Information processing device, communication device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

This information processing device is characterized by comprising a processor that executes a reception step for receiving sensing request data, and a transmission step for transmitting a sensing indication to a user terminal or a base station on the basis of the sensing request data, the information processing device furthermore being characterized in that, in the transmission step, a transmission sequence for a plurality of sensing indications that is different from a reception sequence of the sensing request data is determined according to a prescribed transmission sequence determination condition.

Description

Information Processing Apparatus, Communication Apparatus, Information Processing Method, and Program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a communication network.

[0002] In a 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) communication system, technologies for sensing the surrounding environment of a terminal have been studied (Non-Patent Document 1).

[0003] 3GPP TS 22.837 V19.4.0 “Feasibility Study on Integrated Sensing and Communication”, 3GPP TSG SA WG2, June 2024

[0004] One aspect of the present disclosure aims to process a plurality of sensing requests in an appropriate order.

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing apparatus constituting a wireless communication network, having a processor that executes a receiving step of receiving sensing request data and a transmitting step of transmitting a sensing instruction to a user terminal or a base station based on the sensing request, and in the transmitting step, determining the transmission order of a plurality of sensing instructions according to a predetermined transmission order determination condition different from the reception order of the sensing request data.

[0006] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a user terminal having a processor that executes a receiving step of receiving a sensing instruction, a sensing step of performing sensing based on the sensing instruction, and a transmitting step of transmitting the result of the sensing, and in the sensing step, determining the execution order of the plurality of sensing instructions according to a predetermined execution order determination condition different from the reception order of the sensing request data.

[0007] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a plurality of sensing requests can be processed in an appropriate order.

[0008] A diagram illustrating the components of a wireless communication system. A diagram showing an example configuration of an information processing device that can operate as an NF, OAM terminal, and external server. A diagram showing an example configuration of a communication device that can operate as a user terminal and base station. A diagram explaining the overall flow of sensing processing. A block diagram showing the functional configuration of the SF. A diagram showing the processing in the SF from receiving a sensing request to generating sensing task data. A diagram schematically explaining the information included in a sensing request. A diagram schematically explaining the information included in a sensing task. A diagram explaining the processing when the SF transmits a sensing instruction. A block diagram showing the functional configuration of a sensing participant. A diagram showing the basic flow of sensing processing by a sensing participant. A diagram showing the processing flow when a sensing participant receives another sensing instruction while performing sensing.

[0009] In fifth-generation communication systems (5G systems), the use of 5G sensing, which uses the wireless signals of the 5G network to detect and understand the surrounding environment and the position and movement of objects, is being considered. By utilizing the characteristics of high frequency bands and high-speed communication, 5G sensing can accurately measure position and capture the movement of objects in real time.

[0010] In 5G sensing, sensing requests are sent from the 5G core system to user terminals (UEs) or base stations. It is anticipated that multiple sensing tasks may be requested from a single user terminal or base station. If sensing tasks are requested in the order they occur, there is a risk that high-priority sensing tasks may not be processed in a timely manner.

[0011] One aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing device that constitutes a wireless communication network, comprising a processor that performs a receiving step of receiving sensing request data and a transmitting step of transmitting sensing instructions to a user terminal or base station based on the sensing request, wherein the transmitting step determines the transmission order of a plurality of sensing instructions, which differs from the reception order of the sensing request data, according to predetermined transmission order determination conditions.

[0012] The order in which sensing instructions are transmitted may be determined when it is necessary to send multiple sensing instructions to the same user terminal or base station.

[0013] The predetermined transmission order determination condition is, for example, a condition that sensing instructions corresponding to high-priority sensing requests are transmitted first. The priority of a sensing request may be included in the sensing request, or it may be determined by the information processing device based on the information included in the sensing request. In one embodiment, in the generation step, the priority may be determined based on the sensing request data, and the sensing tasks including the said priority may be generated, and in the transmission step, the transmission order of the plurality of sensing instructions may be determined according to the said priority related to the plurality of sensing tasks. In another embodiment, in the generation step, the priority may be determined based on the sensing request data, and a plurality of sensing tasks based on the sensing request data may be generated in an order corresponding to the said priority, and in the transmission step, the plurality of sensing tasks may be transmitted in the order they were generated. In this way, sensing instructions can be transmitted with priority to those related to high-priority sensing requests, rather than simply transmitting sensing instructions in the order in which the sensing requests are received (arrival order).

[0014] Prioritization can be determined, for example, based on at least one of the following: the reason for the sensing request, the amount of measured sample data for the object to be sensed, the amount of sample data required for the sensing task, the type of object to be sensed, or the sensing method.

[0015] One aspect of the present disclosure is a communication device comprising a processor that performs a receiving step of receiving a sensing instruction, a sensing step of performing sensing based on the sensing instruction, and a transmitting step of transmitting the result of the sensing, wherein, if there are multiple sensing instructions, the sensing step determines the execution order of the multiple sensing instructions according to predetermined execution order determination conditions.

[0016] The predetermined execution order determination condition is, for example, the condition that sensing instructions with higher priority are executed first. The priority may be included in the sensing instructions, or it may be determined by the information processing device based on the information included in the sensing instructions.

[0017] In one embodiment, if a communication device receives a second sensing instruction with a higher priority than the first sensing instruction while performing a first sensing based on a first sensing instruction, it may interrupt or cancel the execution of the first sensing and perform a second sensing based on the second sensing instruction. In another embodiment, if a second sensing instruction with a higher priority than the first sensing instruction is received while performing a first sensing based on a first sensing instruction, it may determine whether the second sensing based on the second sensing instruction and the first sensing can be executed in parallel. If they can be executed in parallel, the first sensing and the second sensing are executed in parallel; otherwise, the first sensing is interrupted or canceled and the second sensing based on the second sensing instruction is executed.

[0018] Examples of wireless communication networks include systems utilizing 5G, 4G, LTE, LTE-A, SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, NR, and others, as well as next-generation systems extended based on these. Other examples of wireless communication networks include IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi®), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX®), IEEE 802.20, UWB, Bluetooth®, and other systems, as well as next-generation systems extended based on these. A wireless communication network may be a system combining multiple systems. Furthermore, communication equipment may be a base station or a user terminal.

[0019] With this configuration, when there are multiple sensing tasks for the same user terminal or base station, these multiple sensing tasks can be processed in the appropriate order.

[0020] (Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described based on the drawings. The following embodiments are merely illustrative for illustrative purposes, and the present disclosure is not limited to the configuration of these embodiments. For example, the following describes an example in which the present disclosure is applied to a fifth-generation mobile communication system, but the present disclosure may also be applied to fourth-generation or later generations of mobile communication systems. The present disclosure may also be applied to mobile communication systems defined by entities other than 3GPP, or to any wireless communication system or wired communication system other than a mobile communication system. Furthermore, it is assumed that the data provided and used by the user terminal is sensing data measured by the user terminal. However, the data provided and used may be sensing data measured by entities other than the user terminal, or any data other than sensing data.

[0021] <Configuration of the Information Processing System> Figure 1 shows the components (configurations) that make up the fifth-generation mobile communication system (5G network). In Figure 1, UE (User Equipment) 2 is the user's (subscriber's) terminal. RAN (Radio Access Network) 3 is the access network to the 5G core network (5GC). RAN3 is composed of base stations (gNB). The 5G network has a 5G core network (5GC) and an access network ((RAN)), and UE2, DN5, and AF12 are connected to the 5G network. Each of NF11a to 11n is a function realized by one or more computers (information processing devices) executing a program. However, a single computer may realize two or more of NF11a to 11n. Each of NF11a to 11n can also be called a network node or network component.

[0022] 5GC is composed of a set of components that have predetermined functions called NF (Network Function). Figure 1 illustrates the following as NF11 that make up 5GC. In Figure 1, they are shown as thick rectangles.

[0023] UPF (User Plane Function) 11a AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) 11b SMF (Session Management Function) 11c PCF (Policy Control Function) 11d NEF (Network Exposure Function) 11e NRF (Network Repository Function) 11g NSSF (Network Slice Selection Function) 11h AUSF (Authentication Server) Function) 11i UDM (Unified Data Management) 11j NWDAF (Network Data Analytics Function) 11k SF (Sensing Function) 11n

[0024] UPF11a performs routing and forwarding of user packets (user plane packets sent and received by UE2), packet inspection, and QoS processing.

[0025] AMF11b is a UE location accommodation device in 5GC. AMF11b accommodates RAN3 and performs subscriber authentication control, UE2 location (mobility) management, etc.

[0026] SMF11c manages PDU (Protocol Data Unit) sessions and controls UPF11a for the implementation of QoS (Quality of Service) control and policy control. A PDU session is a virtual communication channel for data exchange between UE2 and DN (Data Network) 5. DN5 is an external data network (such as the Internet) outside of 5GC.

[0027] The PCF11d performs QoS control, policy control, and billing control under the control of the SMF11c. QoS control involves controlling the quality of communication, such as prioritizing packet forwarding. Policy control involves communication control, such as QoS, packet forwarding eligibility, and billing, based on network or subscriber information.

[0028] The NEF11e acts as an intermediary for communication between external nodes and nodes within the control plane.

[0029] NRF11g stores and manages information on NFs (e.g., AMF, SMF, UPF, etc.) within 5GC. In response to an inquiry regarding an NF that the user wishes to use, NRF11g can return multiple candidate NFs to the inquirer.

[0030] NSSF11h has the function of selecting the network slice to be used by the subscriber from among the network slices generated by network slicing. A network slice is a virtual network with specifications tailored to its intended use.

[0031] AUSF11i is a subscriber authentication server that performs subscriber authentication under the control of AMF11b.

[0032] UDM11j maintains subscriber-related information and provides subscriber information, as well as retrieves, registers, deletes, and modifies the status of UE2.

[0033] NWDAF11k has the function of collecting and analyzing data from each NF11, OAM terminal 8 (Figure 2), and external servers. It is an NF that provides network analysis information.

[0034] SF11n performs sensing services, including collecting sensing information from UE2, RAN3 (base station (gNB)), or other nodes, and providing the collected sensing information to UE2 or other external systems (AF12, DN5, etc.). Details of SF11n will be described later.

[0035] AF12 is an NF that provides application services via NRF11g as part of 5GC, or an NF that is outside of 5GC and provides application services via NEF11e. AF12 performs processing using sensing results, for example. As an example, AF12 generates dynamic map information based on sensing results obtained from SF11n. Alternatively, UE2 or an application program executed on UE2 may operate as AF12.

[0036] In 5GC, multiple NFs of the same type may be provided. For example, NF11 may be provided for each data center (central station). Also, one NF11 may be shared among multiple data centers. Furthermore, multiple NF11s of the same type may be configured within a single data center. The number of data centers, the number of NF11s, and the correspondence between NF11s and data centers can be set as appropriate.

[0037] <Configuration of Information Processing Device and Terminal> Figure 2 shows an example configuration of an information processing device that can operate as an NF11a-11k, an OAM terminal, and an external server, respectively. In Figure 2, the information processing device 20 can be configured using a dedicated or general-purpose information processing device (computer) such as a personal computer (PC), workstation (WS), or server machine. However, the information processing device 20 may also be a collection of one or more computers (cloud).

[0038] The information processing device 20 includes a processor 21 acting as a processing unit or control unit (controller), a storage device 22, a communication interface 23 (communication IF 23), an input device 24, and a display 25, all interconnected via a bus 26.

[0039] The storage device 22 includes main memory and auxiliary storage. The main memory is used as at least one of the following: a program and data storage area, a program deployment area, a program work area, and a communication data buffer area. The main memory consists of RAM (Random Access Memory), or a combination of RAM and ROM (Read Only Memory). The auxiliary storage is used as a data and program storage area. Non-volatile storage media are used for the auxiliary storage. Examples of non-volatile storage media include hard disks, solid state drives (SSDs), flash memory, or EEPROMs (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). The storage device 22 may also include a drive device for a disk recording medium.

[0040] Communication IF23 is a circuit that performs communication processing. For example, communication IF23 is a network interface card (NIC). Alternatively, communication IF23 may be a wireless communication circuit that performs wireless communication (5G, wireless LAN (Wi-Fi®), BLE, etc.). Furthermore, communication IF23 may be a combination of a circuit that performs wired communication processing and a wireless communication circuit.

[0041] The input device 24 includes keys, buttons, pointing devices, and touch panels, and is used for inputting information. The display 25 is, for example, a liquid crystal display and displays information and data.

[0042] The processor 21 performs various processes by executing various programs stored in the storage device 22. By the processor 21 executing the programs stored in the storage device 22, the information processing device 20 can operate as NF 11a to 11k, OAM terminal 8, and external servers 12a and 12b, respectively.

[0043] Figure 3 shows an example configuration of a communication device 30 that can operate as a UE2, RAN3, or base station. The communication device 30 includes a processor 31, a storage device 32, a communication interface 33 (communication IF 33), an input device 34, and a display 35, all interconnected via a bus 36. The processor 31, storage device 32, communication IF 33, input device 34, and display 35 can be the same as those used for the processor 21, storage device 22, communication IF 23, input device 24, and display 25. Therefore, their descriptions are omitted.

[0044] The processors 21 and 31 are, for example, a Central Processing Unit (CPU). A CPU is also called a Microprocessor Unit (MPU). The processors 21 and 31 may be a single-processor configuration or a multi-processor configuration. Also, a single physical CPU connected by a single socket may have a multi-core configuration. The processors 21 and 31 may include arithmetic units of various circuit configurations such as a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) or a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). Further, the processors 21 and 31 may have a configuration that cooperates with at least one of an integrated circuit (IC), other digital circuits, and analog circuits. The integrated circuit includes an LSI, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Programmable Logic Device (PLD), and the like. The PLD includes, for example, a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The processors 21 and 31 also include, for example, those called a microcontroller (MCU), a System-on-a-chip (SoC), a system LSI, or a chipset.

[0045] <Overall Sensing Processing> Figure 4 is a diagram showing the overall flow of sensing processing in a 5G system.

[0046] In step S0, the UE 2 and the base station 3 register their sensing capabilities with the SF11n or the NRF11g. The sensing capability includes information indicating what kind of sensing the UE 2 and the base station 3 can perform.

[0047] In step S1, the AF12 transmits a sensing request for requesting sensing to the SF11n. Although details will be described later, the sensing request includes information indicating what kind of sensing result is requested. Here, an example where the source of the sensing request is the AF12 is shown, but the source may be the NF11 within the 5GC.

[0048] In step S2, SF11n discovers a UE2 or a base station 3 capable of executing the acquired sensing request based on the registration information. Here, a UE2 or a base station 3 that executes sensing processing is referred to as a sensing participant. Sensing may be performed by one participant transmitting and receiving radio waves, or may be performed by a first participant transmitting radio waves and a second participant receiving the radio waves. In the former case, one participant is selected, and in the latter case, two participants are selected. Note that one sensing request may transmit a sensing instruction to a plurality of participants or a plurality of participant pairs.

[0049] In step S3, SF11n transmits a sensing instruction corresponding to the sensing request acquired in step S1 to the sensing participant determined in step S2. Generation and transmission of the sensing instruction will be described in detail later.

[0050] In step S4, the sensing participant executes sensing according to the received sensing instruction. Specifically, radio waves used for 5G communication are transmitted, and the reflected, diffracted, or scattered radio waves are received. Note that the sensing processing may be performed by other sensors such as a camera, an ultrasonic sensor, a millimeter-wave radar, and LiDAR in addition to using radio waves of 5G communication.

[0051] In step S5, the sensing participant transmits sensing data to SF11n. In step S6, SF11n performs data processing on the acquired sensing data, and in step S7, transmits it to AF12, the source of the sensing request, as a sensing result.

[0052] <SF (Sensing Function)> FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of SF50 (11n). As its functional units, SF50 includes a sensing request acquisition unit 51, a sensing task generation unit 52, a task queue 53, a transmission order determination unit 54, a sensing instruction transmission unit 55, a sensing data reception unit 56, a data processing unit 57, and a sensing result transmission unit 58. These functional units are realized by a processor of the information processing apparatus 20.

[0053] The sensing request acquisition unit 51 acquires sensing requests from AF12 or other NFs. The sensing task generation unit 52 generates sensing tasks in response to sensing requests and stores them in the task queue 53 as sensing task data. The transmission order determination unit 54 determines the transmission order of multiple sensing tasks in the task queue 53 if there are multiple sensing tasks to be sent to the same sensing participant. The sensing instruction transmission unit 55 generates sensing instructions according to the sensing tasks stored in the task queue 53 and transmits them to the sensing participants. In this case, if there are multiple tasks in the task queue, the sensing instruction transmission unit 55 processes the sensing tasks in the order determined by the transmission order determination unit 54. The sensing data receiving unit 56 receives sensing data from the sensing participants. The data processing unit 57 processes the received sensing data to generate sensing results. The sensing result transmission unit 58 transmits the generated sensing results to AF12 or other NFs that sent the sensing request.

[0054] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the process from when the SF50 receives a sensing request until it generates sensing task data.

[0055] In step S61, the sensing request acquisition unit 51 acquires a sensing request from AF12 or another NF. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the information included in the sensing request. The sensing request 70 includes the requester ID 71, application ID 72, request reason 73, sensing area 74, accuracy requirement 75, resolution requirement 76, time requirement 77, sensing target object type 78, and sensing mode 79. Note that not all of this information is included in the sensing request 70; only some of it is included.

[0056] The requester ID 71 is an identifier that identifies the requester AF12 or NF11 of the sensing request. The application ID 72 is an identifier that identifies the application running on the AF12 or NF11 that requested the sensing request. The request reason 73 indicates the reason for requesting sensing. Examples of request reason 73 include, but are not limited to, traffic safety purposes, emergency service purposes, mapping purposes, pedestrian detection purposes, and rainfall detection purposes. The sensing area 74 indicates the geographical range or area in which sensing will be performed. The accuracy requirement 75 indicates the acceptable error and required confidence level for the sensing data. The resolution requirement 76 indicates the required spatial or temporal resolution for the sensing data. The time requirement 77 indicates the frequency of sensing data acquisition and real-time requirements. The sensing target object type 78 indicates the type of object to be sensed. The object type may be expressed as the type of the object itself, such as a vehicle or a person, or as attributes of the object, such as size or speed of movement. Sensing mode 79 indicates what sensing method will be used or what settings will be used for sensing. For example, this could include sensing using radio waves used for 5G communication, sensing using a camera, or sensing using LiDAR.

[0057] In step S62, the sensing task generation unit 52 generates sensing task data based on the sensing request and stores the sensing task data in the task queue 53. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing the information included in the sensing task data. The sensing task data 80 includes the requester ID 71, application ID 72, request reason 73, sensing area 74, accuracy requirement 75, resolution requirement 76, time requirement 77, sensing target object type 78, sensing mode 79, and priority 81. Information other than priority 81 is the same as that described in sensing request 70, so its explanation is omitted.

[0058] Priority 81 indicates the priority of the sensing. Priority 81 may be binary information indicating whether or not to prioritize, or it may be information that can take on multiple values ​​of three or more levels. Based on the information contained in the sensing request 70, the sensing task generation unit 52 determines the priority 81 of the sensing task by one of the following methods.

[0059] In one embodiment, the priority is determined based on the reason 73 for the sensing request 70. For example, a corresponding priority value is set in advance for each reason 73, and the value for the reason 73 of the received sensing request 70 is set to priority 81. As a specific example, sensing requests for reasons such as emergency services or traffic safety may be given a higher priority.

[0060] In one embodiment, priority is determined based on the requester ID 71 or application ID 72 of the sensing request 70. For example, a corresponding priority value is set in advance for each requester ID 71 or application ID 72, and the value corresponding to each requester ID 71 or application ID 72 is set as priority 81. Since the requesting AF or application can also be considered as the reason for the sensing request, this method can be seen as priority determination based on the reason for the request.

[0061] In one embodiment, priority is determined according to the amount of measured sample data for the object to be sensed in the sensing request 70. The SF11n can determine the priority by knowing how much sensing data (sample data) related to the current object to be sensed exists in the accumulated past sensing data. Typically, it is assumed that the less measured data there is, the higher the priority will be set, and the priority of an object for which there is no sensing data may be set to the highest. However, this is not necessarily required, and the more measured data there is, the higher the priority may be set, and the relationship between the amount of data and priority does not have to be linear. The amount of data here may be calculated by limiting it to data sensed from the present to a predetermined time ago. Also, if the sensing data is shared among multiple SF11n within the 5GC, priority may be determined by considering the measured data measured at the instruction of other SF11n.

[0062] In one embodiment, priority is determined according to the amount of sample data required in the sensing task. For example, it is assumed that a higher amount of sample data is required, the higher the priority. The amount of sample data required can be calculated based on, for example, the required resolution (based on the resolution requirement 76) or the required measurement interval (based on the time requirement 77). Alternatively, the amount of sample data required may be included in the sensing request 70. Note that a lower amount of data required may result in a higher priority, and the relationship between data amount and priority does not have to be linear.

[0063] In one embodiment, the priority is determined based on the type of object to be sensed 78 included in the sensing request 70. For example, a corresponding priority value may be set in advance for each object type, and the value corresponding to the type of object to be sensed 78 may be set as priority 81. Alternatively, if the type of object to be sensed 78 is identified by an attribute value, the priority may be determined according to that attribute value. For example, criteria such as prioritizing larger objects or prioritizing faster moving objects may be considered.

[0064] In one embodiment, the priority is determined according to the sensing mode included in the sensing request 70, or the sensing method used when sensing at the UE or base station. For example, a corresponding priority value is set in advance for each sensing mode 79, and the value corresponding to the sensing mode 79 of the received sensing request 70 is set as priority 81. As an example, it is conceivable to assign a higher priority to sensing modes or sensing methods with longer measurement times, such as LiDar or terahertz wave sensors. Note that a higher priority may be assigned to shorter measurement times, and the relationship between measurement time and priority does not have to be linear. Furthermore, it is not necessary to determine the priority according to the measurement time; the priority may be determined by considering other attributes of the sensing mode or sensing method.

[0065] The above methods for determining priority can be combined. For example, the average or weighted average of the priorities obtained from multiple methods can be used as the final priority, or the highest priority among the priorities obtained from multiple methods can be used as the final priority.

[0066] Of the information included in the sensing task data 80, information other than priority 81 may be the same as that in the sensing request 70, or the information included in the sensing request 70 may be processed and modified and included in the sensing task data 80.

[0067] Furthermore, the sensing request 70 may include a priority set by the sensing requester. In this case, the priority 81 of the sensing task data 80 may be the same as the priority included in the sensing request 70, or it may be newly determined by considering the priority included in the sensing request 70 and other information included in the sensing request 70.

[0068] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the process when the SF50 transmits a sensing instruction.

[0069] In step S91, the transmission order determination unit 54 determines whether there is a task in the task queue 53. If there is a task, it proceeds to step S92 to determine whether there are multiple tasks for the same sensing participant.

[0070] If there are multiple sensing tasks for the same sensing participant (S91-YES and S92-YES), in step S93, the transmission order determination unit 54 determines the transmission order of the sensing tasks. As an example, the transmission order determination unit 54 determines the transmission order so that sensing tasks with higher priority 81 are transmitted first. Note that instead of determining the priority 81 when the sensing request 70 is received, it may be determined when the sensing instruction is transmitted. Alternatively, instead of calculating the priority 81 and storing it in association with the task, the transmission order may be determined according to the information contained in the sensing request 70, using the same criteria as the priority determination described above.

[0071] In step S94, the sensing instruction transmission unit 55 generates a sensing instruction for the sensing task with the earliest transmission order and transmits it to the sensing participant. The sensing instruction transmission unit 55 may also store priority 81 in the sensing instruction and transmit it to the sensing participant.

[0072] When sending the next sensing instruction to a sensing participant who has already sent one, the sensing data related to the previously sent sensing instruction should be retrieved from the sensing participant before sending the next sensing instruction.

[0073] Note that the processing in SF50 may differ from the above description, provided that sensing instructions are sent in an order corresponding to the priority of the sensing requests. For example, when SF50 receives sensing request data, it stores the sensing request data in a queue. If the sensing request data does not include a priority, SF50 determines the priority of the sensing request. Then, SF50 retrieves the sensing request data with the highest priority from the sensing request data stored in the queue, generates a sensing instruction corresponding to the sensing request data, and stores it in the task queue. When sending a sensing instruction, SF50 may also retrieve the first sensing task stored in the task queue (i.e., the oldest sensing task) and send it to the sensing participant. In this way, even if sensing tasks are generated in an order corresponding to the priority of the sensing request data, and the sensing tasks are sent to the sensing participant in the order they were generated, the sensing instructions will be sent in an order corresponding to their priority. Alternatively, sensing instructions may be sent based on sensing requests without generating sensing tasks.

[0074] <Sensing Participant (UE, Base Station)> Figure 10 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a UE or base station that functions as a sensing participant 100. The sensing participant 100 includes a sensing instruction receiving unit 101, a sensing execution unit 102, and a sensing data transmission unit 103. These functional units are implemented by the processor 31 of the communication device 30.

[0075] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing the basic flow of the sensing process by the sensing participant 100.

[0076] In step S111, the sensing instruction receiving unit 101 receives a sensing instruction from the SF 50. The received sensing instruction is temporarily stored in a storage device (queue). In step S112, the sensing execution unit 102 determines whether there are multiple unexecuted sensing instructions in the storage device. If there are multiple sensing instructions, the sensing execution unit 102 determines the execution order of the sensing instructions in step S113. As described above, the execution order of tasks is determined so that those with higher priority are executed first, based on the priority included in the sensing instructions transmitted from the SF 50. In step S114, the sensing execution unit 102 performs sensing according to the sensing instructions, and in step S115, transmits the measured sensing data to the SF 50.

[0077] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the processing flow when another sensing instruction is received while sensing based on one sensing instruction is being performed.

[0078] In step S121, the sensing instruction receiving unit 101 receives a sensing instruction. In step S122, the sensing execution unit 102 determines whether it is currently performing another sensing task. If it is, in step S123, it determines whether it is possible to perform the new sensing task in parallel with the other sensing task (the sensing task currently in progress). If parallel execution is possible (S123-YES), in step S124, the sensing execution unit 102 performs the new sensing task based on the new sensing instruction in parallel with the sensing task currently in progress. On the other hand, if parallel execution is not possible, the process proceeds to step S125, where it determines whether the new sensing instruction has a higher priority than the sensing task currently in progress. If the new sensing instruction has a higher priority (S125-YES), the sensing task currently in progress is interrupted or stopped, and the sensing task based on the new sensing instruction is performed. On the other hand, if the sensing currently in progress has a higher priority (S125-NO), the process proceeds to step S128, and the execution of the new sensing is postponed. Note that the determination of parallel execution possibility in step S123 may be omitted. In step S127, once the sensing is complete, the sensing data transmission unit 103 transmits the sensing data to SF50.

[0079] The above explanation assumes that sensing is currently in progress and there are no pending sensing instructions. However, it can be similarly applied if there are multiple pending sensing instructions and sensing is initiated based on one of them.

[0080] <Advantageous Effects of This Embodiment> When 5GC requests multiple sensing tasks from sensing participants, they can be processed in an appropriate order, and when sensing participants receive multiple sensing tasks, sensing can be executed in an appropriate order.

[0081] <Other Modifications> The above embodiments are merely examples, and this disclosure may be modified as appropriate without departing from its essence.

[0082] The present disclosure can also be realized by supplying a computer program implementing the functions described in the embodiments above to a computer, and having one or more processors in the computer read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer by a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium that can be connected to the computer's system bus, or it may be provided to the computer via a network. Non-temporary computer-readable storage mediums include, for example, any type of disk such as magnetic disks (floppy disks, hard disk drives (HDDs), etc.), optical disks (CD-ROMs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic cards, flash memory, optical cards, and any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions.

[0083] 2: User Terminal (UE), 3: RAN 11n: SF (Sensing Function)

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising a wireless communication network, comprising a processor that performs a receiving step of receiving sensing request data and a transmitting step of transmitting sensing instructions to a user terminal or base station based on the sensing request data, wherein the transmitting step determines the transmission order of a plurality of sensing instructions, which differs from the reception order of the sensing request data, according to predetermined transmission order determination conditions.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor further performs a generation step of determining a priority based on the sensing request data and generating a plurality of sensing tasks including the said priority, and in the transmission step, determines the transmission order of the plurality of sensing instructions according to the priority associated with the plurality of sensing tasks.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor further performs a generation step of determining priority based on the sensing request data and generating a plurality of sensing tasks based on the sensing request data in an order corresponding to the priority, and in the transmission step, transmits the plurality of sensing tasks in the order of generation.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the transmission step determines the transmission order of the plurality of sensing instructions according to the sensing request reason related to the sensing request data.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the transmission step, the transmission order of the plurality of sensing instructions is determined according to the amount of measured sample data for the sensing target object related to the sensing request data.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that, in the transmission step, the transmission order of the plurality of sensing instructions is prioritized as the amount of measured sample data for the sensing target object related to the sensing request data decreases.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the transmission step determines the transmission order of the plurality of sensing instructions according to the amount of sample data requested in the sensing request data.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the transmission step determines the transmission order of the plurality of sensing instructions according to the type of sensing target object related to the sensing request data.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the transmission step determines the transmission order of the plurality of sensing instructions according to the sensing method related to the sensing request data.

10. A communication device comprising a processor that performs a receiving step of receiving a sensing instruction, a sensing step of performing sensing based on the sensing instruction, and a transmitting step of transmitting the result of the sensing, wherein, if there are multiple sensing instructions, the sensing step determines the execution order of the multiple sensing instructions, which is different from the order in which the sensing instructions were received, according to predetermined execution order determination conditions.

11. The communication device according to claim 10, characterized in that the sensing instruction includes a priority, and the sensing step determines the execution order of the sensing instructions based on the priority.

12. The communication device according to claim 11, characterized in that, if a second sensing instruction having a higher priority than the first sensing instruction is received while the first sensing based on the first sensing instruction is being performed, the first sensing is interrupted or canceled and the second sensing based on the second sensing instruction is performed.

13. The communication device according to claim 11, characterized in that, when a second sensing instruction having a higher priority than the first sensing instruction is received while a first sensing based on a first sensing instruction is being performed, it determines whether the second sensing based on the second sensing instruction and the first sensing can be performed in parallel, and if they can be performed in parallel, it performs the first sensing and the second sensing in parallel; otherwise, it interrupts or cancels the first sensing and performs the second sensing based on the second sensing instruction.

14. An information processing method performed by an information processing device constituting a wireless communication network, comprising: a receiving step of receiving sensing request data; and a transmitting step of transmitting sensing instructions to a user terminal or base station based on the sensing request data, wherein the transmitting step determines the transmission order of a plurality of sensing instructions according to predetermined transmission order determination conditions different from the order in which the sensing request data was received.

15. An information processing method to be performed by a communication device constituting a wireless communication network, comprising: a receiving step of receiving a sensing instruction; a sensing step of performing sensing based on the sensing instruction; and a transmitting step of transmitting the result of the sensing, wherein, if there are multiple sensing instructions, the sensing step determines the execution order of the multiple sensing instructions according to predetermined execution order determination conditions.

16. A computer program for causing a computer to perform each step of the method according to claim 14 or 15.

17. A computer-readable medium that non-temporarily stores a computer program for causing a computer to perform each step of the method according to claim 16.

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