the velocity / Doppler value also a coarse ranging value (obtained with narrower reference signal / signal part) (in addition or alternatively, the ranging value could also be tagged with a coarse velocity value, obtained with the wider reference signal / signal part). There could be a single measurement instruction and report (combing velocity / Doppler and range) or separate once (one each for velocity / Doppler and range) but at least one of them needs also to contain the coarse complementary measurement.

[0054] In some embodiments, the UE would report two lists in one measurement, one with velocities (or Doppler shifts) of identified targets and one with ranges of identified targets. At least one of these lists needs to be complemented with the coarse complementary information, e.g., the velocity list with course ranges of the identified targets and / or the range list with coarse velocities of the identified targets.

[0055] In some embodiments, the UE would report a list with velocities (or Doppler shifts) of identified targets in one measurement report. In addition the UE would report a list withranges of identified targets in a second measurement report. At least one of these lists needs to be complemented with the coarse complementary information, e.g., the velocity list with course ranges of the identified targets and / or the range list with coarse velocities of the identified targets.

[0056] Alternatively, the UE combines targets detected with narrower and wider reference signal / signal parts if the detected ranges with both reference signals / signal parts are in proximity, i.e., within a threshold range and reports the value pair range (more accurate value obtained with wider reference signal / signal part) and velocity / Doppler (more accurate value obtained with narrower reverence signal / signal part). In addition / altematively, the UE can also make a check if the velocities / Doppler obtained with both reference signals / signal parts are close (within a velocity / Doppler threshold) and if yes, report the value pair range (more accurate value obtained with wider reference signal / signal part) and velocity / Doppler (more accurate value obtained with narrower reference / signal part). The range and / or velocity / Doppler threshold could be fixed or configurable, e.g., as part of the measurement configuration. The unambiguous velocity / Doppler threshold can be expressed as velocity or Doppler frequency. In this case there is preferable a single measurement instruction and single measurement report.

[0057] In case the UE is configured with two / multiple reference signals, the UE is also configured with quasi co-location (QCL) of the reference signals to enable the UE to pick suitable reference signals: They must be at least QCLed with respect to Doppler shift (for velocity estimation) and delay (for range estimation).

[0058] Figure 7 is a signaling diagram depicting the communication and processing of a sensing signal transmitted from a second device 752 (e.g., a base station transmitter), reflected from a target 753 (e.g., a vehicle), and received by a first device 751 (e.g., a UE receiver). In step 701, the second device 752 transmits a reference signal configuration message to first device 751. In some embodiments, the configuration message includes one or more reference signal configurations (i.e., “reference signal configuration data”). Each reference signal configuration included in the configuration message may include one or more reference signal portions, such as a wideband signal portion and / or a narrowband signal portion. Further, the aforementioned reference signal configuration data may be provisioned by the network and / or a network operator (via second device 752).

[0059] In some embodiments, a single reference signal configuration may include both a wideband signal portion and a narrowband signal portion. Alternatively, a reference signal configuration may comprise two separate reference signals, wherein a first reference signalincludes a wideband signal portion and the second reference signal includes a narrowband signal portion. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the wideband signal portion and the narrowband signal portion may either be interleaved or separated on a common symbol / pulse that has the same Trep value. In other embodiments, the wideband signal portion and the narrowband signal portion may be included on different symbols that have different Trep values.

[0060] In step 702, the first device 751 is configured to store the received reference signal configuration data. For example, the first device 751 may store the received reference signal configuration data in local memory and / or a cache that is accessible by the first device 751 (and / or a sensing signal application 761 locally stored on the first device 751). As described herein, the sensing signal application is configured to utilize reference signal configurations to process received / reflected sensing signals, obtain resolution measurement data from the same, and / or generate measurement reports.

[0061] In step 703, the second device 752 may send one or more parameter requirement provisioning messages that include velocity requirement and / or range resolution requirement data to the first device 710. In some embodiments, the parameter requirement provisioning message may include at least one of a predefined ranging resolution value and / or a predefined velocity requirement value (e.g., predefined Doppler shift value). These predefined requirement values may be certain threshold values that are required or desired by the network (e.g., base station(s), network operator, etc.). In some embodiments, these predefined requirement values may be provided to the first device 751 contemporaneously with the reference signal configuration data (e.g., via a common message in step 701). In addition, the network (via second device 752) may also provide the first device 751 with Trep data associated with the velocity requirement and range resolution data as part of the reference signal configuration.

[0062] In some embodiments, the parameter requirement provisioning message sent by second device 752 may also include a ‘measurement configuration indication’ that provides the first device 751 with instructions as to how to process a received sensing signal. For example, the measurement configuration indication may instruct first device 710 to perform a velocity and / or Doppler shift measurement on a received sensing signal (e.g., reflected by a target) using a narrowband signal portion of a reference signal (e.g., BW2 depicted in Figure 5 and 6). Likewise, the measurement configuration indication may also instruct the first device 710 to perform a ranging or distance resolution measurement on a received sensing signal using the wideband signal portion of a particular reference signal (e.g., BW1 depicted in Figure 5 and 6).

[0063] In step 704, the first device 751 may utilize the range resolution and velocity requirement data (previously provided by the network) as the basis to select one or more reference signal configurations (from among a plurality of locally stored reference signal configurations), which will be used by first device 751 to process sensing signals transmitted from second device 752. For example, the first device 751 may be configured to select a predefined ranging resolution threshold value, a predefined maximum unambiguous velocity or Doppler shift threshold value, and / or a corresponding Trep value to be used by the first device 751 and / or its sensing signal application 761. In some embodiments, the unambiguous velocity / Doppler shift threshold value can be expressed as a velocity or Doppler frequency.

[0064] In some embodiments, if a single reference signal configuration is used, then the first device 751 may select a proper wideband signal portion for the range measurement and a proper narrowband signal portion for the velocity measurement. If two or more reference signal configurations are used, then the first device 751 can select a first reference signal with the proper wideband signal portion and a second reference signal with the proper narrowband signal portion for the corresponding measurements.

[0065] At some point in time after first device 751 is configured with the reference signal configurations and the other data indicated above (e.g., resolution requirement data and / or measurement configuration indication data), the second device 752 transmits a sensing signal (see step 705). In some instances, the sensing signal is directed toward a target 753 and is subsequently reflected off the target’s surface as a reflected sensing signal. Notably, the reflected sensing signal may be received by the first device 751 (see step 706). In some embodiments, a received sensing signal includes one or more pulses of a signal pulse train.

[0066] After receiving the reflected sensing signal, first device 751 may apply its selected reference signal configuration to process the received sensing signal (see step 707). In some embodiments, the first device 751 may process the received sensing signal reflected from the target 753 using the wideband and narrowband signal portions corresponding to the selected reference signal configuration(s).

[0067] In step 708, the first device 751 can obtain range resolution and velocity measurements in response to applying the reference signal portions to the reflected sensing signal. For example, the first device 751 may be configured to obtain and inspect data from the resource blocks and / or resource elements (in the reflected sensing signal) in accordance with the wideband and / or narrowband signal portions of the selected reference signal configuration(s). In some embodiments, the first device and / or its sensing signal application can calculate i) avelocity and / or Doppler shift measurement and / or ii) a range measurement from using the data obtained from the applied narrowband and / or wideband signal portions, respectively. In some embodiments, these measurements obtained from the reference signals (i.e., the wideband and / or narrowband signal portions) can be combined to obtain a velocity and / or Doppler shift value and a ranging (or distance) value associated with the target 753 that has reflected the received sensing signal.

[0068] In step 709, the first device 751 generates one or more measurement reports. In order for the receiver of the measurement data (e.g., the second device 752) to know which i) velocity and / or Doppler shift value and ii) range value correspond to the same target, the generated measurement report(s) need to contain at least one coarse complementary measurement, such as a coarse ranging value or a coarse velocity value. Notably, a coarse ranging value is obtained using the narrowband signal portion (or reference signal) while a coarse velocity value is obtained with the wideband signal portion (or reference signal). If the measurement report contains a determined velocity and / or Doppler shift value, then the report needs to include (e.g., be tagged with) a coarse ranging value. In addition or alternatively, a measurement report including a determined ranging value can include (e.g., be tagged with) a coarse velocity value.

[0069] In some embodiments, the first device 751 can send either i) a single measurement report, which combines the velocity and / or Doppler shift measurements and range measurements, or ii) two or more measurement reports that separately include the velocity and range measurement data. For example, the first device 751 can send a first measurement report that includes the measured velocity / Doppler measurement value of the target 753 and a second measurement report that includes the range or distance measurement value of the target. If the first device 751 sends separate reports, at least one of them needs to additionally contain a coarse complementary measurement (i.e., a coarse ranging value or a coarse velocity value). In such embodiments, the receiving second device 752 may be configured to combine the velocity / Doppler shift and range measurements included in the measurement reports to determine the target’s velocity and range (e.g., in relation to the first device 751).

[0070] For example, the first device 751 may send a single measurement report that includes two lists. The first list may specify the velocity values (or Doppler shift values) of the identified targets, while a second list specifies the range values of the identified targets. The measurement report may also contain a single list which contains pairs of velocity values (or Doppler shift values) and range values of the identified targets..

[0071] Figure 8 is a flow chart illustrating method 800 depicting exemplary operations for utilizing a sensing reference signal according to one embodiment. Operations of the first device, (e.g., UE) which may be implemented using the structure of the block diagram of Figure 1000, will now be discussed with reference to the flow chart of Figure 8 according to some embodiments. For example, one or more modules may be stored in memory 1010 of Figure 10, and these modules may provide instructions so that when the instructions of a module are executed by respective processing circuitry 1002, the first device 1000 performs respective operations of the flow chart. In some embodiments, memory 1010 may store application programs 1014 and data 1016. For example, application programs 1014 may include a sensing signal application 1071 that is provisioned by the network (e.g., a base station) with the reference signal configuration data and one or more required / predefined ranging resolution values and velocity (e.g., maximum unambiguous velocity) or Doppler shift values.

[0072] In block 801, the method 800 includes accessing a configuration of the first device comprising (i) a plurality of reference signals having different bandwidths, and (ii) an indication to the first device regarding how to use at least one reference signal from the plurality of reference signals to obtain a measurement of at least one of a velocity or a Doppler shift of a target, and a range or delay value of the target.

[0073] In block 802, the method 800 includes obtaining a measurement of at least one of (i) a velocity or a Doppler shift of a target and (ii) a range or delay value of the target based on at least one reference signal from the plurality of reference signals.

[0074] In some embodiments, the plurality of reference signals comprises a wideband signal having a first bandwidth and a narrowband signal having a second bandwidth.

[0075] In some embodiments, at least one reference signal from the plurality of reference signals is based on a ZC sequence.

[0076] In some embodiments, the plurality of reference signals having different bandwidths are multiplexed on different subcarrier combs in a frequency domain in the same OFDM symbol.

[0077] In some embodiments, the plurality of reference signals having different bandwidths are multiplexed based on frequency domain multiplexing in a same symbol.

[0078] In some embodiments, the plurality of reference signals having different bandwidths are multiplexed in different symbols based on time domain multiplexing.

[0079] In some embodiments, the plurality of reference signals having different bandwidths respectively include a common portion of a reference signal.

[0080] In some embodiments, the first bandwidth of the wideband signal fulfills a specified range resolution.

[0081] In some embodiments, the second bandwidth of the narrowband signal comprises a bandwidth that avoids or minimizes range cell migration during an integration period of the measurement. In some embodiments, the second bandwidth is less than the first bandwidth.

[0082] In some embodiments, obtaining a measurement based on the plurality of reference signals having different bandwidths comprises (i) obtaining a first measurement of a velocity or a Doppler shift of a target and (ii) obtaining a second measurement of a range or delay value of the target.

[0083] In some embodiments, method 800 further includes combining the first measurement and the second measurement to obtain the velocity or the Doppler shift and the range or delay value of the target.

[0084] In some embodiments, the configuration comprises a single reference signal configuration that includes the plurality of reference signals.

[0085] In some embodiments, the plurality of reference signals is configured via multiple reference signal configurations.

[0086] In some embodiments, method 800 further includes reporting to a second device the measurement of at least one of (i) the velocity or the Doppler shift of the target and (ii) the range or delay value of the target.

[0087] In some embodiments, the indication comprises an instruction to the first device to perform (i) the velocity or the Doppler shift of a target with the narrowband signal and (ii) the range or delay value of the target with the wideband signal.

[0088] In some embodiments, the reporting comprises a first value for the velocity or the Doppler shift and a second value for the range or delay.

[0089] In some embodiments, the range or delay value is tagged with an estimated value for the velocity or the Doppler shift.

[0090] In some embodiments, the velocity or the Doppler shift is tagged with an estimated value for the range or delay.

[0091] In some embodiments, the indication to the first device comprises an instruction (i) to obtain a single measurement of the velocity or the Doppler shift of the target combined with the range or delay value of the target, and (ii) to report the single measurement.

[0092] In some embodiments, the indication to the first device comprises an instruction to(i) to obtain a first measurement of the velocity or the Doppler shift of the target and a secondmeasurement of the range or delay value of the target, and (ii) to report at least one of the first measurement tagged with the second measurement or the second measurement tagged with the first measurement.

[0093] In some embodiments, method 800 further comprises receiving the configuration including (i) the plurality of reference signals having different bandwidths, and (ii) the indication to the first device regarding how to use at least one reference signal from the plurality of reference signals to obtain the measurement of at least one of the velocity or the Doppler shift of the target, and the range or delay value of the target.

[0094] In some embodiments, the first device comprises one of a first UE and a first network node.

[0095] In some embodiments, the second device comprises one of a second UE and a second network node.

[0096] Figure 9 shows an example of a communication system 900 in accordance with some embodiments. In the example, the communication system 900 includes a telecommunication network 902 that includes an access network 904, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 906, which includes one or more core network nodes 908. The access network 904 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 910a and 910b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 910), or any other similar 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network 902 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 902 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network 902, including one or more network nodes 910 and / or core network nodes 908.

[0097] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O-CU- CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g.,xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface defined by the 0-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 910 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 912a, 912b, 912c, and 912d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 912) to the core network 906 over one or more wireless connections.

[0098] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 900 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 900 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0099] The UEs 912 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 910 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 910 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 912 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 902 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 902.

[0100] In the depicted example, the core network 906 connects the network nodes 910 to one or more hosts, such as host 916. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 906 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node908) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 908. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0101] The host 916 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 904 and / or the telecommunication network 902, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 916 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0102] As a whole, the communication system 900 of Figure 9 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0103] In some examples, the telecommunication network 902 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 902 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 902. For example, the telecommunications network902 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0104] In some examples, the UEs 912 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 904 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 904. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e., being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0105] In the example, the hub 914 communicates with the access network 904 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 912c and / or 912d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 910b). In some examples, the hub 914 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 914 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 906 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 914 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 910, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 914. As another example, the hub 914 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 914 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 914 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 914 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 914 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0106] The hub 914 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 910b. The hub 914 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 914 and UEs (e.g., UE 912c and / or 912d), and between the hub 914 and the core network 906. In other examples, the hub 914 is connected to the core network 906 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 914 may be configured to connect toan M2M service provider over the access network 904 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 910 while still connected via the hub 914 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 914 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 910b. In other embodiments, the hub 914 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 910b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0107] Figure 10 shows a UE 1000 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0108] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3 GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle- to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0109] The UE 1000 includes processing circuitry 1002 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1004 to an input / output interface 1006, a power source 1008, a memory 1010, a communication interface 1012, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 10. The level of integration between thecomponents may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0110] The processing circuitry 1002 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 1010. The processing circuitry 1002 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 1002 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0111] In the example, the input / output interface 1006 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 1000. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0112] In some embodiments, the power source 1008 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 1008 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 1008 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 1000 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 1008. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the powerfrom the power source 1008 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 1000 to which power is supplied.

[0113] The memory 1010 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable readonly memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 1010 includes one or more application programs 1014, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 1016. The memory 1010 may store, for use by the UE 1000, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0114] The memory 1010 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 1010 may allow the UE 1000 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 1010, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0115] The processing circuitry 1002 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 1012. The communication interface 1012 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 1022. The communication interface 1012 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 1018 and / or a receiver 1020 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequencyallocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 1018 and receiver 1020 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 1022) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0116] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 1012 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short- range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / intemet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0117] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 1012, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0118] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0119] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voicecontrolled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 1000 shown in Figure 10.

[0120] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0121] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g., by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0122] Figure 11 shows a network node 1100 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs,evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)), O-RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0123] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in an O-RAN access node) and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0124] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0125] The network node 1100 includes a processing circuitry 1102, a memory 1104, a communication interface 1106, and a power source 1108. The network node 1100 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., aNodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 1100 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 1100 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 1104 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 1110 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 1100 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 1100, for example GSM, WCDMA,LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 1100.

[0126] The processing circuitry 1102 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 1100 components, such as the memory 1104, to provide network node 1100 functionality.

[0127] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1102 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1102 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1112 and baseband processing circuitry 1114. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1112 and the baseband processing circuitry 1114 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 1112 and baseband processing circuitry 1114 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0128] The memory 1104 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer- readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 1102. The memory 1104 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 1102 and utilized by the network node 1100. The memory 1104 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 1102 and / or any data received via the communication interface 1106. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1102 and memory 1104 is integrated.

[0129] The communication interface 1106 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 1106 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 1116 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 1106 alsoincludes radio front-end circuitry 1118 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 1110. Radio front-end circuitry 1118 comprises filters 1120 and amplifiers 1122. The radio front-end circuitry 1118 may be connected to an antenna 1110 and processing circuitry 1102. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 1110 and processing circuitry 1102. The radio front-end circuitry 1118 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 1118 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1120 and / or amplifiers 1122. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 1110. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 1110 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 1118. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 1102. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0130] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 1100 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 1118, instead, the processing circuitry 1102 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 1110. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 1112 is part of the communication interface 1106. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 1106 includes one or more ports or terminals 1116, the radio front-end circuitry 1118, and the RF transceiver circuitry 1112, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 1106 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 1114, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0131] The antenna 1110 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 1110 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 1118 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 1110 is separate from the network node 1100 and connectable to the network node 1100 through an interface or port.

[0132] The antenna 1110, communication interface 1106, and / or the processing circuitry 1102 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 1110, the communication interface 1106, and / or the processing circuitry 1102 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as beingperformed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0133] The power source 1108 provides power to the various components of network node 1100 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 1108 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 1100 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 1100 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 1108. As a further example, the power source 1108 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0134] Embodiments of the network node 1100 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 11 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 1100 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 1100 and to allow output of information from the network node 1100. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 1100.

[0135] Figure 12 is a block diagram of a host 1200, which may be an embodiment of the host 916 of Figure 9, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 1200 may be or comprise various combinations hardware and / or software, including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, container, or processing resources in a server farm. The host 1200 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0136] The host 1200 includes processing circuitry 1202 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1204 to an input / output interface 1206, a network interface 1208, a power source 1210, and a memory 1212. Other components may be included in other embodiments. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of previous figures, such as Figures 10 and 11, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host 1200.

[0137] The memory 1212 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 1214 and data 1216, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host 1200 or data generated by the host 1200 for a UE. Embodiments of the host 1200 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs 1214 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UEs (e.g., handsets, desktop computers, wearable display systems, heads-up display systems). The host application programs 1214 may also provide for user authentication and licensing checks and may periodically report health, routes, and content availability to a central node, such as a device in or on the edge of a core network. Accordingly, the host 1200 may select and / or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for a UE. The host application programs 1214 may support various protocols, such as the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0138] Figure 13 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1300 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 1300 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 1300 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface.

[0139] Applications 1302 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in thevirtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0140] Hardware 1304 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1306 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1308a and 1308b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1308), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1306 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 1308.

[0141] The VMs 1308 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1306. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1302 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 1308, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0142] In the context of NFV, a VM 1308 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 1308, and that part of hardware 1304 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 1308 on top of the hardware 1304 and corresponds to the application 1302.

[0143] Hardware 1304 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1304 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1304 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g., such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 1310, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 1302. In some embodiments, hardware 1304 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or moreantennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 1312 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0144] Figure 14 shows a communication diagram of a host 1402 communicating via a network node 1404 with a UE 1406 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as a UE 912a of Figure 9 and / or UE 1000 of Figure 10), network node (such as network node 910a of Figure 9 and / or network node 1100 of Figure 11), and host (such as host 916 of Figure 9 and / or host 1200 of Figure 12) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to Figure 14.

[0145] Like host 1200, embodiments of host 1402 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 1402 also includes software, which is stored in or accessible by the host 1402 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that may be operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as the UE 1406 connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1450 extending between the UE 1406 and host 1402. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 1450.

[0146] The network node 1404 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host 1402 and UE 1406. The connection 1460 may be direct or pass through a core network (like core network 906 of Figure 9) and / or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks. For example, an intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0147] The UE 1406 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by UE 1406 and executable by the UE’s processing circuitry. The software includes a client application, such as a web browser or operator-specific “app” that may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via UE 1406 with the support of the host 1402. In the host 1402, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 1450 terminating at the UE 1406 and host 1402. In providing the service to the user, the UE's client application may receive request data from the host's host application and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1450 may transfer both the requestdata and the user data. The UE's client application may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides to the host application through the OTT connection 1450.

[0148] The OTT connection 1450 may extend via a connection 1460 between the host 1402 and the network node 1404 and via a wireless connection 1470 between the network node 1404 and the UE 1406 to provide the connection between the host 1402 and the UE 1406. The connection 1460 and wireless connection 1470, over which the OTT connection 1450 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host 1402 and the UE 1406 via the network node 1404, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0149] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection 1450, in step 1408, the host 1402 provides user data, which may be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a particular human user interacting with the UE 1406. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE 1406 that shares data with the host 1402 without explicit human interaction. In step 1410, the host 1402 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE 1406. The host 1402 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE 1406. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 1406 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE 1406. The transmission may pass via the network node 1404, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step 1412, the network node 1404 transmits to the UE 1406 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host 1402 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1414, the UE 1406 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE 1406 associated with the host application executed by the host 1402.

[0150] In some examples, the UE 1406 executes a client application which provides user data to the host 1402. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host 1402. Accordingly, in step 1416, the UE 1406 may provide user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. In providing the user data, the client application may further consider user input received from the user via an input / output interface of the UE 1406. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE 1406 initiates, in step 1418, transmission of the user data towards the host 1402 via the network node 1404. In step 1420, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 1404 receives user data from the UE 1406 andinitiates transmission of the received user data towards the host 1402. In step 1422, the host 1402 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 1406.

[0151] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 1406 using the OTT connection 1450, in which the wireless connection 1470 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve the power consumption of the overall system and the underlying user equipment devices (e.g., by leveraging JCAS detection / discovery capabilities) and thereby provide benefits such as extended battery lifetime and other energy saving functionalities.

[0152] In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host 1402. As another example, the host 1402 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host 1402 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host 1402 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host 1402 may store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR or AR which it can broadcast, multicast or unicast to UEs. As other examples, the host 1402 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time critical electrical load to balance power generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as compiling diagrams etc. from data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing and / or transmitting data.

[0153] In some examples, a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1450 between the host 1402 and UE 1406, in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in software and hardware of the host 1402 and / or UE 1406. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 1450 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or supplying values of other physical quantities from which software may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection 1450 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node 1404. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UEsignaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like, by the host 1402. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection 1450 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0154] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0155] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to theprocessing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method performed by a first device (101, 1000) in a communication system, the method comprising: accessing (801) a configuration of the first device comprising (i) a plurality of reference signals having different bandwidths, and (ii) an indication to the first device regarding how to use at least one reference signal from the plurality of reference signals to obtain a measurement of at least one of a velocity or a Doppler shift of a target (105), and a range or delay value of the target; and obtaining (802) a measurement of at least one of (i) a velocity or a Doppler shift of a target and (ii) a range or delay value of the target based on at least one reference signal from the plurality of reference signals.

2. The method of Claim 1, wherein the plurality of reference signals comprise a wideband signal (510) having a first bandwidth and a narrowband signal (520) having a second bandwidth.

3. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 2, wherein at least one reference signal from the plurality of reference signals is based on a Zadoff-Chu, ZC, sequence.

4. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of reference signals having different bandwidths are multiplexed on different subcarrier combs in a frequency domain in a same orthogonal frequency division multiplexing, OFDM, symbol.

5. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of reference signals having different bandwidths are multiplexed based on frequency domain multiplexing, FDM, in a same symbol.

6. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of reference signals having different bandwidths are multiplexed in different symbols based on time domain multiplexing, TDM.

7. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of reference signalshaving different bandwidths respectively include a common portion of a reference signal.

8. The method of any one of Claims 2 to 7, wherein the first bandwidth of the wideband signal fulfills a specified range resolution.

9. The method of any one of Claims 2 to 8, wherein the second bandwidth of the narrowband signal comprises a bandwidth that avoids or minimizes range cell migration during an integration period of the measurement.

10. The method of any one of Claims 2 to 9, wherein the second bandwidth is less than the first bandwidth.

11. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 10, wherein obtaining a measurement based on the plurality of reference signals having different bandwidths comprises (i) obtaining a first measurement of a velocity or a Doppler shift of a target and (ii) obtaining a second measurement of a range or delay value of the target.

12. The method of Claim 11, further comprising: combining the first measurement and the second measurement to obtain the velocity or the Doppler shift and the range or delay value of the target.

13. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 12, wherein the configuration comprises a single reference signal configuration that includes the plurality of reference signals.

14. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 12, wherein the plurality of reference signals is configured via multiple reference signal configurations.

15. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 14, further comprising: reporting to a second device (102, 1100) the measurement of at least one of (i) the velocity or the Doppler shift of the target and (ii) the range or delay value of the target.

16. The method of any one of Claims 2 to 15, wherein the indication comprises an instruction to the first device to perform (i) the velocity or the Doppler shift of a target with thenarrowband signal and (ii) the range or delay value of the target with the wideband signal.17 The method of any one of Claims 15 to 16, wherein the reporting comprises a first value for the velocity or the Doppler shift and a second value for the range or delay.

18. The method of any one of Claims 15 to 17, wherein the range or delay value is tagged with an estimated value for the velocity or the Doppler shift.

19. The method of any one of Claims 15 to 17, wherein the velocity or the Doppler shift is tagged with an estimated value for the range or delay.

20. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 19, wherein the indication to the first device comprises an instruction (i) to obtain a single measurement of the velocity or the Doppler shift of the target combined with the range or delay value of the target, and (ii) to report the single measurement.

21. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 19, wherein the indication to the first device comprises an instruction to (i) to obtain a first measurement of the velocity or the Doppler shift of the target and a second measurement of the range or delay value of the target, and (ii) to report at least one of the first measurement tagged with the second measurement or the second measurement tagged with the first measurement.

22. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 21, further comprising: receiving the configuration comprising (i) the plurality of reference signals having different bandwidths, and (ii) the indication to the first device regarding how to use at least one reference signal from the plurality of reference signals to obtain the measurement of at least one of the velocity or the Doppler shift of the target, and the range or delay value of the target.

23. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 22, wherein the first device comprises one of a first user equipment, UE, and a first network node.

24. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 23, wherein the second device comprises one of a second user equipment, UE, and a second network node.

25. A first device (101, 1000) comprising: processing circuitry (1002); and at least one memory (1010) storing instructions executable by the processing circuitry to perform operations to: access (801) a configuration of the first device comprising (i) a plurality of reference signals having different bandwidths, and (ii) an indication to the first device regarding how to use at least one reference signal from the plurality of reference signals to obtain a measurement of at least one of a velocity or a Doppler shift of a target (105), and a range or delay value of the target; and obtain (802) a measurement of at least one of (i) a velocity or a Doppler shift of a target and (ii) a range or delay value of the target based on at least one reference signal from the plurality of reference signals.

26. The first device of Claim 25, wherein the at least one memory stores further instructions executable by the processing circuitry to perform further operations comprising operations of any one of Claims 2 to 24.

27. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions executable by processing circuitry (1002) of a first device (101, 1000), the instructions executed by the processing circuitry to perform operations comprising: access (801) a configuration of the first device comprising (i) a plurality of reference signals having different bandwidths, and (ii) an indication to the first device regarding how to use at least one reference signal from the plurality of reference signals to obtain a measurement of at least one of a velocity or a Doppler shift of a target (105), and a range or delay value of the target; and obtain (802) a measurement of at least one of (i) a velocity or a Doppler shift of a target and (ii) a range or delay value of the target based on at least one reference signal from the plurality of reference signals.

28. The computer program product of Claim 27, wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium storing further instructions executable by the processing circuitry of the first device, the further instructions executed by the processing circuitry to perform further operationscomprising operations of any one of Claims 2 to 24.

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