Object localization for joint communication and sensing

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method for use in a first radio node of a cellular network comprising receiving one or more sensing signals transmitted from a second radio node of the cellular network, where the sensing signals are multiplexed with communication signaling of the cellular network. The one or more sensing signals are used to sense a target object. Each sensing signal of the one or more sensing signals is associated with a corresponding beam of a plurality of beams having different spatial orientations. The method also involves providing a report message to a management node based on the receiving of the one or more sensing signals. The report message is indicative of a beam selection comprising at least one beam of the plurality of beams.

Description

[0001] OBJECT LOCALIZATION FOR JOINT COMMUNICATION AND SENSING TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Various examples of the present disclosure generally pertain to joint communication and sensing. Various examples specifically pertain to object localization in joint communication and sensing.

[0003] BACKGROUND

[0004] Object sensing has been identified as a potential new feature for the sixth generation (6G) of cellular mobile communications. It is designed to operate jointly with communication, and is therefore commonly referred to as Joint Communication and Sensing (JCAS) and Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC). JCAS is a framework in which communication and sensing operations are combined and optimized to share the same spectrum, hardware and signal processing capabilities, thereby increasing the efficiency and utility of 6G networks. Similarly, ISAC integrates sensing capabilities into communication systems, enabling the simultaneous transmission of communication and sensing signals, leading to new functionalities and use cases in 6G.

[0005] According to the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) 6G vision described in IMT-2030 (International Mobile Telecommunications), sensing has been listed as a new capability for 6G. The ITU's IMT-2030 vision outlines the framework and capabilities expected in 6G networks, focusing on advanced capabilities such as high-speed connectivity, low latency, and integrated sensing.

[0006] URLLC, eMBB, and mMTC are the known usage scenarios from the 5G timeframe. URLLC (Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications) is designed for applications that require extremely reliable and low-latency communications, such as autonomous driving and industrial automation. eMBB (Enhanced Mobile Broadband) targets high-data-rate services, including extended Reality (XR) applications, such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and cloud gaming (CG). mMTC (Massive Machine Type Communications) supports large-scale loT (Internet of Things) deployments with a large number of low-complexity devices.

[0007] For 6G, ISAC is listed as one of the new usage scenarios. The operation of ISAC is expected to enable new use cases / services based on the 6G system. These services include intelligent transportation, aviation, enterprise, smart city, smart home, factories, consumer applications, telepresence, healthcare, and the public sector. For example, URLLC can benefit from ISAC / JCAS through enhanced situational awareness and real-time environmental sensing. For example, in autonomous driving, ISAC can provide critical sensing information about nearby objects and road conditions, improving safety and decision making. eMBB can leverage ISAC / JCAS to enhance user experiences in AR and VR by integrating real-world sensing data to provide more immersive and interactive environments. mMTC may benefit from ISAC / JCAS by enabling devices to not only communicate but also sense their environment. This can enhance applications in smart cities, smart homes, healthcare monitoring, and industrial loT by providing real-time sensing data for better resource management and automation.

[0008] Incorporating sensing into a radio network infrastructure, such as a base station and user equipment (UE), can pose many new challenges, such as the transmission of reference signals for sensing purposes, sensing measurement, and coordination between nodes. The 3GPP specifications define three types of sensing operations. Mono-static sensing refers to an operation where the sensing transmitter and receiver are co-located, typically within the same device. Bi-static sensing is an operation where the sensing transmitter and receiver are in different locations, allowing for wider coverage and more flexible deployment scenarios. They can be the same or different types of devices. Multi-static sensing involves multiple transmitters or receivers distributed across a network, providing enhanced sensing accuracy and robustness. These operations may be implemented by UEs and / or network nodes, in particular network nodes that provide radio access. Such network nodes are also referred to as base stations. A base station (BS) may comprise e.g. a Transmission-Reception Point (TRP) or a gNB according to 5G or a corresponding NodeB defined in 6G. A gNB or 6G NodeB can contain one or more Transmission-Reception Points (TRPs). Therefore, in this disclosure, the terms network node, BS, TRP, gNB and 6G NodeB may be used interchangeably. Based on these operations, six sensing modes or topologies have been considered, i.e. TRP-TRP bistatic, TRP mono-static, TRP-LIE bi-static, LIE-TRP bi-static, UE-llE bi-static, UE mono-static.

[0009] The following sensing entities are defined within the ISAC framework:

[0010] UE (User Equipment): Capable of acting as either a SeRS (Sensing Reference Signal) transmitter or receiver. The SeRS is a specially designed signal used for sensing purposes that is transmitted by either the gNB or the UE and is critical for accurate sensing measurements. SeRS may also be any existing signal, such as a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS), or a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) that can be used for sensing purposes.

[0011] Base station (e.g. gNB or 6G NodeB): Acts as a sensing transmitter or receiver. A gNB or 6G NodeB may include one or several Transmission and Reception Point(s), TRP(s).

[0012] Sensing target: Refers to (passive) objects (e.g., vehicles (automotive) including Automated Guided Vehicles, unmanned arial vehicles (UAVs), people (humans), hazards, or more generally: target objects, typically without network connectivity, whose detection or characteristics are of interest to the network. Here, in this disclosure, the terms “sensing target” and “target object” may be used interchangeably.

[0013] Environment object (EG): Refers to objects outside the network's scope of interest (e.g., wall, floor, tree, etc).

[0014] SeMF (Sensing Management Function): Provides support for sensing measurements, post-processing of sensing data, and efficient computation of sensing measurement results to produce sensing estimation results. SeMF can be deployed as a new node in the core network or as a new function residing in another core network node (e.g., as an enhanced function or residing in an existing Location Management Function (LMF)). It manages sensing tasks, processes sensing data, and derives insights from the collected sensing measurements, playing a central role in the ISAC framework.

[0015] These sensing entities operate within a network, enabling various sensing use cases, including object detection and identification. In a typical downlink (DL)-like bi-static sensing ISAC deployment, the gNB serves as the SeRS transmitter, transmitting or broadcasting SeRS signals to its environment. These signals propagate through the air and divide into different rays. Each ray will bounce off different objects, either the target object or the environment object. These interactions change the characteristics of the reflected rays. In this example of deployment, the UE acts as a SeRS receiver, with the goal of capturing the reflected rays and estimating the sensing channel. Sensing channel estimation is the process of evaluating the characteristics of SeRS signals, including the changes in the characteristics, as they reflect off objects, which helps determine the presence, location, velocity, and other characteristics of the sensing target. This estimation allows the UE to derive sensing measurements associated with the target, which are then reported to SeMF for further processing. The SeMF is used to perform various sensing tasks such as object detection and localization using the received measurement report from UE. In some examples, such as in other sensing modes / topologies, the measurement report may also come from the gNB.

[0016] Object detection and identification may rely on estimating delay and Doppler, which can be further translated to range and velocity information related to the sensing target. To capture Doppler information, the SeRS signal may be transmitted periodically over time.

[0017] The prior art techniques may face certain restrictions and drawbacks. For instance, it has been found that it can be difficult to determine the location of passive object targets on the basis of such a measurement report. For example, a direction of an active object, e.g. a UE, with respect to a gNB can be obtained by use of multiple sensing signals in different beams and identifying the best, e.g. strongest, beam calculated at the receiver (i.e. at the UE). The best beam may often be the beam that provides a Line of Sight (LOS) component. In ISAC, sensing a passive target object cannot rely on this information as the target object is mostly not in the LOS direction between the sensing transmitter and receiver node.

[0018] SUMMARY

[0019] Accordingly, advanced techniques of joint communication and sensing are required.

[0020] This need is met by the features of the independent claims. The features of the dependent claims define embodiments.

[0021] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for use in a first radio node of a cellular network comprising receiving one or more sensing signals transmitted from a second radio node of the cellular network, where the sensing signals are multiplexed with communication signaling of the cellular network. The one or more sensing signals are used to sense a target object, which refers to passive objects such as vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), people, or more generally: target objects, typically without network connectivity, whose detection or characteristics are of interest to the network. Each sensing signal of the one or more sensing signals is associated with a corresponding beam of a plurality of beams having different spatial orientations. This association allows for the identification of the target object and its location in relation to the radio nodes. Such beams are also known as spatial filters. The method also involves providing a report message to a management node, such as the Sensing Management Function (SeMF), based on said receiving of the one or more sensing signals. The report message is indicative of a beam selection comprising at least one beam of the plurality of beams. Thus, the management node may determine the Angle of Departure (AoD) and / or Angle of Arrival (AoA) of the target object with respect to the first or second radio node.

[0022] This approach enables beam-based positioning at the SeMF, which can lead to more accurate sensing measurements and sensing estimation. By associating each sensing signal with a corresponding beam, the method allows for the identification of a target object and its location in relation to the radio nodes. This information can be used by the SeMF to perform various sensing tasks, such as object detection and localization. The advantages of this approach include enabling more accurate beam-based positioning at the SeMF.

[0023] According to various examples, the report message is indicative of a resource identifier of a radio resource associated with a beam of the beam selection. This approach enables the SeMF to identify the specific radio resource used for sensing and associate it with the selected beam, allowing for more accurate and efficient processing of sensing data.

[0024] According to various examples, the method involves providing a report message to the management node based on said receiving of the one or more sensing signals, wherein the report message is indicative of a beam identifier of the at least one beam of the beam selection. This approach enables the management node to identify the specific beam used for sensing and associate it with the sensing data, allowing for more accurate and efficient processing of sensing information.

[0025] According to various examples, the at least one beam of the beam selection comprises two or more beams. This approach enables the system to select multiple beams that are suitable for determining the position of the target object, allowing for more accurate and robust sensing measurements. By considering multiple beams, the method can improve the reliability and accuracy of the sensing results, especially in scenarios where a single beam may not provide sufficient information. This is particularly useful when determining the position of the target object requires combining data from multiple angles or perspectives.

[0026] In various examples, the report message is indicative of a value determined based on a change of a channel measurement of a radio channel defined by the at least one beam of the beam selection between a reference time interval and a measurement time interval. During the reference time interval, the target object may not be present, allowing for a baseline measurement to be taken. The change in the channel measurement between the reference time interval and the measurement time interval can reliably indicate the presence of the target object. For example, the channel measurement may be a channel impulse response (CIR), which provides detailed information about the radio channel. The value determined based on the change in the CIR may be derived from this detailed information, allowing for more accurate sensing results. Furthermore, communicating the value may be more efficient than transmitting raw data, reducing overhead and improving system performance.

[0027] According to various examples, the report message is indicative of a set of values of a channel measurement of a radio channel defined by the at least one beam of the beam selection. For example, the channel measurement may be a channel impulse response (CIR), channel frequency response (CFR) or power delay profile (PDP), which provides detailed information about the radio channel, including characteristics such as delay spread, Doppler shift, and fading patterns. By reporting a set of values of the CIR, the method can provide more accurate and reliable positioning results, allowing for better determination of the target object's location and / or velocity.

[0028] According to various examples, the report message is indicative of a quality value of the sensing of the target object. This quality value can be used by the management node to evaluate the reliability and accuracy of the sensing measurement results reported by the radio nodes. In scenarios where the management node receives reports from several radio nodes, the quality value can serve as a metric for selecting the most reliable reports, thus improving the overall accuracy of the sensing system. By considering the quality value, the management node can prioritize reports based on their reliability and accuracy, ensuring that only high-quality data is used for further processing and decision-making. The quality value may also indicate the quality of the beam selection at the first radio node, allowing the management node to assess whether the first radio node makes a good decision on the selected beam and how reliable / trustworthy the reported beam identifier / resource identifier is. This approach enables more robust and efficient sensing operations, particularly in complex environments where multiple radio nodes may be involved.

[0029] In some examples, the method further comprises obtaining a configuration from the management node, wherein the report message is based on the configuration. This approach enables the management node to dynamically control and customize the reporting process, allowing for flexible adaptation to changing network conditions and requirements. By providing a configuration that specifies the content and format of the report message, the management node can optimize the sensing operations and ensure that only relevant data is reported, reducing overhead and improving system performance.

[0030] For example, the method comprises obtaining a configuration from the management node, wherein triggering the first radio node to perform sensing measurement is based on the configuration. This approach enables the management node to dynamically control and customize the sensing process, allowing for flexible adaptation to changing network conditions and requirements. By providing a configuration that specifies when and how the first radio node should perform sensing measurements, the management node can optimize the use of system resources and ensure that sensing operations are only triggered when necessary. It may also indicate the first radio node when to receive and compute the sensing signals to produce the requested sensing measurement results. Hence, the first radio node can be operated on demand, ultimately reducing the first radio node’s power consumption.

[0031] In some examples, the configuration is indicative of a length value of a channel impulse response delay window for measuring a channel impulse response of a radio channel defined by the at least one beam of the beam selection. This approach enables the management node to control the duration of the channel impulse response measurement, allowing for flexible adaptation to changing network conditions and requirements. By specifying the length value of the channel impulse response delay window, the management node can optimize the trade-off between measurement accuracy and overhead, ensuring that only relevant data is collected while minimizing system resources usage.

[0032] The configuration may be indicative of a threshold value for determining a presence of the target object by comparing the threshold value with a value determined based on a change of a channel impulse response of a radio channel defined by the at least one beam of the beam selection between a reference time interval and a measurement time interval. This approach enables the management node to dynamically control the detection process, allowing for flexible adaptation to changing network conditions and requirements. By specifying the threshold value, the management node can optimize the trade-off between false positives and missed detections, ensuring that only reliable data is collected while minimizing system resources usage.

[0033] In some examples, the configuration is indicative of a selection metric for determining the beam selection. This approach enables the management node to dynamically control the beam selection process, allowing for flexible adaptation to changing network conditions and requirements. By specifying the selection metric, the management node can optimize the tradeoff between different beams, ensuring that only the most suitable beams are selected while minimizing system resources usage.

[0034] According to various examples, the configuration is indicative of a reference time interval and target object measurement time interval, wherein the one or more sensing signals are received during the reference time interval and target object measurement time interval to sense the target object. This approach enables the system to accurately determine the presence and position of the target object by comparing measurements taken at different times. By specifying the reference and measurement time intervals, the method allows for dynamic adaptation to changing network conditions and requirements.

[0035] According to various examples, the beam selection depends on a change of a channel impulse response (CIR) of a radio channel defined by a beam of the plurality of beams due to the target object. This approach enables the system to detect and track changes in the CIR caused by the presence of the target object, allowing for accurate beam selection and sensing operations. By considering the impact of the target object on the CIR, the method can optimize the beam selection process, ensuring that only relevant beams are selected.

[0036] The method may further comprise providing capability information to the management node. The capability information includes at least one of: a capability of performing the sensing of the target object, a capability of transmitting the report message, and a number of supported different beams. This approach enables the management node to have a clear understanding of the capabilities of the first radio node, allowing for more efficient resource allocation and task assignment. By providing this information, the method allows the management node to make informed decisions about how to utilize the resources of the first radio node, ensuring that the sensing operations are performed in an optimal manner while minimizing system overhead.

[0037] The at least one beam of the beam selection may define a radio channel reflected at the target object, allowing for the detection of passive objects that do not transmit any signals themselves. This approach enables the system to sense and track objects that would otherwise be invisible, providing valuable information about their presence and movement. By using the reflected radio channel as a proxy for the target object's location and properties, the method can detect and monitor passive objects in real-time, even if they do not have any active transmitters or sensors.

[0038] According to various examples, at least one beam of the beam selection defines a radio channel more suitable for sensing the target object than another radio channel defined by another beam of the plurality of beams not included in the beam selection. This approach enables the system to select and utilize only the best beams for sensing, ensuring that the most accurate and reliable data is collected. By choosing the most suitable beams, the method can optimize the sensing process, reducing errors and improving overall performance.

[0039] The beams of the plurality of beams may be transmit beams or receive beams, allowing the method to be used in both uplink and downlink scenarios. This approach enables the system to support flexible and efficient communication and sensing operations, regardless of whether SeRS is being transmitted in the uplink or downlink. By utilizing transmit and receive beams, the method can adapt to changing network conditions and requirements, ensuring optimal use of resources while maintaining high-quality communication and sensing capabilities.

[0040] In some examples, the first radio node is a user equipment and the second radio node is a network node, wherein each corresponding beam is a transmit beam configured at the network node. This approach enables the system to support downlink scenarios, where data is transmitted from the network node to the user equipment. By configuring the transmit beams at the network node, the method can optimize the sensing process for downlink communication, ensuring accurate and reliable detection of the target object. In this example, the first and the second radio nodes are performing bi-static sensing.

[0041] In some examples, the first radio node is a network node and the second radio node is a user equipment, wherein each corresponding beam is a receive beam configured at the network node. This approach enables the system to support uplink scenarios, where data is transmitted from the user equipment to the network node. By configuring the receive beams at the network node, the method can optimize the sensing process for uplink communication. In this example, the first and the second radio nodes are performing bi-static sensing.

[0042] According to various examples, the first radio node and the second radio node are colocated, meaning they share the same physical location. This approach enables the system to reduce latency and improve accuracy in sensing operations, as the distance between the two nodes is effectively zero. By co-locating the first and second radio nodes, the method can also simplify system design and implementation, reducing complexity and overhead while improving overall performance. This scenario is for the mono static sensing case. In practice, the first and second radio nodes can be a single same radio node, e.g. UE or gNB. In this example, the radio node is performing mono-static sensing.

[0043] A further aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for use in a management node of a cellular network. The method comprises obtaining a report message from a first radio node of the cellular network based on the first radio node receiving of one or more sensing signals transmitted from a second radio node of the cellular network. The sensing signals are multiplexed with communication signaling of the cellular network, and the one or more sensing signals are used to sense a target object. Each sensing signal of the one or more sensing signals is associated with a corresponding beam of a plurality of beams having different spatial orientations. The report message is indicative of a beam selection comprising at least one beam of the plurality of beams.

[0044] This approach enables the management node, also referred to as SeMF (Sensing Management Function), to perform beam-based positioning and obtain more accurate sensing information about the target object. The SeMF can combine the beam selection information with other sensing measurement results. By utilizing the beam selection information provided in the report message, the SeMF can determine the location and characteristics of the target object with higher precision, which is particularly useful in various applications such as intelligent transportation, aviation, enterprise, smart city, smart home, factories, consumer applications, telepresence, healthcare, and the public sector.

[0045] The method may further comprise providing a configuration to the first radio node. The report message may be based on the configuration. Further, based on the configuration, the first radio node may be triggered to perform sensing measurement.

[0046] The method may further comprise providing a configuration to the second radio node. The second radio node may be triggered to allocate sensing signals is based on the configuration.

[0047] According to various examples, the method further comprises obtaining capability information from the first radio node. The capability information may include capability of the first radio node of performing the sensing of the target object, a capability of the first radio node of transmitting the report message, and / or a number of different beams supported by the first radio node.

[0048] Effects described above in connection with the method for use in the first radio node may similarly apply to the method for use in the management node and will therefore not be repeated.

[0049] It is to be understood that the features mentioned above and those yet to be explained below may be used not only in the respective combinations indicated, but also in other combinations or in isolation without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0050] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a mono-static sensing topology of a sensing measurement according to various examples.

[0052] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a bi-static sensing topology of a sensing measurement according to various examples.

[0053] FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a multi-static sensing topology of a sensing measurement according to various examples.

[0054] FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a system for JCAS / ISAC according to various examples.

[0055] FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a system for JCAS / ISAC during a reference sensing measurement according to various examples.

[0056] FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a channel impulse response of a reference sensing measurement according to various examples.

[0057] FIG. 7 schematically illustrates a system for JCAS / ISAC during an object sensing measurement according to various examples.

[0058] FIG. 8 schematically illustrates a channel impulse response of an object sensing measurement according to various examples.

[0059] FIG. 9 schematically illustrates a delta channel impulse response according to various examples.

[0060] FIG. 10 is a signaling diagram according to various examples.

[0061] FIG. 11 is a signaling diagram according to further examples.

[0062] FIG. 12 schematically illustrates an apparatus according to various examples. FIG. 13 schematically illustrates an apparatus according to various examples.

[0063] FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a method according to various examples.

[0064] FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a method according to various examples.

[0065] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0066] Some examples of the present disclosure generally provide for a plurality of circuits or other electrical devices. All references to the circuits and other electrical devices and the functionality provided by each are not intended to be limited to encompass only that which is illustrated and described herein. While particular labels may be assigned to the various circuits or other electrical devices disclosed, such labels are not intended to limit the scope of operation for the circuits and the other electrical devices. Such circuits and other electrical devices may be combined with each other and / or separated in any manner based on the particular type of electrical implementation that is desired. It is recognized that any circuit or other electrical device disclosed herein may include any number of microcontrollers, a graphics processor unit (GPU), integrated circuits, memory devices (e.g., FLASH, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), or other suitable variants thereof), and software, which interact with each other to perform the operation(s) disclosed herein. In addition, any one or more of the electrical devices may be configured to execute a program code that is embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable medium programmed to perform any number of the functions as disclosed.

[0067] In the following, embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the following description of embodiments is not to be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention is not intended to be limited by the embodiments described hereinafter or by the drawings, which are taken to be illustrative only.

[0068] The drawings are to be regarded as being schematic representations and elements illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily shown to scale. Rather, the various elements are represented such that their function and general purpose become apparent to a person skilled in the art. Any connection or coupling between functional blocks, devices, components, or other physical or functional units shown in the drawings or described herein may also be implemented by an indirect connection or coupling. A coupling between components may also be established over a wireless connection. Functional blocks may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof.

[0069] Hereinafter, aspects related to JCAS are disclosed. JCAS corresponds to a communication system that additionally offers sensing functionality. JCAS communication systems re-use hardware for sensing, thereby saving resources if compared to a reference scenario in which two separate systems are used. The aspects disclosed herein can be similarly applied to ISAC.

[0070] While positioning refers to the estimation of the position of (active) radio nodes connected to the cellular network, e.g., wireless terminals (UEs), sensing, on the other hand, enables to additionally sense passive objects in a surrounding of radio nodes connected to the cellular network. A passive object does not actively transmit or receive the sensing signals. Sensing signals are reflected and / or scattered at the passive objects. Sensing includes a transmission of a sensing signal or a set of sensing signals and reception I processing these sensing signals to extract sensing information.

[0071] A sensing signal may be a chirped signal, i.e., incorporating a frequency sweep over a certain allocated bandwidth. A sensing signal may be an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing signal. A sensing signal may be Code Division Multiplexed. A base signal is sinusoidal, but a spreading code is applied. The spreading code includes a sequence of chips (e.g., +1, -1, -1 , +1, +1, -1 , ...). For instance, aperiodic or random or pseudo-random sequence of chips can be used. The sequence of chips is then mapped to phase values which stay constant during the chirp duration. Furthermore, a sensing signal may be an OFDM modulated signal in which it occupies the radio resources in the time and frequency resource grid. The sensing signal may be generated by a certain sequence generator, such as Gold sequence, M- sequence, Zadoff-Chu sequence. The sensing signal that has a bandwidth that is proportional to the inverse of the chirp duration. By choosing orthogonal spreading sequences, code division multiplexing (CDM) of multiple sensing signals can be achieved. Thereby, a receiver radio node (RX radio node) (e.g. the UE or the base station) receiving the sensing signals can separate respective information. A sensing signal can be the same as, similar to, or associated with the existing reference signal in 5G NR (New Radio), such as positioning reference signal (PRS), Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS), Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), etc. A sensing signal can be the same as, similar to, or associated with the existing synchronization signal in 5G NR, such as Primary Synchronization Signal, Secondary Synchronization Signal, Synchronization Signal / Physical Broadcast Channel block (SS / PBSH block (SSB)), etc. A sensing signal can be associated to a certain frequency range or a certain frequency band. A sensing signal in frequency range 1 and / or frequency range 2 can be multiplexed using OFDM. Sensing signals in different frequency ranges or different frequency bands may have different configurations, such as subcarrier spacing (SCS) or bandwidth. A sensing signal may be in a different form if it is operated in sub tera Hertz frequencies in which non-OFDM is expected to be deployed.

[0072] The sensing measurements of joint communication and sensing may employ sensing signals that are multiplexed with communication signaling of the cellular network. For instance, time multiplexing and / or frequency multiplexing can be used. It would be possible that timefrequency resources are centrally allocated by a scheduler (e.g. by a function in a base station) that schedules communication signaling as well to the sensing signals. For instance, a timefrequency resource grid of a wireless link may include multiple resource elements and these resource elements may be allocated either to communication signaling or sensing signals of the sensing measurement by the scheduler (e.g. the base station). For instance, such scheduler may reside at a base station of a radio-access network of the cellular network. By multiplexing these sensing signals with the communication signaling of the cellular network, interference between the communication signaling and the sensing measurement can be mitigated. Furthermore, the sensing signals and communication signaling may be both transmitted and received by the same hardware in a radio node (e.g. a base station or a UE). In some examples, sensing and communication may use the exact same signal, such as one signal for both sensing and communication instead of two independent sequences / signals multiplexed in different spectrum.

[0073] Sensing can be used to support various use cases, such as object detection (presence), object identification, object tracking, object mapping, object positioning, object ranging, object counting, object velocity, environment monitoring, gesture recognition, etc.

[0074] JCAS / ISAC can employ various sensing topologies. Among varies topologies, three commonly discussed configurations are mono-static, bi-static and multi-static sensing.

[0075] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a mono-static sensing topology. A user equipment (UE) 106 implements, both, a transmitter radio node (TX radio node) transmitting sensing signals 124; as well as a receiver radio node (RX radio node) detecting echoes 144 of the sensing signals 124 reflected and / or scattered at a physical (passive) target object 114 in the surrounding. For instance, the UE 106 may use the same antenna panel for transmitting the sensing signals 124 and for receiving the echoes of the sensing signals 144. In another example, a base-station (BS) such as the base station 108 in FIG 2., can also perform monostatic sensing topology.

[0076] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a bi-static sensing topology. Here, a base station (BS) 108, e.g. a gNB or a 6G Node B, implements the TX radio node and a UE 106 implements the RX radio node. In another example, a UE 106 implements the TX radio node and a BS 108 implements the RX radio node. More generally, in a bi-static sensing topology, two different radio nodes participate in the sensing measurement and cooperate to implement the sensing measurement.

[0077] FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a multi-static sensing topology. Generally, in multi-static sensing topologies a plurality of TX radio nodes and / or a plurality of RX radio nodes are involved. The example of FIG. 3 can be seen as a combination of the mono-static sensing topology of FIG. 1 and the bi-static sensing topology of FIG. 2. In FIG. 3, the BS 108 implements, both, a TX radio node as well as a RX radio node, i.e. , a TX / RX radio node. A further BS 118 implements a TX radio node transmitting a further sensing signal 160 causing an echo 162 at the target object 114. The UE 106 implements a RX radio node. Multiple echoes 144, 302, 162 of the sensing signals 124, 160 are detected.

[0078] There are further sensing topologies, beyond those illustrated in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 3. For example, in a multi-static sensing topology in which more than three different radio nodes participate in and cooperate to implement the sensing measurement. For instance, multiple UEs can participate in the sensing measurement. The RX radio node may be different than the TX radio node. In another example, multiple BSs may act as TX radio nodes and a UE may act as RX radio node, participating in sensing measurement by receiving the sensing signals from the multiple BSs.

[0079] By using a sensing measurement based on a sensing signal, it is possible to determine object-related information for a passive object such as the target object 114. This is done by investigating multiple multipath components of the radio channel. The multipath components stem from radio signals reaching the RX radio node through various spatial paths due to reflections, diffraction, and scattering caused by the objects (obstacles) in the environment, such as buildings, trees, terrain, vehicles, persons, etc.. Each spatial path is associated with a respective distance between TX radio node and RX radio node; typically, those distances are different for different spatial paths and thus a given sensing signal (or, more precisely, multiple echoes of the sensing signal) arrives at the RX radio node at slightly different times for the different multipath components. This temporal spread, known as delay spread, leads to each multipath component having its own delay, amplitude or power, angle-of-arrival, angle-of- departure, and phase shift. Also, different Doppler characteristics (e.g., Doppler shifts) can be observed for moving objects. For example, a first spatial path may be a line-of-sight path or, at least, a path within minimum distance of the electromagnetic waves between the TX radio node and the RX radio node. The first spatial path may have higher amplitude or power of the electromagnetic waves at the RX radio node if compared to higher-order spatial paths, e.g., second or third spatial paths. Higher order spatial paths are typically associated with reflections at physical objects.

[0080] Illustrated in FIG. 4 is a scenario in a cellular network 100 in which the BS 108 and the UE 106 participate in a sensing measurement. While the specific scenario FIG. 4 corresponds to the bi-static sensing topology of FIG. 2, as a general rule, various configurations of sensing measurements are conceivable, e.g. mono-static and multi-static sensing topologies.

[0081] For instance, a node 110 implementing a Sensing Management Function (SeMF) can configure the BS 108 and / or the UE 106 or, more generally, one or more radio nodes, to participate in a sensing measurement. This can include configuration to transmit sensing signals and / or attempt to receive sensing signals and perform measurement and / or to provide measurement reports associated with the sensing signals. Different radio nodes engaging in the sensing measurement can be configured with specific types of measurement techniques, types of measurement reports or, more generally, specific reporting procedures. The measurement report may depend on the type of the radio node. For instance, mobile radio nodes may be configured with a different reporting procedure if compared to static radio nodes. Radio nodes dedicated to the sensing measurement can be configured with a specific reporting procedure. In this example, BS 108 transmits sensing signals 120-126 (e.g., Sensing Reference Signals, SeRSs) and UE 106 is expected to receive the reflected / scattered sensing signals 140, 144, 146 as well as sensing signal 122 transmitted along the direct line of sight (LOS) without being reflected or scattered. A communication 128 between the UE 106, BS 108 and the node 110 may be accomplished via wired or wireless communication of the cellular network 100, including e.g. LTE, 5G or 6G data communication or the Internet.

[0082] In detail, FIG. 4 illustrates a downlink(DL)-like bi-static sensing, i.e. the BS 108 acts as a SeRS transmitter, transmitting SeRSs to its environment, and the UE 106 receives the reflected / scattered SeRSs. The SeRSs may be transmitted in different beams and reflected / scattered by different objects (such as the human 114). The characteristics of the reflected signal change as the sensing channel interacts with multiple objects.

[0083] In this deployment, the UE works as a SeRS receiver to capture the reflected signals and estimate the sensing channel. This estimation allows the UE to derive sensing measurements associated with the target object, which are then reported to SeMF for further processing. SeMF, optionally in cooperation with the application layer, may perform various sensing tasks such as object detection, localization, and identification using the measurement report received from UE. In addition to the measurement processing, SeMF may also communicate with the UE via the 3GPP layer, for example for receiving sensing measurement reports and providing assistance information to support the UE in the sensing measurement.

[0084] An SeRS may comprise an omnidirectional signal, or one or more spatially directed components. An SeRS may be transmitted in a specific spatial filter, also known as beam which has a spatial orientation or direction. As illustrated in FIG. 4, a plurality of SeRSs may be transmitted in different directions using different transmit beams 130, 132, 134, 136 at the SeRS transmitter, e.g. the gNB or 6G NodeB 108. The SeSRs may be received using different receive beams 150, 152, 154, 156 at the SeRS receiver, e.g. the UE 106.

[0085] Here, each such SeRS can be referred to as a 'ray'. Three rays 120, 124, 126 in different directions to objects 102, 114 and 104 are illustrated. Each ray then bounces off the various passive objects as reflected beams 140, 144, 146, either the target object 114 or the surrounding objects 102 or 104. These interactions change the properties of the reflected rays 140, 144, 146. In addition, a fourth ray 122 is illustrated which is not reflected at any object, but propagates along the line of sight (LOS) from the gNB 108 to the UE 106. The UE 106, in this deployment, works as a SeRS receiver aimed at capturing the reflected rays 140, 144, 146 as well as the LOS ray 122 and estimating the sensing channels. The reflected rays may be referred to as NLOS rays. This estimation allows the UE 106 to derive sensing measurements associated with the target object 114, which may then be reported to the SeMF 110 for further processing.

[0086] It is to be noticed that the rays 120, 122, 124, 126 indicate the main directions of the beams 130, 132, 134, 136. However, each SeRS transmitted in a specific spatial filter, i.e. in a beam 130, 132, 134, 136, does not only comprise a component in this main direction, but may comprise also further components in other directions. The further components may have lower power than the component in the main direction. The further components may be reflected at objects 102, 104, 114 and may be received at the UE 106 and may contribute to estimate the sensing channels. Likewise, receive beams 150, 152, 154, 156 at the SeRS receiver, e.g. the UE 106, may be sensitive not only in the main direction of the receive beams 150, 152, 154, 156, but also in other directions, e.g. with less sensitivity than in the main direction.

[0087] Generally, in positioning, e.g. in downlink (DL) New Radio (NR) positioning, the gNB may perform transmit beam sweeping for reference signal transmissions, e.g. positioning reference signals (PRSs), with a certain periodicity. For example, the same DL PRS sequence may be repeatedly transmitted over multiple transmit beams / resources in a Time Division Duplex (TDD) manner. Each transmit beam is steered in a different azimuth and zenith direction by applying different precoders or filters to the signal. For example, according to LPP specification 3GPP TS 37.355 ver18.3.0, the gNB can support up to 64 transmit beams / resources per resource set. The target UE receives the PRS and performs a positioning measurement. It is then up to the UE implementation to identify and select the best beam from these 64 beams. Typically, the UE identifies the best beam by measuring the DL-PRS-RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power) of each beam and selecting the one with the highest RSRP. The UE then reports positioning measurements of the best beam and optionally up to three adjacent beams to the Location Management Function (LMF). Thus, a direction of the UE with respect to the gNB may be determined. Based on, for example, triangulation I trilateration I multilateration from a plurality of gNBs, a position of the UE may be determined. However, this positioning requires active reception and measurement of the PRSs at the target object whose position is to be determined, for example the UE.

[0088] The following describes techniques for determining the position of passive objects or objects that are at least not actively involved in the positioning and measurement of reference signals. The techniques enable the sensing receiver to determine a beam direction information for identifying the target object. The techniques may be realized in a ISAC framework, utilizing SeRS as sensing signals.

[0089] For example, a transmitter node, e.g. a gNB or 6G NodeB, transmits SeRS in different beams and each SeRS in a beam has its own identifier (ID), such as an SeRS resource ID.

[0090] A receiver node, e.g. a UE, may perform sensing measurement for each SeRS reception (or basically for each beam). The sensing measurement may comprise one or more measurements, in which one of the measurements may be a Channel Impulse Response (CIR) measurement as will be described in more detail below. In other examples, the sensing measurement may comprise a measurement of a Power Delay Profile (PDP) or other channel characteristics. However, each of the sensing measurements may be associated with the SeRS resource ID.

[0091] The sensing of the target object is obtained based on the sensing measurement in two different occasions, such as a first sensing measurement, also referred to as reference sensing measurement, and a second sensing measurement, also referred to as object sensing measurement. The reference sensing measurement is a measurement in which no target object is expected to be in the vicinity, i.e., the sensing signals are essentially not affected by the target object. The object sensing measurement is a measurement where a target object is expected to be in the vicinity, i.e., at least one or some of the sensing signals is / are affected by the target object. The receiver node may determine a delta measurement, e.g. a difference between the object sensing measurement and the reference sensing measurement. For example, the delta measurement can be in the form of a delta CIR measurement as described below.

[0092] Sensing signal measurements may include the LOS path and other non-LOS (NLOS) paths. However, the power of the LOS path is normally dominant in LOS condition. It reaches its peak power when the beam is aligned with the LOS direction toward the UE, making it a good indicator for the UE to identify the LOS beam. However, in the ISAC framework the UE is expected to find the best ISAC beam(s) based on the power of the transmitter-target-receiver path which is an NLOS path. Therefore, techniques for sensing a (passive) target object in ISAC may calculate the power difference with and without the presence of the target object, thereby mitigating the effect of the LOS path and other reflections from surrounding objects. Such techniques will be explained in more detail in connection with FIG. 5 to 9.

[0093] The expected channel without the influence of the target object may be obtained. For example, for each of the different beams a corresponding reference CIR may be determined. This may be achieved by measuring the channel during a period in which the target object t) 114 is not present. For example, if the target object 114 is a human in an office environment, the reference CIRs may be measured at night, e.g. around 1 a.m. in the morning. The time selection for the expected channel measurement without the influence of the target object can be up to LMF or SeMF. The time for measuring the reference CIRs may be configured by a management function such as LMF or SeMF. As shown in the examples in FIG. 5, the gNB or 6G NodeB 108 may perform beam sweeping. SeRSs may be transmitted in four beams 130, 132, 134, 136, for example subsequently in a TDD scheme. The UE 106 may determine for each beam a corresponding reference sensing measurement CIRo#1 ,2,3,4. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, CIRo#1 may be determined based on the SeRS transmitted in beam 130, CIRo#2 may be determined based on the SeRS transmitted in beam 132, CIRo#3 may be determined based on the SeRS transmitted in beam 134, and CIRo#4 may be determined based on the SeRS transmitted in beam 136. Since there is no target object in the channels, the reference CIRs comprise the gNB-UE LOS path 502 and some reflections 504, 508 from environmental objects such as wall 520 and floor 522. Corresponding power measurements may be found in the reference CIRs.

[0094] In detail, as illustrated in FIG. 6, based on the SeRS transmitted in beam 130, CIRo#1 may have a first power peak 612 due to the LOS path 502, a second power peak 614 due to the reflected path 504, and a third peak 618 due to the reflected path 508. Based on the SeRS transmitted in beam 132, CIRo#2 may have a first power peak 622 due to the LOS path 502, a second power peak 624 due to the reflected path 504, and a third peak 628 due to the reflected path 508. Based on the SeRS transmitted in beam 134, CIRo#3 may have a first power peak 632 due to the LOS path 502, a second power peak 634 due to the reflected path 504, and a third peak 638 due to the reflected path 508. Based on the SeRS transmitted in beam 136, CIRo#4 may have a first power peak 642 due to the LOS path 502, a second power peak 644 due to the reflected path 504, and a third peak 648 due to the reflected path 508. In the example, the LOS path of beam 134 may have the strongest power peak 632.

[0095] The reference CIRs may then be used in the sensing operation as shown in FIGs. 7-9. As illustrated in FIG. 7, a target object 114, e.g. a person, may be present and the UE measures the CIRs of the four SeRS beams and obtains object sensing measurements CIR#1 ,2,3,4. As illustrated in the CIR measurements, in addition to the power peaks of the LOS path 502 and the reflection paths 504, 508, new power peaks 816-846 are in the CIR measurements indicating the reflection from the target object 114 along reflection path 706, see FIG. 7.

[0096] In detail, as shown in FIG. 8, based on the SeRS transmitted in beam 130, CIR#1 has an additional power peak 816 due to the SeRS reflected along path 706. Based on the SeRS transmitted in beam 132, CIR#2 has an additional power peak 826 due to the SeRS reflected along path 706. Based on the SeRS transmitted in beam 134, CIR#3 has an additional power peak 836 due to the SeRS reflected along path 706. And based on the SeRS transmitted in beam 136, CIR#4 has an additional power peak 846 due to the SeRS reflected along path 706.

[0097] The effects of the LOS path 502 and environmental reflections along paths 504, 508 can be mitigated by performing a sample-wise subtraction between the object CIRs (CIR#1 ,2,3,4) and the reference CIRs (Cl Rd#1 ,2,3,4). The results are denoted as delta channel impulse response ACIR (ACIR#1,2,3,4). As shown in FIG. 9, the power of the reflection via the target object is dominant in all four ACIRs after subtraction. Since ACIR depends primarily on the power of the TX-target-RX path only, it becomes an indicator of the most appropriate ISAC beam(s) for sensing the target object. The measured power of the target object reflection remains after subtraction. In addition, the ACIRs may be used to derive which beam(s) is / are directed at the target object. For example, according to FIG. 9, the beam 132 can be identified as the one most likely beam to point at the target object 114, since ACIR#2 has the most residual power 826.

[0098] Although the Cl Rs in the examples above have been illustrated using only a few peak powers, each CIR and the ACIR can be a vector of values containing hundreds of samples. This may not be suitable for reporting to the network (e.g., SeMF 110) due to the large reporting size. To reduce the signaling overhead, the UE 106 may calculate the sum of ACIR values within a given delay window. This parameter primarily indicates the power difference of the sensing measurements (e.g. gNB-Target-UE) and may be referred to as RSRPD (Reference Signal Received Power Difference): where RSRPD(i) is the SeRS-RSRPD measurement with respect to the j-th beam (or SeRS resource #j), N is the length of the delay sample window within which the UE 106 performs summation of the samples. CIR#i[ ] and CIR0#i[ ] are the object CIR and reference CIR measurement at the j-th beam. Alternatively, other measurement metrics than the RSRPD that are indicative of the change can be used herein.

[0099] The UE 106 may identify or select the best sensing beam(s) based on RSRPD and may transmit a sensing measurement result report to SeMF 110. Based on the RSRPD of the selected beam and a power threshold configured by the SeMF 110, the UE 106 may also determine whether a target object is present in the environment. If the RSRPD of the best sensing beam(s) is below the power threshold, it may be assumed that no target object is present, and the UE 106 may report an indicator indicating the absence of a target object.

[0100] If one or more object targets are present, the UE 106 may select for each identified target object one or more best sensing beam(s) and may report an indication of this selection. This indication may include, for example, an SeRS resource ID or beam ID, if applicable, and the corresponding resource set ID of the selected beam(s). In some examples, the indication may include the RSRPD of the selected beam(s), using an information element (IE) such as ISAC-SeRS-RSRPD. In some examples, the indication may include for each of the selected beams a CIR measurement of the corresponding channel impulse response (i.e. CIR#k[i]) containing a vector of complex parameters with the size defined by the CIR delay window. The complex parameters may include amplitude and phase information of the the received SeRS. In some examples, the indication may include information of the measurement quality / reliability of the Cl R#k[i], which may be determined, for example, based on a Reference Signal Relative Path Power (RSRPP). The quality range may be normalized, e.g. within [0, 1], Alternatively or additionally, the indication may include at least one of the following:

[0101] - an indication of LOS or NLOS for the identified target object,

[0102] - an indication of whether the identified target is outdoors or indoors,

[0103] - an indication of 3D mobility (e.g. horizontal velocity and / or vertical velocity) of the identified target object, or

[0104] - an indication of physical characteristics for the identified target object, e.g., estimated size (e.g. length x width x height) of the target object.

[0105] The above indications may be combined. For example, the UE may report the best N beams, e.g. as SeRS resource IDs or beam IDs, and the corresponding measurement results, e.g. CIR parameter vectors. This could be advantageous for the SeMF to calculate the AoD of the target object to be measured, since the estimation of the angular spectrum usually requires several samples, e.g. several beams. How the SeMF processes this information may be up to the SeMF implementation.

[0106] Note that there may be more than one target objects in the environment. For the case where multiple target objects are present, the measurement report may support the reporting of multiple beams, with each beam reported associated with a single target object.

[0107] Based on the identification of the best sensing beam(s) and an angle of departure (AoD) of that beam(s) at the gNB 108, the SeMF 110 may determine a location of the target object 114 with respect to the gNB 108, for example a direction in which the target object 114 is arranged with respect to the gNB 108.

[0108] Sensing the target object 114 from a plurality of gNBs may be used to determine the position of the target object 114 by triangulation I multilateration.

[0109] The sensing measurement may be performed by a terminal node, for example by the UE 106. In this scenario the gNB 108 may transmit the SeRS as downlink (DL) signals, e.g. sensing signals multiplexed with DL communication signaling. Such a UE-assisted downlink based sensing is illustrated in FIG. 10.

[0110] In the signaling diagram of FIG. 10, the UE 106 is the receiver radio node that receives the reflected and / or scattered sensing signals, e.g. signal 144, and the gNB 108 is the transmitter radio node that transmits the sensing signals, e.g. signal 124. However, this is only an example and in other examples, the gNB 108 may be the receiver radio node and the UE may be the transmitter radio node (see FIG. 11), or in further examples, the gNB 108 may be the transmitter radio node and another gNB may be the receiver radio node.

[0111] In general, the sensing receiver, i.e. UE 106, may perform a sensing measurement on a target object 114 as described above in connection with FIGs. 5-9 to determine which beam is best or which beams are best for sensing the target object 114, i.e. an indication of a selection of beams essentially directed to the target object 114. The selection of beams may indicate transmit beams at the gNB 108, e.g. based on angles of departure (AoD) at the gNB 108.

[0112] Thus, apart from transmitting the report 1014, all other signaling may be optional.

[0113] In more detail, the UE 106 may transmit a capability indication 1002 to the SeMF 110. The UE may provide its capability in terms of the ability to perform sensing measurement and reporting. For example, a maximum supported window length (Max / V), and a number of supported beams which can be monitored may be indicated in the capability indication 1002.

[0114] The capability indication 1002 may indicate a number of objects that can be analyzed within one measurement or a certain time duration, and supported measurements such as CIR or PDP.

[0115] The sensing signal TX radio node, in this example the gNB (or a Transmission- Reception Point (TRP) in a gNB 108, may transmit its sensing reference signal transmission (SeRS Tx) configuration 1004 to the SeMF 110. The SeRS Tx configuration 1004 may be indicative of characteristics of the SeRS, for example frequency, power, modulation, timeslots, etc., and in particular directions of associated transmit beams and identifiers such as resource IDs or beam IDs. SeMF 110 may also receive a similar SeRS Tx configuration from other gNBs. Hence, SeMF 110 may be a central node collecting the SeRS Tx configuration from multiple gNBs.

[0116] Based on the capabilities of the UE 106 and the SeRS Tx configuration, the SeMF 110 may decide that the UE 106 shall perform the object detection and identification. The SeMF 110 may determine and transmit a sensing configuration 1006, including e.g. the SeRS Tx configuration, to the UE 106, e.g. frequency, modulation, timeslots, identifiers etc. The sensing configuration 1006 may also be transmitted to the gNB 108 for confirming the SeRS Tx configuration of 1004 or (re-)configuring the SeRS Tx, and / or triggering the transmission of the SeSRs.

[0117] To assist the UE 106, the SeMF 110 may provide the following supporting measurement configuration / assistance information 1008. For example, a length of the CIR delay window / V used in the RSRPD calculation may be provided. The CIR delay window may be intended to cover the range of interest for the detection of the target object, so it should be configured by the SeMF / upper layer. As a typical example, the length of the CIR delay window can be 256 samples. Also, for example, a threshold of RSRPD to determine whether a target object is present may be provided. Typically, the UE 106 may compare the largest RSRPD with the threshold. If it does not exceed the threshold, UE 106 may consider that no target is present.

[0118] When triggered by the SeMF 110, the UE 106 receives one or more measurement requests 1010 to perform sensing measurement. The measurement request 1010 may represent the trigger for the UE 106 to start performing the sensing measurement 1012. The sensing measurement 1012 may start immediately or according to a (pre-)defined schedule.

[0119] Transmitting the sensing configuration 1006, the measurement configuration / assistance information 1008 and / or measurement request 1010 may be combined in a single transmission or may comprise two or more separate transmissions. For example, the sensing configuration 1006 and the measurement configuration / assistance information 1008 may be combined and transmitted only once for a plurality of measurement requests 1010. Additionally or alternatively, at least one of the sensing configuration 1006, the measurement configuration / assistance information 1008, or the measurement requests 1010 may be transmitted in a different layer from another one (other ones) of the sensing configuration 1006, the measurement configuration / assistance information 1008, or the measurement requests 1010. In some examples, the measurement configuration / assistance information 1008 may include a timing for obtaining the reference measurement, e.g. a reference time interval for obtaining the reference Cl Rs.

[0120] Including the above information in the measurement configuration / assistance information 1008 is only an example and in other examples this information may be included in the measurement request 1010, or the sensing configuration 1006. Further, the measurement configuration / assistance information 1008 may comprise a plurality of messages each including parts of the information.

[0121] Some or all of the information of measurement configuration / assistance information 1008, in particular the CIR delay window / V and the threshold, may be either communicated per measurement request, or it may be pre-communicated by SeMF to facilitate multiple measurements. Pre-communicating this information may be provided via LPP-like or NRPPa- like protocols. In other examples, the configuration information may be predefined in the network and communicated to the UE 106 upon registering at the network.

[0122] A sensing measurement operation 1012 may be performed at the UE 106 based on the SeRS received at the UE 106. The SeRS are transmitted by the gNB 108 and may be scattered and reflected by the target object 114 and other objects in the environment, or may propagate along the LOS.

[0123] Based on the received SeRS 144 and as part of the sensing measurement operation 1012, the UE 106 may estimate the Channel Impulse Response (CIR). This CIR represents the multipath characteristics of the environment including the target object 114.

[0124] Furthermore, as part of the sensing measurement operation 1012, the UE 106 may implement the techniques described above in connection with FIG. 5-9. Thus, for each potential target object, the UE 106 may provide an indication of a beam selection comprising at least one beam directed to the target object 114.

[0125] A sensing measurement result report 1014 transmitted from the UE 162 the SeMF 110 may include an indication of this beam selection. The indication may include for example SeRS resource I D(s) or beam I D(s) of the selected beam(s). The indication may include the RSRPD of the selected beam(s). In addition or as an alternative, the indication may include for each of the selected beams a CIR measurement of the corresponding channel impulse response containing a vector of complex parameters with the size defined by the CIR delay window. The indication may include information of the measurement quality / reliabi lity of the CIR measurement. This information may be provided via a LPP-like protocol.

[0126] Alternatively or additionally, the indication may include at least one of:

[0127] - an indication of LOS or NLOS for the identified target object,

[0128] - an indication of whether the identified target object is located indoors or outdoors,

[0129] - an indication 3D mobility (e.g. horizontal velocity and / or vertical velocity) of the identified target object,

[0130] - an indication of physical characteristics for the identified target object, e.g., estimated size (e.g. length x width x height) of the target object.

[0131] Based on the selected beam(s) indicated in sensing measurement result report(s) 1014 transmitted from the one or more UEs 106, the SeMF 110 may perform a measurement estimation 1016 for determining the position of the target object 114 based on the angles of departure (AoD) of the selected beam(s) of the involved gNBs 108, e.g. by triangulation I multilateration.

[0132] According to various examples, the sensing measurement may be performed by a network node, for example by the gNB 108. In this scenario the UE 106 may transmit the SeRS as uplink (UL) signals, e.g. sensing signals multiplexed with UL communication signaling. Such a network-assisted uplink based sensing is illustrated in FIG. 11.

[0133] The UE-assisted downlink based sensing illustrated in FIG. 10 may be complemented with the network-assisted uplink based sensing illustrated in FIG. 11 or vice versa.

[0134] In the signaling diagram of FIG. 11 , the gNB 108 is the receiver radio node that receives the reflected and / or scattered sensing signals, e.g. signal 144, and the UE 106 is the transmitter radio node that transmits the sensing signals, e.g. signal 124.

[0135] In general, the sensing receiver, i.e. gNB 108, may perform a sensing measurement on a target object 114 as described above in connection with FIGs. 5-9 to determine which beam is best or which beams are best for sensing the target object 114, i.e. an indication of a selection of beams directed to the target object 114. The selection of beams may indicate receive beams at the gNB 108, e.g. based on angles of arrival (AoA) at the gNB 108.

[0136] Thus, apart from transmitting the report 1122, all other signaling may be optional.

[0137] In more detail, the UE 106 may transmit a capability indication 1102 to the SeMF 110. The UE 106 may provide its capability in terms of the ability to provide sensing signals, e.g. SeRSs. The capability may indicate characteristics of the SeRS, for example supported frequencies, power, modulation, timeslots, identifiers such as resource IDs etc.. SeMF 110 may also receive a similar capability indications from other UEs. Hence, SeMF 110 may be a central node collecting the capabilities from multiple UEs.

[0138] The gNB 108 also may transmit a capability indication 1104 to the SeMF 110. The gNB 108 may provide its capability in terms of the ability to perform measurement and reporting. For example, the maximum supported window length (Max / V), a number of different receive beams supported by the gNB 108, and corresponding directions of each beam may be included in the capability indication 1002.

[0139] The capability indication 1104 may indicate a number of target objects that can be analyzed within one measurement or a certain time duration, and supported types of measurements such as CIR or PDP.

[0140] The SeMF 110 may transmit a sensing information request 1106 to the gNB 108. As a plurality of receiver nodes may be involved in the positioning of the target object 114, the SeMF 110 may transmit a corresponding sensing information request 1106 to a plurality of gNBs 108. The sensing information request 1106 may include information on the capabilities of the UE 106, for example obtained from the capability indication 1102. The sensing information request 1106 may include a request to the gNB 108 to provide the SeRS configuration to be used by the one or more UEs 106. This information may be provided via an NRPPa-like protocol.

[0141] Based on the sensing information request 1106, the gNB 108 may determine a configuration of the UL SeRSs to be transmitted by the one or more UEs 106 in box 1108. A sensing configuration 1110 including the UL SeRSs TX configuration may be transmitted to the one or more UEs 106. This information may be provided via higher layer signaling, such as an RRC protocol. The sensing configuration 1110 may comprise characteristics of the SeRS, for example frequency, power, modulation, timeslots, and identifiers such as resource IDs to be used by the UE 106. The gNB 108 may also transmit the UL SeRS TX configuration 1112 to the SeMF 110. This information may be provided via an NRPPa-like protocol.

[0142] The UL SeRS TX configuration 1112 may indicate which UE is configured to transmit SeRS and characteristics of the corresponding SeRS, e.g. the configured identifiers. The SeMF 110 may also receive a similar SeRS Tx configuration from other gNBs. Hence, SeMF 110 may be a central node collecting the SeRS Tx configuration from multiple gNBs.

[0143] The SeMF 110 may transmit an activation request 1114 to the one or more gNBs 108 (e.g., via a NRPPa-like protocol.) and based thereon, the gNB(s) 108 may transmit an UL ReRS TX activation 1116 to the one or more UEs 106 to activate the transmission of UL ReRS 124 at the UE(s) 106. This information may be provided via RRC, MAC, or Downlink Control Information (DCI) depending on the nature of SRS operation. A periodic SeRS transmission is typically done via RRC I MAC. An aperiodic operation with low-latency may be typically done via DCI.

[0144] To assist the gNB 108, the SeMF 110 may provide the following supporting measurement configuration / assistance information 1118. For example, the length of the CIR delay window N used in the RSRPD calculation may be provided. The CIR delay window may be intended to cover the range of interest for the detection of the target object, so it should be configured by the SeMF / upper layer. As a typical example, the length of the CIR delay window can be 256 samples. Also, for example, a threshold of RSRPD to determine whether a target object is present may be provided. Typically, the gNB 108 may compare the largest RSRPD with the threshold. If it does not exceed the threshold, gNB 108 may consider that no target is present.

[0145] When triggered by the SeMF 110, the gNB 108 receives one or more measurement requests 1120 to perform sensing measurement. The measurement request 1120 may represent the trigger for the gNB 108 to start performing a sensing measurement 1012. The sensing measurement 1012 may start immediately or according to a (pre-)defined schedule.

[0146] Transmitting the sensing information request 1106, the activation request 1114, the measurement configuration / assistance information 1118 and / or measurement request 1120 may be combined in a single transmission or may comprise two or more separate transmissions.

[0147] Furthermore, the sensing information request 1106, the activation request 1114, and the measurement configuration / assistance information 1118 may be transmitted only once for a plurality of measurement, i.e., after transmitting the sensing information request 1106, the activation request 1114, and the measurement configuration / assistance information 1118, a plurality of measurement request 1120 may be transmitted for performing a plurality of sensing measurements using the same configuration and assistance information.

[0148] In some examples, the measurement configuration / assistance information 1120 may include a timing for obtaining the reference measurement, e.g. a reference time interval for obtaining the reference Cl Rs. Including the above information in the measurement configuration / assistance information 1120 is only an example and in other examples this information may be included in the measurement request 1120, or the sensing information request 1106. Further, the measurement configuration / assistance information 1118 may comprise a plurality of messages each including parts of the information.

[0149] Some or all of the information of measurement configuration / assistance information 1118, in particular the CIR delay window / V and the threshold, may be either communicated per measurement request, or it may be pre-communicated by SeMF to facilitate multiple measurements. Pre-communicating this information may be provided via LPP-like or NRPPa- like protocols. In other examples, the configuration information may be predefined in the network.

[0150] The sensing measurement 1012 may then be performed by transmitting SeRSs from the UE 108, and receiving SeRS scattered and reflected by the target object 114 at the gNB 108.

[0151] Based on the received SeRS the gNB 108 may estimate the Channel Impulse Response (CIR) for different receive beams of the gNB 108. Each CIR represents the multipath characteristics of the environment including the target object 114.

[0152] The gNB 108 may execute techniques in a similar way as described above in connection with FIG. 5-9. Reference measurements may be performed when the target object is not present. For example, for each receive beam of the gNB 108 a corresponding reference CIRo#x may be determined. Then, when the target object 114 is present, for each receive beam of the gNB 108 a corresponding CIR#x may be determined. A sample-wise subtraction between the measured CIRs and the reference CIRs may be determined resulting in the ACIRs. The gNB 108 may identify the best beam(s), e.g. based on RSRPD.

[0153] For each potential target object, the gNB 108 may provide an indication of a beam selection comprising at least one beam essentially directed to the target object 114, e.g. the identified best beam(s).

[0154] A sensing measurement result report 1122 may be transmitted from the gNB 108 to the SeMF 110. The sensing measurement result report 1122 may include an indication of the determined beam selection. The indication may include for example beam I D(s) of the selected beam(s). The indication may include the RSRPD of the selected beam(s). In addition or as an alternative, the indication may include for each of the selected beams a CIR measurement of the corresponding channel impulse response containing a vector of complex parameters with the size defined by the CIR delay window. The indication may include information of the measurement quality / reliability of the CIR measurement.

[0155] Based on the selected beam(s) indicated in sensing measurement result report(s) 1122 transmitted from the one or more gNBs 108, the SeMF 110 may perform a measurement estimation 1124 for determining the position of the target object 114 based on the angles of arrival (AoA) of the selected beam(s) of the involved gNBs (or 6G NodeBs) 108, e.g. by triangulation I multilateration.

[0156] FIG. 12 schematically illustrates an apparatus 1200, e.g., a node or a device. For instance, the apparatus 1200 can implement the SeMF 110. The apparatus 1200 includes a processor 1202 and a memory 1204. The processor 1202 and the memory 1204 form a compute circuitry. The apparatus 1200 also includes a communication interface 1206. The processor 1202 can communicate with other apparatuses via the communication interface 1206. The processor 1202 can load program code from the memory 1204 and execute the program code. The processor 1202 can perform techniques as disclosed herein upon loading and executing the program code. For instance, the processor 1202 can execute the method of FIG. 14.

[0157] FIG. 13 schematically illustrates an apparatus 1300, e.g., a node or a device. For instance, the apparatus 1300 can implement the UE 106 or the gNB 108. The apparatus 1300 includes a processor 1302 and a memory 1304. The processor 1302 and the memory 1304 form a compute circuitry. The apparatus 1300 also includes a communication interface 1306 that supports wireless communication via one or more antennas 1308. The processor 1302 can communicate with other apparatuses via the communication interface 1306. The processor 1302 can receive and / or transmit SeRS via the interface 1306 and the antenna(s) 1308. The processor 1302 can load program code from the memory 1304 and execute the program code. The processor 1302 can perform techniques as disclosed herein upon loading and executing the program code. For instance, the processor 1302 can execute the method of FIG. 15.

[0158] FIG. 14 is a flowchart 1400 of a method according to various examples. FIG. 14 generally relates to implementation of a sensing measurement. FIG. 14 specifically relates to the management of a sensing measurement executed by one or more nodes.

[0159] The method of FIG. 14 can be executed by a node of a cellular network. For example, the method can be executed by a compute circuitry of the node of the cellular network. For instance, the method can be executed by a processor upon loading and executing program code that is stored in a memory. For example, the method of FIG. 14 may be executed by a node that is located in a core network of the cellular network. The node may be the apparatus 1200 of FIG. 12. The node may be a management node, i.e. , execute a management function for managing a plurality of sensing measurements at multiple radio nodes. For instance, such node may be labeled Sensing Management Function (SeMF). The SeMF can implement a collection of measurement reports, processing of measurement reports, e.g., for localization and / or control / coordination amongst various radio nodes executing sensing measurements. In another example, SeMF can be a new function of the legacy location management function (LMF) as in 5G core network.

[0160] At optional box 1402, the node obtains information indicative of a capability of one or more radio nodes, e.g., one or more UEs 106 and / or one or more base stations, such as gNB 108. The capability is associated with performing sensing measurements and / or reporting thereof. For instance, box 1402 can include receiving a higher-layer control message such as sensing-protocol message, or a positioning protocol message (e.g., Third Generation Partnership, 3GPP, Long Term Evolution, LTE, Positioning Protocol, LPP, message or a message having a format related to the LPP message format). In other examples, the capabilities of the one or more radio nodes may be predefined in the network or otherwise provided by the one or more radio nodes, e.g., upon registration with the cellular network, and thus known to the node. The capability can be indicative of whether the respective radio node is capable of executing a sensing measurement, e.g., using a certain topology. The capability can be indicative of whether the respective radio node is capable of using a certain type of sensing signal, e.g., a chirped signal or a CDM signal. The capability can be indicative of whether the respective radio node is capable of performing a certain type of sensing measurement technique. Alternatively or additionally, the capability can be indicative of whether the respective radio node is capable of supporting a certain reporting procedure for reporting on a sensing measurement and type identification. For instance, the capability can be indicative of whether the respective radio node can provide a measurement report that includes certain information. The capability can be indicative of whether the respective radio node is capable of determining a beam directed to a specific target object and providing a report on that beam for the specific target object.

[0161] At optional box 1404, the node provides information indicative of a configuration of the sensing measurement to each of one or more radio nodes. For instance, box 1404 can be responsive to obtaining the information indicative of the capability at box 1402. It would be possible that box 1404 is responsive to a respective sensing request obtained from an application. For instance, the application may implement a target object counting, target object tracking, target object identification or target object positioning use case. The application can then request execution of a respective sensing measurement; this can trigger providing the configuration to the one or more radio nodes. In another example, configuration information may contain the SeRS configuration in which the SeRS is to be used for sensing measurement at the sensing receiver. In some examples, the configuration information may be predefined in the network or otherwise provided to the one or more radio nodes, e.g., upon registration with the cellular network, and thus known to the one or more radio nodes.

[0162] The configuration can select between different sensing topologies. For example, the configuration message or the configuration messages can be indicative of a selected one of mono-static sensing topology (cf. FIG. 1), bi-static sensing topology (cf. FIG. 2), and multi-static sensing topology (cf. FIG. 3).

[0163] It would be possible that the configuration determines the radio resources and properties, such as a frequency bandwidth of a transmission of a sensing signal. For instance, it would be possible to specify a number of subcarriers that are to be employed for transmitting the sensing signal. Alternatively or additionally, it would be possible to indicate one or more bandwidth parts that are to be used for transmitting the sensing signal.

[0164] It would be possible that the configuration is indicative of the specific radio resources - e.g., timing information and / or timeslots and / or frequency resources and / or time-frequency resources such as resource blocks or resource elements - to be used for transmitting the sensing signals. As a general rule, the configuration can be determined in accordance with the capabilities of the one or more radio nodes (cf. box 1402).

[0165] At optional box 1406, a configuration triggering an allocation of sensing signals is provided to the radio nodes that are expected to transmit the sensing signals. For example, if a UE is expected to transmit the sensing signals, this configuration may be provided to the gNB at which the UE is registered and the gNB may instruct the UE to transmit sensing signals using specific radio resources. Hence, the UE may receive the resource grant from gNB prior to the sensing signals transmission. If the gNB is expected to transmit the sensing signals, this configuration may trigger the transmission of the sensing signals. Additionally or as an alternative, the sensing signals may be transmitted according to a predefined scheme defined in the network or upon provision of the sensing configuration (cf. box 1404). For example, the gNB has been configured to transmit signal signals with certain periodicity at configured resources.

[0166] At optional box 1408, a sensing measurement request (trigger) is provided to the receiving radio nodes to start the sensing measurement.

[0167] The optional box 1408 can also be provided prior to box 1406. In some examples, the sensing measurement may be started autonomously by the radio nodes, e.g., according to a predefined schedule provided in the network or otherwise provided to the radio nodes, e.g., upon registration with the cellular network.

[0168] At box 1410, one or more reports including a beam selection for a target object are obtained from the radio node. The beam selection may include an indication of only the best beam determined for the target object. In some examples, the beam selection may include an indication of a predefined number (for example as defined in the sensing configuration, cf. box 1404) of best beams determined for the target object. In some examples, the beam selection may include for each of a plurality of target objects a corresponding indication of a best beam or a predefined number of best beams.

[0169] It would be possible that the one or more reports are transparent to a radio-access network of the cellular network. An end-to-end protocol between the node (e.g., implementing a SeMF) and the reporting radio nodes may be established. For instance, higher-layer control messages can be signaled on logical links established between each of the radio nodes and the SeMF. Therefore, other nodes in the radio-access network do not need to process such measurement reports. The measurement reports are transparent to the radio-access network of the cellular network. For example, it can be in a form of sensing protocol message or LPP-like protocol message.

[0170] The one or reports may include timing information of a transmission or reception of the sensing signals. I.e., time stamps can be provided that are linked to the actual execution of a transmission of a sensing signal. This is, in particular, helpful for dynamic environments with frequently changing properties of passive target objects. A time resolution can thereby be increased.

[0171] At optional box 1412, the indication of the best beam(s) may be used to perform a measurement estimation for determining the position of the target object. For example, best beam(s) regarding a specific target object(s) may be obtained from a plurality of gNBs located at different positions. Based on the gNBs positions and the directions of the best beam(s), a position of the target object may be determined, for example by use of triangulation. The report message (cf. box 1410) may include a quality of the determination of the best beam(s). In particular in an overdetermined scenario, the quality of the determination may be considered to decide which best beams are considered.

[0172] The measurement quality value may include the ratio between power coming from the target object and the noise, i.e., a peak-to-noise ratio, as an indicator to detect a target. For example, this can be in a form of Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) measurement based on the received SeRS. In some examples, the measurement quality value may be indicative of a quality or probability of object presence detection. For example, based on the power, delay and doppler information, the radio node can estimate the probability of an object (target / environment object) being present at specific position, e.g. based on delay and / or Doppler. This report element can be a soft value between 0 and 1 , or can also be a binary value, e.g., either 0 or 1, indicating whether the object is present or not.

[0173] FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a method 1500 according to various examples. The method of FIG. 15 generally pertains to actions associated with a sensing measurement. FIG. 15 is for use in a radio node participating in a sensing measurement using sensing signals being multiplexed with communication signaling. The node may be the apparatus 1300 of FIG. 13. For instance, the method 1500 of FIG. 15 can be executed by a receiver radio node. The method 1500 can be executed by a processor upon loading and executing program code from a memory. For instance, the method 1500 can be executed by the processor 1302 of the apparatus 1300 upon loading and executing program code from the memory 1304. The method 1500 can be executed by a UE such as the UE 106 or can be executed by a base station such as the gNB 108.

[0174] The method 1500 of FIG. 15 can be inter-related to the method 1400 of FIG. 14.

[0175] At optional box 1502, a capability associated with the sensing measurement is provided to a node of a cellular network to which the radio node is connected. For instance, the capability can be provided to a node implementing a SeMF. Aspects with respect to such signaling of the capability have been previously discussed in connection with FIG. 14 box 1402.

[0176] At optional box 1504, a configuration of the sensing measurement is obtained. For example, one or more configuration messages may be obtained. Box 1504 can be responsive to providing a capability at box 1502. Aspects with respect to such configuration have been previously discussed in connection with FIG. 14: box 1404.

[0177] At optional box 1506, a sensing measurement request may be obtained, for example from SeMF 110. In another example, box 1506 can be performed prior to box 1504. In various examples, box 1504 can be performed each time the radio node obtains the measurement request 1506, or as a just one-time configuration. Aspects with respect to such sensing measurement request have been previously discussed in connection with FIG. 14: box 1408.

[0178] At box 1508, the radio node performs a sensing measurement in accordance with the sensing information obtained in box 1504. For example, the node can perform multiple measurements including a reference sensing measurement at a time when no target object is present and an object sensing measurement at a time when the target object is present. Based on the sensing measurement(s), the radio node may determine a beam selection indicative of at least one beam directing essentially in the direction of the target object.

[0179] At box 1510, a report message indicative of the beam selection is provided. Aspects with respect to such messages have been previously discussed in connection with FIG. 14: box 1410.

[0180] Summarizing, the proposed techniques involve several steps and improvements for object positioning in wireless networks using ISAC. At the sensing receiver node, the direction of the beam between the transmitter node and the target object or between the target object and the receiver node can be identified. The identified beam direction can be obtained as the SeRS resource ID, while the quantity of the beam direction can be measured as the RSRPD measurement, providing an absolute value. Additionally, the quality of the beam direction can be assessed based on the RSRPD and CIR (Channel Impulse Response) measurements, resulting in a normalized value.

[0181] A measurement procedure may specify how the sensing receiver node performs the RSRPD computation. The sensing node then reports several elements to the sensing server (SeMF), including e.g. the resource ID of the best beam to the target object, the RSRPD measurement, the CIR measurement, and a quality indicator. Furthermore, multiple sets of these elements can be reported, representing the best N beams.

[0182] The sensing server may provide measurement configuration and assistance information to the sensing node, which may include an RSRPD threshold and a CIR delay window length. Notably, the proposed techniques are applicable to both downlink-based and uplink-based sensing scenarios. In downlink-based sensing, the techniques utilize angles of departure (AoD) of the SeRS from the gNB to the target object, while in uplink-based sensing, the techniques utilize angles of arrival (AoA) of the reflected SeRS at the target object to the gNB.

[0183] Summarizing, at least the following EXAMPLES have been disclosed:

[0184] EXAMPLE 1: A method for use in a first radio node of a cellular network comprising: receiving one or more sensing signals (120-126, 140-146) transmitted from a second radio node of the cellular network (100), the sensing signals (120-126, 140-146) being multiplexed with communication signaling of the cellular network (100), wherein the one or more sensing signals (120-126, 140-146) are used to sense a target object (114), wherein each sensing signal of the one or more sensing signals (120-126, 140-146) is associated with a corresponding beam of a plurality of beams (130-136, 150-156) having different spatial orientations, and providing a report message (1014, 1122) to a management node (110) based on said receiving of the one or more sensing signals (120-126, 140-146), wherein the report message (1014, 1122) is indicative of a beam selection comprising at least one beam of the plurality of beams (130-136, 150-156).

[0185] EXAMPLE 2: The method of EXAMPLE 1 , wherein the report message (1014, 1122) is indicative of a resource identifier of a radio resource associated with a beam of the beam selection.

[0186] EXAMPLE 3: The method of EXAMPLE 1 or EXAMPLE 2, wherein the report message (1014, 1122) is indicative of a beam identifier of the at least one beam of the beam selection.

[0187] EXAMPLE 4: The method of any one of the preceding EXAMPLES, wherein the at least one beam of the beam selection comprises two or more beams.

[0188] EXAMPLE 5: The method of any one of the preceding EXAMPLES, wherein the report message (1014, 1122) is indicative of a value determined based on a change of a channel measurement of a radio channel defined by the at least one beam of the beam selection between a reference time interval and a measurement time interval. EXAMPLE 6: The method of any one of the preceding EXAMPLES, wherein the report message (1014, 1122) is indicative of a set of values of a channel measurement of a radio channel defined by the at least one beam of the beam selection.

[0189] EXAMPLE 7: The method of any one of the preceding EXAMPLES, wherein the report message (1014, 1122) is indicative of a quality value of the sensing of the target object (114).

[0190] EXAMPLE 8: The method of any one of the preceding EXAMPLES, wherein the method further comprises: obtaining a configuration from the management node (110), wherein the report message (1014, 1122) is based on the configuration.

[0191] EXAMPLE 9: The method of any one of the preceding EXAMPLES, wherein the method further comprises: obtaining a configuration (1010) from the management node (110), wherein triggering the first radio node to perform sensing measurement (1012) is based on the configuration (1010).

[0192] EXAMPLE 10: The method of EXAMPLE 8 or EXAMPLE 9, wherein the configuration is indicative of a length value of a channel impulse response delay window for measuring a channel impulse response of a radio channel defined by the at least one beam of the beam selection.

[0193] EXAMPLE 11 : The method of any one of EXAMPLES 8-10, wherein the configuration is indicative of a threshold value for determining a presence of the target object (114) by comparing the threshold value with a value determined based on a change of a channel impulse response of a radio channel defined by the at least one beam of the beam selection between a reference time interval and a measurement time interval.

[0194] EXAMPLE 12: The method of any one of EXAMPLES 8-11 , wherein the configuration is indicative of a selection metric for determining the beam selection.

[0195] EXAMPLE 13: The method of any one of EXAMPLES 8-12, wherein the configuration is indicative of a reference time interval and target object measurement time interval, wherein the one or more sensing signals (120-126, 140-146) are received during the reference time interval and target object measurement time interval to sense the target object (114).

[0196] EXAMPLE 14: The method of any one of the preceding EXAMPLES, wherein the beam selection depends on a change of a channel impulse response of a radio channel defined by a beam of the plurality of beams (130-136, 150-156) due to the target object (114).

[0197] EXAMPLE 15: The method of any one of the preceding EXAMPLES, wherein the method further comprises: providing capability information (1002, 1102) to the management node (110), the capability information including at least one of: a capability of performing the sensing of the target object (114), a capability of transmitting the report message (1014, 1122), and a number of supported different beams.

[0198] EXAMPLE 16: The method of any one of the preceding EXAMPLES, wherein the at least one beam of the beam selection defines a radio channel reflected at the target object (114). EXAMPLE 17: The method of any one of the preceding EXAMPLES, wherein at least one beam of the beam selection defines a radio channel more suitable for sensing the target object (114) than another radio channel defined by another beam of the plurality of beams (ISO- 136, 150-156) not included in the beam selection.

[0199] EXAMPLE 18: The method of any one of the preceding EXAMPLES, wherein the beams of the plurality of beams (130-136, 150-156) are transmit beams or receive beams.

[0200] EXAMPLE 19: The method of any one of the preceding EXAMPLES, wherein the first radio node is a user equipment (106) and the second radio node is a network node (108), wherein each corresponding beam is a transmit beam configured at the network node (108).

[0201] EXAMPLE 20: The method of any one of EXAMPLES 1-18, wherein the first radio node is a network node (108) and the second radio node is a user equipment (106), wherein each corresponding beam is a receive beam configured at the network node (108).

[0202] EXAMPLE 21 : The method of any one of the preceding EXAMPLES, wherein the first radio node and the second radio node are co-located.

[0203] EXAMPLE 22: A method for use in a management node of a cellular network comprising: obtaining a report message (1014, 1122) from a first radio node of the cellular network (100) based on the first radio node receiving of one or more sensing signals (120-126, 140-146) transmitted from a second radio node of the cellular network (100), wherein the sensing signals are multiplexed with communication signaling of the cellular network, wherein the one or more sensing signals (120-126, 140-146) are used to sense a target object (114), wherein each sensing signal of the one or more sensing signals (120-126, 140-146) is associated with a corresponding beam of a plurality of beams (130-136, 150-156) having different spatial orientations, wherein the report message is indicative of a beam selection comprising at least one beam of the plurality of beams (130-136, 150-156).

[0204] EXAMPLE 23: The method of EXAMPLE 22, wherein the method further comprises: providing a configuration to the first radio node, wherein the report message (1014, 1122) is based on the configuration.

[0205] EXAMPLE 24: The method of EXAMPLE 22 or EXAMPLE 23, wherein the method further comprises: providing a configuration to the first radio node, wherein triggering the first radio node to perform sensing measurement is based on the configuration.

[0206] EXAMPLE 25: The method of any one of EXAMPLES 22-24, wherein the method further comprises: providing a configuration to the second radio node, wherein triggering the second radio node to allocate sensing signals is based on the configuration.

[0207] EXAMPLE 26: The method of any one of EXAMPLES 22-25, wherein the method further comprises: obtaining capability information (1002, 1102) from the first radio node, the capability information (1002, 1102) including at least one of: a capability of the first radio node of performing the sensing of the target object (114), a capability of the first radio node of transmitting the report message (1014, 1122), and a number of different beams supported by the first radio node.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method for use in a first radio node of a cellular network comprising: receiving one or more sensing signals transmitted from a second radio node of the cellular network, the sensing signals being multiplexed with communication signaling of the cellular network, wherein the one or more sensing signals are used to sense a target object, wherein each sensing signal of the one or more sensing signals is associated with a corresponding beam of a plurality of beams having different spatial orientations, and providing a report message to a management node based on said receiving of the one or more sensing signals, wherein the report message is indicative of a beam selection comprising at least one beam of the plurality of beams.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the report message is indicative of a resource identifier of a radio resource associated with a beam of the beam selection.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the report message is indicative of a beam identifier of the at least one beam of the beam selection.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the report message is indicative of a value determined based on a change of a channel measurement of a radio channel defined by the at least one beam of the beam selection between a reference time interval and a measurement time interval.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the report message is indicative of a set of values of a channel measurement of a radio channel defined by the at least one beam of the beam selection.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the report message is indicative of a quality value of the sensing of the target object.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises: obtaining a configuration from the management node, wherein the report message is based on the configuration.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises: obtaining a configuration from the management node, wherein triggering the first radio node to perform sensing measurement is based on the configuration.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the configuration is indicative of a length value of a channel impulse response delay window for measuring a channel impulse response of a radio channel defined by the at least one beam of the beam selection.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the configuration is indicative of a threshold value for determining a presence of the target object by comparing the threshold value with a value determined based on a change of a channel impulse response of a radio channel defined by the at least one beam of the beam selection between a reference time interval and a measurement time interval.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the configuration is indicative of a selection metric for determining the beam selection.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the configuration is indicative of a reference time interval and target object measurement time interval, wherein the one or more sensing signalsare received during the reference time interval and target object measurement time interval to sense the target object.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the beam selection depends on a change of a channel impulse response of a radio channel defined by a beam of the plurality of beams due to the target object.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises: providing capability information to the management node, the capability information including at least one of: a capability of performing the sensing of the target object, a capability of transmitting the report message, and a number of supported different beams.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one beam of the beam selection defines a radio channel reflected at the target object.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one beam of the beam selection defines a radio channel more suitable for sensing the target object than another radio channel defined by another beam of the plurality of beams not included in the beam selection.

17. A method for use in a management node of a cellular network comprising: obtaining a report message from a first radio node of the cellular network based on the first radio node receiving of one or more sensing signals transmitted from a second radio node of the cellular network, wherein the sensing signals are multiplexed with communication signaling of the cellular network, wherein the one or more sensing signals are used to sense a target object, wherein each sensing signal of the one or more sensing signals is associated with a corresponding beam of a plurality of beams having different spatial orientations, wherein the report message is indicative of a beam selection comprising at least one beam of the plurality of beams.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises: providing a configuration to the first radio node, wherein the report message is based on the configuration.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises: providing a configuration to the first radio node, wherein triggering the first radio node to perform sensing measurement is based on the configuration.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises: providing a configuration to the second radio node, wherein triggering the second radio node to allocate sensing signals is based on the configuration.

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