Network node, radio node, and methods performed therein for handling sensing of one or more sensing objects

Abstract

It is herein disclosed, for example, a method performed by a network node (150) for handling sensing of one or more sensing objects in a wireless communication network. The network node (150) initiates a change of a sensing mode or sensing topology based on one or more sensing parameters, and / or a triggering action, triggering condition, and / or triggering event. The network node (150) further informs one or more radio nodes (110) of said initiation or change.

Description

[0001] NETWORK NODE, RADIO NODE, AND METHODS PERFORMED THEREIN

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] Embodiments herein relate to a network node, a radio node, and methods performed therein regarding wireless communication. Furthermore, a computer program product and a computer readable storage medium are also provided herein. In particular, embodiments herein relate to handling sensing of one or more sensing objects, such as sensing targets, in a wireless communication network.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] In a typical wireless communication network, user equipments (UE), also known as wireless communication devices, mobile stations, stations (STA) and / or wireless devices, communicate via a Radio Access Network (RAN) with one or more core networks (CN). The RAN covers a geographical area which is divided into service areas or cells, with each service area or cell being served by a radio network node such as an access node e.g. a Wi-Fi access point or a radio base station (RBS), which in some networks may also be called, for example, a NodeB, a gNodeB, or an eNodeB. The service area or cell is a geographical area where radio coverage is provided by the radio network node. The radio network node operates on radio frequencies to communicate over an air interface with the UEs within range of the radio network node. The radio network node communicates over a downlink (DL) to the UE and the UE communicates over an uplink (UL) to the radio network node.

[0006] A Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a third generation (3G) telecommunication network, which evolved from the second generation (2G) Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). The UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) is essentially a RAN using wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) and / or High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) for communication with user equipment. In a forum known as the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), telecommunications suppliers propose and agree upon standards for present and future generation networks and investigate e.g. enhanced data rate and radio capacity. In some RANs, e.g. as in UMTS, several radio network nodes may be connected, e.g., by landlines or microwave, to a controller node, such as a radio network controller (RNC) or a base station controller (BSC), which supervises and coordinates various activities of the plural radio network nodes connected thereto. The RNCs are typically connected to one or more core networks.

[0007] Specifications for the Evolved Packet System (EPS) have been completed within the 3GPP and coming 3GPP releases, such as New Radio (NR), are worked on. The EPS comprises the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), also known as the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio access network, and the Evolved Packet Core (EPC), also known as System Architecture Evolution (SAE) core network. E-UTRAN / LTE is a 3GPP radio access technology wherein the radio network nodes are directly connected to the EPC core network. As such, the Radio Access Network (RAN) of an EPS has an architecture comprising radio network nodes connected directly to one or more core networks.

[0008] With the emerging 5G technologies such as NR, the use of very many transmit- and receive-antenna elements may be of great interest as it makes it possible to utilize beamforming, such as transmit-side and receive-side beamforming. Transmit-side beamforming means that the transmitter can amplify the transmitted signals in a selected direction or directions, while suppressing the transmitted signals in other directions. Similarly, on the receive-side, a receiver can amplify signals from a selected direction or directions, while suppressing unwanted signals from other directions. NR is connected to the 5G Core Network (5GC) which comprises a number of Network Functions (NF) such as Session Management Function (SMF), Access Management Function (AMF), Authentication Service Function (ALISF), Policy Control Function (PCF), Unified Data Manager (UDM), Network Repository Function (NRF), Network Exposure Function (NEF), just to mention some. In the 5GC, NFs can discover other NFs by using a discovery service provided by the NRF.

[0009] During 3GPP TSG SA WG1 Meeting #98e the system architectures (SA) groups, such as SA1 and SA2, of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project have defined study items to identify use cases and architectural enhancements that will enable integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) in cellular networks, see Chen, Zhe, et al. "ISAC-Fi: Enabling Full-fledged Monostatic Sensing over Wi-Fi Communication." IEEE Journal of Selected Areas in Sensors (2024). ArXiv. The corresponding technical specification TR 22.837 v.19.4.0 and Tang, Aimin, Xudong Wang, and J. Andrew Zhang. "Interference Management for Full-Duplex ISAC in B5G / 6G Networks: Architectures, Challenges, and Solutions." arXiv preprint arXiv:2404.05984 (2024) describe use cases and potential requirements for enhancement of the 5G system to provide sensing services addressing different target verticals i.e., applications, e.g. autonomous and / or assisted driving, vehicle to everything (V2X), unmanned ariel vehicles (UAV), 3D map reconstruction, smart city, smart home, factories, healthcare, maritime sector.

[0010] Sensing using cellular networks can be performed in a monostatic setting, when the transmitter and the receiver sensing antennas are located in the same node, and in a multi-static setting, when the transmitter and the receiver sensing antennas are located in different nodes. In Fig. 1a different radar settings, may also be referred as sensing modes, sensing topologies or sensing deployments, are depicted that can be deployed using NR base station or base stations (BS), denoted by gNB, and UEs as presented in Tang, Aimin, Xudong Wang, and J. Andrew Zhang. "Interference Management for Full-Duplex ISAC in B5G / 6G Networks: Architectures, Challenges, and Solutions." arXiv preprint arXiv:2404.05984 (2024). The goal is to detect and localize targets which are in general one or more non-connected objects, such as a pedestrian, an animal, and / or the like. Targets may be also connected UEs and in this case sensing is used to improve communication-based positioning of such UEs or sensing the environment around UE.

[0011] Fig. 1a shows basic sensing modes involving BS(s): BS(s)-only based monostatic sensing in (a), different bi-static settings with BS-only in (b), and both BS / UEs-based bi-static sensing settings in (c) and (d). Tx-s and Rx-s denote respectively the sensing transmitter (Tx) node and the sensing receiver (Rx) node.

[0012] Currently in 3GPP release (Rel) - 19 there is a study item in RAN1 on "Channel modeling for Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC)” that started in February 2024.

[0013] Fig. 1b shows how sensing architecture can be described based on enhancing the 3GPP 5G positioning architecture by adding a Sensing control Management Function (SeMF) and a Sensing Processing Function (SPF). Thus, Fig. 1b shows an example of functional architecture for network-based sensing with UE involvement. Line structures indicate communication plane: Solid line - Control Plane (CP), Dotted line - Data Plane (DP), Dashed line - User Plane (UP).

[0014] In the below, details of the sensing components are described:

[0015] 1) Sensing unit (SU):

[0016] SU or sensing radio unit (SRU) is a logical entity, that may be either a standalone entity in the network, integrated, co-located and / or co-sited with a UE or a radio network node, capable of at least one of:

[0017] • Radio signal transmission used for sensing,

[0018] • Radio signal reception used for sensing,

[0019] • Radio measurement used for sensing,

[0020] • Radio antennas used for sensing.

[0021] SUs may have their own internal or external antenna or may share antennas with other radio nodes, such as a UE or a RAN node, for ISAC. Multiple SUs may be involved in a sensing session. The relevant SUs may need to be selected, configured, and / or the like, by the SeMF.

[0022] 2) SeMF:

[0023] SeMF is a function controlling or managing sensing session, entities involved in a sensing session, and / or the like. The SeMF may be a sensing server that sends the request to the RAN to trigger a sensing session, sensing measurements, and / or the like. The sensing session is configured based at least on the sensing task, sensing target information, e.g., object type, weather condition, and / or the like, and / or sensing area information, e.g., forest, indoor factory, house, area size, and / or the like. Sensing session is characterized by a set of SUs and aims enabling, configuring, and / or collecting sensing measurements from different SUs, which may include any of radio frequency (RF) and non-RF sensors, e.g. from camera sensors, motion sensors, heat sensors, and / or the like. Example measurements may comprise raw samples, radio measurements, timing measurements, velocity, temperature, sensing event indication such as weather change or motion pattern change, and / or the like. The SeMF may or may not comprise SPF. The SeMF may be implemented in one node or distributed over multiple nodes.

[0024] 3) SPF:

[0025] The SPF is the function that receives the sensing measurements from the Sils and processes sensing measurements to obtain one or more sensing results. The SPF may be a separate entity in the network. The SPF may be implemented in one node or distributed over multiple nodes. The SPF may be implemented together with or as a part of SeMF. The SPF may send the processed sensing results to another function or node, to the SeMF, e.g., to make the results available to the sensing request originator.

[0026] The SeMF and / or the SPF may also interact with a positioning and / or location function, e.g., location management function (LMF). It is also understood that the sensing functions may also be integrated in a radio access technology (RAT), which is the same or different from that of the positioning and / or location function, e.g., 6G RAT, comprising the relevant RAT nodes and corresponding interfaces.

[0027] SUMMARY

[0028] As part of developing embodiments herein one or more issues have been identified. A variety of sensing modes, e.g., mono-static, bi-static or multi-static with or without UE involvement, will be supported in a deployment, and the system will have to operate them so that the relevant modes are used for each use case and scenario. For instance, a number of BSs in an environment may either do bistatic BS-BS, BS-UE or monostatic BS and one BS may be involved in all three modes.

[0029] Currently it is not clear how the most suitable sensing mode, such as settings, topologies, deployments, may be chosen in order to obtain the best sensing performance in the case where several possible sensing modes are possible.

[0030] Received power analysis indicates that at least this characteristic can vary between different sensing modes dependent on the target’s transmitter-to-target range and receiver-to- target, and this might highly impact the sensing performance in terms of the target detection probability or accuracy, target positioning accuracy, latency, or other sensing key performance indicators (KPI). The sensing performance is thus very sensitive to how optimal is the sensing mode or sensing topology selection.

[0031] An object of embodiments herein is to handle sensing procedures in a wireless communication network in an efficient manner.

[0032] According to an aspect the object is achieved, according to some embodiments herein, by providing a method performed by a network node for handling sensing of one or more sensing objects in a wireless communication network. The network node initiates a change of a sensing topology or sensing mode based on one or more sensing parameters, and / or a triggering action, triggering condition, and / or triggering event, and informs one or more radio nodes of said initiation or change.

[0033] According to another aspect the object is achieved, according to some embodiments herein, by providing a method performed by a radio node for handling sensing of one or more sensing objects in a wireless communication network. The radio node receives a configuration indicating a sensing topology or sensing mode, and initiates a change of the sensing topology or sensing mode based on a triggering action.

[0034] It is furthermore provided herein a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the methods herein, as performed by the network node, and the radio node, respectively. It is additionally provided herein a computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to the methods herein, as performed by the network node, and the radio node, respectively.

[0035] According to yet another aspect the object is achieved, according to some embodiments herein, by providing the radio node, and the network node configured to perform the methods herein, respectively.

[0036] Thus, according to an aspect the object is achieved, according to some embodiments herein, by providing a network node for handling sensing of one or more sensing objects in a wireless communication network. The network node is configured to initiate a change of a sensing topology or sensing mode based on one or more sensing parameters, and / or a triggering action, triggering condition, and / or triggering event. The network node is configured to inform one or more radio nodes of said initiation or change.

[0037] According to another aspect the object is achieved, according to some embodiments herein, by providing a radio node for handling sensing of one or more sensing objects in a wireless communication network. The radio node is configured to receive a configuration indicating a sensing topology or sensing mode, and to initiate a change of the sensing topology or sensing mode based on a triggering action.

[0038] Hence, embodiments herein aim to provide methods allowing to identify a preferred or best sensing mode and change, or toggle between, sensing modes or sensing topologies in order to obtain a better sensing performance in terms of a target detection accuracy, a target positioning accuracy, a latency, or other sensing KPIs. Thus, embodiments herein handle the sensing procedure in a wireless communication network in an efficient manner.

[0039] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Embodiments will now be described in more detail in relation to the enclosed drawings, in which:

[0040] Fig. 1a is a schematic overview depicting sensing according to prior art;

[0041] Fig. 1b is a schematic overview depicting sensing functions according to prior art;

[0042] Fig. 2 shows an overview depicting a wireless communication network according to embodiments herein;

[0043] Fig. 3 shows a combined flowchart and signaling scheme according to some embodiments herein;

[0044] Fig. 4a shows a combined flowchart and signaling scheme according to some embodiments herein;

[0045] Fig. 4b shows combined flowchart and signaling scheme according to some embodiments herein;

[0046] Fig. 5 shows a schematic overview depicting some embodiments herein;

[0047] Fig. 6 shows a schematic overview depicting some embodiments herein;

[0048] Fig. 7 shows a schematic overview depicting some embodiments herein;

[0049] Fig. 8 shows a combined flowchart and signaling scheme according to some embodiments herein;

[0050] Fig. 9 shows a schematic flowchart depicting a method performed by a network node according to embodiments herein;

[0051] Fig. 10 shows a schematic flowchart depicting a method performed by a radio node according to embodiments herein;

[0052] Fig. 11 shows a schematic flowchart depicting a method performed by a network node according to some embodiments herein;

[0053] Fig. 12 shows a schematic flowchart depicting a method performed by a radio node according to some embodiments herein;

[0054] Fig. 13 is a schematic overview depicting a network node according to embodiments herein;

[0055] Fig. 14 is a schematic overview depicting a radio node according to embodiments herein;

[0056] Fig. 15 schematically illustrates embodiments of a communication system,

[0057] Fig. 16 is a generalized block diagram of embodiments of a UE,

[0058] Fig. 17 is a generalized block diagram of embodiments of a network node, and

[0059] Fig. 18 is a generalized block diagram of embodiments of a virtualization environment.

[0060] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] Embodiments herein relate to wireless communication networks in general. Fig. 2 is a schematic overview depicting a wireless communication network 1 . The wireless communication network 1 comprises one or more RANs and one or more CNs. The wireless communication network 1 may use one or a number of different technologies. Embodiments herein relate to recent technology trends that are of particular interest in a NR context, however, embodiments are also applicable in further development of existing wireless communications systems such as e.g. LTE or Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA).

[0062] In the wireless communication network 1, one or more UEs such as a UE 10 exemplified herein respectively as a wireless device such as a mobile station, a non-access point (non-AP) station (STA), a STA and / or a wireless terminal, are comprised communicating via e.g. one or more Access Networks (AN), e.g. RAN, to one or more CN. It should be understood by the skilled in the art that “UE” is a non-limiting term which means any terminal, wireless communications terminal, user equipment, narrowband internet of things (NB-loT) device, Machine Type Communication (MTC) device, Device to Device (D2D) terminal, or node e.g. smart phone, smart glasses, smart watch, laptop, mobile phone, sensor, relay, mobile tablets or even a small base station capable of communicating using radio communication with a radio network node within an area served by the radio network node. According to embodiments herein respective UE is a sensing UE, i.e. , a UE capable of performing one or more sensing measurements in an area. In particular, when the UE 10 has created a sensing context for a sensing object 170, the UE 10 may be termed as sensing UE.

[0063] The wireless communication network 1 comprises a first radio network node 12 or just radio network node 12, providing radio coverage over a geographical area, a first service area 11 or first cell, of a first RAT, such as 6G, NR, LTE, or similar. The first radio network node 12 may be a transmission and reception point (TRP) such as an access node, an access controller, a base station, e.g. a radio base station such as a gNodeB (gNB), an evolved Node B (eNB, eNode B), a NodeB, a base transceiver station, a radio remote unit, an Access Point Base Station, a base station router, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access point or an Access Point Station (AP STA), a transmission arrangement of a radio base station, a stand-alone access point or any other network unit or node capable of communicating with a UE within the area served by the first radio network node 12 depending e.g. on the first radio access technology and terminology used. The first radio network node 12 may be referred to as a serving radio network node wherein the service area may be referred to as a serving cell, and the serving network node communicates with the wireless device in form of DL transmissions to the wireless device and UL transmissions from the wireless device. It should be noted that a service area may be denoted as cell, beam, beam group or similar to define an area of radio coverage. It should be noted that a service area may be denoted as cell, beam, beam group or similar to define an area of radio coverage.

[0064] The wireless communication network 1 comprises a second radio network node 13 providing radio coverage over a geographical area, a second service area 14 or second cell, of a the first or second RAT, such as 6G, NR, LTE, or similar. The second radio network node 13 may be UE, a road side unit (RSU), a relay node, a transmission and reception point such as an access node, an access controller, a base station, e.g. a radio base station such as a gNB, an eNB, a NodeB, a base transceiver station, or node capable of communicating with the UE outside the area served by the first radio network node 12.

[0065] The wireless communication network 1 may further comprise a number of network nodes providing applications, such as an application server (AS), e.g. in NR, or NFs or actually instantiations of NFs also referred to as NF instances, such as a network function node 15, for example, a sensing managing function such as a SeMF.

[0066] According to embodiments herein a network node 150 such as the network function node 15 or a base station such as the first radio network node 12, a CU, the UE, or similar, and may communicate with and / or control one or more radio nodes 110 such as a first radio node 120, such as a primary radio network node, e.g., the first radio network node 12, a DU, a CU, or the UE 10, and / or a second radio node 130 such as a secondary radio network node e.g., the UE 10, a CU, a DU, the first radio network node 12 or the second radio network node 13. The network node 150 may handle or manage sensing procedures to detect, track, and / or monitor one or more objects such as a sensing object or sensing target 170 in the wireless communication network 1. The sensing target 170 may comprise a vehicle, a person, a device, an obstacle, a building, an animal or similar.

[0067] The respective node may be a standalone server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server or processing resources in a server farm or same node. Embodiments herein may be implemented as physical bare metal, virtual or cloud native such as Kubernetes environment in, e.g., hyper-cloud networks.

[0068] The network node 150 initiates a change, or a toggle, of a sensing topology or sensing mode based on one or more sensing parameters. Additionally, or alternatively, the change, or the toggle, of the sensing topology or the sensing mode may be based on a triggering action, a triggering condition, and / or a triggering event. The network node 150 further informs one or more of radio nodes, such as one or more of the radio nodes 110, of said initiation or change. The sensing mode or sensing topology may indicate mono-static mode or setup, quasi-mono-static mode or setup, bi-static mode or setup, and / or multi-static mode or setup with or without UE involvement.

[0069] Embodiments herein aim to provide a method for choosing a sensing mode, or sensing topology, for a sensing object also referred to as sensing target, which may be passive object, or which may be active object, e.g., a connected device with one or more sim cards.

[0070] Embodiments herein provide a mechanism on how the sensing mode or sensing topology may be selected and how it may be changed, or toggled, in order to achieve an optimal or best sensing performance.

[0071] An initial sensing mode selection may be based upon: • Geometry of TRPs, such as candidate Sils, see the definition of geometry below,

[0072] • One or more rough location estimates of sensing object received from a sensing client who orders and / or wants the sensing result,

[0073] • A sensing target area,

[0074] • For connected mode, the initial selection of sensing mode may also be based upon obtained measurement reports from a connected object or from the TRPs which perform measurements based upon one or more target sensing area UL transmissions. These measurement reports may be communication reports such as reference signal received power (RSRP), Timing advance or positioning measurements, such as time of arrival (TOA), and / or Angle of Arrival (AoA).

[0075] Sensing mode or sensing topology switching, changing, or toggling may be based upon one or more of the following sensing parameters, triggering action, triggering condition, and / or triggering event, such as:

[0076] • Object mobility o Events that correlate to sensing handover e.g., from one network node to another;

[0077] • Received Power;

[0078] • Angle of Departure (AoD), and / or AoA;

[0079] • TOA;

[0080] • Doppler frequency, i.e., velocity.

[0081] For both initial selection sensing mode and sensing mode switch, or change, it is possible to use a weighted formula as below:

[0082] In one example, the selection, being an example of the triggering action, may be based on a function such as below: i*=argmax{f_i(v_i, w_1,x_1 , w_2,x_2, ..., wj,xj, ..., w_N,x_N), i=1... M}, where i* is the index of the selected sensing mode, argmax{f_1(), f_2(), ... , f_i(), ... , f_M()} is a function returning the index of function f having the maximum value in the set of M values corresponding to M candidate sensing modes, e.g.: i=1 : mono-static with a radio network node as the Sil, i=2: quasi-monostatic, i=3: bi-static without UE involvement, i=4: bi-static with UE involvement as transmitter of sensing radio signal (SeRS), i=5: bi-static with UE involvement as receiver of SeRS, i=6: multi-static without UE involvement with 3 SUs, i=7: multi-static without UE involvement with 4 Sils, 8=multi-static with at least one UE involvement, etc., i=8: monostatic sensing mode with UE as the SU, etc. f_i(...) is the function calculating a priority of sensing mode i (i=1...M), based on a set of N sensing-mode defining parameters,

[0083] An example function f_i may have as a sensing parameter, such as a sensing-mode deciding parameter, a received signal strength or quality, or TOA of the reflected signal at the candidate receiving SUs, or the geometry of the candidate receiving SU(s). The set of the SU(s) may depend on the sensing mode. Thus, the sensing mode selected may be the sensing mode with the best received signal strength or quality or shortest TOA is selected among M values provided by fj, i=1... M. Another example function f_i may be the average value of a plurality of values of at least one sensing parameter or sensing-mode deciding parameter. vj is a weight or preference factor of sensing mode i, e.g., v_i may be 0 to exclude the sensing mode from the selection, may be set to 1 or omitted in the function, may be higher for sensing modes whose priority needs to be magnified for some reason and lower for sensing modes whose priority needs to be reduced for some reason, v_i may be signaled to the sensingmode deciding node, such as the network node 150, from another node or UE 10, wj is a weight or preference factor of sensing-mode defining parameter] (j=1 ... N), which may be pre-defined or signaled, and wj may be 0 for the parameters which became of no / low interest, may be 1 or may be omitted in some special cases, and may be given based upon the area of sensing target or based upon obtained measurement value from the connected object from the table below. For passive object, the measurements are based upon measurements performed by the SUs. xj is the value of sensing-mode defining parameter] (j=1 ... N).

[0084] Example: If the sensing target object area is A1 and value of range of received power is between P1 , P2 and then monostatic sensing is selected. The power measurement may be done by a reference Sensing unit. If the target object moves to Area A2 and the power level changes from P2, P3 QuasiMonostatic may be applied.

[0085] Note: A1 , A2, A3, A4 may be overlapping or may also be a subset.

[0086] Embodiments herein allow to identify best sensing mode, or sensing topology, and change between sensing modes, or sensing topologies, in order to obtain a better sensing performance in terms of the target detection accuracy, target positioning accuracy, latency, and / or other sensing KPIs.

[0087] Terminology used in the embodiments:

[0088] Geometry is a characteristic characterizing the candidate Sils’ locations relative to each other, sensing area, and / or sensing target, i.e., their geometric relation in space. The characteristic may reflect or comprise such parameters as location, distance, propagation characteristics, timing of radio signal propagation, angle, signal strength, signal quality, etc. The geometry may be determined based on known parameter values or measurements.

[0089] Sensing mode is the plurality of Sil types and their relation within a sensing session. Some examples of sensing modes: mono-static with a single radio node as the transmitting and receiving Sil, quasi-mono-static with separate transmitter and receiver which are co-located or quasicollocated, bi-static comprising two well-separated in space transmitting and receiving Sils.

[0090] The terms sensing mode and sensing topology may be used interchangeably at least in some embodiments.

[0091] Radio node 110 may comprise a radio network node, such as the radio network node 12, or UE, such as the UE 10.

[0092] Radio network node 12 may comprise a radio BS, transmission point (TP), reception point (RP), TRP, and / or the like.

[0093] SU— see example above. The Sil may comprise a radio node, being a radio network node, such as the radio network node 12, or UE such as the UE 10.

[0094] Candidate SU is a set of SUs being evaluated for further selection to operate as SU for at least one sensing session. The candidate SUs may need to have certain sensing-related capabilities, e.g., specific sensing mode support, SeRS support, transmitter capability, receiver capability, processing, antenna characteristics, operation over a certain frequency resources, bandwidth, Tx power related capability, Rx sensitivity, etc., and provide coverage over a sensing area or have a certain special relation to the sensing area, sensing target, and / or other candidate SU or SUs.

[0095] SeMF- see example above.

[0096] SPF- see example above.

[0097] Se S may comprise any radio signal or radio channel used for sensing purposes, e.g., a radio reference signal dedicated for sensing, a radio signal or radio channel in a radio communication system which may be used for non-sensing radio communication but also used for sensing, positioning reference signal (PRS), and / or the like.

[0098] Fig. 3 is a combined flowchart and signaling scheme according to some embodiments herein.

[0099] Action 301. The first radio node 120 may transmit a capability indication of the first radio node 120, to the second radio node 130, and / or the network node 150.

[0100] Action 302. The second radio node 130 may also transmit a second capability indication of the second radio node 130, to the network node 150.

[0101] Action 303. The network node 150 may then transmit a configuration indication for configuring respective radio node to operate in one or more sensing modes. Thus, the respective radio node may be configured with one or more sensing modes.

[0102] Action 304. The network node 150 may determine to operate the first radio node 120 and / or the second radio node 130 in an initial sensing mode, or initial sensing topology.

[0103] Action 305. The network node 150 may transmit an initial configuration indication to configure one or more radio nodes 110 to operate in the determined initial sensing mode, or initial sensing topology.

[0104] Action 306. The radio nodes 110 may perform sensing measurements or similar.

[0105] Action 307. The network node 150 may obtain one or more results from the respective radio node 110.

[0106] Action 308. The network node 150 initiates a switch or change, such as a toggle, of a sensing topology or sensing mode based on one or more sensing parameters, and / or a triggering action, a triggering condition, and / or a triggering event.

[0107] Action 309. The network node 150 informs one or more of the radio nodes 110 of said initiation or change. The respective radio node 110 may receive a sensing mode indication such as a configuration indicating the toggled / switched / changed sensing topology or sensing mode, such as a sensing mode indication. Thus, the respective radio node 110 may initiate a change of the sensing topology or sensing mode based on a triggering action such as receiving the sensing mode indication such as a configuration or obtaining another sensing parameter indicating the change of the sensing mode or topology.

[0108] Embodiments herein allow to identify best sensing mode, or sensing topology, and toggle between sensing modes, or sensing topologies, in order to obtain a better sensing performance in terms of the target detection accuracy, target positioning accuracy, latency, or other sensing KPIs.

[0109] Embodiments herein describe a sensing mode selection method with signaling between sensing control and / or processing entities, cloud network entities, and / or sensing units. This method may be applicable to scenarios where several sensing modes or sensing topologies are possible.

[0110] Based upon the geometry of different sensing units in an area, e.g. locations of Rx / Tx Sils and their coverage area, and based upon the sensing target area; the network node 150, such as an SeMF, may determine the suitable sensing mode or sensing topology.

[0111] Further, the sensing mode or sensing topology may be selected depending upon sensing parameters, such as a movement of the sensing target 170, and considering other measurement characteristics, such as received power, angle, e.g., AoA, AoD estimated from the received signal, timing estimation, such as round trip time (RTT).

[0112] Fig. 4a shows for a connected object as a sensing object exploiting UE capabilities for positioning, and / or communication measurements to decide on the sensing mode or sensing topology.

[0113] The UE, being an example of a sensing client that sends a request, may transmit to the sensing function, being an example of the network node 150, a sensing service request and provide sensing, positioning or communication measurement capabilities, see 401. The sensing function transmits information to configure communication or positioning measurements, see 402. The UE may provide results to the sensing function, see 403. The sensing function may then determine initial sensing mode, see 404, and provide configuration to a SU such as a TRP or UE, to enable sensing mode and for sensing measurements, see 405. The SU may then provide sensing measurement results, see 406. The sensing function may then determine if sensing mode is to be switched or changed, see 407. The sensing function may then deactivate current sensing mode at the SU and activate new sensing mode, see 408.

[0114] Sensing Function SF may be termed SeMF / SCF and some part of functionality for SF, e.g., Decision on sensing mode, may reside within UE especially for sidelink sensing. It is also possible that RAN node hosts the SFs.

[0115] Fig. 4b shows for passive object as sensing object using information obtained from an application function (AF) to decide on the sensing mode / topology. The AF may send a request to the sensing function, being an example of the network node 150, such as a sensing service request in sensing area with sensing target object characteristics, see 411. The sensing function may then determine initial sensing mode, see 412, and provide configuration to a SU, such as a TRP or UE being an example of the radio node 110, to enable sensing mode and for sensing measurements, see 413. The SU may then provide sensing measurement results, see 414. The sensing function may then determine if sensing mode is to be switched or changed, see 415. The sensing function may then deactivate current sensing mode at the SU and activate new sensing mode, see 416. An example scenario may comprise two radio nodes, see the definition of the radio node above, which may be a UE or radio network node, denoted by BS1 and BS2, respectively, as depicted in Fig. 5 where the BS1 has a monostatic sensing capability and a bi-static sensing capability is provided between BS1 and BS2. Generally, for a given target location, the received signal power at BS1 with monostatic sensing is different from the received signal power at BS2 with bi-static sensing. Given the scenario geometry depicted in Fig. 6 and the dependance of the received power on the transmitter-to-the-target and the target-to-the-receiver ranges, the monostatic power with the mono-static set up is higher in the area A and smaller in the area B as compared to the received power with the bi-static set up. Based on the received power strength two different regions may be defined for a preferred sensing mode: area A for monostatic sensing and area B where the bi-static sensing is preferred. It should be noted that similar regions are obtained for signal to noise ratios (SNR) and signal to interference plus noise ratios (SI NR) since both depend on the received power, given the noise level and the transmit power level.

[0116] As it was pointed out in e.g. Chen, Zhe, et al. "ISAC-Fi: Enabling Full-fledged Monostatic Sensing over Wi-Fi Communication." IEEE Journal of Selected Areas in Sensors (2024). ArXiv, and Tang, Aimin, Xudong Wang, and J. Andrew Zhang. "Interference Management for Full-Duplex ISAC in B5G / 6G Networks: Architectures, Challenges, and Solutions." arXiv preprint arXiv:2404.05984 (2024), monostatic sensing has a disadvantage of being prone to self-interference occurring from the Tx antenna of the same sensing unit resulting in a sensing performance degradation. The selfinterference power is defined as a fraction of the transmit power and the presence of selfinterference will impact the monostatic dominance regions, i.e., regions in which the sensing performance of the monostatic sensing is better than the sensing performance of the bi-static sensing, which are represented by the areas inside the ellipses, with widths / heights dependent on different interference and noise levels with respect to the transmit power.

[0117] Fig. 5 shows a sensing scenario with monostatic sensing capability at BS1 and bi-static sensing capability between BS1 and BS2. Observation i.e., mono-static dominance area, i.e., the mono-static and bi-static dominance area are separated by the line on which the target’s location has the same distance to BS1 and BS2. In other words, if the target is at equal distance from BS1 and BS2, both sensing modes are equivalent or will give similar performance in interference-free case. The mono-static dominance area may shrink as the self-interference increases at BS1. Fig. 6 shows sensing areas with different sensing modes in self-interference free case defined based on the receiver power given the target position, i.e., dominance of monostatic mode at BS1 in Area A, and dominance of bi-static mode with transmitter at BS1 and receiver. Fig. 7 shows areas with different mode sensing: monostatic at BS1, bi-static between BS1 and BS2, and monostatic at BS2. Area C increases, while areas A and B shrink as the self-interference at BS1 and BS2 increases. According to one embodiment, a sensing mode or sensing topology is selected based on at least one sensing parameter such as a sensing-mode defining parameter, a priority related to at least one sensing-mode defining parameter, or function or pre-defined rule based on the at least one sensing-mode defining parameter. The priority may be pre-defined for different sensing-mode defining parameters and their configurations and / or values may be calculated, based on the at least one sensing-mode defining parameter value. The selection may comprise selecting the sensing mode or topology with the highest priority determined for the configuration and / or values of the sensing-mode defining parameters of interest.

[0118] Sensing parameters or sensing-mode defining parameters may be, e.g.:

[0119] • Area specific, e.g., area IDs where sensing is needed;

[0120] • Sensing unit specific, e.g., sensing unit ID to be involved in sensing, Sil transmitter capability or configuration such as SeRS Tx power, Sil activity state such as transmitting / active / inactive / idle / sleeping, Sil antenna capability or configuration, Sil receiver capability or configuration, Sil mobility / speed, and / or the like;

[0121] • Target specific, e.g., known object ID, size, material, speed or velocity, target location or proximity to Sils, relative angle or relative location with respect to Sil, and / or the like;

[0122] • Radio condition related, e.g., measured, predicted, or estimated received signal strength or received signal quality such as RSRP, reference signal received quality (RSRQ) and / or SINR at Sil, interference level, type or configuration of SeRS, radio environment type such as indoor, outdoor, urban, and / or rural, IDs of cells or beams which provide coverage or strong radio signal in the area where the sensing is needed, channel characteristics or properties, line of sight (LoS) availability or probability, and / or the like.

[0123] • Communication specific, e.g., whether the sensing target is also connected to the communication network or being a UE, load in the communication network, cell range, inter-site distance, etc.

[0124] In another example, the selection may be based on a mapping table and / or pre-defined rule related to a sensing parameter.

[0125] Yet another example is the selection based on the following table:

[0126] Table 1 : Parameter table ID for different sensing and communication parameters.

[0127] An example of the sensing mode ID definition based on the area ID, transmission (Tx) group parameters IDs, reception (Rx) group parameter IDs, target group parameter IDs is provided here: 000100 010111 00 11100100 10010100

[0128] Area Tx group Rx group Target

[0129] ID par. IDs par. IDs group par.

[0130] In some embodiment, based on the defined sensing mode IDs, different sensing modes may be defined with a priority order as depicted in the following table:

[0131] Table 2: Example of a table for sensing mode selection based on sensing area IDs with involvement of BS1 and BS2. In this example, the preferred sensing mode has priority 1 but other priority definitions and / or values are possible.

[0132] Event Definition and Configurations

[0133] Sensing mode reselection, where reselection or switching starts in the relevant node upon determining the need for that.

[0134] In one example, sensing mode selection, reselection or switching may be triggered by a triggering action, a triggering condition or a triggering event. The triggering actions, triggering conditions and / or triggering events may be pre-defined or configurable by another layer, e.g., application, or another function or another node.

[0135] Some examples of a triggering action, a triggering condition or a triggering event:

[0136] • A new sensing request is received,

[0137] • A new sensing session is to be established and supported by Sils Tx and Rx,

[0138] • A new sensing area is to be covered by SeRS,

[0139] • Performance-related triggers or conditions, e.g., when the current sensing mode is underperforming or degrades or may degrade in performance: o A performance metric of the current sensing mode is below a first sensing mode performance threshold (SMPThl) or above a second sensing mode performance threshold (SMPTh2), o A radio measurement result at an Sil became below a first threshold (Th1) or above a second threshold (Th2), o A first radio signal measurement result (R1) exceeds a second radio signal measurement result (R2) by more than a third threshold (Th3), wherein R1 and R2 can be performed by the same radio node in one example or can be performed by two different radio nodes in another example, o A first radio signal measurement result (R1) exceeds a second radio signal measurement result (R2), o Receiving an indication that a triggering event has occurred, or a triggering condition was met at another node, e.g., a radio measurement result at an Sil became below a first reference measurement or threshold or above a second reference measurement or threshold, o Receiving a message, command, or request from an application, another layer, another function, or another node,

[0140] • Sensing target characteristics related triggers and conditions, e.g., when there is a change in sensing target characteristics, e.g.: o The speed, movement direction, displacement from a previous known location of the sensing target or its proximity to the sensing area border has changed by a threshold over a time period or is below a first movement-related threshold or above a second movement related threshold, o Location information availability for the sensing target or location uncertainty of the sensing target is below a first uncertainty threshold or above a second uncertainty threshold e.g., when the location is not known, the sensing area may need to be broader, so multi-static sensing can be more relevant.

[0141] Fig. 8 shows a flowchart and signaling related to triggering events for sensing mode selection and / or switch. Events may also be referred to as triggering events.

[0142] The network node 150 such as an SeMF, an entity controlling or managing sensing or similar, may configure different events and events criteria to different Sils such as e.g., radio node 110 which are involved in sensing, e.g., the first or the second threshold which an Sil measurement can be compared to, the time during which an Sil measurement result can remain below a threshold or above another threshold without triggering the event, reference measurement, and / or the like., see 801. The radio node 110 such as a Sil may determine if one or more events are met, see 802. Once the one or more events are triggered, the sensing mode i.e. , topology may be switched or changed, see 803. The Sil may inform the sensing function that the sensing mode i.e., sensing topology has switched, see 804.

[0143] The one or more triggering events or triggering conditions may be configured in terms of thresholds and considering different measurement attributes such as doppler velocity, radio signal received power or quality, e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, and / or the like, angular measurement, e.g., AoA, phase measurement, timing measurement, e.g., TOA, time difference of arrival (TDOA), and / or the like. The aforementioned radio measurements may be absolute or relative with respect to another measurement of the same type or with respect to a reference value.

[0144] Signaling embodiments:

[0145] The sensing mode selection and switching method involves signaling between different entities, some entities may be separate or comprised in the same node:

[0146] 1. Sensing management entity, e.g., an SeMF;

[0147] 2. SPF;

[0148] 3. CN node, e.g., AMF, LMF, gateway mobile location centre (GMLC))

[0149] 4. A set of sensing transmitter and receiver units allowing to perform different sensing modes or topologies, e.g.:

[0150] - Monostatic sensing mode with radio network node as the UE

[0151] - Monostatic sensing mode with UE as the SU

[0152] - Quasi-monostatic sensing mode one Tx and one Rx sensing unit located at the same network site

[0153] - Bi-static sensing mode with one Tx and one Rx sensing unit without UE involvement

[0154] - Bi-static sensing mode with one Tx and one Rx sensing unit with UE involvement as a transmitter of SeRS

[0155] - Bi-static sensing mode with one Tx and one Rx sensing unit with UE involvement as a receiver of SeRS

[0156] - Multi-static sensing mode with a set of Tx and Rx sensing units without UE involvement

[0157] - Multi-static sensing mode with a set of Tx and Rx sensing units with at least one UE involvement, etc.

[0158] Embodiments herein may involve one or more of the following:

[0159] 1. The sensing mode selecting entity, i.e., such as the network node 150, e.g., SeMF or SPF, stores data about all the available or candidate sensing units under its control and the corresponding capabilities. The sensing mode selecting entity determines at least one sensing parameter such as a sensing mode defining parameter, e.g., among the following characteristics a. Weights of sensing mode b. T arget Object Area c. Target Object Received Power d. Target Object AoD and / or AoA”. For monostatic mode, AoA may be generally assumed to be equal to AoD. For bi / multi-static mode, both AoD and AoA. May be needed e. Target Object RTT f. Sensing area specific characteristics (area ID) i. Tx- target- Rx LOS area g. Sensing unit specific characteristics, e.g., node IDs within a given areas, sensing TX nodes, sensing RX nodes, sensing Tx power, etc. h. Sensing target specific characteristics i. Target object’s location area ii. Target’s physical characteristics, such as radar cross section, velocity, material, size, etc. iii. Target’s distribution, such as number of targets, statistical distribution i. Other sensing parameters including i. Available Sensing resources, interference measurements, such as SINR, channel measurements, such as Doppler, TOA, AOA, RSRP etc.) ii. Sils capabilities j. Communication specific parameters, scenario type, other communication parameters. Sensing mode or sensing topology is selected, based on methods described in this document. Some examples: a. According to one embodiment, sensing mode or sensing topology is selected based on at least one sensing parameter such as a sensing-mode defining parameter, a priority related to at least one sensing-mode defining parameter, or function or predefined rule based on the at least one sensing-mode defining parameter. The priority may be pre-defined for different sensing-mode defining parameters and their configurations and / or values may be calculated, based on the at least one sensingmode defining parameter value. The selection may comprise selecting the sensing mode or sensing topology with the highest priority determined for the configuration and / or values of the sensing-mode defining parameters of interest.

[0160] • In one example, the selection may be based on a function such as: i*=argmax{f_i(v_i, w_1 ,x_1 , w_2,x_2, ..., wj,xj, ..., w_N*x_N), i=1... M},

[0161] • In another example, the selection may be based on a mapping table and / or pre-defined rule. b. Based upon the geometry of different sensing units in an area, e.g. locations of Rx / Tx Sils and their coverage area, and based upon the sensing target area; the network node 150 such as SeMF may determine the suitable sensing mode. c. Below are few example on how this may be realized. d. SeMF or SPF associate different characteristic to a specific ID. By combination of different IDs the network is able to associate a unique ID to a specific sensing situation. Based on this unique ID, the most suitable sensing mode or sensing topology may be defined so that an improved sensing performance can be achieved with respect to some KPIs, such as correct detection rate, false alarm / missed detection rates, positioning accuracy, latency, and / or the like. e. The network node 150 such as SeMF may configure different thresholds with regards to received power, AoA / AoD, RTT so that the Sils may map which sensing mode or sensing topology to be optimized. f. Further, the sensing mode or sensing topology may be selected depending upon the movement of the target object and considering other measurement characteristics such as received power, angle, e.g.: AoA of received signal, angle of departure of the transmitted signal, timing estimation, such as RTT, or similar.

[0162] Table 3 shows an example of how Sensing modes may be selected and may be changed or toggled.

[0163] Example: If the value of range of received power is between P1 , P2 and sensing target object area is A1 then monostatic sensing is selected. The power measurement may be done by a reference sensing unit.

[0164] 3. Based on the selection result, the network node 150 may perform one or more actions, e.g., one or more of: a. Inform at least one other entity about the selected sensing mode or topology, e.g., SeMF, SPF, Sil comprising a radio network node or UE, and / or the like; b. Configuring sensing session involving the relevant Sils associated with the selected sensing mode; c. Configuring Sils accordingly; d. Activating the sensing mode or topology by sending a sensing activation message to the identified radio nodes with the message including: i. Sils in the nodes to activate with their IDs and configuration ii. Sensing area ID iii. Target passive ID, dependent on the target specific parameters as defined in Step 1 , and / or iv. Other sensing / communication specific parameters.

[0165] Additional Embodiments.

[0166] In one embodiment, the network node 150, such as a SeMF, collects the sensing mode IDs, or other information corresponding to sensing modes configurations, and stores them in a data base, each configuration is characterized by a sensing mode ID and corresponds to a topology. The network node 150 may also associate each sensing mode to criteria when it should be switched on to;

[0167] In one embodiment, when the network node 150 detects that current sensing mode provides poor performance, e.g., low sensing receive power and suffers from strong interference strength, the network node 150 may send a request to the BS nodes, being an example of the radio node 110, in the network to switch a new topology, to meet the required target detection accuracy, or other sensing KPIs.

[0168] One additional example of the criterion is that when the quasi-monostatic topology or mode is characterized by a self-interference level, SINR or leakage and associated signal to leakage plus noise ratio (SLNR), and / or the like, then switching or toggling criterion depends on the selfinterference leakage or SLNR level. In one embodiment, if the leakage is low, then the quasimonostatic topology may be chosen more often than when it is high.

[0169] For the case of quasi-monostatic topology or mode, zero self-interference may be implied. That is, that no interference leaks from the sensing transmitter to the sensing receiver.

[0170] In one embodiment, the network node 150 may signal to the network encompassing the sensing BS, the area specific group, list of BSs and Sils to be activated for the requested sensing mode.

[0171] In case of successful sensing mode switching, the respective BS may send feedback message indicating a successful change to the network node 150.

[0172] In case of failure, a failure message may be sent that the topology or sensing mode cannot be switched and may indicate the cause of such failure, e.g., insufficient sensing capabilities or resources.

[0173] The embodiment above may also be realized by replacing SeMF by SPF, or by having the signaling going via SPF to SeMF.

[0174] In one embodiment, the signaling above may be signaled in split network, e.g., via F1 interface in case of central unit (CU)-distributed unit (DU) split.

[0175] The method actions performed by the network node 150 for handling sensing of one or more sensing objects in the wireless communication network according to embodiments herein will now be described with reference to a flowchart depicted in Fig. 9. The actions do not have to be taken in the order stated below, but may be taken in any suitable order. Actions performed in some embodiments are marked with dashed boxes.

[0176] Action 901. The network node 150 may receive a capability indication of a respective radio node 110.

[0177] Action 902. The network node 150 may then transmit configuration indication for configuring the respective radio node 110 to operate in one or more sensing modes or sensing topologies.

[0178] Action 903. The network node 150 may determine to operate one or more radio nodes 110 in an initial sensing mode or sensing topology.

[0179] Action 904. The network node 150 may transmit configuration indication to configure the one or more radio nodes 110 to operate in the determined initial sensing mode or sensing topology.

[0180] Action 905. The network node 150 may obtain one or more results from the respective radio node 110. The network node 150 may obtain the one or more results locally and / or from one or more radio nodes 110.

[0181] Action 906. The network node 150 initiates a change or toggle of a sensing mode or sensing topology based on the one or more sensing parameters and / or a triggering action, triggering condition, or triggering event. The change may be from the initial sensing mode or initial sensing topology to another sensing mode or sensing topology. The one or more sensing parameters, and / or the triggering action, triggering condition, or triggering event may be related to the obtained one or more results. The one or more sensing parameters may indicate or is related to the triggering action, the triggering condition, or the triggering event . The one or more sensing parameters may comprise a self-interference or leakage interference parameter.

[0182] Some examples of a triggering action, a triggering condition or a triggering event:

[0183] • A new sensing request is received,

[0184] • A new sensing session is to be established and supported by Sils Tx and Rx,

[0185] • A new sensing area is to be covered by SeRS,

[0186] • Performance-related triggers or conditions, e.g., when the current sensing mode is underperforming or degrades or may degrade in performance: o A performance metric of the current sensing mode is below a first sensing mode performance threshold (SMPThl) or above a second sensing mode performance threshold (SMPTh2), o A radio measurement result at an Sil became below a first threshold (Th1) or above a second threshold (Th2), o A first radio signal measurement result (R1) exceeds a second radio signal measurement result (R2) by more than a third threshold (Th3), wherein R1 and R2 can be performed by the same radio node in one example or can be performed by two different radio nodes in another example, o A first radio signal measurement result (R1) exceeds a second radio signal measurement result (R2), o Receiving an indication that a triggering event has occurred, or a triggering condition was met at another node, e.g., a radio measurement result at an Sil became below a first reference measurement or threshold or above a second reference measurement or threshold, o Receiving a message, command, or request from an application, another layer, another function, or another node,

[0187] • Sensing target characteristics may be related triggering actions or triggering conditions, e.g., when there is a change in sensing target characteristics, e.g.: o The speed, movement direction, displacement from a previous known location of the sensing target or its proximity to the sensing area border has changed by a threshold over a time period or is below a first movement-related threshold or above a second movement related threshold, o Location information availability for the sensing target or location uncertainty of the sensing target is below a first uncertainty threshold or above a second uncertainty threshold (e.g., when the location is not known, the sensing area may need to be broader, so multi-static sensing can be more relevant).

[0188] Action 907. The network node 150 informs one or more radio nodes 110 of said initiation or change. The network node 150 may transmit a configuration indication or indication indicating the changed sensing topology or sensing mode.

[0189] The method actions performed by the radio node 110 for handling sensing of one or more sensing objects in the wireless communication network according to embodiments herein will now be described with reference to a flowchart depicted in Fig. 10. The actions do not have to be taken in the order stated below, but may be taken in any suitable order. Actions performed in some embodiments are marked with dashed boxes.

[0190] Action 1001. The radio node 110 may transmit a capability indication to the network node 150 indicating for example, a Tx, and / or a Rx capability mode.

[0191] Action 1002. The radio node 110 may receive a configuration indication from the network node 150.

[0192] Action 1003. The radio node 110 may transmit a result to the network node 150.

[0193] Action 1004. The radio node 110 may receive a configuration indication to configure the radio node 110 to operate in the determined initial sensing mode or initial sensing topology. Action 1005. The radio node 110 initiates a change, or toggle, of the sensing topology or sensing mode based on detecting a sensing parameter change or receiving a sensing mode indication, such as a command, from the network node 150. The sensing parameter may comprise a self-interference or leakage interference parameter. Sensing parameter may comprise a doppler velocity, radio signal received power or quality, e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, and / or the like, angular measurement, e.g., AoA, AoD, phase measurement, timing measurement, e.g., TOA, and / or time difference of arrival (TDOA), and / or the like.

[0194] The method actions performed by the network node 150 for handling sensing of one or more sensing objects in the wireless communication network according to embodiments herein will now be described with reference to a flowchart depicted in Fig. 11. The actions do not have to be taken in the order stated below, but may be taken in any suitable order. Actions performed in some embodiments are marked with dashed boxes.

[0195] Action 1101. The network node 150 may determine the need to select, reselect or switch a sensing mode or sensing topology, e.g., based on a trigger or receiving Input from AF and / or NEF with sensing area and sensing target object.

[0196] Action 1102. The network node 150 may determine a sensing topology or sensing mode and signal the sensing mode or sensing topology to be used to the identified BS s and / or sensing units. Radio signal measurements may be configured to facilitate the selection, e.g., to enable priority calculation.

[0197] Action 1103. The network node 150 may toggle, select, change, or switch, the sensing topology i.e. , mode depending on sensing-mode deciding parameters. This may comprise informing the relevant nodes, configuring SeRS, Sil Tx, Sil Rx, measurements, and / or the like.

[0198] The method actions performed by the radio node 110 for handling sensing of one or more sensing objects in the wireless communication network according to embodiments herein will now be described with reference to a flowchart depicted in Fig. 12. The actions do not have to be taken in the order stated below, but may be taken in any suitable order. Actions performed in some embodiments are marked with dashed boxes.

[0199] Action 1201. The radio node 110 may receive Measurement Configuration from network node 150.

[0200] Action 1202. The radio node 110 may receive Sensing topology mode selection indication, based upon the reported measurement, from the network node 150.

[0201] Fig. 13 is a block diagram depicting embodiments of the network node 150 for handling sensing of one or more sensing objects in the wireless communications network according to embodiments herein. The network node 150 may comprise processing circuitry 1301 , e.g., one or more processors, configured to perform the methods herein.

[0202] The network node 150 and / or the processing circuitry 1301 may be configured to receive the capability indication of the respective radio node 110.

[0203] The network node 150 and / or the processing circuitry 1301 may be configured to transmit the configuration indication for configuring the respective radio node 110 to operate in one or more sensing modes or sensing topologies.

[0204] The network node 150 and / or the processing circuitry 1301 may be configured to determine to operate one or more radio nodes 110 in the initial sensing mode or initial sensing topology.

[0205] The network node 150 and / or the processing circuitry 1301 may be configured to transmit the configuration indication to configure the one or more radio nodes 110 to operate in the determined initial sensing mode or topology.

[0206] The network node 150 and / or the processing circuitry 1301 may be configured to obtain the one or more results from the respective radio node 110. The network node 150 and / or the processing circuitry 1301 may be configured to obtain the one or more results locally and / or from one or more radio nodes 110.

[0207] The network node 150 and / or the processing circuitry 1301 is configured to initiate the change or toggle of the sensing mode or sensing topology based on the one or more sensing parameters and / or the triggering action, the triggering condition / event. The change may be from the initial sensing mode or topology to another sensing mode or topology. The one or more sensing parameters and / or the triggering action / condition / event may be related to the obtained one or more results. The one or more sensing parameters may indicate or is related to a triggering action / condition or triggering event. The one or more sensing parameters may comprise a selfinterference or leakage interference parameter.

[0208] The network node 150 and / or the processing circuitry 1301 is configured to inform one or more radio nodes 110 of said initiation or change. The network node 150 and / or the processing circuitry 1301 may be configured to transmit the configuration indication or indication indicating the changed sensing topology or mode.

[0209] The network node 150 may comprise a memory 1305. The memory 1305 comprises one or more units to be used to store data on, such as data packets, configuration, sensing information, sensing context data, UE information, capability indication, sensing mode or topology, measurements, events and applications to perform the methods disclosed herein when being executed, and similar. Furthermore, the network node 150 may comprise a communication interface 1306 comprising such as a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver and / or one or more antennas.

[0210] The methods according to the embodiments described herein for the network node 150 are respectively implemented by means of e.g., a computer program product 1307 or a computer program, comprising instructions, i.e. , software code portions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the network node 150. The computer program product 1307 may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium 1308, e.g., a disc, a universal serial bus (USB) stick or similar. The computer-readable storage medium 1308, having stored thereon the computer program product, may comprise the instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the network node 150. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may be a transitory or a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Thus, embodiments herein may disclose a network node 150 for handling sensing in a wireless communications network, wherein the network node 150 comprises processing circuitry and a memory, said memory comprising instructions executable by said processing circuitry whereby said network node 150 is operative to perform any of the methods herein.

[0211] Fig. 14 is a block diagram depicting embodiments of the radio node 110 for handling sensing of one or more sensing objects in the wireless communications network according to embodiments herein.

[0212] The radio node 110 may comprise processing circuitry 1401 , e.g., one or more processors, configured to perform the methods herein.

[0213] The radio node 110 and / or the processing circuitry 1401 may be configured to receive the configuration indication to configure the radio node 110 to operate in the determined initial sensing mode or topology.

[0214] The radio node 110 and / or the processing circuitry 1401 is configured to initiate the change of the sensing topology or mode based on the triggering action such as detecting a sensing parameter change or receiving a command such as a sensing mode indication from the network node 150. The change may be from the initial sensing mode or topology to another sensing mode or topology

[0215] The radio node 110 may comprise a memory 1405. The memory 1405 comprises one or more units to be used to store data on, such as data packets, configuration, sensing information, sensing context data, UE information, sensing mode or topology, measurements, events and applications to perform the methods disclosed herein when being executed, and similar. Furthermore, the radio node 110 may comprise a communication interface 1406 comprising such as a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver and / or one or more antennas.

[0216] The methods according to the embodiments described herein for the radio node 110 are respectively implemented by means of e.g., a computer program product 1407 or a computer program, comprising instructions, i.e., software code portions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the radio node 110. The computer program product 1407 may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium 1408, e.g., a disc, a universal serial bus (USB) stick or similar. The computer-readable storage medium 1408, having stored thereon the computer program product, may comprise the instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the radio node 110. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may be a transitory or a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Thus, embodiments herein may disclose a radio node 110 for handling sensing in a wireless communications network, wherein the radio node 110 comprises processing circuitry and a memory, said memory comprising instructions executable by said processing circuitry whereby said radio node 110 is operative to perform any of the methods herein.

[0217] Fig. 15 shows an example of a communication system 15100 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0218] In the example, the communication system 15100 includes a telecommunication network 15102 that includes an access network 15104, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 15106, which includes one or more core network nodes 15108 such as the first network node 140. The access network 15104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 15110a and 15110b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 15110, being examples of the network node 150 or the radio nodes 110), or any other similar 3rd Generation 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 15102 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 15102 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 15102, including one or more network nodes 15110 and / or core network nodes 15108.

[0219] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O-CU-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an 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 0-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 15110, such as the radio network node 130 or the first network node 140, facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 15112a, 15112b, 15112c, and 15112d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 15112 being examples of the radio node 110) to the core network 15106 over one or more wireless connections.

[0220] 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 15100 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 15100 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0221] The UEs 15112 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 15110 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 15110 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 15112 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 15102 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 15102.

[0222] In the depicted example, the core network 15106 connects the network nodes 15110 to one or more host computing systems, such as host 15116. 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 15106 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 15108) 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 15108. 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 (ALISF), Subscription Identifier Deconcealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0223] The host 15116 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 15104 and / or the telecommunication network 15102. The host 15116 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0224] As a whole, the communication system 15100 of Figure 15 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0225] In some examples, the telecommunication network 15102 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 15102 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 15102. For example, the telecommunications network 15102 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.

[0226] In some examples, the UEs 15112 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 15104 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 15104. 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). In the example, the hub 15114 communicates with the access network 15104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 15112c and / or 15112d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 15110b). In some examples, the hub 15114 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 15114 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 15106 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 15114 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 15110, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 15114. As another example, the hub 15114 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 15114 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR device, display, loudspeaker, or other media delivery device, the hub 15114 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 15114 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 15114 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0227] The hub 15114 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 15110b. The hub 15114 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 15114 and UEs (e.g., UE 15112c and / or 15112d), and between the hub 15114 and the core network 15106. In other examples, the hub 15114 is connected to the core network 15106 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 15114 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 15104 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 15110 while still connected via the hub 15114 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 15114 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 15110b. In other embodiments, the hub 15114 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 15110b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0228] Fig. 16 shows a UE 15300 in accordance with some embodiments. The UE 15300 presents additional details of some embodiments of the UE 15112 of Figure 15. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage / playback device, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), an Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR) 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.

[0229] 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).

[0230] The UE 15300 includes processing circuitry 15302 that is operatively coupled via a bus 15304 to an input / output interface 15306, a power source 15308, a memory 15310, a communication interface 15312, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Fig. 16. 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.

[0231] The processing circuitry 15302 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 15310. The processing circuitry 15302 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 15302 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0232] In the example, the input / output interface 15306 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 15300. 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.

[0233] In some embodiments, the power source 15308 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 15308 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 15308 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 15300 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 15308. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 15308 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 15300 to which power is supplied.

[0234] The memory 15310 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 15310 includes one or more application programs 15314, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 15316. The memory 15310 may store, for use by the UE 15300, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0235] The memory 15310 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUlCC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 15310 may allow the UE 15300 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 15310, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0236] The processing circuitry 15302 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 15312. The communication interface 15312 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 15322. The communication interface 15312 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 15318 and / or a receiver 15320 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 15318 and receiver 15320 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 15322) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0237] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 15312 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.

[0238] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 15312, 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).

[0239] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input. A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a 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 wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 15300 shown in Fig. 16.

[0240] 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.

[0241] 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.

[0242] Fig. 17 shows a network node 15400 in accordance with some embodiments, such as the first network node 140 or the radio network node 130. 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., 0-Rll, 0-Dll, O-CU).

[0243] 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).

[0244] 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, SelfOrganizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0245] The network node 15400 includes a processing circuitry 15402, a memory 15404, a communication interface 15406, and a power source 15408. The network node 15400 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 15400 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 15400 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 15404 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 15410 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 15400 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 15400, 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 15400. The processing circuitry 15402 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 15400 components, such as the memory 15404, to provide network node 15400 functionality.

[0246] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 15402 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 15402 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 15412 and baseband processing circuitry 15414. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 15412 and the baseband processing circuitry 15414 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 15412 and baseband processing circuitry 15414 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0247] The memory 15404 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 nonvolatile, 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 15402. The memory 15404 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 15402 and utilized by the network node 15400. The memory 15404 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 15402 and / or any data received via the communication interface 15406. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 15402 and memory 15404 is integrated.

[0248] The communication interface 15406 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 15406 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 15416 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 15406 also includes radio front-end circuitry 15418 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 15410. Radio front-end circuitry 15418 comprises filters 15420 and amplifiers 15422. The radio front-end circuitry 15418 may be connected to an antenna 15410 and processing circuitry 15402. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 15410 and processing circuitry 15402. The radio front-end circuitry 15418 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 15418 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 15420 and / or amplifiers 15422. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 15410. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 15410 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 15418. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 15402. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0249] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 15400 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 15418, instead, the processing circuitry 15402 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 15410. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 15412 is part of the communication interface 15406. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 15406 includes one or more ports or terminals 15416, the radio front-end circuitry 15418, and the RF transceiver circuitry 15412, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 15406 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 15414, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0250] The antenna 15410 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 15410 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 15418 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 15410 is separate from the network node 15400 and connectable to the network node 15400 through an interface or port.

[0251] The antenna 15410, communication interface 15406, and / or the processing circuitry 15402 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 15410, the communication interface 15406, and / or the processing circuitry 15402 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.

[0252] The power source 15408 provides power to the various components of network node 15400 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 15408 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 15400 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 15400 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 15408. As a further example, the power source 15408 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.

[0253] Embodiments of the network node 15400 may include additional components beyond those shown in Fig. 17 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 15400 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 15400 and to allow output of information from the network node 15400. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 15400. In some embodiments providing a core network node, such as core network node 15108 of Fig. 15, some components, such as the radio front-end circuitry 15418 and the RF transceiver circuitry 15412 may be omitted.

[0254] Fig. 18 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 15500 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 15500 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 15500 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. Virtualization may facilitate distributed implementations of a network node, UE, core network node, or host.

[0255] Applications 15502 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q500 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0256] Hardware 15504 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 15506 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 15508a and 15508b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 15508), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 15506 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 15508.

[0257] The VMs 15508 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 15506. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 15502 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 15508, 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.

[0258] In the context of NFV, a VM 15508 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 15508, and that part of hardware 15504 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 15508 on top of the hardware 15504 and corresponds to the application 15502.

[0259] Hardware 15504 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 15504 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 15504 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 15510, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 15502. In some embodiments, hardware 15504 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 15512 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0260] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes) 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.

[0261] 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.

[0262] In some embodiments a more general term “network node” is used and it can correspond to any type of radio network node or any network node, which communicates with a wireless device and / or with another network node. Examples of network nodes are NodeB, Master eNB, Secondary eNB, a network node belonging to Master cell group (MCG) or Secondary Cell Group (SCG), base station (BS), multi-standard radio (MSR) radio node such as MSR BS, eNodeB, network controller, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), relay, donor node controlling relay, base transceiver station (BTS), access point (AP), transmission points, transmission nodes, Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Remote Radio Head (RRH), nodes in distributed antenna system (DAS), core network node e.g. Mobility Switching Centre (MSC), Mobile Management Entity (MME) etc., Operation and Maintenance (O&M), Operation Support System (OSS), Self-Organizing Network (SON), positioning node e.g. Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centre (E-SMLC), Minimizing Drive Test (MDT), etc.

[0263] In some embodiments, the non-limiting term wireless device or user equipment (UE) is used and it refers to any type of wireless device communicating with a network node and / or with another UE in a cellular or mobile communication system. Examples of UE are target device, device-to-device (D2D) UE, proximity capable UE (aka ProSe UE), machine type UE or UE capable of machine to machine (M2M) communication, PDA, PAD, Tablet, mobile terminals, smart phone, laptop embedded equipped (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles etc.

[0264] The embodiments are described for 5G. However the embodiments are applicable to any RAT or multi-RAT systems, where the UE receives and / or transmit signals (e.g. data) e.g. LTE, LTE FDD / TDD, WCDMA / HSPA, GSM / GERAN, Wi Fi, WLAN, CDMA2000 etc.

[0265] As will be readily understood by those familiar with communications design, that functions means or circuits may be implemented using digital logic and / or one or more microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other digital hardware. In some embodiments, several or all of the various functions may be implemented together, such as in a single application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or in two or more separate devices with appropriate hardware and / or software interfaces between them. Several of the functions may be implemented on a processor shared with other functional components of a wireless device or network node, for example.

[0266] Alternatively, several of the functional elements of the processing means discussed may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware, while others are provided with hardware for executing software, in association with the appropriate software or firmware. Thus, the term “processor” or “controller” as used herein does not exclusively refer to hardware capable of executing software and may implicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware and / or program or application data. Other hardware, conventional and / or custom, may also be included. Designers of communications devices will appreciate the cost, performance, and maintenance trade-offs inherent in these design choices.

[0267] Any appropriate steps, methods, features, functions, or benefits disclosed herein may be performed through one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual apparatuses. Each virtual apparatus may comprise a number of these functional units. These functional units may be implemented via processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessor or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), special-purpose digital logic, and the like. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or several types of memory such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. Program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communications protocols as well as instructions for carrying out one or more of the techniques described herein. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to cause the respective functional unit to perform corresponding functions according one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0268] It will be appreciated that the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings represent non-limiting examples of the methods and apparatus taught herein. As such, the apparatus and techniques taught herein are not limited by the foregoing description and accompanying drawings. Instead, the embodiments herein are limited only by the following claims and their legal equivalents.

[0269] Reference:

[0270] 1 . R1 -2405964 LS on Physical Properties of Sensing Targets in Automotive Scenarios for

[0271] ISAC, 5GAA, Huawei, Continental Corp.

[0272] Embodiments:

[0273] A1.

[0274] A method performed by a network node for handling sensing of one or more sensing objects in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: initiating a change of a sensing mode or topology based on one or more sensing parameters and / or a triggering action / condition / event; and informing one or more radio nodes of said initiation or change.

[0275] A2.

[0276] The method according to embodiment A1 , further comprising

[0277] - determining to operate one or more radio nodes in an initial sensing mode or topology, and wherein the change is from the initial sensing mode or topology to another sensing mode or topology.

[0278] A3.

[0279] The method according to embodiment A3, further comprising

[0280] - transmitting configuration indication to the one or more radio nodes indicating the initial sensing mode or topology.

[0281] A4.

[0282] The method according to any of the embodiments A1-A3, further comprising

[0283] - obtaining one or more results locally and / or from one or more radio nodes, and the one or more sensing parameters and / or the triggering action / condition / event are related to the obtained one or more results.

[0284] A5.

[0285] The method according to any of the embodiments A1-A4, wherein informing the one or more radio nodes of said initiation comprises transmitting a configuration indication or other indication indicating the changed sensing topology or mode. A6.

[0286] The method according to any of the embodiments A1-A5, wherein the one or more sensing parameters indicates or is related to the triggering action / condition or triggering event.

[0287] B1.

[0288] A method performed by a radio node for handling sensing of one or more sensing objects in a wireless communication network, the method comprising initiating a change of a sensing topology or mode based on a triggering action such as detecting a sensing parameter change or receiving a command from a network node (150).

[0289] B2.

[0290] The method according to embodiment B1, further comprising receiving a configuration indication to configure the radio node to operate in a determined initial sensing mode or topology and wherein the change is from the initial sensing mode or topology to another sensing mode or topology.

[0291] C1.

[0292] A network node for handling sensing of one or more sensing objects in a wireless communication network, wherein the first radio node is configured to perform the method according to any of the embodiments A1-A6:

[0293] D1.

[0294] A radio node for handling sensing of one or more sensing objects in a wireless communication network, wherein the second radio node is configured to perform the method according to any of the embodiments B1-B2.

[0295] E1.

[0296] A computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to any of the embodiments A1-A6 or B1-B2, as performed by the network node and the radio node, respectively.

[0297] F1.

[0298] A computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to any of the embodiments A1-A6 or B1-B2, as performed by the network node and the radio node, respectively.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method performed by a network node (150) for handling sensing of one or more sensing objects in a wireless communication network, the method comprising:- initiating (906) a change of a sensing mode or sensing topology based on one or more sensing parameters, and / or a triggering action, triggering condition, and / or triggering event; and- informing (907) one or more radio nodes (110) of said initiation or change.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising- determining (903) to operate one or more radio nodes (110) in an initial sensing mode or initial sensing topology, and wherein the change is from the initial sensing mode or initial sensing topology to another sensing mode or sensing topology.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising- transmitting (904) a configuration indication to the one or more radio nodes (110) indicating the initial sensing mode or initial sensing topology.

4. The method according to any of the claims 1-3, further comprising- obtaining (905) one or more results locally and / or from one or more radio nodes (110), and the one or more sensing parameters, and / or the triggering action, triggering condition, and / or triggering event are related to the obtained one or more results.

5. The method according to any of the claims 1-4, wherein informing the one or more radio nodes (110) of said initiation comprises transmitting a configuration indication or other indication indicating the changed sensing topology or sensing mode.

6. The method according to any of the claims 1-5, wherein the one or more sensing parameters indicates, or is related to, the triggering action, triggering condition, and / or triggering event.

7. A method performed by a radio node (110) for handling sensing of one or more sensing objects in a wireless communication network, the method comprising initiating (1005) a change of a sensing topology or sensing mode based on detecting a sensing parameter change or receiving a sensing mode indication from a network node (150).

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising receiving (1004) a configuration indication to configure the radio node (110) to operate in a determined initial sensing mode or sensing topology, and wherein the change is from the initial sensing mode or sensing topology to another sensing mode or sensing topology.

9. A network node (150) for handling sensing of one or more sensing objects in a wireless communication network, wherein the network node (150) is configured to: initiate a change of a sensing mode or sensing topology based on one or more sensing parameters, and / or a triggering action, triggering condition, and / or triggering event; and inform one or more radio nodes (110) of said initiation or change.

10. The network node (150) according to claim 9, wherein the network node (150) is configured to: determine to operate one or more radio nodes (110) in an initial sensing mode or initial sensing topology, and wherein the change is from the initial sensing mode or initial sensing topology to another sensing mode or sensing topology.

11. The network node (150) according to claim 10, wherein the network node (150) is configured to: transmit a configuration indication to the one or more radio nodes (110) indicating the initial sensing mode or initial sensing topology.

12. The network node (150) according to any of the claims 9-11 , wherein the network node (150) is configured to: obtain one or more results locally and / or from one or more radio nodes (110), and the one or more sensing parameters, and / or the triggering action, triggering condition, and / or triggering event are related to the obtained one or more results.

13. The network node (150) according to any of the claims 9-12, wherein the network node (150) is configured to inform the one or more radio nodes (110) of said initiation by transmitting a configuration indication or other indication indicating the changed sensing topology or sensing mode.

14. The network node (150) according to any of the claims 9-13, wherein the one or more sensing parameters indicates, or is related to, the triggering action, triggering condition, and / or triggering event.

15. A radio node (110) for handling sensing of one or more sensing objects in a wireless communication network, wherein the radio node (110) is configured to: initiate a change of a sensing topology or sensing mode based on detecting a sensing parameter change or receiving a sensing mode indication from a network node (150).

16. The radio node (110) according to claim 15, wherein the radio node (110) is configured to: receive a configuration indication to configure the radio node (110) to operate in a determined initial sensing mode or sensing topology, and wherein the change is from the initial sensing mode or sensing topology to another sensing mode or sensing topology.

17. A computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to any of the claims 1-8, as performed by the network node (150) and the radio node (110), respectively.

18. A computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to any of the claims 1-8, as performed by the network node (150) and the radio node (110), respectively.

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