Sensing method and apparatus

Abstract

A sensing method and apparatus, which can improve sensing performance. In the method, a terminal having a fixed position is provided, for performing network-side cooperative sensing. A RAN node sends sensing signal configuration information to the terminal having a fixed position, for configuring a sensing resource. The terminal sends or receives a sensing signal on the sensing resource, and correspondingly, the RAN node receives or sends the sensing signal on the sensing resource. In addition, the receiving end of the sensing signal determines a measurement result on the basis of the sensing signal, and sends the measurement result to the sensing network element. In one aspect, more sensing viewing angles can be provided to perform more complete imaging of a sensing target, or improve the accuracy of sensing a moving target. In another aspect, because the position of a terminal is fixed, the precise position of the terminal can be accurately obtained, thereby avoiding low sensing accuracy caused by the position of a mobile terminal being difficult to obtain or the position being inaccurate when the mobile terminal is used to assist in sensing, thereby improving sensing performance.

Description

Sensing methods and devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411579770.6, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on November 6, 2024, entitled "Sensing Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to sensing methods and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] In a sensing scenario, the transmitting device radiates electromagnetic waves to send sensing signals to the surrounding environment, and the receiving device receives the sensing signals reflected or scattered by the surrounding environment (also known as echo signals), and analyzes and compares them with the transmitted sensing signals to perceive relevant information about the surrounding environment, such as whether there are targets to be detected in the environment, the number of targets, and the location of each target.

[0004] In the evolution of fifth-generation (5G) wireless communication technology towards 5G-Advanced (5G-A) and future communication technologies, integrated communication and sensing technology is considered one of the key technologies for expanding the service capabilities of mobile communication networks. The core idea of ​​this technology is to add sensing capabilities to the mobile communication network, building capabilities such as target detection, imaging, and identification, thereby integrating communication and sensing capabilities into a single network to achieve harmonious coexistence and even mutual benefit.

[0005] A common scenario in integrated communication and sensing technology is base station self-transmission and self-reception, where the base station sends sensing signals and receives sensing signals reflected or scattered by the surrounding environment. However, in this scenario, the base station's field of view is limited, resulting in poor sensing performance. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a sensing method and apparatus that can improve sensing performance.

[0007] Firstly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a first terminal, or by a component of the first terminal, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the first terminal, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first terminal. The method includes: receiving sensing signal configuration information from a radio access network (RAN) node, the sensing signal configuration information being used to configure sensing resources; transmitting or receiving sensing signals on the sensing resources, the measurement results corresponding to the sensing signals and the position of the first terminal being used to determine the sensing results, the position of the first terminal being fixed.

[0008] Based on this scheme, fixed-location terminals can send or receive sensing signals on sensing resources. That is, compared to the base station's self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing method, the introduction of fixed-location terminals to assist sensing allows RAN nodes and fixed-location terminals to perform network-end collaborative sensing, providing more perspectives and improving sensing performance. For example, based on more sensing perspectives, more complete imaging of the sensing target can be achieved, or moving targets can be sensed more accurately. Fixed-location terminals can provide a fixed position reference, enhancing the sensing of moving targets. Furthermore, because the terminal's location is fixed, its position does not change over time. When determining the sensing result, the precise location of the terminal can be accurately obtained, avoiding the low sensing accuracy caused by the difficulty in obtaining or the inaccuracy of mobile terminal positions when using mobile terminals for assisted sensing, thus further improving sensing performance.

[0009] In one possible design, the method further includes: determining the measurement result corresponding to the sensing signal based on the sensing signal; and sending the measurement result corresponding to the sensing signal to the sensing network element.

[0010] Based on this possible design, the measurement results obtained by the terminal based on the sensing signals can provide more perspectives for sensing compared to the self-transmission and self-reception of RAN nodes, thereby improving sensing performance. For example, taking the environmental reconstruction use case, more perspectives can help the sensing network elements to perform more complete imaging of the sensed target or more accurate reconstruction of the environment. Taking the ground motion target detection use case as an example, more sensing perspectives can improve the sensing accuracy of moving targets, thereby improving sensing performance.

[0011] In one possible design, the sensing resources include sensing bandwidth. Receiving sensing signals on the sensing resources includes: receiving sensing signals on the sensing bandwidth; sending measurement results corresponding to the sensing signals to the sensing network elements includes: sending measurement results corresponding to the sensing signals to the sensing network elements on the communication bandwidth.

[0012] In one possible design, the communication bandwidth of the first terminal is different from the sensing bandwidth of the first terminal. Alternatively, it can be understood as: the communication bandwidth capability of the first terminal is different from its sensing bandwidth capability.

[0013] Based on this possible design, resources used for sensing and resources used for communication are decoupled, allowing different resources to be used for different services to meet their specific needs. For example, in communication services, the first terminal does not require high-speed data transmission; to reduce power consumption, its hardware and software complexity is low, and it supports a smaller communication bandwidth. However, for sensing services, sensing accuracy depends on bandwidth; the larger the bandwidth, the higher the sensing accuracy. Therefore, sensing services have higher bandwidth requirements. By decoupling sensing bandwidth and communication bandwidth, the contradiction in bandwidth requirements between sensing and communication services is resolved.

[0014] In one possible design, the method further includes sending a registration request to the RAN node, the registration request being used to request registration with the sensing network element.

[0015] Based on this possible design, the terminal can register directly with the sensing network element, avoiding registration with the sensing network element through the AMF network element, thereby avoiding modification of the AMF network element function, and thus adapting to the existing network and achieving compatibility with the existing network.

[0016] In one possible design, the registration request includes instruction information that instructs the first terminal to use it for assisted sensing; or, the instruction information indicates that the registration request is a sensing-related registration request.

[0017] Based on this possible design, the RAN node can determine the first terminal that needs to register with the sensing network element according to the instruction information. Thus, the RAN node can choose to send a registration request to the sensing network element instead of the AMF network element, thereby enabling the terminal to successfully register with the sensing network element and improving the registration success rate.

[0018] In one possible design, the first terminal includes at least one sensing data acquisition module, and the different sensing data acquisition modules in the at least one sensing data acquisition module are of different types.

[0019] In one possible design, the method further includes sending capability information to the RAN node, the capability information indicating that the first terminal supports reporting sensing data acquired through at least one sensing data module. For example, sensing data acquired through multiple sensing data modules can be collectively referred to as multi-source sensing data; therefore, the capability information can also be considered as indicating that the first terminal supports reporting multi-source sensing data.

[0020] Based on the above possible designs, the terminal can acquire sensing data in multiple ways and report the sensing data acquired in multiple ways, enabling the network to obtain more comprehensive sensing information and thus improve sensing performance.

[0021] Secondly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a sensing network element, or by a component of the sensing network element, such as its processor, chip, or chip system. It can also be implemented by a logic module or software capable of performing all or part of the functions of the sensing network element. The method includes: receiving a measurement result corresponding to a sensing signal, where the sensing signal is sent to a first terminal by a radio access network (RAN) node, or sent to the RAN node by the first terminal, and the location of the first terminal is fixed; and determining the sensing result based on the measurement result corresponding to the sensing signal and the location of the first terminal. The technical effects of this second aspect are analogous to those of the first aspect described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0022] In one possible design, the method further includes: receiving a registration request from a RAN node, the registration request being used to request the first terminal to register with a sensing network element; sending request information to a unified data management network element according to the registration request, the request information being used to request the first terminal's subscription information; and receiving the first terminal's subscription information from the unified data management network element, the first terminal's subscription information including the first terminal's identifier and the first terminal's location information.

[0023] Based on this possible design, fixed-location terminals can be directly registered to sensing network elements, enabling the sensing network elements to identify such terminals and obtain their locations. This allows for flexible selection of suitable terminals for sensing based on the terminal locations and sensing requirements, providing more perspectives for sensing and thus improving sensing performance.

[0024] In one possible design, the registration request includes instruction information that instructs the first terminal to use it for assisted sensing; or, the instruction information indicates that the registration request is a sensing-related registration request.

[0025] In one possible design, the method further includes: determining a first terminal from at least one terminal based on sensing services and location information of at least one terminal, wherein the location of each terminal in the at least one terminal is fixed; and sending first information to the RAN node, the first information indicating the use of the first terminal for assisted sensing.

[0026] Based on this possible design, the sensing network element can flexibly select the appropriate terminal for sensing based on the terminal location and sensing requirements, providing more perspectives for sensing and thus improving sensing accuracy and performance.

[0027] Thirdly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a unified data management network element, or by a component of the unified data management network element, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the unified data management network element, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the unified data management network element. The method includes: receiving request information from a sensing network element, the request information being used to request subscription information of a first terminal; and sending the subscription information of the first terminal to the sensing network element, the subscription information of the first terminal including the identifier of the first terminal and the location information of the first terminal, the location of the first terminal being fixed.

[0028] Based on this scheme, the unified data management network element can provide the sensing network element with the identifier and location information of fixed-location terminals. This enables the sensing network element to identify such terminals and obtain their locations. Consequently, it can flexibly select appropriate terminals for sensing based on the location of these terminals and sensing requirements, providing more perspectives for sensing. For example, in the environmental reconstruction use case, more perspectives can help the sensing network element to perform more complete imaging of the sensing target or more accurate reconstruction of the environment. In the case of detecting moving targets, more sensing perspectives can improve the sensing accuracy of moving targets, thereby improving sensing performance.

[0029] Fourthly, a communication device is provided for implementing various methods. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the implementation of the methods, wherein the modules, units, or means can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions.

[0030] In some possible designs, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module can be used to implement the processing functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The transceiver module may include a receiving module and a transmitting module, respectively used to implement the receiving function and the transmitting function in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof.

[0031] In some possible designs, the transceiver module can consist of transceiver circuits, transceivers, transceivers, or communication interfaces.

[0032] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory being used to store computer instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the communication device to perform the method described in any of the above aspects and any possible design thereof.

[0033] A sixth aspect provides a communication device, comprising: a processor and a communication interface; the communication interface being used to communicate with a module outside the communication device; the processor being used to execute computer programs or instructions to cause the communication device to perform the methods described in any of the above aspects and any possible designs thereof.

[0034] A seventh aspect provides a communication device comprising: at least one processor; said processor being configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in a memory to cause the communication device to perform the methods described in any of the preceding aspects and any possible designs thereof. The memory may be coupled to the processor, or may be independent of the processor.

[0035] Eighthly, a communication device (e.g., a chip or chip system) is provided, the communication device including a processor for implementing the functions involved in any of the above aspects and any possible designs thereof.

[0036] In some possible designs, the communication device includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data.

[0037] In some possible designs, when the device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or contain chips and other discrete components.

[0038] The communication device described in the fourth to eighth aspects may be the first terminal in the first aspect, or a device contained in the first terminal, such as a chip or a chip system; or, the communication device may be a sensing network element in the second aspect, or a device contained in the sensing network element, such as a chip or a chip system; or, the communication device may be a unified data management network element in the third aspect, or a device contained in the unified data management network element, such as a chip or a chip system.

[0039] In a ninth aspect, a communication device is provided. This communication device may be a first terminal, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, chip system, or circuit) within the first terminal that performs the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect, or a module or unit that can be used in conjunction with the first terminal; or, the communication device may be a sensing network element, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, chip system, or circuit) within the sensing network element that performs the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect, or a module or unit that can be used in conjunction with the sensing network element; or, the communication device may be a unified data management network element, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, chip system, or circuit) within the unified data management network element that performs the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the third aspect.

[0040] It is understandable that when the communication device provided in any of the fourth to ninth aspects is a chip, the sending action / function of the communication device can be understood as outputting information, and the receiving action / function of the communication device can be understood as inputting information.

[0041] In a tenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a communication device, enable the communication device to perform the methods described in any of the preceding aspects and any possible designs thereof.

[0042] In an eleventh aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when run on a communication device, enables the communication device to perform the methods described in any of the preceding aspects and any possible designs thereof.

[0043] In a twelfth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising a first terminal, a sensing network element, and a unified data management network element. The first terminal is used to implement the method described in the first aspect and any possible design thereof, the sensing network element is used to implement the method described in the second aspect and any possible design thereof, and the unified data management network element is used to implement the method described in the third aspect and any possible design thereof.

[0044] The technical effects of any of the design methods in aspects four through twelfth can be found in the technical effects of different design methods in aspects one, two, or three, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0045] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a base station with a limited sensing view provided in this application;

[0046] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided in this application;

[0047] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture for independent deployment of sensing network elements provided in this application;

[0048] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of another network architecture for independently deploying sensing network elements provided in this application;

[0049] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of an O-RAN system provided in this application;

[0050] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a hardware architecture of CU, DU, and RU provided in this application;

[0051] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a sensing method provided in this application;

[0052] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a scenario where a fixed-location terminal performs sensing according to this application;

[0053] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a registration process provided in this application;

[0054] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in this application;

[0055] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in this application;

[0056] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0057] In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this application is merely a description of the relationship between the related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural.

[0058] In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, a and b and c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0059] Furthermore, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish identical or similar items with substantially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the terms "first" and "second" are not necessarily different.

[0060] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner to facilitate understanding.

[0061] It is understood that the term "embodiment" used throughout the specification means that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic related to an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of this application. Therefore, various embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, these specific features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. It is understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the sequence number of each process does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0062] It is understood that in this application, "...when" and "if" both refer to the corresponding processing that will be carried out under certain objective circumstances, and are not limited to a specific time, nor do they require a judgment action to be performed during implementation, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0063] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of this application can be implemented independently in certain scenarios without relying on other features, such as the current solution on which they are based, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. Alternatively, they can be combined with other features as needed in certain scenarios. Correspondingly, the apparatus given in the embodiments of this application can also implement these features or functions, which will not be elaborated here.

[0064] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referenced. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships. The following descriptions of the embodiments of this application do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0065] With the rapid development of wireless cellular communication from the first generation (1G) to the fifth generation (5G), not only have connections between people become increasingly closer, but more and more smart devices are also interconnected, such as industrial equipment, automobiles, sensors, and home appliances. This trend will continue until 2030 and beyond, at which time ubiquitous intelligent interconnection of everything will be realized. If smart devices can sense their surroundings and share environmental information with other smart devices, then connectivity will become even more intelligent.

[0066] Network sensing creates a new application scenario beyond communication, encompassing a range of use cases such as device-based and even deviceless target localization, imaging, environmental reconstruction, gesture and activity recognition, etc. This type of sensing has a very wide range of applications. For example, it can be used in thousands of industries such as human-machine coordination, smart city environmental reconstruction, climate sensing, healthcare, and security detection.

[0067] For example, the technical principles of sensing differ somewhat from those of wireless communication. In wireless communication, the transmitting end modulates information onto radio waves and sends it to the receiving end, which then demodulates the signal carried on the radio waves to obtain the information. In a sensing scenario, the transmitting device radiates electromagnetic waves into the surrounding environment to send sensing signals. The receiving device receives the sensing signals reflected from the surrounding environment and analyzes and compares them with the transmitted sensing signals to perceive relevant information about the surrounding environment, such as the presence of the target, the number of targets, and the location of each target. For example, the reflected sensing signal can also be called an echo signal or an echo of the sensing signal; these terms are interchangeable and not limited.

[0068] To achieve the aforementioned vision, integrated radar communication technology has been incorporated into the research. Previous studies have focused on minimizing mutual interference between co-located radar and communication systems; however, the stringent requirements for information exchange between these systems present numerous practical limitations. Therefore, integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) systems have emerged.

[0069] In the evolution of 5G wireless communication technology towards 5G-Advanced (5G-A) and future communication technologies, integrated communication and sensing technology is considered one of the key technologies for expanding the service capabilities of mobile communication networks. The core idea of ​​this technology is to add sensing capabilities to the mobile communication network, building capabilities for target detection, imaging, and identification, thereby integrating communication and sensing capabilities into a single network to achieve harmonious coexistence and even mutual benefit.

[0070] In future mobile communication systems, higher frequency bands (millimeter waves and even terahertz), wider bandwidths, and larger-scale antenna arrays enable high-precision and high-resolution sensing, allowing for the integration of communication and sensing within a single system, making communication and sensing functions complementary. On one hand, the entire communication network can act as a giant sensor, with network elements transmitting and receiving wireless signals. By utilizing the transmission, reflection, and scattering of radio waves, a better understanding of the physical world can be achieved. By acquiring distance, speed, and angle information from wireless signals, a wide range of new services can be provided, including high-precision positioning, gesture capture, motion recognition, passive object detection, imaging, and environmental reconstruction, realizing "the network as a sensor." On the other hand, the high-precision positioning, imaging, and environmental reconstruction capabilities provided by sensing can help improve communication performance, such as more accurate beamforming, faster beam failure recovery, and lower overhead for terminal channel state information (CSI) tracking, achieving "sensing-assisted communication."

[0071] Currently, research on 5G-enhanced ISAC application scenarios and potential needs has been initiated within the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). Future applications of ISAC systems are likely to include ultra-high precision positioning, simultaneous imaging, map building, and human sensory enhancement. In simultaneous imaging, map building, and positioning applications, these three sensing capabilities can mutually reinforce each other. For example, imaging can capture images of the surrounding environment, positioning can obtain the locations of surrounding objects, and these images and locations can then be used to build a map, which in turn improves location reasoning capabilities.

[0072] ISAC will leverage advanced algorithms, edge computing, and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to generate super-resolution, high-recognition images and maps. Vehicles, base stations, and other elements within these maps form a vast network, acting as sensors and significantly expanding the imaging range. Furthermore, the imaging results can be easily fused and shared across the entire network via cloud services, significantly improving imaging performance. This super-resolution, high-precision sensing capability supports 3D indoor imaging and map building, enabling applications such as indoor scene reconstruction, spatial positioning, and indoor navigation, while providing the latest environmental information to the network and terminals. Object surfaces reflect signals like mirrors; precise map information can be used to determine multipath reflection points and reconstruct images of non-line-of-sight objects using mirroring techniques. Therefore, after environmental reconstruction, the geometric prior information of the scene can be used for the localization and imaging of non-line-of-sight targets, enabling more accurate target location detection.

[0073] The integration of sensing and communication can be categorized into three levels, from loose coupling to complete integration. At the lowest level, communication and sensing share hardware and spectrum. Hardware sharing effectively reduces costs, simplifies deployment, and minimizes maintenance issues, allowing sensing to benefit from the economies of scale of mobile communication networks. Spectrum sharing is more efficient than using separate spectrums. The second level integrates waveform and signal processing; time-domain, frequency-domain, and spatial-domain waveform and signal processing techniques can be combined to serve both sensing and communication functions. At the third level, information can be shared across layers, modules, and nodes, achieving complete integration of communication and sensing. This significantly improves system performance, greatly reduces the overall cost and energy consumption of the network system, and reduces system size. Larger-scale collaboration between base stations and terminals, joint design of communication and sensing waveforms, advanced interference cancellation technologies, native AI technologies, and other technological innovations can further enhance the processing capabilities of sensing data.

[0074] Currently, the sensing scenarios in the ISAC system mainly include base station self-transmitting and receiving sensing, and joint sensing by base stations and mobile terminals (also known as network-terminal collaborative sensing). In base station self-transmitting and receiving sensing, both the transmitting and receiving ends of the sensing signal are the base station. In network-terminal collaborative sensing, the transmitting end of the sensing signal can be either the base station or the mobile terminal, and correspondingly, the receiving end can be either the mobile terminal or the base station.

[0075] However, in base station-based self-sensing, the base station's viewing angle is limited, resulting in poor sensing performance. It cannot fully image the sensed target. For example, taking the environment reconstruction use case as shown in Figure 1, assuming the base station uses a self-sensing mode, due to the limited viewing angle, it cannot perceive the complete shape of roadside buildings; for example, it can only perceive one side of a building, thus failing to fully image the building and causing the sensed target to be incomplete. Similarly, in the ground motion target detection use case, the limited viewing angle of the base station may lead to the inability to detect moving targets or low sensing accuracy.

[0076] In network-end collaborative sensing, utilizing mobile terminals to assist sensing can provide more perspectives and aid in imaging the sensed target. For example, the mobile terminal sends sensing signals, the base station receives these signals, and performs sensing based on the received signals and the mobile terminal's location, such as estimating the target's position. However, because the mobile terminal's position or motion is uncontrollable, its location is difficult to obtain accurately, thus affecting sensing accuracy.

[0077] Based on this, this application provides a sensing method in which a fixed-location terminal is used for network-end cooperative sensing. The RAN node sends sensing signal configuration information to the fixed-location terminal to configure sensing resources. The terminal sends or receives sensing signals on the sensing resources, and correspondingly, the RAN node receives or sends sensing signals on the sensing resources. Furthermore, the receiving end of the sensing signals determines the measurement result based on the sensing signals and sends the measurement result to the sensing network element.

[0078] In this application's solution, a fixed-location terminal can transmit or receive sensing signals on sensing resources. That is, compared to the base station's self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing method, a fixed-location terminal is introduced to assist sensing. Therefore, the RAN node and the fixed-location terminal can perform network-end collaborative sensing, thereby providing more perspectives and improving sensing performance. For example, based on more sensing perspectives, the sensing target can be imaged more completely, or moving targets can be sensed more accurately. For instance, the fixed-location terminal can provide a fixed position reference, enhancing the sensing of moving targets. Furthermore, because the terminal's location is fixed, its precise location can be accurately obtained, avoiding the low sensing accuracy caused by the difficulty in obtaining or the inaccuracy of the mobile terminal's location when using mobile terminals for assisted sensing, thus further improving sensing performance.

[0079] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be used in various communication systems, including 3GPP communication systems such as 4th generation (4G) systems (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems), 5G systems (e.g., New Radio (NR) systems), LTE and 5G hybrid networking systems, sensing systems, integrated communication and sensing systems, non-terrestrial networks (NTN), device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, machine-type communication (MTC) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, or other future communication systems. The communication system can also be a non-3GPP communication system; there is no limitation on this.

[0080] The communication systems described above are merely illustrative examples, and are not limited to those described herein. The communication systems provided in this application do not impose any limitations on the solutions described herein. This will be explained uniformly here and will not be repeated below.

[0081] Figure 2 illustrates a possible, non-limiting system diagram. As shown in Figure 2, the communication system 20 includes a radio access network (RAN) 200 and a core network (CN) 300. Optionally, it may also include the Internet (not shown in Figure 2). The RAN 200 includes at least one RAN node 210 and at least one terminal 220. The core network 300 includes at least one core network element.

[0082] Optionally, terminal 220 communicates with RAN node 210 wirelessly. RAN node 210 communicates with core network 300 wirelessly or via wired connection. The core network elements in core network 300 and RAN node 210 in RAN 200 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0083] The location of terminal 220 is fixed. For example, the terminal can be deployed on traffic light poles, street light poles, buildings, etc. This application does not limit the deployment location of the terminal, but the location of the terminal is fixed.

[0084] As one possible implementation, terminal 220 is a user-side device with communication and sensing capabilities. Exemplarily, the terminal can be a fixed device, a handheld device (e.g., a mobile phone), a wearable device, an in-vehicle device, a computing device, other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, or a wireless device (e.g., a communication module, modem, or chip system, etc.) built into the aforementioned devices. The terminal is used to connect people, objects, machines, etc., and can be widely used in various scenarios, such as: cellular communication, D2D communication, V2X communication, MTC communication, IoT, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, self-driving, remote medical care, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart city, drones, robots, etc.

[0085] For example, terminal 220 can be a handheld terminal in cellular communication, a communication device in D2D, an IoT device in MTC, a camera in intelligent transportation and smart cities, or a communication device on a drone; or, the terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, wearable device, vehicle, drone, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, tag, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal. A terminal may sometimes be referred to as a UE, user terminal, user device, user unit, user station, terminal, access terminal, access station, UE station, remote station, or wireless communication device, etc.

[0086] The core network elements in the core network 300 include sensing network elements. For example, sensing network elements can also be called sensing function (SF) network elements, sensing unit (SU) network elements, or sensing management function (SMF) network elements. Of course, sensing network elements can also have other names, and this application does not specifically limit them.

[0087] As one possible implementation, a sensing network element can be understood as a network element deployed in the core network to implement (or provide) sensing functions. For example, the sensing functions implemented by a sensing network element may include, but are not limited to: sensing authorization, sensing control, sensing measurement data processing, and sensing result output. Furthermore, the sensing network element can also support sensing billing functions when terminals and / or RAN nodes perform sensing operations.

[0088] As a first possible implementation, the sensing network element can be deployed independently. For example, Figure 3 shows a network architecture diagram illustrating an independent deployment of the sensing network element according to an embodiment of this application. In this architecture, interfaces are established between the sensing network element and other core network elements, such as the access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, network exposure function (NEF) network element, unified data management (UDM) network element, network data analytics function (NWDAF) network element, policy control function (PCF) network element, user plane function (UPF) network element, application function (AF) network element, and location management function (LMF) network element, for interaction.

[0089] For example, the AMF (Agency Flow Function) element is primarily responsible for mobility management in mobile networks, such as user location updates, user registration with the network, and user handover. The UPF (User Plane Function) element is a user plane functional element, primarily responsible for connecting to external networks and processing user packets, such as forwarding and charging. The PCF (Programmable Flow Function) element is primarily responsible for providing policies to the AMF, such as Quality of Service (QoS) policies and slice selection policies. The UDM (User DM) element is used to store user data, such as subscription information and authentication / authorization information. The AF (Agency Flow Function) element is responsible for providing services to the 3GPP network. The NEF (Network Flow Function) element is primarily used to open up the capabilities of various network functions and is responsible for converting internal and external information. The LMF (Location Flow Function) element is primarily responsible for location management.

[0090] It is understandable that in future mobile communication systems, AMF network elements, NEF network elements, UDM network elements, NWDAF network elements, PCF network elements, UPF network elements, AF network elements, and LMF network elements may have other names, and this application does not make specific restrictions on them.

[0091] For example, the interfaces between the sensing network element and AMF, NEF, UDM, NWDAF, PCF, UPF, AF, and LMF network elements are described below:

[0092] NS1 Interface: The interface between the sensing network element and the AMF network element. This interface is used to transmit sensing control signaling. For scenarios where terminals or RAN nodes report sensing measurement data via the control plane, this interface can also be used to transmit sensing measurement data.

[0093] NS2 Interface: The interface between the sensing network element and the NEF network element. This interface can be used to transmit signaling between the sensing network element and the service-side AF network element via the NEF network element, and at the same time, expose the sensing results to the AF network element.

[0094] NS3 Interface: The interface between the sensing network element and the UDM network element. This interface allows for authentication or authorization, and the acquisition of terminal subscription information, service AMF network element information, or other information.

[0095] NS4 Interface: The interface between the sensing network element and the NWDAF. Through this interface, the sensing network element and the NWDAF can jointly complete AI processing related to sensing services.

[0096] NS5 Interface: The interface between the sensing network element and the PCF network element. Through this interface, the sensing network element can transmit information such as sensing service requirements, QoS requirements, or sensing results to the PCF network element. The PCF network element then makes decisions to generate policy and charging control (PCC) related to the sensing service.

[0097] NS6 Interface: The interface between the sensing network element and the LMF network element. Through this interface, the sensing network element can obtain location-related information, such as the sensing area, the RAN information of the sensing target, and the location information of the sensed terminal.

[0098] NS7 Interface: The interface between the sensing network element and the UPF network element. Sensing measurement data can be directly transmitted from the RAN to the sensing network element via the user plane, or it can be indirectly forwarded to the sensing network element via the UPF network element.

[0099] In addition to the newly added interfaces mentioned above, existing interfaces (such as N1, N2, N5, N8, N33, etc.) need to support the transmission of sensing service-related information, such as authentication information, sensing service type, sensing service quality requirements, sensing measurement data, sensing results, etc.

[0100] In addition to the network architecture shown in Figure 3, this application also provides another network architecture, as shown in Figure 4. In this network architecture, the sensing network elements are relatively independent of the existing core network. The sensing network elements do not need to interact with the existing core network, or only need to perform minimal interactions. For scenarios where sensing needs exist only in a specific area, or for scenarios where only sensing needs exist, this architecture can provide sensing services without core network control or with only some network elements participating in control. It can also ensure that sensing measurement data or sensing results do not leave the campus through localized deployment of sensing network elements, thereby meeting the enterprise's needs for the security and privacy of sensing measurement data or sensing results, and reducing sensing latency. This architecture is simple, flexible, efficient, has few transmission nodes, is easy to deploy, and can optionally support UE-related sensing needs, considering implementation schemes for functions such as authorization, mobility management, and billing as needed.

[0101] As shown in Figure 4, in this architecture, the sensing network element directly connects to the RAN node. Sensing control plane signaling messages and sensing measurement data are transmitted through the newly defined interface NS1. When a terminal participates in sensing, control plane signaling messages are forwarded to the sensing network element through the AMF network element, and sensing measurement data is transmitted via the NS1 interface. Furthermore, interfaces may also exist between the sensing network element and network elements such as AMF, NEF, or NWDAF to ensure that the AF network element provides sensing service requirements to the sensing network element through core network functions. For example, the descriptions of each interface in this architecture are as follows:

[0102] NS1 Interface: The interface between the sensing network element and the RAN. This interface is used to transmit sensing control signaling or sensing measurement data.

[0103] NS2 Interface: The interface between the sensing network element and the AMF network element. This interface is used to receive sensing service requests from the terminal, or to transmit signaling messages between the sensing network element and other core network elements, such as messages between the sensing network element and the UDM network element.

[0104] NS3 Interface: The interface between the sensing network element and the NEF network element. This interface is used to transmit messages between the sensing network element and the service-side AF network element, which are relayed through the NEF network element, and also to expose the sensing results to the AF network element. In addition, the interaction between the sensing network element and the AF network element may not go through the NEF network element.

[0105] Optionally, in actual deployment, either the NS2 interface or the NS3 interface can be selected. For example, the NS2 interface can be deployed without the NS3 interface. In this case, the AF network element can indirectly send sensing service requests to the sensing network element through the NS2 interface (AMF network element), or directly send sensing service requests to the sensing network element (without the NEF network element); or, the AF network element can send sensing service requests to the SF network element through the N33 (NEF network element) and the NS2 interface (AMF) network element.

[0106] NS4 Interface: The interface between the sensing network element and the NWDAF network element. Through this interface, the sensing network element can work with the NWDAF network element to perform intelligent analysis and prediction, and generate sensing results.

[0107] As a second possible implementation, the sensing network element can be co-located with other network elements in the core network. For example, the sensing network element can be co-located with the LMF network element, meaning that sensing and localization are implemented by the same network element.

[0108] For example, an LMF (Local Position Filter) network element can be understood as a network element in the core network that provides control plane positioning. It is used to calculate and feedback location information within the network, providing functions such as positioning process management, terminal capability acquisition, auxiliary data provision, and terminal location estimation. Specifically, an LMF network element can provide the following functions: supporting terminal location calculation; obtaining downlink location measurements or location estimates from the terminal; and obtaining uplink location measurements from the RAN (Radio Router).

[0109] For example, when the sensing network element and the LMF network element are co-located, the sensing network element can reuse the interface between the LMF network element and other core network elements (such as AMF network element, NEF network element, UDM network element, NWDAF network element, PCF network element, etc.) for sensing interaction.

[0110] Sensing control signaling between the LMF (including sensing network elements) and the RAN or terminal can be transmitted through the AMF network element; sensing measurement data acquired by the RAN or terminal can be transmitted to the LMF (including sensing network elements) via the control plane, such as using the LTE positioning protocol (LPP) or NR positioning protocol annex (NRPPa) via the control plane; or, sensing measurement data acquired by the RAN or terminal can also be transmitted via the user plane, forwarded through the UPF network element or directly transmitted to the LMF (including sensing network elements).

[0111] Furthermore, if the sensing network element and the LMF network element are co-located, the LMF network element and the gateway mobile location center (GMLC) need to be functionally enhanced to support basic sensing functions. The GMLC is the first network element within the operator's network to process sensing requests, performing privacy checks or authorization functions, routing sensing requests to the AMF network element, and performing LMF selection, among other things.

[0112] Furthermore, interfaces related to LMF and GMLC (such as the NL1 interface between AMF and LMF, the NL2 interface between AMF and GMLC, the NL5 interface between NEF and GMLC, and the NL6 interface between UDM and GMLC) also need to support the transmission of awareness service-related information. Additionally, a new NL9 interface is added between LMF and GMLC. Details are as follows:

[0113] N33 Interface: The interface between AF network elements and NEF network elements. Through this interface, the type of sensing service, service requirements, sensing results, etc. can be transmitted.

[0114] NL5 interface: The interface between NEF network elements and GMLC. Through this interface, the type of sensing service, service requirements, sensing results, etc. can be transmitted.

[0115] NL6 interface: The interface between GMLC and UDM network elements, through which privacy inspection data can be transmitted.

[0116] NL2 interface: The interface between NEF network elements and AMF network elements. Through this interface, the type of sensing service, service requirements, sensing results, etc. can be transmitted.

[0117] NL1 interface: The interface between AMF network elements and LMF network elements. Through this interface, the type of sensing service, service requirements, sensing results, etc. can be transmitted.

[0118] NL9 Interface: The interface between GMLC and LMF network elements. Through this interface, information such as sensing service type, service requirements, and sensing results can be transmitted.

[0119] The above explanation uses the deployment of sensing network elements in the core network as an example. In addition, sensing network elements can also be deployed on the RAN side; this application does not specify a particular deployment location for sensing network elements.

[0120] In one possible implementation, RAN 200 can be a 3GPP-related cellular system, such as a 4G or 5G mobile communication system, an NTN system (e.g., an NTN supporting pass-through mode and / or regenerative mode, or an NTN supporting eye-viewing mode (earth fixed cell) and / or non-eye-viewing mode (earth moving cell), or a future-oriented evolution system. RAN 200 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN 200 can also be a communication system integrating two or more of the above systems.

[0121] A RAN node is a network-side device with wireless transceiver capabilities. RAN nodes, sometimes also referred to as RAN entities or access nodes, form part of the communication system and help terminals achieve wireless access.

[0122] As one possible implementation, a RAN node can be an access network device, such as a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a base station evolved from a 3GPP system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, an access node in a WiFi system, a wireless relay node, or a wireless backhaul node. For example, a RAN node can contain one or more co-located or non-co-located transmission reception points.

[0123] For example, a RAN node can be a macro base station, micro base station, indoor station, relay node, donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, a RAN node can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, in V2X technology, a RAN node can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0124] As another possible implementation, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist terminal devices in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes each implementing some of the functions of the access network equipment. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CU), distributed units (DU), CU-control plane (CP), CU-user plane (UP), radio units (RU), etc.

[0125] For example, the CU and DU can be configured separately or included in the same network element, such as in the baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0126] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called an O-RAN central unit (O-CU), DU can also be called an O-RAN distributed unit (O-DU), CU-CP can also be called an O-RAN central unit control plane (O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called an O-RAN central unit user plane (O-CU-UP), and RU can also be called an O-RAN radio unit (O-RU).

[0127] For example, the CU / O-CU is used to implement the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer in the 3GPP standard.

[0128] Furthermore, CU-CP / O-CU-CP is used to implement the functions of the RRC layer and the control plane functions of the PDCP layer, and is part of the time-domain CU / O-CU. CU-UP / O-CU-UP is used to implement the functions of the SDAP layer and the user plane functions of the PDCP layer, and is also part of the CU / O-CU.

[0129] The DU / O-DU is based on low-layer function segmentation and is used to implement the functions of the radio link control (RLC) layer, media access control (MAC) layer, and higher physical layer (Higher PHY) layer in the 3GPP standard. Among them, the higher physical layer functions include one or more of the following: forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding, scrambling / descrambling, or modulation / demodulation.

[0130] RU / O-RU is based on low-layer function partitioning and is used to implement lower physical layer (PHY) functions and radio frequency (RF) functions in the 3GPP standard. These PHY functions include one or more of the following: Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) / Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (iFFT), digital beamforming, or extraction and filtering of the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH). It is similar to TRP or RRH in 3GPP, but includes PHY functions such as FFT / iFFT or PRACH extraction.

[0131] As one possible implementation, Figure 5 shows an exemplary O-RAN architecture. O-RAN can be understood as follows compared to traditional RAN architecture: RAN can be composed of a series of modules, such as antennas, RRUs, and BBUs. Traditional RAN architecture does not concern itself with the transmission and communication between internal modules, only with the overall reception and output. Therefore, for traditional RAN equipment, all modules in the RAN come from the same manufacturer. O-RAN defines the architectural connections and interface standardization between the various modules within the RAN. Thus, a RAN can be decomposed into multiple modules. Because of the standardized interfaces, it can be assembled from modules from different equipment vendors. For example, for O-RAN, one could purchase antennas from company A, RRUs from company B, and BBUs from company C, and finally assemble them into a RAN device.

[0132] For example, regarding the O-RAN architecture diagram shown in Figure 5, the main modules / network elements and interfaces included are described below:

[0133] Non-real-time RAN intelligent controller (Non-RT RIC): Used for non-real-time intelligent management of RAN functions. It enables AI / machine learning (ML) workflows, including model training and updates, and guides applications / functions within the Near-RT RIC based on policies. The Non-RT RIC resides within the Service Management Orchestration (SMO) module.

[0134] Near-real-time RAN intelligent controller (Near-RT RIC): Used to achieve near-real-time intelligent management of the RAN. Through data collection and related operations on the E2 interface, it enables near-real-time control and optimization of O-RAN modules and resources.

[0135] O-RAN Cloud (O-Cloud): As a cloud computing platform, it includes physical infrastructure nodes for hosting O-RAN functions such as RIC and O-DU; it also supports software components (such as operating systems and container runtimes), management, and orchestration functions.

[0136] The functions of O-CU, O-CU-CP, O-CU-UP, O-DU, and O-RU can be referred to the above descriptions, and this application does not make specific limitations on them.

[0137] A1 Interface: The interface between Non-RT RIC and Near-RT RIC, used for intelligent and dynamic control of radio resources within the O-RAN. Non-RT RIC provides policies, rich information, and ML model updates to Near-RT RIC through the A1 interface, while Near-RT RIC provides policy feedback to Non-RT RIC through the A1 interface.

[0138] E2 Interface: The E2 interface is an open interface between two endpoints used to connect the Near-RT RIC and the RAN node. The RAN node can be, for example, a CU or DU in 5G, an O-RAN compatible eNB in ​​4G, or an O-CU or O-DU in O-RAN. The RIC can obtain data collection and feedback from the RAN node through the E2 node, and the RAN node can obtain control feedback from the Near-RT RIC through the E2 node.

[0139] O1 Interface: The interface between the management entity in the SMO and the O-RAN module, used for operation management. FCAPS management, software management, and file management are implemented through this interface.

[0140] O2 Interface: The interface between the SMO and the infrastructure management framework that supports O-RAN virtual network functionality.

[0141] E1 interface: The interface between CU-CP / O-CU-CP and CU-UP / O-CU-UP.

[0142] F1-C interface: The interface between CU-CP / O-CU-CP and DU / O-DU.

[0143] F1-U interface: The interface between CU-UP / O-CU-UP and DU / O-DU.

[0144] As one possible implementation, the CU can be used to perform layer 2 (L2) and layer 3 (L3) functions. Furthermore, the CU can also have some core network functions. The DU can be used to perform layer 1 (L1) and some L2 functions, and the RU can be used to perform L1 computing and radio frequency (RF) digital functions. The midhaul and backhaul interfaces are used to carry traffic between the CU and DU, and between the CU and the core network. The fronthaul and midhaul interfaces are used to carry traffic between the RU and DU, and between the CU and DU. An integrated DU can include the aforementioned DU and RU functions.

[0145] For example, in terms of hardware, the CU and DU may include a chassis platform, motherboard, peripheral devices, and cooling equipment. The motherboard includes processing units, memory, internal input / output (I / O) interfaces, and external connection ports. The hardware of the CU and DU may also include hardware accelerators. Hardware accelerators include interfaces and hardware functional components, including: storage for software, hardware, and system debugging interfaces, and a single-board management controller. For example, the processing unit may include a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU).

[0146] As shown in Figure 6, a DU (Duration Unit) is typically implemented using a multi-core processor and one or more hardware accelerators. Parts of the DU protocol stack can be implemented in software running on the multi-core processor, while computationally intensive L1 and L2 functions can be offloaded to a hardware accelerator based on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) / graphics processing unit (GPU); or all L1 functions can be offloaded to an FPGA / GPU-based hardware accelerator, while other protocol stack components are implemented in software running on the processor; or the entire protocol stack can be implemented in software running on the processor. The hardware accelerator supports interconnection with x86 or non-x86 processors. Similarly, the accelerator has a multi-channel peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) interface pointing to the CPU and external connections via gigabit Ethernet (GE) connectivity.

[0147] An RU may include an O-RAN processing unit (OPU), a digital processing unit (DPU), and an RF processing unit.

[0148] The OPU is used to receive Enhanced Common Public Radio Interface (eCPRI) frames from the O-RAN fronthaul and perform fronthaul interface, L1 layer (coding, scrambling, modulation, layer mapping, precoding), synchronization, beamforming, and resource unit mapping. The OPU can be implemented as a CPU, FPGA, or application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0149] The DPU is used to perform synchronization, uplink (UL) digital downconversion (DDC), downlink (DL) digital upconversion (DUC), channel failure ratio (CFR), and digital pre-distortion (DPD) processing. It improves power amplifier efficiency by reducing the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) / adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR) of the RF front-end. The DPU can be implemented as an FPGA or ASIC.

[0150] The RF processing unit includes a transceiver module, up / down converters, power amplifiers (PA), low-noise amplifiers (LNA), and Tx / Rx filters. Conversion between the analog and digital domains can be performed within the transceiver module. This conversion includes, but is not limited to: digital-to-analog converter (DAC), analog-to-digital converter (ADC), RF sampling, and frequency conversion using a mixture of RF, intermediate frequency (IF), and local oscillator (LO) during up-conversion and down-conversion. Optionally, the physical and logical partitions within the RF processing unit do not require specific boundaries; that is, it is not necessary to distinguish between physical and logical partitions.

[0151] All or part of the functions of the terminal, RAN node, and sensing network element in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform), or through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules. The terminal / RAN node / sensing network element in this application can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal / access network device / sensing network element functions, or a device with some terminal / access network device / sensing network element functions, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the terminal / access network device / sensing network element.

[0152] It should be noted that the system described in the embodiments of this application is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0153] The following description, using the above-mentioned communication system as an example, illustrates the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application through the interaction between RAN nodes, terminals, and sensing network elements.

[0154] It should be noted that in the following embodiments of this application, the message names, parameter names, or information names between RAN nodes, terminals, and sensing network elements are just examples. Other names may also be used in other embodiments, and the method provided in this application does not specifically limit them.

[0155] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, RAN nodes, terminals, and sensing network elements may execute some or all of the steps in the embodiments of this application. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application may also execute other operations or variations thereof. Furthermore, the various steps may be executed in different orders as presented in the embodiments of this application, and it is not necessarily necessary to execute all the operations in the embodiments of this application.

[0156] It is understood that this application uses RAN nodes, terminals, and sensing network elements as examples to illustrate the execution of the interaction, but this application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction. For example, the method executed by the RAN node in this application can also be executed by a module (e.g., a chip, chip system, or processor) applied to the RAN node, or by a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the RAN node's functions; the method executed by the terminal in this application can also be executed by a module (e.g., a chip, chip system, or processor) applied to the terminal, or by a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the terminal's functions; the method executed by the sensing network element in this application can also be executed by a module (e.g., a chip, chip system, or processor) applied to the sensing network element, or by a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the sensing network element's functions.

[0157] The sensing method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described below. As shown in Figure 7, the sensing method may include the following steps:

[0158] S701, the RAN node sends sensing signal configuration information to the first terminal. Correspondingly, the first terminal receives the sensing signal configuration information from the RAN node.

[0159] As one possible implementation, the RAN node can be referred to as a wireless network device. The RAN node can be any RAN node in the RAN 200 of the aforementioned communication system 20. For example, the RAN node can be a base station, or it can be a CU, DU, etc. Refer to the relevant description of RAN nodes above; further details will not be repeated here. The location of the first terminal is fixed, or the first terminal can be understood as a fixed wireless device. For example, the first terminal is used to support sensing, or the first terminal is used to assist sensing, or the first terminal has sensing and communication capabilities. For example, the first terminal can assist sensing in scenarios such as ground sensing (e.g., real-scene 3D digital twin, ground motion target detection, etc.).

[0160] As one possible implementation, the first terminal can be any terminal in the RAN 200 of the above-mentioned communication system 20. The form of the first terminal can be referred to the relevant description of the terminal 220 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0161] As one possible implementation, the first terminal can be understood as a new type of terminal. For example, the terminal type of the first terminal can be listed alongside existing terminal types such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) terminals, reduced capability (Redcap) terminals, and IoT terminals. For example, the terminal type of the first terminal can be a fixed sensing terminal or a roadside sensing terminal, etc. This application does not specifically limit the name of this terminal type.

[0162] As one possible implementation, the first terminal can be deployed on roadside infrastructure, buildings, etc., or in other words, the first terminal can be deployed along roadside infrastructure, buildings, etc. For example, roadside infrastructure may include, but is not limited to: traffic light poles, street light poles, bus stops, etc.

[0163] It should be noted that this application does not limit the deployment location of the first terminal. However, regardless of how the first terminal is deployed, its location is fixed.

[0164] As one possible implementation, the fixed position of the first terminal can be understood as: the position of the first terminal is fixed for a relatively long period of time (such as several months or several years), or the position of the first terminal does not change with time for a relatively long period of time.

[0165] As one possible implementation, the sensing signal configuration information is used to configure the transmission and reception of the sensing signal. For example, the sensing signal can be understood as a signal used to sense (or detect) a sensing target. The sensing target can also be understood as the target being sensed or the target object, such as a scatterer or reflector. The sensing signal can be a detection signal, a linear frequency modulated signal, a radar signal, a radar sensing signal, a radar detection signal, an environmental sensing signal, a pulse signal, or a signal in a wireless communication system, etc. The sensing signal can also be a reference signal; for example, its initial amplitude and phase information can be pre-configured to the receiver through a configuration sequence, etc. The sensing signal can also be a data signal; the receiver can calculate the initial amplitude and phase of each data signal using known modulation methods such as data verification. The sensing signal can also have other names, which are not specifically limited in this application.

[0166] For example, sensing signal configuration information can be used to configure sensing resources that carry sensing signals. For instance, the sensing signal configuration information can indicate the time-domain start position, the number of time units occupied, the time-domain offset, the time-domain period, the frequency-domain start position, the number of frequency-domain resource units occupied, the frequency-domain offset, the sensing bandwidth, etc.

[0167] Optionally, the sensing signal configuration information can also be used to configure the generation parameters of the sensing signal, or the initial amplitude and phase parameters of the sensing signal. For example, the sensing signal configuration information can indicate the sequence used to generate the sensing signal, such as a ZC sequence, a Gold sequence, etc.

[0168] As one possible implementation, the first terminal includes at least one sensing data acquisition module. This sensing data acquisition module is used to acquire sensing data. The different sensing data acquisition modules within this at least one sensing data acquisition module can be of different types. For example, the at least one sensing data acquisition module includes, but is not limited to, a camera, millimeter-wave radar, lidar, sensors, and a sensing signal transceiver module. In other words, the first terminal can acquire sensing data through multiple methods, and the sensing data acquired through these multiple methods can be collectively referred to as multi-source sensing data.

[0169] For example, the sensing data can include any sensing-related data. This includes, for instance, images or videos captured by a camera, point clouds acquired by a LiDAR scanner, measurement results corresponding to sensing signals acquired by a sensing signal transceiver module, etc., without limitation.

[0170] For example, the first terminal supports reporting multi-source sensing data interaction with the RAN node, such as reporting sensing data acquired through the at least one sensing data acquisition module. This sensing data can be transmitted via the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0171] Optionally, the first terminal may report capability information to the RAN node. This capability information may indicate that the first terminal supports reporting sensing data obtained through at least one sensing data module, or in other words, indicate that the first terminal supports reporting multi-source sensing data.

[0172] S702, The first terminal transmits or receives sensing signals on the sensing resources. Correspondingly, the RAN node receives or transmits sensing signals on the sensing resources.

[0173] The measurement results corresponding to the sensing signal and the position of the first terminal are used to determine the sensing result. For example, the measurement results can also be called sensing measurement data, and may include at least one measurement quantity such as distance, angle, or velocity. The sensing result can be the result obtained after further processing of the measurement results, such as including the shape, size, and position of the sensing target (e.g., the location of scattering on the sensing target), the reconstruction result of the physical environment, etc., without limitation.

[0174] In one possible implementation, the first terminal acts as the transmitter of the sensing signal, sending the sensing signal over the sensing resources. In this scenario, the RAN node acts as the receiver of the sensing signal, receiving the sensing signal over the sensing resources. For example, as shown in Figure 8(a), the first terminal can be deployed at a traffic intersection. The sensing signal sent by the first terminal is propagated to the RAN node through reflection / scattering / diffraction by vehicles, and is received by the RAN node.

[0175] It is understood that, in the embodiments of this application, the sensing signal received by the receiving end of the sensing signal can be understood as: the sensing signal formed by the reflection, scattering, diffraction, etc. of the sensing target after the sensing signal sent by the transmitting end. For example, the sensing signal received by the receiving end can also be called an echo signal, etc., and this application does not specifically limit its name.

[0176] As one possible implementation, where the first terminal acts as the transmitter of the sensing signal, the method may further include: the RAN node determining the measurement result corresponding to the received sensing signal based on the received sensing signal, and sending the measurement result to the sensing network element. The description of the measurement result can be found in the foregoing descriptions and will not be repeated here.

[0177] For example, when the sensing network element is deployed on the RAN side, there can be a communication interface between the RAN node and the sensing network element, through which the RAN node can directly send measurement results to the sensing network element; when the sensing network element is deployed on the core network, the RAN node can send measurement results to the sensing network element through the control plane (such as through the AMF network element), or through the user plane (such as through the UPF network element), or directly through the communication interface with the sensing network element, without any restrictions.

[0178] In another possible implementation, the RAN node acts as the transmitter of the sensing signal, sending the sensing signal over the sensing resources. In this scenario, the first terminal acts as the receiver of the sensing signal, receiving the sensing signal over the sensing resources. That is, the sensing signal sent by the RAN node propagates to the first terminal through reflection / scattering / diffraction by objects, and is received by the first terminal.

[0179] As one possible implementation, where the first terminal acts as the receiver of the sensing signal, the method may further include: the first terminal determining the measurement result corresponding to the sensing signal based on the received sensing signal, and sending the measurement result to the sensing network element. The description of the measurement result can be found in the foregoing descriptions and will not be repeated here. The first terminal can send the measurement result to the sensing network element through the RAN node; the description of the RAN node sending the measurement result to the sensing network element can be found in the foregoing descriptions and will not be repeated here.

[0180] In one possible implementation, the sensing bandwidth and communication bandwidth of the first terminal are decoupled; that is, the sensing bandwidth and communication bandwidth of the first terminal are different, or in other words, the communication bandwidth capability of the first terminal is different from its sensing bandwidth capability. For example, the sensing bandwidth and communication bandwidth may not overlap at all, or they may partially overlap.

[0181] For example, the sensing bandwidth can be used to transmit sensing signals, and the communication bandwidth can be used for communication between the first terminal and the RAN node. For instance, the first terminal can send or receive sensing signals on the sensing bandwidth; receive sensing configuration information from the RAN node on the communication bandwidth; or send measurement results corresponding to the sensing signals to the sensing network element on the communication bandwidth.

[0182] Based on this implementation, the resources used for sensing and those used for communication are decoupled, allowing different resources to be used for different services to meet their specific needs. For example, in communication services, the first terminal does not require high-speed data transmission; to reduce power consumption, its hardware and software complexity is low, and it supports a smaller communication bandwidth. However, for sensing services, sensing accuracy depends on bandwidth; the larger the bandwidth, the higher the sensing accuracy. Therefore, sensing services have higher bandwidth requirements. By decoupling sensing bandwidth and communication bandwidth, the contradiction between the bandwidth requirements of sensing and communication services is resolved.

[0183] S703, the first terminal or RAN node sends the measurement results corresponding to the sensing signal to the sensing network element. Correspondingly, the sensing network element receives the measurement results corresponding to the sensing signal.

[0184] In the case where the first terminal acts as the receiver of the sensing signal, the sensing signal is sent to the first terminal by the RAN node, and the first terminal sends the measurement result corresponding to the sensing signal to the sensing network element. In the case where the RAN node acts as the receiver of the sensing signal, the sensing signal is sent to the RAN node by the first terminal, and the RAN node sends the measurement result corresponding to the sensing signal to the sensing network element. Refer to the relevant explanation in step S702 above; it will not be repeated here.

[0185] S704. The sensing network element determines the sensing result based on the measurement result corresponding to the sensing signal and the position of the first terminal.

[0186] In one possible implementation, taking environmental reconstruction as an example, the sensing result can be the location of scattering on the sensing target. As shown in Figure 8(b), taking the first terminal sending a sensing signal, and the sensing signal reaching the RAN node via reflection / scattering / diffraction from the sensing target (illustrated as a scattering path in the figure) as an example, assuming the RAN node is located at (x, y, z), the first terminal is located at (x0, y0, z0), and the location of the scattering point is represented as (x1, y1, z1), then the location (x1, y1, z1) of the scattering point on the sensing target can be obtained through the following relationship:

[0187] Where, d UE,S +d BS,S d represents the distance of the scattering path of the sensing signal sent by the first terminal to the RAN node after being scattered by the sensing target. UE,S d represents the distance between the first terminal and the scattering point. BS,S This represents the distance between the scattering point and the RAN node. θ0 represents the azimuth and elevation angles of the scattered path of the sensing signal from the sensing target to the RAN node. For example, the RAN node can obtain d by receiving the sensing signal. UE,S +d BS,S The distance estimate, and The estimated values ​​of distance and angle θ0 are then used. Following this, based on these estimated values ​​of distance and angle, the position coordinates (x, y, z) of the RAN node, and the position coordinates (x0, y0, z0) of the first terminal, the location of the scattering point on the sensing target is estimated using the aforementioned relationships.

[0188] Based on the above scheme, fixed-location terminals can send or receive sensing signals on sensing resources. That is, compared to the base station's self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing method, the introduction of fixed-location terminals to assist sensing allows RAN nodes and fixed-location terminals to perform network-end collaborative sensing, thereby providing more perspectives and improving sensing performance. For example, based on more sensing perspectives, more complete imaging of the sensing target can be achieved, or moving targets can be sensed more accurately. For instance, fixed-location terminals can provide a fixed position reference, enhancing the perception of moving targets. Furthermore, because the terminal's location is fixed, its precise position can be accurately obtained, avoiding the low sensing accuracy caused by the difficulty in obtaining or the inaccuracy of mobile terminal positions when using mobile terminals for assisted sensing, thus further improving sensing performance. For example, when the terminal's position error is 10m, the sensing accuracy through network-end collaborative sensing is 1.02m; when the terminal's position error is 5m, the sensing accuracy is 0.82m; but when the terminal's position is precisely known or error-free, the sensing accuracy through network-end collaborative sensing can reach 0.54m, showing a significant improvement in sensing accuracy.

[0189] In one possible implementation, the fixed-location terminals provided in this application need to register with the network to enable the network to identify such terminals and configure them for sensing. For example, taking a sensing network element deployed in the core network and a first terminal registering, as shown in Figure 9, the registration process for this type of terminal may include the following steps:

[0190] S901, the first terminal sends a registration request to the RAN node. Correspondingly, the RAN node receives the registration request from the first terminal.

[0191] The registration request is used to request registration with a sensing network element. For example, the registration request may include indication information, such as indicating that the first terminal is used for assisted sensing, or indicating that the first terminal has sensing capabilities, or indicating that the location of the first terminal is fixed, or indicating that the first terminal needs to register with a sensing network element, or indicating that the registration request is a sensing-related registration request, etc. This indication information reflects that the registration request is for requesting registration with a sensing network element.

[0192] As one possible implementation, the first terminal can send the registration request to the RAN node after completing authentication / authorization. For example, the authentication / authorization process of the first terminal can be completed collaboratively by the first terminal, the RAN node, the AMF network element, the unified data management network element, etc., and existing authentication / authorization processes can be referenced. This application does not make specific limitations in this regard.

[0193] S902, the RAN node sends a registration request to the sensing network element. Correspondingly, the sensing network element receives the registration request from the RAN node. This registration request is used to request the first terminal to register with the sensing network element.

[0194] It is understood that the registration request in S901 and the registration request in S902 may carry the same or different content, and this application does not make specific limitations in this regard. In addition, for ease of explanation, in the following embodiments of this application, the registration request in S901 is referred to as the first registration request, and the registration request in S902 is referred to as the second registration request.

[0195] As one possible implementation, after receiving the first registration request, the RAN node can select a sensing network element based on the indication information in the first registration request and send a second registration request to the selected sensing network element. For example, the RAN node can determine from the indication information in the first registration request that the first terminal needs to register with a sensing network element, and thus the RAN node can select a sensing network element to send the second registration request instead of selecting an AMF network element to send the second registration request.

[0196] S903. The sensing network element sends a request message to the unified data management network element based on the registration request (i.e., the second registration request). Correspondingly, the unified data management network element receives this request message from the sensing network element. This request message is used to request the subscription information or context information of the first terminal.

[0197] As one possible implementation, the sensing network element sends request information to the unified data management network element based on the second registration request. This can be understood as: based on the triggering of the second registration request, the sensing network element sends request information to the unified data management network element.

[0198] As one possible implementation, the unified data management network element can be a UDM network element, or the unified data management network element can implement the functions of UDM. Please refer to the above description of the UDM network element, which will not be repeated here.

[0199] S904. The unified data management network element sends the subscription information or context information of the first terminal to the sensing network element. Correspondingly, the sensing network element receives the subscription information or context information of the first terminal.

[0200] The subscription information or context information of the first terminal includes the identifier and location information of the first terminal. For example, the unified data management network element can obtain the subscription information of the first terminal when the first terminal joins the network, and the subscription information of the first terminal can carry the location information of the first terminal.

[0201] Optionally, the subscription information or context information of the first terminal may also include other information related to the first terminal, such as the capability information of the first terminal, such as the supported sensing bandwidth, communication bandwidth, etc. This application does not specifically limit the content carried in the subscription information or context information of the first terminal.

[0202] Optionally, after step S904, the sensing network element can identify terminals with fixed locations, and thus select appropriate terminals for sensing based on their fixed locations. For example, as shown in Figure 9, after step S904, the following steps S905-S906 can also be executed:

[0203] S905. The sensing network element determines the first terminal from the at least one terminal based on the sensing service and the location information of at least one terminal.

[0204] The location of each of the at least one terminal is fixed. All at least one terminal is registered to the sensing network element before step S905. The at least one terminal includes a first terminal.

[0205] As one possible implementation, the sensing network element can select a suitable, fixed-location terminal based on the sensing scenario, sensing area, and sensing accuracy requirements of the sensing service. For example, it can select a terminal located within the sensing area, or a terminal whose sensing view includes or overlaps with the sensing area, etc., without limitation. In this embodiment, the terminal selected by the sensing network element is taken as the first terminal for illustration.

[0206] S906, the sensing network element sends the first information to the RAN node. Correspondingly, the RAN node receives the first information from the sensing network element.

[0207] The first information indicates the use of a first terminal for assisted sensing. For example, the first information may include the identifier and location information of the first terminal.

[0208] As one possible implementation, after step S906, the RAN node can send sensing signal configuration information to the first terminal based on the first information, that is, it can execute the above step S701.

[0209] Based on this scheme, terminals with fixed locations can be directly registered to sensing network elements. On the one hand, this enables sensing network elements to identify such terminals and obtain their locations, thereby flexibly selecting suitable terminals for sensing based on their locations and sensing needs, providing more perspectives for sensing and improving sensing performance. On the other hand, it avoids registering to sensing network elements through AMF network elements, thus avoiding modifications to the functions of AMF network elements, and adapting to existing networks to achieve compatibility with existing networks.

[0210] It should be noted that the methods shown in Figure 7 and Figure 9 can be executed independently, that is, there is no dependency between them; or, the methods shown in Figure 7 and Figure 9 can also be executed in combination. For example, after step S906, the RAN node can execute the above step S701 according to the first information.

[0211] In one possible implementation, for the above method embodiments, in a traditional network architecture, the RAN node can be an access network device, such as a base station. In an ORAN system, the function of interaction between the RAN node and the terminal can be implemented by the DU. The information sent by the RAN node to the terminal can be generated by the DU, or it can be generated by the CU and sent to the DU.

[0212] For example, the aforementioned sensing signal configuration information can be generated by the CU and sent to the DU, which then sends it to the first terminal via the RU; or, it can be generated by the DU and sent to the first terminal via the RU. Information sent by the terminal to the RAN node (such as measurement results corresponding to the sensing signal, registration requests, etc.) can be sent by the terminal to the DU for processing; or it can be sent by the terminal to the DU, which then sends it to the CU for processing. Sensing signals sent by the RAN node can be generated by the DU and sent via the RU; sensing signals received by the RAN node can be received by the RU and processed by the DU.

[0213] Furthermore, the interaction function between the RAN node and the core network can be implemented by the CU. The processing function of the RAN node can be implemented by the CU, or by the DU, or by a combination of the CU and DU, without restriction.

[0214] The method provided in this application has been described above. In addition, this application also provides a communication device for implementing the functions described in the above method embodiments.

[0215] It is understood that, in order to achieve the aforementioned functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0216] This application embodiment can divide the communication device into functional modules according to the above method embodiment. For example, each function can be divided into a separate functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. It should be noted that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0217] Figure 10 shows a schematic diagram of a communication device 100. The communication device 100 includes a processing module 1001 and a transceiver module 1002. The communication device 100 can be used to implement the functions of a first terminal, a sensing network element, or a unified data management network element.

[0218] In some embodiments, the communication device 100 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG10) for storing program instructions and data.

[0219] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1002, also referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement sending and / or receiving functions. The transceiver module 1002 may consist of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver unit, or a communication interface.

[0220] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1002 may include a receiving module and a sending module, respectively used to execute the receiving and sending steps performed by the first terminal, sensing network element, or unified data management network element in the above method embodiments, and / or other processes used to support the technology described herein; the processing module 1001 may be used to execute the processing steps performed by the first terminal, sensing network element, or unified data management network element in the above method embodiments, and / or other processes used to support the technology described herein.

[0221] When the communication device 100 is used to implement the functions of the first terminal:

[0222] The transceiver module 1002 is used to receive sensing signal configuration information from the radio access network (RAN) node, and the sensing signal configuration information is used to configure sensing resources. The transceiver module 1002 is also used to send or receive sensing signals on the sensing resources, and the measurement results corresponding to the sensing signals and the position of the first terminal are used to determine the sensing results. The position of the first terminal is fixed.

[0223] Optionally, the processing module 1001 is used to determine the measurement result corresponding to the sensing signal based on the sensing signal; the transceiver module 1002 is also used to send the measurement result corresponding to the sensing signal to the sensing network element.

[0224] Optionally, the sensing resources include sensing bandwidth. The transceiver module 1002 is also used to receive sensing signals on the sensing resources, including: the transceiver module 1002 is also used to receive sensing signals on the sensing bandwidth; the transceiver module 1002 is also used to send the measurement results corresponding to the sensing signals to the sensing network element, including: the transceiver module 1002 is also used to send the measurement results corresponding to the sensing signals to the sensing network element on the communication bandwidth.

[0225] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is also used to send a registration request to the RAN node, which is used to request registration with the sensing network element.

[0226] Optionally, when the communication device is used to implement the functions of the first terminal, it may further include at least one sensing data acquisition module, wherein different sensing data acquisition modules in the at least one sensing data acquisition module are of different types.

[0227] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is also used to send capability information to the RAN node, which indicates that the first terminal supports reporting sensing data obtained through at least one sensing data acquisition module, or indicates that the first terminal supports reporting multi-source sensing data.

[0228] When the communication device 100 is used to implement the functions of a sensing network element:

[0229] The transceiver module 1002 is used to receive the measurement results corresponding to the sensing signal. The sensing signal is sent to the first terminal by the radio access network (RAN) node, or sent to the RAN node by the first terminal. The location of the first terminal is fixed. The processing module 1001 is used to determine the sensing result based on the measurement results corresponding to the sensing signal and the location of the first terminal.

[0230] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to receive a registration request from the RAN node, the registration request being used to request the first terminal to register with the sensing network element; the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to send request information to the unified data management network element according to the registration request, the request information being used to request the first terminal's subscription information; the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to receive the first terminal's subscription information from the unified data management network element, the first terminal's subscription information including the first terminal's identifier and the first terminal's location information.

[0231] Optionally, the processing module 1001 is used to determine a first terminal from at least one terminal based on the sensing service and the location information of at least one terminal, wherein the location of each terminal in the at least one terminal is fixed; the transceiver module 1002 is also used to send first information to the RAN node, wherein the first information indicates that the first terminal is used for assisted sensing.

[0232] When the communication device 100 is used to implement the function of a unified data management network element:

[0233] The transceiver module 1002 is used to receive request information from the sensing network element, the request information being used to request the subscription information of the first terminal; the transceiver module 1002 is also used to send the subscription information of the first terminal to the sensing network element, the subscription information of the first terminal including the identifier of the first terminal and the location information of the first terminal, the location of the first terminal being fixed.

[0234] All relevant content of each step involved in the above method embodiments can be referenced from the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

[0235] In this application, the communication device 100 can be presented in an integrated manner by dividing it into various functional modules. Here, "module" can refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuits, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0236] In some embodiments, when the communication device 100 in FIG10 is a chip or chip system, the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1002 can be implemented through the input / output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or chip system, and the function / implementation process of the processing module 1001 can be implemented through the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or chip system.

[0237] Since the communication device 100 provided in this embodiment can execute the above method, the technical effects it can achieve can be referred to the above method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0238] As a possible product form, the first terminal, sensing network element, or unified data management network element described in the embodiments of this application can be implemented using the following: one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware components, any other suitable circuits, or any combination of circuits capable of performing the various functions described throughout this application.

[0239] As another possible product form, the first terminal or sensing network element described in this application embodiment can be implemented using a general bus architecture. For ease of explanation, refer to FIG11, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 1100 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1100 includes a processor 1101 and a transceiver 1102. The communication device 1100 can be a first terminal, or a chip or chip system therein; or, the communication device 1100 can be a sensing network element, or a chip or module therein. FIG11 only shows the main components of the communication device 1100. In addition to the processor 1101 and transceiver 1102, the communication device may further include a memory 1103 and input / output devices (not shown in FIG11).

[0240] Optionally, the processor 1101 is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process the data of the software programs, thereby implementing the methods provided in the above-described method embodiments. The memory 1103 is mainly used to store software programs and data. The transceiver 1102 may include a radio frequency (RF) circuit and an antenna. The RF circuit is mainly used for converting baseband signals to RF signals and processing RF signals. The antenna is mainly used for transmitting and receiving RF signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as touch screens, displays, and keyboards, are mainly used to receive user input data and output data to the user.

[0241] Optionally, the processor 1101, transceiver 1102, and memory 1103 can be connected via a communication bus.

[0242] When the communication device is powered on, the processor 1101 can read the software program in the memory 1103, execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor 1101 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit processes the baseband signal and transmits the RF signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1101. The processor 1101 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0243] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be set up independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be arranged remotely, independent of the communication device.

[0244] In some embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the above-described communication device 100 can take the form of the communication device 1100 shown in FIG11 in terms of hardware implementation.

[0245] As an example, the function / implementation process of the processing module 1001 in Figure 10 can be implemented by the processor 1101 in the communication device 1100 shown in Figure 11 calling computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1103. The function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1002 in Figure 10 can be implemented by the transceiver 1102 in the communication device 1100 shown in Figure 11.

[0246] As another possible product form, the first terminal, sensing network element, or unified data management network element in this application can adopt the composition structure shown in Figure 12, or include the components shown in Figure 12. Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device 1200 provided in this application. The communication device 1200 can be a first terminal or a chip or system-on-a-chip in the first terminal; or, it can be a sensing network element or a chip or system-on-a-chip in the sensing network element; or, it can be a unified data management network element or a chip or system-on-a-chip in the unified data management network element.

[0247] As shown in Figure 12, the communication device 1200 includes at least one processor 1201 and at least one communication interface (Figure 12 is merely an example illustrating the inclusion of a communication interface 1204 and a processor 1201). Optionally, the communication device 1200 may also include a communication bus 1202 and a memory 1203.

[0248] Processor 1201 can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a PLD, or any combination thereof. Processor 1201 can also be other devices with processing functions, such as circuits, devices, or software modules, without limitation.

[0249] The communication bus 1202 is used to connect different components in the communication device 1200, enabling communication between them. The communication bus 1202 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. This bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in Figure 12, but this does not indicate that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0250] Communication interface 1204 is used for communicating with other devices or communication networks. For example, communication interface 1204 can be a module, circuit, transceiver, or any device capable of communication. Optionally, the communication interface 1204 can also be an input / output interface located within processor 1201, used to implement signal input and signal output for the processor.

[0251] The memory 1203 may be a device with storage function, used to store instructions and / or data. The instructions may be computer programs.

[0252] For example, the memory 1203 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and / or instructions; it may also be a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and / or instructions; it may also be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, etc., without limitation.

[0253] It should be noted that the memory 1203 can exist independently of the processor 1201, or it can be integrated with the processor 1201. The memory 1203 can be located inside or outside the communication device 1200, without limitation. The processor 1201 can be used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 1203 to implement the methods provided in the following embodiments of this application.

[0254] Optionally, the processor 1201 and / or memory 1203 may include an artificial intelligence (AI) module, which is used to implement AI-related functions. The AI ​​module can be implemented through software, hardware, or a combination of both. For example, the AI ​​module may include a radio network intelligent controller (RIC) module. For example, the AI ​​module can be a near real-time RIC or a non-real-time RIC.

[0255] As an optional implementation, the communication device 1200 may also include an output device 1205 and an input device 1206. The output device 1205 communicates with the processor 1201 and can display information in various ways. For example, the output device 1205 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector, etc. The input device 1206 communicates with the processor 1201 and can receive user input in various ways. For example, the input device 1206 may be a mouse, keyboard, touchscreen device, or sensing device, etc.

[0256] In some embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the communication device 100 shown in FIG10 can take the form of the communication device 1200 shown in FIG12 in terms of hardware implementation.

[0257] As an example, the function / implementation process of the processing module 1001 in Figure 10 can be implemented by the processor 1201 in the communication device 1200 shown in Figure 12 calling computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1203. The function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1002 in Figure 10 can be implemented by the communication interface 1204 in the communication device 1200 shown in Figure 12.

[0258] It should be noted that the structure shown in Figure 12 does not constitute a specific limitation on the first terminal, sensing network element, or unified data management network element. For example, in other embodiments of this application, the first terminal, sensing network element, or unified data management network element may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine some components, or split some components, or arrange different components. The components shown in the figure may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0259] In some embodiments, this application also provides a communication device, which includes a processor for implementing the methods in any of the above method embodiments.

[0260] As one possible implementation, the communication device also includes a memory. This memory stores necessary computer programs and data. The computer program may include instructions, which a processor can invoke to instruct the communication device to execute the methods described in any of the above method embodiments. Alternatively, the memory may not be present in the communication device.

[0261] As another possible implementation, the communication device also includes an interface circuit, which is a code / data read / write interface circuit, used to receive computer execution instructions (which are stored in memory and may be read directly from memory or may be transmitted through other devices) and transmit them to the processor.

[0262] As another possible implementation, the communication device also includes a communication interface for communicating with modules outside the communication device.

[0263] It is understood that the communication device can be a chip or a chip system. When the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0264] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a computer, implements the functions of any of the above-described method embodiments.

[0265] This application also provides a computer program product that, when executed by a computer, implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0266] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0267] It is understood that the systems, apparatuses, and methods described in this application can also be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the couplings or direct couplings or communication connections shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0268] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0269] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0270] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software programs, implementation can be, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. This computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device containing one or more servers, data centers, etc., that can be integrated with the medium. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state drive (SSD)). In this embodiment, the computer may include the aforementioned apparatus.

[0271] Although this application has been described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, those skilled in the art, by reviewing the accompanying drawings, disclosure, and appended claims, will understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments in carrying out the claimed application. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions listed in the claims. While different dependent claims may recite certain measures, this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0272] Although this application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the scope of this application. Accordingly, this specification and drawings are merely illustrative descriptions of the application as defined by the appended claims, and are considered to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of this application. Clearly, those skilled in the art can make various alterations and modifications to this application without departing from its scope. Thus, if such modifications and modifications fall within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, this application is also intended to include such modifications and modifications.

Claims

1. A sensing method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a first terminal or a chip in a first terminal, and the method includes: Receive sensing signal configuration information from the Radio Access Network (RAN) node, the sensing signal configuration information being used to configure sensing resources; The sensing resource sends or receives sensing signals, and the measurement results corresponding to the sensing signals and the position of the first terminal are used to determine the sensing results. The position of the first terminal is fixed.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the first terminal receives the sensing signal, the method further includes: The measurement result corresponding to the sensing signal is determined based on the sensing signal; The measurement results corresponding to the sensing signal are sent to the sensing network element.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The sensing resource includes a sensing bandwidth, and receiving a sensing signal on the sensing resource includes: receiving the sensing signal on the sensing bandwidth; Sending the measurement result corresponding to the sensing signal to the sensing network element includes: sending the measurement result corresponding to the sensing signal to the sensing network element over the communication bandwidth.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The communication bandwidth of the first terminal is different from the sensing bandwidth of the first terminal.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The method further includes sending a registration request to the RAN node, the registration request being used to request registration with the sensing network element.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The registration request includes indication information, which indicates that the first terminal is used for assisted perception; or, the indication information indicates that the registration request is a perception-related registration request.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The first terminal includes at least one sensing data acquisition module, and the different sensing data acquisition modules in the at least one sensing data acquisition module are of different types.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first terminal sends capability information to the RAN node, the capability information indicating that the first terminal supports reporting sensing data acquired through the at least one sensing data acquisition module.

9. A sensing method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a sensing network element or a chip within a sensing network element, and the method includes: The measurement result corresponding to the sensing signal is received. The sensing signal is sent to the first terminal by the radio access network RAN ​​node, or sent to the RAN node by the first terminal. The position of the first terminal is fixed. The sensing result is determined based on the measurement result corresponding to the sensing signal and the position of the first terminal.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a registration request from the RAN node, the registration request being used to request the first terminal to register with the sensing network element; The request information is sent to the unified data management network element according to the registration request, and the request information is used to request the subscription information of the first terminal; The system receives subscription information from the first terminal of the unified data management network element. The subscription information of the first terminal includes the identifier of the first terminal and the location information of the first terminal.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The registration request includes indication information, which indicates that the first terminal is used for assisted perception; or, the indication information indicates that the registration request is a perception-related registration request.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9-11, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the sensing service and the location information of at least one terminal, the first terminal is determined from the at least one terminal, and the location of each terminal in the at least one terminal is fixed; Send a first message to the RAN node, the first message indicating that the first terminal is used for assisted sensing.

13. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a unified data management network element or a chip within a unified data management network element, and the method includes: Receive request information from a sensing network element, the request information being used to request the subscription information of the first terminal; The first terminal's subscription information is sent to the sensing network element. The first terminal's subscription information includes the first terminal's identifier and the first terminal's location information. The location of the first terminal is fixed.

14. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device is a terminal or a chip in a terminal, and the communication device includes a transceiver module; The transceiver module is used to receive sensing signal configuration information from the radio access network (RAN) node, and the sensing signal configuration information is used to configure sensing resources. The transceiver module is also used to send or receive sensing signals on the sensing resources. The measurement results corresponding to the sensing signals and the position of the terminal are used to determine the sensing results. The position of the terminal is fixed.

15. The communication device according to claim 14, characterized in that, The communication device also includes a processing module; The transceiver module is further configured to, when receiving a sensing signal, the processing module is configured to determine the measurement result corresponding to the sensing signal based on the sensing signal; The transceiver module is also used to send the measurement results corresponding to the sensing signal to the sensing network element.

16. The communication device according to claim 15, characterized in that, The sensing resources include sensing bandwidth. The transceiver module is further configured to receive sensing signals on the sensing resources, including: the transceiver module is further configured to receive the sensing signals on the sensing bandwidth; The transceiver module is further configured to send the measurement result corresponding to the sensing signal to the sensing network element, including: the transceiver module is further configured to send the measurement result corresponding to the sensing signal to the sensing network element on the communication bandwidth.

17. The communication device according to any one of claims 14-16, characterized in that, The communication bandwidth of the terminal is different from the sensing bandwidth of the terminal.

18. The communication device according to any one of claims 14-17, characterized in that, The transceiver module is also used to send a registration request to the RAN node, the registration request being used to request registration with the sensing network element.

19. The communication device according to claim 18, characterized in that, The registration request includes indication information, which indicates that the terminal is used for assisted perception; or, the indication information indicates that the registration request is a perception-related registration request.

20. The communication device according to any one of claims 14-19, characterized in that, The communication device further includes at least one sensing data acquisition module, and the different sensing data acquisition modules in the at least one sensing data acquisition module are of different types.

21. The communication device according to claim 20, characterized in that, The transceiver module is further configured to send capability information to the RAN node, the capability information indicating that the terminal supports reporting sensing data acquired through the at least one sensing data acquisition module.

22. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device is a sensing network element or a chip in a sensing network element, and the communication device includes a processing module and a transceiver module. The transceiver module is used to receive the measurement results corresponding to the sensing signal. The sensing signal is sent from the radio access network (RAN) node to the first terminal, or sent from the first terminal to the RAN node. The location of the first terminal is fixed. The processing module is used to determine the sensing result based on the measurement result corresponding to the sensing signal and the position of the first terminal.

23. The communication device according to claim 22, characterized in that, The transceiver module is further configured to receive a registration request from the RAN node, the registration request being used to request the first terminal to register with the sensing network element; The transceiver module is further configured to send request information to the unified data management network element according to the registration request, the request information being used to request the subscription information of the first terminal; The transceiver module is further configured to receive subscription information from the first terminal of the unified data management network element, wherein the subscription information of the first terminal includes the identifier of the first terminal and the location information of the first terminal.

24. The communication device according to claim 23, characterized in that, The registration request includes indication information, which indicates that the first terminal is used for assisted perception; or, the indication information indicates that the registration request is a perception-related registration request.

25. The communication device according to any one of claims 22-24, characterized in that, The processing module is further configured to determine the first terminal from the at least one terminal based on the sensing service and the location information of at least one terminal, wherein the location of each terminal in the at least one terminal is fixed; The transceiver module is further configured to send first information to the RAN node, the first information indicating the use of the first terminal for assisted sensing.

26. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device is a unified data management network element or a chip in a unified data management network element, and the communication device includes a transceiver module; The transceiver module is used to receive request information from the sensing network element, and the request information is used to request the subscription information of the first terminal. The transceiver module is further configured to send the subscription information of the first terminal to the sensing network element. The subscription information of the first terminal includes the identifier of the first terminal and the location information of the first terminal, and the location of the first terminal is fixed.

27. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processor; the processor is configured to run a computer program or instructions to cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-8, or to cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 9-12, or to cause the communication device to perform the method as described in claim 13.

28. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions or programs that, when executed on a computer, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1-8 to be performed, or cause the method as described in any one of claims 9-12 to be performed, or cause the method as described in claim 13 to be performed.

29. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes computer instructions; when some or all of the computer instructions are executed on a computer, they cause the method of any one of claims 1-8 to be performed, or cause the method of any one of claims 9-12 to be performed, or cause the method of claim 13 to be performed.

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