Network entity

Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to a network entity for wireless communication. The network entity comprises: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the network entity to: receive a request to determine an energy cost of a sensing service provided by an integrated sensing and communication service; and provide the energy cost of the sensing service.

Description

NETWORK ENTITYTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to wireless communications, and more specifically to a network entity and a method for determining, controlling and / or optimizing the energy cost of a sensing service provided by an integrated sensing and communication service.BACKGROUND

[0002] A wireless communications system may include one or multiple network communication devices, such as base stations, which may support wireless communications for one or multiple user communication devices, which may be otherwise known as user equipment (UE), or other suitable terminology. The wireless communications system may support wireless communications with one or multiple user communication devices by utilizing resources of the wireless communication system (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, slots, subframes, frames, or the like) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers, or the like). Additionally, the wireless communications system may support wireless communications across various radio access technologies including third generation (3G) radio access technology, fourth generation (4G) radio access technology, fifth generation (5G) radio access technology, among other suitable radio access technologies beyond 5G (e.g., sixth generation (6G)).SUMMARY

[0003] An article “a” before an element is unrestricted and understood to refer to “at least one” of those elements or “one or more” of those elements. The terms “a,” “at least one,” “one or more,” and “at least one of one or more” may be interchangeable. As used herein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of’ or “one or more of’ or “one or both of’) indicates an inclusive list such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Also, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step that is described as “based on condition A” may be based on both a condition A and a condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, thephrase “based on” shall be construed in the same manner as the phrase “based at least in part on. Further, as used herein, including in the claims, a “set” may include one or more elements.

[0004] Some implementations of the method and apparatuses described herein may further include a network entity for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the network entity to: receive a request to determine an energy cost of a sensing service provided by an integrated sensing and communication service; and provide the energy cost of the sensing service.

[0005] The at least one processor may be further configured to cause the network entity to provide information indicative of sensing equipment for achieving the energy cost.

[0006] It would be understood that the energy cost of the sensing service is affected by a selection of the sensing equipment in the network for establishing the sensing service. In other words, using different sensing equipment may cause the sensing service to have different levels of energy costs. However, the energy cost may not include the energy cost of at least some of the sensing equipment (e.g., a UE).

[0007] The energy cost of the sensing service may comprise an energy cost of a radio access network (RAN) for collecting and processing sensing data and for propagating the sensing data towards a core network, and an energy cost of the core network for receiving and processing the sensing data to derive a sensing result. In other words, the energy cost of the sensing service may be indicative of an impact of the sensing service on a total energy consumption of the RAN and the core network.

[0008] The at least one processor may be further configured to cause the network entity to determine the energy cost of the sensing service.

[0009] The request may be received from another network entity, and the energy cost may be provided to the another network entity. The two network entities may belong to two different network functions, or may be realized within the same network function.

[0010] The received request may comprise location information indicative of a location of a sensing target or a sensing area. The location information may be indicative of a current location of the sensing target or a future location of the sensing target. By “indicative of’, it ismeant that the location of the sensing target or the location of the sensing area can be derived or estimated based upon the location information.

[0011] The received request may comprise information indicative of an expected time schedule and / or time duration of the sensing service. The provided energy cost may comprise a total energy consumption of the RAN and the core network for establishing the sensing service for the expected time schedule and / or time duration of the sensing service.

[0012] The provided energy cost may be impactable by sensing equipment for establishing the sensing service, and the sensing equipment may comprise a sensing transmitter and a sensing receiver for generating the sensing data.

[0013] Each of the sensing transmitter and the sensing receiver may be an RAN entity (which may also be referred to as an RAN node) or a UE.

[0014] The sensing equipment may further comprise RAN equipment for collecting and processing the sensor data and for propagating the sensing data towards a core network; and core network equipment for receiving and processing the sensing data to derive the sensing result. In general, the selection of the sensing transmitter and the sensing receiver determine the RAN equipment as well as the proposition path between the RAN equipment and the core network equipment.

[0015] The sensing equipment may not comprise any RAN equipment or core network equipment which is in energy saving mode.

[0016] The sensing equipment may not comprise a sensing transmitter which is not holding an ongoing wireless transmission.

[0017] The energy cost may be determined / provided based on: whether the sensing transmitter and / or the sensing receiver hold an ongoing wireless transmission that can be reused for the purpose of the sensing service.

[0018] It would be understood that the energy cost of a RAN node (which may act as a sensing transmitter and / or the sensing receiver) holding an ongoing wireless transmission may be lower than an energy cost of the RAN node which does not hold an ongoing wireless transmission. The at least one processor may be configured to cause the network entity to determine whether the sensing transmitter and / or the sensing receiver hold an ongoing wireless transmission that can be reused for the purpose of the sensing service.

[0019] The sensing transmitter and / or the sensing receiver may comprise a RAN node that holds an ongoing wireless transmission towards a UE, and the energy cost may be determined / provided based on a communication pattern of the UE for an expected time duration of the sensing service. Optionally, the energy cost of the RAN node may be determined based upon the communication pattern of the UE.

[0020] The energy cost may be determined / provided based on a transmission signal quality between a sensing target / area and the sensing transmitter / receiver.

[0021] It would be understood that the energy cost of a RAN node (which may act as a sensing transmitter and / or the sensing receiver) having a higher transmission signal quality towards the sensing target / area may have a lower energy cost. The transmission signal quality may be determined based upon at least one of: a line of sight between the sensing target / area and the sensing transmitter / receiver; and a range of proximity between the sensing target / area and the sensing transmitter / receiver. The at least one processor may be configured to cause the network entity to determine a line of sight between the sensing target / area and the sensing transmitter / receiver; and / or a range of proximity between the sensing target / area and the sensing transmitter / receiver.

[0022] Alternatively, the at least one processor may be further configured to cause the network entity to provide information indicative of sensing transmitter(s) and / or sensing receiver(s) for achieving the energy cost, and to provide information indicative of a line of sight between one or more of the sensing transmitter(s) and / or sensing receiver(s) and the sensing target / area.

[0023] Advantageously, the energy cost and the information indicative of the line of sight may be used in combination to rate the sensing transmitted s) and / or sensing receiver(s) (e.g., RAN nodes), and based on such rating an optimal sensing transmitter(s) and / or sensing received s) may be selected.

[0024] The energy cost may be determined / provided based upon a time duration for which the sensing transmitter and / or the sensing receiver can be used to sense the sensing target. The sensing target may be a still target or a moving target.

[0025] The sensing target may be a moving sensing target, and the energy cost may be determined / provided based on: a time duration for which the sensing transmitter and / or the sensing receiver can be used to sense the moving sensing target considering a mobility patternof the moving sensing target; and / or a number of re-selecting the sensing transmitter and / or the sensing receiver considering the mobility pattern of the moving sensing target.

[0026] The location information may comprise information indicative of the mobility pattern of the moving sensing target.

[0027] The energy cost may be determined / provided based on: whether the sensing transmitter and / or the sensing receiver can be shared by more than one sensing service.

[0028] It would be understood that the energy cost of a RAN node (which may act as a sensing transmitter and / or the sensing receiver) that can be shared by more than one sensing service may be lower than the energy cost of a RAN node which cannot be shared by more than one sensing service.

[0029] The at least one processor may be configured to cause the network entity to determine one or more the above described factors on which the energy cost is based.

[0030] The at least one processor may be configured to cause the network entity to: provide a plurality of energy costs of the sensing service, wherein the plurality of energy costs correspond to different combinations of sensing transmitter and sensing receivers for achieving the respect energy costs.

[0031] The at least one processor may be further configured to cause the network entity to provide information indicative of different combinations of sensing transmitter and sensing receivers for achieving the respect energy costs.

[0032] The at least one processor may be configured to cause the network entity to: provide a recommendation for selecting particular sensing transmitted s) and / or particular sensing receiver(s) to establish the sensing service, based upon the energy cost or the plurality of sensing costs.

[0033] The recommended combination(s) of sensing transmitter and sensing receiver may have lower energy cost than the remaining combinations of sensing transmitter and sensing receiver.

[0034] The energy cost may be determined / provided such that the recommended sensing transmitter(s) comprise at least one of the following: a sensing transmitter holding an ongoing wireless transmission that can be reused for the purpose of the sensing service; a sensingtransmitter that minimizes the process of re-selecting sensing transmitter considering a mobility pattern of a moving sensing target; a sensing transmitter that can serve the maximum amount of sensing services; and a sensing transmitter that assures an optimal transmission quality towards a sensing target and / or sensing area. The sensing transmitter may be a RAN node.

[0035] The network entity may be realized as: an independent network function; an analytics service; or a functionality of the Energy Information Function (EIF).

[0036] Some implementations of the method and apparatuses described herein may further include a network entity for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the network entity to: receive a sensing request from a sensing consumer for a sensing service provided by an integrated sensing and communication service; send an energy-cost request to another network entity to determine an energy cost of the sensing service; and receive from the another network entity the energy cost of the sensing service.

[0037] The two network entities may belong to two different network functions, or may be realized within the same network function.

[0038] The at least one processor may be configured to cause the network entity to receive, from the another network entity, information indicative of sensing equipment for achieving the energy cost.

[0039] The sensing request may comprise information indicative of a sensing target, a sensing service time schedule, and an expected accuracy of the sensing result, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the network entity to: select particular sensing equipment for establishing the sensing service based upon the energy cost, the time schedule and the expected accuracy; establish the sensing service using the selected particular sensing equipment; generate a sensing result for the established sensing service; and output the sensing result to the sensing consumer.

[0040] The at least one processor may be further configured to cause the network entity to receive, from the another network entity, information indicative of sensing transmitted s) and / or sensing receiver(s) for achieving the energy cost, and to provide information indicative of a line of sight between one or more of the sensing transmitter(s) and / or sensing receiver(s) and a sensing target / area associated with the sensing service. The at least one processor maybe further configured to cause the network entity to select particular sensing transmitted s) and / or sensing receiver(s) for establishing the sensing service based upon the information indicative of the line of sight.

[0041] The at least one processor may be configured to cause the network entity to select a sensing transmitter based upon the energy cost, the time schedule and the expected accuracy, and the sensing transmitter may comprise at least one of the following: a sensing transmitter holding an ongoing wireless transmission that can be reused for the purpose of the sensing service; a sensing transmitter that minimizes the process of re-selecting sensing transmitter considering a mobility pattern of a moving sensing target; a sensing transmitter that can serve the maximum amount of sensing services; and a sensing transmitter that assures an optimal transmission quality towards a sensing target and / or sensing area. The sensing transmitter may be a RAN node.

[0042] Some implementations of the method and apparatuses described herein may further include a method performed by a network entity for wireless communication, the method comprising: receiving a request to determine an energy cost of a sensing service provided by an integrated sensing and communication service; and providing the energy cost of the sensing service.

[0043] The method may further comprise providing information indicative of sensing equipment for achieving the energy cost.

[0044] Some implementations of the method and apparatuses described herein may further include a method performed by a network entity for wireless communication, the method comprising: receiving a sensing request from a sensing consumer for a sensing service provided by an integrated sensing and communication service; sending an energy-cost request to another network entity to determine an energy cost of the sensing service; and receiving from the another network entity the energy cost of the sensing service.

[0045] The method may further comprise receiving from the another network entity information indicative of sensing equipment for achieving the energy cost.

[0046] Where appropriate any of the optional features described above in relation to one of the implementations of the method and apparatuses described herein may be applied to another implementation of the method and apparatuses described herein.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] Figure 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0048] Figure 2 illustrates ISAC network architecture flavours.

[0049] Figure 3 illustrates an overview of NWDAF flavour including the potential input data sources and output consumers.

[0050] Figure 4 illustrates an example of a process for determining an energy cost of ISAC service and selection of sensing Tx and sensing Rx nodes based upon the determined energy cost.

[0051] Figure 5 illustrates an example of a network entity 500 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0052] Figure 6 illustrate a flowcharts of method performed by a network entity in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0053] Figure 7 illustrate a flowcharts of method performed by a network entity in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] Integrated sensing and communication (ISAC), enables the inclusion of sensing capabilities, i.e., radar alike sensing, in a communication network. Such sensing capabilities can obtain information related to the shape, size, orientation, speed and / or location of an object, or distances and / or relative motion between objects. The sensing capabilities use New Radio (NR) Radio Frequency (RF) signals and, in some cases, previously defined information available in Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and / or Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) as described in TR 22.837.

[0055] A concern and limitation related to an ISAC service is the fact that it may result in excessive energy cost, i.e., energy consumption, mainly in the RAN due to the wireless transmissions for sensing and secondary in the core network. Such energy cost may relate to collecting and processing sensing data to derive the sensing result by the RAN and the core network. Currently, there is no means to determine, control and / or optimize the energy cost related to ISAC services, and there are no criteria identified or method / logic, in selectingsensing receiver (Rx) and sensing transmitter (Tx) nodes to optimize the use of RAN equipment and UEs involved in ISAC operations.

[0056] This present disclosure provides a means to determine energy cost with the assistance of a new logical functionality that can help a Sensing Function (SF); introduced by ISAC to select sensing Rx and sensing Tx nodes. The means, advantageously, allows the energy cost of the ISAC service to be determined / estimated and further allows the SF to select sensing Rx and Tx nodes which would minimise the energy cost of the ISAC service.

[0057] An idea behind the means is to take advantage of the existing communication signals and to allow the best quality signals, e.g., those with line of sight (LOS) with a sensing target and / or in close proximity to the sensing target, to be selected for the purpose of ISAC to minimize the network resources needed. In other words, the presence of existing communication signals as well as the quality of such signals may be taken into account in determining the energy cost of ISAC operations. In addition, the selection of sensing Rx and sensing Tx nodes may also consider the optimization of end-to-end energy cost in the RAN and core network considering all network equipment involved.

[0058] Aspects of the present disclosure are described in the context of a wireless communications system.

[0059] Figure 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 100 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communications system 100 may include one or more network equipment (NE) 102, one or more UE 104, and a core network (CN) 106. The wireless communications system 100 may support various radio access technologies. In some implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may be a 4G network, such as an LTE network or an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network. In some other implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may be a NR network, such as a 5G network, a 5G-Advanced (5G-A) network, or a 5G ultrawideband (5G-UWB) network. In other implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may be a combination of a 4G network and a 5G network, or other suitable radio access technology including Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20. The wireless communications system 100 may support radio access technologies beyond 5G, for example, 6G. Additionally, the wireless communicationssystem 100 may support technologies, such as time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), or code division multiple access (CDMA), etc.

[0060] The one or more NE 102 may be dispersed throughout a geographic region to form the wireless communications system 100. One or more of the NE 102 described herein may be or include or may be referred to as a network node, a base station, a network element, a network function, a network entity, a RAN, a NodeB, an eNodeB (eNB), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), or other suitable terminology. An NE 102 and a UE 104 may communicate via a communication link, which may be a wireless or wired connection. For example, an NE 102 and a UE 104 may perform wireless communication (e.g., receive signaling, transmit signaling) over a Uu interface.

[0061] An NE 102 may provide a geographic coverage area for which the NE 102 may support services for one or more UEs 104 within the geographic coverage area. For example, an NE 102 and a UE 104 may support wireless communication of signals related to services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc.) according to one or multiple radio access technologies. In some implementations, an NE 102 may be moveable, for example, a satellite associated with a non-terrestrial network (NTN). In some implementations, different geographic coverage areas associated with the same or different radio access technologies may overlap, but the different geographic coverage areas may be associated with different NE 102.

[0062] The one or more UE 104 may be dispersed throughout a geographic region of the wireless communications system 100. A UE 104 may include or may be referred to as a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a subscriber device, a transmitter device, a receiver device, or some other suitable terminology. In some implementations, the UE 104 may be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client, among other examples. Additionally, or alternatively, the UE 104 may be referred to as an Internet-of-Things (loT) device, an Internet-of-Everything (loE) device, or machine-type communication (MTC) device, among other examples.

[0063] A UE 104 may be able to support wireless communication directly with other UEs 104 over a communication link. For example, a UE 104 may support wireless communication directly with another UE 104 over a device-to-device (D2D) communication link. In some implementations, such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) deployments, vehicle-to-everything (V2X)deployments, or cellular-V2X deployments, the communication link may be referred to as a sidelink. For example, a UE 104 may support wireless communication directly with another UE 104 over a PC5 interface.

[0064] An NE 102 may support communications with the CN 106, or with another NE 102, or both. For example, an NE 102 may interface with other NE 102 or the CN 106 through one or more backhaul links (e.g., SI, N2, N2, or network interface). In some implementations, the NE 102 may communicate with each other directly. In some other implementations, the NE 102 may communicate with each other or indirectly (e.g., via the CN 106. In some implementations, one or more NE 102 may include subcomponents, such as an access network entity, which may be an example of an access node controller (ANC). An ANC may communicate with the one or more UEs 104 through one or more other access network transmission entities, which may be referred to as a radio heads, smart radio heads, or transmission-reception points (TRPs).

[0065] The CN 106 may support user authentication, access authorization, tracking, connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The CN 106 may be an evolved packet core (EPC), or a 5G core (5GC), which may include a control plane entity that manages access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), an access and mobility management functions (AMF)) and a user plane entity that routes packets or interconnects to external networks (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), a Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or a user plane function (UPF)). In some implementations, the control plane entity may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions, such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management (e.g., data bearers, signal bearers, etc.) for the one or more UEs 104 served by the one or more NE 102 associated with the CN 106.

[0066] The CN 106 may communicate with a packet data network over one or more backhaul links (e.g., via an SI, N2, N2, or another network interface). The packet data network may include an application server. In some implementations, one or more UEs 104 may communicate with the application server. A UE 104 may establish a session (e.g., a protocol data unit (PDU) session, or the like) with the CN 106 via an NE 102. The CN 106 may route traffic (e.g., control information, data, and the like) between the UE 104 and the application server using the established session (e.g., the established PDU session). The PDU session may be an example of a logical connection between the UE 104 and the CN 106 (e.g., one or more network functions of the CN 106).

[0067] In the wireless communications system 100, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may use resources of the wireless communications system 100 (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, slots, subframes, frames, or the like) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers)) to perform various operations (e.g., wireless communications). In some implementations, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support different resource structures. For example, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support different frame structures. In some implementations, such as in 4G, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support a single frame structure. In some other implementations, such as in 5G and among other suitable radio access technologies, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support various frame structures (i.e., multiple frame structures). The NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support various frame structures based on one or more numerologies.

[0068] One or more numerologies may be supported in the wireless communications system 100, and a numerology may include a subcarrier spacing and a cyclic prefix. A first numerology (e.g., / t=0) may be associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. In some implementations, the first numerology (e.g., / t=0) associated with the first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) may utilize one slot per subframe. A second numerology (e.g., / / =1) may be associated with a second subcarrier spacing (e.g., 30 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A third numerology (e.g., g=2) may be associated with a third subcarrier spacing (e.g., 60 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix or an extended cyclic prefix. A fourth numerology (e.g., / t=3) may be associated with a fourth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 120 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A fifth numerology (e.g., / t=4) may be associated with a fifth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 240 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix.

[0069] A time interval of a resource (e.g., a communication resource) may be organized according to frames (also referred to as radio frames). Each frame may have a duration, for example, a 10 millisecond (ms) duration. In some implementations, each frame may include multiple subframes. For example, each frame may include 10 subframes, and each subframe may have a duration, for example, a 1 ms duration. In some implementations, each frame may have the same duration. In some implementations, each subframe of a frame may have the same duration.

[0070] Additionally or alternatively, a time interval of a resource (e.g., a communication resource) may be organized according to slots. For example, a subframe may include a number (e.g., quantity) of slots. The number of slots in each subframe may also depend on theone or more numerologies supported in the wireless communications system 100. For instance, the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth numerologies (i.e., / t=0, / t=l, =2, / t=3, / t=4) associated with respective subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz may utilize a single slot per subframe, two slots per subframe, four slots per subframe, eight slots per subframe, and 16 slots per subframe, respectively. Each slot may include a number (e.g., quantity) of symbols (e.g., OFDM symbols). In some implementations, the number (e.g., quantity) of slots for a subframe may depend on a numerology. For a normal cyclic prefix, a slot may include 14 symbols. For an extended cyclic prefix (e.g., applicable for 60 kHz subcarrier spacing), a slot may include 12 symbols. The relationship between the number of symbols per slot, the number of slots per subframe, and the number of slots per frame for a normal cyclic prefix and an extended cyclic prefix may depend on a numerology. It should be understood that reference to a first numerology (e.g., / t=0) associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) may be used interchangeably between subframes and slots.

[0071] In the wireless communications system 100, an electromagnetic (EM) spectrum may be split, based on frequency or wavelength, into various classes, frequency bands, frequency channels, etc. By way of example, the wireless communications system 100 may support one or multiple operating frequency bands, such as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz - 7.125 GHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz - 52.6 GHz), FR3 (7.125 GHz - 24.25 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz - 114.25 GHz), FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz - 71 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz - 300 GHz). In some implementations, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may perform wireless communications over one or more of the operating frequency bands. In some implementations, FR1 may be used by the NEs 102 and the UEs 104, among other equipment or devices for cellular communications traffic (e.g., control information, data). In some implementations, FR2 may be used by the NEs 102 and the UEs 104, among other equipment or devices for short-range, high data rate capabilities.

[0072] FR1 may be associated with one or multiple numerologies (e.g., at least three numerologies). For example, FR1 may be associated with a first numerology (e.g., / t=0), which includes 15 kHz subcarrier spacing; a second numerology (e.g., / / =1), which includes 30 kHz subcarrier spacing; and a third numerology (e.g., / / =2), which includes 60 kHz subcarrier spacing. FR2 may be associated with one or multiple numerologies (e.g., at least 2 numerologies). For example, FR2 may be associated with a third numerology (e.g., / / =2),which includes 60 kHz subcarrier spacing; and a fourth numerology (e.g., / z=3), which includes 120 kHz subcarrier spacing.

[0073] The main benefit of ISAC in 5G is the fact that its operation is based on the existing wireless infrastructure, which provides coverage to leverage the benefits of radio signal sensing as well as on the use of 5G core that can assist in collecting further information related to the UEs, policies, analytics and can facilitate sensing exposure towards external network consumers, e.g., Application Functions (AFs).

[0074] Sensing provided by ISAC may relate to target UE, objects without network connectivity (i.e.., with no sim-card) or may be for obtaining the environment characteristics (e.g., sensing weather conditions to realize if it is raining). The sensing may use the radio signals from one or more base stations (e.g., the NE 102), which form a sensing group whose location is known and whose sensing measurement data can be collected synchronously. The collected sensing data is then provided to the mobile core network (e.g., the CN 106), which determines the sensing target and its corresponding characteristics.

[0075] The present disclose adopts the following definitions from TR 22.837 including:• 3GPP sensing data: Data derived from 3GPP radio signals impacted (e.g., reflected, refracted, diffracted) by an object or environment of interest for sensing purposes, and optionally processed within the 5G system.• Sensing result: processed 3 GPP sensing data requested by a service consumer.• Sensing service area: a service area where sensing services would solely rely on infrastructures and sensing technologies that can be assumed to be present anywhere where 5G is present. This includes both indoor and outdoor environments.• Sensing target area: an area that needs to be sensed by deriving the dynamic characteristics of the area from any moving obstacles (e.g., cars, human, animals) from the impacted (e.g., reflected, refracted, diffracted) wireless signals. There are 2 kinds of target area: o Static sensing target area: a pre-defined area that does not move from the sensing transmitter’s perspective. o Moving sensing target area: a trusted zone with a target that moves from the sensing transmitter’s perspective.• Confidence level describes the percentage of all the possible measured sensing results that can be expected to include the true sensing result considering the accuracy.• Sensing Resolution describes the minimum difference in the measured magnitude of target objects (e.g. range, velocity) to be allowed to detect objects in different magnitude.• Max sensing service latency: time elapsed between the event triggering the determination of the sensing result and the availability of the sensing result at the sensing system interface.• Refreshing rate: rate at which the sensing result is generated by the sensing system. It is the inverse of the time elapsed between two successive sensing results reporting to the application server.

[0076] ISAC may enhance 5G core architecture by introducing a Sensing Function (SF). Five proposals for enhancing the 5G core by introducing a SF as a dedicated or logical Network Function (NF) are considered in IMT-2020 and shown in Figures 2(a) to 2(e). These include the following architecture flavours:• Tight coupling ISAC network architecture (Figure 2(a)) in where the SF appears as a dedicated NF handling both: (i) the sensing control plane aspects such as the interaction with the sensing consumer via Network Exposure Function (NEF) and information exchange with other NF s, for gathering UE information, (i.e., from the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Location Management Function (LMF), UE related policies from the Policy Control Function (PCF), and analytics from the Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF)) and (ii) the sensing radio signals for performing the analysis or prediction for determining the sensing target.• Service-based architecture (SB A) (Figure 2(b)), in where the new SF is directly interacts via NS7 with the UPF to receive sensing data, while it interacts via the service-based interconnection medium with the remaining of the 5G core control plane NFs.• Tight coupling ISAC network architecture with CP / UP split (Figure 2(c)) where the SF has two dedicated NF counter parts: (i) SF-C that handles the control plane aspects as described above and (ii) SF-U that is responsible for collecting the sensing radio signals via the user plane, i.e., via the RAN and UPF. The idea of this architecture is to split and offload heavy data volumes associated with sensing radio signals to the user plane to ensure light traffic, i.e., singling, in the control plane.• SF collocated with the LMF (Figure 2(d)) appears as a logical NF embedded in the LMF to perform sensing taking advantage of the knowledge of a UE location.• Loose coupling IS AC network architecture (Figure 2(e)) where the SF is independent of the 5G core, i.e., typically used for local field scenarios or private networks, and the interaction with the 5G core is minimal. The main idea is to use SF close to the RAN, i.e., collect and process the sensing radio signals locally, and interact with 5G core for the purpose of exposure via NEF, for getting the UE location from the AMF and for analytics (NWDAF).

[0077] Various scenarios of network-based and UE-based radio sensing operations are already known. Alternatives include scenarios of radio sensing where the network configures the participating sensing entities, i.e., network and UE nodes acting as sensing Tx nodes, network and UE nodes acting as sensing Rx nodes, as well as the configuration of sensing signal and necessary measurements and reporting procedures from the nodes. In this regard, the functional split between the network and the UE nodes for a specific sensing task (e.g., task of detecting presence of a pedestrian in a road) may take various forms, depending on the availability of sensing-capable devices and the requirements of the specific sensing task.I. Sensing Tx as a network node and Sensing Rx as a separate network node: in this case, the sensing signal (sensing RS or another RS used for sensing, or the data / control channels known to the involved network / TRP nodes) is transmitted and received by network entities. The involvement of UE nodes is limited to the aspects of interference management, when necessary. The network does not utilize UEs for sensing assistance in this scenario.II. Sensing Tx as a network node and Sensing Rx as the same network node: the sensing signal (e.g., sensing RS or another RS used for sensing, or the data / control channels known to the network / TRP nodes) is transmitted and received by the same network entity. The involvement of UE nodes is limited to the aspects of interference management, when necessary. The network does not utilize UEs for sensing assistance in this scenario.III. Sensing Tx as network node and Sensing Rx as a UE node: in this case, the sensing signal (e.g., sensing RS or other RS used for sensing or a data / control channel) is transmitted by a network entity and received by one or multiple UE nodes. Thenetwork configures the UEs to act as a sensing Rx node, according to the UE nodes capabilities for sensing, as well as the requirements of the desired sensing task.IV. Sensing Tx as a UE node and Sensing Rx as a network node: in this case, the sensing signal (e.g., sensing RS or other RS used for sensing or a data / control channel transmitted by the UE) is received by one or multiple network entities and transmitted by a UE node. The network configures the UE to act as a sensing Tx node, according to the UE nodes capabilities for sensing, as well as the nature of the desired sensing task.V. Sensing Tx as a UE node and Sensing Rx as a separate UE node: in this case, the sensing signal (e.g., sensing RS or other RS used for sensing of a data / control channel) is received by one or multiple UE nodes and transmitted by a UE node. In this case, the network, or a UE node may potentially decide on configuration of the sensing scenario. In one instance, the network configures the UEs to act as a sensing Tx and / or sensing Rx nodes, according to the UE nodes capabilities for sensing, as well as the nature of the desired sensing task.VI. Sensing Tx as a UE node and Sensing Rx as the same UE node: in this case, the sensing signal (e.g., a sensing-dedicated RS or another RS used for sensing, or the data / control channels known to the UE) is transmitted by a UE node and received by the same UE node. In this case, the UE or the network configures the sensing scenario, according to the UE nodes capabilities for sensing, as well as the nature of the desired sensing task.

[0078] The apparatuses and methods provided by the present disclosure may be used in any of the network architecture illustrated by Figure 2 and may involve any of the above combinations of sensing Tx and sensing Rx nodes.

[0079] Figure 3 illustrates an overview of NWDAF flavours including potential input data sources and output result consumers. NWDAF considers the support of various analytics types, e.g., UE Mobility, User Data Congestion, NF load, and others as elaborated in TS 23.288 which are distinct and can be selected by a consumer using the Analytics ID. Each NWDAF may support one or more Analytics IDs and may have the role of inference called NWDAF containing AnLF (or simply AnLF), or training called NWDAF containing MTLF (or simply MTLF) or both. AnLF that support a specific Analytics ID inference subscribes to a corresponding MTLF that is responsible for training. The various NWDAF flavours andtheir respective input data and output result consumers may include 5G core NFs, AFs, 5G core data repositories, e.g., ADRF, and the OAM (MnS Consumer or MF). Optionally, DCCF and MFAF may be involved to distribute and collect repeated data towards or from various data sources.

[0080] The present disclosure uses a logical NF, referred to as Sensing Energy Cost Information Function (SECIF), to determine (or estimate) the energy cost of RAN node(s) and core NFs for collecting and processing sensing data in performing a sensing service provided by the ISAC service. The SECIF sends the determined energy cost (and optionally together with information indicative of sensing equipment which achieves the determined energy cost) to the SF. In this way, the SECIF can assist the SF to select sensing Tx and sensing Rx node(s), which minimizes the energy cost of the sensing service.The energy cost of the sensing service as determined by the SECIF comprises an energy cost of a RAN (e.g., the NE 102) for collecting and processing sensing data and for propagating the sensing data towards a core network (e.g., the CN 106), and an energy cost of the core network for receiving and processing the sensing data to derive a sensing result. In some implementations, the RAN may pre-process the collected sensing data. In an example, the energy cost comprises a total energy consumption of the RAN and the core network for establishing the sensing service for an expected time duration of the sensing service. The energy cost may be determined based upon the amount of the RAN and core network resources used (i.e., how many base stations and core NFs are involved in a sensing operation), and the energy cost of the sensing operation per RAN and core network element.

[0081] To minimise the energy cost of the ISAC service, the sensing Tx and the sensing Rx may be selected based upon one or more of the following criteria:• selecting a communication signal transmitter (e.g., a TRP performing a DL transmission of a physical data / control channel) as a sensing Tx upon availability, by reusing a radio communication signal related to an ongoing wireless transmission for the purpose of sensing; this depends on the UE position involved in the ongoing wireless transmission and on the location of the sensing target object or the sensing target area in where sensing needs to be performed. Specifically, for reusing a radio communication signal the selection criteria may include: o the proximity of the sensing Tx to the sensing target; o the Line of Sight (LOS) condition with the sensing target; and / oro The beam / propagation direction associated with the radio communication signal transmission in relation to the target position or expected target area (e.g., if a DL physical channel is transmitted in the direction of a sensing target)• selecting a sensing receiver that minimizes the energy cost of the RAN and core network by: o minimizing the quantity of energy consumption in RAN nodes and core NFs; and / or o minimizing the amount of RAN nodes and core NFs, e.g. UPFs, to propagate the sensing data towards the sensing node that can process it to obtain the sensing result, e.g., towards the SF, considering the overall network energy cost that may rely on the transmission duration and transmission power / energy.

[0082] In some examples, the number of the sensing Tx nodes and / or the sensing Rx nodes associated with a sensing target / task may be selected (e.g., by the SF) based upon the total expected / predicted energy cost as well as the predicted / expected sensing results KPI. In one of such examples, a setup with a higher number of sensing receivers is preferred, with the intention of reducing (compared to a setup with a smaller number of sensing Rx nodes) the total required transmission duration, transmission power / energy, number of sensing Tx nodes, or a combination thereof.

[0083] To be able to determine the optimal sensing Tx / Rx for minimizing the energy consumption in the RAN and core network, there may be a need to obtain one or more of the following information regarding: (i) the potential location of the sensing target, and / or target mobility patterns (e.g., velocity and movement direction). An exemplary sensing scenario is that the target location is not initially known, but a general area is known and a general mobility pattern (e.g., velocity is between 30-90 km / hrs along a street direction) is known; (ii) the location of the UEs and RAN nodes available for serving as sensing Tx and / or sensing Rx and (iii) the energy criteria, i.e., energy consumption of the RAN and the core network, corresponding to using particular UEs and RAN nodes as sensing Tx / Rx nodes, (iv) the sensing result type and requested KPI / accuracy / reliability; and (v) sensing target type and / or sensing target Radar Cross Section (RCS) level.

[0084] In some examples, the sensing target is a moving object (e.g., a moving Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), or a moving radio node (e.g., a moving vehicle UE)). The sensing Tx and sensing Rx may be selected based upon both the current and future possible locations ofthe moving object in order to minimize the number of node handover or the number of sensing Tx / Rx re-selection, thereby reducing the energy cost of the ISAC service. This is because re-selection of sensing Tx / Rx nodes consumes additional energy and increases the overall energy cost. If the moving target passes through an a priori known route (e.g., an Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) in an indoor factory passing via a pre-determined pathway), then the sensing Tx and sensing Rx nodes may be selected considering the prior knowledge of the pathway.

[0085] In some examples, the selection of the sensing Tx / Rx node(s) is determined not just for a single sensing task, but for a plurality of related or independent sensing tasks (e.g., detection of same or different target types in related / neighbouring areas) for which a sensing Tx / Rx node may simultaneously perform. For example, it may be preferable to select a sensing Rx which is located such that it can receive sensing signals for a plurality of sensing tasks / operations. Similarly, it may be preferable to select a sensing Tx which is located such that it can simultaneously perform sensing transmission (via the same signal) related to a plurality of sensing targets / sensing tasks. Such sensing Tx / Rx are reusable in multiple sensing tasks. Therefore, selecting such sensing Tx / Rx would reduce the energy cost of each sensing task.

[0086] As secondary energy criteria, the energy cost may also comprise one or more of the following factors: energy efficiency, carbon emissions or usage of alternative energy to empower RAN nodes or core NFs.

[0087] Figure 4 illustrates an example of a process for determining an energy cost of a sensing service provided by ISAC service and for selection of sensing Tx / Rx nodes based upon the energy cost, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The energy cost is determined in a way such that the preferred sensing Tx / Rx node(s) as described above correspond to a lower level of energy cost of the RAN and the core network. Accordingly, the SF can identify and select the preferred sensing Tx / Rx nodes based upon the energy cost.

[0088] Referring to Figure 4, at step 1, a sensing consumer 401 issues a sensing request, e.g., Nsf Sensing Request, towards the SF 402. The sensing request includes information regarding a sensing target (e.g., description of a shape of the sensing target). The sensing request may also include one or more of the following:• information related to a location (or expected location(s) if the sensing target is moving) of the sensing target, and / or a velocity / mobility pattern (e.g., expected velocity between 60 to 90 km / hour along a given direction on a highway) of the sensing target;• information indicative of an area of interest (e.g., a sensing service area);• information indicative of an expected sensing performance (e.g., accuracy / KPI of the sensing result, e.g., as given according to TR22.837); and / or• information indicative of an expected time schedule and duration of the sensing service.

[0089] If the sensing consumer 401 is an untrusted AF, then the sensing request need to go through NEF to authorize the AF and be the mediator between the SF and the AF, hiding network internal information.

[0090] Once the SF 402 receives the sensing request, the SF 402 needs to determine the sensing Tx and Rx node(s), which may include RAN nodes and / or UEs. In this example, optimization processing is carried out using the energy cost related to the usage of particular sensing Tx and Rx node(s). The optimization processing includes step 2 to step 12 as described below.

[0091] At step 2, the SF 402 requests the energy cost from the SECIF 403 using, e.g., the Nsecif_SensingEnergyCost_Request service. The energy-cost request sent by the SF 402 to the SECIF 403 may contain one or more of the following: the location and / or the expected location of the sensing target; the velocity / mobility pattern of the sensing target if the sensing target is a moving sensing target; the geographical details of the desired sensing service area for an expected duration of the sensing service; and / or the expected time schedule and duration of the sensing service. These details may be provided by the SF 402 based on the sensing request that it received from the sensing consumer 401. In some examples where the sensing operation includes tracking of a moving target such as a UAV, the SF 402 provides the target location, velocity / direction etc., to the SECIF 403 based on a previous sensing operation in which the said target was initially detected and positioned. In addition to the expected sensing target location, the SF 402 may further indicate an uncertainty region / radius for the target location or velocity.

[0092] Alternatively, the energy-cost request may not contain the location of the sensing target, but instead may contain a UE ID that can be used by the SECIF 403 todetermine / derive the location of the sensing target. This is applicable if the sensing target is for example, a car with a UE ID, or if the sensing target is in close proximity with the UE ID. The SECIF may request the LMF 404 (in step 3) to get the location of the indicated UE and, in turn, to derive the location of the sensing target based upon the location of the indicated UE. In any event, it can be said that the energy-cost request sent by the SF 402 to the SECIF 403 comprises information indicative of a location (e.g., current location or future location(s)) of a sensing target or a sensing service area. The information (e.g., UE ID) is such that the location of a sensing target / area can be derived or estimated based there-upon.

[0093] At step 4, once the SECIF 403 knows the location of the sensing target / area, the SECIF 403 sends a request to 0AM 406 and obtains from the 0AM information indicative of available RAN equipment 408, e.g., base stations such as NE 102, and optionally UEs residing on such base stations, within a vicinity of the sensing target or sensing service area. MDT UEs may be selected and used since they report their radio performance to the RAN, provided that these UEs are willing to participate in the sensing process. Alternatively, the information indicative of the available RAN nodes may be obtained by using the GeoAreaToCellMapping as per TS 28.622, which maps a given geographical area to specific cells, and the details of the sensing service area where the sensing target resides.

[0094] In this step, all available sensing Tx and / or Rx nodes (including RAN nodes, and UEs with consensus to serve as sensing Tx and / or Rx) within a proximity limit of a location of the sensing target / area may be identified by the SECIF 403. The identified available sensing Tx and / or Rx nodes may potentially serve as sensing Tx and / or sensing Rx for the sensing request and thus are candidate sensing Tx and / or Rx nodes.

[0095] At step 5, the SECIF 403 queries the available RAN equipment 408 to determine which piece of the available RAN equipment is holding an ongoing communication session (in other words, which piece of the available RAN equipment is transmitting actively in the wireless medium). Optionally, the SECIF 403 may obtain, from the RAN nodes 408 that are holding an ongoing communication session, information regarding the transmission direction, the signal strength etc..

[0096] Steps 6 to 8 may be carried out alternatively or additionally to step 5. At step 6, the SECIF 403 may check the RRC state by inquiring the corresponding AMF using the Namf EventExposure Request / Response service for specific UEs, i.e., once a UE is active.The inquiry may include whether a specific base station holds an active RRC state (i.e., check the connectivity state: IDLE or ACTIVE). If so, the SECIF 403 may obtain UE context information related to the UE ID that holds such active connectivity. Optionally, the SECIF 403 may also collect UE access behavior information and location trends for future usage. Active UEs may also be considered to serve as sensing Tx if there is a UE consent.

[0097] At step 7, the SECIF 403 obtains the communication patterns of active UEs using tan analytics service with an Analytics ID = "UE Communication" from the NWDAF 407. The SECIF 403 may use the Nnwdaf_AnalyticsSubscribe / Notify orNnwdaf AnalyticsInfo Request / Response service. With the communication patterns of active UEs, the SECIF 403 is able to determine whether the RAN equipment (which communicates with the active UEs) will be involved in an ongoing transmission for the expected duration of the sensing service. The communication pattern of the UE may be used to calculate the energy cost of the associated RAN node.

[0098] At step 8, the SECIF 403 uses the UE ID and requests the LMF 404 to get the location of active UEs. This information may assist in determining the LOS of an active transmission between the sensing target / area and the specific location of an active UE.

[0099] After step 8, the SECIF 403 has obtained (a) the location of active RAN nodes (at step 5 and / or 6), (b) the location (including height if available) of the sensing target (at step 2 and / or 3) and / or (c) the location of the active UEs (at step 8). The active RAN nodes and the active UEs are candidate sensing Tx / Rx nodes which are a subset of the available sensing Tx / Rx nodes as determined in step 4. The processing then moves to step 9 where the SECIF 403 determines the LOS between the active RAN nodes and the sensing target / area, and / or the LOS between the sensing target / area and the active UEs in close proximity to the sensing target / area.

[0100] Out of the active RAN nodes and the active UEs, the sensing Tx and / or Rx nodes with LOS towards the sensing target / area are preferred. The LOS may be determined by:• checking the geographical terrain if available to identify obstacles towards a sensing target or the percentage of obstacles when serving a sensing area;• obtaining if available signal strength measurements (e.g., from nearby serving UEs) to verify whether a LOS connection can be established towards a sensing target orserving a sensing area; these measurements can be collected regularly to build a LOS map of a specific geographical area; and / or• calculating the radio LOS considers the heights of both the RAN node and the sensing target and / or the distance between RAN node and the sensing target / area.

[0101] A combination of these approaches may be applied. LOS data may be collected and stored regularly by RAN nodes, or by an individual node that has correspondence with the RAN nodes, which are involved in ISAC to speed up the process.

[0102] At step 10, the SECIF 403 obtains from the 0AM 406 the energy cost per each piece of network equipment involved in transferring sensing data towards the SF 402. The network equipment concerned includes RAN equipment and core network equipment. The 0AM 406 may estimate the energy cost considering the computing resource required by each node and correlate the computing resource with the respective energy cost. Energy cost on a RAN node or on a core NF can be based on performance measurements on energy consumption available in TS 28.552 or can be considered based on energy efficiency KPIs as specified in TS 28.554.

[0103] The 0AM 406 may obtain the energy cost of each RAN node (e.g., the NE 102) from each RAN node based on: (i) the coverage, i.e., the size of a cell; (ii) radio access technology and radio type; (iii) the number of UEs that a cell is communicating with; (iv) the location of these UEs (e.g., how far these UEs are located), (v) radio conditions (e.g., if there is any interference, if there is any need to retransmit information and / or if it takes longer to transmit or receive wireless signal information).

[0104] The energy cost may contain the following measurements including energy consumption, energy efficiency, use of renewable energy or the impact on carbon emissions.

[0105] At step 11, the SECIF 403 determines the end-to-end energy cost corresponding to each possible combination of sensing Tx and sensing Rx nodes. Therefore, the end-to-end energy costs can be used to select the most suitable sensing Tx and sensing Rx nodes which minimize the energy cost. The end-to-end energy cost includes both RAN and core network energy cost, e.g., the energy cost of the RAN for collecting and processing sensing data and for propagating the sensing data towards the core network, and the energy cost of the core network for receiving and processing the sensing data to derive the sensing result. In anexample, the end-to-end energy cost does not consider the energy cost of UEs because UEs have different power constraints than network equipment.

[0106] In general terms, the selection of a RAN node is coupled with the usage of a specific core NF (or more than one core NF) involved in propagating the sensing data towards the SF. Hence, the combined energy cost of RAN and the core network shall be considered when selecting RAN node for the role of sensing Tx and / or sensing Rx. In some examples, to minimize the energy cost the main criteria considered concentrate at least in part on minimizing the network energy resource usage for transmission and for baseband processing associated with the sensing signal transmission and measurement, e.g., amount of nodes involved or select nodes that require less energy cost. In other words, the end-to-end energy cost represents the energy footprint of IS AC on the total energy consumption of the RAN and core network involved for an expected time duration of the sensing task.

[0107] Within the active RAN nodes (which may act as sensing Tx and / or Rx nodes) having LOS (e.g., having a LOS score higher than a first threshold or a coverage percentage considering a sensing area of interest (e.g., LOS in 30% of the sensing area) higher than a second threshold) with the sensing target / area, an RAN node that assures a minimum energy cost or an energy cost lower than a specified limit may be preferred for use as a sensing Tx and / or Rx node.

[0108] The SECIF 403 may disregard non-active RAN / UE nodes (e.g., those nodes which do not hold an ongoing wireless communication as determined at step 5), and only consider possible combination of active RAN / UE nodes for use as candidate sensing Tx and Rx nodes. Accordingly, the SECIF 403 may only determine the end-to-end energy costs corresponding to combinations of active RAN / UE nodes.

[0109] The LOS determined at step 9 may be used in step 11 in various different ways. In an example, the SECIF 403 may disregard sensing Tx nodes and sensing Rx nodes which do not have LOS with the sensing target / area, and only consider possible combination of sensing Tx and Rx nodes which have LOS with the sensing target / area as candidate sensing Tx and Rx nodes. Accordingly, the SECIF 403 may only determine the end-to-end energy cost corresponding to those particular combinations of (active) sensing Tx and sensing Rx nodes which have LOS with the sensing target / area.

[0110] In another example, the SECIF 403 may modify the energy costs of RAN nodes (which are sensing Tx / Rx candidates as per step 4 and / or 5) obtained from the 0AM 406 based upon the LOS status of the RAN nodes towards the sensing target / area, such that a RAN node having LOS with the sensing target / area has a lower modified energy cost than a similar RAN node but without LOS. The modified energy costs of the RAN nodes are then used to determine the end-to-end energy cost of the sensing service. Therefore, the end-to-end energy cost can be determined based upon the LOS status of candidate sensing Rx and Tx nodes towards the sensing target / area. Alternatively, energy cost and the LOS, can be used in combination to rate RAN nodes and based on such rating a selection of a particular RAN node as a sensing Tx / Rx node can be performed.[OHl] General speaking, when a RAN node serves as the sensing Tx and / or the sensing Rx, the energy cost of the RAN node may be determined by the SECIF 403 based upon a transmission signal quality between a sensing target / area and the RAN node. For example, the SECIF 403 may determine that a RAN node (acting as sensing Tx and / or Rx node) which have a better transmission signal quality would have a lower energy cost than a similar RAN node but with a poorer transmission signal quality. The transmission signal quality may be determined based upon at least one of: a LOS (which relates to signal interference) between the sensing target / area and the RAN node; and a range of proximity (which relates to signal strength) between the sensing target / area and the RAN node.

[0112] As described above, the communication pattern of an active UE can assist in calculating the energy cost of an active RAN node in communication with the active UE. This is because the communication pattern of the UE determines the extent to which the existing communication signal can be reused for the expected time duration of the sensing task. Therefore, when a RAN node serves as the sensing Tx and / or the sensing Rx and holds an ongoing wireless transmission towards a UE, the energy cost of the RAN node may be determined by the SECIF 403 based upon the communication pattern of the UE.

[0113] The determination of the end-to-end energy cost may also take into account potential combinations with core network equipment or RAN equipment, which assist in transferring sensing data from the RAN to the SF. For example, in the case where two RAN nodes may introduce a similar energy cost, hence the combination with a different core NF may have an impact on the summarized (i.e., end-to-end) energy cost for transferring sensingdata to the SF. Therefore, the end-to-end energy costs may be used to select a propagation path for transferring sensing data from RAN to the SF.

[0114] In determining the end-to-end energy cost, the SECIF 403 may consider RAN nodes and / or core NFs which are in energy saving mode (e.g., powered-off for saving energy) and avoid waking up such nodes if their use involves the sole purpose of sensing. This may be implemented in various different ways. For example, the SECIF may modify the energy costs of RAN nodes and / or core NFs obtained from the 0AM 406 based upon whether they are in energy saving mode, such that RAN nodes and / or core NFs in energy saving mode have a higher energy cost than RAN nodes and / or core NFs in normal working mode. Alternatively, the SECIF 403 may exclude RAN nodes and / or core NFs which are in energy saving mode from consideration and only determine the end-to-end energy costs of propagation paths (from the RAN to the SF) which do not involve any RAN node and / or core NF which is in energy saving mode.

[0115] In general terms, the end-to-end energy cost is determined by considering the energy cost per equipment and the amount of equipment used for transferring sensing data to the SF. Additionally, the energy cost may be determined considering the duration for using certain network equipment. For instance, a RAN node with low radio condition, e.g., high interference, may require a much longer time duration for receiving a radio signal used for data sensing compared to a RAN node with good radio conditions without interference. Therefore, the RAN node with low radio condition would have a higher energy cost than the RAN node with good radio condition.

[0116] The SECIF 403 may also consider sensing Tx / Rx nodes that can serve a moving sensing target for a longer duration since in certain occasions the process of changing sensing Tx / Rx nodes requires control singling and coordination that may result in a higher energy cost. For example, the SECIF 403 may determine that a RAN node (acting as sensing Tx and / or Rx node) which can serve a moving sensing target for a longer duration would have a lower energy cost.

[0117] The SECIF 403 may also consider sensing Tx / Rx nodes that can serve multiple ongoing sensing tasks to aggregate the transmitted and received sensing signals into fewer network nodes. For example, the SECIF 403 may determine that a RAN node (acting assensing Tx and / or Rx node) which can serve multiple ongoing sensing tasks would have a lower energy cost than another node which can only service one sensing task.

[0118] At step 12, the SECIF 403 responds to the SF 402 using, e.g., Nsecif_SensingEnergyCost_Response service, which may contain a list of RAN equipment and / or UEs that can be used as sensing Tx and / or sensing Rx nodes, as well as the respective end-to-end energy cost (e.g., from RAN to the SF) for the expected duration of the sensing service.

[0119] At step 13, the SF 402 selects, based upon the energy cost information provided by the SECIF 403, sensing Tx and Rx nodes that shall be used for the sensing task, considering minimizing of the total energy cost.

[0120] Besides the energy cost information, the SF 402 may select sensing Tx and sensing Rx node considering one or more of the following additional information:• Select RAN nodes, i.e., sensing Rx, that can be used to receive sensing data from multiple sensing Tx, exploiting the potential of aggregation or pre-processing of sensing data at the RAN level to minimize the corresponding core network resources to collect sensing data.• Select the minimum amount of sensing Tx and sensing Rx that shall be used to assure the indicated sensing performance i.e., by checking how accurate are the sensing predictions based on the ground truth data or feedback from the consumer, e.g., how correct was a predicted object with a certain percentage.• Selecting plurality of sensing Rx nodes to collect multiple copies of the same reflection from the same transmission and thereby reduce the energy cost needed otherwise for collecting multiple or longer transmission durations given a needed sensing results KPI.

[0121] For minimizing the RAN equipment and / or UEs that can be used as sensing Tx and sensing Rx, the SF 402 can consider the indicated desired sensing accuracy provided by the SF consumer 401. The indicated desired sensing accuracy can be used initially and then adjusted with the production of more sensing results considering ground truth data, feedback from the SF consumer or by obtaining data from alternative sources, e.g., cameras for checking at specific times. It shall be noted that the SF 402 may additionally or alternatively select other type of sensing sources such as video to complement the collected sensing data oras an alternative to specified sensing data if that sensing data energy cost is beyond a preconfigured or an indicated limit.

[0122] The SECIF 403 may be a part of the Energy Information Function (EIF; not shown in Figure 4) as specified in TS 23.501, or may be a service offered by an analytics function, e.g., NWDAF 407 as per TS 23.288. The SECIF 403 may also be co-located with the SF 402. Alternatively, the SECIF may be a dedicated NF in the core network (e.g., the CN 106) or RAN. In the latter case, the SECIF may be a part of a base station (e.g., the NE 102), an edge cloud close to RAN, or a RAN analytics service.

[0123] In a particular example, the SECIF 403 may be realized as an Analytics ID in NWDAF 407. The Analytics ID may be referred to as, e.g., “Sensing Energy Cost” and may adopt the inferences for subscribing to analytics as per 6.1.1 TS 23.288 or requesting analytics as 6.1.2 TS 23.288. For accommodating the requirements of ISAC and energy cost, the contents of analytics exposure as per 6.1.3 TS 23.288 need to be extended to accommodate: the sensing target (e.g., description of shape), the sensing target location and / or the sensing service area and the expected sensing performance, e.g., accuracy of the sensing result.

[0124] The additional input data besides the ones provided by the subscription or request for the suggested new Analytics ID related to “Sensing Energy Cost” may include the same information as described in the procedure above including data from the LMF 404, AMF 405, 0AM 406 and potentially RAN nodes related to:(i) the location of sensing targets or the location of nearby UEs,(ii) the location of the available RAN equipment and / or UEs in the sensing area,(iii) RAN equipment and UEs involved in active transmissions and(iv) the energy cost related to network equipment, which can potentially be involved in transferring sensing data towards the SF 402.

[0125] The analytics result, which can be: (i) a notification related to a subscription notification or (ii) a response to one time request can include in either case: the list of RAN equipment and / or UEs that can be used as sensing Tx and sensing Rx providing also the respective energy cost for the expected duration of the sensing service; or alternatively recommendation of the sensing Tx and sensing Rx that the SF 402 shall use to minimize the energy cost.

[0126] Figure 5 illustrates an example of a network entity 500 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The network entity 500 may be part of the CN 106 or part of RAN (e.g., part of the NE 102).

[0127] The network entity 500 may include a processor 502, a memory 504, a controller 506, and a transceiver 508. The processor 502, the memory 504, the controller 506, or the transceiver 508, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of the present disclosure as described herein. These components may be coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces.

[0128] The processor 502, the memory 504, the controller 506, or the transceiver 508, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., circuitry). The hardware may include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure.

[0129] The processor 502 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general- purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, or any combination thereof). In some implementations, the processor 502 may be configured to operate the memory 504. In some other implementations, the memory 504 may be integrated into the processor 502. The processor 502 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 504 to cause the network entity 500 to perform various functions of the present disclosure.

[0130] The memory 504 may include volatile or non-volatile memory. The memory 504 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code including instructions when executed by the processor 502 cause the network entity 500 to perform various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such the memory 504 or another type of memory. Computer-readable media includes both non- transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A non-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that may be accessed by a general-purpose or specialpurpose computer.

[0131] In some implementations, the processor 502 and the memory 504 coupled with the processor 502 may be configured to cause the network entity 500 to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., executing, by the processor 502, instructions stored in the memory 504). For example, the processor 502 may support wireless communication at the network entity 500 in accordance with examples as disclosed herein.

[0132] The network entity 500 may be configured to support a network entity (e.g., the SECIF 403) for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the network entity to: receive a request to determine an energy cost of a sensing service provided by an integrated sensing and communication service; and provide the energy cost of the sensing service (and optionally information indicative of sensing equipment for achieving the energy cost).

[0133] Alternatively, the network entity 500 may be configured to support a network entity (e.g., the SF 402) for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the network entity to: receive a sensing request from a sensing consumer for a sensing service provided by an integrated sensing and communication service; send an energy-cost request to another network entity to determine an energy cost of the sensing service; and receive from the another network entity the energy cost of the sensing service (and optionally information indicative of sensing equipment for achieving the energy cost).

[0134] The controller 506 may manage input and output signals for the network entity 500. The controller 506 may also manage peripherals not integrated into the network entity 500. In some implementations, the controller 506 may utilize an operating system such as iOS®, ANDROID®, WINDOWS®, or other operating systems. In some implementations, the controller 506 may be implemented as part of the processor 502.

[0135] In some implementations, the network entity 500 may include at least one transceiver 508. In some other implementations, the network entity 500 may have more than one transceiver 508. The transceiver 508 may represent a wireless transceiver. The transceiver 508 may include one or more receiver chains 510, one or more transmitter chains 512, or a combination thereof.

[0136] A receiver chain 510 may be configured to receive signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) over a wireless medium. For example, the receiver chain 510 mayinclude one or more antennas for receive the signal over the air or wireless medium. The receiver chain 510 may include at least one amplifier (e.g., a low-noise amplifier (LNA)) configured to amplify the received signal. The receiver chain 510 may include at least one demodulator configured to demodulate the receive signal and obtain the transmitted data by reversing the modulation technique applied during transmission of the signal. The receiver chain 510 may include at least one decoder for decoding the processing the demodulated signal to receive the transmitted data.

[0137] A transmitter chain 512 may be configured to generate and transmit signals (e.g., control information, data, packets). The transmitter chain 512 may include at least one modulator for modulating data onto a carrier signal, preparing the signal for transmission over a wireless medium. The at least one modulator may be configured to support one or more techniques such as amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), or digital modulation schemes like phase-shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). The transmitter chain 512 may also include at least one power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signal to an appropriate power level suitable for transmission over the wireless medium. The transmitter chain 512 may also include one or more antennas for transmitting the amplified signal into the air or wireless medium.

[0138] Figure 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method may be implemented by a network entity (e.g., the SECIF 403) as described herein. In some implementations, the network entity may execute a set of instructions to control the function elements of the network entity to perform the described functions.

[0139] At step 602, the method may include receiving a request to determine an energy cost of a sensing service provided by an integrated sensing and communication service. The operations of 602 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 602 may be performed by a network entity 500 as described with reference to Figure 5.

[0140] At step 604, the method may include providing the energy cost of the sensing service (and optionally information indicative of sensing equipment for achieving the energy cost). The operations of 604 may be performed in accordance with examples as describedherein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 604 may be performed by a network entity 500 as described with reference to Figure 5.

[0141] The request received at step 602 may comprise location information indicative of a location of a sensing target or a sensing area. The method may include a step of obtaining information indicative of available RAN node(s) in a vicinity of the sensing target or the sensing area.

[0142] Further or alternatively, the method may include steps of obtaining information indicative of active RAN node(s) which hold an ongoing wireless transmission towards a UE; and determining LOS information between the active RAN node(s) and the sensing target / area. The LOS information may comprise an LOS score or a coverage percentage considering a sensing area of interest (e.g., LOS in 30% of the sensing area). The active RAN node(s) may be a subset of the available RAN node(s) in the vicinity of the sensing target or the sensing area.

[0143] The energy cost may be provided / determined based upon the LOS information between the active RAN node(s) and the sensing target / area.

[0144] Further or alternatively, the method may include a step of determining the energy cost of the sensing service. The determined energy cost may be provided or sent to another network entity from which the request is received in 602.

[0145] It should be noted that the method described herein describes a possible implementation, and that the operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible.

[0146] Figure 7 illustrates a flowchart of a method in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method may be implemented by a network entity 500 (e.g., the SF 402) as described herein. In some implementations, the network entity may execute a set of instructions to control the function elements of the network entity to perform the described functions.

[0147] At 702, the method may include receiving a sensing request from a sensing consumer for a sensing service provided by an integrated sensing and communication service. The operations of 702 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. Insome implementations, aspects of the operations of 702 may be performed by a network entity 500 as described with reference to Figure 5.

[0148] At 704, the method may include sending an energy-cost request to another network entity to determine an energy cost of the sensing service. The operations of 704 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 704 may be performed by a network entity 500 as described with reference to Figure 5.

[0149] At 706, the method may include receiving from the another network entity the energy cost of the sensing service (and optionally information indicative of sensing equipment for achieving the energy cost). The operations of 706 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 706 may be performed a network entity 500 as described with reference to Figure 5.

[0150] The sensing request may comprise information indicative of a sensing target, a time schedule of the sensing service, and an expected accuracy of the sensing result. The method may further include one or more of the following steps:• selecting particular sensing equipment for establishing the sensing service based upon the energy cost and the expected accuracy;• establishing the sensing service using the selected particular sensing equipment;• generating a sensing result for the established sensing service; and• outputting the sensing result to the sensing consumer.

[0151] It should be noted that the method described herein describes a possible implementation, and that the operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible.

[0152] The description herein is provided to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A network entity for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the network entity to: receive a request to determine an energy cost of a sensing service provided by an integrated sensing and communication service; and provide the energy cost of the sensing service.

2. The network entity of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the network entity to provide information indicative of sensing equipment for achieving the energy cost.

3. The network entity of claim 1 or 2, wherein the energy cost of the sensing service comprises an energy cost of a radio access network (RAN) for collecting and processing sensing data and for propagating the sensing data towards a core network, and an energy cost of the core network for receiving and processing the sensing data to derive a sensing result.

4. The network entity of claim 3, wherein the received request comprises information indicative of an expected time schedule and / or time duration of the sensing service, and the energy cost comprises a total energy consumption of the RAN and the core network for establishing the sensing service for the expected time schedule and / or time duration of the sensing service.

5. The network entity of any preceding claim, wherein the energy cost is impactable by sensing equipment for establishing the sensing service, and the sensing equipment comprises a sensing transmitter and a sensing receiver for generating the sensing data.

6. The network entity of claim 5, wherein the energy cost is provided based on: whether the sensing transmitter and / or the sensing receiver hold an ongoing wireless transmission that can be reused for the purpose of the sensing service.

7. The network entity of claim 6, wherein the sensing transmitter and / or the sensing receiver comprise a RAN node that holds an ongoing wireless transmission towards a UE, and the energy cost is provided based on a communication pattern of the UE for an expected time duration of the sensing service.

8. The network entity of any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the energy cost is provided based on a transmission signal quality between a sensing target / area and the sensing transmitter / receiver.

9. The network entity of claim 8, wherein the transmission signal quality is determined based upon at least one of: a line of sight between the sensing target / area and the sensing transmitter / receiver; and a range of proximity between the sensing target / area and the sensing transmitter / receiver.

10. The network entity of any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the energy cost is provided based upon a time duration for which the sensing transmitter and / or the sensing receiver can be used to sense a sensing target.

11. The network entity of any one of claims 5 to 10, wherein the energy cost is provided based on: a time duration for which the sensing transmitter and / or the sensing receiver can be used to sense a moving sensing target considering a mobility pattern of the moving sensing target; and / or a number of re-selecting the sensing transmitter and / or the sensing receiver considering a / the mobility pattern of a / the moving sensing target.

12. The network entity of any one of claims 5 to 11, wherein the energy cost is provided based on: whether the sensing transmitter and / or the sensing receiver can be shared by more than one sensing service.

13. The network entity of any preceding claim, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the network entity to: provide a plurality of energy costs of the sensing service, wherein the plurality of energy costs correspond to different combinations of sensing transmitter and sensing receivers for achieving the respect energy costs.

14. The network entity of any preceding claim, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the network entity to: provide a recommendation for selecting particular sensing transmitter(s) and / or particular sensing receiver(s) to establish the sensing service, based upon the energy cost or the plurality of sensing costs.

15. The network entity of claim 14, wherein the energy cost is provided such that the recommended sensing transmitted s) comprise at least one of the following: a sensing transmitter holding an ongoing wireless transmission that can be reused for the purpose of the sensing service; a sensing transmitter that minimizes the process of re-selecting sensing transmitter considering a mobility pattern of a moving sensing target; a sensing transmitter that can serve the maximum amount of sensing services; and a sensing transmitter that assures an optimal transmission quality towards a sensing target and / or a sensing area.

16. The network entity of any preceding claim, wherein the network entity is realized as: an independent network function; or an analytics service; or a functionality of the Energy Information Function (EIF).

17. A network entity for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; andat least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the network entity to: receive a sensing request from a sensing consumer for a sensing service provided by an integrated sensing and communication service; send an energy-cost request to another network entity to determine an energy cost of the sensing service; and receive from the another network entity the energy cost of the sensing service.

18. The network entity of claim 17, wherein the sensing request comprises information indicative of a sensing target, a time schedule of the sensing service, and an expected accuracy of the sensing result, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the network entity to: select particular sensing equipment for establishing the sensing service based upon the energy cost, the time schedule and the expected accuracy; establish the sensing service using the selected particular sensing equipment; generate a sensing result for the established sensing service; and output the sensing result to the sensing consumer.

19. A method performed by a network entity for wireless communication, the method comprising: receiving a request to determine an energy cost of a sensing service provided by an integrated sensing and communication service; and providing the energy cost of the sensing service.

20. A method performed by a network entity for wireless communication, the method comprising: receiving a sensing request from a sensing consumer for a sensing service provided by an integrated sensing and communication service; sending an energy-cost request to another network entity to determine an energy cost of the sensing service; andreceiving from the another network entity the energy cost of the sensing service.

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