Enhanced radio frequency (RF) sensing with network and device energy savings

Abstract

Disclosed are techniques for wireless sensing. In some aspects, a sensing node may obtain one or more sensing measurements of one or more sensing reference signals. The sensing node may transmit, to a network node, a sensing measurement report including one or more parameters indicating one or more sensing coverage areas associated with the one or more sensing reference signals.

Description

Qualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO1 / 83ENHANCED RADIO FREQUENCY (RE) SENSING WITH NETWORK AND DEVICE ENERGY SAVINGSTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Aspects of the disclosure relate generally to wireless technologies.BACKGROUND

[0002] Wireless communication systems have developed through various generations, including a first-generation analog wireless phone service (1G), a second-generation (2G) digital wireless phone service (including interim 2.5G and 2.75G networks), a third-generation (3G) high speed data, Internet-capable wireless service and a fourth-generation (4G) service (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax). There are presently many different types of wireless communication systems in use, including cellular and personal communications service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular analog advanced mobile phone system (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), etc.

[0003] A fifth generation (5G) wireless standard, referred to as New Radio (NR), enables higher data transfer speeds, greater numbers of connections, and better coverage, among other improvements. The 5G standard, according to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, is designed to provide higher data rates as compared to previous standards, more accurate positioning (e.g., based on reference signals for positioning (RS-P), such as downlink, uplink, or sidelink positioning reference signals (PRS)), RF sensing, and other technical enhancements. These enhancements, as well as the use of higher frequency bands, enable improved RF sensing and 5G-based positioning.SUMMARY

[0004] The following presents a simplified summary relating to one or more aspects disclosed herein. Thus, the following summary should not be considered an extensive overview relating to all contemplated aspects, nor should the following summary be considered to identify key or critical elements relating to all contemplated aspects or to delineate theQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO2 / 83 scope associated with any particular aspect. Accordingly, the following summary has the sole purpose to present certain concepts relating to one or more aspects relating to the mechanisms disclosed herein in a simplified form to precede the detailed description presented below.

[0005] In some aspects, a method of wireless sensing at a sensing node includes obtaining one or more sensing measurements of one or more sensing reference signals; and transmitting, to a network node, a sensing measurement report including one or more parameters indicating one or more sensing coverage areas associated with the one or more sensing reference signals.

[0006] In some aspects, a method of wireless sensing at a sensing node includes obtaining a plurality of sensing measurements of a plurality of sensing reference signals; and transmitting, to a network node, a sensing measurement report including: the plurality of sensing measurements; and an indication that at least a first subset of the plurality of sensing measurements is associated with a same miss detection group (MDG), false alarm group (FAG), angular error group (AEG), or any combination thereof.

[0007] In some aspects, a sensing node includes one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, configured to: obtain one or more sensing measurements of one or more sensing reference signals; and transmit, via the one or more transceivers, to a network node, a sensing measurement report including one or more parameters indicating one or more sensing coverage areas associated with the one or more sensing reference signals.

[0008] In some aspects, a sensing node includes one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, configured to: obtain a plurality of sensing measurements of a plurality of sensing reference signals; and transmit, via the one or more transceivers, to a network node, a sensing measurement report including: the plurality of sensing measurements; and an indication that at least a first subset of the plurality of sensing measurements is associated with a same miss detection group (MDG), false alarm group (FAG), angular error group (AEG), or any combination thereof.QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO3 / 83

[0009] In some aspects, a sensing node includes means for obtaining one or more sensing measurements of one or more sensing reference signals; and means for transmitting, to a network node, a sensing measurement report including one or more parameters indicating one or more sensing coverage areas associated with the one or more sensing reference signals.

[0010] In some aspects, a sensing node includes means for obtaining a plurality of sensing measurements of a plurality of sensing reference signals; and means for transmitting, to a network node, a sensing measurement report including: the plurality of sensing measurements; and an indication that at least a first subset of the plurality of sensing measurements is associated with a same miss detection group (MDG), false alarm group (FAG), angular error group (AEG), or any combination thereof.

[0011] In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a sensing node, cause the sensing node to: obtain one or more sensing measurements of one or more sensing reference signals; and transmit, to a network node, a sensing measurement report including one or more parameters indicating one or more sensing coverage areas associated with the one or more sensing reference signals.

[0012] In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a sensing node, cause the sensing node to: obtain a plurality of sensing measurements of a plurality of sensing reference signals; and transmit, to a network node, a sensing measurement report including: the plurality of sensing measurements; and an indication that at least a first subset of the plurality of sensing measurements is associated with a same miss detection group (MDG), false alarm group (FAG), angular error group (AEG), or any combination thereof.

[0013] Other obj ects and advantages associated with the aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in the description of various aspects of the disclosure and are provided solely for illustration of the aspects and not limitation thereof.QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO4 / 83

[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless communications system, according to aspects of the disclosure.

[0016] FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C illustrate example wireless network structures, according to aspects of the disclosure.

[0017] FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C are simplified block diagrams of several sample aspects of components that may be employed in a user equipment (UE), a base station, and a network entity, respectively, and configured to support communications as taught herein.

[0018] FIGS. 4 A and 4B illustrate different types of wireless sensing, according to aspects of the disclosure.

[0019] FIGS. 5A to 5F illustrate various example monostatic and bistatic sensing use cases, according to aspects of the disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 6 illustrates an example call flow for a New Radio (NR)-based sensing procedure in which the network configures the sensing parameters, according to aspects of the disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 7 illustrates an example neural network, according to aspects of the disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 8A is a diagram illustrating an example of direct artificial intelligence / machine learning (AIML) positioning and / or sensing, according to aspects of the disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 8B is a diagram illustrating an example of AIML assisted positioning and / or sensing, according to aspects of the disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 8C illustrates various AIML positioning and / or sensing scenarios, according to aspects of the disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 9 illustrates a diagram of an example uniform antenna array and a diagram of an example sparse array, according to aspects of the disclosure.

[0026] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a receiver sensing node with multiple antennas for sensing signal reception, according to aspects of the disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of communication and sensing coverage areas, according to aspects of the disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 12 illustrates an example of a network indicating to one or more of the UEs to increase its number of transceiver units (TxRUs), according to aspects of the disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a network indicating to one UE to increase its number of TxRUs and to another UE to decrease its number of TxRUs, according to aspects of the disclosure.QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO5 / 83

[0030] FIG. 14 illustrates an example of increased coverage area of one or more of the UEs with increased number of TxRUs, according to aspects of the disclosure.

[0031] FIG. 15 illustrates an example method of wireless sensing, according to aspects of the disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 16 illustrates an example method of wireless sensing, according to aspects of the disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Aspects of the disclosure are provided in the following description and related drawings directed to various examples provided for illustration purposes. Alternate aspects may be devised without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements of the disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the disclosure.

[0034] Various aspects relate generally to wireless sensing. Some aspects more specifically relate to wireless sensing with transceiver unit (TxRU) antenna arrays. In some examples, a sensing node may obtain one or more sensing measurements of one or more sensing reference signals, and transmit, to a network node, a sensing measurement report including one or more parameters indicating one or more sensing coverage areas associated with the one or more sensing reference signals.

[0035] Particular aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to realize one or more of the following potential advantages. In some examples, by reporting sensing coverage information associated with sensing reference signal measurements, the described techniques can be used to conserve power at the transmitter sensing node (e.g., a base station) by using sparse arrays for transmitting sensing reference signals and at the receiver sensing node (e.g., a UE) by using fewer receive antennas for receiving the sensing reference signals.

[0036] The words “exemplary” and / or “example” are used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” and / or “example” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Likewise, the term “aspects of the disclosure” does not require that all aspects of the disclosure include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO6 / 83

[0037] Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the information and signals described below may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the description below may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the particular application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, etc.

[0038] Further, many aspects are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will be recognized that various actions described herein can be performed by specific circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, the sequence(s) of actions described herein can be considered to be embodied entirely within any form of non- transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a corresponding set of computer instructions that, upon execution, would cause or instruct an associated processor of a device to perform the functionality described herein. Thus, the various aspects of the disclosure may be embodied in a number of different forms, all of which have been contemplated to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. In addition, for each of the aspects described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspects may be described herein as, for example, “logic configured to” perform the described action.

[0039] As used herein, the terms “user equipment” (UE) and “base station” are not intended to be specific or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT), unless otherwise noted. In general, a UE may be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, consumer asset locating device, wearable (e.g., smartwatch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), vehicle (e.g., automobile, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), Internet of Things (loT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate over a wireless communications network. A UE may be mobile or may (e.g., at certain times) be stationary, and may communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term “UE” may be referred to interchangeably as an “access terminal” or “AT,” a “client device,” a “wireless device,” a “subscriber device,” a “subscriber terminal,” a “subscriber station,” a “user terminal” or “UT,” a “mobile device,” a “mobile terminal,” a “mobile station,” or variations thereof.QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO7 / 83Generally, UEs can communicate with a core network via a RAN, and through the core network the UEs can be connected with external networks such as the Internet and with other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms of connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UEs, such as over wired access networks, wireless local area network (WLAN) networks (e.g., based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 specification, etc.) and so on.

[0040] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs in communication with UEs depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may be alternatively referred to as an access point (AP), a network node, a NodeB, an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), a New Radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as a gNB or gNodeB), etc. A base station may be used primarily to support wireless access by UEs, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the supported UEs. In some systems a base station may provide purely edge node signaling functions while in other systems it may provide additional control and / or network management functions. A communication link through which UEs can send signals to a base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). A communication link through which the base station can send signals to UEs is called a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein the term traffic channel (TCH) can refer to either an uplink / reverse or downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0041] The term “base station” may refer to a single physical transmission-reception point (TRP) or to multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be co-located. For example, where the term “base station” refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be an antenna of the base station corresponding to a cell (or several cell sectors) of the base station. Where the term “base station” refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs may be an array of antennas (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MEMO) system or where the base station employs beamforming) of the base station. Where the term “base station” refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transport medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-co-locatedQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO8 / 83 physical TRPs may be the serving base station receiving the measurement report from the UE and a neighbor base station whose reference radio frequency (RF) signals the UE is measuring. Because a TRP is the point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, as used herein, references to transmission from or reception at a base station are to be understood as referring to a particular TRP of the base station.

[0042] In some implementations that support positioning of UEs, a base station may not support wireless access by UEs (e.g., may not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections for UEs), but may instead transmit reference signals to UEs to be measured by the UEs, and / or may receive and measure signals transmitted by the UEs. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., when transmitting signals to UEs) and / or as a location measurement unit (e.g., when receiving and measuring signals from UEs).

[0043] An “RF signal” comprises an electromagnetic wave of a given frequency that transports information through the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single “RF signal” or multiple “RF signals” to a receiver. However, the receiver may receive multiple “RF signals” corresponding to each transmitted RF signal due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between the transmitter and receiver may be referred to as a “multipath” RF signal. As used herein, an RF signal may also be referred to as a “wireless signal” or simply a “signal” where it is clear from the context that the term “signal” refers to a wireless signal or an RF signal.

[0044] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless communications system 100, according to aspects of the disclosure. The wireless communications system 100 (which may also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 (labeled “BS”) and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macro cell base stations (high power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low power cellular base stations). In some aspects, the macro cell base stations may include eNBs and / or ng-eNBs where the wireless communications system 100 corresponds to an LTE network, or gNBs where the wireless communications system 100 corresponds to a NR network, or a combination of both, and the small cell base stations may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0045] The base stations 102 may collectively form a RAN and interface with a core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC)) through backhaul links 122,QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO9 / 83 and through the core network 170 to one or more location servers 172 (e.g., a location management function (LMF) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP)). The location server(s) 172 may be part of core network 170 or may be external to core network 170. A location server 172 may be integrated with a base station 102. A UE 104 may communicate with a location server 172 directly or indirectly. For example, a UE 104 may communicate with a location server 172 via the base station 102 that is currently serving that UE 104. A UE 104 may also communicate with a location server 172 through another path, such as via an application server (not shown), via another network, such as via a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) (e.g., AP 150 described below), and so on. For signaling purposes, communication between a UE 104 and a location server 172 may be represented as an indirect connection (e.g., through the core network 170, etc.) or a direct connection (e.g., as shown via direct connection 128), with the intervening nodes (if any) omitted from a signaling diagram for clarity.

[0046] In addition to other functions, the base stations 102 may perform functions that relate to one or more of transferring user data, radio channel ciphering and deciphering, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, distribution for non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment trace, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through the EPC / 5GC) over backhaul links 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0047] The base stations 102 may wirelessly communicate with the UEs 104. Each of the base stations 102 may provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110. In some aspects, one or more cells may be supported by a base station 102 in each geographic coverage area 110. A “cell” is a logical communication entity used for communication with a base station (e.g., over some frequency resource, referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, band, or the like), and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCI), an enhanced cell identifier (ECI), a virtual cell identifier (VCI), a cell global identifier (CGI), etc.) for distinguishing cells operating via the same or a different carrier frequency. In some cases, different cells mayQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO10 / 83 be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine-type communication (MTC), narrowband loT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or others) that may provide access for different types of UEs. Because a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term “cell” may refer to either or both of the logical communication entity and the base station that supports it, depending on the context. In addition, because a TRP is typically the physical transmission point of a cell, the terms “cell” and “TRP” may be used interchangeably. In some cases, the term “cell” may also refer to a geographic coverage area of a base station (e.g., a sector), insofar as a carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within some portion of geographic coverage areas 110.

[0048] While neighboring macro cell base station 102 geographic coverage areas 110 may partially overlap (e.g., in a handover region), some of the geographic coverage areas 110 may be substantially overlapped by a larger geographic coverage area 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' (labeled “SC” for “small cell”) may have a geographic coverage area 110' that substantially overlaps with the geographic coverage area 110 of one or more macro cell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell and macro cell base stations may be known as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include home eNBs (HeNBs), which may provide service to a restricted group known as a closed subscriber group (CSG).

[0049] The communication links 120 between the base stations 102 and the UEs 104 may include uplink (also referred to as reverse link) transmissions from a UE 104 to a base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also referred to as forward link) transmissions from a base station 102 to a UE 104. The communication links 120 may use MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication links 120 may be through one or more carrier frequencies. Allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to downlink and uplink (e.g., more or less carriers may be allocated for downlink than for uplink).

[0050] The wireless communications system 100 may further include a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) 150 in communication with WLAN stations (STAs) 152 via communication links 154 in an unlicensed frequency spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the WLAN STAs 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) or listen before talkQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO11 / 83(LBT) procedure prior to communicating in order to determine whether the channel is available.

[0051] The small cell base station 102' may operate in a licensed and / or an unlicensed frequency spectrum. When operating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the small cell base station 102' may employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed frequency spectrum as used by the WLAN AP 150. The small cell base station 102', employing LTE / 5G in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, may boost coverage to and / or increase capacity of the access network. NR in unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as NR-U. LTE in an unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as LTE-U, licensed assisted access (LAA), or MULTEFIRE®.

[0052] The wireless communications system 100 may further include a millimeter wave (mmW) base station 180 that may operate in mmW frequencies and / or near mmW frequencies in communication with a UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is part of the RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength between 1 millimeter and 10 millimeters. Radio waves in this band may be referred to as a millimeter wave. Near mmW may extend down to a frequency of 3 GHz with a wavelength of 100 millimeters. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz, also referred to as centimeter wave. Communications using the mmW / near mmW radio frequency band have high path loss and a relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 may utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) over a mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. Further, it will be appreciated that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also transmit using mmW or near mmW and beamforming. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the foregoing illustrations are merely examples and should not be construed to limit the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0053] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing an RF signal in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omni-directionally). With transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., a UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thereby providing a faster (in terms of data rate) and stronger RF signal for the receiving device(s). To change the directionality of the RF signal whenQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO12 / 83 transmitting, a network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of the one or more transmitters that are broadcasting the RF signal. For example, a network node may use an array of antennas (referred to as a “phased array” or an “antenna array”) that creates a beam of RF waves that can be “steered” to point in different directions, without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, the RF current from the transmitter is fed to the individual antennas with the correct phase relationship so that the radio waves from the separate antennas add together to increase the radiation in a desired direction, while cancelling to suppress radiation in undesired directions.

[0054] Transmit beams may be quasi-co-located, meaning that they appear to the receiver (e.g., a UE) as having the same parameters, regardless of whether or not the transmitting antennas of the network node themselves are physically co-located. In NR, there are four types of quasi-co-location (QCL) relations. Specifically, a QCL relation of a given type means that certain parameters about a second reference RF signal on a second beam can be derived from information about a source reference RF signal on a source beam. Thus, if the source reference RF signal is QCL Type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type D, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the spatial receive parameter of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0055] In receive beamforming, the receiver uses a receive beam to amplify RF signals detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver can increase the gain setting and / or adjust the phase setting of an array of antennas in a particular direction to amplify (e.g., to increase the gain level of) the RF signals received from that direction. Thus, when a receiver is said to beamform in a certain direction, it means the beam gain in that direction is high relative to the beam gain along other directions, or the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gain in that direction of all other receive beams available to the receiver. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., referenceQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO13 / 83 signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal-to- interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), etc.) of the RF signals received from that direction.

[0056] Transmit and receive beams may be spatially related. A spatial relation means that parameters for a second beam (e.g., a transmit or receive beam) for a second reference signal can be derived from information about a first beam (e.g., a receive beam or a transmit beam) for a first reference signal. For example, a UE may use a particular receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam for sending an uplink reference signal (e.g., sounding reference signal (SRS)) to that base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

[0057] Note that a “downlink” beam may be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if a base station is forming the downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to a UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. If the UE is forming the downlink beam, however, it is a receive beam to receive the downlink reference signal. Similarly, an “uplink” beam may be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if a base station is forming the uplink beam, it is an uplink receive beam, and if a UE is forming the uplink beam, it is an uplink transmit beam.

[0058] The electromagnetic spectrum is often subdivided, based on frequency / wavelength, into various classes, bands, channels, etc. In 5G NR two initial operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz - 7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz - 52.6 GHz). It should be understood that although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often referred to (interchangeably) as a “Sub-6 GHz” band in various documents and articles. A similar nomenclature issue sometimes occurs with regard to FR2, which is often referred to (interchangeably) as a “millimeter wave” band in documents and articles, despite being different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz - 300 GHz) which is identified by the INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION® as a “millimeter wave” band.

[0059] The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are often referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR studies have identified an operating band for these mid-band frequencies as frequency range designation FR3 (7.125 GHz - 24.25 GHz). Frequency bands falling within FR3 may inherit FR1 characteristics and / or FR2 characteristics, and thus mayQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO14 / 83 effectively extend features of FR1 and / or FR2 into mid-band frequencies. In addition, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operation beyond 52.6 GHz. For example, three higher operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz - 71 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz - 114.25 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz - 300 GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands falls within the EHF band.

[0060] With the above aspects in mind, unless specifically stated otherwise, it should be understood that the term “sub-6 GHz” or the like if used herein may broadly represent frequencies that may be less than 6 GHz, may be within FR1, or may include mid-band frequencies. Further, unless specifically stated otherwise, it should be understood that the term “millimeter wave” or the like if used herein may broadly represent frequencies that may include mid-band frequencies, may be within FR2, FR4, FR4-a or FR4-1, and / or FR5, or may be within the EHF band.

[0061] In a multi-carrier system, such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the “primary carrier” or “anchor carrier” or “primary serving cell” or “PCell,” and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as “secondary carriers” or “secondary serving cells” or “SCells.” In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by a UE 104 / 182 and the cell in which the UE 104 / 182 either performs the initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates the RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels, and may be a carrier in a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case). A secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that may be configured once the RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier and that may be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier may be a carrier in an unlicensed frequency. The secondary carrier may contain only necessary signaling information and signals, for example, those that are UE-specific may not be present in the secondary carrier, since both primary uplink and downlink carriers are typically UE-specific. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell may have different downlink primary carriers. The same is true for the uplink primary carriers. The network is able to change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to balance the load on different carriers. Because a “serving cell” (whether aQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO15 / 83PCell or an SCell) corresponds to a carrier frequency / component carrier over which some base station is communicating, the term “cell,” “serving cell,” “component carrier,” “carrier frequency,” and the like can be used interchangeably.

[0062] For example, still referring to FIG. 1, one of the frequencies utilized by the macro cell base stations 102 may be an anchor carrier (or “PCell”) and other frequencies utilized by the macro cell base stations 102 and / or the mmW base station 180 may be secondary carriers (“SCells”). The simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers enables the UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rates. For example, two 20 MHz aggregated carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically lead to a two-fold increase in data rate (i.e., 40 MHz), compared to that attained by a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0063] The wireless communications system 100 may further include a UE 164 that may communicate with a macro cell base station 102 over a communication link 120 and / or the mmW base station 180 over a mmW communication link 184. For example, the macro cell base station 102 may support a PCell and one or more SCells for the UE 164 and the mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for the UE 164.

[0064] In some cases, the UE 164 and the UE 182 may be capable of sidelink communication. Sidelink-capable UEs (SL-UEs) may communicate with base stations 102 over communication links 120 using the Uu interface (i.e., the air interface between a UE and a base station). SL-UEs (e.g., UE 164, UE 182) may also communicate directly with each other over a wireless sidelink 160 using the PC5 interface (i.e., the air interface between sidelink-capable UEs). A wireless sidelink (or just “sidelink”) is an adaptation of the core cellular (e.g., LTE, NR) standard that allows direct communication between two or more UEs without the communication needing to go through a base station. Sidelink communication may be unicast or multicast, and may be used for device-to-device (D2D) media-sharing, vehi cl e-to- vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication (e.g., cellular V2X (cV2X) communication, enhanced V2X (eV2X) communication, etc.), emergency rescue applications, etc. One or more of a group of SL- UEs utilizing sidelink communications may be within the geographic coverage area 110 of a base station 102. Other SL-UEs in such a group may be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of a base station 102 or be otherwise unable to receive transmissions from a base station 102. In some cases, groups of SL-UEs communicating via sidelinkQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO16 / 83 communications may utilize a one-to-many (1 :M) system in which each SL-UE transmits to every other SL-UE in the group. In some cases, a base station 102 facilitates the scheduling of resources for sidelink communications. In other cases, sidelink communications are carried out between SL-UEs without the involvement of a base station 102.

[0065] In some aspects, the sidelink 160 may operate over a wireless communication medium of interest, which may be shared with other wireless communications between other vehicles and / or infrastructure access points, as well as other RATs. A “medium” may be composed of one or more time, frequency, and / or space communication resources (e.g., encompassing one or more channels across one or more carriers) associated with wireless communication between one or more transmitter / receiver pairs. In some aspects, the medium of interest may correspond to at least a portion of an unlicensed frequency band shared among various RATs. Although different licensed frequency bands have been reserved for certain communication systems (e.g., by a government entity such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States), these systems, in particular those employing small cell access points, have recently extended operation into unlicensed frequency bands such as the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) band used by wireless local area network (WLAN) technologies, most notably IEEE 802.1 lx WLAN technologies generally referred to as “Wi-Fi.” Example systems of this type include different variants of CDMA systems, TDMA systems, FDMA systems, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) systems, and so on.

[0066] Note that although FIG. 1 only illustrates two of the UEs as SL-UEs (i.e., UEs 164 and 182), any of the illustrated UEs may be SL-UEs. Further, although only UE 182 was described as being capable of beamforming, any of the illustrated UEs, including UE 164, may be capable of beamforming. Where SL-UEs are capable of beamforming, they may beamform towards each other (i.e., towards other SL-UEs), towards other UEs (e.g., UEs 104), towards base stations (e.g., base stations 102, 180, small cell 102’, access point 150), etc. Thus, in some cases, UEs 164 and 182 may utilize beamforming over sidelink 160.

[0067] In the example of FIG. 1, any of the illustrated UEs (shown in FIG. 1 as a single UE 104 for simplicity) may receive signals 124 from one or more Earth orbiting space vehiclesQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO17 / 83(SVs) 112 (e.g., satellites). In some aspects, the SVs 112 may be part of a satellite positioning system that a UE 104 can use as an independent source of location information. A satellite positioning system typically includes a system of transmitters (e.g., SVs 112) positioned to enable receivers (e.g., UEs 104) to determine their location on or above the Earth based, at least in part, on positioning signals (e.g., signals 124) received from the transmitters. Such a transmitter typically transmits a signal marked with a repeating pseudo-random noise (PN) code of a set number of chips. While typically located in SVs 112, transmitters may sometimes be located on ground-based control stations, base stations 102, and / or other UEs 104. A UE 104 may include one or more dedicated receivers specifically designed to receive signals 124 for deriving geo location information from the SVs 112.

[0068] In a satellite positioning system, the use of signals 124 can be augmented by various satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS) that may be associated with or otherwise enabled for use with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems. For example an SBAS may include an augmentation system(s) that provides integrity information, differential corrections, etc., such as the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), the Multifunctional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), the Global Positioning System (GPS) Aided Geo Augmented Navigation or GPS and Geo Augmented Navigation system (GAGAN), and / or the like. Thus, as used herein, a satellite positioning system may include any combination of one or more global and / or regional navigation satellites associated with such one or more satellite positioning systems.

[0069] In some aspects, SVs 112 may additionally or alternatively be part of one or more nonterrestrial networks (NTNs). In an NTN, an SV 112 is connected to an earth station (also referred to as a ground station, NTN gateway, or gateway), which in turn is connected to an element in a 5G network, such as a modified base station 102 (without a terrestrial antenna) or a network node in a 5GC. This element would in turn provide access to other elements in the 5G network and ultimately to entities external to the 5G network, such as Internet web servers and other user devices. In that way, a UE 104 may receive communication signals (e.g., signals 124) from an SV 112 instead of, or in addition to, communication signals from a terrestrial base station 102.QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO18 / 83

[0070] The wireless communications system 100 may further include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, that connects indirectly to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links (referred to as “sidelinks”). In the example of FIG. 1, UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of the UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 102 (e.g., through which UE 190 may indirectly obtain cellular connectivity) and a D2D P2P link 194 with WLAN STA 152 connected to the WLAN AP 150 (through which UE 190 may indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In an example, the D2D P2P links 192 and 194 may be supported with any well-known D2D RAT, such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WI-FI DIRECT®, BLUETOOTH®, and so on.

[0071] FIG. 2A illustrates an example wireless network structure 200. For example, a 5GC 210 (also referred to as a Next Generation Core (NGC)) can be viewed functionally as control plane (C-plane) functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane (U-plane) functions 212, (e.g., UE gateway function, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.) which operate cooperatively to form the core network. User plane interface (NG-U) 213 and control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect the gNB 222 to the 5GC 210 and specifically to the user plane functions 212 and control plane functions 214, respectively. In an additional configuration, an ng-eNB 224 may also be connected to the 5GC 210 via NG-C 215 to the control plane functions 214 and NG-U 213 to user plane functions 212. Further, ng-eNB 224 may directly communicate with gNB 222 via a backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, a Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN) 220 may have one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of both ng-eNBs 224 and gNBs 222. Either (or both) gNB 222 or ng-eNB 224 may communicate with one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0072] Another optional aspect may include a location server 230, which may be in communication with the 5GC 210 to provide location assistance for UE(s) 204. The location server 230 can be implemented as a plurality of separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternately may each correspond to a single server. The location server 230 can be configured to support one or more location services for UEs 204 that can connect to the location server 230 via the coreQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO19 / 83 network, 5GC 210, and / or via the Internet (not illustrated). Further, the location server 230 may be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively may be external to the core network (e.g., a third party server, such as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) server or service server).

[0073] FIG. 2B illustrates another example wireless network structure 240. A 5GC 260 (which may correspond to 5GC 210 in FIG. 2A) can be viewed functionally as control plane functions, provided by an access and mobility management function (AMF) 264, and user plane functions, provided by a user plane function (UPF) 262, which operate cooperatively to form the core network (i.e., 5GC 260). The functions of the AMF 264 include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transport for session management (SM) messages between one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein) and a session management function (SMF) 266, transparent proxy services for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transport for short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and the short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and security anchor functionality (SEAF). The AMF 264 also interacts with an authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204, and receives the intermediate key that was established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In the case of authentication based on a UMTS (universal mobile telecommunications system) subscriber identity module (USIM), the AMF 264 retrieves the security material from the AUSF. The functions of the AMF 264 also include security context management (SCM). The SCM receives a key from the SEAF that it uses to derive access-network specific keys. The functionality of the AMF 264 also includes location services management for regulatory services, transport for location services messages between the UE 204 and a location management function (LMF) 270 (which acts as a location server 230), transport for location services messages between the NG-RAN 220 and the LMF 270, evolved packet system (EPS) bearer identifier allocation for interworking with the EPS, and UE 204 mobility event notification. In addition, the AMF 264 also supports functionalities for non-3GPP® (Third Generation Partnership Project) access networks.

[0074] Functions of the UPF 262 include acting as an anchor point for intra / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), acting as an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point ofQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO20 / 83 interconnect to a data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) handling for the user plane (e.g., uplink / downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in the downlink), uplink traffic verification (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in the uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding of one or more “end markers” to the source RAN node. The UPF 262 may also support transfer of location services messages over a user plane between the UE 204 and a location server, such as an SLP 272.

[0075] The functions of the SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic steering at the UPF 262 to route traffic to the proper destination, control of part of policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface over which the SMF 266 communicates with the AMF 264 is referred to as the Ni l interface.

[0076] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270, which may be in communication with the 5GC 260 to provide location assistance for UEs 204. The LMF 270 can be implemented as a plurality of separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternately may each correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more location services for UEs 204 that can connect to the LMF 270 via the core network, 5GC 260, and / or via the Internet (not illustrated). The SLP 272 may support similar functions to the LMF 270, but whereas the LMF 270 may communicate with the AMF 264, NG-RAN 220, and UEs 204 over a control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols intended to convey signaling messages and not voice or data), the SLP 272 may communicate with UEs 204 and external clients (e.g., third-party server 274) over a user plane (e.g., using protocols intended to carry voice and / or data like the transmission control protocol (TCP) and / or IP).

[0077] Yet another optional aspect may include a third-party server 274, which may be in communication with the LMF 270, the SLP 272, the 5GC 260 (e.g., via the AMF 264 and / or the UPF 262), the NG-RAN 220, and / or the UE 204 to obtain location informationQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO21 / 83(e.g., a location estimate) for the UE 204. As such, in some cases, the third-party server 274 may be referred to as a location services (LCS) client or an external client. The third- party server 274 can be implemented as a plurality of separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternately may each correspond to a single server.

[0078] User plane interface 263 and control plane interface 265 connect the 5GC 260, and specifically the UPF 262 and AMF 264, respectively, to one or more gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 in the NG-RAN 220. The interface between gNB(s) 222 and / or ng-eNB(s) 224 and the AMF 264 is referred to as the “N2” interface, and the interface between gNB(s) 222 and / or ng-eNB(s) 224 and the UPF 262 is referred to as the “N3” interface. The gNB(s) 222 and / or ng-eNB(s) 224 of the NG-RAN 220 may communicate directly with each other via backhaul connections 223, referred to as the “Xn-C” interface. One or more of gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 may communicate with one or more UEs 204 over a wireless interface, referred to as the “Uu” interface.

[0079] The functionality of a gNB 222 may be divided between a gNB central unit (gNB-CU) 226, one or more gNB distributed units (gNB-DUs) 228, and one or more gNB radio units (gNB-RUs) 229. A gNB-CU 226 is a logical node that includes the base station functions of transferring user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, session management, and the like, except for those functions allocated exclusively to the gNB-DU(s) 228. More specifically, the gNB-CU 226 generally host the radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) protocols of the gNB 222. A gNB-DU 228 is a logical node that generally hosts the radio link control (RLC) and medium access control (MAC) layer of the gNB 222. Its operation is controlled by the gNB-CU 226. One gNB-DU 228 can support one or more cells, and one cell is supported by only one gNB-DU 228. The interface 232 between the gNB-CU 226 and the one or more gNB-DUs 228 is referred to as the “Fl” interface. The physical (PHY) layer functionality of a gNB 222 is generally hosted by one or more standalone gNB-RUs 229 that perform functions such as power amplification and signal transmission / reception. The interface between a gNB-DU 228 and a gNB-RU 229 is referred to as the “Fx” interface. Thus, a UE 204 communicatesQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO22 / 83 with the gNB-CU 226 via the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers, with a gNB-DU 228 via the RLC and MAC layers, and with a gNB-RU 229 via the PHY layer.

[0080] Deployment of communication systems, such as 5G NR systems, may be arranged in multiple manners with various components or constituent parts. In a 5G NR system, or network, a network node, a network entity, a mobility element of a network, a RAN node, a core network node, a network element, or a network equipment, such as a base station, or one or more units (or one or more components) performing base station functionality, may be implemented in an aggregated or disaggregated architecture. For example, a base station (such as a Node B (NB), evolved NB (eNB), NR base station, 5G NB, AP, TRP, cell, etc.) may be implemented as an aggregated base station (also known as a standalone base station or a monolithic base station) or a disaggregated base station.

[0081] An aggregated base station may be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node. A disaggregated base station may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed among two or more units (such as one or more central or centralized units (CUs), one or more distributed units (DUs), or one or more radio units (RUs)). In some aspects, a CU may be implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs may be co-located with the CU, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed throughout one or multiple other RAN nodes. The DUs may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of the CU, DU and RU also can be implemented as virtual units, i.e., a virtual central unit (VCU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual radio unit (VRU).

[0082] Base station-type operation or network design may consider aggregation characteristics of base station functionality. For example, disaggregated base stations may be utilized in an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open radio access network (0-RAN (such as the network configuration sponsored by the 0-RAN ALLIANCE®)), or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN, also known as a cloud radio access network (C- RAN)). Disaggregation may include distributing functionality across two or more units at various physical locations, as well as distributing functionality for at least one unit virtually, which can enable flexibility in network design. The various units of the disaggregated base station, or disaggregated RAN architecture, can be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit.QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO23 / 83

[0083] FIG. 2C illustrates an example disaggregated base station architecture 250, according to aspects of the disclosure. The disaggregated base station architecture 250 may include one or more central units (CUs) 280 (e.g., gNB-CU 226) that can communicate directly with a core network 267 (e.g., 5GC 210, 5GC 260) via a backhaul link, or indirectly with the core network 267 through one or more disaggregated base station units (such as a Near-Real Time (Near-RT) RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) 259 via an E2 link, or a Non-Real Time (Non-RT) RIC 257 associated with a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) Framework 255, or both). A CU 280 may communicate with one or more DUs 285 (e.g., gNB-DUs 228) via respective midhaul links, such as an Fl interface. The DUs 285 may communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 287 (e.g., gNB-RUs 229) via respective fronthaul links. The RUs 287 may communicate with respective UEs 204 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, the UE 204 may be simultaneously served by multiple RUs 287.

[0084] Each of the units, i.e., the CUs 280, the DUs 285, the RUs 287, as well as the Near-RT RICs 259, the Non-RT RICs 257 and the SMO Framework 255, may include one or more interfaces or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or transmit signals, data, or information (collectively, signals) via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each of the units, or an associated processor or controller providing instructions to the communication interfaces of the units, can be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via the transmission medium. For example, the units can include a wired interface configured to receive or transmit signals over a wired transmission medium to one or more of the other units. Additionally, the units can include a wireless interface, which may include a receiver, a transmitter or transceiver (such as a RF transceiver), configured to receive or transmit signals, or both, over a wireless transmission medium to one or more of the other units.

[0085] In some aspects, the CU 280 may host one or more higher layer control functions. Such control functions can include RRC, PDCP, service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), or the like. Each control function can be implemented with an interface configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by the CU 280. The CU 280 may be configured to handle user plane functionality (i.e., Central Unit - User Plane (CU- UP)), control plane functionality (i.e., Central Unit - Control Plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the CU 280 can be logically split intoQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO24 / 83 one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. The CU-UP unit can communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP unit via an interface, such as the El interface when implemented in an O-RAN configuration. The CU 280 can be implemented to communicate with the DU 285, as necessary, for network control and signaling.

[0086] The DU 285 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions to control the operation of one or more RUs 287. In some aspects, the DU 285 may host one or more of a RLC layer, a MAC layer, and one or more high PHY layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, or the like) depending, at least in part, on a functional split, such as those defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®). In some aspects, the DU 285 may further host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) can be implemented with an interface configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by the DU 285, or with the control functions hosted by the CU 280.

[0087] Lower-layer functionality can be implemented by one or more RUs 287. In some deployments, an RU 287, controlled by a DU 285, may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions, or low-PHY layer functions (such as performing fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, or the like), or both, based at least in part on the functional split, such as a lower layer functional split. In such an architecture, the RU(s) 287 can be implemented to handle over the air (OTA) communication with one or more UEs 204. In some implementations, real-time and non-real-time aspects of control and user plane communication with the RU(s) 287 can be controlled by the corresponding DU 285. In some scenarios, this configuration can enable the DU(s) 285 and the CU 280 to be implemented in a cloud-based RAN architecture, such as a vRAN architecture.

[0088] The SMO Framework 255 may be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of non-virtualized and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO Framework 255 may be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements which may be managed via an operations and maintenance interface (such as an 01 interface). ForQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO25 / 83 virtualized network elements, the SMO Framework 255 may be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as an open cloud (O-Cloud) 269) to perform network element life cycle management (such as to instantiate virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as an 02 interface). Such virtualized network elements can include, but are not limited to, CUs 280, DUs 285, RUs 287 and Near-RT RICs 259. In some implementations, the SMO Framework 255 can communicate with a hardware aspect of a 4G RAN, such as an open eNB (O-eNB) 261, via an 01 interface. Additionally, in some implementations, the SMO Framework 255 can communicate directly with one or more RUs 287 via an 01 interface. The SMO Framework 255 also may include a Non-RT RIC 257 configured to support functionality of the SMO Framework 255.

[0089] The Non-RT RIC 257 may be configured to include a logical function that enables non- real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows including model training and updates, or policy-based guidance of applications / features in the Near-RT RIC 259. The Non-RT RIC 257 may be coupled to or communicate with (such as via an Al interface) the Near- RT RIC 259. The Near-RT RIC 259 may be configured to include a logical function that enables near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions over an interface (such as via an E2 interface) connecting one or more CUs 280, one or more DUs 285, or both, as well as an O-eNB, with the Near-RT RIC 259.

[0090] In some implementations, to generate AI / ML models to be deployed in the Near-RT RIC 259, the Non-RT RIC 257 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from external servers. Such information may be utilized by the Near-RT RIC 259 and may be received at the SMO Framework 255 or the Non-RT RIC 257 from non-network data sources or from network functions. In some examples, the Non-RT RIC 257 or the Near-RT RIC 259 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the Non-RT RIC 257 may monitor long-term trends and patterns for performance and employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions through the SMO Framework 255 (such as reconfiguration via 01) or via creation of RAN management policies (such as Al policies).QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO26 / 83

[0091] FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C illustrate several example components (represented by corresponding blocks) that may be incorporated into a UE 302 (which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein), a base station 304 (which may correspond to any of the base stations described herein), and a network entity 306 (which may correspond to or embody any of the network functions described herein, including the location server 230 and the LMF 270, or alternatively may be independent from the NG-RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260 infrastructure depicted in FIGS. 2A and 2B, such as a private network) to support the operations described herein. It will be appreciated that these components may be implemented in different types of apparatuses in different implementations (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system-on-chip (SoC), etc.). The illustrated components may also be incorporated into other apparatuses in a communication system. For example, other apparatuses in a system may include components similar to those described to provide similar functionality. Also, a given apparatus may contain one or more of the components. For example, an apparatus may include multiple transceiver components that enable the apparatus to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0092] The UE 302 and the base station 304 each include one or more wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceivers 310 and 350, respectively, providing means for communicating (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for refraining from transmitting, etc.) via one or more wireless communication networks (not shown), such as an NR network, an LTE network, a GSM network, and / or the like. The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may each be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356, respectively, for communicating with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNBs, gNBs), etc., via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) over a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., some set of time / frequency resources in a particular frequency spectrum). The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may be variously configured for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, and so on), respectively, and, conversely, for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, and so on), respectively, in accordance with the designated RAT. Specifically, the WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 include one or more transmitters 314 and 354, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals 318QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO27 / 83 and 358, respectively, and one or more receivers 312 and 352, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358, respectively.

[0093] The UE 302 and the base station 304 each also include, at least in some cases, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 may be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, and provide means for communicating (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for refraining from transmitting, etc.) with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc., via at least one designated RAT (e.g., Wi-Fi, LTE Direct, BLUETOOTH®, ZIGBEE®, Z-WAVE®, PC5, dedicated short-range communications (DSRC), wireless access for vehicular environments (WAVE), near-field communication (NFC), ultra- wideband (UWB), etc.) over a wireless communication medium of interest. The short- range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 may be variously configured for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, and so on), respectively, and, conversely, for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, and so on), respectively, in accordance with the designated RAT. Specifically, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 include one or more transmitters 324 and 364, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, respectively, and one or more receivers 322 and 362, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368, respectively. As specific examples, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 may be Wi-Fi transceivers, BLUETOOTH® transceivers, ZIGBEE® and / or Z-WAVE® transceivers, NFC transceivers, UWB transceivers, or vehi cl e-to- vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to- everything (V2X) transceivers.

[0094] The UE 302 and the base station 304 also include, at least in some cases, satellite signal interfaces 330 and 370, which each include one or more satellite signal receivers 332 and 372, respectively, and may optionally include one or more satellite signal transmitters 334 and 374, respectively. In some cases, the base station 304 may be a terrestrial base station that may communicate with space vehicles (e.g., space vehicles 112) via the satellite signal interface 370. In other cases, the base station 304 may be a space vehicle (or other non-terrestrial entity) that uses the satellite signal interface 370 to communicate with terrestrial networks and / or other space vehicles.QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO28 / 83

[0095] The satellite signal receivers 332 and 372 may be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and may provide means for receiving and / or measuring satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. Where the satellite signal receiver(s) 332 and 372 are satellite positioning system receivers, the satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 may be global positioning system (GPS) signals, global navigation satellite system (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, Beidou signals, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) signals, etc. Where the satellite signal receiver(s) 332 and 372 are nonterrestrial network (NTN) receivers, the satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 may be communication signals (e.g., carrying control and / or user data) originating from a 5G network. The satellite signal receiver(s) 332 and 372 may comprise any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. The satellite signal receiver(s) 332 and 372 may request information and operations as appropriate from the other systems, and, at least in some cases, perform calculations to determine locations of the UE 302 and the base station 304, respectively, using measurements obtained by any suitable satellite positioning system algorithm.

[0096] The optional satellite signal transmitter(s) 334 and 374, when present, may be connected to the one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and may provide means for transmitting satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. Where the satellite signal transmitter(s) 374 are satellite positioning system transmitters, the satellite positioning / communication signals 378 may be GPS signals, GLONASS® signals, Galileo signals, Beidou signals, NAVIC, QZSS signals, etc. Where the satellite signal transmitter(s) 334 and 374 are NTN transmitters, the satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 may be communication signals (e.g., carrying control and / or user data) originating from a 5G network. The satellite signal transmitter(s) 334 and 374 may comprise any suitable hardware and / or software for transmitting satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. The satellite signal transmitter(s) 334 and 374 may request information and operations as appropriate from the other systems.

[0097] The base station 304 and the network entity 306 each include one or more network transceivers 380 and 390, respectively, providing means for communicating (e.g., meansQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO29 / 83 for transmitting, means for receiving, etc.) with other network entities (e.g., other base stations 304, other network entities 306). For example, the base station 304 may employ the one or more network transceivers 380 to communicate with other base stations 304 or network entities 306 over one or more wired or wireless backhaul links. As another example, the network entity 306 may employ the one or more network transceivers 390 to communicate with one or more base station 304 over one or more wired or wireless backhaul links, or with other network entities 306 over one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.

[0098] A transceiver may be configured to communicate over a wired or wireless link. A transceiver (whether a wired transceiver or a wireless transceiver) includes transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) and receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362). A transceiver may be an integrated device (e.g., embodying transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry in a single device) in some implementations, may comprise separate transmitter circuitry and separate receiver circuitry in some implementations, or may be embodied in other ways in other implementations. The transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry of a wired transceiver (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) may be coupled to one or more wired network interface ports. Wireless transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) may include or be coupled to a plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array, that permits the respective apparatus (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform transmit “beamforming,” as described herein. Similarly, wireless receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362) may include or be coupled to a plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array, that permits the respective apparatus (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform receive beamforming, as described herein. In some aspects, the transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry may share the same plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such that the respective apparatus can only receive or transmit at a given time, not both at the same time. A wireless transceiver (e.g., WWAN transceivers 310 and 350, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360) may also include a network listen module (NUM) or the like for performing various measurements.

[0099] As used herein, the various wireless transceivers (e.g., transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, and network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) and wiredQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO30 / 83 transceivers (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) may generally be characterized as “a transceiver,” “at least one transceiver,” or “one or more transceivers.” As such, whether a particular transceiver is a wired or wireless transceiver may be inferred from the type of communication performed. For example, backhaul communication between network devices or servers will generally relate to signaling via a wired transceiver, whereas wireless communication between a UE (e.g., UE 302) and a base station (e.g., base station 304) will generally relate to signaling via a wireless transceiver.

[0100] The UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 also include other components that may be used in conjunction with the operations as disclosed herein. The UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 include one or more processors 342, 384, and 394, respectively, for providing functionality relating to, for example, wireless communication, and for providing other processing functionality. The processors 342, 384, and 394 may therefore provide means for processing, such as means for determining, means for calculating, means for receiving, means for transmitting, means for indicating, etc. In some aspects, the processors 342, 384, and 394 may include, for example, one or more general purpose processors, multi-core processors, central processing units (CPUs), ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), other programmable logic devices or processing circuitry, or various combinations thereof.

[0101] The UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 include memory circuitry implementing memories 340, 386, and 396 (e.g., each including a memory device), respectively, for maintaining information (e.g., information indicative of reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, and so on). The memories 340, 386, and 396 may therefore provide means for storing, means for retrieving, means for maintaining, etc. In some cases, the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 may include sensing component 348, 388, and 398, respectively. The sensing component 348, 388, and 398 may be hardware circuits that are part of or coupled to the processors 342, 384, and 394, respectively, that, when executed, cause the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. In other aspects, the sensing component 348, 388, and 398 may be external to the processors 342, 384, and 394 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system,QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO31 / 83 etc.). Alternatively, the sensing component 348, 388, and 398 may be memory modules stored in the memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively, that, when executed by the processors 342, 384, and 394 (or a modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), cause the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. FIG. 3A illustrates possible locations of the sensing component 348, which may be, for example, part of the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the memory 340, the one or more processors 342, or any combination thereof, or may be a standalone component. FIG. 3B illustrates possible locations of the sensing component 388, which may be, for example, part of the one or more WWAN transceivers 350, the memory 386, the one or more processors 384, or any combination thereof, or may be a standalone component. FIG. 3C illustrates possible locations of the sensing component 398, which may be, for example, part of the one or more network transceivers 390, the memory 396, the one or more processors 394, or any combination thereof, or may be a standalone component.

[0102] The UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to the one or more processors 342 to provide means for sensing or detecting movement and / or orientation information that is independent of motion data derived from signals received by the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, and / or the satellite signal interface 330. By way of example, the sensor(s) 344 may include an accelerometer (e.g., a micro-electrical mechanical systems (MEMS) device), a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor (e.g., a compass), an altimeter (e.g., a barometric pressure altimeter), and / or any other type of movement detection sensor. Moreover, the sensor(s) 344 may include a plurality of different types of devices and combine their outputs in order to provide motion information. For example, the sensor(s) 344 may use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and orientation sensors to provide the ability to compute positions in two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate systems.

[0103] In addition, the UE 302 includes a user interface 346 providing means for providing indications (e.g., audible and / or visual indications) to a user and / or for receiving user input (e.g., upon user actuation of a sensing device such a keypad, a touch screen, a microphone, and so on). Although not shown, the base station 304 and the network entity 306 may also include user interfaces.QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO32 / 83

[0104] Referring to the one or more processors 384 in more detail, in the downlink, IP packets from the network entity 306 may be provided to the processor 384. The one or more processors 384 may implement functionality for an RRC layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a medium access control (MAC) layer. The one or more processors 384 may provide RRC layer functionality associated with broadcasting of system information (e.g., master information block (MIB), system information blocks (SIBs)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with the transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction through automatic repeat request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0105] The transmitter 354 and the receiver 352 may implement Layer- 1 (LI) functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer-1, which includes a physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on the transport channels, forward error correction (FEC) coding / decoding of the transport channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping onto physical channels, modulation / demodulation of physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. The transmitter 354 handles mapping to signal constellations based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols may then be split into parallel streams. Each stream may then be mapped to an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and / or frequency domain, and then combined together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM symbol stream is spatially precoded to produce multiple spatialQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO33 / 83 streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator may be used to determine the coding and modulation scheme, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimate may be derived from a reference signal and / or channel condition feedback transmitted by the UE 302. Each spatial stream may then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. The transmitter 354 may modulate an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

[0106] At the UE 302, the receiver 312 receives a signal through its respective antenna(s) 316. The receiver 312 recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to the one or more processors 342. The transmitter 314 and the receiver 312 implement Layer- 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. The receiver 312 may perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 302, they may be combined by the receiver 312 into a single OFDM symbol stream. The receiver 312 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time-domain to the frequency domain using a fast Fourier transform (FFT). The frequency domain signal comprises a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, and the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation points transmitted by the base station 304. These soft decisions may be based on channel estimates computed by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and de-interleaved to recover the data and control signals that were originally transmitted by the base station 304 on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to the one or more processors 342, which implements Layer-3 (L3) and Layer-2 (L2) functionality.

[0107] In the downlink, the one or more processors 342 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. The one or more processors 342 are also responsible for error detection.

[0108] Similar to the functionality described in connection with the downlink transmission by the base station 304, the one or more processors 342 provides RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIBs) acquisition, RRC connections, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, and security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection,QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO34 / 83 integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with the transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0109] Channel estimates derived by the channel estimator from a reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 304 may be used by the transmitter 314 to select the appropriate coding and modulation schemes, and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the transmitter 314 may be provided to different antenna(s) 316. The transmitter 314 may modulate an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

[0110] The uplink transmission is processed at the base station 304 in a manner similar to that described in connection with the receiver function at the UE 302. The receiver 352 receives a signal through its respective antenna(s) 356. The receiver 352 recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to the one or more processors 384.[OHl] In the uplink, the one or more processors 384 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 302. IP packets from the one or more processors 384 may be provided to the core network. The one or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0112] For convenience, the UE 302, the base station 304, and / or the network entity 306 are shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C as including various components that may be configured according to the various examples described herein. It will be appreciated, however, that the illustrated components may have different functionality in different designs. In particular, various components in FIGS. 3A to 3C are optional in alternative configurations and the various aspects include configurations that may vary due to design choice, costs, use of the device, or other considerations. For example, in case of FIG. 3A, a particular implementation of UE 302 may omit the WWAN transceiver(s) 310 (e.g., a wearable device or tablet computer or personal computer (PC) or laptop may have Wi-FiQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO35 / 83 and / or BLUETOOTH® capability without cellular capability), or may omit the short- range wireless transceiver(s) 320 (e.g., cellular-only, etc.), or may omit the satellite signal interface 330, or may omit the sensor(s) 344, and so on. In another example, in case of FIG. 3B, a particular implementation of the base station 304 may omit the WWAN transceiver(s) 350 (e.g., a Wi-Fi “hotspot” access point without cellular capability), or may omit the short-range wireless transceiver(s) 360 (e.g., cellular-only, etc.), or may omit the satellite signal interface 370, and so on. For brevity, illustration of the various alternative configurations is not provided herein, but would be readily understandable to one skilled in the art.

[0113] The various components of the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 may be communicatively coupled to each other over data buses 308, 382, and 392, respectively. In some aspects, the data buses 308, 382, and 392 may form, or be part of, a communication interface of the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306, respectively. For example, where different logical entities are embodied in the same device (e.g., gNB and location server functionality incorporated into the same base station 304), the data buses 308, 382, and 392 may provide communication between them.

[0114] The components of FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C may be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, the components of FIGS. 3 A, 3B, and 3C may be implemented in one or more circuits such as, for example, one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors). Here, each circuit may use and / or incorporate at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide this functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 310 to 346 may be implemented by processor and memory component(s) of the UE 302 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350 to 388 may be implemented by processor and memory component(s) of the base station 304 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of processor components). Also, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390 to 398 may be implemented by processor and memory component(s) of the network entity 306 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of processor components). For simplicity, various operations, acts, and / or functions are described herein as being performed “by a UE,” “byQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO36 / 83 a base station,” “by a network entity,” etc. However, as will be appreciated, such operations, acts, and / or functions may actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components of the UE 302, base station 304, network entity 306, etc., such as the processors 342, 384, 394, the transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, the memories 340, 386, and 396, the sensing component 348, 388, and 398, etc.

[0115] In some designs, the network entity 306 may be implemented as a core network component. In other designs, the network entity 306 may be distinct from a network operator or operation of the cellular network infrastructure (e.g., NG RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260). For example, the network entity 306 may be a component of a private network that may be configured to communicate with the UE 302 via the base station 304 or independently from the base station 304 (e.g., over a non-cellular communication link, such as Wi-Fi).

[0116] Wireless communication signals (e.g., radio frequency (RF) signals configured to carry orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols in accordance with a wireless communications standard, such as LTE, NR, etc.) transmitted between a UE and a base station can be used for environment sensing (also referred to as “RF sensing” or “wireless sensing”). Using wireless communication signals for environment sensing can be regarded as consumer-level wireless sensing with advanced detection capabilities that enable, among other things, touchless / device-free interaction with a device / system. The wireless communication signals may be cellular communication signals, such as LTE or NR signals, WLAN signals, such as Wi-Fi signals, etc. As a particular example, the wireless communication signals may be an OFDM waveform as utilized in LTE and NR. High-frequency communication signals, such as millimeter wave (mmW) RF signals, are especially beneficial to use as sensing signals because the higher frequency provides, at least, more accurate range (distance) detection.

[0117] Possible use cases of RF sensing include health monitoring use cases, such as heartbeat detection, respiration rate monitoring, and the like, gesture recognition use cases, such as human activity recognition, keystroke detection, sign language recognition, and the like, contextual information acquisition use cases, such as location detection / tracking, direction finding, range estimation, and the like, and automotive sensing use cases, such as smart cruise control, collision avoidance, and the like.QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO37 / 83

[0118] There are different types of sensing, including monostatic sensing (also referred to as “active sensing”) and bistatic sensing (also referred to as “passive sensing”). FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate these different types of sensing. Specifically, FIG. 4A is a diagram 400 illustrating a monostatic sensing scenario and FIG. 4B is a diagram 430 illustrating a bistatic sensing scenario. In FIG. 4A, the transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) are colocated in the same sensing device 404 (e.g., a UE). The sensing device 404 transmits one or more RF sensing signals 434 (e.g., uplink or sidelink positioning reference signals (PRS) where the sensing device 404 is a UE), and some of the RF sensing signals 434 reflect off a target object 406 (e.g., an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)). The sensing device 404 can measure various properties (e.g., times of arrival (ToAs), angles of arrival (AoAs), phase shift, etc.) of the reflections 436 of the RF sensing signals 434 to determine characteristics of the target object 406 (e.g., size, shape, speed, motion state, etc.).

[0119] In FIG. 4B, the transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) are not co-located, that is, they are separate devices (e.g., a UE and a base station). Note that while FIG. 4B illustrates using a downlink RF signal as the RF sensing signal 432, uplink RF signals or sidelink RF signals can also be used as RF sensing signals 432. In a downlink scenario, as shown, the transmitter device 402 is a base station (e.g., a gNB) and the receiver device 408 is a UE (e.g., a mobile phone, a V2X-capable vehicle, a roadside unit (RSU), etc.), whereas in an uplink scenario, the transmitter device 402 is a UE and the receiver device 408 is a base station. Where the transmitter device 402 is a base station and the receiver device 408 a UE, the sensing is referred to as UE-assisted sensing. In UE-assisted sensing, the position of receiver device 408 should be known by the network (e.g., by GPS or other UE positioning method).

[0120] Referring to FIG. 4B in greater detail, the transmitter device 402 transmits RF sensing signals 432 and 434 (e.g., positioning reference signals (PRS)) to the receiver device 408, but some of the RF sensing signals 434 reflect off a target object 406. The receiver device 408 (also referred to as the “sensing device”) can measure the times of arrival (ToAs) of the RF sensing signals 432 received directly from the transmitter device 402 and the ToAs of the reflections 436 of the RF sensing signals 434 reflected from the target object 406.

[0121] More specifically, as described above, a transmitter device (e.g., a base station) may transmit a single RF signal or multiple RF signals to a receiver device (e.g., a UE). However, the receiver may receive multiple RF signals corresponding to each transmittedQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO38 / 83RF signal due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels. Each path may be associated with a cluster of one or more channel taps. Generally, the time at which the receiver detects the first cluster of channel taps is considered the ToA of the RF signal on the line-of-sight (LOS) path (i.e., the shortest path between the transmitter and the receiver). Later clusters of channel taps are considered to have reflected off objects between the transmitter and the receiver and therefore to have followed non-LOS (NLOS) paths between the transmitter and the receiver.

[0122] Thus, referring back to FIG. 4B, the RF sensing signals 432 followed the LOS path between the transmitter device 402 and the receiver device 408, and the RF sensing signals 434 followed an NLOS path between the transmitter device 402 and the receiver device 408 due to reflecting off the target object 406. The transmitter device 402 may have transmitted multiple RF sensing signals 432, 434, some of which followed the LOS path and others of which followed the NLOS path. Alternatively, the transmitter device 402 may have transmitted a single RF sensing signal in a broad enough beam that a portion of the RF sensing signal followed the LOS path (RF sensing signal 432) and a portion of the RF sensing signal followed the NLOS path (RF sensing signal 434).

[0123] Based on the ToA of the LOS path, the ToA of the NLOS path, and the speed of light, the receiver device 408 can determine the distance to the target object(s). For example, the receiver device 408 can calculate the distance to the target object as the difference between the ToA of the LOS path and the ToA of the NLOS path multiplied by the speed of light. In addition, if the receiver device 408 is capable of receive beamforming, the receiver device 408 may be able to determine the general direction to a target object 406 as the direction (angle) of the receive beam on which the RF sensing signal following the NLOS path was received. That is, the receiver device 408 may determine the direction to the target object 406 as the AoA of the RF sensing signal, which is the angle of the receive beam used to receive the RF sensing signal. The receiver device 408 may then optionally report this information to the transmitter device 402, its serving base station, an application server associated with the core network, an external client, a third-party application, or some other sensing entity. Alternatively, the receiver device 408 may report the ToA measurements to the transmitter device 402, or other sensing entity (e.g., if the receiver device 408 does not have the processing capability to perform theQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO39 / 83 calculations itself), and the transmitter device 402 may determine the distance and, optionally, the direction to the target object 406.

[0124] Note that if the RF sensing signals are uplink RF signals transmitted by a UE to a base station, the base station would perform object detection based on the uplink RF signals just like the UE does based on the downlink RF signals.

[0125] Like conventional wireless sensing, wireless communication-based sensing signals can be used to estimate the range (distance), velocity (Doppler), and angle (AoA) of a target object. However, the performance (e.g., resolution and maximum values of range, velocity, and angle) may depend on the design of the reference signal.

[0126] FIGS. 5A to 5F illustrate various example monostatic and bistatic sensing use cases, according to aspects of the disclosure. In FIG. 5 A, a gNBl-to-gNBl monostatic sensing use case 500 is depicted. In FIG. 5B, a UEl-to-UEl monostatic sensing use case 510 is depicted. In FIG. 5C, a gNBl-to-gNB2 bistatic sensing use case 520 is depicted. In FIG. 5D, a gNBl-to-UEl bistatic sensing use case 530 is depicted. In FIG. 5E, aUEl-to-gNBl bistatic sensing use case 540 is depicted. In FIG. 5F, a UEl-to-UE2 bistatic sensing use case 550 is depicted.

[0127] FIG. 6 illustrates an example call flow 600 for an NR-based sensing procedure (e.g., a bistatic sensing procedure) in which the network configures the sensing parameters, according to aspects of the disclosure. Although FIG. 6 illustrates a network-coordinated sensing procedure, the sensing procedure could be coordinated over sidelink channels.

[0128] At stage 605, a sensing server 670 (e.g., inside or outside the core network) sends a request for network (NW) information to a gNB 622 (e.g., the serving gNB of a UE 604). The request may be for a list of the UE’s 604 serving cell and any neighboring cells. At stage 610, the gNB 622 sends the requested information to the sensing server 670. At stage 615, the sensing server 670 sends a request for sensing capabilities to the UE 604. At stage 620, the UE 604 provides its sensing capabilities to the sensing server 670.

[0129] At stage 625, the sensing server 670 sends a configuration to the UE 604 indicating one or more reference signal (RS) resources that will be transmitted for sensing. The reference signal resources may be transmitted by the serving and / or neighboring cells identified at stage 610. In some cases, the NR-based sensing procedure illustrated in FIG. 6 may be a sensing-only procedure or a joint communication and sensing (JCS) procedure. In the case of a sensing-only procedure, the reference signal resources mayQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO40 / 83 be reference signal resources specifically configured for sensing purposes. In the case of a JCS procedure, the reference signal resources may be reference signal resources for communication that can also be used for sensing purposes. Alternatively, the reference signal resources for sensing may be multiplexed (e.g., time-division multiplexed) with reference signal resources for communication. For example, the reference signal resources for communication may be an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) waveform, while the reference signal resources for sensing may be a frequency modulation continuous wave (FMCW) waveform.

[0130] At stage 630, the sensing server 670 sends a request for sensing information to the UE 604. The UE 604 then measures the transmitted reference signals and, at stage 635, sends the measurements, or any sensing results determined from the measurements, to the sensing server 670.

[0131] In some aspects, the communication between the UE 604 and the sensing server 670 may be via the LTE positioning protocol (LPP). The communication between the sensing server 670 and the gNB may be via NR positioning protocol type A (NRPPa).

[0132] Machine learning may be used to generate models that may be used to facilitate various aspects associated with processing of data. One specific application of machine learning relates to generation of measurement models for processing of reference signals for positioning (e.g., positioning reference signal (PRS)), such as feature extraction, reporting of reference signal measurements (e.g., selecting which extracted features to report), and so on.

[0133] Machine learning models are generally categorized as either supervised or unsupervised. A supervised model may further be sub-categorized as either a regression or classification model. Supervised learning involves learning a function that maps an input to an output based on example input-output pairs. For example, given a training dataset with two variables of age (input) and height (output), a supervised learning model could be generated to predict the height of a person based on their age. In regression models, the output is continuous. One example of a regression model is a linear regression, which simply attempts to find a line that best fits the data. Extensions of linear regression include multiple linear regression (e.g., finding a plane of best fit) and polynomial regression (e.g., finding a curve of best fit).QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO41 / 83

[0134] Another example of a machine learning model is a decision tree model. In a decision tree model, a tree structure is defined with a plurality of nodes. Decisions are used to move from a root node at the top of the decision tree to a leaf node at the bottom of the decision tree (i.e., a node with no further child nodes). Generally, a higher number of nodes in the decision tree model is correlated with higher decision accuracy.

[0135] Another example of a machine learning model is a decision forest. Random forests are an ensemble learning technique that builds off of decision trees. Random forests involve creating multiple decision trees using bootstrapped datasets of the original data and randomly selecting a subset of variables at each step of the decision tree. The model then selects the mode of all of the predictions of each decision tree. By relying on a “majority wins” model, the risk of error from an individual tree is reduced.

[0136] Another example of a machine learning model is a neural network (NN). A neural network is essentially a network of mathematical equations. Neural networks accept one or more input variables, and by going through a network of equations, result in one or more output variables. Put another way, a neural network takes in a vector of inputs and returns a vector of outputs.

[0137] FIG. 7 illustrates an example neural network 700, according to aspects of the disclosure. The neural network 700 includes an input layer ‘i’ that receives ‘n’ (one or more) inputs (illustrated as “Input 1,” “Input 2,” and “Input n”), one or more hidden layers (illustrated as hidden layers ‘hl,’ ‘h2,’ and ‘h3 ’) for processing the inputs from the input layer, and an output layer ‘o’ that provides ‘m’ (one or more) outputs (labeled “Output 1” and “Output m”). The number of inputs ‘n,’ hidden layers ‘h,’ and outputs ‘m’ may be the same or different. In some designs, the hidden layers ‘h’ may include linear function(s) and / or activation function(s) that the nodes (illustrated as circles) of each successive hidden layer process from the nodes of the previous hidden layer.

[0138] In classification models, the output is discrete. One example of a classification model is logistic regression. Logistic regression is similar to linear regression but is used to model the probability of a finite number of outcomes, typically two. In essence, a logistic equation is created in such a way that the output values can only be between ‘0’ and ‘ 1.’ Another example of a classification model is a support vector machine. For example, for two classes of data, a support vector machine will find a hyperplane or a boundary between the two classes of data that maximizes the margin between the two classes. ThereQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO42 / 83 are many planes that can separate the two classes, but only one plane can maximize the margin or distance between the classes. Another example of a classification model is Naive Bayes, which is based on Bayes Theorem. Other examples of classification models include decision tree, random forest, and neural network, similar to the examples described above except that the output is discrete rather than continuous.

[0139] Unlike supervised learning, unsupervised learning is used to draw inferences and find patterns from input data without references to labeled outcomes. Two examples of unsupervised learning models include clustering and dimensionality reduction.

[0140] Clustering is an unsupervised technique that involves the grouping, or clustering, of data points. Clustering is frequently used for customer segmentation, fraud detection, and document classification. Common clustering techniques include k-means clustering, hierarchical clustering, mean shift clustering, and density-based clustering. Dimensionality reduction is the process of reducing the number of random variables under consideration by obtaining a set of principal variables. In simpler terms, dimensionality reduction is the process of reducing the dimension of a feature set (in even simpler terms, reducing the number of features). Most dimensionality reduction techniques can be categorized as either feature elimination or feature extraction. One example of dimensionality reduction is called principal component analysis (PCA). In the simplest sense, PCA involves project higher dimensional data (e.g., three dimensions) to a smaller space (e.g., two dimensions). This results in a lower dimension of data (e.g., two dimensions instead of three dimensions) while keeping all original variables in the model.

[0141] Regardless of which machine learning model is used, at a high-level, a machine learning module (e.g., implemented by a processing system) may be configured to iteratively analyze training input data (e.g., measurements of reference signals to / from various target UEs) and to associate this training input data with an output data set (e.g., a set of possible or likely candidate locations of the various target UEs), thereby enabling later determination of the same output data set when presented with similar input data (e.g., from other target UEs at the same or similar location).

[0142] The artificial intelligence / machine learning (AIML) positioning and / or sensing provided by an AIML model may be “direct” AIML (denoted “D-AIML”) positioning and / or sensing or AIML “assisted” (denoted “A-AIML”) positioning and / or sensing. Note that,QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO43 / 83 as used herein, an AIML model (whether an A-AIML model or a D-AIML model) may alternatively be referred to as an “ML model,” an “Al model,” an “ML-based model,” an “Al-based model,” and the like.

[0143] FIG. 8 A is a diagram 810 illustrating an example of direct AIML positioning and / or sensing, according to aspects of the disclosure. As shown in FIG. 8A, direct AIML positioning and / or sensing is where the AIML model is trained to accept input features (e.g., downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) measurements, sounding reference signal (SRS) measurements, sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) measurements, sensing signal measurements, beam measurements (e.g., synchronization signal block (SSB) measurements), channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) measurements, etc.) and output a final result (referred to as a “direct label”), such as a target location (e.g., a UE location for positioning or a target object location for sensing). The measurements of the reference signal(s) may include the channel energy response (CER), channel impulse response (CIR), power delay profile (PDP), delay profile (DP), channel frequency response (CFR), received signal strength indicator (RS SI), reference signal received power (RSRP), path RSRP (RSRPP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), time of arrival (ToA), relative ToA (RTOA), reference signal time difference (RSTD), angle of departure (AoD), angle of arrival (AoA), and / or the like of the reference signal(s).

[0144] FIG. 8B is a diagram 830 illustrating an example of AIML assisted positioning and / or sensing, according to aspects of the disclosure. As shown in FIG. 8B, AIML assisted positioning and / or sensing is where an AIML model is trained to accept input features (e.g., DL-PRS measurements, SRS measurements, SL-PRS measurements, sensing signal measurements, beam measurements, CSLRS measurements, etc.) and output one or more intermediate results (also referred to as “intermediate label(s)”). In a positioning context, generating the intermediate result may be referred to as “positioning feature extraction,” which may include determining timing / angle information, line of sight (LOS) identification, etc. The intermediate results may include the ToA, RTOA, RSTD, AoD, AoA, LOS indication, and / or the like. The intermediate result(s) may in turn be provided as an input to another AIML model or non-AIML model positioning and / or sensing technique (e.g., Chan’s algorithm, Kalman filtering, etc.) to determine a target location (e.g., a UE location for positioning or a target object location for sensing).QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO44 / 83

[0145] Note that as shown in FIG. 8B, the A-AIML model and the other model / technique may be implemented at the same entity (e.g., UE, base station, location server, sensing server, etc.) or at different entities. For example, for network-assisted positioning, the UE may apply the A-AIML model to compress the measurement data and then report the compressed data to the location server, which may then apply the other position estimation model / technique. As another example, for UE-based positioning, a network component (e.g., a base station, location server, or another UE for sidelink positioning) may apply the A-AIML model to compress the measurement data and report the compressed data to the UE, which then applies the other position estimation model / technique.

[0146] FIG. 8C illustrates various AIML positioning and / or sensing scenarios, according to aspects of the disclosure. As shown in diagram 850, there are three AIML positioning and / or sensing deployment scenarios based on downlink reference signals (e.g., DL-PRS, CSLRS, etc.). The first deployment scenario (labeled “Case 1”) is a UE-based positioning and / or sensing case with a UE-side D-AIML positioning and / or sensing model (labeled “D-AIML”). In this case, the UE applies the D-AIML positioning and / or sensing model (or simply “D-AIML model”) to the downlink reference signal measurements to determine a location of the UE or a target object and reports the target location to the network (e.g., LMF 270).

[0147] The second deployment scenario (labeled “Case 2a”) is UE-assisted / network-based positioning and / or sensing with a UE-side A-AIML positioning and / or sensing model that provides AIML-assisted positioning and / or sensing. That is, the UE inputs measurements of downlink reference signals (e.g., DL-PRS, CSI-RS) received from one or more TRPs into the A-AIML positioning and / or sensing model to obtain intermediate measurements (or quantities) of the downlink reference signals. The UE then reports the intermediate measurements to the network (e.g., LMF 270). The network entity may then apply an AIML model or a non-AIML model technique to the intermediate measurements to determine a target location (e.g., of the UE for positioning scenarios or a target object for sensing scenarios).

[0148] The third deployment scenario (labeled “Case 2b”) is UE-assisted / network-based positioning and / or sensing scenario with a network-side D-AIML positioning and / or sensing model. That is, the UE reports the measurements of the downlink referenceQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO45 / 83 signals received from one or more TRPs to the network (e.g., LMF 270). The network then applies the D-AIML positioning and / or sensing model to the measurements to determine the location of the UE or a target object.

[0149] As shown in diagram 870, there are two AIML positioning and / or sensing deployment scenarios based on uplink reference signals (e.g., SRS). The first deployment scenario (labeled “Case 3a”) is RAN node-assisted positioning and / or sensing with a RAN-side AIML model that provides AIML assisted positioning and / or sensing. In this case, the RAN node (e.g., abase station, TRP, or other base station component) applies an A-AIML positioning and / or sensing model to TRP measurements of one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., SRS) transmitted by a UE to obtain intermediate measurements of the received uplink reference signal(s). The RAN node then reports the intermediate measurements to the core network (e.g., LMF 270), which can use them to locate the UE (for positioning) or a target object (for sensing).

[0150] The second deployment scenario (labeled “Case 3b”) is RAN node-assisted positioning and / or sensing with a network-side AIML positioning and / or sensing model that provides direct AIML positioning and / or sensing. In this case, the RAN node reports measurements of one or more uplink reference signals received from a UE to the core network (e.g., LMF 270). The core network then applies a D-AIML positioning and / or sensing model to the measurements of the uplink reference signal(s) to obtain a target location of the UE (for positioning) or a target object (for sensing).

[0151] Note that there may be other deployment scenarios in which the UE, RAN, or the core network use an AIML positioning and / or sensing model to compute or report a positioning and / or sensing estimate (target location), but these cases are implementationspecific and do not necessarily involve signaling between the UE, RAN, and / or the core network.

[0152] Further note that an AIML model may execute in a training mode or an inferencing mode. In the training mode, the AIML model is provided with pre-validated input data along with pre-validated output data to derive or modify weights of the AIML to increase the reliability of the AIML model to provide new (unvalidated) output data that is similar to the pre-validated output data in response to new (unvalidated) input data that is similar to the pre-validated input data. In the inferencing mode, the AIML model utilizes the weights determined during the training mode to process new (unvalidated) input data soQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO46 / 83 as to generate new (unvalidated) output data (typically, without further adjusting the weights until / unless the AIML model returns to the training mode). The (unvalidated) output data may be characterized as an “inference.” Thus, the “final” positioning or sensing results described above with respect to FIGS. 8 A to 8C may correspond to AIML model weights or inferences depending on whether the respective AIML model is executing in the training mode or the inferencing mode.

[0153] The antenna panel of a sensing receiver (e.g., a UE or a TRP) may be configured as a uniform array or a non-uniform array of antenna elements. With a uniform array (e.g., uniform linear array (ULA), uniform planar array (UP A)), the inter-antenna element interval (distance) is equal, whereas with a non-uniform array (e.g., a sparse array), the inter-element interval (distance) is unequal. FIG. 9 illustrates a diagram 900 of an example uniform antenna array and a diagram 950 of an example sparse array, according to aspects of the disclosure. Each circle in diagrams 900 and 950 represents an antenna element of an antenna panel.

[0154] There are various issues with uniform array antennas that are addressed by sparse array antennas. For example, with respect to the spatial domain (e.g., MIMO, beamforming, direction of arrival (DoA) estimation, etc.), in high-frequency spectrums (e.g., FR2, terahertz (THz)), the small wavelength necessitates a larger number of ULA / UPA antennas / meta-elements (given the half-wavelength interval between elements and the antenna panel surface size), resulting in higher hardware cost and higher power consumption. In addition, if the inter-element interval is larger than the half-wavelength distance, there may be alias beams, causing sensing result ambiguity. Further, for a smaller antenna panel surface size, the beamwidth is increased, and thus the spatial resolution would decrease. In contrast, a sparse array can be applied to balance the performance and cost.

[0155] As shown in FIG. 9, a sparse array is a type of non-uniform array having many fewer elements than a uniform array, which reduces cost and lowers power consumption. A sparse array also provides the same array aperture size and minimum inter-element interval as a uniform array, which allows for the same spatial resolution and DoA estimation precision as a uniform array.

[0156] Sparse antenna arrays for transceiver units (TxRUs) have been used by wireless networks for conserving energy consumption. The network may use sparse arrays at transmitterQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO47 / 83 sensing nodes (e.g., base stations such as gNBs) for energy savings at the network. Compared to uniformly spaced arrays, sparse arrays may offer the advantages of greater degrees of freedom with fewer antennas, improved beam patterns with the same number of antennas, and greater inter-antenna spacing (e.g., spacings greater than half a wavelength) while avoiding grating lobes, thereby realizing cost savings and less energy consumption.

[0157] Energy savings may also be realized at receiver sensing nodes (e.g., UEs) when sparse arrays are utilized for transmitting sensing reference signals at transmitter sensing nodes. FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a receiver sensing node with multiple antennas for sensing signal reception, according to aspects of the disclosure. For simplicity of illustration, FIG. 10 shows a UE 1002 that is equipped with two antennas 1004 and 1006. In a first scenario 1000, both antennas 1004 and 1006 may be used for receiving sensing reference signals from a transmitter sensing node (e.g., a base station) for sensing operations. When the UE is in an area with good sensing signal coverage, however, it may use fewer receive antennas for downlink reception of sensing reference signals, thereby allowing the UE to reduce its energy consumption. In a second scenario 1050, the first antenna 1004 may be in an on-state while the second antenna 1006 may be in an off-state for sensing signal reception, thereby reducing energy consumption on the part ofthe UE 1002.

[0158] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of communication and sensing coverage areas, according to aspects of the disclosure. In the example illustrated in FIG. 11, for communication operations between a base station (BS) 1102 and a UE 1104, the link budget or pathloss is based on a single-trip distance for a downlink signal path from the BS 1102 to the UE 1104 and for an uplink signal path from the UE 1104 to the BS 1102.

[0159] For sensing operations, especially for monostatic sensing operations, however, the link budget or pathloss is based on a round-trip distance between the sensing node (which may be a BS or a UE) and a target object. In the example illustrated in FIG. 11, the BS 1102 serves as the sensing node in a monostatic sensing operation to detect a target object 1106. Because the link budget or pathloss for communication operations is determined by a single-trip distance of signal propagation whereas the link budget or pathloss for sensing operations is determined by a round-trip distance of signal propagation, the area of sensing coverage may be smaller than the area of communication coverage. As shown inQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO48 / 83FIG. 11, the area of sensing coverage 1108 is smaller than the area of communication coverage 1110 for the BS 1102.

[0160] In order to increase the sensing coverage area for RF sensing operations, the number of transmit and / or receive antennas may be increased, but an increase in the number of antennas may lead to an increase in energy consumption on both the network side and the UE side. TxRU adaptation (also called antenna adaptation), which allows the transmit antennas to be flexibly turned on or off, may be implemented to enhance energy efficiency for both the network and the UE.

[0161] For sensing operations, however, TxRU adaptation may affect the measurement quality, the coverage area, the self-interference cancellation capability, and the accuracy or resolution of angular estimations. According to aspects of the disclosure, one or more sensing measurements of one or more sensing reference signals and a sensing measurement report including one or more parameters indicating one or more sensing coverage areas associated with the one or more sensing reference signals are provided to enhance service quality and consistency in RF sensing operations where energy efficiency may be achieved by TxRU adaptation.

[0162] In some aspects, the transmitter sensing node (e.g., a base station) may semi-statically or dynamically adjust its TxRUs for transmitting sensing reference signals. In some aspects, the receiver sensing node (e.g., a UE) may obtain measurements of sensing reference signals and transmit a sensing measurement report to the transmitter sensing node such that the transmitter sensing node may adjust its transmission of sensing reference signals by turning on or off some of its TxRUs. In some aspects, the measurement report may include an indication of no target detected within a sensing range or no target detectable due to the sensing range, since this distinction may be significant for the transmitter sensing node to determine whether its transmit power should be adjusted by turning on or off some of its TxRUs.

[0163] For example, if a base station (e.g., a gNB) reduces its sensing coverage from 500 meters to 200 meters, it may not be able to detect a target object at a distance of 400 meters. In such a scenario, the sensing measurement report may include an indication that the receiver sensing node is unable to measure a target object at a distance of 400 meters, instead of an indication that there is no target object at a distance of 400 meters, to avoidQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO49 / 83 any ambiguity for the transmitter sensing node when it decides whether to increase or decrease its transmit power by turning on or off some of its TxRUs.

[0164] In some aspects, the sensing measurement report may include an indication of a maximum sensing range, a minimum sensing range, or both. In some aspects, the sensing measurement report may include an indication of whether the one or more sensing measurements were performed in a regular (or full) energy consumption mode or an energy saving mode, which may reflect the sensing range associated with the sensing measurements. In some aspects, the sensing measurement report may include information associating one or more sensing measurements with a specific sensing coverage area or range. In some aspects, the sensing measurement report may include an indication of multiple sensing ranges or multiple sensing coverage areas, and correspondence between the sensing measurements and the sensing ranges or sensing coverage areas.

[0165] In some aspects, the sensing node may transmit, to the network node, an on-demand request for sensing resources for one or more sensing reference signals corresponding to one or more sensing coverage areas. In some aspects, the on-demand request may include a request for sensing coverage for a specific group of sensing RS measurements. In some aspects, the sensing node may report multiple sensing coverages corresponding to different numbers of TxRUs. In some aspects, the sensing node may transmit an on- demand request for sensing RS measurements for a specific coverage area. In some aspects, on-demand sensing coverage may be useful for achieving a trade-off between energy efficiency and service quality in RF sensing operations.

[0166] In some aspects, due to the TxRU adaptation for reduced energy consumption, different subarrays or subpanels of antennas may lead to different miss detection rates. Missed detections at a given sensing node may be due to various factors such as channel conditions, different levels of signal -to-noise ratios (SNRs), and / or clutter rejection capabilities.

[0167] In some aspects, the sensing node may transmit a sensing measurement report that includes an indication of a miss detection group (MDG), which is a group of RF sensing measurements sharing the same or a similar rate of missed detection. In some aspects, the sensing measurement report may include the sensing measurements as well as an indication that at least a subset of the sensing measurements is associated with the same MDG.QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO50 / 83

[0168] In some aspects, if some of the sensing measurements performed by the sensing node are associated with the same MDG, meaning that they share the same or a similar rate of missed detection, then it may be assumed that these sensing measurements may share the same subarray or subpanel of antennas in sensing operations with TxRU adaptation. In some aspects, the sensing server may inquire the sensing node as to whether it is capable of supporting multiple MDGs in its sensing measurement report. In response, the sensing node may transmit to the sensing server an indication of the number of MDGs that the sensing node is capable of supporting.

[0169] In some aspects, each of the MDGs may be assigned an MDG identifier (ID). In some aspects, the sensing node may indicate its capability to process all combinations of MDGs in the same set of measurement occasions. If there are multiple MDGs reported by the sensing node, the sensing node may transmit information regarding the association of MDG IDs with specific sensing RS resources to the sensing server.

[0170] In some aspects, the sensing node may transmit a sensing measurement report that includes an indication of a false alarm group (FAG), which is a group of RF sensing measurements sharing the same or a similar rate of false alarm, as an alternative or in addition to the MDG. In some aspects, the MDG and FAG may be jointly defined as a combined miss detection-false alarm group (MD-FAG), or as an association between the MDG and the FAG for a subset of sensing measurements.

[0171] In some aspects, due to the TxRU adaptation for reduced energy consumption, different subarrays or subpanels of antennas may have different angular estimations (e.g., AoA and / or AoD estimations) and different measurement qualities. In some aspects, the sensing measurement report may include an indication of an angular error group (AEG), which is a group of AoA and / or AoD measurements that share the same or a similar angular bias (or error). In some aspects, a group of sensing measurements that share the same or a similar angular bias or error may indicate that this group of measurements may share the same subarray or subpanel of antennas.

[0172] In some aspects, the sensing server may inquire the sensing node as to whether it is capable of supporting multiple AEGs in its sensing measurement report. In response, the sensing node may transmit to the sensing server an indication of the number of AEGs that the sensing node is capable of supporting. In some aspects, each of the AEGs may be assigned an AEG identifier (ID). In some aspects, the sensing node may indicate itsQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO51 / 83 capability to process all combinations of AEGs in the same set of measurement occasions. If there are multiple AEGs reported by the sensing node, the sensing node may transmit information regarding the association of AEG IDs with specific sensing RS resources to the sensing server.

[0173] In some aspects, the AEG ID(s) may be included as part of the main sensing measurement report or as part of an additional measurement report. In some aspects, a sensing RS resource may be associated with multiple AEGs. For example, at different time stamps, multiple AoA and / or AoD measurements based on the same sensing RS may be associated with different AEG IDs, as different subarrays of antennas may be transmitting the same sensing RS. In some aspects, the sensing measurement report may include the sensing measurements as well as an indication that at least a subset of the sensing measurements is associated with a same miss detection group (MDG), false alarm group (FAG), angular error group (AEG), or any combination thereof.

[0174] In some aspects, due to the need for reduced power consumption at the network and / or at the UE, the transmitter sensing node may semi-statically or dynamically adjust its number of TxRUs for sensing operations. In some aspects, depending on the distances between the target object and the transmitter and receiver sensing nodes (e.g., gNB and UE), the transmitter and receiver sensing nodes may cooperate in bistatic sensing operations to detect the target object.

[0175] In some aspects, the sensing server may request or order one or more UEs to transmit sensing signals and to report sensing results to the sensing server on an uplink channel. Based on the reports from the UEs, the sensing server may request the base station to transmit another sensing signal to resolve any ambiguity and / or to refine the sensing measurements performed by the UEs. In some scenarios, the sensing server may request the base station to transmit an on-demand sensing signal if there are blind areas that are located outside the sensing coverage of all the UEs. In some scenarios, the sensing server may request the base station to transmit an on-demand sensing signal if at least some of the sensing results received from the UEs conflict with each other.

[0176] In some aspects, the base station may perform its sensing operation and the sensing server may request the base station to multicast its sensing results to a group of UEs (e.g., UEs in the vicinity of a target object), together with a resource allocation for sensing refinement. Based on a request and resource allocation from the sensing server, the UEsQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO52 / 83 in the vicinity of the target object may use the allocated resources to perform refined sensing measurements and provide refined sensing results in an aperiodic sensing measurement report. In some aspects, a UE that is willing to assist the network in refining its sensing measurements may determine whether the target object is within its sensing coverage area associated with TxRU adaptation. In some aspects, the UE that is willing to assist may send an indication back to the network to accept the request and to receive another uplink grant for the sensing measurement report.

[0177] In some scenarios, if the size of a target object is non-trivial, its appearance on the horizon is likely to change the power delay profile (PDP) and / or channel impulse response (CIR) between the network and a stationary or low-mobility UE. In some aspects, if the network is able to derive a scope for the location of the target object via AIML modeling, ray tracing, or both, the network may adjust its number of TxRUs at the base station or configure the UE to adjust its number of TxRUs to refine RF sensing measurements.

[0178] FIG. 12 illustrates an example of a network indicating to one or more of the UEs to increase its number of TxRUs, according to aspects of the disclosure. In the example illustrated in FIG. 12, a target object 1202 is detected as it is moving away from the sensing coverage area 1204 of a first UE 1206 toward the sensing coverage area 1208 of a second UE 1210. Upon determining that the target object 1202 is moving toward the edge of the existing sensing coverage area 1204 of the first UE 1206, the network may transmit, via a base station 1212, an indication to the first UE 1206 to increase its number of TxRUs, thereby increasing its transmit power and sensing coverage area to continue sensing the target object 1202.

[0179] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a network indicating to one UE to increase its number of TxRUs and to another UE to decrease its number of TxRUs, according to aspects of the disclosure. In the example illustrated in FIG. 13, a target object 1302 is detected as it is moving away from an already increased sensing coverage area 1304 of a first UE 1306 toward the sensing coverage area 1308 of a second UE 1310.

[0180] Upon determining that the target object 1302 is moving toward the edge of the already increased sensing coverage area 1304 of the first UE 1306, the network may transmit, via a base station 1312, an indication to the first UE 1306 to decrease its number of TxRUs, because increased transmit power is no longer needed for the first UE 1306. Meanwhile, the network may transmit, via the base station 1312, an indication to the second UE 1310QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO53 / 83 to increase its number of TxRUs, thereby increasing its transmit power to sense the target object 1302 which is expected to move toward the coverage area of the second UE 1310.

[0181] FIG. 14 illustrates an example of increased coverage area of one or more of UEs with increased number of TxRUs, according to aspects of the disclosure. In the example illustrated in FIG. 14, a target object 1402 has moved away from the sensing coverage area 1404 of a first UE 1406 and is moving toward the increased sensing coverage area 1408 of a second UE 1410, after the network has transmitted, via a base station 1412, an indication to the second UE 1410 to increase its number of TxRUs.

[0182] FIG. 15 illustrates an example method 1500 of wireless sensing, according to aspects of the disclosure. In some aspects, method 1500 may be performed by a sensing node (e.g., UE 302 or base station 304 described herein).

[0183] At 1510, the sensing node may obtain one or more sensing measurements of one or more sensing reference signals.

[0184] Where the sensing node is a UE, means for performing the operation of block 1510 may include the processor(s), memory, or transceiver(s) of any of the UE 302 described herein. For example, the operation of block 1510 may be performed by the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, the one or more processors 342, memory 340, and / or sensing component 348, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0185] Where the sensing node is a base station, means for performing the operation of block 1510 may include the processor(s), memory, or transceiver s) of any of the base station 304 described herein. For example, the operation of block 1510 may be performed by the one or more WWAN transceivers 350, the one or more short-range wireless transceivers 360, the one or more processors 384, memory 386, and / or sensing component 388, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0186] At 1520, the sensing node may transmit, to a network node, a sensing measurement report including one or more parameters indicating one or more sensing coverage areas associated with the one or more sensing reference signals.

[0187] Where the sensing node is a UE, means for performing the operation of block 1520 may include the processor(s), memory, or transceiver(s) of any of the UE 302 described herein. For example, the operation of block 1520 may be performed by the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, the one or moreQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO54 / 83 processors 342, memory 340, and / or sensing component 348, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0188] Where the sensing node is a base station, means for performing the operation of block 1520 may include the processor(s), memory, or transceiver s) of any of the base station 304 described herein. For example, the operation of block 1520 may be performed by the one or more WWAN transceivers 350, the one or more short-range wireless transceivers 360, the one or more processors 384, memory 386, and / or sensing component 388, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0189] Method 1500 may include additional implementations, such as any single implementation or any combination of implementations described below and / or in connection with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0190] In some aspects, the sensing measurement report further includes an indication of no target detected within a sensing range or no target detectable due to the sensing range.

[0191] In some aspects, the sensing measurement report further includes a minimum sensing range, a maximum sensing range, or both.

[0192] In some aspects, the sensing measurement report further includes an indication that the one or more sensing measurements are obtained in a full energy consumption mode or a reduced energy consumption mode.

[0193] In some aspects, the sensing measurement report further includes an indication of a first sensing range associated with the full energy consumption mode, an indication of a second sensing range associated with the reduced energy consumption mode, or both.

[0194] In some aspects, the sensing measurement report further includes an indication of the one or more sensing coverage areas, and an indication of correspondence between the one or more sensing measurements and the one or more sensing coverage areas.

[0195] In some aspects, method 1500 includes transmitting, to the network node, an on-demand request for one or more sensing resources for the one or more sensing reference signals corresponding to the one or more sensing coverage areas, and receiving, from the network node, the one or more sensing resources.

[0196] In some aspects, method 1500 includes transmitting the one or more sensing reference signals.

[0197] In some aspects, the one or more sensing reference signals are transmitted by a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs), and wherein the sensing measurement report furtherQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO55 / 83 includes an indication of correspondence between the one or more sensing coverage areas and one or more numbers of the plurality of TxRUs.

[0198] In some aspects, method 1500 includes receiving, from the network node, an on-demand request for transmitting one or more additional sensing reference signals, transmitting the one or more additional sensing reference signals, and obtaining one or more additional sensing measurements of the one or more additional sensing reference signals, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes one or more additional parameters indicating coverage information associated with the one or more additional sensing reference signals.

[0199] In some aspects, method 1500 includes receiving, from the network node, a request to multicast one or more sensing results of the one or more sensing measurements to one or more additional sensing nodes, and transmitting, to the one or more additional sensing nodes, the one or more sensing results.

[0200] In some aspects, each of the one or more sensing measurements has a sensing range corresponding to a number of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs), and wherein the number of the plurality of TxRUs is determined based on an estimated location of a target obtained by ray tracing, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AIML) modeling, or both.

[0201] Although FIG. 15 shows example operations of method 1500, in some implementations, method 1500 may include additional operations, fewer operations, different operations, or differently arranged operations than those depicted in FIG. 15. Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of the operations of method 1500 may be performed in parallel, or performed in a sequence different from the sequence listed in FIG. 15.

[0202] As will be appreciated, a technical advantage of the method 1500 is that, by reporting sensing coverage information associated with sensing reference signal measurements, the described techniques can be used to conserve power at the transmitter sensing node (e.g., a base station) by using sparse arrays for transmitting sensing reference signals and at the receiver sensing node (e.g., a UE) by using fewer receive antennas for receiving the sensing reference signals.

[0203] FIG. 16 illustrates an example method 1600 of wireless sensing, according to aspects of the disclosure. In some aspects, method 1600 may be performed by a sensing node (e.g., UE 302 or base station 304 described herein).QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO56 / 83

[0204] At 1610, the sensing node may obtain a plurality of sensing measurements of a plurality of sensing reference signals.

[0205] Where the sensing node is a UE, means for performing the operation of block 1610 may include the processor(s), memory, or transceiver(s) of any of the UE 302 described herein. For example, the operation of block 1610 may be performed by the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, the one or more processors 342, memory 340, and / or sensing component 348, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0206] Where the sensing node is a base station, means for performing the operation of block 1610 may include the processor(s), memory, or transceiver s) of any of the base station 304 described herein. For example, the operation of block 1610 may be performed by the one or more WWAN transceivers 350, the one or more short-range wireless transceivers 360, the one or more processors 384, memory 386, and / or sensing component 388, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0207] At 1620, the sensing node may transmit, to a network node, a sensing measurement report including: the plurality of sensing measurements; and an indication that at least a first subset of the plurality of sensing measurements is associated with a same miss detection group (MDG), false alarm group (FAG), angular error group (AEG), or any combination thereof.

[0208] Where the sensing node is a UE, means for performing the operation of block 1620 may include the processor(s), memory, or transceiver(s) of any of the UE 302 described herein. For example, the operation of block 1620 may be performed by the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, the one or more processors 342, memory 340, and / or sensing component 348, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0209] Where the sensing node is a base station, means for performing the operation of block 1620 may include the processor(s), memory, or transceiver s) of any of the base station 304 described herein. For example, the operation of block 1620 may be performed by the one or more WWAN transceivers 350, the one or more short-range wireless transceivers 360, the one or more processors 384, memory 386, and / or sensing component 388, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO57 / 83

[0210] Method 1600 may include additional implementations, such as any single implementation or any combination of implementations described below and / or in connection with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0211] In some aspects, the plurality of sensing reference signals from which the plurality of sensing measurements associated with the MDG is obtained is transmitted by a subarray of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs).

[0212] In some aspects, the sensing measurement report further includes an indication that a plurality of subsets of the plurality of sensing measurements including the first subset is associated with a plurality of MDGs, and a plurality of MDG identifiers associated with the plurality of MDGs.

[0213] In some aspects, the sensing measurement report further includes an indication that a plurality of subsets of the plurality of sensing measurements including the first subset is associated with a plurality of FAGs, and a plurality of FAG identifiers associated with the plurality of FAGs.

[0214] In some aspects, the sensing measurement report further includes an indication that a plurality of subsets of the plurality of sensing measurements including the first subset is associated with a plurality of AEGs, and a plurality of AEG identifiers associated with the plurality of AEGs.

[0215] In some aspects, method 1600 includes transmitting the one or more sensing reference signals.

[0216] In some aspects, the plurality of sensing reference signals from which the plurality of sensing measurements associated with the AEG is obtained is transmitted by a subarray of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs).

[0217] In some aspects, the AEG is formed based on the plurality of sensing measurements including angle of arrival (AoA) measurements, angle of departure (AoD) measurements, or both.

[0218] In some aspects, transmitting power of the plurality of sensing reference signals is adjustable based on changing a number of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs) corresponding to a plurality of sensing ranges of the plurality of sensing measurements.

[0219] In some aspects, method 1600 includes receiving, from the network node, an on-demand request for transmitting a plurality of additional sensing reference signals, transmitting the plurality of additional sensing reference signals, and obtaining a plurality of additionalQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO58 / 83 sensing measurements of the plurality of additional sensing reference signals, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes a plurality of additional parameters indicating coverage information associated with the plurality of additional sensing reference signals.

[0220] In some aspects, method 1600 includes receiving, from the network node, a request to multicast a plurality of sensing results of the plurality of sensing measurements to one or more additional sensing nodes, and transmitting, to the one or more additional sensing nodes, the plurality of sensing results.

[0221] In some aspects, each sensing measurement of the plurality of sensing measurements has a sensing range corresponding to a number of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs), and wherein the number of the plurality of TxRUs is determined based on an estimated location of a target obtained by ray tracing, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AIML) modeling, or both.

[0222] Although FIG. 16 shows example operations of method 1600, in some implementations, method 1600 may include additional operations, fewer operations, different operations, or differently arranged operations than those depicted in FIG. 16. Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of the operations of method 1600 may be performed in parallel, or performed in a sequence different from the sequence listed in FIG. 16.

[0223] As will be appreciated, a technical advantage of the method 1600 is that, by reporting sensing coverage information (e.g., MDG, FAG, AEG, or any combination thereof) associated with sensing reference signal measurements, the described techniques can be used to conserve power at the transmitter sensing node (e.g., a base station) by using sparse arrays for transmitting sensing reference signals and at the receiver sensing node (e.g., a UE) by using fewer receive antennas for receiving the sensing reference signals .

[0224] In the detailed description above it can be seen that different features are grouped together in examples. This manner of disclosure should not be understood as an intention that the example clauses have more features than are explicitly mentioned in each clause. Rather, the various aspects of the disclosure may include fewer than all features of an individual example clause disclosed. Therefore, the following clauses should hereby be deemed to be incorporated in the description, wherein each clause by itself can stand as a separate example. Although each dependent clause can refer in the clauses to a specific combination with one of the other clauses, the aspect(s) of that dependent clause are notQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO59 / 83 limited to the specific combination. It will be appreciated that other example clauses can also include a combination of the dependent clause aspect(s) with the subject matter of any other dependent clause or independent clause or a combination of any feature with other dependent and independent clauses. The various aspects disclosed herein expressly include these combinations, unless it is explicitly expressed or can be readily inferred that a specific combination is not intended (e.g., contradictory aspects, such as defining an element as both an electrical insulator and an electrical conductor). Furthermore, it is also intended that aspects of a clause can be included in any other independent clause, even if the clause is not directly dependent on the independent clause.

[0225] Implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0226] Clause 1. A method of wireless sensing at a sensing node, comprising: obtaining one or more sensing measurements of one or more sensing reference signals; and transmitting, to a network node, a sensing measurement report including one or more parameters indicating one or more sensing coverage areas associated with the one or more sensing reference signals.

[0227] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes an indication of no target detected within a sensing range or no target detectable due to the sensing range.

[0228] Clause 3. The method of any of clauses 1 to 2, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes a minimum sensing range, a maximum sensing range, or both.

[0229] Clause 4. The method of any of clauses 1 to 3, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes an indication that the one or more sensing measurements are obtained in a full energy consumption mode or a reduced energy consumption mode.

[0230] Clause 5. The method of clause 4, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication of a first sensing range associated with the full energy consumption mode; an indication of a second sensing range associated with the reduced energy consumption mode; or both.

[0231] Clause 6. The method of any of clauses 1 to 5, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication of the one or more sensing coverage areas; and an indication of correspondence between the one or more sensing measurements and the one or more sensing coverage areas.QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO60 / 83

[0232] Clause 7. The method of any of clauses 1 to 6, further comprising: transmitting, to the network node, an on-demand request for one or more sensing resources for the one or more sensing reference signals corresponding to the one or more sensing coverage areas; and receiving, from the network node, the one or more sensing resources.

[0233] Clause 8. The method of any of clauses 1 to 7, further comprising: transmitting the one or more sensing reference signals.

[0234] Clause 9. The method of clause 8, wherein the one or more sensing reference signals are transmitted by a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs), and wherein the sensing measurement report further includes an indication of correspondence between the one or more sensing coverage areas and one or more numbers of the plurality of TxRUs.

[0235] Clause 10. The method of any of clauses 1 to 9, further comprising: receiving, from the network node, an on-demand request for transmitting one or more additional sensing reference signals; transmitting the one or more additional sensing reference signals; and obtaining one or more additional sensing measurements of the one or more additional sensing reference signals, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes one or more additional parameters indicating coverage information associated with the one or more additional sensing reference signals.

[0236] Clause 11. The method of any of clauses 1 to 10, further comprising: receiving, from the network node, a request to multicast one or more sensing results of the one or more sensing measurements to one or more additional sensing nodes; and transmitting, to the one or more additional sensing nodes, the one or more sensing results.

[0237] Clause 12. The method of any of clauses 1 to 11, wherein each of the one or more sensing measurements has a sensing range corresponding to a number of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs), and wherein the number of the plurality of TxRUs is determined based on an estimated location of a target obtained by ray tracing, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AIML) modeling, or both.

[0238] Clause 13. A method of wireless sensing at a sensing node, comprising: obtaining a plurality of sensing measurements of a plurality of sensing reference signals; and transmitting, to a network node, a sensing measurement report including: the plurality of sensing measurements; and an indication that at least a first subset of the plurality of sensing measurements is associated with a same miss detection group (MDG), false alarm group (FAG), angular error group (AEG), or any combination thereof.QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO61 / 83

[0239] Clause 14. The method of clause 13, wherein the plurality of sensing reference signals from which the plurality of sensing measurements associated with the MDG is obtained is transmitted by a subarray of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs).

[0240] Clause 15. The method of any of clauses 13 to 14, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication that a plurality of subsets of the plurality of sensing measurements including the first subset is associated with a plurality of MDGs; and a plurality of MDG identifiers associated with the plurality of MDGs.

[0241] Clause 16. The method of any of clauses 13 to 15, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication that a plurality of subsets of the plurality of sensing measurements including the first subset is associated with a plurality of FAGs; and a plurality of FAG identifiers associated with the plurality of FAGs.

[0242] Clause 17. The method of any of clauses 13 to 16, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication that a plurality of subsets of the plurality of sensing measurements including the first subset is associated with a plurality of AEGs; and a plurality of AEG identifiers associated with the plurality of AEGs.

[0243] Clause 18. The method of any of clauses 13 to 17, further comprising: transmitting the one or more sensing reference signals.

[0244] Clause 19. The method of any of clauses 13 to 18, wherein the plurality of sensing reference signals from which the plurality of sensing measurements associated with the AEG is obtained is transmitted by a subarray of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs).

[0245] Clause 20. The method of any of clauses 13 to 19, wherein the AEG is formed based on the plurality of sensing measurements including angle of arrival (AoA) measurements, angle of departure (AoD) measurements, or both.

[0246] Clause 21. The method of any of clauses 13 to 20, wherein transmit power of the plurality of sensing reference signals is adjustable based on changing a number of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs) corresponding to a plurality of sensing ranges of the plurality of sensing measurements.

[0247] Clause 22. The method of any of clauses 13 to 21, further comprising: receiving, from the network node, an on-demand request for transmitting a plurality of additional sensing reference signals; transmitting the plurality of additional sensing reference signals; and obtaining a plurality of additional sensing measurements of the plurality of additional sensing reference signals, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes aQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO62 / 83 plurality of additional parameters indicating coverage information associated with the plurality of additional sensing reference signals.

[0248] Clause 23. The method of any of clauses 13 to 22, further comprising: receiving, from the network node, a request to multicast a plurality of sensing results of the plurality of sensing measurements to one or more additional sensing nodes; and transmitting, to the one or more additional sensing nodes, the plurality of sensing results.

[0249] Clause 24. The method of any of clauses 13 to 23, wherein each sensing measurement of the plurality of sensing measurements has a sensing range corresponding to a number of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs), and wherein the number of the plurality of TxRUs is determined based on an estimated location of a target obtained by ray tracing, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AIML) modeling, or both.

[0250] Clause 25. A sensing node, comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, configured to: obtain one or more sensing measurements of one or more sensing reference signals; and transmit, via the one or more transceivers, to a network node, a sensing measurement report including one or more parameters indicating one or more sensing coverage areas associated with the one or more sensing reference signals.

[0251] Clause 26. The sensing node of clause 25, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes an indication of no target detected within a sensing range or no target detectable due to the sensing range.

[0252] Clause 27. The sensing node of any of clauses 25 to 26, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes a minimum sensing range, a maximum sensing range, or both.

[0253] Clause 28. The sensing node of any of clauses 25 to 27, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes an indication that the one or more sensing measurements are obtained in a full energy consumption mode or a reduced energy consumption mode.

[0254] Clause 29. The sensing node of clause 28, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication of a first sensing range associated with the full energy consumption mode; an indication of a second sensing range associated with the reduced energy consumption mode; or both.

[0255] Clause 30. The sensing node of any of clauses 25 to 29, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication of the one or more sensing coverage areas; and anQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO63 / 83 indication of correspondence between the one or more sensing measurements and the one or more sensing coverage areas.

[0256] Clause 31. The sensing node of any of clauses 25 to 30, wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: transmit, via the one or more transceivers, to the network node, an on-demand request for one or more sensing resources for the one or more sensing reference signals corresponding to the one or more sensing coverage areas; and receive, via the one or more transceivers, from the network node, the one or more sensing resources.

[0257] Clause 32. The sensing node of any of clauses 25 to 31, wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: transmit, via the one or more transceivers, the one or more sensing reference signals.

[0258] Clause 33. The sensing node of clause 32, wherein the one or more sensing reference signals are transmitted by a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs), and wherein the sensing measurement report further includes an indication of correspondence between the one or more sensing coverage areas and one or more numbers of the plurality of TxRUs.

[0259] Clause 34. The sensing node of any of clauses 25 to 33, wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, from the network node, an on-demand request for transmitting one or more additional sensing reference signals; transmit, via the one or more transceivers, the one or more additional sensing reference signals; and obtain one or more additional sensing measurements of the one or more additional sensing reference signals, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes one or more additional parameters indicating coverage information associated with the one or more additional sensing reference signals.

[0260] Clause 35. The sensing node of any of clauses 25 to 34, wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, from the network node, a request to multicast one or more sensing results of the one or more sensing measurements to one or more additional sensing nodes; and transmit, via the one or more transceivers, to the one or more additional sensing nodes, the one or more sensing results.

[0261] Clause 36. The sensing node of any of clauses 25 to 35, wherein each of the one or more sensing measurements has a sensing range corresponding to a number of a plurality ofQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO64 / 83 transceiver units (TxRUs), and wherein the number of the plurality of TxRUs is determined based on an estimated location of a target obtained by ray tracing, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AIML) modeling, or both.

[0262] Clause 37. A sensing node, comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, configured to: obtain a plurality of sensing measurements of a plurality of sensing reference signals; and transmit, via the one or more transceivers, to a network node, a sensing measurement report including: the plurality of sensing measurements; and an indication that at least a first subset of the plurality of sensing measurements is associated with a same miss detection group (MDG), false alarm group (FAG), angular error group (AEG), or any combination thereof.

[0263] Clause 38. The sensing node of clause 37, wherein the plurality of sensing reference signals from which the plurality of sensing measurements associated with the MDG is obtained is transmitted by a subarray of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs).

[0264] Clause 39. The sensing node of any of clauses 37 to 38, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication that a plurality of subsets of the plurality of sensing measurements including the first subset is associated with a plurality of MDGs; and a plurality of MDG identifiers associated with the plurality of MDGs.

[0265] Clause 40. The sensing node of any of clauses 37 to 39, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication that a plurality of subsets of the plurality of sensing measurements including the first subset is associated with a plurality of FAGs; and a plurality of FAG identifiers associated with the plurality of FAGs.

[0266] Clause 41. The sensing node of any of clauses 37 to 40, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication that a plurality of subsets of the plurality of sensing measurements including the first subset is associated with a plurality of AEGs; and a plurality of AEG identifiers associated with the plurality of AEGs.

[0267] Clause 42. The sensing node of any of clauses 37 to 41, wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: transmit, via the one or more transceivers, the one or more sensing reference signals.QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO65 / 83

[0268] Clause 43. The sensing node of any of clauses 37 to 42, wherein the plurality of sensing reference signals from which the plurality of sensing measurements associated with the AEG is obtained is transmitted by a subarray of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs).

[0269] Clause 44. The sensing node of any of clauses 37 to 43, wherein the AEG is formed based on the plurality of sensing measurements including angle of arrival (AoA) measurements, angle of departure (AoD) measurements, or both.

[0270] Clause 45. The sensing node of any of clauses 37 to 44, wherein transmit power of the plurality of sensing reference signals is adjustable based on changing a number of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs) corresponding to a plurality of sensing ranges of the plurality of sensing measurements.

[0271] Clause 46. The sensing node of any of clauses 37 to 45, wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, from the network node, an on-demand request for transmitting a plurality of additional sensing reference signals; transmit, via the one or more transceivers, the plurality of additional sensing reference signals; and obtain a plurality of additional sensing measurements of the plurality of additional sensing reference signals, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes a plurality of additional parameters indicating coverage information associated with the plurality of additional sensing reference signals.

[0272] Clause 47. The sensing node of any of clauses 37 to 46, wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, from the network node, a request to multicast a plurality of sensing results of the plurality of sensing measurements to one or more additional sensing nodes; and transmit, via the one or more transceivers, to the one or more additional sensing nodes, the plurality of sensing results.

[0273] Clause 48. The sensing node of any of clauses 37 to 47, wherein each sensing measurement of the plurality of sensing measurements has a sensing range corresponding to a number of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs), and wherein the number of the plurality of TxRUs is determined based on an estimated location of a target obtained by ray tracing, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AIML) modeling, or both.

[0274] Clause 49. A sensing node, comprising: means for obtaining one or more sensing measurements of one or more sensing reference signals; and means for transmitting, to aQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO66 / 83 network node, a sensing measurement report including one or more parameters indicating one or more sensing coverage areas associated with the one or more sensing reference signals.

[0275] Clause 50. The sensing node of clause 49, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes an indication of no target detected within a sensing range or no target detectable due to the sensing range.

[0276] Clause 51. The sensing node of any of clauses 49 to 50, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes a minimum sensing range, a maximum sensing range, or both.

[0277] Clause 52. The sensing node of any of clauses 49 to 51, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes an indication that the one or more sensing measurements are obtained in a full energy consumption mode or a reduced energy consumption mode.

[0278] Clause 53. The sensing node of clause 52, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication of a first sensing range associated with the full energy consumption mode; an indication of a second sensing range associated with the reduced energy consumption mode; or both.

[0279] Clause 54. The sensing node of any of clauses 49 to 53, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication of the one or more sensing coverage areas; and an indication of correspondence between the one or more sensing measurements and the one or more sensing coverage areas.

[0280] Clause 55. The sensing node of any of clauses 49 to 54, further comprising: means for transmitting, to the network node, an on-demand request for one or more sensing resources for the one or more sensing reference signals corresponding to the one or more sensing coverage areas; and means for receiving, from the network node, the one or more sensing resources.

[0281] Clause 56. The sensing node of any of clauses 49 to 55, further comprising: means for transmitting the one or more sensing reference signals.

[0282] Clause 57. The sensing node of clause 56, wherein the one or more sensing reference signals are transmitted by a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs), and wherein the sensing measurement report further includes an indication of correspondence between the one or more sensing coverage areas and one or more numbers of the plurality of TxRUs.

[0283] Clause 58. The sensing node of any of clauses 49 to 57, further comprising: means for receiving, from the network node, an on-demand request for transmitting one or moreQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO67 / 83 additional sensing reference signals; means for transmitting the one or more additional sensing reference signals; and means for obtaining one or more additional sensing measurements of the one or more additional sensing reference signals, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes one or more additional parameters indicating coverage information associated with the one or more additional sensing reference signals.

[0284] Clause 59. The sensing node of any of clauses 49 to 58, further comprising: means for receiving, from the network node, a request to multicast one or more sensing results of the one or more sensing measurements to one or more additional sensing nodes; and means for transmitting, to the one or more additional sensing nodes, the one or more sensing results.

[0285] Clause 60. The sensing node of any of clauses 49 to 59, wherein each of the one or more sensing measurements has a sensing range corresponding to a number of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs), and wherein the number of the plurality of TxRUs is determined based on an estimated location of a target obtained by ray tracing, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AIML) modeling, or both.

[0286] Clause 61. A sensing node, comprising: means for obtaining a plurality of sensing measurements of a plurality of sensing reference signals; and means for transmitting, to a network node, a sensing measurement report including: the plurality of sensing measurements; and an indication that at least a first subset of the plurality of sensing measurements is associated with a same miss detection group (MDG), false alarm group (FAG), angular error group (AEG), or any combination thereof.

[0287] Clause 62. The sensing node of clause 61, wherein the plurality of sensing reference signals from which the plurality of sensing measurements associated with the MDG is obtained is transmitted by a subarray of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs).

[0288] Clause 63. The sensing node of any of clauses 61 to 62, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication that a plurality of subsets of the plurality of sensing measurements including the first subset is associated with a plurality of MDGs; and a plurality of MDG identifiers associated with the plurality of MDGs.

[0289] Clause 64. The sensing node of any of clauses 61 to 63, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication that a plurality of subsets of the plurality of sensingQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO68 / 83 measurements including the first subset is associated with a plurality of FAGs; and a plurality of FAG identifiers associated with the plurality of FAGs.

[0290] Clause 65. The sensing node of any of clauses 61 to 64, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication that a plurality of subsets of the plurality of sensing measurements including the first subset is associated with a plurality of AEGs; and a plurality of AEG identifiers associated with the plurality of AEGs.

[0291] Clause 66. The sensing node of any of clauses 61 to 65, further comprising: means for transmitting the one or more sensing reference signals.

[0292] Clause 67. The sensing node of any of clauses 61 to 66, wherein the plurality of sensing reference signals from which the plurality of sensing measurements associated with the AEG is obtained is transmitted by a subarray of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs).

[0293] Clause 68. The sensing node of any of clauses 61 to 67, wherein the AEG is formed based on the plurality of sensing measurements including angle of arrival (AoA) measurements, angle of departure (AoD) measurements, or both.

[0294] Clause 69. The sensing node of any of clauses 61 to 68, wherein transmit power of the plurality of sensing reference signals is adjustable based on changing a number of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs) corresponding to a plurality of sensing ranges of the plurality of sensing measurements.

[0295] Clause 70. The sensing node of any of clauses 61 to 69, further comprising: means for receiving, from the network node, an on-demand request for transmitting a plurality of additional sensing reference signals; means for transmitting the plurality of additional sensing reference signals; and means for obtaining a plurality of additional sensing measurements of the plurality of additional sensing reference signals, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes a plurality of additional parameters indicating coverage information associated with the plurality of additional sensing reference signals.

[0296] Clause 71. The sensing node of any of clauses 61 to 70, further comprising: means for receiving, from the network node, a request to multicast a plurality of sensing results of the plurality of sensing measurements to one or more additional sensing nodes; and means for transmitting, to the one or more additional sensing nodes, the plurality of sensing results.

[0297] Clause 72. The sensing node of any of clauses 61 to 71, wherein each sensing measurement of the plurality of sensing measurements has a sensing range correspondingQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO69 / 83 to a number of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs), and wherein the number of the plurality of TxRUs is determined based on an estimated location of a target obtained by ray tracing, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AIML) modeling, or both.

[0298] Clause 73. A non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a sensing node, cause the sensing node to: obtain one or more sensing measurements of one or more sensing reference signals; and transmit, to a network node, a sensing measurement report including one or more parameters indicating one or more sensing coverage areas associated with the one or more sensing reference signals.

[0299] Clause 74. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 73, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes an indication of no target detected within a sensing range or no target detectable due to the sensing range.

[0300] Clause 75. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 73 to 74, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes a minimum sensing range, a maximum sensing range, or both.

[0301] Clause 76. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 73 to 75, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes an indication that the one or more sensing measurements are obtained in a full energy consumption mode or a reduced energy consumption mode.

[0302] Clause 77. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 76, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication of a first sensing range associated with the full energy consumption mode; an indication of a second sensing range associated with the reduced energy consumption mode; or both.

[0303] Clause 78. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 73 to 77, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication of the one or more sensing coverage areas; and an indication of correspondence between the one or more sensing measurements and the one or more sensing coverage areas.

[0304] Clause 79. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 73 to 78, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the sensing node, cause the sensing node to: transmit, to the network node, an on-demand request for one or more sensing resources for the one or more sensing reference signalsQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO70 / 83 corresponding to the one or more sensing coverage areas; and receive, from the network node, the one or more sensing resources.

[0305] Clause 80. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 73 to 79, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the sensing node, cause the sensing node to: transmit the one or more sensing reference signals.

[0306] Clause 81. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 80, wherein the one or more sensing reference signals are transmitted by a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs), and wherein the sensing measurement report further includes an indication of correspondence between the one or more sensing coverage areas and one or more numbers of the plurality of TxRUs.

[0307] Clause 82. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 73 to 81, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the sensing node, cause the sensing node to: receive, from the network node, an on-demand request for transmitting one or more additional sensing reference signals; transmit the one or more additional sensing reference signals; and obtain one or more additional sensing measurements of the one or more additional sensing reference signals, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes one or more additional parameters indicating coverage information associated with the one or more additional sensing reference signals.

[0308] Clause 83. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 73 to 82, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the sensing node, cause the sensing node to: receive, from the network node, a request to multicast one or more sensing results of the one or more sensing measurements to one or more additional sensing nodes; and transmit, to the one or more additional sensing nodes, the one or more sensing results.

[0309] Clause 84. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 73 to 83, wherein each of the one or more sensing measurements has a sensing range corresponding to a number of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs), and wherein the number of the plurality of TxRUs is determined based on an estimated location of a target obtained by ray tracing, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AIML) modeling, or both.

[0310] Clause 85. A non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a sensing node, cause the sensing node to: obtain aQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO71 / 83 plurality of sensing measurements of a plurality of sensing reference signals; and transmit, to a network node, a sensing measurement report including: the plurality of sensing measurements; and an indication that at least a first subset of the plurality of sensing measurements is associated with a same miss detection group (MDG), false alarm group (FAG), angular error group (AEG), or any combination thereof.

[0311] Clause 86. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 85, wherein the plurality of sensing reference signals from which the plurality of sensing measurements associated with the MDG is obtained is transmitted by a subarray of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs).

[0312] Clause 87. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 85 to 86, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication that a plurality of subsets of the plurality of sensing measurements including the first subset is associated with a plurality of MDGs; and a plurality of MDG identifiers associated with the plurality of MDGs.

[0313] Clause 88. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 85 to 87, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication that a plurality of subsets of the plurality of sensing measurements including the first subset is associated with a plurality of F AGs; and a plurality of FAG identifiers associated with the plurality of F AGs.

[0314] Clause 89. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 85 to 88, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication that a plurality of subsets of the plurality of sensing measurements including the first subset is associated with a plurality of AEGs; and a plurality of AEG identifiers associated with the plurality of AEGs.

[0315] Clause 90. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 85 to 89, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the sensing node, cause the sensing node to: transmit the one or more sensing reference signals.

[0316] Clause 91. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 85 to 90, wherein the plurality of sensing reference signals from which the plurality of sensing measurements associated with the AEG is obtained is transmitted by a subarray of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs).QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO72 / 83

[0317] Clause 92. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 85 to 91, wherein the AEG is formed based on the plurality of sensing measurements including angle of arrival (AoA) measurements, angle of departure (AoD) measurements, or both.

[0318] Clause 93. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 85 to 92, wherein transmit power of the plurality of sensing reference signals is adjustable based on changing a number of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs) corresponding to a plurality of sensing ranges of the plurality of sensing measurements.

[0319] Clause 94. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 85 to 93, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the sensing node, cause the sensing node to: receive, from the network node, an on-demand request for transmitting a plurality of additional sensing reference signals; transmit the plurality of additional sensing reference signals; and obtain a plurality of additional sensing measurements of the plurality of additional sensing reference signals, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes a plurality of additional parameters indicating coverage information associated with the plurality of additional sensing reference signals.

[0320] Clause 95. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 85 to 94, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the sensing node, cause the sensing node to: receive, from the network node, a request to multicast a plurality of sensing results of the plurality of sensing measurements to one or more additional sensing nodes; and transmit, to the one or more additional sensing nodes, the plurality of sensing results.

[0321] Clause 96. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 85 to 95, wherein each sensing measurement of the plurality of sensing measurements has a sensing range corresponding to a number of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs), and wherein the number of the plurality of TxRUs is determined based on an estimated location of a target obtained by ray tracing, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AIML) modeling, or both.

[0322] Those of skill in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents,QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO73 / 83 electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0323] Further, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0324] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field-programable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0325] The methods, sequences and / or algorithms described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An example storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. InQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO74 / 83 the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., UE). In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal.

[0326] In one or more example aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0327] While the foregoing disclosure shows illustrative aspects of the disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications could be made herein without departing from the scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. For example, the functions, steps and / or actions of the method claims in accordance with the aspects of the disclosure described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Further, no component, function, action, or instruction described or claimed herein should be construed as critical or essential unless explicitly described as such. Furthermore, as usedQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO75 / 83 herein, the terms “set,” “group,” and the like are intended to include one or more of the stated elements. Also, as used herein, the terms “has,” “have,” “having,” “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” and the like does not preclude the presence of one or more additional elements (e.g., an element “having” A may also have B). Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise. Also, as used herein, the term “or” is intended to be inclusive when used in a series and may be used interchangeably with “and / or,” unless explicitly stated otherwise (e.g., if used in combination with “either” or “only one of’) or the alternatives are mutually exclusive (e.g., “one or more” should not be interpreted as “one and more”). Furthermore, although components, functions, actions, and instructions may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. Accordingly, as used herein, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended to include one or more of the stated elements. Additionally, as used herein, the terms “at least one” and “one or more” encompass “one” component, function, action, or instruction performing or capable of performing a described or claimed functionality and also “two or more” components, functions, actions, or instructions performing or capable of performing a described or claimed functionality in combination.QC2407101WO

Claims

Qualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO76 / 83CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A sensing node, comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, configured to: obtain one or more sensing measurements of one or more sensing reference signals; and transmit, via the one or more transceivers, to a network node, a sensing measurement report including one or more parameters indicating one or more sensing coverage areas associated with the one or more sensing reference signals.

2. The sensing node of claim 1, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes an indication of no target detected within a sensing range or no target detectable due to the sensing range.

3. The sensing node of claim 1, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes a minimum sensing range, a maximum sensing range, or both.

4. The sensing node of claim 1, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes an indication that the one or more sensing measurements are obtained in a full energy consumption mode or a reduced energy consumption mode.

5. The sensing node of claim 4, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication of a first sensing range associated with the full energy consumption mode; an indication of a second sensing range associated with the reduced energy consumption mode;QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO77 / 83 or both.

6. The sensing node of claim 1, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication of the one or more sensing coverage areas; and an indication of correspondence between the one or more sensing measurements and the one or more sensing coverage areas.

7. The sensing node of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: transmit, via the one or more transceivers, to the network node, an on-demand request for one or more sensing resources for the one or more sensing reference signals corresponding to the one or more sensing coverage areas; and receive, via the one or more transceivers, from the network node, the one or more sensing resources.

8. The sensing node of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: transmit, via the one or more transceivers, the one or more sensing reference signals.

9. The sensing node of claim 8, wherein the one or more sensing reference signals are transmitted by a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs), and wherein the sensing measurement report further includes an indication of correspondence between the one or more sensing coverage areas and one or more numbers of the plurality of TxRUs.

10. The sensing node of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, from the network node, an on-demand request for transmitting one or more additional sensing reference signals; transmit, via the one or more transceivers, the one or more additional sensing reference signals; andQC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO78 / 83 obtain one or more additional sensing measurements of the one or more additional sensing reference signals, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes one or more additional parameters indicating coverage information associated with the one or more additional sensing reference signals.

11. The sensing node of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, from the network node, a request to multicast one or more sensing results of the one or more sensing measurements to one or more additional sensing nodes; and transmit, via the one or more transceivers, to the one or more additional sensing nodes, the one or more sensing results.

12. The sensing node of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more sensing measurements has a sensing range corresponding to a number of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs), and wherein the number of the plurality of TxRUs is determined based on an estimated location of a target obtained by ray tracing, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AIML) modeling, or both.

13. A sensing node, comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, configured to: obtain a plurality of sensing measurements of a plurality of sensing reference signals; and transmit, via the one or more transceivers, to a network node, a sensing measurement report including: the plurality of sensing measurements; and an indication that at least a first subset of the plurality of sensing measurements is associated with a same miss detection group (MDG),QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO79 / 83 false alarm group (FAG), angular error group (AEG), or any combination thereof.

14. The sensing node of claim 13, wherein the plurality of sensing reference signals from which the plurality of sensing measurements associated with the MDG is obtained is transmitted by a subarray of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs).

15. The sensing node of claim 13, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication that a plurality of subsets of the plurality of sensing measurements including the first subset is associated with a plurality of MDGs; and a plurality of MDG identifiers associated with the plurality of MDGs.

16. The sensing node of claim 13, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication that a plurality of subsets of the plurality of sensing measurements including the first subset is associated with a plurality of F AGs; and a plurality of FAG identifiers associated with the plurality of F AGs.

17. The sensing node of claim 13, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication that a plurality of subsets of the plurality of sensing measurements including the first subset is associated with a plurality of AEGs; and a plurality of AEG identifiers associated with the plurality of AEGs.

18. The sensing node of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: transmit, via the one or more transceivers, the one or more sensing reference signals.QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO80 / 8319. The sensing node of claim 13, wherein the plurality of sensing reference signals from which the plurality of sensing measurements associated with the AEG is obtained is transmitted by a subarray of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs).

20. The sensing node of claim 13, wherein the AEG is formed based on the plurality of sensing measurements including angle of arrival (AoA) measurements, angle of departure (AoD) measurements, or both.

21. The sensing node of claim 13, wherein transmit power of the plurality of sensing reference signals is adjustable based on changing a number of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs) corresponding to a plurality of sensing ranges of the plurality of sensing measurements.

22. The sensing node of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, from the network node, an on-demand request for transmitting a plurality of additional sensing reference signals; transmit, via the one or more transceivers, the plurality of additional sensing reference signals; and obtain a plurality of additional sensing measurements of the plurality of additional sensing reference signals, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes a plurality of additional parameters indicating coverage information associated with the plurality of additional sensing reference signals.

23. The sensing node of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, from the network node, a request to multicast a plurality of sensing results of the plurality of sensing measurements to one or more additional sensing nodes; and transmit, via the one or more transceivers, to the one or more additional sensing nodes, the plurality of sensing results.QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO81 / 8324. The sensing node of claim 13, wherein each sensing measurement of the plurality of sensing measurements has a sensing range corresponding to a number of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs), and wherein the number of the plurality of TxRUs is determined based on an estimated location of a target obtained by ray tracing, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AIML) modeling, or both.

25. A method of wireless sensing at a sensing node, comprising: obtaining one or more sensing measurements of one or more sensing reference signals; and transmitting, to a network node, a sensing measurement report including one or more parameters indicating one or more sensing coverage areas associated with the one or more sensing reference signals.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes an indication of no target detected within a sensing range or no target detectable due to the sensing range.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes a minimum sensing range, a maximum sensing range, or both.

28. A method of wireless sensing at a sensing node, comprising: obtaining a plurality of sensing measurements of a plurality of sensing reference signals; and transmitting, to a network node, a sensing measurement report including: the plurality of sensing measurements; and an indication that at least a first subset of the plurality of sensing measurements is associated with a same miss detection group (MDG), false alarm group (FAG), angular error group (AEG), or any combination thereof.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the plurality of sensing reference signals from which the plurality of sensing measurements associated with the MDG is obtained is transmitted by a subarray of a plurality of transceiver units (TxRUs).QC2407101WOQualcomm Ref. No. 2407101WO82 / 8330. The method of claim 28, wherein the sensing measurement report further includes: an indication that a plurality of subsets of the plurality of sensing measurements including the first subset is associated with a plurality of MDGs; and a plurality of MDG identifiers associated with the plurality of MDGs.QC2407101WO

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