Sending a message to a network node

Abstract

Embodiments described herein relate to a method and apparatus. The method comprises obtaining a first measurement using a first apparatus of a first network node; obtaining a second measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node; and if a difference between the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds a threshold, sending a first message to a second network node. The first message identifies the second measurement and / or the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement, and / or indicates that the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds the threshold.

Description

[0001] SENDING A MESSAGE TO A NETWORK NODE

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The project leading to this application has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101095759. Embodiments described herein relate to method, user equipment and network node for sending a message to a network node.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Wireless sensing technologies aim at acquiring information about a remote object or environment and its characteristics without physically contacting it. The perception data of the object and its surrounding can be utilized for analysis, so that meaningful information about the object or environment and its characteristics can be obtained.

[0006] Wireless sensing is a technology enabler to acquire information about characteristics of the environment and / or objects within the environment, that uses radio waves to determine the distance (range), angle, or instantaneous linear velocity of objects, etc. The 5G (5th Generation) wireless sensing service relies on analyzing the transmissions, reflections, and scattering of wireless sensing signals.

[0007] A wireless sensing service, as part of a cellular network, provides new possibilities for enhanced usage of the telecommunication infrastructure in areas of object detection and tracking, environment monitoring and human motion monitoring. Use cases include:

[0008] • Collision avoidance and trajectory tracking of UAVs, vehicles, AGVs

[0009] • Automotive maneuvering and navigation

[0010] • Public safety search and rescue

[0011] Error! Reference source not found, below depicts an example of basic signaling used to setup sensing measurements. The first step of sensing in this example is that an application sends a request for sensing to the network. The request at least includes some identity of the application, the area of interest and possibly some information of what kind of result that is expected. For example, the expected result may be an answer to one of the questions “Is there an object / obstacle in the location x,y?”, “How large is the object in location x,y?”, “Is the object moving?”, “Where will the object be in z seconds?”, etc.

[0012] If the identity of the application is authorized to send sensing requests, the questions will be forwarded to the network. The network will, based on the requested location and type of sensing, configure the necessary node or nodes, including with practical (radio) information. Even if the requested area is in a cell with good radio coverage, the best sensing results are obtained when there is line of sight (LoS) from the measuring antenna and the object. If there is no gNodeB (gNB) with LoS to the requested area, the network may configure User Equipments (UEs) in suitable locations to assist in the measurements.

[0013] The following are types of sensing deployment:

[0014] Monostatic: The sensing transmitter and sensing receiver are at the same location, and may even be the same device. The sensing measurement takes place in a radar-like manner by measuring the echoes of a sensing transmission.

[0015] Bistatic: The sensing transmitter and sensing receiver are two distinct devices. This may be 2 gNBs (in a 3GPP network) or 2 Access Points, APs (in a Wi-Fi network). The sensing measurement is carried out at the sensing receiver by taking measurements sent from the sensing transmitter. In some cases the measurement receiver may be a UE (or station, STA); the transmitter being the gNB (or AP) or in the other direction.

[0016] Multistatic: In a multistatic setup there could be one transmitter and several receivers.- This is a common setup in geophysics (reflection seismics) and could be useful in some scenarios also for sensing.

[0017] UE-based sensing

[0018] A network-only-based sensing scheme (either mono-static or bi-static) has an issue that it may not have line-of-sight (LoS) from the measurement antenna to the object. In this case, it is beneficial to have UE involvements, where a UE with LoS is assigned to assist the network during the sensing measurement. Assistance may comprise sensing transmissions, sensing reception or both.

[0019] Object tracking using sensing

[0020] A special case of sensing is when the request is to track an object. The sensing request should include information about the task, i.e. , track an object (that is moving). It is likely that the first measurement involves the actual detection of the object at the location x, y.

[0021] The object can be identified by the location, by the trajectory and / or by characteristics possible to measure with sensing.

[0022] The request for tracking would result in that a sensing management function initiates a number of consecutive measurements in an area encompassing the expected direction of the moving object. If the tracking is performed in a Manhattan-like city, for example, every time the object changes direction and moves along another street, LOS (Line of Sight) to the measurement node will probably be lost and another node needs to take over the task and perform measurement. This is similar to handover when a UE moves from the coverage of a cell to another cell. However, with sensing, the measurement “cell” comprises the LOS link from the measurement node to the object and the node may be a UE. Therefore, several procedures for handover need to be updated to support tracking of an object (with sensing) when the measurement task is moved between different nodes.

[0023] Radio duplex effects on sensing

[0024] In time-division duplex (TDD) based networks, the uplink and downlink share the same frequency band but are separated in time. Hence, the transmitter and receiver of a TDD gNB do not, by default, operate simultaneously. Similarly, in traditional pulse radar systems where typical pulse widths in the order of nanoseconds are used, the receiver only listens for the target reflections when the transmitter is silent. However, in TDD New Radio (NR) networks, where the minimum downlink allocation within a radio frame corresponds to 0.5 ms, while being commonly longer, the receiver must operate simultaneous to transmitter (simultaneous transmit and receive, STAR) like in a continuous-wave (CW) radar, otherwise no targets within any reasonable distance can be detected. Based on this, to facilitate downlink sensing in the NR network, particularly in the form of gNBs acting as monostatic radars, the gNBs must operate in a STAR mode, meaning that the transmitter-receiver (TX- RX) isolation and the corresponding self-interference challenge must be addressed. See for example Carlos Baquero Barneto, Matias Turunen, Sahan Damith Liyanaarachchi, Lauri Anttila, Alberto Brihuega, et al., “High-Accuracy Radio Sensing in 5G New Radio Networks: Prospects and Self-Interference Challenge,” 2019 53rd Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers, Pacific Grove, CA, USA, 2019, pp. 1159-1163, doi: 10.1109 / I EEECONF44664.2019.9048786.

[0025] Another setup for especially monostatic sensing requires that the system supports full duplex. One challenge when using a shared antenna is to provide sufficient transmitterreceiver isolation. 5G NR waveforms, through their impressive channel bandwidths and configurable subcarrier spacing, are shown to provide very good radar / sensing performance. Limited TX-RX isolation is primarily a concern in the detection of static targets, while moving targets are inherently more robust to transmitter self-interference. See for example C. Baquero Barneto et al., “Full-Duplex OFDM Radar With LTE and 5G NR Waveforms: Challenges, Solutions, and Measurements,” IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, vol. 67, no. 10, pp. 4042-4054, Oct. 2019, doi: 10.1109 / TMTT.2019.2930510.

[0026] For bi-static measurements, the receiver can receive the measurement report (from some other sender) without any interference.

[0027] Reflections in radar

[0028] The principle is that if the electromagnetic (EM) properties (dielectric constant) differ enough between the object and the background there will be a reflection from the object (see for example https: / / www.microwavesl01.com / encyclopedias / radar-cross-section-physics, from which Figure 2 is taken). The magnitude of the reflection could be the input to estimate the sensing threshold.

[0029] There currently exist certain challenge(s). For example, sensing enables the mobile network to track certain objects even though the objects are not connected to the network. The idea is that both the gNB and the UEs can transmit sensing reference signals and act on the receiving (echo) signal. The actual node that transmits, i.e. the gNB or a UE, depends on the geometry. A node with LoS to the object is prioritized when transmitters are selected. Since there are more UEs than gNBs in a network, it is more likely that a UE will have LoS to the object.

[0030] If the object and possible nodes are static, then selecting the best node is fairly straightforward. However, in case the object is moving how does the network know which UEs (or gNBs) that are suitable to track or sense certain areas (where the object will move in)?

[0031] One possible solution is to configure all UEs that perform sensing to report the sensing measurement with certain intervals, but since this requires radio resources (in time and frequency) and UE resources, such as power, this will quickly become rather inefficient. Also, many UEs will not be able to detect any objects or movement since they are too far away or not in line of sight of objects or nothing in the environment has changed but they will anyway report the sensing measurement. Lastly, the size of the measurement reports from sensing might be large.

[0032] SUMMARY

[0033] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. For example, embodiments of this disclosure provide methods for reducing signalling overhead in relation to measurement results (e.g. from a sensor or other apparatus) transmitted from between network nodes (e.g. from a UE to a Radio Access Network, RAN, node such as a gNB). Examples of this disclosure may include one or more of the following features:

[0034] • Triggering measurement reporting less frequently. For example, a network configures a UE to perform sensing of an area or an object using a certain resource in time and frequency. The measurement node (for example the UE) performs at least two measurements, and registers measurement results of the measurement, for example the channel response or other characteristic of the measurement. If the difference between the measured characteristic is large enough, i.e. the difference exceeds a threshold, a sensing report is sent to the network. The actual report is ONLY sent when the event is fulfilled. Also, based on the report(s), the network can choose to configure more or fewer gNBs / UEs in the same area.

[0035] • In some examples, a two-step method is provided where a first network node (e.g. UE) indicates to the other network node (e.g. gNB) that the UE has detected a change, e.g. that a difference between measurement results exceeds a threshold. The other network node (e.g. gNB) can then poll the first network node (e.g. UE) for more detailed measurement results or other sensing information.

[0036] • Using a local map in the UE based on e.g. sensing or mapping services, which is used as a baseline when trying to detect changes. The UE would analyze its sensing data and only report if it detects significantly large or specific changes to the local map of the environment.

[0037] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s). For example, embodiments of this disclosure may reduce the signaling overhead for sensing measurement reporting while still maintaining the sensing capabilities of the network.

[0038] According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method performed by a first network node of sending a message to a second network node. The method comprises obtaining a first measurement using a first apparatus of the first network node. The method comprises obtaining a second measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node. The method comprises sending a first message to a second network node, if a difference between the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds a threshold. The first message identifies the second measurement and / or the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement, and / or indicates that the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds the threshold.

[0039] According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a user equipment. The user equipment comprises processing circuitry configured to cause the user equipment to perform any of the steps of the method of the first aspect of the invention. The user equipment also comprises power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0040] According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a network node. The network node comprises processing circuitry configured to cause the network node to perform any of the steps of the method of the first aspect of the invention. The network node also comprises power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0041] According to a fourth aspect of the invention.

[0042] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] For a better understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and to show how it may be put into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0044] Fig. 1 illustrates architecture and signaling to track an object;

[0045] Fig. 2 illustrates radar cross-section physics;

[0046] Fig. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method in accordance with some embodiments;

[0047] Fig. 4 illustrates an example scenario for embodiments of this disclosure;

[0048] Fig. 5 illustrates an example scenario for embodiments of this disclosure;

[0049] Fig. 6 is a flow chart of an example of a UE sensing event and reporting method;

[0050] Fig. 7 is a flow chart of an example of a two-step sensing measurements method;

[0051] Fig. 8 shows an example of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments;

[0052] Fig. 9 shows a UE in accordance with some embodiments;

[0053] Fig. 10 shows a network node in accordance with some embodiments;

[0054] Fig. 11 is a block diagram of a host;

[0055] Fig. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized; and

[0056] Fig. 13 shows a communication diagram of a host communicating via a network node with a UE over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments.

[0057] DETAILED DESCRIPTION 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.

[0058] Figure 3 depicts a method 300 in accordance with particular embodiments, for example a method performed by a first network node of sending a message to a second network node. The method 300 may be performed by a UE or wireless device (e.g. the UE 812 or UE 900 as described later with reference to Figures 8 and 9 respectively). Alternatively, the method 300 may be performed by a network node (e.g. the network node 810 or network node 101000 as described later with reference to Figures 8 and 10 respectively). The method 300 begins at step 302 with obtaining a first measurement using a first apparatus of the first network node. Step 304 comprises obtaining a second measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node. Step 306 comprises, if a difference between the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds a threshold, sending a first message to a second network node. The first message identifies the second measurement and / or the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement, and / or indicates that the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds the difference. Thus, in some examples, the second network node may at least become aware that the difference between the two measurements (which may be sensing measurements for example) is larger than the threshold, and may also be provided with the second measurement or the difference between the measurements (e.g. a value identifying the second measurement or difference). The first measurement and the second measurement may be obtained for example at different time instances.

[0059] The apparatus of the first network node may be for example a sensor of the first network node, or may additionally or alternatively be for example a receiver that receives a signal and / or a processing apparatus (e.g. CPU) that processes a received signal (e.g. data stream, video stream, etc.) and obtains a sensor measurement. The first measurement, the second measurement and / or the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement may for example identify or measure a property of an object being sensed.

[0060] In some examples, the method 300 may comprise receiving, from the second network node, a configuration (e.g. a sensing configuration) for obtaining measurements from the first apparatus. Thus, for example, obtaining the first measurement from the first apparatus of the first network node and obtaining the second measurement from the first apparatus of the first network node are performed according to the configuration. The configuration may identify the threshold in some examples, though in other examples the threshold may be provided to the first network node in other ways, e.g. specified in a standard, preprogrammed, provided in another message etc.

[0061] In some examples, the method 300 may comprise, if the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement does not exceed the threshold, refraining from sending, to the second network node, the first message, the second measurement and / or the difference. Therefore, for example, if the difference does not exceed the threshold, the first network node may send no messages or information to the second network node in relation to the first and second measurements.

[0062] The first message may in some examples indicate that the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds the threshold, and may thus in some examples not include any information identifying the value of the second measurement. The method 300 may then comprise for example sending a further message after the first message, wherein the further message identifies the second measurement and / or the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement. The method 300 may also comprise for example receiving a request from the second network node (e.g. polling request) after sending the first message, wherein the further message is sent to the second network node in response to the request.

[0063] In some examples, the method 300 may comprise periodically obtaining a further measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node, and periodically sending a message identifying the further measurement to the second network node. Thus, for example, the difference between the first and second measurements exceeding the threshold may trigger multiple sensing and reporting actions by the first network node. Periodically obtaining the further measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node and periodically sending the message identifying the further measurement to the second network node may in some examples be performed in response to an instruction from the second network node, e.g. an instruction to provide periodic measurement results. The instruction may in some examples identify a number of times for periodically obtaining the further measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node and periodically sending the message identifying the further measurement to the second network node. The instruction may be received from the second network node after sending the first message to the second network node in some examples. The first message may in such examples indicate that the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds the threshold, and may thus for example not identify the value of the first or second measurement. In some examples, the method 300 may comprise periodically obtaining a further measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node, and sending a message identifying the further measurement to the second network node if a difference between the further measurement and one of an immediately preceding measurement, the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds the threshold. Thus, for example, even if measurements are periodically obtained, the result of the measurement may only be sent to the second network node if this condition is fulfilled, e.g. that the difference between the latest measurement and an earlier measurement exceeds the threshold. Periodically obtaining the further measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node may in some examples be performed in response to an instruction from the second network node. The instruction may in some examples identify a number of times for periodically obtaining the further measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node. The instruction may be received from the second network node for example after sending the first message to the second network node. The first message may for example indicate that the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds the threshold, and may thus for example not identify the value of the first or second measurement.

[0064] The first message may in some examples identify one or more further measurements obtained using one or more further apparatus (e.g. further sensor(s)) of the first network node, and / or one or more further measurements obtained based on the first measurement and / or the second measurement.

[0065] In some examples, the first network node obtains a measurement using the first apparatus by receiving a first sensing signal. The first sensing signal is obtained in a resource (e.g. a time and / or frequency resource), and the method may in some examples comprise sending information identifying the resource to the second network node, for example in the first message or otherwise. In some examples, the first network node may transmit the first sensing signal (in which case the received signal may be a reflected signal for example) or a further sensing signal before receiving the first sensing signal. The first network node may in some examples obtain a measurement using the first apparatus by determining a property of the first sensing signal using the first apparatus, and wherein the measurement comprises or is based on the property of the first sensing signal.

[0066] In some examples, the first network node is a Radio Access Network (RAN) node (e.g. gNB) and the second network node is a core network node. Alternatively, for example, the first network node is a User Equipment, and the second network node is a RAN node. Alternatively, for example, the first network node is a User Equipment, and the second network node is a core network node. Alternatively, for example, the first network node is a first RAN node, and the second network node is a second RAN node.

[0067] Each of the first measurement, the second measurement and / or the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement may for example comprise or be based on one or more of a Doppler shift, an angle of arrival, a signal strength, a received signal power, a time of arrival of a signal, a round trip time of a signal, distance of an object, and a velocity of an object.

[0068] In some examples, the first message is sent to the second network node if both of the following are true: the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds the threshold, and one or more conditions are met. The one or more conditions are configured by the second network node or a further network node for example.

[0069] Specific example embodiments are now described for illustrative purposes.

[0070] An example scenario for embodiments of this disclosure is depicted in Figures 4 and 5. In the scenario, the object to track is a single car, which moves from cell 1 to cell 2. Based on the measurement events of the first and second network nodes (which in this example are a UE and gNB respectively), only certain cells and UEs are configured for tracking the car.

[0071] When the car moves to cell 2, a UE in the cell 3 is ordered to perform sensing and (try to) track the car.

[0072] In Figure 4, using monostatic sensing in this example, the network is trying to track a moving car in this scenario. The gNB of cell 1 and UE1 and UE2 (in cell 2) is configured and toggled to perform the sensing based on their sensing measurement reports.

[0073] In Figure 5, the car has moved to cell 2 and gNB and UE1 in cell 1 is ordered to not perform sensing of said car. In cell 2 UE2 and the gNB 2 are performing sensing measurements. Also, the UE3 in cell 3 is configured to perform sensing.

[0074] In this example, the network configures one or several UEs to perform sensing. The sensing process involves both the transmission of a sensing signal and the reception of a sensing response (either its own signal, such as for example a reflection of the sensing signal, or another UE’s / gNB’s sensing signal), which are repeated at least once so that at least two instances of signal response are available (e.g. two measurements). The sensing response may comprise any measurable radio characteristic of the sensing signal after it interacts with the object being investigated. These characteristics are referred to as signal response in the following. The UE stores the first signal response at time t1 and the second signal response at t2. These may be for example the first and second measurements referred to above.

[0075] In case of monostatic sensing, the signal response is from the UE’s own signal. In case there is bistatic sensing, the receiving UE may store the signal response together with the resource information, i.e., the time and frequency (resource) it was listening on. This information needs may be conveyed to the network at a later stage so the network can for example identify the involved UEs and nodes. The UE is configured to continuously calculate the difference (delta) of the signal response from different time instances t1 and t2 (monostatic or several different bistatic responses). If the difference is higher than a configured value (e.g. threshold), the UE sends the latest signal response, e.g. as in the case in Figure 6, the signal response R(t2), which may be for example the second measurement referred to above.

[0076] The signal response measurements can depend on the capability of the UE, e.g., with more antennas, there are more possibilities to perform more advanced measurements useful for sensing. Some methods to perform signal response measurements can for example be:

[0077] • Mean-value of the received power (i.e., RSRP type)

[0078] • Time of arrival (of a reflected signal, i.e. represents the 2-way travel time)

[0079] • Angle of arrival (requires more than one receive antenna)

[0080] • Doppler-shift (shift in detected frequency depending on velocity of reflecting object)

[0081] Other types of measurement that could be used to calculate the Delta is the reflection coefficient (see for example https: / / www.microwavesl01.com / encyclopedias / radar-cross- section-physics referred to above). The principle is that if the EM properties (e.g. dielectric constant) differ enough between the object and the background there will be a reflection from the object. The magnitude of the reflection could be the input to estimate the sensing threshold.

[0082] The signal response measurements can also be interpreted more widely, e.g. it can correspond to processed data or a multi-dimensional response such as power received in different directions and time of arrival in different directions. This may for example enable an interpretation of the signal response as the distance and direction to the object and hence the delta as movement of the object.

[0083] In some examples, the node or nodes involved in sensing are stationary. This may in some examples be required to determine that changes in the signal response is caused by the movement of a tracked object, and not of the nodes that are performing the sensing measurements.

[0084] In some examples, if a sensing event is met (i.e. the object is moving), the UE transmits measurements for x number of times with a periodicity y between each measurement. Both the value x and y are configured by the network in some examples, and the value x can be infinite in some examples (e.g. perpetual sensing and reporting until instructed to stop by the network).

[0085] In some examples, the measurement can include other measurement quantities in addition to those that trigger this said event, such as for example to report mean value of the received power even though it is the time of arrival that triggers the report.

[0086] In some examples, the baseline to compare (i.e., the measurement at R(t1)) is a value explicitly configured by the network.

[0087] • In one alternative, this baseline to compare is updated after one measurement report, e.g., the last measurement that the UE has transmitted to the network.

[0088] • In yet another alternative, this baseline to compare is continuously updated by the UE, depending on the movement of the UE. For example, if the UE has moved between time t1 and t2, the new baseline is R(t2) instead of R(t1).

[0089] One disadvantage of some methods is that if the delta exceeds the threshold for several UEs over some time, the overhead for sending the measurement report can still be high. Therefore, an alternative method can be a two-step measurement: in the first step the UE just detects any “delta” in the measurements (i.e., movement or new objects arriving), e.g. whether the difference between the measurements exceeds a threshold, and reports just this information to the network. Then, in the second step, the network node (e.g. UE or base station, gNB) configures or requests a more detailed sensing measurement, see Figure 7 for example.

[0090] In some examples, the network node (e.g. the base station or gNB) can configure the event only to be true for a certain condition(s) (e.g. the first message is sent to the second network node only if the condition(s) are met, as well as only if the difference exceeds the threshold). In other words, for example, if the difference between measurements exceeds a threshold, a message is sent to the second network node only if other condition(s) are met as well. Conditions may include for example angle, height, and distance and also within a certain time. This means the network can perform tracking of a certain object or objects located in certain locations.

[0091] In some examples, assuming the UE knows a spatial map, the sensing events can be made more advanced than the physical layer signal properties referred to above. In order for the UE to be able to identify changes to the local map, it has to process and analyze the sensing information to be able to distinguish and identify object in the environment. In one embodiment of the invention, the sensing is based on joint communication and sensing (JCAS), in another embodiment, the sensing is based on sensor fusion, where one or more sensing modalities (e.g., radio-based / radar, laser based / lidar, audio based / sonar, visual / cameras) are used to create and update the local map.

[0092] The creation of the baseline spatial map is in some examples done by the UE itself, through repeated measurements and local or offloaded computations, compiling information from several sources from one or more of:

[0093] - A map service such as Google® maps

[0094] - One or more dedicated sensing units (radar / lidar / sonar / camera)

[0095] - Global navigation satellite systems (e.g., GPS)

[0096] The signal response measurements for such examples can be even more advanced, depending on the UE capabilities, but since the UE has access to a map it can estimate distances in a rather detailed way. Some new measurements may be for example one or more of:

[0097] - An object is x meters away from the UE

[0098] - An object is x meters within the UE

[0099] - An object’s position is y meters away from the previously reported location.

[0100] - The object’s position is less than x meters of a target

[0101] - The object’s position is more than x meters away from a target

[0102] - The object has entered a specified target area

[0103] Figure 8 shows an example of a communication system 800 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0104] In the example, the communication system 800 includes a telecommunication network 802 that includes an access network 804, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 806, which includes one or more core network nodes 808. The access network 804 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 810a and 810b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 810), 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 802 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 802 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 802, including one or more network nodes 810 and / or core network nodes 808.

[0105] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (0-Rll), 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 A1, F1, W1, E1 , 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 O-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 810 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 812a, 812b, 812c, and 812d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 812) to the core network 806 over one or more wireless connections.

[0106] 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 800 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 800 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0107] The UEs 812 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 810 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 810 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 812 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 802 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 802.

[0108] In the depicted example, the core network 806 connects the network nodes 810 to one or more hosts, such as host 816. 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 806 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 808) 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 808. 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).

[0109] The host 816 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 804 and / or the telecommunication network 802, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 816 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include the provision of live and / or pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services, for example, 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. As a whole, the communication system 800 of Figure 8 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 (6th Generation)); 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.

[0110] In some examples, the telecommunication network 802 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 802 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 802. For example, the telecommunications network 802 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.

[0111] In some examples, the UEs 812 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 804 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 804. 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).

[0112] In the example illustrated in Figure 8, the hub 814 communicates with the access network 804 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 812c and / or 812d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 810b). In some examples, the hub 814 may be a controller, router, a content source and analytics node, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 814 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 806 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 814 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 810, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 814. As another example, the hub 814 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 814 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 814 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 814 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 814 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0113] The hub 814 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 810b. The hub 814 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 814 and UEs (e.g., UE 812c and / or 812d), and between the hub 814 and the core network 806. In other examples, the hub 814 is connected to the core network 806 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 814 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 804 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 810 while still connected via the hub 814 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 814 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 810b. In other embodiments, the hub 814 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 810b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0114] Figure 9 shows a UE 900 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 camera, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptopmounted 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-loT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0115] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP 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).

[0116] The UE 900 includes processing circuitry 902 that is operatively coupled via a bus 904 to an input / output interface 906, a power source 908, a memory 910, a communication interface 912, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 9. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0117] The processing circuitry 902 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 910. The processing circuitry 902 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 902 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs). The processing circuitry 902 may be operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other UE 900 components, such as the memory 910, UE 900 functionality. For example, the processing circuitry 902 may be configured to cause the UE 902 to perform the methods as described with reference to Figure 3.

[0118] In the example, the input / output interface 906 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 900. 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.

[0119] In some embodiments, the power source 908 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 908 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 908 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 900 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 908. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 908 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 900 to which power is supplied.

[0120] The memory 910 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 910 includes one or more application programs 914, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 916. The memory 910 may store, for use by the UE 900, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0121] The memory 910 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 (IIICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUlCC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 910 may allow the UE 900 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 910, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0122] The processing circuitry 902 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 912. The communication interface 912 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 922. The communication interface 912 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 918 and / or a receiver 920 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 918 and receiver 920 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 922) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0123] In some embodiments, communication functions of the communication interface 912 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 / internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth. Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 912, 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).

[0124] 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 controls a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0125] 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 devices which are or which are embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled 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 on the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE QQ200 shown in Figure 9.

[0126] 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-loT 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.

[0127] 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.

[0128] Figure 10 shows a network node 1000 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).

[0129] 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).

[0130] 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-cel l / 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).

[0131] The network node 1000 includes processing circuitry 1002, a memory 1004, a communication interface 1006, and a power source 1008, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. The network node 1000 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 1000 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 1000 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 1004 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 1010 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 1000 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 1000, 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 1000.

[0132] The processing circuitry 1002 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 1000 components, such as the memory 1004, network node 1000 functionality. For example, the processing circuitry 1002 may be configured to cause the network node to perform the methods as described with reference to Figure 3.

[0133] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1002 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1002 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1012 and baseband processing circuitry 1014. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1012 and the baseband processing circuitry 1014 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 1012 and baseband processing circuitry 1014 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0134] The memory 1004 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 1002. The memory 1004 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 1002 and utilized by the network node 1000. The memory 1004 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 1002 and / or any data received via the communication interface 1006. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1002 and memory 1004 is integrated.

[0135] The communication interface 1006 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 1006 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 1016 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 1006 also includes radio front-end circuitry 1018 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 1010. Radio front-end circuitry 1018 comprises filters 1020 and amplifiers 1022. The radio front-end circuitry 1018 may be connected to an antenna 1010 and processing circuitry 1002. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 1010 and processing circuitry 1002. The radio front-end circuitry 1018 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 1018 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1020 and / or amplifiers 1022. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 1010. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 1010 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 1018. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 1002. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0136] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 1000 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 1018, instead, the processing circuitry 1002 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 1010. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 1012 is part of the communication interface 1006. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 1006 includes one or more ports or terminals 1016, the radio front-end circuitry 1018, and the RF transceiver circuitry 1012, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 1006 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 1014, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0137] The antenna 1010 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 1010 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 1018 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 1010 is separate from the network node 1000 and connectable to the network node 1000 through an interface or port.

[0138] The antenna 1010, communication interface 1006, and / or the processing circuitry 1002 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 1010, the communication interface 1006, and / or the processing circuitry 1002 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0139] The power source 1008 provides power to the various components of network node 1000 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 1008 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 1000 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 1000 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 1008. As a further example, the power source 1008 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.

[0140] Embodiments of the network node 1000 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 10 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 1000 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 1000 and to allow output of information from the network node 1000. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 1000.

[0141] Figure 11 is a block diagram of a host 1100, which may be an embodiment of the host 816 of Figure 8, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 1100 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 1100 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0142] The host 1100 includes processing circuitry 1102 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1104 to an input / output interface 1106, a network interface 1108, a power source 1110, and a memory 1112. 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 9 and 10, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host 1100.

[0143] The memory 1112 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 1114 and data 1116, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host 1100 or data generated by the host 1100 for a UE. Embodiments of the host 1100 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs 1114 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., FLAG, 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 1114 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 1100 may select and / or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for a UE. The host application programs 1114 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.

[0144] Figure 12 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1200 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 1200 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 1200 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.

[0145] Applications 1202 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0146] Hardware 1204 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 1206 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1208a and 1208b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1208), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1206 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 1208. The VMs 1208 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1206. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1202 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 1208, 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.

[0147] In the context of NFV, a VM 1208 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 1208, and that part of hardware 1204 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 1208 on top of the hardware 1204 and corresponds to the application 1202.

[0148] Hardware 1204 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1204 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1204 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 1210, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 1202. In some embodiments, hardware 1204 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 1212 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0149] Figure 13 shows a communication diagram of a host 1302 communicating via a network node 1304 with a UE 1306 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as a UE 812a of Figure 8 and / or UE 900 of Figure 9), network node (such as network node 810a of Figure 8 and / or network node 1000 of Figure 10), and host (such as host 816 of Figure 8 and / or host 1100 of Figure 11) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to Figure 13.

[0150] Like host 1100, embodiments of host 1302 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 1302 also includes software, which is stored in or accessible by the host 1302 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 1306 connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1350 extending between the UE 1306 and host 1302. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 1350.

[0151] The network node 1304 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host 1302 and UE 1306. The connection 1360 may be direct or pass through a core network (like core network 806 of Figure 8) 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.

[0152] The UE 1306 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by UE 1306 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 1306 with the support of the host 1302. In the host 1302, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 1350 terminating at the UE 1306 and host 1302. 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 1350 may transfer both the request data 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 1350.

[0153] The OTT connection 1350 may extend via a connection 1360 between the host 1302 and the network node 1304 and via a wireless connection 1370 between the network node 1304 and the UE 1306 to provide the connection between the host 1302 and the UE 1306. The connection 1360 and wireless connection 1370, over which the OTT connection 1350 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host 1302 and the UE 1306 via the network node 1304, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices. As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection 1350, in step 1308, the host 1302 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 1306. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE 1306 that shares data with the host 1302 without explicit human interaction. In step 1310, the host 1302 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE 1306. The host 1302 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE 1306. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 1306 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE 1306. The transmission may pass via the network node 1304, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step 1312, the network node 1304 transmits to the UE 1306 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host 1302 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1314, the UE 1306 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE 1306 associated with the host application executed by the host 1302.

[0154] In some examples, the UE 1306 executes a client application which provides user data to the host 1302. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host 1302. Accordingly, in step 1316, the UE 1306 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 1306. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE 1306 initiates, in step 1318, transmission of the user data towards the host 1302 via the network node 1304. In step 1320, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 1304 receives user data from the UE 1306 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host 1302. In step 1322, the host 1302 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 1306.

[0155] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 1306 using the OTT connection 1350, in which the wireless connection 1370 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve efficiency in the network or signaling overhead for measurement or sensing reporting.

[0156] In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host 1302. As another example, the host 1302 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host 1302 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host 1302 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host 1302 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 1302 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of nontime 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.

[0157] 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 1350 between the host 1302 and UE 1306, 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 1302 and / or UE 1306. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 1350 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 1350 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node 1304. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like, by the host 1302. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection 1350 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0158] 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.

[0159] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0160] EMBODIMENTS

[0161] Group A Embodiments

[0162] 1. A method performed by a first network node of sending a message to a second network node, the method comprising: obtaining a first measurement using a first apparatus of the first network node; obtaining a second measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node; and if a difference between the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds a threshold, sending a first message to a second network node, wherein the first message identifies the second measurement and / or the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement, and / or indicates that the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds the difference.

[0163] 2. The method of embodiment 1 , comprising receiving, from the second network node, a configuration for obtaining measurements using the first apparatus.

[0164] 3. The method of embodiment 2, wherein obtaining the first measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node and obtaining the second measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node are performed according to the configuration.

[0165] 4. The method of embodiment 2 or 3, wherein the configuration identifies the threshold.

[0166] 5. The method of any of embodiments 1 to 4, comprising, if the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement does not exceed the threshold, refraining from sending, to the second network node, the first message, the second measurement and / or the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement.

[0167] 6. The method of any of embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the first message indicates that the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds the threshold, and the method comprises sending a further message after the first message, wherein the further message identifies the second measurement and / or the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement. 7. The method of embodiment 6, comprising receiving a request from the second network node after sending the first message, wherein the further message is sent to the second network node in response to the request.

[0168] 8. The method of any of embodiments 1 to 7, comprising periodically obtaining a further measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node, and periodically sending a message identifying the further measurement to the second network node.

[0169] 9. The method of embodiment 8, wherein periodically obtaining the further measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node and periodically sending the message identifying the further measurement to the second network node are performed in response to an instruction from the second network node.

[0170] 10. The method of embodiment 9, wherein the instruction identifies a number of times for periodically obtaining the further measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node and periodically sending the message identifying the further measurement to the second network node.

[0171] 11. The method of embodiment 9 or 10, comprising receiving the instruction from the second network node after sending the first message to the second network node.

[0172] 12. The method of embodiment 11, wherein the first message indicates that the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds the threshold.

[0173] 13. The method of any of embodiments 1 to 7, comprising periodically obtaining a further measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node, and sending a message identifying the further measurement to the second network node if a difference between the further measurement and one of an immediately preceding measurement, the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds the threshold.

[0174] 14. The method of embodiment 13, wherein periodically obtaining the further measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node is performed in response to an instruction from the second network node.

[0175] 15. The method of embodiment 14, wherein the instruction identifies a number of times for periodically obtaining the further measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node. 16. The method of embodiment 14 or 15, comprising receiving the instruction from the second network node after sending the first message to the second network node.

[0176] 17. The method of embodiment 16, wherein the first message indicates that the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds the threshold.

[0177] 18. The method of any of embodiments 1 to 17, wherein the first message identifies one or more further measurements obtained using one or more further apparatus of the first network node, and / or one or more further measurements obtained based on the first measurement and / or the second measurement.

[0178] 19. The method of any of embodiments 1 to 18, wherein the first network node obtains a measurement using the first apparatus by receiving a first sensing signal.

[0179] 20. The method of embodiment 19, wherein the first sensing signal is obtained in a resource, and the method comprises sending information identifying the resource to the second network node.

[0180] 21. The method of embodiment 20, wherein the information identifying the resource is sent to the second network node in the first message.

[0181] 22. The method of any of embodiments 19 to 21 , comprising transmitting the first sensing signal or a further sensing signal before receiving the first sensing signal.

[0182] 23. The method of any of embodiments 19 to 22, wherein the first network node obtains a measurement using the first apparatus by determining a property of the first sensing signal using the first apparatus, and wherein the measurement comprises or is based on the property of the first sensing signal.

[0183] 24. The method of any of embodiments 1 to 23, wherein the first measurement, the second measurement and / or the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement identifies a property of an object being sensed.

[0184] 25. The method of any of embodiments 1 to 24, wherein the first measurement and the second measurement are obtained at different time instances.

[0185] 26. The method of any of embodiments 1 to 25, wherein the first network node is a Radio Access Network (RAN) node and the second network node is a core network node. 27. The method of any of embodiments 1 to 25, wherein the first network node is a User Equipment, and the second network node is a RAN node.

[0186] 28. The method of any of embodiments 1 to 25, wherein the first network node is a User Equipment, and the second network node is a core network node.

[0187] 29. The method of any of embodiments 1 to 25, wherein the first network node is a first RAN node, and the second network node is a second RAN node.

[0188] 30. The method of any of embodiments 1 to 29, wherein each of the first measurement, the second measurement and / or the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement comprises or is based on one or more of a Doppler shift, an angle of arrival, a signal strength, a received signal power, a time of arrival of a signal, a round trip time of a signal, distance of an object, and a velocity of an object.

[0189] 31. The method of any of embodiments 1 to 30, wherein the first message is sent to the second network node if the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds the threshold and one or more conditions are met.

[0190] 32. The method of embodiment 31 , wherein the one or more conditions are configured by the second network node or a further network node.

[0191] 33. The method of any of embodiments 1 to 32, wherein: the first message identifies the second measurement by including a value of the first measurement; and / or the first message identifies the difference by including a value of the difference.

[0192] 34. The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host via the transmission to the network node.

[0193] Group C Embodiments

[0194] 35. A user equipment comprising: processing circuitry configured to cause the user equipment to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry. 36. A network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to cause the network node to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0195] 37. A user equipment (UE) comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.

[0196] 38. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a network node in a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group A embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0197] 39. The host of the previous embodiment, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that provides the user data; and the UE comprises processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with the host application to receive the transmission of user data from the host.

[0198] 40. A method implemented in a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the network node performs any of the operations of any of the Group A embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0199] 41. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising, at the network node, transmitting the user data provided by the host for the UE.

[0200] 42. The method of any of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein the user data is provided at the host by executing a host application that interacts with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0201] 43. A communication system configured to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the communication system comprising: a host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data for a user equipment (UE), the user data being associated with the over-the-top service; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data toward a cellular network node for transmission to the UE, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group A embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0202] 44. The communication system of the previous embodiment, further comprising: the network node; and / or the UE.

[0203] 45. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to initiate receipt of user data; and a network interface configured to receive the user data from a network node in a cellular network, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group A embodiments to receive the user data from a user equipment (UE) for the host.

[0204] 46. The host of the previous embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that receives the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0205] 47. The host of the any of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein the initiating receipt of the user data comprises requesting the user data.

[0206] 48. A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, initiating receipt of user data from the UE, the user data originating from a transmission which the network node has received from the UE, wherein the network node performs any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments to receive the user data from the UE for the host.

[0207] 49. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising at the network node, transmitting the received user data to the host.

[0208] 50. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group A embodiments to receive the user data from the host.

[0209] 51. The host of the previous embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data to the UE from the host.

[0210] 52. The host of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application. 53. A method implemented by a host operating in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the UE performs any of the operations of any of the Group A embodiments to receive the user data from the host.

[0211] 54. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the host application.

[0212] 55. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

[0213] 56. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments to transmit the user data to the host.

[0214] 57. The host of the previous embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data from the UE to the host.

[0215] 58. The host of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application. 59. A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, receiving user data transmitted to the host via the network node by the UE, wherein the UE performs any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments to transmit the user data to the host.

[0216] 60. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the UE.

[0217] 61. The method of the previous 2 embodiments, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method performed by a first network node of sending a message to a second network node, the method comprising: obtaining a first measurement using a first apparatus of the first network node; obtaining a second measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node; and if a difference between the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds a threshold, sending a first message to a second network node, wherein the first message identifies the second measurement and / or the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement, and / or indicates that the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds the threshold.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising receiving, from the second network node, a configuration for obtaining measurements using the first apparatus.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein obtaining the first measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node and obtaining the second measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node are performed according to the configuration.

4. The method of claims 2 or 3, wherein the configuration identifies the threshold.

5. The method of any of claims 1 to 4, comprising, if the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement does not exceed the threshold, refraining from sending, to the second network node, the first message, the second measurement and / or the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement.

6. The method of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first message indicates that the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds the threshold, and the method comprises sending a further message after the first message, wherein the further message identifies the second measurement and / or the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising receiving a request from the second network node after sending the first message, wherein the further message is sent to the second network node in response to the request.

8. The method of any of claims 1 to 7, comprising periodically obtaining a further measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node, and periodically sending a message identifying the further measurement to the second network node.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein periodically obtaining the further measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node and periodically sending the message identifying the further measurement to the second network node are performed in response to an instruction from the second network node.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the instruction identifies a number of times for periodically obtaining the further measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node and periodically sending the message identifying the further measurement to the second network node.

11. The method of claim 9 or 10, comprising receiving the instruction from the second network node after sending the first message to the second network node.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first message indicates that the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds the threshold.

13. The method of any of claims 1 to 7, comprising periodically obtaining a further measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node, and sending a message identifying the further measurement to the second network node if a difference between the further measurement and one of an immediately preceding measurement, the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds the threshold.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein periodically obtaining the further measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node is performed in response to an instruction from the second network node.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the instruction identifies a number of times for periodically obtaining the further measurement using the first apparatus of the first network node.

16. The method of claim 14 or 15, comprising receiving the instruction from the second network node after sending the first message to the second network node.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first message indicates that the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds the threshold.

18. The method of any of claims 1 to 17, wherein the first message identifies one or more further measurements obtained using one or more further apparatus of the first network node, and / or one or more further measurements obtained based on the first measurement and / or the second measurement.

19. The method of any of claims 1 to 18, wherein the first network node obtains a measurement using the first apparatus by receiving a first sensing signal.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first sensing signal is obtained in a resource, and the method comprises sending information identifying the resource to the second network node.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the information identifying the resource is sent to the second network node in the first message.

22. The method of any of claims 19 to 21 , comprising transmitting the first sensing signal or a further sensing signal before receiving the first sensing signal.

23. The method of any of claims 19 to 22, wherein the first network node obtains a measurement using the first apparatus by determining a property of the first sensing signal using the first apparatus, and wherein the measurement comprises or is based on the property of the first sensing signal.

24. The method of any of claims 1 to 23, wherein the first measurement, the second measurement and / or the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement identifies a property of an object being sensed.

25. The method of any of claims 1 to 24, wherein the first measurement and the second measurement are obtained at different time instances.

26. The method of any of claims 1 to 25, wherein the first network node is a Radio Access Network (RAN) node and the second network node is a core network node.

27. The method of any of claims 1 to 25, wherein the first network node is a User Equipment, and the second network node is a RAN node.

28. The method of any of claims 1 to 25, wherein the first network node is a User Equipment, and the second network node is a core network node.

29. The method of any of claims 1 to 25, wherein the first network node is a first RAN node, and the second network node is a second RAN node.

30. The method of any of claims 1 to 29, wherein each of the first measurement, the second measurement and / or the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement comprises or is based on one or more of a Doppler shift, an angle of arrival, a signal strength, a received signal power, a time of arrival of a signal, a round trip time of a signal, distance of an object, and a velocity of an object.

31. The method of any of claims 1 to 30, wherein the first message is sent to the second network node if the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement exceeds the threshold and one or more conditions are met.

32. The method of claim 31 , wherein the one or more conditions are configured by the second network node or a further network node.

33. The method of any of claims 1 to 32, wherein: the first message identifies the second measurement by including a value of the first measurement; and / or the first message identifies the difference by including a value of the difference.

34. The method of any of claims 1 to 33, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host via the transmission to the network node.

35. A user equipment comprising: processing circuitry configured to cause the user equipment to perform any of the steps of the method of any of claims 1 to 34; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

36. A network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to cause the network node to perform any of the steps of the method of any of claims 1 to 34; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

Images