Network node and communication method

Abstract

This network node comprises: a reception unit that receives, from a base station that performs sensing on vehicles on a road, sensing data relating to a target vehicle that has caused an accident; a control unit that analyzes the sensing data; and a transmission unit that transmits an analysis result by the control unit to a vehicle behind the target vehicle via a specific base station.

Description

Network Node and Communication Method

[0001] The present invention relates to wireless sensing technology.

[0002] In 3GPP (Registered Trademark) (3rd Generation Partnership Project), wireless sensing technology that utilizes communication radio waves for sensing applications in the advancement of 5G (also referred to as NR (New Radio)) and the next-generation 6G system is being studied. By utilizing wireless sensing technology, it is possible to grasp the situation of objects such as vehicles, for example.

[0003] On highways or major roads, by notifying real-time information such as the occurrence of traffic accidents or traffic jams to the following vehicles, the following vehicles can take actions to avoid accidents. In the prior art, sensing technology is not used to grasp such real-time information about road conditions.

[0004] 3GPP TS 23.041 V18.6.0 (2024-09)

[0005] As a prior art for notifying vehicles of road conditions such as accident situations, VICS (Registered Trademark) (Vehicle Information and Communication System) is known. However, in this prior art, information dissemination is slow and time-consuming.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a technology that enables rapid provision of information on road conditions by utilizing sensing technology.

[0007] According to the disclosed technology, there is provided a network node including a receiving unit that receives sensing data regarding a target vehicle that has caused an accident from a base station that performs sensing on vehicles on a road, a control unit that analyzes the sensing data, and a transmitting unit that transmits the analysis result by the control unit to vehicles following the target vehicle via a specific base station.

[0008] According to the disclosed technology, by utilizing sensing technology, a technology is provided that enables the rapid provision of information on road conditions.

[0009] This is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication system. This is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication system in a roaming environment. This is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of SF80. This is a diagram illustrating an example of a sensing method. This is a diagram illustrating a problem. This is a diagram illustrating an overview of an embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation sequence in an embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of a network node 100 in an embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of a terminal 20 in an embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a terminal 20 and a network node 100 in an embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a vehicle 2001 in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are examples, and the embodiments to which the present invention is applied are not limited to those described below.

[0011] In the operation of the wireless communication system according to the embodiment of the present invention, existing technologies may be used as appropriate. However, such existing technologies include, for example, existing LTE or existing NR, but are not limited to these.

[0012] First, an example of a mobile network configuration expected to be used in this embodiment will be described, followed by a detailed description of the configuration and operation for using wireless sensing technology to monitor road conditions. Note that "wireless sensing" may sometimes be referred to as "sensing." Furthermore, the "sensing data" in this embodiment may be data indicating reflected signals from objects, etc., acquired by the base station 10 through wireless sensing, or it may be data obtained by analyzing data indicating reflected signals from objects, etc. (for example, data representing the speed of an object, the shape of an object, the position of an object, etc.), or it may be data other than these.

[0013] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication system equivalent to a mobile network. As shown in Figure 1, this communication system consists of a UE20 and multiple network nodes. Hereafter, one network node will be assigned to each function, however, one network node may implement multiple functions, or multiple network nodes may implement one function. Also, the "connection" described below may be a logical connection or a physical connection. Note that the UE20 may also be referred to as terminal 20.

[0014] The RAN (Radio Access Network) 10 is a network node with wireless access functionality, which may include a base station, and is connected to the UE 20, AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) 30, and UPF (User plane function). The RAN (Radio Access Network) 10 may also be called a base station or BS (Base Station). The AMF 30 is a network node that has functions such as terminating the RAN interface, terminating the NAS (Non-Access Stratum), registration management, connection management, reachability management, and mobility management. The UPF is a network node that interconnects with the DN (Data Network) and has functions such as a PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session point to the outside, packet routing and forwarding, and user plane QoS (Quality of Service) handling. The UPF and DN constitute a network slice.

[0015] AMF30 is connected to UE20, RAN10, SMF (Session Management function), NSSF (Network Slice Selection Function), NEF (Network Exposure Function)40, NRF (Network Repository Function), UDM (Unified Data Management), AUSF (Authentication Server Function), PCF (Policy Control Function), and AF (Application Function)50. AMF30, SMF, NSSF, NEF40, NRF, UDM, AUSF, PCF, and AF50 are network nodes that are interconnected via interfaces based on their respective services: Namf, Nsmf, Nnssf, Nnef, Nnrf, Nudm, Nausf, Npcf, and Naf.

[0016] The SMF is a network node with functions such as session management, IP (Internet Protocol) address allocation and management for UE20, DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) functionality, ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) proxy, and roaming functionality. The NEF40 is a network node with the function of notifying other NFs (Network Functions) of capabilities and events. The NSSF is a network node with functions such as selecting the network slice to which UE20 connects, determining the allowed NSSAI (Network Slice Selection Assistance Information), determining the NSSAI to be set, and determining the AMF set to which UE20 connects. The PCF is a network node with the function of controlling network policy. The AF50 is a network node with the function of controlling application servers. The NRF is a network node with the function of discovering NF instances that provide services. The UDM is a network node that manages subscriber data and authentication data. The UDM is connected to the UDR (User Data Repository) that holds this data. Furthermore, Figure 1 shows the Sensing Function (SF) 80.

[0017] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication system in a roaming environment. As shown in Figure 2, the network consists of a UE and multiple network nodes.

[0018] SEPP is an opaque proxy that filters control plane messages between PLMNs (Public Land Mobile Networks). In Figure 2, vSEPP is SEPP in the visited network, and hSEPP is SEPP in the home network.

[0019] As shown in Figure 2, the UE is in a roaming environment connected to the RAN and AMF in the Visited PLMN. The Visited PLMN and Home PLMN are connected via vSEPP and hSEPP. The UE can communicate with the UDM of the Home PLMN, for example, via the AMF of the Visited PLMN.

[0020] (About SF80) Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of SF80's operation. As shown in Figure 3, SF80 transmits RF sensing measurement information (sensing data) transmitted from UE20 or base station 10 to AF50 via NEF40. Furthermore, as will be described later, SF80 can use the sensing data to analyze road conditions and other factors.

[0021] (Examples of sensing) Refer to Figure 4 to explain examples of sensing methods. In the example shown in Figure 4, the sensing methods are "Monostatic sensing" and "Bistatic sensing".

[0022] In "Monostatic sensing," for example, base station 10 transmits a sensing signal, and base station 10 receives the sensing signal reflected from the object. Base station 10 (which may also be SF80 or AF50) can estimate the object's condition (e.g., position, shape, speed of movement, etc.) by analyzing the received sensing signal. In "Monostatic sensing," the entity transmitting and receiving the sensing signal may also be UE20.

[0023] In "Bistatic nuisance," for example, base station 10 transmits a sensing signal, and another device (e.g., UE20) receives the sensing signal reflected from an object. Alternatively, the other device (e.g., UE20) may transmit a sensing signal, and base station 10 may receive the radio signal reflected from an object.

[0024] (Regarding the problem) On expressways or major roads, real-time information such as the occurrence of traffic accidents or congestion can be notified to vehicles behind, allowing them to take accident avoidance actions such as changing their route or slowing down. However, with conventional technology, the notification of information may be delayed or inaccurate.

[0025] A conventional technology for notifying vehicles of road information is VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System). Refer to Figure 5 to explain the overview of VICS and its challenges.

[0026] As shown in Figure 5, in the VICS (registered trademark) system, the collected information is provided by the prefectural police / road administrators to the Japan Road Traffic Information Center.

[0027] However, the information gathering stage requires the parties involved to move to a safe location, report to the police, and for the police to verify the situation, which means that providing information to the traffic information center takes time. In other words, reporting, information processing, and editing take too much time, and the information is not real-time. Also, some vehicles do not have VICS (registered trademark) installed.

[0028] By utilizing sensing technology, it is possible to detect, for example, the presence of objects or people. Therefore, it is considered possible to use sensing technology to determine the occurrence of accidents or traffic congestion. However, in conventional technology, sensing technology has not been used for analyzing road conditions or disseminating information.

[0029] (Outline of the Embodiment) In this embodiment, a base station 10 located along a road (e.g., a highway or major road) performs sensing. Through sensing, it is possible to collect information such as the vehicle's speed, direction of movement, lane used by the vehicle, and shape of the vehicle.

[0030] Referring to Figure 6, the operation overview of the communication system in this embodiment will be explained. In this embodiment, it is assumed that vehicle X has agreed to provide vehicle information to the CN (Core Network). Furthermore, the CN (specifically, for example, SF80) has a function to save the sensing results of a specific target vehicle. Note that the CN is, for example, 5GC.

[0031] Figure 6 shows vehicles A through D traveling on the highway, as well as vehicle X, which was involved in an accident.

[0032] First, the base station 10A detects vehicle X, which has been involved in an accident on the highway, through sensing. For example, the base station 10A detects that vehicle X has suddenly stopped, or that vehicle X's speed has suddenly decreased.

[0033] The base station 10 collects information such as the stopping position of vehicle X, the lane information of vehicle X, and the size of vehicle X as sensing data, adds the ID of vehicle X (e.g., ID X) to the sensing data, and transmits the sensing data with the added ID to the CN.

[0034] The CN stores the analysis results (or sensing data) based on the sensing data as sensing results, and simultaneously notifies the following vehicles A to C of the sensing results of ID X via the base station 10A. The sensing results here include information such as "Vehicle X is stopped in the driving lane."

[0035] When base station 10B detects that a new vehicle D is approaching the accident site, base station 10B provides vehicle D with the sensing result of ID X received from CN. Note that this example shows base station 10A and base station 10B working together. If the distance between base station 10A and base station 10B is large, base station 10A may provide vehicle D with the sensing result of ID X.

[0036] Vehicles A, B, C, and D each receive sensing results (warnings) from base station 10 and take actions such as slowing down, changing lanes, or changing routes in advance. This prevents further accidents involving vehicle X and also prevents traffic congestion.

[0037] Furthermore, a vehicle that receives sensing results from base station 10 may transmit the sensing results to other vehicles via vehicle-to-vehicle communication such as V2X.

[0038] (Processing Sequence) The processing sequence in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 7. In the example shown in Figure 7, the sensing target 70 is one or more vehicles involved in an accident. Vehicles A to D are all vehicles traveling behind the vehicle involved in the accident.

[0039] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 7, the road is assumed to be a highway, and multiple base stations 10 are provided along the highway. In the following explanation, the base stations 10 may perform analysis using sensing data from the SF80.

[0040] <S101> In S101, suppose an accident involving vehicle X occurs on the driving lane of a highway. A base station 10A located along the highway detects vehicle X at an abnormal speed through sensing (wireless sensing radio waves). An abnormal speed is, for example, when the speed suddenly drops to zero, or when the speed suddenly falls below a predetermined value.

[0041] <S102> In S102, the base station 10A collects sensing data from the sensing target 70. Here, the sensing target 70 is the vehicle X that was involved in the accident.

[0042] The information collected as sensing data includes, for example, the stopping position (or the position and speed of the moving vehicle) of the vehicle being sensed 70, information about the lane in which the vehicle is located, and the size of the vehicle. The sensing data is also accompanied by the ID of the vehicle X involved in the accident (e.g., ID X).

[0043] Furthermore, each base station 10 along the expressway may turn on the collection (analysis) of sensing data such as lane information when it detects a vehicle whose moving speed is 0 or less than a predetermined value, and may turn off the collection (analysis) of sensing data during periods when no such vehicles are detected.

[0044] <S103> In S103, the base station 10A transmits the sensing data with the ID X added to SF80.

[0045] <S104> In S104, SF80 analyzes the sensing data received from the base station 10A. For example, SF80 determines, based on the sensing data, that an accident (referred to as accident X) has occurred to vehicle X and that a traffic jam (referred to as traffic jam X) has occurred due to the accident of vehicle X. SF80 adds an event ID to the event (analysis result) whose occurrence has been determined by the analysis. The analysis result with the event ID added is called the sensing result.

[0046] For example, when SF80 detects an accident of vehicle X and a speed reduction of other vehicles (e.g., the speed has become 40 Km / h or less) based on the sensing data, and even if a certain period of time (predetermined time) has elapsed since then and the speed of the other vehicles does not recover (e.g., does not become greater than 40 Km / h), SF80 determines that a traffic jam has occurred.

[0047] Also, SF80 (or the base station 10) may track the driving route of a vehicle that avoids the accident location using the sensing data (information on wireless sensing radio waves). Further, SF80 (or the base station 10) can determine the passability of the driving lane or overtaking lane by detecting a road obstacle based on the sensing data. For example, when it is detected that there is an obstacle in the driving lane, it is determined that only the overtaking lane is passable.

[0048] <S105> In S105, SF80 determines the destination base station to which the sensing result is to be notified based on the location where accident X has occurred and the moving direction of the vehicles in the lane where vehicle X is present. For example, SF80 determines, for vehicle X, the base station in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the vehicles in the lane where vehicle X is present as the destination base station to which the sensing result is to be notified. In the example of FIG. 7, the base stations 10A and 10B are determined as the destination base stations to which the sensing result is to be notified.

[0049] <S106-S109> In S106, SF80 transmits the sensing result to base station 10A. In S107, base station 10A transmits the sensing result to vehicles A-C in the coverage area of ​​base station 10A.

[0050] In S108, SF80 transmits the sensing result to base station 10B. In S109, base station 10B transmits the sensing result to vehicle D within base station 10B's coverage.

[0051] (Effects of the Embodiment) The technology according to this embodiment makes it possible to detect stopped vehicles or congestion on expressways or major roads when traffic accidents or congestion occur, etc., by sensing. In addition, it becomes possible to notify following vehicles of the information detected by sensing more quickly.

[0052] (Device Configuration) Next, an example of the functional configuration of the network node 100 that performs the processing and operations described above will be explained. The network node 100 may be any of SF80, AF50, and base station 10. In other words, SF80, AF50, and base station 10 all have the configuration shown in Figure 8.

[0053] <Network Node 100> Figure 8 shows an example of the functional configuration of network node 100.

[0054] As shown in Figure 8, the network node 100 includes a transmitting unit 110, a receiving unit 120, a setting unit 130, and a control unit 140. The functional configuration shown in Figure 8 is merely an example. The names of the functional categories and functional units can be anything as long as they enable the operation according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0055] The transmitting unit 110 includes the function of generating a signal to be transmitted to the terminal 20 or other network node and transmitting the signal by wire or wireless. The receiving unit 120 includes the function of receiving various signals transmitted from the terminal 20 or other network node and obtaining information from the received signal, for example, information of a higher layer. A communication unit including the transmitting unit 110 and the receiving unit 120 may be configured.

[0056] The setting unit 130 stores pre-configured setting information and various setting information to be transmitted to the terminal 20 in a storage device and reads it from the storage device as needed. The control unit 140 controls the network node 100. The signal transmission function unit of the control unit 140 may be included in the transmission unit 110, and the signal reception function unit of the control unit 140 may be included in the reception unit 120. The transmission unit 110 and the reception unit 120 may also be called the transmitter and receiver, respectively. The control unit 140 may also include a sensing function.

[0057] <Terminal 20> Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of terminal 20. As shown in Figure 9, terminal 20 has a transmitting unit 210, a receiving unit 220, a setting unit 230, and a control unit 240. The functional configuration shown in Figure 9 is merely an example. Any functional classification and functional unit names are acceptable as long as they enable the operation according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] The transmitting unit 210 creates a transmission signal from the transmission data and transmits the transmission signal wirelessly. The receiving unit 220 wirelessly receives various signals and acquires signals from higher layers from the received physical layer signals. The receiving unit 220 has the function of receiving NR-PSS, NR-SSS, NR-PBCH, DL / UL control signals or reference signals transmitted from network nodes. A communication unit including the transmitting unit 210 and the receiving unit 220 may be configured.

[0059] The setting unit 230 stores various setting information received from network nodes by the receiving unit 220 in a storage device and reads it from the storage device as needed. The setting unit 230 also stores pre-configured setting information.

[0060] The control unit 240 controls the terminal 20. The signal transmission function of the control unit 240 may be included in the transmission unit 210, and the signal reception function of the control unit 240 may be included in the reception unit 220. The transmission unit 210 and the reception unit 220 may also be called the transmitter and receiver, respectively. The control unit 240 may also include a sensing function.

[0061] (Hardware Configuration) The block diagrams (Figures 8 and 9) used in the description of the above embodiments show functional units. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, the method of realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using one device that is physically or logically coupled, or it may be realized using two or more physically or logically separated devices that are directly or indirectly connected (for example, using wired or wireless connections). A functional block may be realized by combining the above one device or the above multiple devices with software.

[0062] Functions include, but are not limited to, judgment, decision, determination, calculation, calculation, processing, derivation, investigation, exploration, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, selection, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, assumption, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating (mapping), and assigning. For example, a functional block (configuration part) that enables transmission is called a transmitting unit or transmitter. In all cases, as mentioned above, the method of implementation is not particularly limited.

[0063] For example, the network node 100 and terminal 20 in one embodiment of the present disclosure may function as computers that process the communication method of the present disclosure. Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the network node 100 and terminal 20 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The network node 100 and terminal 20 described above may be physically configured as computer devices including a processor 1001, a storage device 1002, an auxiliary storage device 1003, a communication device 1004, an input device 1005, an output device 1006, a bus 1007, and the like.

[0064] In the following explanation, the term "device" can be replaced with "circuit," "device," "unit," etc. The hardware configuration of the network node 100 and the terminal 20 may include one or more of the devices shown in the figure, or it may be configured to omit some of the devices.

[0065] Each function in the network node 100 and terminal 20 is realized by loading predetermined software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 1001 and storage device 1002, which allows the processor 1001 to perform calculations, control communication by the communication device 1004, and control at least one of data reading and writing in the storage device 1002 and auxiliary storage device 1003.

[0066] The processor 1001 controls the entire computer, for example, by running an operating system. The processor 1001 may consist of a central processing unit (CPU) that includes interfaces with peripheral devices, control devices, arithmetic units, registers, etc. For example, the control unit 140, control unit 240, etc., described above may be implemented by the processor 1001.

[0067] Furthermore, the processor 1001 reads programs (program code), software modules, or data from at least one of the auxiliary storage device 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the storage device 1002, and executes various processes accordingly. The program used is one that causes the computer to execute at least a part of the operations described in the above embodiment. For example, the control unit 140 of the network node 100 shown in Figure 7 may be implemented by a control program stored in the storage device 1002 and operated by the processor 1001. Also, for example, the control unit 240 of the terminal 20 shown in Figure 8 may be implemented by a control program stored in the storage device 1002 and operated by the processor 1001. Although the above-described processes have been explained as being executed by one processor 1001, they may be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The program may also be transmitted from the network via a telecommunications line.

[0068] The storage device 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may consist of at least one of the following: ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The storage device 1002 may also be called a register, cache, main memory, etc. The storage device 1002 can store executable programs (program code), software modules, etc., for implementing a communication method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0069] The auxiliary storage device 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium and may consist of at least one of the following: an optical disc such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital multipurpose disk, a Blu-ray® disk), a smart card, flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy® disk, a magnetic strip, etc. The above-mentioned storage medium may also be a database, server, or other suitable medium that includes at least one of the storage device 1002 and the auxiliary storage device 1003.

[0070] The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmitting / receiving device) for communicating between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also referred to as a network device, network controller, network card, communication module, etc. The communication device 1004 may be configured to include, for example, a high-frequency switch, duplexer, filter, frequency synthesizer, etc., in order to implement at least one of frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD). For example, the transmitting and receiving antenna, amplifier section, transmitting and receiving section, transmission path interface, etc., may be implemented by the communication device 1004. The transmitting and receiving section may be implemented in a physically or logically separated manner, with a transmitting section and a receiving section.

[0071] The input device 1005 is an input device that accepts input from an external source (e.g., a keyboard, mouse, microphone, switch, button, sensor, etc.). The output device 1006 is an output device that outputs to an external source (e.g., a display, speaker, LED lamp, etc.). The input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be configured as an integrated unit (e.g., a touch panel).

[0072] Furthermore, each device, such as the processor 1001 and the storage device 1002, is connected by a bus 1007 for communicating information. The bus 1007 may be configured using a single bus, or different buses may be configured for each device.

[0073] Furthermore, the network node 100 and the terminal 20 may be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), and an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and some or all of each functional block may be realized by such hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these hardware components.

[0074] Figure 11 shows an example of the configuration of vehicle 2001. As shown in Figure 11, vehicle 2001 includes a drive unit 2002, a steering unit 2003, an accelerator pedal 2004, a brake pedal 2005, a shift lever 2006, front wheels 2007, rear wheels 2008, an axle 2009, an electronic control unit 2010, various sensors 2021 to 2029, an information service unit 2012, and a communication module 2013. Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be applied to a communication device mounted on vehicle 2001, for example, to the communication module 2013. For example, a network node 100 or a terminal 20 may be included in the communication module 2013.

[0075] The drive unit 2002 consists of, for example, an engine, a motor, or a hybrid of an engine and a motor. The steering unit 2003 includes at least a steering wheel (also called a handle) and is configured to steer at least one of the front wheels and the rear wheels based on the operation of the steering wheel, which is operated by the user.

[0076] The electronic control unit 2010 consists of a microprocessor 2031, memory (ROM, RAM) 2032, and communication ports (IO ports) 2033. Signals from various sensors 2021 to 2029 installed in the vehicle 2001 are input to the electronic control unit 2010. The electronic control unit 2010 may also be called an ECU (Electronic Control Unit).

[0077] Signals from various sensors 2021 to 2029 include current signals from current sensor 2021 for sensing motor current, front and rear wheel rotation speed signals acquired by rotation speed sensor 2022, front and rear wheel air pressure signals acquired by air pressure sensor 2023, vehicle speed signals acquired by vehicle speed sensor 2024, acceleration signals acquired by acceleration sensor 2025, accelerator pedal depression signals acquired by accelerator pedal sensor 2029, brake pedal depression signals acquired by brake pedal sensor 2026, shift lever operation signals acquired by shift lever sensor 2027, and detection signals acquired by object detection sensor 2028 for detecting obstacles, vehicles, pedestrians, etc.

[0078] The Information Service Unit 2012 consists of various devices for providing (outputting) various types of information such as driving information, traffic information, and entertainment information, including a car navigation system, audio system, speakers, television, and radio, and one or more ECUs that control these devices. The Information Service Unit 2012 uses information acquired from external devices via a communication module 2013, etc., to provide various multimedia information and multimedia services to the occupants of the vehicle 2001. The Information Service Unit 2012 may include input devices that accept input from the outside (e.g., keyboard, mouse, microphone, switch, button, sensor, touch panel, etc.) and output devices that perform output to the outside (e.g., display, speaker, LED lamp, touch panel, etc.).

[0079] The driver assistance system unit 2030 consists of various devices that provide functions to prevent accidents or reduce the driver's workload, such as millimeter-wave radar, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), cameras, positioning locators (e.g., GNSS), map information (e.g., high-definition (HD) maps, autonomous vehicle (AV) maps), gyro systems (e.g., IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), INS (Inertial Navigation System)), AI (Artificial Intelligence) chips, and AI processors, as well as one or more ECUs that control these devices. The driver assistance system unit 2030 also transmits and receives various information via the communication module 2013 to realize driver assistance functions or autonomous driving functions.

[0080] The communication module 2013 can communicate with the microprocessor 2031 and components of the vehicle 2001 via its communication port. For example, the communication module 2013 sends and receives data via the communication port 2033 between the drive unit 2002, steering unit 2003, accelerator pedal 2004, brake pedal 2005, shift lever 2006, front wheels 2007, rear wheels 2008, axle 2009, the microprocessor 2031 and memory (ROM, RAM) 2032 in the electronic control unit 2010, and sensors 2021-29 provided in the vehicle 2001.

[0081] The communication module 2013 is a communication device that can be controlled by the microprocessor 2031 of the electronic control unit 2010 and can communicate with external devices. For example, it can send and receive various types of information to and from external devices via wireless communication. The communication module 2013 may be located either inside or outside the electronic control unit 2010. The external device may be, for example, a base station, terminal, network node, etc.

[0082] The communication module 2013 may transmit at least one of the following to an external device via wireless communication: signals from the various sensors 2021-2028 input to the electronic control unit 2010, information obtained based on said signals, and information based on input from an external source (user) obtained via the information service unit 2012. The electronic control unit 2010, the various sensors 2021-2028, the information service unit 2012, etc., may also be called input units that accept input.

[0083] The communication module 2013 receives various information (traffic information, signal information, inter-vehicle information, etc.) transmitted from an external device and displays it on the information service unit 2012 provided in the vehicle 2001. The information service unit 2012 may also be called an output unit, which outputs information (for example, outputs information to devices such as displays and speakers based on the PDSCH (or data / information decoded from the PDSCH) received by the communication module 2013). The communication module 2013 also stores the various information received from the external device in a memory 2032 that can be used by the microprocessor 2031. Based on the information stored in the memory 2032, the microprocessor 2031 may control the drive unit 2002, steering unit 2003, accelerator pedal 2004, brake pedal 2005, shift lever 2006, front wheels 2007, rear wheels 2008, axles 2009, sensors 2021-2029, etc., provided in the vehicle 2001.

[0084] Furthermore, if the communication module 2013 includes a network node 100 (or terminal 20), the communication module 2013 can perform the operations of the aforementioned network node 100 (or terminal 20).

[0085] This specification discloses at least the configurations described in the following appendix.

[0086] <Notes> (Note 1) A network node comprising: a receiving unit that receives sensing data relating to a vehicle involved in an accident from a base station that performs sensing of vehicles on a road; a control unit that analyzes the sensing data; and a transmitting unit that transmits the analysis results by the control unit to a vehicle behind the vehicle via a specific base station. (Note 2) The network node according to Note 1, wherein the control unit determines the occurrence of an accident or traffic congestion in the vehicle by analyzing the sensing data. (Note 3) The network node according to Note 1, wherein the control unit determines the specific base station based on the location where the accident occurred and the direction of movement of vehicles in the lane in which the vehicle is located. (Note 4) A communication method executed by a network node, comprising: a step of receiving sensing data relating to a vehicle involved in an accident from a base station that performs sensing of vehicles on a road; an analysis step of analyzing the sensing data; and a step of transmitting the analysis results from the analysis step to a vehicle behind the vehicle via a specific base station.

[0087] According to any of the appendices 1 to 4, technology is provided that enables the rapid provision of road condition information by utilizing sensing technology. According to appendice 2, the occurrence of an accident or traffic congestion can be determined using sensing data. According to appendice 3, the occurrence of an accident, etc., can be appropriately notified to vehicles behind.

[0088] (Supplement to Embodiments) Embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the disclosed invention is not limited to such embodiments, and those skilled in the art will understand various modifications, alterations, alternatives, substitutions, etc. Specific numerical examples have been used to facilitate understanding of the invention, but unless otherwise specified, these numerical values ​​are merely examples, and any appropriate values ​​may be used. The division of items in the above description is not essential to the present invention, and matters described in two or more items may be used in combination as necessary, and matters described in one item may be applied to matters described in another item (as long as they do not contradict each other). The boundaries of functional units or processing units in the functional block diagram do not necessarily correspond to the boundaries of physical parts. The operation of multiple functional units may be physically performed by one part, or the operation of one functional unit may be physically performed by multiple parts. The processing procedures described in the embodiments may be rearranged as long as they do not contradict each other. For the convenience of explaining the processing, the network node 100 and terminal 20 have been described using functional block diagrams, but such devices may be realized in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. The software operated by the processor of the EES 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention and the software operated by the processor of the terminal 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be stored in any suitable storage medium such as random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), EPROM, EEPROM, register, hard disk (HDD), removable disk, CD-ROM, database, server, or other appropriate storage medium.

[0089] Furthermore, notification of information is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be carried out by other means. For example, notification of information may be carried out by physical layer signaling (e.g., DCI (Downlink Control Information), UCI (Uplink Control Information)), upper layer signaling (e.g., RRC (Radio Resource Control) signaling, MAC (Medium Access Control) signaling), broadcast information (MIB (Master Information Block), SIB (System Information Block)), other signals, or combinations thereof. Also, RRC signaling may be called RRC messages, and may be, for example, RRC Connection Setup messages, RRC Connection Reconfiguration messages, etc.

[0090] Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure refers to LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G (4th generation mobile communication system), 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), 6th generation mobile communication system (6G), xth generation mobile communication system (xG) (xG (where x is, for example, an integer or decimal)), FRA (Future Radio Access), NR (new Radio), New radio access (NX), Future generation radio access (FX), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20 may apply to at least one system utilizing UWB (Ultra-WideBand), Bluetooth®, or other appropriate systems, and to next-generation systems extended, modified, created, or defined based thereon. Alternatively, multiple systems may be applied in combination (e.g., a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A with 5G).

[0091] The processing procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc., of each aspect / embodiment described herein may be reordered, provided they are consistent with each other. For example, the methods described herein present various step elements in an exemplary order and are not limited to that specific order.

[0092] In this specification, specific operations performed by the base station 10 ((R)AN10) may, in some cases, be performed by its upper node. In a network consisting of one or more network nodes having a base station 10, it is clear that various operations performed for communication with the terminal 20 can be performed by the base station 10 and at least one of the other network nodes (for example, an MME or S-GW, but not limited to these). Although the above example illustrates the case where there is one other network node besides the base station 10, the other network node may be a combination of multiple other network nodes (for example, an MME and an S-GW).

[0093] The information or signals described in this disclosure may be output from a higher layer (or lower layer) to a lower layer (or higher layer). They may also be input and output via multiple network nodes.

[0094] Input and output information may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or managed using a management table. Input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or appended to. Output information may be deleted. Input information may be transmitted to other devices.

[0095] The determination in this disclosure may be made by a value represented by one bit (0 or 1), by a Boolean value (true or false), or by a numerical comparison (for example, a comparison with a predetermined value).

[0096] Software should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, procedures, functions, and so on, whether they are called software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or by any other name.

[0097] Furthermore, software, instructions, information, etc., may be transmitted and received via a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using at least one of wired technology (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or digital subscriber line (DSL)) and wireless technology (such as infrared or microwave), then at least one of these wired and wireless technologies is included in the definition of a transmission medium.

[0098] The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of the various different techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0099] In addition, terms used in this disclosure and terms necessary for understanding this disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meanings. For example, at least one of the channel and symbol may be a signal (signaling). Also, a signal may be a message. Furthermore, a component carrier (CC) may be called a carrier frequency, cell, frequency carrier, etc.

[0100] The terms “system” and “network” as used in this disclosure are interchangeable.

[0101] Furthermore, the information, parameters, etc., described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, relative values ​​from a given value, or other corresponding information. For example, wireless resources may be indicated by an index.

[0102] The names used for the parameters described above are not restrictive in any way. Furthermore, the formulas and other expressions using these parameters may differ from those expressly disclosed in this disclosure. Various channels (e.g., PUCCH, PDCCH, etc.) and information elements can be identified by any suitable name, and therefore, the various names assigned to these various channels and information elements are not restrictive in any way.

[0103] In this disclosure, terms such as "Base Station (BS)", "wireless base station", "base station equipment", "fixed station", "NodeB", "eNodeB (eNB)", "gNodeB (gNB)", "access point", "transmission point", "reception point", "transmission / reception point", "cell", "sector", "cell group", "carrier", and "component carrier" may be used interchangeably. Base stations may also be referred to by terms such as macrocell, small cell, femtocell, and picocell.

[0104] A base station can accommodate one or more (e.g., three) cells. If a base station accommodates multiple cells, the entire coverage area of ​​the base station can be divided into multiple smaller areas, each of which may also be provided with communication services by a base station subsystem (e.g., a Remote Radio Head (RRH)). The terms “cell” or “sector” refer to part or all of the coverage area of ​​at least one of the base station and / or base station subsystems that provide communication services in that coverage.

[0105] In this disclosure, the transmission of information by a base station to a terminal may be interpreted as the base station instructing the terminal to perform control or operation based on the information.

[0106] In this disclosure, terms such as "Mobile Station (MS)," "user terminal," "User Equipment (UE)," and "terminal" may be used interchangeably.

[0107] A mobile station may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or several other appropriate terms.

[0108] The base station 10, terminal 20, and SF80 may also be called a transmitting device, receiving device, communication device, etc. The base station 10, terminal 20, AF50, and SF80 may also be devices mounted on a mobile body, the mobile body itself, etc. The mobile body refers to a movable object, and its speed of movement is arbitrary. This also includes cases where the mobile body is stationary. The mobile body includes, but is not limited to, vehicles, transport vehicles, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, connected cars, excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders, dump trucks, forklifts, trains, buses, handcarts, rickshaws, ships and other watercraft, airplanes, rockets, satellites, drones (registered trademark), multicopters, quadcopters, balloons, and items mounted on them. Furthermore, the mobile body may be a mobile body that autonomously drives based on operational commands. The mobile object may be a vehicle (e.g., a car, an airplane), an unmanned mobile object (e.g., a drone, an autonomous vehicle), or a robot (manned or unmanned). Note that the base station 10, terminal 20, and SF80 may all be devices that do not move during communication. For example, the base station 10, terminal 20, and SF80 may all be IoT (Internet of Things) devices such as sensors.

[0109] Furthermore, the term "base station" in this disclosure may be interpreted as "user terminal." For example, the various aspects / embodiments of this disclosure may be applied to a configuration in which communication between a base station and a user terminal is replaced with communication between multiple terminals 20 (which may be called, for example, D2D (Device-to-Device), V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything), etc.). In this case, the terminals 20 may have the functions that the base station 10 has. Also, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" may be interpreted as terms corresponding to terminal-to-terminal communication (for example, "side"). For example, uplink channel, downlink channel, etc., may be interpreted as side channel.

[0110] Similarly, the term "user terminal" in this disclosure may be replaced with "base station." In this case, the base station may be configured to have the same functions as the user terminal described above.

[0111] As used in this disclosure, the terms “determining” and “determining” may encompass a wide variety of actions. “Determining” may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, searching, or inquiring (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), or ascertaining. “Determining” may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), inputting, outputting, or accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory). Furthermore, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering something as having been "judged" or "decided" after resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc. In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering something as having been "judged" or "decided" after some action. Also, "judgment (decision)" can be reinterpreted as "assuming," "expecting," or "considering."

[0112] The terms “connected,” “coupled,” or any variation thereof, mean any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are “connected” or “coupled” with each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. For example, “connection” may be reinterpreted as “access.” As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be “connected” or “coupled” with each other using at least one of one or more wires, cables, and printed electrical connections, and, in some non-limiting and non-exclusive examples, electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency domain, microwave domain, and optical (both visible and invisible) domain.

[0113] The reference signal can also be abbreviated as RS (Reference Signal), and may be called a pilot depending on the applicable standard.

[0114] In this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based solely on" unless otherwise specified. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based solely on" and "based at least on."

[0115] Any reference to elements using the designations “first,” “second,” etc., as used in this disclosure does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient way to distinguish between two or more elements. Accordingly, references to the first and second elements do not imply that only two elements may be employed, or that the first element must precede the second element in any way.

[0116] In the configuration of each of the above devices, "means" may be replaced with "part," "circuit," "device," etc.

[0117] Where the terms “include,” “including,” and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms are intended to be inclusive, as is the term “comprising.” Furthermore, the term “or” as used in this disclosure is not intended to mean exclusive OR.

[0118] In this disclosure, if articles are added through translation, such as a, an, and the in English, this disclosure may include the fact that the noun following these articles is plural.

[0119] In this disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "combine" may be interpreted similarly to "different."

[0120] Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be used individually, in combination, or switched between as needed during implementation. Furthermore, notification of specific information (e.g., notification that "X is") is not limited to explicit notification, but may also be implicit (e.g., by not providing such notification).

[0121] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the intent and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the descriptions in the present disclosure are illustrative and not intended to be restrictive in any way.

[0122] 10 Base station ((R)AN) 20 Terminal (UE) 30 AMF 40 NEF 50 AF 80 SF 100 Network node 110 Transmitter 120 Receiver 130 Setting unit 140 Control unit 210 Transmitter 220 Receiver 230 Setting unit 240 Control unit 1001 Processor 1002 Storage device 1003 Auxiliary storage device 1004 Communication device 1005 Input device 1006 Output device

Claims

1. A network node comprising: a receiving unit that receives sensing data relating to a vehicle involved in an accident from a base station that performs sensing of vehicles on the road; a control unit that analyzes the sensing data; and a transmitting unit that transmits the analysis results from the control unit to a vehicle behind the vehicle involved in the accident via a specific base station.

2. The network node according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines the occurrence of an accident or traffic congestion in the target vehicle by analyzing the sensing data.

3. The network node according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines the specific base station based on the location where the accident occurred and the direction of movement of the vehicle in the lane where the vehicle in question is located.

4. A communication method performed by a network node, comprising: receiving sensing data relating to a vehicle involved in an accident from a base station that performs sensing of vehicles on a road; an analysis step of analyzing the sensing data; and transmitting the analysis results obtained in the analysis step to a vehicle behind the vehicle via a specific base station.

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