Base station, terminal device, and communication system

Abstract

A base station according to the present disclosure comprises a communication unit and a control unit. The communication unit performs wireless communication with a terminal device using a beam. The control unit acquires detection information detected regarding the position of the terminal device. The control unit transmits, via the communication unit, a downlink signal to the terminal device using a beam at an angle corresponding to the position.

Description

Base stations, terminal equipment, and communication systems

[0001] This disclosure relates to base stations, terminal equipment, and communication systems.

[0002] Currently, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®) is working on defining 5G specifications while simultaneously beginning discussions on Beyond 5G (B5G) and the 6th Generation Mobile Communication System (6G).

[0003] In addition to expanding communication capacity, which had been considered since before 5G, 6G envisions Integration of X (X: Computing, Sensing, Positioning, RAT (Radio Access Technology), etc.), which aims to add new value to wireless communication networks by integrating with other systems.

[0004] In particular, there is growing interest in technologies that integrate communication and sensing (also known as "Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC)," "Integrated Communication and Sensing (ICAS)," and "Joint Communication and Sensing (JCAS)").

[0005] The Technical Specification Group Service and System Aspects WG1 (TSG SA WG1: SA1), one of the 3GPP Working Groups (WGs), has defined 32 use cases for ISAC. For example, use cases include detection and location estimation, such as intrusion detection and situation monitoring, for smart transportation, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and smart homes. Other use cases include healthcare monitoring, such as respiration detection, vital sign sensing, and gesture recognition, as well as weather radar use cases, such as raindrop detection.

[0006] Furthermore, cellular communication systems, including the 3rd Generation Mobile Communication System (3G) and the 4th Generation Mobile Communication System (4G), support a variety of wireless communication-enabled services.

[0007] For example, in 5th Generation Mobile Communication Systems (5G) since 3G, location services that use location information of communication devices (e.g., terminal devices) are supported, and various positioning methods, including RAT-independent methods, are defined.

[0008] While various positioning methods are defined in location services, their purpose is limited to detecting the location of a terminal. ISAC envisions handling not only positioning sensors used in location services, but also sensors for detecting images or the shape of objects, such as cameras (image sensors) or LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). Here, communication devices equipped with sensors are not limited to terminal devices, but may also be devices other than terminal devices, such as base stations or roadside units (RSUs).

[0009] Furthermore, ISAC envisions that terminal devices and base stations will provide not only communication functions but also RF (Radio Frequency) based sensing functions utilizing the wireless communication infrastructure. In other words, mobile communication systems can acquire information from various sensors equipped on terminal devices and base stations via the wireless communication infrastructure. Mobile communication systems are also expected to provide new value-added sensing services, such as sensor fusion using artificial intelligence and machine learning. The feasibility of sensing using wireless communication hardware has been suggested in Non-Patent Document 3, among others.

[0010] Furthermore, 6G is expected to operate in high-frequency bands such as terahertz waves, in addition to the millimeter waves used so far. In the previous 5G, communication control was carried out in spatial units based on the communication range (communication coverage) of a single base station called a cell (including overhanging antennas called TRPs (Transmission and reception points)).

[0011] Because communication using high-frequency bands such as terahertz waves has a shorter propagation distance compared to low-frequency bands, the communication area is expected to be smaller than that of conventional systems, including 5G.

[0012] Furthermore, 6G is expected to feature a greater diversity of communication nodes. In addition to base stations (eNodeB, gNodeB, etc.), 5G anticipates the use of TRPs, which are projecting antennas. Moreover, communication nodes such as IAB (Integrated access and backhaul) nodes (i.e., base station relays) and NTNs (Non-terrestrial networks) including satellite communications are also anticipated.

[0013] In addition to this, 6G is expected to further diversify communication nodes in order to support high frequency bands and reduce CAPEX / OPEX, for example, the use of smart repeaters called RIS (Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface) and terminal-to-terminal relays is expected. These communication nodes are expected to include not only fully controllable communication nodes such as base stations and IAB nodes, and uncontrollable communication nodes such as RF repeaters, but also communication nodes in which some control parameters can be controlled.

[0014] 3GPP TR 22.837 V19.2.1 (2024-02), 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group TSG SA; Feasibility Study on Integrated Sensing and Communication (Release 19) Nokia, RP-234069, “New SID: Study on channel modelling for Integrated Sensing And Communication (ISAC) for NR, RAN Meeting #102,” Edinburgh, Dec. 11th-15th, 2023. Dariush Salami, Ramin Hasibi, Stefano Savazzi, Tom Michoel, Stephan Sigg, "Integrating Sensing and Communication in Cellular Networks via NR Sidelink," (online), 2021, (searched on February 10, 2025), Internet, <URL : https: / / arxiv.org / abs / 2109.07253> 3GPP TS 38.331 V18.4.0 (2024-12), "3rd Generation Partnership Project; NR; Radio Resource Control (RRC); Protocol specification" (Release 18) 3GPP TS 36.331 V18.4.0 (2024-12), "Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); Radio Resource Control (RRC); Protocol specification" (Release 18) 3GPP TS 38.802 V14.2.0 (2017-9), "3rd Generation Partnership Project; Study on new radio access technology Physical layer aspects" (Release 14).

[0015] In 6G and beyond, the communication coverage of communication nodes is narrowed by the operation of high-frequency bands, and the number of communication nodes required to deploy a communication area across a wide area increases. Therefore, conventional cell design becomes extremely difficult. Furthermore, the diversification of communication nodes also contributes to the difficulty of cell design.

[0016] Therefore, it is expected that a cell-free network, which eliminates cell boundaries in conventional cell configurations (cellular networks) centered around base stations, will be introduced as a basic function of 6G, enabling an optimal communication environment regardless of the user's location relative to the base station.

[0017] This will enable more efficient network operation and the efficient provision of information on a user-by-user basis. In a self-free network, coordination between base stations will be a topic of discussion.

[0018] As mentioned above, in an environment with diverse types and frequencies of communication nodes, an increase in power consumption is expected due to the increase in the number of communication nodes, and it is anticipated that there will be a growing demand for operating each communication node with lower power consumption. Furthermore, it is anticipated that interference will occur between radio waves emitted from adjacent communication nodes as communication nodes are arranged at a higher density.

[0019] For example, in the high-frequency band, beamforming is used to expand communication coverage. In 6G, conventional beamforming methods, which involve beam scanning from base stations and feedback from terminals, are prone to interference problems when each densely arranged base station performs its own beam scanning. The beam is transmitted in a direction where there are no terminal devices. This can easily lead to interference between adjacent systems. In particular, in systems where base stations or communication points are densely arranged as is expected in 6G, interference due to beam scanning is likely to occur even more easily.

[0020] Furthermore, beam scanning transmits radio waves by directing the beam in directions where there are no terminal devices, which can cause overhead and potentially reduce resource efficiency and power efficiency.

[0021] Therefore, this disclosure provides a base station, terminal equipment, and communication system that can further reduce interference and / or efficiency degradation due to beam scanning.

[0022] It should be noted that the above-mentioned problems or objectives are merely one of several problems or objectives that can be solved or achieved by the multiple embodiments disclosed herein.

[0023] The base station of this disclosure comprises a communication unit and a control unit. The communication unit performs beam-based wireless communication with a terminal device. The control unit acquires detection information regarding the location of the terminal device. The control unit transmits a downlink signal to the terminal device via the communication unit using the beam at an angle corresponding to the location.

[0024] This figure shows an overview of a communication system according to an embodiment of this disclosure. This figure illustrates an example of a communication point according to an embodiment of this disclosure. This sequence diagram shows an example of initial access control. This figure illustrates monostatic sensing. This figure illustrates multistatic sensing. This figure shows the configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment of this disclosure. This figure shows an example of a server configuration according to an embodiment of this disclosure. This figure shows the configuration of a management device according to an embodiment of this disclosure. This figure shows the configuration of a base station according to an embodiment of this disclosure. This figure shows the configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment of this disclosure. This figure shows an example of transmitting a first signal according to an embodiment of this disclosure. This sequence diagram shows an example of a first processing flow according to an embodiment of this disclosure. This sequence diagram shows an example of a second processing flow according to an embodiment of this disclosure. This sequence diagram shows another example of a second processing flow according to an embodiment of this disclosure. This sequence diagram shows an example of a third processing flow according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0025] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the same parts will be denoted by the same reference numerals to avoid redundant descriptions.

[0026] Furthermore, in this specification and the drawings, multiple components having substantially the same functional configuration may be distinguished by adding different numbers after the same reference numeral. For example, multiple components having substantially the same functional configuration may be distinguished as needed in the terminal device 40 １ , 40 ２ , and 40 ３ They are distinguished in this way. However, if there is no need to particularly distinguish each of multiple components that have substantially the same functional configuration, only the same reference numeral is used. For example, terminal device 40 １ , 40 ２ , and 40 ３ When there is no particular need to distinguish between them, they are simply referred to as terminal devices 40.

[0027] Furthermore, in this specification, the expression "at least one of" accompanied by an enumeration of elements is understood to mean that the enumerated elements are the choices. For example, "at least one of A, B, and C" means "A," "B," "C," "A and B," "A and C," "B and C," or "A, B, and C." "at least one of A, B, or C" and "at least one of A, B, and / or C" are similar to "at least one of A, B, and C." Here, A, B, and C are all arbitrary expressions (e.g., word, phrase, clause, term, or item).

[0028] The one or more embodiments (including examples and modifications) described below can each be implemented independently. On the other hand, at least some of the embodiments described below may be implemented in appropriate combination with at least some of the other embodiments. These embodiments may contain novel features that differ from each other. Therefore, these embodiments may contribute to solving different objectives or problems and may produce different effects.

[0029] <<1. Introduction>> <1-1. ISAC> Cellular communication systems support a variety of services that are compatible with wireless communication. For example, 5G supports location services that use the location information of communication devices (e.g., terminal devices). Location services define various positioning methods, including methods that are independent of RAT (Radio Access Technology).

[0030] Currently, 3GPP is working on the specifications for 5G, and in parallel, discussions have begun regarding B5G (Beyond 5G) and 6G. In addition to the expansion of communication capacity that has been considered since before 5G, 6G is considering Integration of X (e.g., Computing, Sensing, Positioning, RAT), which aims to add new value to wireless communication networks by integrating with other systems. Among these, there is growing interest in technologies that integrate communication and sensing. One example of this integration trend is ISAC (Integrated Sensing and Communication), which can also be referred to as ICAS (Integrated Communication and Sensing) or JCAS (Joint Communication and Sensing).

[0031] TSG SA WG1 (SA1), one of the 3GPP working groups, has defined 32 use cases for ISAC. For example, Non-Patent Document 1 (3GPP TR 22.837) lists use cases for ISAC such as intrusion detection or situation monitoring, vital sensing, healthcare monitoring, and weather detection. In Rel-19, 3GPP plans to discuss the design of a channel model that includes FR3 (7GHz to 24GHz), a frequency band that is also expected to be used in ISAC, and the selection of use cases to focus on from among the SA1 use cases. Furthermore, in Rel-20 and beyond, 3GPP plans to discuss specific ISAC systems.

[0032] Furthermore, the aforementioned location services define various positioning methods. However, the purpose of these methods is limited to detecting the location of terminal devices. ISAC envisions handling not only positioning sensors used in location services, but also sensors for detecting images or the shape of objects, such as cameras (image sensors) or LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). Here, communication devices equipped with sensors are not limited to terminal devices. Communication devices equipped with sensors may be devices other than terminal devices (for example, base stations or roadside units (RSUs)). Moreover, ISAC envisions communication devices (for example, terminal devices and / or base stations) providing not only communication functions but also RF (Radio Frequency) based sensing functions utilizing wireless communication infrastructure.

[0033] In other words, mobile communication systems, such as cellular communication systems, can acquire information from various sensors installed in terminal devices and / or base stations via wireless communication infrastructure. This is expected to enable mobile communication systems to provide new value-added sensing services (e.g., sensor fusion using artificial intelligence and / or machine learning).

[0034] The convergence scenario of wireless communication infrastructure and sensing can be divided into several convergence stages, ranging from spatial convergence to complete convergence.

[0035] First, a convergence stage is conceivable where the wireless communication infrastructure leases space and / or power supply for the installation of third-party sensors. Next, a convergence stage is conceivable where time and frequency resources are managed for third-party sensors, and resources are allocated to third-party sensors that can be used preferentially without interference. Finally, as the highest level of convergence, a convergence stage is conceivable where sensing functions are incorporated into wireless communication hardware, and sensing is performed by wireless communication hardware.

[0036] Sensing by wireless communication hardware has the following two characteristics.

[0037] (Characteristic 1) Sensing wireless communication infrastructure (wireless communication hardware) that utilizes multiple infrastructure devices has the characteristic of high affinity with multi-static sensing. Multi-static sensing is a sensing method that uses multiple devices. Specifically, multi-static sensing is a method of performing position estimation using two or more antennas at different positions. Compared with mono-static sensing, multi-static sensing can achieve high accuracy and a wide sensing range. Mono-static sensing is a sensing method that performs position estimation using one antenna or antennas that can be regarded as being at the same position. On the other hand, multi-static sensing requires synchronization of two or more infrastructure devices. Therefore, a system that performs multi-static sensing becomes a complex system. However, in the case of sensing that utilizes a wireless communication infrastructure, it can be expected that the entire system can be synchronized. Therefore, as described above, the wireless communication infrastructure (wireless communication hardware) has high affinity with multi-static sensing.

[0038] (Characteristic 2) In sensing by wireless communication hardware that utilizes the transmission signal waveform of wireless communication, it is assumed that a wireless communication signal (for example, an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal) is used as a sensing signal. By using a wireless communication signal, a lot of information including control information that can be used for sensing can be transmitted.

[0039] In the following description, sensing that utilizes a wireless communication infrastructure (wireless communication hardware) may be referred to as RF-based sensing or RF sensing. When NR wireless communication infrastructure (wireless communication hardware) is used for sensing, that sensing may be referred to as NR-based RF Sensing.

[0040] to

[0040] . Outline Configuration Example of Communication SystemFIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication system of the embodiment is a cellular communication system in which a plurality of communication devices (for example, terminal devices) are wirelessly connected. The communication system of the present embodiment includes a base station and an information processing device, and provides wireless communication services to a plurality of communication devices. The information processing device is, for example, a device belonging to a core network. Note that the communication system may include a server separately from the base station and the information processing device. The server is, for example, an application server that provides various services to a terminal device.

[0041] In the following description, the "plurality of communication devices" that appear include a base station. That is, the communication device of the present embodiment may be a base station. Note that the communication device of the present embodiment is not limited to a terminal device and a base station. For example, the communication device of the present embodiment may be a device that includes at least some functions of a terminal device and / or at least some functions of a base station. For example, the communication device of the present embodiment may be a repeater or a relay device that repeats or relays a predetermined signal.

[0042] Each of the plurality of communication devices includes hardware for wireless communication (hereinafter referred to as wireless communication hardware). For example, each of the plurality of communication devices includes a wireless communication unit (for example, a 3GPP transceiver) for cellular communication. At least one of the plurality of communication devices has an RF (Radio Frequency)-based sensing function that utilizes the wireless communication hardware. For example, at least one of the plurality of communication devices has an RF-based sensing function supported by a 3GPP transceiver.

[0043] RF-based sensing is a function that detects surrounding objects (hereinafter referred to as sensing targets or targets) using, for example, wireless communication resources for cellular communication. Here, RF-based sensing may be a sensing that detects at least one of the following: the presence of a target, the direction in which the target is located (angle information), and the position information of the target. Of course, the information detected by RF-based sensing is not limited to these. For example, RF-based sensing may be a sensing that detects at least one of the reflectivity of a target, the velocity of a target, and the acceleration of a target.

[0044] Multiple communication devices may each be equipped with one or more sensors. The sensors equipped in the communication devices may be positioning sensors or other sensors that detect location information, or cameras and / or LiDAR sensors. The sensors equipped in the communication devices are capable of detecting the presence of an object and / or detecting angle information from the communication device to the object. The presence detection information and angle information can be incorporated as control information in the transmission signal radio wave generation processing of the base station and the communication device.

[0045] The services provided by the communication system of this embodiment include sensing services. Sensing services are services performed based on data detected by a communication device or a sensor provided by the communication device. In the following description, data detected by a communication device or sensor will be referred to as detection data or sensing data. Detection data can also be rephrased as sensing data, sensing information, or sensing results. Sensing services may also be interpreted as the acquisition of detection data by a sensor.

[0046] The detected data may be detected using radio waves in the same frequency band as the resources used for wireless communication. Specifically, the detected data may be detected using resources used for cellular communication, or it may be detected using resources used for communication other than cellular communication (for example, Wi-Fi® communication and / or Bluetooth® communication).

[0047] Information processing equipment (e.g., core network) within a communication system performs processing related to sensing services based on requests from servers (e.g., application servers). The device making the request for sensing services is not limited to a server. The device making the request for sensing services may be at least one of communication devices other than a server, such as a terminal device, a core network, and a base station. Furthermore, the information processing equipment that performs processing related to sensing services is not limited to a core network. The information processing equipment that performs processing related to sensing services may be a server, a base station, or other communication device (e.g., a terminal device).

[0048] Furthermore, the communication system according to this embodiment may be a 6G communication system. In a 6G communication system, the definition of a cell may be modified, added to, or replaced with that of a conventional cell. For example, in conventional communication systems, initial access control and mobility control were performed on a cell-by-cell basis. That is, a conventional cell can be defined, for example, as a unit of transmitting and receiving points (communication nodes) that perform initial access control and mobility control.

[0049] However, in 6G communication systems, in addition to the complexity of the communication topology as described above, there is a need for increased density of communication points (communication antennas) through the use of high frequencies such as millimeter waves and terahertz waves (specifically, an increase in the number of communication points per unit area). Therefore, it is necessary to design communication methods assuming such communication points (for example, self-free communication systems).

[0050] Furthermore, the communication method according to this embodiment may be applied not only to conventional cellular network systems and cell-free communication systems, but also to systems referred to as distributed MIMO (Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output) systems, distributed antenna systems, multi-TRP (Transmission and reception point) systems, and multi-AP (Access Point) systems. In other words, the sensing service already described may be provided not only to conventional cellular network systems but to all of the above systems.

[0051] Furthermore, sensing services may include location services. Location services are services performed using location information of communication devices (e.g., terminal devices). In this embodiment, the estimation of the location of communication devices (e.g., terminal devices) using location services is called positioning, and the estimation of the location of sensing targets using sensing (e.g., multistatic sensing) is called localization. Positioning only estimates the location of active objects connected to the network (e.g., communication devices such as terminal devices). On the other hand, localization involves the detection of the presence of active / passive objects and / or the estimation of their location. That is, in localization, it is not necessary to consider whether the sensing targets have network connectivity or not.

[0052] In the following explanation, among multiple communication devices, a communication device used for transmitting and / or receiving radio waves in RF-based sensing is referred to as a node. Among multiple nodes, the node that transmits radio waves for sensing is sometimes called the transmitting node (Tx Node), and the node that receives radio waves for sensing is sometimes called the receiving node (Rx Node). Here, the radio waves for sensing are radio waves that can be demodulated at the receiving node to notify control information (for example, the starting angle of the radio waves from the transmitting node).

[0053] <1-3. Communication Point> Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication point according to the embodiment of this disclosure. As described above, the communication system of this embodiment is a system in which a plurality of communication devices (for example, terminal devices) are wirelessly connected and communicate with a base station. Figure 2 shows an example in which there is one terminal device as the communication device. In this case, the terminal device communicates with base stations #1 and #2.

[0054] Base stations #1 and #2 each connect to one or more communication points (in Figure 2, communication points #11 to #14 and #21 to #24) by wire or wireless connection and control each communication point. Terminal devices connect to one or more communication points wirelessly.

[0055] A base station comprises one or more communication points (which may also be referred to as Communication Points, communication nodes, nodes, etc.). Communication points include, for example, cells, gNBs (base stations), TRPs (Transmission and Reception Points), antenna ports, sets of antenna ports, IAB nodes, relay UEs (User Equipment), beams, etc.

[0056] Furthermore, the communication point in this embodiment may be defined as a node that transmits a synchronization signal and / or broadcast control information, in addition to the above. For example, a communication point is a unit of nodes that a terminal device can recognize as transmitting the first signal and / or the first broadcast information (SSB / SIB1) described later. For example, a communication point is a unit of nodes that a terminal device can recognize as transmitting the second signal and / or the second broadcast information described later.

[0057] The terminal device may recognize the communication point that transmits the first signal and / or the first broadcast information as different communication points.

[0058] Communication points may be defined based on QCL (Quasi-co-location). For example, a set of antenna ports with the same QCL may be recognized as a cluster.

[0059] Furthermore, the communication point in this embodiment does not need to be fixed and may be a mobile node. Moreover, the communication point in this embodiment does not need to be a terrestrial node and may be a non-terrestrial node (satellite, drone, UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle)).

[0060] Furthermore, the base station (or the function of the base station in this embodiment) may be defined as a communication node capable of controlling the communication points connected to that base station. For example, the base station in this embodiment may be a node on the core network side of the communication points.

[0061] Furthermore, the base station of this embodiment may be implemented in various forms from the viewpoint of the device. For example, the base station of this embodiment may be implemented to be included in one or more communication points and to control other communication points. Also, for example, the base station of this embodiment may be an independent communication node between the core network and the communication points, or it may be included in the core network.

[0062] <1-4. Related Technologies> <1-4-1. Initial Access Control> Figure 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of initial access control. Here, we will explain initial access control when a terminal device makes an initial access to a base station operating a cell.

[0063] The terminal device receives the SSB (SS / PBCH block), PBCH, and / or SIB1 transmitted from the base station, and performs synchronization processing of the downlink with the base station, as well as processing of control information broadcast from the base station. Note that the SSB is a block (signal, information, channel) that includes PBCH, PSS, and SSS.

[0064] For example, a terminal device receives SSB / PBCH from a base station. The base station transmits SSB / PBCH to the terminal device, for example, while performing beam sweeping. The terminal device performs synchronization processing based on the received SSB / PBCH.

[0065] Alternatively, the terminal device receives SIB1 from the base station. The terminal device decodes CORESET 0 / SIB1.

[0066] The terminal device initiates initial access processing based on the transmitted control information. The terminal device transmits msg 1 (PRACH: Physical random access channel) to the base station. PRACH includes the RACH preamble.

[0067] Based on msg1, the base station transmits msg2 (RAR: Random access response) to the terminal device. The RAR is transmitted via PDSCH. Based on msg2, the terminal device transmits msg3 (PUSCH). msg3 may contain control information for the terminal device to connect to the base station.

[0068] The base station may transmit Msg4 (Contention resolution) based on Msg3. Msg4 may be transmitted via PDSCH. Msg4 may or may not be transmitted for contention resolution during initial access.

[0069] Next, an example of an initial access control (initial access procedure, initial access method) technique in self-free communication is described below. In initial access control, the terminal device receives at least a first signal, a first broadcast information, and a second signal from the base station and / or communication point. Based on these signals and information, the terminal device performs initial access.

[0070] (First signal) The first signal is, for example, a predetermined signal that a terminal device detects before receiving the first broadcast information. The first signal is, for example, a signal for the terminal device to perform at least one of the following: time synchronization, frequency synchronization, cell ID recognition, recognition of the resource for the first broadcast information, and receiving processing of the first broadcast information.

[0071] The first signal is a synchronization signal having the same or similar function, purpose, and configuration as, for example, the PSS (Primary synchronization signals) / SSS (Secondary synchronization signals) in 5G and 4G / LTE.

[0072] The terminal device recognizes, for example, that the first signal is transmitted from a predetermined base station and / or communication point. When the terminal device recognizes that the first signal is transmitted from a communication point, the first signal may be transmitted from each of the predetermined communication points, or from multiple communication points (including all communication points connected to that base station).

[0073] (First broadcast information) The first broadcast information includes information that enables the terminal device to perform at least one of the following: perform an initial access or receive a second signal. The first broadcast information may be information transmitted in one transmission unit, resource, or channel, or it may be information transmitted in multiple transmission units, resources, or channels.

[0074] The first type of broadcast information is, for example, information (channels) with the same or similar functions, purposes, and configurations as the PBCH (Physical Broadcast Channel) in 5G, or the MIB (Master Information block) and SIB (System Information block) in 5G and 4G / LTE.

[0075] The first broadcast information may include, for example, information relating to a second signal. The information relating to the second signal may include information necessary for a terminal device to receive the second signal, and / or a list of one or more second signals that the terminal device may receive (should receive).

[0076] If the first broadcast information includes a list of second signals, that list may include all of the second signals transmitted (managed, controlled) by the communication node transmitting the first signal and / or the first broadcast information, or a portion of them, depending on the location of the terminal device, etc.

[0077] Information regarding the second signal includes, for example, the following: - The number of second signals that the terminal device may receive (or should receive) - Time and frequency resource information - If the second signal can be code-divided multiplexed, information about the code (code index) - If a scramble code is superimposed on the second signal (generated based on the scramble code), information about that scramble code - A list of possible communication point combinations

[0078] The first broadcast information may include, for example, information regarding initial access. The information regarding initial access may include, for example, information necessary for a terminal device to perform initial access to at least one of the following communication nodes: - A predetermined base station - A predetermined communication point connected to the predetermined base station - A core network controlling the predetermined base station - A communication node associated with (determined based on) the predetermined base station, communication point, and core network

[0079] Furthermore, information regarding the initial access may be transmitted from each communication point as a second broadcast information in addition to the second signal.

[0080] Information regarding initial access includes, for example, the following: - Information necessary for sending (selecting, deciding) the random access channel (msg1) transmitted by the terminal - Information necessary for receiving (recognizing, detecting) the random access response (msg2) - Information regarding PUSCH (msg3)

[0081] The information required for the transmission of the random access channel (MSG1) by the terminal includes information indicating the selectable range of random access preambles transmitted on the random access channel. The information required for the transmission of the random access channel (MSG1) by the terminal also includes information regarding the time and frequency resources for transmitting the random access channel.

[0082] The information related to PUSCH(msg3) includes information related to the information to be transmitted by PUSCH(msg3). As will be explained in more detail later, the information related to the information to be transmitted by PUSCH(msg3) includes, for example, information related to the selected communication point, and information related to the communication quality for one or more communication points.

[0083] The terminal device recognizes that the first broadcast information is transmitted from a designated base station and / or communication point. If the terminal device recognizes that the first broadcast information is transmitted from a communication point, the first broadcast information may be transmitted from each of the designated communication points. Alternatively, if the terminal device recognizes that the first broadcast information is transmitted from a communication point, the first broadcast information may be transmitted from multiple communication points (including all communication points connected to that base station).

[0084] The terminal device may recognize that the first broadcast information is transmitted from the same predetermined base station and / or communication point as the first signal. That is, the QCI of the first broadcast information may be recognized as being the same as the QCI of the first signal. For example, the terminal device may demodulate and / or decode the first broadcast information using at least a part of the propagation path characteristics of the first signal.

[0085] The terminal device may also recognize that the first notification information is transmitted separately from the first signal from a predetermined base station and / or communication point.

[0086] (Second signal) The second signal is, for example, a reference signal transmitted from a communication point. In other words, the second signal is a known reference signal that the terminal device recognizes as being transmitted from a predetermined communication point. For example, the QCI of the second signal may be recognized as different from the QCI of the first broadcast information and / or the QCI of the first signal.

[0087] The second signal is, for example, a signal used to measure (detect, recognize, and actually measure) the communication quality for a communication point. For example, the second signal is a known signal used in initial access control to select a communication point and report on communication quality.

[0088] Here, communication quality includes RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power), RSRQ (Reference Signal Received Quality), RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator), SINR (Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio), SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio), SIR (Signal-to-Interference Ratio), CSI (Channel State Information), CQI (Channel Quality Indicator), PMI (Precoding Matrix Indicator), and RI (Rank Indicator) at the communication point.

[0089] RSRP is a value that indicates the power level of the reference signal received from a specific communication point (cell). This value shows how strongly the receiver is receiving the reference signal and is used to evaluate the quality of communication.

[0090] RSRQ is an index that indicates the level of noise relative to RSRP. In other words, this value represents the ratio of the signal strength to the noise level and is used to evaluate signal quality.

[0091] RSSI is a value that indicates the strength of a received signal and is typically used to measure the strength of wireless communication signals. However, unlike other indicators, it does not include information about the quality of a particular signal.

[0092] SINR is a value that indicates the ratio of a signal to its surrounding interference and noise. SNR is a value that represents the ratio of a signal to its surrounding noise. SIR is a value that indicates the ratio of signal to interference and is used to evaluate the quality of communication.

[0093] CSI (Communication Signal Indicator) is information that indicates the state of a radio propagation path. CSI is used to understand the characteristics and quality of a communication path.

[0094] CQI is an index that indicates the quality of a radio propagation path. CQI indicates the usable quality of the communication channel. CQI corresponds to a given modulation scheme and MIMO layer count, and corresponds to the frequency utilization efficiency corresponding to the given modulation scheme and MIMO layer count.

[0095] PMI is an index that indicates the matrix for effectively transmitting signals between transmitting antennas in MIMO communication. RI is an index that indicates the number of MIMO layers (number of ranks, number of transmitting antennas, and available spatial multiplexing) in MIMO communication.

[0096] The second signal includes, for example, a signal for measuring (detecting, recognizing, measuring, and reporting) the relative characteristics (quality, features) between communication points. As mentioned above, the communication quality of each communication point may be measured using the second signal, and the relative characteristics between communication points may be used to report in initial access control.

[0097] The relative characteristics (quality, features) between communication points include differences (differences, changes) in propagation characteristics between communication points. For example, differences in propagation characteristics between communication points include: - Differences in received power (RSRP, path loss, SNR) between communication points - Differences in delay time (arrival time, delay dispersion) between communication points - Differences in Doppler frequency between communication points - Differences in phase between communication points - Differences in the above-mentioned communication quality between communication points

[0098] In determining differences in propagation characteristics between communication points, the reference communication point may be predetermined or defined, or it may be determined by a predetermined criterion. For example, the reference communication point may satisfy at least one of the following conditions: - The value associated with the communication point (e.g., communication point ID (index)) is the smallest or largest - The received power is the largest or smallest - The arrival time is the fastest or the slowest - The communication quality to the communication point is the best or the worst

[0099] For example, the reference communication point may be determined based on a second signal transmitted by the communication point (the transmission resource for the second signal, the ID indicating the second signal). For example, the reference communication point may be set by the first broadcast information or the second broadcast information.

[0100] The second signal is, for example, a signal with the same or similar function, purpose, and configuration as CSI-RS (Channel state information-reference signals) and SSS (Secondary synchronization signals) in 5G.

[0101] <1-4-2. Beam Management> (Beam Management using the RACH Process) The beamforming process in RACH is described in the following reference. Reference <URL:https: / / www.sharetechnote.com / html / 5G / 5G_Phy_BeamManagement.html> (Retrieved February 10, 2025)

[0102] In beam management using the RACH process, gNBs perform SSB (Single-Second Brake) with the same output while directing the beam in different directions.

[0103] The UE connected to the gNB does not immediately trigger upon detecting an SSB, but instead attempts to detect all SSBs configured in the RRC. The UE compares the outputs of the received SSBs and selects the optimal one.

[0104] The UE sends the PRACH using the physical resources corresponding to the selected optimal SSB.

[0105] (P1 in Connected mode) The P1 in Connected mode described in the above-mentioned references will now be explained.

[0106] P1 is used to measure the UE against different TRP transmit beams to provide selection of the TRP transmit beam and the UE receive beam. For beamforming in the TRP, this typically involves a transmit beam sweep within / between the TRP from different sets of beams. For beamforming in the UE, this typically involves a UE receive beam sweep from different sets of beams.

[0107] (P2 in Connected mode) The P2 in Connected mode described in the above-mentioned references will now be explained.

[0108] P2 is used when measuring the UE for different TRP transmit beams and when it may be possible to modify the transmit beam within / between the TRP. It may involve beam refinement from a narrower set of beams than P1. Note that P2 may be a special case of P1.

[0109] (P3 in Connected mode) The P3 in Connected mode described in the above-mentioned references will now be explained.

[0110] P3 is used to modify the UE's received beam by enabling the UE's measurement on the same TRP transmit beam when the UE uses beamforming.

[0111] <1-4-3. RF-based sensing> As described above, one or more communication devices in a communication system use RF-based sensing functions to detect surrounding objects (hereinafter referred to as sensing targets or targets). For example, radio waves transmitted from a transmitting node are reflected by the sensing target. The receiving node receives the reflected radio waves to detect the presence of the sensing target, as well as information such as angle, position, velocity, acceleration, and reflectivity. For example, a communication device (transmitting node) in a communication system transmits sensing radio waves using wireless communication resources for cellular communication.

[0112] Sensing radio waves are radio waves used for sensing. In the following explanation, sensing radio waves, or signals transmitted using sensing radio waves, may be referred to as sensing signals.

[0113] A sensing signal is a signal used for sensing. A sensing signal may be, for example, a CSI-RS (Channel State Information Reference Signal) or an SSB (Synchronization Signal Block), or a signal transmitted and / or received on channels such as PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel), PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel), PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel), PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel), PSCCH (Physical Sidelink Control Channel), or PSSCH (Physical Sidelink Shared Channel). A sensing signal may also be referred to as a sensing RS (Reference Signal). In the preceding or following descriptions, a sensing signal may be replaced with a sensing radio wave. Furthermore, in the preceding or following descriptions, a sensing radio wave may be replaced with a sensing signal.

[0114] In this embodiment, the sensing radio waves are wireless communication radio waves that are located on a resource and contain control information necessary for sensing, such as the beam starting angle and sensing radio wave ID, in RF-based sensing utilizing wireless communication hardware.

[0115] In this embodiment, sensing information (or sensing data) refers to information such as the detection of the presence of an object, the angle information and / or the position information and / or the reflectance (or RCS) of the object, the velocity of the object, the acceleration of the object, the size of the object, and the shape of the object. Sensing information is obtained by RF-based sensing utilizing wireless communication hardware or by sensing using third-party sensors (for example, positioning sensors, sensors that detect position information such as GNSS, or image sensors such as cameras and LiDAR).

[0116] The communication equipment (receiving node) of the communication system receives sensing radio waves transmitted by the transmitting equipment. In the preceding or following descriptions, the reception of sensing radio waves may include the collection of sensing data. The sensing data collection process may be called the sensing measurement process. That is, the reception of sensing radio waves may also be the measurement of sensing radio waves. The reception of sensing radio waves may include the reception of other radio waves (signals and / or channels) that are quasi-identical (QCL) with the sensing radio waves. Other radio waves (signals and / or channels) that are quasi-identical (QCL) with the sensing radio waves can also be considered as sensing radio waves.

[0117] The sensing performed by one or more communication devices in a communication system may be monostatic sensing, multistatic sensing, or bistatic sensing.

[0118] Monostatic sensing, multistatic sensing, and bistatic sensing will be explained below with reference to Figures 4 and 5.

[0119] Although Figures 4 and 5 show automobiles as sensing targets, the objects to be sensed are not limited to automobiles. For example, the objects to be sensed may be other moving objects besides automobiles, or structures. Here, a moving object may be a mobile terminal, or a moving object moving on land, underground, on water, or underwater. A moving object may also be a moving object moving within the atmosphere or moving outside the atmosphere. A structure may be a building or a non-building structure. A structure may be a base station, or a structure located on land, underground, on water, or underwater. A structure may also be a structure located within the atmosphere or outside the atmosphere. Furthermore, the objects to be sensed may be living organisms such as humans.

[0120] (Monostatic Sensing) Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating monostatic sensing. Monostatic sensing is a monostatic sensing method in which one communication device (or multiple communication devices located in the same location) performs both the transmission and reception of sensing signals. In the example in Figure 4, one communication device transmits a sensing signal to the surroundings, and that communication device receives the sensing signal reflected from the target object.

[0121] (Multistatic Sensing) Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating multistatic sensing. Multistatic sensing is a multistatic sensing method in which one or more communication devices are involved in transmitting or receiving sensing signals. Multistatic sensing may also be referred to by other expressions such as multisensing.

[0122] In the example shown in Figure 5, multiple communication devices (multiple transmitting nodes) transmit sensing radio waves to the surroundings, and multiple other communication devices (multiple receiving nodes) receive these sensing radio waves. However, multistatic sensing is not limited to this example.

[0123] For example, multistatic sensing may be a sensing method in which one communication device (one transmitting node) transmits sensing radio waves to the surroundings, and multiple other communication devices (multiple receiving nodes) receive those sensing radio waves. Alternatively, multistatic sensing may be a sensing method in which multiple communication devices (multiple transmitting nodes) transmit sensing radio waves to the surroundings, and one other communication device (one receiving node) receives those sensing radio waves. Furthermore, multistatic sensing may be a sensing method in which one communication device (one transmitting node) transmits sensing radio waves to the surroundings, and one other communication device (one receiving node) receives those sensing radio waves. Among multistatic sensing methods, sensing performed by one transmitting node and one receiving node is called bistatic sensing.

[0124] Furthermore, multistatic sensing may include sensing that combines at least one monostatic sensing and at least one bistatic sensing. For example, one communication device may transmit sensing radio waves to the surroundings, and that communication device may receive sensing radio waves reflected by the object to be sensed, while another communication device (receiving device) may receive sensing radio waves reflected by the object to be sensed. This allows the communication devices to detect objects around the transmitting node and / or receiving node.

[0125] (Bistatic Sensing) Bistatic sensing is a type of multistatic sensing that is performed using one transmitting node and one receiving node. In other words, bistatic sensing is a type of sensing in which one communication device (transmitter) transmits a sensing signal and another communication device (receiver) receives that sensing signal.

[0126] In the following explanation, resources refer to Frequency, Time, Resource Element (including REG, CCE, and CORESET), Resource Block, Bandwidth Part, Component Carrier, Symbol, Sub-Symbol, Slot, Mini-Slot, Subslot, Subframe, Frame, PRACH occasion, Occasion, Code, Multi-access physical resource, Multi-access signature, Subcarrier Spacing (Numerology), etc.

[0127] <1-5. Challenges> As mentioned above, in conventional beam management, beam scanning transmits the beam in a direction where there are no terminal equipment (UEs). Therefore, there is a risk of interference occurring between adjacent systems. In particular, in systems where base stations or communication points are arranged at high density as is expected in 6G, interference due to beam scanning is likely to occur even more easily.

[0128] Furthermore, beam scanning transmits radio waves by directing the beam in directions where there are no terminal devices, which can cause overhead and potentially reduce resource efficiency and power efficiency.

[0129] Therefore, it is necessary to further reduce interference and / or efficiency degradation caused by beam scanning.

[0130] Therefore, in the communication system according to this embodiment, beamforming utilizes RF-based sensing using the aforementioned wireless communication hardware or sensing results from a third-party sensor. Hereafter, RF-based sensing using the aforementioned wireless communication hardware or sensing from a third-party sensor will also be referred to as ISAC sensing.

[0131] The current standards do not consider beamforming using sensing results from ISAC. Therefore, in order to use (or reuse) sensing results from ISAC for beamforming, it is necessary to consider the sequence, including the operation of the terminal equipment.

[0132] Furthermore, under current standards, terminal devices are required to constantly send feedback to the base station for beam scanning (or beam reselection). This feedback creates overhead.

[0133] Furthermore, under current standards, beam management is performed through a two-stage scanning process: scanning a wide beam and then scanning a narrow beam. By changing the beam state in this two-stage process, the base station narrows the beam directed towards the terminal equipment. This two-stage beam selection process generates overhead. Moreover, since the base station scans beams of the same sharpness within the same SSB burst, there is a need to improve the degree of freedom in beam scanning.

[0134] <1-6. Proposed Technology> The base station relating to the proposed technology comprises a communication unit and a control unit. The communication unit performs wireless communication using beams. The control unit acquires detection information regarding the location of the terminal device. The control unit transmits a downlink signal to the terminal device via the communication unit using a beam at an angle corresponding to the location. For example, the downlink signal may be a synchronization signal and / or a broadcast signal.

[0135] In this way, the base station transmits a signal to the terminal device using a beam at an angle corresponding to the detection information regarding the terminal device's position. This allows the base station to omit beam scanning, further reducing interference and / or efficiency degradation caused by beam scanning.

[0136] <<2. Communication System Configuration>> First, we will explain the configuration of the communication system SYS1.

[0137] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of a communication system SYS1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication system SYS1 includes a server 10, a management device 20, a base station 30, and a terminal device 40. The communication system SYS1 provides a wireless network (mobile network) capable of mobile communication to a user by the cooperation of each wireless communication device constituting the communication system SYS1.

[0138] The wireless network of the present embodiment may be, for example, a cellular network composed of a radio access network RAN and a core network CN. In the present embodiment, a wireless communication device is a device having a wireless communication function, and in the example of FIG. 6, the base station 30 and the terminal device 40 correspond thereto.

[0139] The communication system SYS1 may include a plurality of servers 10, management devices 20, base stations 30, and terminal devices 40, respectively. In the example of FIG. 6, the communication system SYS1 includes servers 10 １ and servers 10 ２ as servers 10, and management devices 20 １ and management devices 20 ２ as management devices 20. Further, the communication system SYS1 includes base stations 30 １ , base stations 30 ２ , and base stations 30 ３ as base stations 30, and terminal devices 40 １ , terminal devices 40 ２ , and terminal devices 40 ３ as terminal devices 40. In the following description, the devices included in the communication system SYS1 may be referred to as network devices.

[0140] The terminal device 40 may be configured to connect to the network using radio access technologies (RATs) such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), NR (New Radio), B5G (Beyond 5G), 6G, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. In this case, the terminal device 40 may be configured to use different radio access technologies (wireless communication methods). For example, the terminal device 40 may be configured to use NR and Wi-Fi. Also, the terminal device 40 may be configured to use different cellular communication technologies (e.g., LTE, NR, B5G, or 6G).

[0141] LTE and NR are types of cellular communication technologies that enable mobile communication for terminal devices 40 by arranging multiple cell-like areas covered by base stations 30. Furthermore, 6G is also expected to be a type of cellular communication technology, and it is anticipated that mobile communication for terminal devices 40 will be enabled by arranging multiple cell-like areas covered by base stations 30.

[0142] In the following explanation, "LTE" includes LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), LTE-A Pro (LTE-Advanced Pro), and EUTRA (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access). Furthermore, NR includes NRAT (New Radio Access Technology) and FEUTRA (Further EUTRA). NR may also include 5G-Advanced. A single base station 30 may manage multiple cells. In the following explanation, a cell corresponding to LTE may be referred to as an LTE cell, and a cell corresponding to NR may be referred to as an NR cell.

[0143] NR is the fifth-generation wireless access technology following LTE (fourth-generation communication including LTE-Advanced and LTE-Advanced Pro). NR is a wireless access technology that can support various use cases, including eMBB (Enhanced Mobile Broadband), mMTC (Massive Machine Type Communications), and URLLC (Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications). NR was standardized in 3GPP's Rel-15 as a technical framework to address the usage scenarios, requirements, and deployment scenarios in these use cases. Furthermore, B5G and 6G require the simultaneous realization of multiple axes: high speed, large capacity, low latency, high reliability, and massive simultaneous connections.

[0144] 6G has the potential to be the next generation of mobile communication technology after NR (Non-Reactive Network) and 5GS (5G system). Like 5G (NR), 6G can also be a cellular communication technology. 6G includes radio access technology and network technology (e.g., network technology between base stations, core networks, and data networks). Furthermore, 6G may include technologies for extreme connectivity of eMBB, mMTC, and URLLLC, which were key use cases or requirements in NR. 6G may also include new technologies in new areas. For example, 6G may include technologies related to AI (Cognitive Network, AI Native Air Interface), sensing (including radar sensing, network as a sensor, ISAC), and terahertz communication.

[0145] The wireless network described above or below may support at least one of the following wireless access technologies (RATs): LTE, NR, B5G, 6G, etc. Furthermore, the wireless access method used by the communication system SYS1 is not limited to LTE, NR, or 6G, but may also be other wireless access methods such as W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) or cdma2000 (Code Division Multiple Access 2000).

[0146] Furthermore, the base station 30 may be a ground station or a non-terrestrial station. In other words, the communication system SYS1 shown in Figure 6 may be a non-terrestrial network. The non-terrestrial station may be a satellite station or an aircraft station. If the non-terrestrial station is a satellite station, the wireless network may be a bent-pipe (transparent) type mobile satellite communication system.

[0147] In this embodiment, "ground station" and "ground base station" refer to base stations and relay stations installed on the ground. Here, "ground" is a broad term that includes not only land but also underground, on water, and underwater. In the following description, "ground station" may be replaced with "gateway."

[0148] Furthermore, an LTE base station 30 may be referred to as eNodeB (Evolved Node B) or eNB. Similarly, an NR base station 30 may be referred to as gNodeB or gNB. A 6G base station 30 may be referred to as 6G NodeB (6GNB). An LTE RAN may be referred to as EUTRAN. An NR RAN may be referred to as NGRAN. A 6G RAN may be referred to as 6GRAN. In addition, in LTE, NR, B5G, and 6G, a terminal device (also called a mobile station or terminal) 40 may be referred to as UE (User Equipment). Note that the terminal device 40 is a type of communication device and is also called a mobile station or terminal.

[0149] Furthermore, the terminal device 40 may connect to the network using wireless access technologies (wireless communication methods) other than LTE, NR, B5G, 6G, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. For example, the terminal device 40 may connect to the network using LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) communication. Also, the terminal device 40 may connect to the network using a proprietary wireless communication standard.

[0150] Here, LPWA communication refers to wireless communication that enables low-power, wide-area communication. For example, LPWA wireless refers to IoT (Internet of Things) wireless communication using specified low-power wireless (e.g., 920 MHz band) or ISM (Industry-Science-Medical) band. LPWA wireless may also include LTE-M and / or C-IoT (Cellular IoT), represented by NB-IoT, which operate in the cellular frequency band. The LPWA communication used by the terminal device 40 may conform to the LPWA standard. The LPWA standard may be at least one of, for example, ELTRES, ZETA, SIGFOX, LoRaWAN, LTE-M, and NB-IoT. Of course, the LPWA standard is not limited to these, and other LPWA standards may also be used.

[0151] Each wireless communication device shown in Figure 6 can be considered a device in a logical sense. That is, a part of each wireless communication device may be implemented using a virtual machine (VM), a container such as Docker, etc., and these may be implemented on the same physical hardware.

[0152] In this embodiment, the concept of a wireless communication device includes not only portable mobile devices (terminal devices) such as mobile terminals, but also devices installed on structures or mobile objects. The structure or mobile object itself may be considered a wireless communication device. Furthermore, the concept of a wireless communication device includes not only the terminal device 40, but also the base station 30. A wireless communication device is a type of processing device or information processing device. A wireless communication device can also be described as a transmitting device or a receiving device.

[0153] In this embodiment, a resource may represent, for example, at least one of the following: Frequency, Time, Resource Element (including REG, CCE, CORESET), Resource Block, Bandwidth Part, Component Carrier, Symbol, Sub-Symbol, Slot, Mini-Slot, Subslot, Subframe, Frame, PRACH occasion, Occasion, Code, Multi-access physical resource, Multi-access signature, and Subcarrier Spacing (Numerology). In other words, the terms "resource," "wireless resource," or "wireless communication resource" described above or below may be interpreted as at least one of the above examples.

[0154] The configurations of each communication device constituting the SYS1 communication system are described below in detail. Note that the configurations of each wireless communication device shown below are merely examples. The configurations of each communication device may differ from those shown below.

[0155] <2-1. Server Configuration> First, we will explain the configuration of server 10.

[0156] Server 10 is an information processing device (computer) that provides various services to terminal devices 40. For example, Server 10 is an information processing device that performs processing related to sensing services.

[0157] A sensing service is a service performed using data (hereinafter referred to as sensing data or detection data) detected by one or more sensing functions provided by one or more communication devices (e.g., a base station 30 and / or terminal device 40). However, a sensing service is not limited to a service performed using sensing data directly. A sensing service may also be a service performed using sensing data indirectly. For example, a sensing service may be a service performed using processing results based on sensing data.

[0158] A sensing service is typically a service that provides sensing data. For example, a sensing service is a service that provides sensing data used in a given use case (e.g., processing related to the autonomous driving of a mobile object, processing related to the automated operation of a device / system, or processing related to XR content). However, a sensing service is not limited to a service that provides sensing data. A sensing service may also be a service that provides processing performed using sensing data, or a service that provides information generated using one or more sensing services. Sensing services will be discussed later.

[0159] One or more sensing functions of a communication device may include RF (Radio Frequency) based sensing functions (for example, RF-based sensing functions supported by a 3GPP transceiver). Of course, one or more sensing functions of a communication device may also include various detection functions using one or more sensors (physical sensors and / or logical sensors) provided by the communication device (for example, functions that detect at least one of the following: color of an object, velocity of an object, acceleration of an object, reflectivity of an object, transmittance of an object, distance to an object, temperature of an object / environment, geomagnetic field, illuminance, atmospheric pressure, light, and sound).

[0160] One or more sensors provided by one or more communication devices may be, for example, one or more sensors provided by a base station 30 and / or terminal device 40 (for example, one or more sensors provided by the sensor unit 34 and / or sensor unit 44 described later). For example, one or more sensors may include sensors that detect images and / or the shape of an object, such as a camera and / or LiDAR. One or more sensors may also include sensors that detect at least one of the following: the color of an object, the velocity of an object, the acceleration of an object, the reflectivity of an object, the transmittance of an object, the distance to an object, the temperature of an object / environment, geomagnetic field, illuminance, atmospheric pressure, light, and sound. In this case, the sensing service may be a service based on image data or shape data detected by the sensor (for example, a service related to the autonomous driving of a moving object). Alternatively, the sensing service may be a service based on sensing data from a sensor that detects at least one of the following: the color of an object, the velocity of an object, the acceleration of an object, the reflectivity of an object, the transmittance of an object, the distance to an object, the temperature of an object / environment, geomagnetic field, illuminance, atmospheric pressure, light, and sound.

[0161] Furthermore, the one or more sensors used directly or indirectly for the sensing service are not limited to the one or more sensors provided by the base station 30 and / or terminal device 40. The one or more sensors used directly or indirectly for the sensing service may also be one or more sensors provided by communication devices other than the base station 30 and terminal device 40. For example, the one or more sensors used directly or indirectly for the sensing service may also be one or more sensors provided by the server 10 and / or management device 20.

[0162] Server 10 may be an application server or a web server. Server 10 may be a cloud server or an edge server. Furthermore, Server 10 may be a PC server, a midrange server, or a mainframe server. Also, Server 10 may be an information processing device that performs data processing (edge ​​processing) near users or terminals. For example, Server 10 may be an information processing device (computer) attached to or built into a base station. Furthermore, Server 10 may have the function of a core network. For example, Server 10 may be a device that functions as a management device 20. Of course, Server 10 may be an information processing device that performs cloud computing. Server 10 in this embodiment can function as an application function.

[0163] Server 10 is connected to other communication devices (e.g., management device 20) via a network. In the example in Figure 6, only one network is shown, but there may be multiple networks. Here, the network is, for example, a public network such as the Internet. Note that the network is not limited to the Internet, but may also be, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), cellular network, fixed telephone network, or regional IP (Internet Protocol) network. The network may include wired networks or wireless networks.

[0164] Figure 7 shows an example configuration of a server 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The server 10 comprises a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13. The configuration shown in Figure 7 is a functional configuration, and the hardware configuration may differ. Furthermore, the functions of the server 10 may be implemented in a distributed manner across multiple physically separated configurations. For example, the server 10 may be composed of multiple information processing devices.

[0165] It should be noted that the server 10 does not necessarily have all of the above-mentioned or later-described configurations. Furthermore, the server 10 may have configurations other than those described above or later. For example, the management device 20 may have a sensor unit with a configuration similar to that of the sensor unit (sensor unit 34 or sensor unit 44) provided in the base station 30 or terminal device 40.

[0166] The communication unit 11 is a communication interface for communicating with other devices. For example, the communication unit 11 is a network interface. For example, the communication unit 11 is a LAN (Local Area Network) interface such as a NIC (Network Interface Card). The communication unit 11 may be a wired interface or a wireless interface. The communication unit 11 communicates with the management device 20, base station 30, terminal device 40, and other servers 10 according to the control of the control unit 13.

[0167] The memory unit 12 is a data read / write storage device such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), flash memory, or hard disk.

[0168] The control unit 13 is a controller that controls various parts of the server 10. The control unit 13 may be implemented by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). More specifically, the control unit 13 may be implemented by the processor executing various programs stored in the internal storage device of the management device 20 using RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like as a working area. The control unit 13 may be implemented by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). Alternatively, the control unit 13 may be implemented by a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). A CPU, MPU, ASIC, FPGA, and GPU can all be considered as controllers. The control unit 13 may be composed of multiple physically separated objects. For example, the control unit 13 may be composed of multiple semiconductor chips.

[0169] <2-2. Configuration of the Control Device> Next, the configuration of the control device 20 will be explained.

[0170] The management device 20 is an information processing device (computer) that manages the wireless network. For example, the management device 20 is an information processing device that manages the communications of the base station 30.

[0171] The management device 20 may be a device that constitutes the core network CN. For example, the management device 20 may be a device that functions as an MME (Mobility Management Entity). Alternatively, the management device 20 may be a device that functions as an AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) and / or an SMF (Session Management Function). The MME, AMF, and SMF are Control Plane Network Function nodes in the core network CN. The management device 20 may also be a device that functions as a Control Plane Network Function (6G CPNF) in 6G. The 6G CPNF may consist of one or more logical nodes.

[0172] Of course, the functions of the management device 20 are not limited to MME, AMF, SMF, and 6G CPNF. The management device 20 may also be a device that has the functions of NSSF (Network Slice Selection Function), AUSF (Authentication Server Function), PCF (Policy Control Function), and UDM (Unified Data Management). Furthermore, the management device 20 may also be a device that has the function of HSS (Home Subscriber Server).

[0173] Furthermore, the management device 20 may also have gateway functionality. For example, the management device 20 may function as an S-GW (Serving Gateway) or a P-GW (Packet Data Network Gateway). The management device 20 may also have UPF (User Plane Function) functionality. In this case, the management device 20 may have multiple UPFs. The management device 20 may also be a device that has a 6G user plane network function (6G UPNF).

[0174] Furthermore, the management device 20 may have a function to perform processing related to sensing services. For example, the management device 20 may have an application function that performs processing related to sensing services based on a request from another communication device (for example, at least one of the server 10, base station 30, terminal device 40, and other management devices 20).

[0175] The core network CN is composed of multiple network functions, each of which may be aggregated in a single physical device or distributed across multiple physical devices. In other words, the management device 20 can be distributed across multiple devices. Furthermore, this distributed arrangement may be controlled to be performed dynamically. The core network CN may also consist of one management device 20 or multiple management devices 20. The base station 30 and the management device 20 form a single network and provide wireless communication services to the terminal device 40. The management device 20 is connected to the internet, and the terminal device 40 can use various services provided via the internet through the base station 30.

[0176] Note that the management device 20 does not necessarily have to be a device that constitutes the core network CN. For example, suppose the core network CN is the core network of W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) or cdma2000 (Code Division Multiple Access 2000). In this case, the management device 20 may be a device that functions as an RNC (Radio Network Controller).

[0177] Figure 8 shows the configuration of a management device 20 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The management device 20 comprises a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a control unit 23. The configuration shown in Figure 8 is a functional configuration, and the hardware configuration may differ. Furthermore, the functions of the management device 20 may be implemented in a statically or dynamically distributed manner across multiple physically separated configurations. The management device 20 may be composed of multiple server devices.

[0178] The management device 20 does not necessarily have to include all of the above-mentioned or later-described configurations. Furthermore, the management device 20 may have configurations other than those described above or later. For example, the management device 20 may include a sensor unit with a configuration similar to that of the sensor unit (sensor unit 34 or sensor unit 44) provided in the base station 30 or terminal device 40.

[0179] The communication unit 21 is a communication interface for communicating with a wireless communication device (for example, a base station 30). The communication unit 21 may be a network interface or an equipment connection interface. The communication unit 21 may be a LAN (Local Area Network) interface such as a NIC (Network Interface Card), or a USB interface configured by a USB (Universal Serial Bus) host controller or a USB port. The communication unit 21 may be a wired interface or a wireless interface. The communication unit 21 is controlled by the control unit 23.

[0180] The storage unit 22 is a read / write storage device such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, or a hard disk. The storage unit 22 stores, for example, the connection status of the terminal device 40. The storage unit 22 stores the RRC (Radio Resource Control) status and ECM (EPS Connection Management) or 5G System CM (Connection Management) status of the terminal device 40. The storage unit 22 may also function as a home memory that stores the location information of the terminal device 40.

[0181] The control unit 23 is a controller that controls each part of the management device 20. The control unit 23 may be implemented by a processor such as a CPU or MPU. More specifically, the control unit 23 may be implemented by the processor executing various programs stored in the internal storage device of the management device 20 using RAM or the like as a working area. The control unit 23 may be implemented by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA. Furthermore, the control unit 23 may be implemented by a GPU. CPU, MPU, ASIC, FPGA, and GPU can all be considered as controllers. The control unit 23 may be composed of multiple physically separated objects. For example, the control unit 23 may be composed of multiple semiconductor chips.

[0182] The control unit 23 comprises at least one block consisting of a transmitting unit 231, a receiving unit 232, and a position estimation unit 233. The control unit 23 may comprise multiple of these blocks, or it may comprise only one of each.

[0183] Each block constituting the control unit 23 (transmission unit 331 to position estimation unit 233) is a functional block that represents the function of the control unit 23. These functional blocks may be software blocks or hardware blocks. For example, each of the above-mentioned functional blocks may be a single software module implemented in software (including microprograms), or a single circuit block on a semiconductor chip (die). Of course, each functional block may also be a single processor or a single integrated circuit. The control unit 23 may be composed of functional units different from the above-mentioned functional blocks. The configuration of the functional blocks is arbitrary. The operation of the control unit 23 may be the same as the operation of the control unit (control unit 13, control unit 33, or control unit 43) of the server 10, base station 30, or terminal device 40.

[0184] <2-3. Base Station Configuration> Next, the configuration of the base station 30 will be explained.

[0185] Base station 30 is a wireless communication device that communicates wirelessly with other wireless communication devices (for example, terminal devices 40 or other base stations 30). Base station 30 may communicate wirelessly with terminal devices 40 via a relay station, or it may communicate wirelessly with terminal devices 40 directly.

[0186] Base station 30 is a device equivalent to a wireless base station (e.g., Base Station, Node B, eNB, gNB, or 6GNB) or a wireless access point (Access Point). In the following description, base station 30 may be referred to as BS (Base Station), Node B, eNB, gNB, 6GNB, or BS30.

[0187] Base station 30 may be a radio relay station. Base station 30 may be an optical extension device called an RRH (Remote Radio Head). Base station 30 may be a receiving station such as an FPU (Field Pickup Unit). Base station 30 may be an IAB (Integrated Access and Backhaul) donor node or IAB relay node that provides radio access lines and radio backhaul lines by time division multiplexing, frequency division multiplexing, or spatial division multiplexing.

[0188] The wireless access technology used by base station 30 may be cellular communication technology. The wireless access technology used by base station 30 may be wireless LAN technology. The wireless access technology used by base station 30 may be LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) communication technology. However, the wireless access technology used by base station 30 is not limited to these, and other wireless access technologies may be used. The wireless communication used by base station 30 may be wireless communication using millimeter waves or wireless communication using terahertz waves. The wireless communication used by base station 30 may be wireless communication using radio waves or wireless communication using infrared or visible light (optical wireless). In addition, base station 30 may be capable of NOMA (Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access) communication with terminal device 40. Here, NOMA communication refers to communication using non-orthogonal resources (transmission, reception, or both). Base station 30 may also be capable of NOMA communication with other base stations 30.

[0189] Furthermore, base station 30 may be able to communicate with the core network via a base station-core network interface (e.g., NG Interface, S1 Interface, etc.). This interface may be either wired or wireless. Also, base stations may be able to communicate with other base stations via an inter-base station interface (e.g., Xn Interface, X2 Interface, F1 Interface, etc.). This interface may be either wired or wireless.

[0190] The concept of a base station (also called "base station equipment") includes not only donor base stations but also relay base stations (also called "relay stations"). A relay base station may be any one of the following: an RF Repeater, a Smart Repeater, or an Intelligent Surface. Furthermore, the concept of a base station may also include roadside units (RSUs). In addition, the concept of a base station may include not only structures equipped with base station functions but also equipment installed on those structures.

[0191] Structures include buildings such as skyscrapers, houses, transmission towers, train stations, airports, ports, office buildings, school buildings, hospitals, factories, commercial facilities, and stadiums. The concept of structures also includes not only buildings but also non-building structures such as tunnels, bridges, dams, walls, and steel columns, as well as equipment such as cranes, gates, and wind turbines. The concept of structures also includes not only structures on land (on the surface in the narrow sense) or underground, but also structures on water such as piers or megafloats, and underwater structures such as oceanographic observation equipment. A base station can also be described as an information processing device.

[0192] Base station 30 may be a donor station or a relay station. Furthermore, base station 30 may be a fixed station or a mobile station. A mobile station is a wireless communication device (e.g., a base station) configured to be mobile. In this case, base station 30 may be a device installed on a mobile device or the mobile device itself. For example, a relay station with mobility can be considered a base station 30 as a mobile station. Also, devices that are inherently mobile and equipped with base station functions (or at least some of the functions of a base station), such as vehicles, UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) represented by drones, and smartphones, also qualify as base station 30 as a mobile station.

[0193] Here, the moving object may be a mobile device such as a smartphone or mobile phone. The moving object may also be a moving object that moves on land (ground in the narrow sense) (e.g., automobiles, bicycles, buses, trucks, motorcycles, trains, or vehicles such as maglev trains), or a moving object that moves underground (e.g., inside tunnels) (e.g., subways). The moving object may also be a moving object that moves on water (e.g., passenger ships, cargo ships, or vessels such as hovercraft), or a moving object that moves underwater (e.g., submersibles such as submersibles, submarines, or unmanned underwater vehicles). The moving object may also be a moving object that moves within the atmosphere (e.g., airplanes, airships, or aircraft such as drones).

[0194] Base station 30 may be a ground base station (ground station) installed on the ground. Base station 30 may be a base station located on a structure on the ground, or a base station installed on a mobile body moving on the ground. Base station 30 may be an antenna installed on a structure such as a building and a signal processing device connected to that antenna. Base station 30 may be the structure or the mobile body itself. "Ground" refers to ground in a broad sense, including not only land (ground in the narrow sense) but also underground, on water, and underwater. Base station 30 is not limited to a ground base station. If the communication system SYS1 is a satellite communication system, base station 30 may be an aircraft station. From the perspective of a satellite station, an aircraft station located on Earth is a ground station.

[0195] The base station 30 is not limited to a ground station. The base station 30 may be a non-ground base station (non-ground station) capable of floating in the air or space. The base station 30 may be an aircraft station or a satellite station.

[0196] A satellite station is a satellite station capable of floating outside the atmosphere. A satellite station may be a device mounted on a space vehicle such as an artificial satellite, or it may be the space vehicle itself. A space vehicle is a vehicle that moves outside the atmosphere. A space vehicle may be at least one of an artificial satellite, a spacecraft, a space station, and a probe. Of course, a space vehicle may be any other artificial celestial body. The satellite that becomes a satellite station may be a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellite, or a highly elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite. A satellite station may be a device mounted on a low Earth orbit satellite, a medium Earth orbit satellite, a geostationary satellite, or a highly elliptical orbit satellite.

[0197] An aircraft station is a radio communication device capable of floating within the atmosphere of an aircraft or similar vessel. An aircraft station may be a device mounted on an aircraft or similar vessel, or it may be the aircraft itself. The concept of an aircraft includes not only heavy aircraft such as airplanes or gliders, but also light aircraft such as balloons or airships. The concept of an aircraft also includes not only heavy or light aircraft, but also rotary-wing aircraft such as helicopters or autogyros. An aircraft station, or an aircraft on which an aircraft station is mounted, may be an unmanned aerial vehicle such as a drone.

[0198] The concept of unmanned aerial vehicles includes unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and tethered UAS. It also includes lighter than air UAS (LTA) and heavier than air UAS (HTA). Furthermore, it includes high-altitude UAS platforms (HAPs).

[0199] The coverage size of the base station 30 may be relatively large, such as a macrocell, or relatively small, such as a picocell. The coverage size of the base station 30 may also be extremely small, such as a femtocell. The base station 30 may have a beamforming function. The base station 30 may form cells or service areas for each beam. Furthermore, or alternatively, in addition to beamforming which gives directionality to the beam, the base station 30 may have a function that delivers the desired wave precisely to a predetermined point by further considering distance information from the base station 30's antenna. This function may be called beam focusing or point forming. It may also be configured to acquire sensing data by performing sensing using the beam.

[0200] Figure 9 shows the configuration of a base station 30 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The base station 30 includes a wireless communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, a control unit 33, and a sensor unit 34. However, the configuration shown in Figure 9 is a functional configuration, and the hardware configuration may differ. Furthermore, the functions of the base station 30 may be distributed and implemented across multiple physically separated configurations.

[0201] Note that the base station 30 does not necessarily have all of the above-mentioned or later-described configurations. For example, the base station 30 does not have to have a sensor unit 34. Also, the base station 30 may have configurations other than those described above or later.

[0202] The wireless communication unit 31 is a signal processing unit for wireless communication with other wireless communication devices (for example, at least one of a terminal device 40 and other base stations 30). The wireless communication unit 31 may be called a wireless transceiver or simply a transceiver. In this case, the wireless communication unit 31 may be a transceiver conforming to the specifications defined in the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) Technical Specification (TS) (hereinafter referred to as a 3GPP transceiver). The 3GPP transceiver may be a 3G transceiver, a 4G (LTE) transceiver, a 5G (NR) transceiver, or a transceiver of a 5G or later generation (for example, 6G). The wireless communication unit 31 is controlled by the control unit 33. The wireless communication unit 31 supports one or more wireless access schemes. The wireless communication unit 31 may support at least one of NR, LTE, B5G (Beyond 5G), and 6G. The wireless communication unit 31 may support W-CDMA and cdma2000, in addition to NR, LTE, B5G, and 6G. The wireless communication unit 31 may also support automatic retransmission technologies such as HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest). Some or all of the processing performed by the wireless communication unit 31 may be performed by the control unit 33.

[0203] The wireless communication unit 31 comprises a transmission processing unit 311, a reception processing unit 312, and an antenna 313. Alternatively, the wireless communication unit 31 may be considered as at least one of the transmission processing unit 311, the reception processing unit 312, and the antenna 313. The wireless communication unit 31 may include multiple transmission processing units 311, reception processing units 312, and antennas 313. If the wireless communication unit 31 supports multiple wireless access methods, each part of the wireless communication unit 31 may be configured separately for each wireless access method. The transmission processing unit 311 and the reception processing unit 312 may be configured separately for LTE, NR, B5G, and 6G. The antenna 313 may be composed of multiple antenna elements, for example, multiple patch antennas. The wireless communication unit 31 may have a beamforming function. For example, the wireless communication unit 31 may have a polarization beamforming function that uses vertical polarization (V polarization) and horizontal polarization (H polarization) (or a polarization beamforming function that uses dual polarization in polarization directions of 45 degrees and -45 degrees from the vertical). The wireless communication unit 31 may also transmit the sensing signals described above or below.

[0204] The transmission processing unit 311 performs the transmission processing of downlink control information and downlink data. For example, the transmission processing unit 311 encodes the downlink control information and downlink data input from the control unit 33 using an encoding method such as block coding, convolutional coding, or turbo coding. Here, encoding may be done using polar coding or LDPC coding (Low Density Parity Check Code). The transmission processing unit 311 then modulates the encoded bits with a predetermined modulation scheme (for example, BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM, 256QAM, or a higher-order multi-level modulation scheme). In this case, the signal points on the constellation do not necessarily have to be equidistant. The constellation may also be a non-uniform constellation (NUC). The transmission processing unit 311 then multiplexes the modulation symbols and downlink reference signals for each channel and places them in a predetermined resource element. The transmission processing unit 311 then performs various signal processing on the multiplexed signals. For example, the transmission processing unit 311 performs processing such as conversion to the frequency domain using the Fast Fourier Transform, addition of a guard interval (cyclic prefix), generation of a baseband digital signal, conversion to an analog signal, quadrature modulation, upconversion, removal of extraneous frequency components, and power amplification. The signal generated by the transmission processing unit 311 is transmitted from the antenna 313.

[0205] The receiving processing unit 312 processes the uplink signal received via the antenna 313. For example, the receiving processing unit 312 performs down-conversion, removal of unwanted frequency components, control of amplification level, quadrature demodulation, conversion to a digital signal, removal of guard intervals (cyclic prefixes), and extraction of frequency domain signals by fast Fourier transform on the uplink signal. Then, the receiving processing unit 312 separates the uplink channel and uplink reference signal, such as PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel) and PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel), from the processed signal. The receiving processing unit 312 also demodulates the received signal using a modulation scheme such as BPSK (Binary Phase Shift Keying) or QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying) for the modulation symbols of the uplink channel. The modulation scheme used for demodulation may be 16QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation), 64QAM, or 256QAM. In this case, the signal points on the constellation do not necessarily need to be equidistant. The constellation may be a non-uniform constellation (NUC). The receiving processing unit 312 then performs decoding on the encoded bits of the demodulated uplink channel. The decoded uplink data and uplink control information are output to the control unit 33.

[0206] Antenna 313 is an antenna device that converts electric current and radio waves to each other. Antenna 313 may consist of one antenna element, for example, one patch antenna. Antenna 313 may consist of multiple antenna elements, for example, multiple patch antennas. If antenna 313 consists of multiple antenna elements, the wireless communication unit 31 may have a beamforming function. The wireless communication unit 31 may be configured to generate a directional beam by controlling the directivity of the radio signal using multiple antenna elements. Antenna 313 may be a dual-polarization antenna. If antenna 313 is a dual-polarization antenna, the wireless communication unit 31 may use vertical polarization (V polarization) and horizontal polarization (H polarization) (or dual polarization in polarization directions of 45 degrees and -45 degrees from the vertical) when transmitting a radio signal. The wireless communication unit 31 may control the directivity of the transmitted radio signal using vertical polarization and horizontal polarization (or dual polarization in polarization directions of 45 degrees and -45 degrees from the vertical). Furthermore, the wireless communication unit 31 may transmit and receive signals spatially multiplexed via multiple layers composed of multiple antenna elements.

[0207] The memory unit 32 is a read / write storage device such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, or a hard disk.

[0208] The control unit 33 is a controller that controls various parts of the base station 30. The control unit 33 controls the wireless communication unit 31 to perform wireless communication with other wireless communication devices (for example, a terminal device 40 or another base station 30). The control unit 33 may be implemented by a processor such as a CPU or MPU. Specifically, the control unit 33 may be implemented by the processor executing various programs stored in the internal memory device of the base station 30 using RAM or the like as a working area. The control unit 33 may be implemented by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA. Furthermore, the control unit 33 may be implemented by a GPU. CPU, MPU, ASIC, FPGA, and GPU can all be considered as controllers. The control unit 33 may be composed of multiple physically separated objects. For example, the control unit 33 may be composed of multiple semiconductor chips.

[0209] The control unit 33 comprises at least one block consisting of a transmitting unit 331, a receiving unit 332, a position estimation unit 333, an acquisition unit 334, and a sensing unit 335. The control unit 33 may comprise multiple of these blocks, or it may comprise only one of each.

[0210] Each block constituting the control unit 33 (transmission unit 331 to sensing unit 335) is a functional block that represents the function of the control unit 33. These functional blocks may be software blocks or hardware blocks. For example, each of the above-mentioned functional blocks may be a single software module implemented in software (including microprograms), or a single circuit block on a semiconductor chip (die). Of course, each functional block may also be a single processor or a single integrated circuit. The control unit 33 may be composed of functional units different from the above-mentioned functional blocks. The configuration of the functional blocks is arbitrary. The operation of the control unit 33 may be the same as the operation of the control unit (control unit 13, control unit 23, or control unit 43) of the server 10, management device 20, or terminal device 40.

[0211] The sensor unit 34 is composed of one or more sensors that detect various data related to the base station 30 and / or terminal device 40. For example, the sensor unit 34 may be configured to receive, detect, or measure sensing signals transmitted by the same or other communication device (transmitter, sensing transmitter). In this case, the sensor unit 34 may be the same functional unit as the wireless communication unit 31. If the wireless communication unit 31 is considered the first wireless communication unit, the sensor unit 34 may be considered the second wireless communication unit. Furthermore, the one or more sensors provided by the sensor unit 34 may include sensors that perform detections related to the surroundings of the base station 30. For example, the one or more sensors provided by the sensor unit 34 may include at least one sensor device of the following: a geomagnetic sensor, an illuminance sensor, a distance measuring sensor (e.g., a ToF (Time of Flight) sensor), a barometric pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a light sensor, a sound sensor, and an image sensor. In addition, the sensor unit 34 (or one or more sensors provided by the sensor unit 34) may be configured to perform sensing using the beamforming function described above and to acquire sensing data.

[0212] The sensors included in the sensor unit 34 are not limited to sensors that perform detections related to the surroundings of the base station 30. One or more sensors included in the sensor unit 34 may include sensors that perform detections related to the position or orientation of the base station 30 and / or the terminal device 40. For example, one or more sensors included in the sensor unit 34 may include an accelerometer and / or a gyroscope. For example, one or more sensors included in the sensor unit 34 may include a 6DoF (Six degrees of freedom) sensor or a 3DoF (Three degrees of freedom) sensor. In addition, one or more sensors included in the sensor unit 34 may include a positioning sensor such as a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) sensor. The GNSS sensor may be a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor, a GLONASS sensor, a Galileo sensor, or a QZSS (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System) sensor.

[0213] The sensor unit 34 may include one or more sensors, including a sensor unit composed of a combination of multiple sensors. For example, the sensor unit 34 may include one or more sensors, including an inertial measurement unit (IMU), composed of a combination of multiple sensors, such as positioning sensors (e.g., GNSS sensors), acceleration sensors, and gyroscopes. A sensor unit can also be considered a type of sensor.

[0214] Furthermore, the sensor unit 34 may include one or more sensors, including devices / components configured using sensors. For example, the sensor unit 34 may include at least one of the following: a camera (e.g., a visible light camera, an infrared camera, or a light field camera), a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), a radar (e.g., a microwave radar or a millimeter-wave radar), a microphone, and an image device. An image device is a device composed of one or more sensors. Devices / components configured using sensors can also be considered a type of sensor.

[0215] Furthermore, one or more sensors provided in the sensor unit 34 may include sensors that detect at least one of the following: the color of an object, the velocity of an object, the acceleration of an object, the reflectivity of an object, the transmittance of an object, the distance to an object, the temperature of an object / environment, geomagnetic field, illuminance, atmospheric pressure, light, and sound.

[0216] Furthermore, the sensor unit 34 may include one or more sensors, including a sensor / sensor unit / device / component that is configured by combining two or more sensors selected from the above-mentioned plurality of sensors.

[0217] In this embodiment, one or more sensing functions realized by devices / components provided by the base station 30 may be considered as one or more sensors provided by the base station 30. For example, one or more sensing functions provided by the wireless communication unit 31 may be considered as one or more sensors provided by the base station 30. In this case, one or more sensing functions provided by the wireless communication unit 31 may include RF (Radio Frequency) based sensing functions (for example, RF-based sensing functions supported by a 3GPP transceiver). In this case, the wireless communication unit 31 (for example, a 3GPP transceiver) may be considered as the sensor unit 34 (or the sensors provided by the sensor unit 34).

[0218] The one or more sensors provided by the sensor unit 34 may be third-party sensors. Of course, the one or more sensors provided by the sensor unit 34 do not have to be third-party sensors.

[0219] In the preceding or following descriptions, the description of sensors may be distinguished into physical sensors and logical sensors. That is, the sensors described above or below may refer to either physical sensors or logical sensors.

[0220] For example, the physical sensor may be at least one of the sensor examples described above or below. For example, the physical sensor may be at least one of the following: a geomagnetic sensor, an illuminance sensor, a distance measuring sensor (e.g., a ToF (Time of Flight) sensor), a barometric pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a light sensor, a sound sensor, an image sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a 6DoF (Six degrees of freedom) sensor, a 3DoF (Three degrees of freedom) sensor, a positioning sensor (e.g., a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor, a GLONASS sensor, a Galileo sensor, or a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) sensor such as a QZSS (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System) sensor), an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a camera (e.g., a visible light camera, an infrared camera, or a light field camera), a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), a radar (e.g., a microwave radar, or a millimeter-wave radar), a microphone, an image device, and a sensing function (e.g., one or more sensing functions of the wireless communication unit 31 or the wireless communication unit 41).

[0221] For example, a logical sensor may be an entity relating to a sensor as defined in a standard (e.g., the 3GPP Technical Standard). A logical sensor may be associated with one or more physical sensors (including multiple sensors of the same type and multiple sensors of different types). Alternatively, multiple logical sensors may be associated with multiple physical sensors.

[0222] In some embodiments, the base station 30 may be composed of a collection of multiple physical or logical devices. For example, the base station 30 in this embodiment may be distinguished into multiple devices such as a BBU (Baseband Unit) and an RU (Radio Unit). The base station 30 may be interpreted as a collection of these multiple devices. Furthermore, the base station may consist of either a BBU or an RU, or both. The BBU and RU may be connected by a predetermined interface, such as an eCPRI (enhanced Common Public Radio Interface).

[0223] RU may be rephrased as RRU (Remote Radio Unit) or RD (Radio DoT). RU may correspond to gNB-DU (gNB Distributed Unit), which will be described later. BBU may correspond to gNB-CU (gNB Central Unit), which will be described later. RU may be a device formed integrally with the antenna. The antenna of the base station 30, for example, an antenna formed integrally with the RU, may employ an Advanced Antenna System and support MIMO such as FD-MIMO or beamforming. The antenna of the base station 30 may have, for example, 64 transmitting antenna ports and 64 receiving antenna ports.

[0224] The antenna mounted on the RU may be an antenna panel composed of one or more antenna elements, and the RU may be equipped with one or more antenna panels. The RU may be equipped with two types of antenna panels: a horizontally polarized antenna panel and a vertically polarized antenna panel. The RU may be equipped with two types of antenna panels: a right-hand circularly polarized antenna panel and a left-hand circularly polarized antenna panel, or an antenna panel with a polarization direction of 45 degrees from the vertical and an antenna panel with a polarization direction of -45 degrees. Multiple antennas with these multiple polarization directions may be mounted on a single antenna panel. The RU may form and control independent beams for each antenna panel.

[0225] Multiple base stations 30 may be connected to one another. One or more base stations 30 may be included in a radio access network (RAN). In this case, the base stations 30 may simply be referred to as RAN, RAN node, AN (Access Network), or AN node, etc. In LTE, RAN may be called EUTRAN (Enhanced Universal Terrestrial RAN). In NR, RAN may be called NGRAN. Also, RAN in 6G may be called 6GRAN. In W-CDMA (UMTS), RAN may be called UTRAN.

[0226] An LTE base station 30 may be referred to as eNodeB (Evolved Node B) or eNB. In this case, EUTRAN includes one or more eNodeBs (eNBs). An NR base station 30 may be referred to as gNodeB or gNB. In this case, NGRAN includes one or more gNBs. A 6G base station may be referred to as 6GNodeB, 6gNodeB, 6GNB, or 6gNB. In this case, 6GRAN includes one or more 6GNBs. EUTRAN may include gNBs (en-gNBs) connected to the core network (EPC) in an LTE communication system (EPS). NGRAN may include ng-eNBs connected to the core network 5GC in a 5G communication system (5GS).

[0227] If base station 30 is an eNB, gNB, 6GNB, etc., base station 30 may be referred to as 3GPP Access. If base station 30 is an Access Point, base station 30 may be referred to as Non-3GPP Access. Base station 30 may also be an optical extension device called RRH (Remote Radio Head). If base station 30 is a gNB, base station 30 may be a combination of the gNB-CU and gNB-DU described above, or it may be either a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU.

[0228] Here, the gNB-CU hosts multiple upper layers of the Access Stratum (e.g., RRC (Radio Resource Control), SDAP (Service Data Adaptation Protocol), PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol)) for communication with the UE. On the other hand, the gNB-DU hosts multiple lower layers of the Access Stratum (e.g., RLC (Radio Link Control), MAC (Medium Access Control), PHY (Physical layer)). In other words, among the messages / information described later, RRC signaling (quasi-static notification) is generated by the gNB-CU, while MAC... CE and DCI (dynamic notifications) may be generated by the gNB-DU. Alternatively, some RRC configurations (quasi-static notifications), such as IE:cellGroupConfig, may be generated by the gNB-DU, while the remaining configurations are generated by the gNB-CU. These configurations may be transmitted or received via the F1 interface.

[0229] Base station 30 may be configured to communicate with other base stations. If multiple base stations 30 are eNBs or a combination of eNB and en-gNB, these base stations 30 may be connected by an X2 interface. If multiple base stations 30 are gNBs or a combination of gn-eNB and gNB, these base stations 30 may be connected by an Xn interface. If multiple base stations 30 are a combination of gNB-CU and gNB-DU, these base stations 30 may be connected by the F1 interface described above. Messages / information described later (e.g., RRC signaling, MAC CE (MAC Control Element), or DCI (Downlink Control Information), etc.) may be transmitted between multiple base stations 30 via these inter-base station interfaces (e.g., X2 interface, Xn interface, or F1 interface, etc.).

[0230] The cells provided by the base station 30 are sometimes called Serving Cells. The concept of a Serving Cell includes PCell (Primary Cell) and SCell (Secondary Cell). When dual connectivity is provided to the terminal device 40, the PCell provided by the Master Node (MN) and zero or one or more SCells are sometimes called a Master Cell Group. Dual connectivity may be at least one of EUTRA-EUTRA Dual Connectivity, EUTRA-NR Dual Connectivity (ENDC), EUTRA-NR Dual Connectivity with 5GC, NR-EUTRA Dual Connectivity (NEDC), NR-NR Dual Connectivity, NR-6G Dual Connectivity, and 6G-NR Dual Connectivity. Of course, dual connectivity is not limited to these.

[0231] A serving cell may include a PSCell (Primary Secondary Cell, or Primary SCG Cell). When dual connectivity is provided to the terminal device 40, the PSCell provided by the SN (Secondary Node) and zero or one or more SCells may be called an SCG (Secondary Cell Group). Unless special settings are made (e.g., PUCCH on SCell), the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) is transmitted by the PCell and PSCell, but not by the SCell. Radio link failures are detected by the PCell and PSCell, but not by the SCell (and do not need to be detected). Because the PCell and PSCell play special roles within the serving cell, they are also called SpCells (Special Cells).

[0232] A single cell may be associated with one downlink component carrier and one uplink component carrier. The system bandwidth corresponding to a single cell may be divided into multiple Bandwidth Parts (BWPs). In this case, one or more BWPs may be configured in the terminal device 40, and one BWP portion may be used by the terminal device 40 as an active BWP. The radio resources available to the terminal device 40, such as frequency band, numerology (subcarrier spacing), or slot configuration, may differ for each cell, each component carrier, or each BWP.

[0233] <2-4. Configuration of the Terminal Device> Next, the configuration of the terminal device 40 will be explained.

[0234] Terminal device 40 is a wireless communication device that performs wireless communication with other wireless communication devices (for example, base station 30 or other terminal device 40). In the following description, terminal device 40 may be referred to as UE (User Equipment) or UE40.

[0235] The terminal device 40 can be any form of information processing device (computer). For example, the terminal device 40 may be a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone, smart device (smartphone or tablet), PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or notebook PC. Alternatively, the terminal device 40 may be a communication module connected to an information processing device (for example, an imaging device without wireless communication capabilities) and providing wireless communication capabilities to the information processing device. Alternatively, the terminal device 40 may be an imaging device equipped with wireless communication capabilities (for example, a camcorder).

[0236] Furthermore, the terminal device 40 may be a motorcycle or mobile relay vehicle equipped with communication equipment such as an FPU (Field Pickup Unit). The terminal device 40 may also be an M2M (Machine to Machine) device or an IoT (Internet of Things) device. Additionally, the terminal device 40 may be a wearable device such as a smartwatch.

[0237] Furthermore, the terminal device 40 may be an XR (Extended Reality) device such as an AR (Augmented Reality) device, a VR (Virtual Reality) device, or an MR (Mixed Reality) device. In this case, the XR device may be a glasses-type device such as AR glasses or MR glasses, or a head-mounted device such as a VR head-mounted display. When the terminal device 40 is an XR device, the terminal device 40 may be a standalone device consisting only of a user-worn portion (e.g., a glasses portion). Alternatively, the terminal device 40 may be a terminal-linked device consisting of a user-worn portion (e.g., a glasses portion) and a terminal portion (e.g., a smart device) that is linked to that portion.

[0238] Terminal device 40 may be capable of NOMA communication with base station 30. Terminal device 40 may use automatic retransmission technology such as HARQ when communicating with base station 30. Terminal device 40 may be capable of sidelink communication with other terminal devices 40. Terminal device 40 may use automatic retransmission technology such as HARQ when performing sidelink communication. Terminal device 40 may be capable of NOMA communication when performing sidelink communication with other terminal devices 40. Terminal device 40 may be capable of LPWA communication with other wireless communication devices such as base station 30. The wireless communication used by terminal device 40 may be wireless communication using millimeter waves. The wireless communication used by terminal device 40, including sidelink communication, may be wireless communication using radio waves, or wireless communication using infrared or visible light, i.e., optical wireless communication.

[0239] The terminal device 40 may be a mobile wireless communication device, i.e., a mobile device. The terminal device 40 may be a wireless communication device installed on a mobile device, or it may be the mobile device itself. The terminal device 40 may be a vehicle that moves on roads, such as an automobile, bus, truck, or motorcycle, or a train that runs on tracks, or it may be a wireless communication device mounted on such a vehicle. The mobile device may be a mobile terminal, or it may be a mobile device that moves on land (ground in the narrow sense), underground, on water, or underwater. Furthermore, the mobile device may be a mobile device that moves within the atmosphere, such as an aircraft, airship, balloon, or helicopter, or it may be a mobile device that moves outside the atmosphere, such as an artificial satellite. The mobile device may be a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) such as a drone. Also, the terminal device 40 may be a wireless communication device mounted on a mobile device.

[0240] The terminal device 40 may be capable of communicating with multiple base stations 30 or multiple cells simultaneously. If one base station 30 supports a communication area via multiple cells (for example, pCell or sCell), communication between the base station 30 and the terminal device 40 can be achieved by bundling these multiple cells using technologies such as carrier aggregation (CA), dual connectivity (DC), or multi-connectivity (MC). Alternatively, communication between the terminal device 40 and the multiple base stations 30 can be achieved via cells of different base stations 30 using coordinated multi-point transmission and reception (CoMP) technology.

[0241] The terminal device 40 may be able to communicate with a plurality of base stations 30 or a plurality of cells. The terminal device 40 may also transmit and / or receive sensing signals to and from each of the plurality of base stations 30. The terminal device 40 may be configured to receive information about sensing signals (e.g., information about resources) from at least one of the plurality of base stations 30, or to receive information about sensing signals (e.g., information about resources) from each of the plurality of base stations 30. The terminal device 40 may also transmit and / or receive sensing signals in each of the plurality of cells. The terminal device 40 may be configured to receive information about sensing signals (e.g., information about resources) from at least one of the plurality of cells, or to receive information about sensing signals (e.g., information about resources) in each of the plurality of cells.

[0242] The terminal device 40 may be a relay terminal that relays communication to a remote terminal.

[0243] Multistatic sensing may be performed at the base station 30, the remote terminal, and the relay terminal. Specifically, sensing signals may be transmitted from both the base station 30 and the relay terminal. The remote terminal may receive sensing signals transmitted from both the base station 30 and the relay terminal.

[0244] The base station 30 and / or relay terminal may transmit to the relay terminal and / or remote terminal information regarding sensing signals transmitted and / or received by the relay terminal and / or remote terminal. In other words, the relay terminal and / or remote terminal may receive from the base station 30 and / or relay terminal information regarding sensing signals transmitted and / or received by the relay terminal and / or remote terminal.

[0245] Figure 10 shows the configuration of a terminal device 40 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The terminal device 40 comprises a wireless communication unit 41, a storage unit 42, a control unit 43, and a sensor unit 44. The configuration shown in Figure 10 is a functional configuration, and the hardware configuration may differ. Furthermore, the functions of the terminal device 40 may be distributed and implemented across multiple physically separated configurations.

[0246] Note that the terminal device 40 does not necessarily have all of the above-mentioned or later-described configurations. For example, the terminal device 40 does not have to have a sensor unit 44. Also, the terminal device 40 may have configurations other than those described above or later. The terminal device 40 may have a beamforming function. Also, the terminal device 40 may be configured to acquire sensing data by performing sensing using a beam.

[0247] The wireless communication unit 41 is a signal processing unit for wireless communication with other wireless communication devices (for example, a base station 30 or other terminal devices 40). The wireless communication unit 41 may be called a wireless transceiver or simply a transceiver. In this case, the wireless communication unit 41 may be a transceiver conforming to the standards defined in the 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) (hereinafter referred to as a 3GPP transceiver). The 3GPP transceiver may be a 3G transceiver, a 4G (LTE) transceiver, a 5G (NR) transceiver, or a transceiver of a 5G or later generation. The wireless communication unit 41 is controlled, for example, by a control unit 43. The wireless communication unit 41 supports one or more wireless access schemes. The wireless communication unit 41 may support at least one of NR, LTE, B5G (Beyond 5G), and 6G. The wireless communication unit 41 may support W-CDMA and cdma2000, in addition to NR, LTE, B5G, and 6G. The wireless communication unit 41 may also support automatic retransmission technologies such as HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest). Some or all of the processing performed by the wireless communication unit 41 may be performed by the control unit 43.

[0248] The wireless communication unit 41 comprises a transmission processing unit 411, a reception processing unit 412, and an antenna 413. At least one of the transmission processing unit 411, the reception processing unit 412, and the antenna 413 may be considered as the wireless communication unit 41. The wireless communication unit 41 may include multiple transmission processing units 411, reception processing units 412, and antennas 413. If the wireless communication unit 41 supports multiple wireless access methods, each part of the wireless communication unit 41 may be configured separately for each wireless access method. The transmission processing unit 411 and the reception processing unit 412 may be configured separately for LTE, NR, B5G, and 6G. The antenna 413 may be composed of multiple antenna elements, for example, multiple patch antennas. The wireless communication unit 41 may have a beamforming function. For example, the wireless communication unit 41 may have a polarization beamforming function that uses vertical polarization (V polarization) and horizontal polarization (H polarization) (or a polarization beamforming function that uses dual polarization in polarization directions of 45 degrees and -45 degrees from the vertical). The wireless communication unit 41 may also transmit the sensing signals described above or below.

[0249] The memory unit 42 is a read / write storage device such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, or a hard disk.

[0250] The control unit 43 is a controller that controls each part of the terminal device 40. The control unit 43 controls the wireless communication unit 41 to perform wireless communication with other wireless communication devices (for example, a base station 30 or another terminal device 40). The control unit 43 may be implemented by a processor such as a CPU or MPU. More specifically, the control unit 23 may be implemented by the processor executing various programs stored in the internal storage device of the terminal device 40 using RAM or the like as a working area. The control unit 43 may be implemented by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA. CPU, MPU, ASIC, and FPGA can all be considered as controllers. The control unit 43 may be implemented by a GPU. CPU, MPU, ASIC, FPGA, and GPU can all be considered as controllers. The control unit 43 may be composed of multiple physically separated objects. For example, the control unit 43 may be composed of multiple semiconductor chips.

[0251] The control unit 43 comprises at least one block of a transmitting unit 431, a receiving unit 432, a position estimation unit 433, an acquisition unit 434, and a sensing unit 435. The control unit 43 may comprise multiple of these blocks, or it may comprise only one of each.

[0252] Each block constituting the control unit 43 (transmitting unit 431 to sensing unit 435) is a functional block that represents the function of the control unit 43. These functional blocks may be software blocks or hardware blocks. For example, each of the above-mentioned functional blocks may be a single software module implemented in software (including microprograms), or a single circuit block on a semiconductor chip (die). Of course, each functional block may also be a single processor or a single integrated circuit. The control unit 43 may be composed of functional units different from the above-mentioned functional blocks. The configuration of the functional blocks is arbitrary. The operation of the control unit 43 may be the same as the operation of the control unit (control unit 13, control unit 23, or control unit 33) of the server 10, management device 20, or base station 30.

[0253] The sensor unit 44 is composed of one or more sensors that detect various data related to the terminal device 40. For example, the sensor unit 44 may be configured to receive, detect, or measure sensing signals transmitted by the same or other communication device (transmitter, sensing transmitter). In this case, the sensor unit 44 may have the same function as the wireless communication unit 41. If the wireless communication unit 41 is considered the first wireless communication unit, the sensor unit 44 may be considered the second wireless communication unit. Furthermore, one or more sensors provided by the sensor unit 44 may include sensors that detect the position or orientation of the terminal device 40. For example, one or more sensors provided by the sensor unit 44 may include an acceleration sensor and / or a gyroscope. For example, one or more sensors provided by the sensor unit 44 may include a 6DoF sensor or a 3DoF sensor. Furthermore, one or more sensors provided by the sensor unit 44 may include a positioning sensor (e.g., a GNSS sensor). The GNSS sensor may be a GPS sensor, a GLONASS sensor, a Galileo sensor, or a QZSS sensor. Furthermore, the sensor unit 44 (or one or more sensors provided by the sensor unit 44) may be configured to perform sensing using the beamforming function described above and to acquire sensing data.

[0254] The sensors provided in the sensor unit 44 are not limited to sensors that detect the position or orientation of the terminal device 40. One or more sensors provided in the sensor unit 44 may include sensors that detect the surroundings of the terminal device 40. For example, one or more sensors provided in the sensor unit 44 may include at least one of the following: a geomagnetic sensor, an illuminance sensor, a distance measuring sensor (e.g., a ToF sensor), a barometric pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a light sensor, a sound sensor, and an image sensor.

[0255] The sensor unit 44 may include one or more sensors, including a sensor unit composed of a combination of multiple sensors. For example, the sensor unit 44 may include one or more sensors, including an inertial measurement unit composed of a combination of multiple sensors, such as a positioning sensor (e.g., a GNSS sensor), an acceleration sensor, and a gyroscope sensor. A sensor unit can also be considered a type of sensor.

[0256] Furthermore, the sensor unit 44 may include one or more sensors, including devices / components configured using sensors. For example, the sensor unit 44 may include at least one of the following: a camera (e.g., a visible light camera, an infrared camera, or a light field camera), a LiDAR, a radar (e.g., a microwave radar, or a millimeter-wave radar), a microphone, and an image device. An image device is a device composed of one or more sensors. Devices / components configured using sensors can also be considered a type of sensor.

[0257] Furthermore, one or more sensors provided in the sensor unit 44 may include sensors that detect at least one of the following: the color of an object, the velocity of an object, the acceleration of an object, the reflectivity of an object, the transmittance of an object, the distance to an object, the temperature of an object / environment, geomagnetic field, illuminance, atmospheric pressure, light, and sound.

[0258] Furthermore, the sensor unit 44 may include one or more sensors, including a sensor / sensor unit / device / component that is configured by combining two or more sensors selected from the above-mentioned plurality of sensors.

[0259] In this embodiment, one or more sensing functions realized by devices / components provided by the terminal device 40 may be considered as one or more sensors provided by the terminal device 40. For example, one or more sensing functions provided by the wireless communication unit 41 may be considered as one or more sensors provided by the terminal device 40. In this case, the one or more sensing functions provided by the wireless communication unit 41 may include RF-based sensing functions (for example, RF-based sensing functions supported by a 3GPP transceiver). In this case, the wireless communication unit 41 (for example, a 3GPP transceiver) may be considered as the sensor unit 44 (or the sensors provided by the sensor unit 44).

[0260] The one or more sensors provided by the sensor unit 44 may be third-party sensors. Of course, the one or more sensors provided by the sensor unit 44 do not have to be third-party sensors.

[0261] As mentioned above, descriptions of sensors may be distinguished into physical sensors and logical sensors. That is, the sensors mentioned above or below may be physical sensors or logical sensors.

[0262] <<3. Example of Operation>> <3-1. Example of Operation Mode> The communication system SYS1 according to this embodiment executes the beam management process by switching between, for example, the first mode and the second mode.

[0263] In the first mode, the base station 30 performs a beam scan, similar to a conventional beam management process, to determine the beam angle (beam direction) of the DL beam to be transmitted to the terminal device 40. The base station 30 uses the beam at the angle determined by the beam scan to perform DL transmission.

[0264] For example, in the first mode, the base station 30, while connected to the terminal device 40 (or in Connected mode), executes existing beam management processes such as P1, P2, and P3 described above.

[0265] In the second mode, the base station 30 determines the beam angle using the sensing results (detection information; hereinafter also simply referred to as sensing results) from ISAC. Using the beam with the beam angle determined according to the sensing results, the base station 30 transmits, for example, at least one of a synchronization signal, broadcast information, and a DL signal to the terminal device 40.

[0266] Alternatively, the base station 30 may, for example, calculate the distance from the location of the terminal device 40 to the terminal device 40 and transmit a beam destined for the terminal device 40 with an output (or sharpness, beam width) corresponding to this distance.

[0267] The second mode may be referred to as, for example, P4, ISAC mode, sensing mode, adaptive mode, or determining mode. In the second mode, the base station 30 can determine the beam even without feedback from the terminal device 40.

[0268] Therefore, the base station 30 can obtain the benefits of beamforming with lower latency. In addition, since the base station 30 does not need to perform beam scanning in directions where there are no terminal devices 40, interference with adjacent systems can be further reduced.

[0269] (Conditions for applying the second mode) Here, we will describe an example of the conditions under which the base station 30 applies (uses) the second mode, in other words, the conditions under which the base station 30 transitions from the first mode to the second mode.

[0270] Base station 30 may transition from the first mode to the second mode if at least one of the following conditions is met: - Base station 30 has ISAC functionality - Multiple base stations 30 and / or communication points can cooperate to transmit in the second mode - Terminal device 40 supports reception in the second mode - Terminal device 40 is connected to base station 30 - Terminal device 40 has ISAC functionality - Base station 30 determines that it is possible to transition to the second mode

[0271] The statement that base station 30 has ISAC functionality means, for example, that base station 30 has the function of acquiring sensing results by ISAC. A base station 30 that satisfies this condition can, for example, detect / track detection information regarding the location of terminal equipment 40 using RF-based sensing and / or third-party sensors. Furthermore, a base station 30 that satisfies this condition has the function of utilizing the acquired (detected / tracked) detection information. Here, the function of utilizing the detection information refers to, for example, a function in which base station 30 incorporates the detection information as control information in the process of generating radio waves for transmission signals.

[0272] The terminal device 40 having ISAC functionality means, for example, that the terminal device 40 is capable of transmitting UL (uplink) signals for the second mode. A terminal device 40 that satisfies this condition has the function of transmitting sensing information (an example of detection information) regarding its own position to the base station 30 in the UL signal. Here, the sensing information may include, for example, the position information, speed information, and / or transmission angle information of the terminal device 40.

[0273] Furthermore, the base station 30 determines whether or not it is possible to transition to the second mode based, for example, on detection information received from the terminal device 40, or capability information of the terminal device 40.

[0274] (Application status of the second mode) The base station 30 may apply the second mode, for example, if the situation satisfies the following conditions. In other words, the base station 30 may transition from the first mode to the second mode if the situation satisfies at least one of the following conditions.

[0275] - When detection / tracking of terminal device 40 is possible - When base station 30 acquires detection information - When a request is made from terminal device 40 - When feedback is received from terminal device 40 - When a request is made from an adjacent cell - When base station 30 detects an unconnected terminal device 40

[0276] The ability to detect / track the terminal device 40 may mean, for example, that the communication environment (or channel conditions, propagation environment) is better than a predetermined standard. The base station 30 may determine that the communication environment is better than a predetermined standard if, for example, the sensing performance of the communication system SYS1 is expected to be fully utilized.

[0277] Examples of a good communication environment include when the channel conditions are line-of-sight propagation (or LOS: Line-Of-Site). Alternatively, the base station 30 may determine whether the communication environment is good or not based on the status of the power lamp (received power) of the UL signal from the terminal device 40, or the number of retransmissions, etc.

[0278] The base station 30 may determine whether the communication environment is good or not based on power information and other data obtained from feedback information from the terminal device 40.

[0279] Furthermore, the base station 30 may determine whether or not it is possible to detect / track the terminal devices 40 depending on the number of terminal devices 40 connected to it. For example, if the number of connected terminal devices 40 is small (or empty-load, low-load) and there are few terminal devices 40 that are the target of sensing (detection / tracking), the base station 30 may determine that it is possible to detect / track the terminal devices 40.

[0280] One example of a situation in which the base station 30 acquires detection information is when sensing information from the terminal device 40 is acquired in a process separate from beam management. For example, in use cases of object detection / tracking by ISAC, such as autonomous driving, the base station 30 may (for example, incidentally) acquire the sensing results of the terminal device 40. In this case, the base station 30 may determine that it is in a situation where it can switch to the second mode.

[0281] The sensing information acquired by the base station 30 may be information obtained by combining sensing information obtained by a third-party sensor and sensing information obtained by RF-based sensing.

[0282] Furthermore, the request from the terminal device 40 to transition to the second mode may be made explicitly or implicitly. The base station 30 may also determine whether or not it is in a state to transition to the second mode based on feedback from the terminal device 40 after it has transmitted in the second mode, in other words, after it has transmitted a signal with a beam angle corresponding to the sensing information.

[0283] For example, after the base station 30 transmits a signal at a beam angle corresponding to the sensing information, if it can confirm that successful communication in the second mode is possible based on feedback indicating that the signal has been received, it determines that it is in a situation to transition to the second mode.

[0284] Furthermore, if the base station 30 detects, or recognizes, the presence of a terminal device 40 through sensing, for example, in the case of an empty load, it determines that it has detected an unconnected terminal device 40.

[0285] Alternatively, if the base station 30 detects, or recognizes, through sensing, the presence of a terminal device 40 other than the one or more terminal devices 40 that are already connected and whose location is known, it determines that it has detected an unconnected terminal device 40.

[0286] (Signal Configuration Example) Here, an example of the signal configuration used in this embodiment will be described. The signals described here may be used in second-mode communication. The signals described here may be generated by means similar to the generation process of wireless transmission signals exchanged in, for example, downlink (DL), uplink (UL), sidelink (SL), or IAB.

[0287] (First signal and / or first broadcast information) The first signal (or SSB, PSS, SSS) and / or the first broadcast information (or PBCH, MIB, SIB1) may be transmitted in bursts.

[0288] The first signal and / or the first broadcast information may include indication information (or identification information) for second mode transmission.

[0289] As described above, when the base station 30 acquires sensing information regarding the position of the terminal device 40, in the second mode, it may determine the beam directivity according to the position of the terminal device 40 included in the sensing information. The position of the terminal device 40 may include the direction of the terminal device 40 relative to the base station 30.

[0290] The base station 30 may transmit to the terminal device 40 the first signal and / or first broadcast information including information about the beam used to transmit these signals. The beam information is, for example, information about the beam's directivity. Examples of beam directivity information include information about the transmission angle and angle information indicating the sharpness of the beam width.

[0291] The terminal device 40 may use the first signal (more specifically, information about the beam contained in the first signal) to perform, for example, multistatic sensing or bistatic sensing.

[0292] (CSI report) When using SSB for the CSI report, the base station 30 may perform beam management in the same manner as for the first signal.

[0293] The terminal device 40 may use the CSI report for ACK / NACK, etc., of beam reception. In other words, the terminal device 40 does not have to use the CSI report for beam selection or re-selection.

[0294] Using SSB in CSI reporting has the disadvantage of lower signal flexibility compared to using CSI-RS, which will be discussed later. For example, using SSB in CSI reporting results in fixed timing, thus reducing flexibility in the time domain.

[0295] However, in the second mode according to this embodiment, the base station 30 does not use the CSI report for beam determination (selection or reselection), but rather for ACK / NACK of beam reception, etc. In other words, it can be said that the base station 30 uses the CSI report to determine the continuation of the second mode. For example, this makes it less likely for delays to occur in beam manipulation (e.g., beam tracking performance) in the second mode.

[0296] Furthermore, the terminal device 40 may use the CSI report for a switching request that requests switching between the first and second modes. For example, the terminal device 40 may use the CSI report to notify the termination of the second mode or switching from the second mode to the first mode if it is unable to receive the beam or if the beam reception accuracy is below a threshold. Note that being unable to receive the beam or having a beam reception accuracy below a threshold may occur, for example, if the sensing performance of the base station 30 is poor.

[0297] CSI-RS may be used in CSI reports. In this case, there will be overhead due to the deployment of CSI-RS compared to using SSB in CSI reports.

[0298] If base station 30 requires additional sensing information, base station 30 may perform RF sensing using CSI-RS. This allows base station 30 to attempt more accurate sensing.

[0299] In this case, the base station 30 may reuse the RF sensing results using CSI-RS for beamforming of the terminal device 40. This allows the base station 30 to acquire (additional) sensing results without having to perform additional beam manipulation processes for the beam management process, thereby improving resource efficiency.

[0300] (First UL signal) In this embodiment, the first UL signal (or PRACH) refers to the UL signal that the terminal device 40 transmits first in the random access process.

[0301] The first UL signal may include feasibility information for the second mode. The feasibility information includes, for example, information used by the base station 30 to determine whether the second mode is functioning (or whether communication in the second mode is possible). For example, the feasibility information may include received power information and / or reception success / failure information for each first signal transmitted in bursts.

[0302] The base station 30 may determine, based on this feasibility information, what sharpness (beam width) of beam is usable. The base station 30 may also use this feasibility information to measure (or measure) the sensing accuracy for beam management.

[0303] Furthermore, the first UL signal may include sensing information of the terminal device 40 (for example, location information, angle information, speed information, etc. of the terminal device 40). The base station 30 acquires the sensing information of the terminal device 40 by receiving the first UL signal. Alternatively, the base station 30 may measure / acquire sensing information by combining the sensing information acquired from the terminal device 40 with the sensing results from the base station 30 (for example, multistatic sensing or bistatic sensing). Examples of sensing results from the base station 30 include estimation of the arrival angle of the first UL signal and sensing by a third-party sensor.

[0304] (Transition Notification) When the base station 30 transitions from the first mode to the second mode, it may notify the terminal device 40 of switching information regarding this transition. The switching information includes, for example, information regarding switching (transition) to the beam management process of the second mode.

[0305] Switching information may be notified from the base station 30 to the terminal device 40 through, for example, a CSI measurement report, RRC message, PDSCH, PDCCH, SIB1, PBCH, MIB, etc.

[0306] When the base station 30 satisfies the above-described conditions for applying the second mode and the conditions for its application status, it decides to transition to the second mode and notifies the terminal device 40 of the switching information. For example, if the base station 30 determines from the information contained in the UL signal from the terminal device 40 that the terminal device 40 it is connected to or is trying to connect to supports the second mode, the base station 30 may decide to transition to the second mode. Examples of UL signals include PRACH, PUCCH, PUSCH, etc.

[0307] Furthermore, the base station 30 may decide to transition from the second mode to the first mode based on the information contained in the UL signal from the terminal device 40, the reception status at the terminal device 40 that is connected or attempting to connect, and / or in response to a request from the terminal device 40.

[0308] Examples of UL signals here include PRACH, PUCCH, and PUSCH. Furthermore, information contained within these UL signals includes feasibility information, among other things.

[0309] Examples of reception conditions that trigger a transition from the second mode to the first mode include failure to receive the first signal, and / or when the measured power of the received signal of the first signal is lower than a threshold.

[0310] (Example of operation in second mode) In addition to determining the beam angle according to sensing information regarding the position of the terminal device 40 in the second mode, for example, the base station 30 has a function to change the transmission method of the first signal and / or the first broadcast information according to the sensing information. For example, the base station 30 changes the resource allocation and / or beam management of the first signal and / or the first broadcast information according to the sensing information. Note that this function may also be performed by the base station 30 when sensing information is acquired, even when the base station 30 is not operating in the second mode.

[0311] (Burst transmission) The base station 30 transmits, for example, the first signal and / or the first broadcast signal in the second mode. The base station 30 may transmit the first signal in bursts one or more times within one or more frames. The number of transmissions in a burst transmission is, for example, 4, 8, 16, etc.

[0312] Figure 11 shows an example of transmitting a first signal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in the upper part of Figure 11, the base station 30 transmits, for example, an SSB as the first signal.

[0313] The base station 30 repeatedly transmits SSB multiple times (eight times, SSB0 to SSB7, in the example of Figure 11) within one or more frames (within two subframes or one half-frame in Figure 11).

[0314] In this case, the base station 30 may transmit SSB using directional beams with different sharpnesses. In other words, the beam widths of the SSB transmitted by the base station 30 may be different.

[0315] In the example shown in Figure 11, the transmitting beams of SSB0 and SSB1 have the widest first beamwidth. The transmitting beams of SSB2 and SSB3 have a second beamwidth that is narrower than the first beamwidth. The transmitting beams of SSB4 and SSB5 have a third beamwidth that is narrower than the first and second beamwidths. SSB6 and SSB7 may be transmitted as omnidirectional signals and may be transmitted with beams having a beamwidth narrower than the third beamwidth.

[0316] Thus, the beamwidth of the transmitting beam may be determined by the number of SSB transmissions, in other words, by the transmission order. For example, the beamwidth may become sharper as the number of transmissions increases.

[0317] For example, the beams transmitting each SSB are transmitted with the same parameters (e.g., beam direction), except for the beam width.

[0318] The narrower the beam width, the longer the communication distance. Therefore, as shown in the lower part of Figure 11, SSB4 and SSB5 reach further than SSB0 and SSB1.

[0319] When the terminal device 40 receives an SSB, it transmits a corresponding first UL signal to the base station 30. Based on the feasibility information obtained from this first UL signal, the base station 30 may determine what beam sharpness, or in other words, what beam width, to use for communication.

[0320] In the example shown in the lower part of Figure 11, the terminal device 40 receives SSB2 to SSB5, but does not receive SSB0 and SSB1. Therefore, the base station 30 decides to perform DL communication using the second beamwidth and / or the third beamwidth, for example, based on feasibility information indicating the reception results of SSB2 to SSB5.

[0321] In this way, when the base station 30 transmits the first signal, it gradually sharpens the beam, for example, in the same angular direction. The base station 30 may use the feasibility information included in the response to this beam to measure (or measure) the sensing accuracy for beam management.

[0322] The first signal may also include information regarding burst transmission. This information may include, for example, beamwidth information relating to the beamwidth used for transmitting the first signal.

[0323] The beamwidth information may include information about the length of the beamwidth, and may also include information indicating how much larger the beamwidth of one first signal is than the beamwidth of another first signal (for example, what rank it is).

[0324] Alternatively, beam width information may be pre-configured in association with beam identification information (e.g., beam ID) and / or beam type. Examples of beam types include wide beams, medium-range beams, and narrow-range beams. By pre-configuring the beam width information, the terminal device 40 may implicitly acquire the beam width information from the beam ID and / or beam type.

[0325] The burst transmission information included in the first signal may be information about the (single) first signal, or it may be information about all of the one or more first signals that are transmitted in bursts. For example, the first signal may include a list of information about the beam width of each first signal.

[0326] The base station 30, for example, obtains the reception result of burst transmission (SSB) from the terminal device 40. The base station 30 then determines the beam width to be used for subsequent DL communication to the terminal device 40, based on the SSB reception result at the terminal device 40.

[0327] For example, the base station 30 may perform DL communication using the widest beam width among the beam widths used to transmit one or more SSB signals received by the terminal device 40. Alternatively, the base station 30 may perform DL communication using the beam width of the beam with the lowest transmission power among the beams used to transmit one or more SSB signals received by the terminal device 40.

[0328] (Functions of base station 30) Here, we will explain an example of the functions that base station 30 has in order to realize the operations described above and / or described later.

[0329] (Cooperative communication function) The base station 30 may have, for example, multiple antenna ports. The base station 30 may have a function to control the directivity of radio waves by performing cooperative transmission using multiple antenna ports.

[0330] Furthermore, the base station 30 may have a function to manipulate the directivity (or beam) of radio waves (or beamforming, beam steering, beam management, beam manipulation) through coordinated transmission by one or more other base stations 30 connected via backhaul or IAB.

[0331] Here, directivity control refers to, for example, controlling the angle of the beam's transmission direction, the beam's control angle range, and the beam's sharpness. Furthermore, base station 30 may have the function to perform beamforming in coordination with one or more other base stations 30, or in coordination between multiple antenna ports located at different positions. Details of the coordinated communication will be described later.

[0332] (Sensing function) As described above, the base station 30 has a function to acquire sensing information regarding the location of the terminal device 40. The base station 30 may acquire sensing information regarding the location of the terminal device 40 using its own ISAC (sensing) function, or it may acquire sensing information detected by the terminal device 40 and other base stations 30 etc. using the ISAC function.

[0333] The base station 30 may, for example, perform RF-based sensing utilizing wireless communication hardware, as described above. This RF-based sensing is carried out, for example, by secondarily utilizing cellular radio waves that are modulated and demodulated for wireless communication purposes as radio frequency-based sensing radio waves.

[0334] Alternatively, the base station 30 may be implemented, for example, by one or more sensors (e.g., third-party sensors) installed in the base station 30, as described above.

[0335] The base station 30 may detect the presence of an object using the sensing function of ISAC. The base station 30 may also detect the object's angle information (e.g., direction relative to the base station 30), the object's position information, the object's reflectance (or RCS), the object's velocity, the object's acceleration, the object's size, and / or the object's shape.

[0336] Of these, the base station 30 may determine the beam direction and beam width in the second mode using the angle information of the object, the position information of the object, etc. That is, sensing (detection) information regarding the position of the terminal device 40 is information used to determine the beam direction and beam width in the second mode, and is, for example, the angle information of the object and the position information of the object acquired by the sensing function of ISAC.

[0337] Furthermore, the base station 30 may acquire sensing information by combining the RF-based sensing described above with sensing using a third-party sensor.

[0338] The ISAC-based sensing by the base station 30 may be performed for beam direction manipulation, or for purposes other than this manipulation.

[0339] For example, the base station 30 may perform sensing using ISAC for purposes other than beam direction manipulation, such as traffic monitoring or UAV detection / tracking. In this case, the base station 30 may also have a function to detect / track terminal devices 40 using sensing.

[0340] For example, the base station 30 may perform sensing using ISAC for beam direction manipulation. Alternatively, the information processing device (not shown) provided by the base station 30 may process the sensing results obtained by ISAC performed by the base station 30 for beam direction manipulation, and perform wireless communication signal generation and / or wireless signal transmission processing. This information processing device may be an edge server.

[0341] As a result, the base station 30 can use the sensing results from ISAC for generating and / or transmitting wireless signals.

[0342] The base station 30 may also incorporate the sensing results received from the server, core network, etc., into the wireless communication signal generation and / or wireless communication signal transmission process. In other words, the base station 30 may acquire and process the sensing results at lower layers such as the physical layer, or it may acquire them by being notified from a higher layer such as the physical layer. The base station 30 may also request the server, core network, etc., to acquire the sensing results (sensing request).

[0343] Alternatively, base station 30 may obtain information regarding sensing by ISAC from terminal device 40 and / or other base stations 30.

[0344] For example, the base station 30 may have a function to acquire sensing information by performing sensing processing such as estimating the angle of arrival using the UL signal from the connected (or connected mode) terminal device 40 as a sensing radio wave, and a function to demodulate the UL signal. This UL signal is, for example, PUCCH, PUSCH, etc.

[0345] Alternatively, the base station 30 may have a function to directly acquire sensing information from the terminal device 40. The terminal device 40 performs, for example, RF-based sensing and / or sensing using a third-party sensor, and notifies the base station 30 of the sensing information, which is the sensing result. The base station 30 may also make a sensing request to the terminal device 40.

[0346] Furthermore, base station 30 may have a function to acquire sensing information from other base stations 30. For example, base station 30 may acquire sensing information regarding the handover terminal device 40 from other base stations 30 constituting the adjacent cell via backhaul or IAB. In this case, for example, the adjacent base station 30 has the function to perform sensing by ISAC. Moreover, the fact that it has this function is known to the adjacent base stations 30.

[0347] (Notification function) As described above, the base station 30 has a function to notify the terminal device 40 of switching information regarding the transition to the second mode. The base station 30 may also have a function to notify the signal configuration and / or resource information of the UL signal.

[0348] The UL signal here is used, for example, to notify information indicating the reception status of the beam transmitted by the base station 30 in the second mode (e.g., NACK / ACK of beam reception). The information indicating the beam reception status includes, for example, the first signal and / or first broadcast information transmitted by the base station 30, or information indicating whether the terminal device 40 was able to detect the channel status reference signal (e.g., CSI-RS). The UL signal here may be generated, for example, by a signal configuration / method similar to PRACH, PUCCH, and PUSCH.

[0349] (Functions of the terminal device 40) Next, an example of the functions that the terminal device 40 has in order to realize the operations described above and / or described later will be explained.

[0350] The terminal device 40 has the function of detecting the first signal by cell search (or blind search), and also has the function of demodulating the first signal.

[0351] The terminal device 40 has the function of identifying that the received signal is a second-mode signal when it receives a first signal and / or first broadcast information of the second mode (or in a second-mode random access process). The terminal device 40 also has the function of transitioning to a process corresponding to the second mode (for example, through PSS, SSS, PBCH, MIB, SIB1, SIBx, etc.).

[0352] The terminal device 40 has the function of acquiring information on the beam sharpness (beam width) of each first signal in the burst from the information contained in each received first signal, and the function of measuring power information (e.g., RSRP, SINR, SNR, PAPR, path loss, etc.).

[0353] The terminal may have a function to create feasibility information for a second mode depending on whether this power information is greater than or less than a threshold. This threshold may also be pre-designed (or pre-defined).

[0354] Alternatively, the terminal device 40 may have measurement results (or measurement results) from the conventional beam management process before / immediately before switching to the second mode. In this case, the terminal device 40 may design a threshold for the power information taking that information into consideration. For example, the terminal device 40 may use the value of the measurement result from the conventional beam management process as the threshold. Alternatively, the terminal device 40 may use a value obtained by adding a certain offset to the measurement result from the conventional beam management process as the threshold.

[0355] Suppose terminal device 40 receives notification of switching to the second mode while connected to (or in Connected mode) or attempting to connect to (or in idle / inactive mode) the base station 30. In this case, terminal device 40 starts a timer from the moment it receives the notification and waits for the signal for the second mode within a certain period of time. Examples of the signal for the second mode include the first signal and / or the first broadcast information, or a channel status reference signal (e.g., CSI-RS).

[0356] If the terminal device 40 fails to detect a second-mode signal transmission within a certain period of time after the timer is started, it may have a function to transmit a UL signal. The UL signal here may be, for example, a NACK / ACK transmission signal notified by the base station 30. Furthermore, this NACK / ACK transmission may be performed using resources notified by the base station 30.

[0357] The terminal device 40 may have a function to acquire its own location information using GNSS or the like. The terminal device 40 may also have a function to perform RF sensing based on wireless communication signals by estimating the angle of arrival of the signal received from the base station 30 and / or demodulating the signal containing sensing information from the base station 30.

[0358] The terminal device 40 has a function to notify the base station 30 of capability information, such as that it supports the second mode, by including it in the UL signal. Examples of UL signals here include the first UL signal, PRACH, PUCCH, PUSCH, MAC-CE, RRC message, etc.

[0359] In this embodiment, the base station 30 and terminal device 40 transmit synchronization signals and / or broadcast information (e.g., SSB) using sensing information from ISAC (sensing-assisted) using the functions described above. The base station 30 and terminal device 40 also perform a beamforming process using sensing information from ISAC (sensing-assisted) using the functions described above.

[0360] (Transmitting Node) The base station 30 transmits a beam in the second mode. At this time, a single base station 30 may transmit the beam, or one or more base stations 30 and / or one or more communication points may cooperate to transmit the beam.

[0361] When one or more base stations 30 and / or one or more communication points cooperate to transmit a beam, the base stations 30 and / or communication points that transmit the beam are also simply referred to as transmitting nodes.

[0362] If all transmitting nodes have sensing capabilities via ISAC, for example, one transmitting node (or anchor cell, macrocell, Cell A) instructs one or more other transmitting nodes (or cells, add-on cells, microcells, NES cells) to transmit beams in second mode.

[0363] One or more other transmitting nodes, for example, radiate a beam in a direction corresponding to the position of the terminal device 40 obtained from the sensing results, in accordance with instructions from one transmitting node. The transmitting node that issued the instruction to transmit the beam also radiates a beam in a direction corresponding to the position of the terminal device 40 obtained from the sensing results.

[0364] On the other hand, suppose one or more transmitting nodes have sensing capabilities, while the remaining transmitting nodes do not.

[0365] Here, we assume that one or more transmitting nodes include a node operating an anchor cell (hereinafter also simply referred to as an anchor cell). In this case, in addition to the indication for second-mode transmission, the anchor cell notifies one or more other transmitting nodes of its own sensing results regarding the terminal device 40 via backhaul, IAB, etc.

[0366] Alternatively, the anchor cell may notify other transmitting nodes equipped with sensing capabilities of the instruction to transmit in second mode. The anchor cell notifies other transmitting nodes that do not have sensing capabilities of its own sensing results regarding the terminal device 40, in addition to the instruction to transmit in second mode.

[0367] Alternatively, the anchor cell may acquire sensing results from other transmitting nodes equipped with sensing capabilities, and integrate the sensing results acquired from the other transmitting nodes with its own sensing results to generate a single sensing information (hereinafter also referred to as integrated sensing information).

[0368] In this case, the anchor cell may, for example, notify one or more other transmitting nodes of integrated sensing information in addition to the instruction for second-mode transmission, regardless of whether they have sensing capabilities.

[0369] Alternatively, the anchor cell may, for example, notify other transmitting nodes that do not have sensing capabilities of integrated sensing information in addition to the instruction for second-mode transmission. In this case, the anchor cell may notify other transmitting nodes that do have sensing capabilities of the instruction for second-mode transmission, but not of integrated sensing information.

[0370] Furthermore, the anchor cell may not have a sensing function, or it may have one but not perform sensing. In this case, the anchor cell may obtain sensing information regarding the location of the terminal device 40 from another transmitting node that has a sensing function (or performs sensing).

[0371] In this case, the anchor cell may, for example, notify one or more other transmitting nodes of the acquired sensing information in addition to the instruction to transmit in second mode, regardless of whether or not they have sensing capabilities.

[0372] Alternatively, the anchor cell may, for example, notify other transmitting nodes that do not have sensing capabilities of sensing information in addition to the instruction for second-mode transmission. In this case, the anchor cell may notify other transmitting nodes that do have sensing capabilities of the instruction for second-mode transmission, but not of sensing information.

[0373] Furthermore, when acquiring sensing information from multiple transmitting nodes, the anchor cell may notify other transmitting nodes, in addition to the instruction for second-mode transmission, of the integrated sensing information obtained by combining the multiple sensing pieces of information acquired.

[0374] Alternatively, if the anchor cell does not have sensing capabilities, or does not perform sensing even if it does, another transmitting node that has sensing capabilities (or performs sensing) may instruct the second mode transmission. For example, if an add-on cell has sensing capabilities, the add-on cell may instruct the second mode transmission (and notify sensing information) on behalf of the anchor cell.

[0375] Alternatively, the anchor cell may specify (instruct) a transmitting node to issue instructions for second-mode transmission. In this case, the transmitting node specified by the anchor cell may issue instructions for second-mode transmission (and notify sensing information) on behalf of the anchor cell.

[0376] (Receiving node) Terminal device 40 receives the second-mode beam transmitted by base station 30. In other words, the target of the second-mode transmission by base station 30 is terminal device 40. At this time, the target terminal device 40 may be a single device or multiple devices.

[0377] When the base station 30 transmits a second-mode beam to multiple terminal devices 40, the base station 30 may transmit the beam to the multiple terminal devices 40 by TDD or FDD. Alternatively, the base station 30 may generate and transmit multiple beams simultaneously to each of the multiple terminal devices 40.

[0378] (Information notified by base station 30) Base station 30 notifies terminal device 40 of at least one of the following pieces of information: - Notification of second mode transmission - Time information regarding the time of the signal or beam transmitted in second mode - Feedback transmission information regarding feedback transmission - Configuration information regarding the signal configuration for burst transmission - Information regarding CORESET and broadcast information - Barring information of terminal device 40 that does not support second mode - Reference information

[0379] The aforementioned time information includes, for example, information regarding the start time of the transmission time window (or transmission time window) of a signal or beam transmitted in second mode, the reference time for the start time, the length, the end time, etc.

[0380] Furthermore, the time information includes, for example, information regarding the start time of the reception time window (or reception time window) for the terminal device 40 to receive the signal or beam transmitted in second mode, the reference time for the start time, the length, the end time, etc.

[0381] In this context, the signals transmitted in the second mode include, for example, the first signal and / or the first broadcast information.

[0382] The feedback transmission information described above includes, for example, information on the signal configuration and resource configuration for the terminal device 40 to transmit feedback to the base station 30.

[0383] The configuration information described above includes, for example, information regarding the number of bursts of signals transmitted in bursts. The configuration information also includes, for example, information regarding the beam width of each burst signal (e.g., information indicating the sharpness of the beam). The beam width may be set for each burst signal dynamically and / or stepwise depending on sensing information regarding the position of the terminal device 40 and the accuracy of this sensing information.

[0384] The CORESET and broadcast information (e.g., SIB1, SIBx) mentioned above are associated with signals transmitted in second mode (e.g., the first signal and / or the first broadcast information).

[0385] The above-mentioned reference information is used, for example, to perform measurements of power, etc., by the terminal device 40.

[0386] (Information notified by terminal device 40) The terminal device 40 notifies the base station 30 of at least one of the following pieces of information: - Feedback information for the second mode - Reference information for sensing using UL signals

[0387] The feedback information includes, for example, at least one of the following: - Power information - NACK / ACK of the signal transmitted in second mode - Success / failure information of each burst signal - Sensing information of the terminal device 40 - Reference information for sensing using the feedback signal - Timer information - Switching request

[0388] Power information includes, for example, RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, SNR, and SIR. Sensing information of the terminal device 40 includes, for example, the position information, altitude information, angle information, velocity information, acceleration information, shape information, etc.

[0389] Reference information for sensing using feedback signals is referenced when the base station 30 performs sensing using signals that include feedback from the terminal device 40.

[0390] The timer information includes, for example, information about a timer that is started when the base station 30 receives notification regarding the switching to the second mode (for example, a certain period of time to be counted by the timer).

[0391] A switching request is, for example, information requesting a terminal device 40 to switch from the second mode to the first mode, or from the first mode to the second mode.

[0392] Reference information for sensing using UL signals is referenced when the base station 30 performs sensing using UL signals from the terminal device 40.

[0393] (Information to be notified between base stations) Base station 30 may notify other adjacent base stations 30 of information (for example, sensing information). For example, when the handover source base station 30 performs a handover, it may notify the handover destination base station 30 of sensing information regarding the location of the terminal device 40 to be handed over.

[0394] (Transmitted Signal / Transmitted Channel) In the second mode, the signals / channels that the base station 30 transmits to the terminal device 40 include, for example, at least one of the following: - First signal and / or first broadcast information - SSB (or PSS, SSS, PBCH, MIB) - SIB (or SIB1, SIBx) - PDCCH (or DCI, DCI1_0, etc.) - PDSCH - RRC message - MAC-CE - CSI-RS

[0395] In the second mode, the signals / channels that the terminal device 40 transmits to the base station 30 include, for example, at least one of the following: - First uplink signal (or PRACH, msg1) - UL signal used for random access (or PRACH / msg1, msg3, msg5, etc.) - PUCCH - PUSCH - RRC message

[0396] For communication between base stations 30, for example, backhaul and / or IAB may be used.

[0397] <<4. Processing Example>> <4-1. First Processing Example> Figure 12 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of a first processing according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. In the first processing, it is assumed that the terminal device 40 is connected to the base station 30. That is, the terminal device 40 is in connection mode. In this case, the base station 30 switches to the second mode to transmit the first signal and / or the first broadcast information. The base station 30 decides to switch to the second mode, for example, because the channel conditions are good.

[0398] The first process shown in Figure 12 may be executed, for example, when the base station 30 determines that it will transmit a first signal and / or first broadcast information.

[0399] As shown in Figure 12, the base station 30 and the terminal device 40 are in a connected state (e.g., RRC connected, Connected mode) (step S101).

[0400] The base station 30 obtains UE capability information from the terminal device 40 (step S102). This UE capability information is transmitted, for example, using UL signals from the terminal device 40. These UL signals are, for example, random access signals / PRACH / msg1 / msg3 / msg5 and PUCCH / PUSCH / RRC messages. Note that the base station 30 may have already obtained the UE capability information, for example, before the start of the first processing.

[0401] Next, the base station 30 decides to switch to the second mode based on the channel conditions, etc. (step S103). For example, if the base station 30 determines, using its sensing function, that the channel conditions are sufficient for detecting / tracking the terminal device 40, it decides to switch to the second mode.

[0402] For example, if the base station 30 can acquire sensing information (e.g., location information, angle information, and / or speed information, etc.) regarding the location of the terminal device 40 with sufficient accuracy using its own sensing function, it determines that the channel conditions are sufficient for detecting / tracking the terminal device 40.

[0403] The base station 30 performs this determination based, for example, on measurement results received from the terminal device 40 and / or measurement results performed by the base station 30. These measurement results are the results of measurements indicating the channel status, such as received power and LOS / NLOS determination.

[0404] Alternatively, the base station 30 may decide to switch to the second mode if it has already been able to acquire sensing information (e.g., location information, angle information, and / or speed information, etc.) regarding the location of the terminal device 40 using its own sensing function. In other words, the base station 30 may decide to switch to the second mode if it has already been able to detect / track the terminal device 40 using its own sensing function.

[0405] Next, the base station 30 notifies the terminal device 40 of an instruction to switch to the second mode (step S104). This instruction may be given using, for example, an RRC message, MAC-CE, DCI, SIB, PBCH, etc.

[0406] By transmitting this instruction, the base station 30 switches to the second mode (step S105). Also, upon receiving this instruction, the terminal device 40 switches to the second mode (step S106). As a result, when the terminal device 40 receives the first signal and / or the first broadcast information, it starts the receiving process in the second mode.

[0407] The base station 30 uses its own sensing function to perform sensing for the detection / tracking of the terminal device 40 (step S107). The base station 30 may, for example, acquire the sensing results for detection / tracking (more specifically, by ISAC) from the terminal device 40 or the like.

[0408] The base station 30 determines the beam transmission direction from the sensing results and transmits the first signal and / or the first broadcast information (SSB in Figure 12) to the terminal device 40 with a beam directed in the determined direction (step S108). At this time, the base station 30 may also transmit SSB in bursts in the same direction using beams with different beam widths, in other words, beams with different beam width sharpnesses.

[0409] From this point until the second mode ends, the base station 30 dynamically manipulates the beam direction using sensing information.

[0410] The terminal device 40 performs a measurement of the received SSB (step S109). The terminal device 40 transmits feedback information regarding the reception of the SSB to the base station 30 (step S110).

[0411] This feedback information may be included in the UL signal and transmitted, for example, in the signal configuration / resource notified by the base station 30. Alternatively, the terminal device 40 may transmit a UL signal that does not include the feedback information to the base station 30. Examples of UL signals include signals transmitted using channels such as PRACH / PUCCH / PUSCH.

[0412] Furthermore, the UL signal (or feedback information) may include reference information for sensing and measurement results (or measurement report, L1 / L3 measurement report).

[0413] Based on feedback information from the terminal device 40, the base station 30 decides on the beam sharpness or to stop the second mode (step S111). That is, the base station 30 determines whether to continue or stop the second mode, and if it continues, it determines the beam sharpness (in other words, beam width) to be used for transmission.

[0414] If it decides to shut down the second mode, the base station 30 notifies the terminal device 40 of this decision and then switches from the second mode (for example, to the first mode).

[0415] The base station 30, having determined the beam sharpness, transmits a DL signal to the terminal device 40 with the beam of the determined sharpness, directed in the direction based on the sensing information (step S112).

[0416] <4-2. Second Processing Example> Figure 13 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of a second processing according to the embodiment of this disclosure. In the processing in Figure 13, the same reference numerals are used for the same processing as in the first processing in Figure 12, and their explanations are omitted. In the second processing, it is assumed that the terminal device 40 is not connected to the base station 30.

[0417] The base station 30 is connected to one or more other terminal devices 40. Alternatively, the base station 30 is not connected to any terminal devices 40 (or is empty-load). In this case, the base station 30 performs a second process, for example, when it detects / tracks a new terminal device 40 through sensing.

[0418] As shown in Figure 13, the base station 30 uses its own sensing function to perform sensing and acquire sensing information regarding the location of the terminal device 40 (step S201). The base station 30 performs, for example, RF sensing based on wireless communication such as NR and / or sensing using a third-party sensor.

[0419] This sensing may be performed for switching to a second mode, or for other purposes. For example, the base station 30 may detect / track the terminal device 40 (in other words, acquire sensing information about its location) based on the results of sensing performed for other purposes, such as traffic monitoring or UAV detection / tracking.

[0420] The base station 30 determines that the terminal device 40 that has newly acquired sensing information is not connected (step S202). For example, the base station 30 may determine whether or not the terminal device 40 that has newly acquired sensing information is connected based on sensing information regarding the location of other terminal devices 40 that are already connected.

[0421] The base station 30 obtains UE capability information from the terminal device 40 (step S203). This UE capability information is transmitted, for example, using UL signals from the terminal device 40. These UL signals are, for example, random access signals / PRACH / msg1 / msg3 / msg5 and PUCCH / PUSCH / RRC messages. Note that the base station 30 may have already obtained the UE capability information, for example, before the start of the first processing.

[0422] Next, the base station 30 decides to switch to the second mode based on the channel conditions, etc. (step S204). For example, similar to the first process, the base station 30 decides to switch to the second mode if it determines, using its sensing function, that the channel conditions are sufficient for detecting / tracking the terminal device 40.

[0423] Next, the base station 30 switches to the second mode (step S205). The base station 30 also starts the timer count described above, in other words, starts the counter. Alternatively, the base station 30 may start counting the number of burst transmissions.

[0424] The base station 30 performs sensing in the same manner as the first processing and transmits SSB (an example of the first signal and / or first broadcast information).

[0425] When the terminal device 40 receives an SSB from the base station 30 in second mode by cell search, it performs a measurement of the received SSB (step S206).

[0426] Furthermore, the terminal device 40 initiates initial access (step S207), and transmits feedback information regarding SSB reception to the base station 30 (step S208). This feedback information may be transmitted, for example, included in a UL signal such as a random access signal. The random access signal (or feedback information) may include reference information for sensing and measurement results (or a measurement report, L1 / L3 measurement report).

[0427] The subsequent processing is the same as the first processing.

[0428] In this case, there may be instances where no signal is transmitted from the terminal device 40 before the timer, which was started in step S205, finishes counting. An example of a signal transmitted from the terminal device 40 is a signal transmitted to perform initial access.

[0429] The process in this case will be explained using Figure 14.

[0430] Figure 14 is a sequence diagram showing another example of the second processing flow according to the embodiment of this disclosure. In the processing in Figure 14, the same reference numerals are used for the same processes as in the second processing in Figure 13, and their descriptions may be omitted.

[0431] When base station 30 starts the counter in step S205, it performs sensing and transmits SSB. Here, terminal device 40 does not perform RACH (step S301). Therefore, base station 30 does not receive any signals related to the initial access from terminal device 40 until the counter is completed.

[0432] A base station 30 that has not received a signal from the terminal device 40 until the counter is finished completes the second mode (step S302). The base station 30 may also complete the second mode by, for example, switching from the second mode to the first mode.

[0433] <4-3. Third Processing Example> Figure 15 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a third processing flow according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. The second processing assumes that the terminal device 40 is not connected to the base station 30. The example in Figure 15 shows the processing when a terminal device 40 connected to the first base station 30_1 performs a handover to the second base station 30_2.

[0434] Specifically, the first base station 30_1 communicates with the terminal device 40 in second mode. In this case, for example, suppose the terminal device 40 moves out of the coverage area or sensing range of the first base station 30_1. In this case, the terminal device 40 hands over to an adjacent cell or adjacent cell group. Here, the terminal device 40 hands over to the second base station 30_2 as an adjacent cell.

[0435] The first base station 30_1 is initially connected to the terminal device 40 (RRC connected) (step S401). The first base station 30_1 is also connected to the second base station 30_2 via backhaul / IAB (step S402).

[0436] The first base station 30_1 transmits signals to the terminal device 40 in second mode. For example, the first base station 30_1 performs sensing using ISAC to acquire sensing information regarding the location of the terminal device 40 (step S403).

[0437] Furthermore, the first base station 30_1 obtains feedback information from the terminal device 40 (step S404).

[0438] This feedback information may be included in the UL signal and transmitted, for example, in the signal configuration / resource notified from the first base station 30_1. Alternatively, the terminal device 40 may transmit a UL signal that does not include the feedback information to the first base station 30_1. Examples of UL signals include signals transmitted using channels such as PRACH / PUCCH / PUSCH.

[0439] The first base station 30_1 determines the handover of the terminal device 40 from the sensing information and / or feedback information (step S405). For example, when the first base station 30_1 determines from the position of the terminal device 40 that the terminal device 40 has left the coverage area, it may determine the handover. Alternatively, the first base station 30_1 may determine the handover triggered by a decrease in sensing accuracy. The first base station 30_1 may also determine the handover according to a request from the terminal device 40.

[0440] The first base station 30_1 notifies the second base station 30_2 of an instruction for handover (step S406). This instruction includes, for example, sensing information regarding the position of the terminal device 40.

[0441] Upon receiving the handover instruction, the second base station 30_2 switches to the second mode (step S407), determines to perform the handover, and notifies the first base station 30_1 of a response to the handover instruction (step S408).

[0442] Upon receiving this response, the first base station 30_1 notifies the terminal device 40 of the handover instruction (step S409).

[0443] The second base station 30_2 determines the beam transmission direction from the sensing information, and transmits to the terminal device 40 a beam directed in the determined direction of the first signal and / or the first notification information (SSB in FIG. 15) (step S410). At this time, the second base station 30_2 may burst-transmit the SSB in the same direction using beams having different beam widths, in other words, beams having different beam sharpness.

[0444] Moreover, the sensing information used for determining the beam direction may be information obtained from the first base station 30_1, or may be information sensed and obtained by the second base station 30_2.

[0445] Thereafter, until the second mode ends, the second base station 30_2 dynamically operates the beam direction while using the sensing information.

[0446] The terminal device 40 performs RACH (step S411). The terminal device 40 transmits the UL signal to the second base station 30_2 using a channel such as PRACH / PUCCH / PUSCH (step S412).

[0447] As described above, the communication system SYS1 according to this embodiment comprises a terminal device 40 and a base station 30 that performs wireless communication with the terminal device 40 using beams. The base station 30 comprises a wireless communication unit 31 that performs wireless communication and a control unit 33. The control unit 33 acquires detection information (an example of sensing information) that it has detected regarding the position of the terminal device 40. The control unit 33 transmits at least one signal (for example, a first signal and / or broadcast information) to the terminal device 40 via the wireless communication unit 31 using a beam at an angle corresponding to the position of the terminal device 40, which is a synchronization signal, a broadcast signal, and a DL signal.

[0448] As a result, the base station 30 can initiate beam-based communication with the terminal device 40 without performing beam scanning, thereby further reducing interference and / or efficiency degradation caused by beam scanning.

[0449] <<5. Modifications>> The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and various modifications and applications are possible.

[0450] In the embodiments described above, sensing performed by the communication device was exemplified as sensing using an RF-based sensing function (for example, an RF-based sensing function supported by a 3GPP transceiver). For example, in the embodiments described above, sensing performed by the communication device was exemplified as sensing using an RF-based sensing function supported by a 3GPP transceiver (for example, the wireless communication unit 31 of the base station 30 and / or the wireless communication unit 41 of the terminal device 40). However, sensing performed by the communication device is not limited to the above examples.

[0451] For example, the sensing performed by the communication device may be sensing using communication functions other than cellular communication (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth). In this case, the communication device may transmit sensing signals using wireless communication resources for Wi-Fi communication and / or Bluetooth communication. Alternatively, the communication device may transmit sensing signals using wireless communication resources for LPWA communication.

[0452] Furthermore, sensing performed by a communication device may also involve using radio waves (wireless communication resources) other than those used for communication. Additionally, sensing performed by a communication device may involve using radio waves other than those used for communication. For example, sensing performed by a communication device may involve using radio waves intended for radar (e.g., radar-based object detection).

[0453] Furthermore, for example, the sensing performed by the communication device may be sensing using one or more sensors provided by the communication device. In this case, one or more sensors may be one or more sensors provided by the sensor unit 34 of the base station 30, or one or more sensors provided by the sensor unit 44 of the terminal device 40.

[0454] Furthermore, the communication device may transmit sensing radio waves (sensing signals) using a dedicated channel provided for sensing. This dedicated channel may be referred to as PUSECH (Physical Uplink Sensing Channel), PDSECH (Physical Downlink Sensing Channel), or PSSECH (Physical Sidelink Sensing Channel).

[0455] The control device that controls the server 10, management device 20, base station 30, or terminal device 40 in this embodiment may be implemented using a dedicated computer system or a general-purpose computer system.

[0456] For example, a program for performing the above-described operations is stored in a computer-readable recording medium such as an optical disc, semiconductor memory, magnetic tape, or flexible disk and distributed. Then, for example, the control device is configured by installing the program on a computer and executing the above-described process. In this case, the control device may be an external device (e.g., a personal computer) of the server 10, management device 20, base station 30, or terminal device 40. Alternatively, the control device may be an internal device (e.g., control unit 13, control unit 23, control unit 33, or control unit 43) of the server 10, management device 20, base station 30, or terminal device 40.

[0457] Alternatively, the above-mentioned communication program may be stored on a disk device provided by a server on a network such as the Internet, and made available for download to a computer. Furthermore, the above-mentioned functions may be realized through the cooperation of an OS (Operating System) and application software. In this case, the parts other than the OS may be stored on a medium and distributed, or the parts other than the OS may be stored on a server device and made available for download to a computer.

[0458] Furthermore, among the processes described in the above embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically by known methods. In addition, the processing procedures, specific names, and information including various data and parameters shown in the above document and drawings can be arbitrarily changed unless otherwise specified. For example, the various information shown in each figure is not limited to the information shown.

[0459] Furthermore, the components of each illustrated device are functionally conceptual and do not necessarily need to be physically configured as shown. In other words, the specific forms of distribution and integration of each device are not limited to those shown, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed or integrated in any unit according to various loads and usage conditions. This distribution or integration configuration may also be performed dynamically.

[0460] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments can be combined as appropriate in areas where the processing content is not contradictory. Also, the steps shown in the flowchart and sequence diagram of the above-described embodiments can be changed in order as appropriate.

[0461] The functions realized by the components described herein may be implemented in a circuit or processing circuitry programmed to realize such functions. Here, the circuit or processing circuitry may be a general-purpose processor, an application-specific processor, an integrated circuit, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a CPU (a Central Processing Unit), conventional circuitry, and / or a combination thereof. The processor includes transistors and other circuits. The processor may be considered as a circuit or processing circuitry. The processor may be a programmed processor that executes a program stored in memory.

[0462] In this specification, circuitry, unit, and means may be hardware programmed to perform or execute the functions described herein. Such hardware may be any hardware disclosed herein, or any hardware known to be programmed to perform or execute the functions described herein. If such hardware is a processor that is considered to be a type of circuitry, such circuitry, means, or unit may be a combination of hardware and software used to constitute such hardware and / or processor.

[0463] Furthermore, for example, this embodiment can be implemented as any configuration constituting a device or system. For instance, this embodiment can be implemented as a processor as a system LSI (Large Scale Integration), a module using multiple processors, a unit using multiple modules, or a set with additional functions added to a unit. In other words, this embodiment can also be implemented as a component of a device.

[0464] The system LSI may also be called a System on Chip (SOC). In other words, each of the devices described above or below (e.g., server 10, management device 20, base station 30, and terminal device 40) may be interpreted as a processor (e.g., CPU) as a system LSI (e.g., SoC), or a module that uses or constitutes such a processor. Furthermore, or alternatively, this embodiment may be implemented by any configuration that constitutes the device or system (e.g., a modem chip (baseband chip) or an RF (Radio Frequency) section, or a combination thereof). The RF section may include at least one of an RF circuit and an RF front-end. In other words, each of the devices described above or below may be interpreted as a modem chip (baseband chip) or an RF section, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, or alternatively, each of the devices described above or below may be interpreted as a module that uses or constitutes a modem chip or an RF section.

[0465] The modem chip performs signal processing for communications within the device (including the devices described above or below). The modem chip may have at least the function of a modulator or demodulator. The RF section may have at least one of the functions of an RF transceiver (RF upconverter, RF downconverter), a power amplifier, and a low noise amplifier. The RF transceiver converts the baseband signal to an RF frequency. The power amplifier amplifies the signal for transmission from the antenna. The low noise amplifier amplifies the weak signal received from the antenna. Furthermore, or alternatively, the RF section (in particular the RF front end) may include at least one of the above-mentioned power amplifier, low noise amplifier, envelope tracker, filter, duplexer, multiplexer, antenna switch, and antenna tuner.

[0466] The combination of a modem chip and an RF unit may be referred to as a modem-RF system. At least a portion of the modem chip or RF unit, or a combination thereof, may be included in a system LSI (e.g., SoC). For example, processing performed by at least a portion of the modem chip or RF unit, or a combination thereof (e.g., at least a portion of MAC layer processing / PHY layer processing) may be implemented by the system LSI. Here, MAC layer processing or PHY layer processing may be at least a portion of the processing performed by the devices in the above-described or later embodiments (e.g., server 10, management device 20, base station 30, and terminal device 40).

[0467] In this embodiment, a system refers to a collection of multiple components (devices, modules (parts), etc.), regardless of whether all components are located in the same enclosure. For example, multiple devices housed in separate enclosures and connected via a network, and a single device containing multiple modules in one enclosure, are both considered systems.

[0468] Furthermore, for example, this embodiment can adopt a cloud computing configuration in which a single function is shared and processed collaboratively by multiple devices via a network.

[0469] <<6. Conclusion>> Although the embodiments of this disclosure have been described above, the technical scope of this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of this disclosure. Furthermore, components from different embodiments and modifications may be combined as appropriate.

[0470] Furthermore, the effects described in each embodiment of this specification are merely illustrative and not limiting, and other effects may also occur.

[0471] Furthermore, this technology can also take the following configurations: (1) A base station comprising: a communication unit that performs wireless communication with a terminal device using a beam; and a control unit that acquires detection information regarding the position of the terminal device and transmits a downlink signal to the terminal device via the communication unit using the beam at an angle corresponding to the position. (2) The base station according to (1), wherein the downlink signal is a synchronization signal and / or a broadcast signal. (3) The base station according to (1) or (2), wherein the control unit generates control information for the terminal device based on the detection information. (4) The base station according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the detection information includes the sensing result of at least one of sensing using a signal in the radio frequency band and sensing using a sensor device. (5) The base station according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the detection information is used for either detection or tracking of the terminal device. (6) The base station according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the control unit changes the method of transmitting the signal to be transmitted to the terminal device according to the detection information. (7) The base station according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the control unit changes at least one of the resource allocation and beam management of the signal to be transmitted to the terminal device in accordance with the detection information. (8) The base station according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the control unit transmits a signal to the terminal device one or more times in one or more frames using beams with different beam widths at angles corresponding to the position of the terminal device included in the detection information. (9) The base station according to (8), wherein the control unit determines the beam width according to the number of times the signal is transmitted. (10) The base station according to (8) or (9), wherein the control unit transmits the signal including information indicating the beam width. (11) The base station according to any one of (8) to (10), wherein the beam width is associated with identification information that identifies the beam and information indicating the type of beam. (12) The base station according to any one of (8) to (11), wherein the control unit acquires reception information relating to the reception result of the signal from the terminal device and determines the beam width of the signal to be transmitted to the terminal device according to the reception information.(13) The base station according to any one of (1) to (12), wherein the control unit transmits the signal to the terminal device, including beam information relating to the beam used to transmit the signal. (14) The base station according to any one of (1) to (13), wherein the control unit performs communication using the beam at the angle corresponding to the position included in the detection information, in response to at least one of feedback from the terminal device, a request from the terminal device, acquisition of the detection information, and notification from another base station. (15) The base station according to any one of (1) to (14), wherein the control unit notifies the terminal device that it will perform communication using the beam at the angle corresponding to the position included in the detection information. (16) The base station according to (15), wherein the control unit notifies the terminal device of at least one of the following: information relating to the time of the communication, information relating to the time for the terminal device to receive the signal transmitted in the communication, information for providing feedback on the reception status of the signal, and information relating to the signal that will be transmitted multiple times. (17) The base station according to any one of (1) to (16), wherein the control unit determines the angle of the beam by beam scanning if it does not perform communication using the beam at the angle corresponding to the position included in the detection information. (18) The base station according to any one of (1) to (17), wherein the control unit determines whether or not to perform communication using the beam at the angle corresponding to the position included in the detection information, in accordance with information about the terminal device obtained from the terminal device. (19) The base station according to (18), wherein the information about the terminal device includes capability information indicating whether or not it is possible to perform the communication using the beam at the angle corresponding to the position included in the detection information. (20) The base station according to any one of (1) to (19), wherein the control unit determines whether or not to continue communication in accordance with the reception status of the terminal device in communication using the beam at the angle corresponding to the position included in the detection information, and / or in accordance with a request from the terminal device. (21) The base station according to (20), wherein the control unit obtains response information from the terminal device indicating whether or not the beam has been received.(22) The base station according to (20) or (21), wherein the control unit acquires power information relating to the received power of the beam from the terminal device. (23) The base station according to any one of (20) to (22), wherein the control unit determines whether or not to continue the communication in accordance with the CSI report transmitted by the terminal device. (24) The base station according to any one of (1) to (23), wherein the control unit determines a handover of the terminal device using the detection information. (25) The base station according to (24), wherein the control unit determines a handover using the detection information acquired from another base station. (26) The base station according to any one of (1) to (25), wherein, if the control unit detects an unconnected terminal device located in the cell based on the detection information, it transmits a signal to the terminal device using the beam at the angle corresponding to the detection information. (27) The base station according to any one of (1) to (23), wherein the control unit acquires the detection information from the terminal device. (28) A base station according to any one of (1) to (23), wherein the control unit generates the detection information using radio waves transmitted by the terminal device. (29) A base station according to any one of (1) to (28), wherein the control unit transmits a signal using the beam in cooperation with other base stations. (30) A terminal device comprising: a communication unit that performs wireless communication using a beam with a base station; and a control unit that receives a downlink signal transmitted by the base station using the beam at an angle corresponding to the position of the detection information detected with respect to the position of the terminal device, via the communication unit. (31) A terminal device according to (30), wherein the control unit notifies the base station of the status of reception of the downlink signal. (32) A terminal device according to (30) or (31), wherein the control unit notifies the base station of at least one of information indicating whether or not the downlink signal was successfully received, and information regarding the received power of the signal. (33) The terminal device according to any one of (30) to (32), wherein the control unit notifies the base station of information indicating whether or not a signal using the beam can be received from the base station. (34) The terminal device according to any one of (30) to (33), wherein the control unit notifies the base station of the detection information.(35) A communication system comprising: a terminal device; a base station that performs beam-based wireless communication with the terminal device, wherein the base station comprises: a communication unit that performs the wireless communication; a control unit that acquires detection information detected with respect to the position of the terminal device and transmits a downlink signal to the terminal device via the communication unit using the beam at an angle corresponding to the position. (36) A communication method for a base station that performs beam-based wireless communication with a terminal device, comprising: acquiring detection information detected with respect to the position of the terminal device; and transmitting a downlink signal to the terminal device using the beam at an angle corresponding to the position. (37) A communication method for a terminal device that performs beam-based wireless communication with a base station, comprising: receiving a downlink signal transmitted by the base station using the beam at an angle corresponding to the position of the detection information detected with respect to the position of the terminal device.

[0472] 10 Server 20 Management device 30 Base station 40 Terminal device 11, 21 Communication unit 31, 41 Wireless communication unit 12, 22, 32, 42 Storage unit 13, 23, 33, 43 Control unit 34, 44 Sensor unit

Claims

1. A base station comprising: a communication unit that performs wireless communication with a terminal device using a beam; and a control unit that acquires detection information regarding the position of the terminal device and transmits a downlink signal to the terminal device via the communication unit using the beam at an angle corresponding to the position.

2. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the downlink signal is a synchronization signal and / or a broadcast signal.

3. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the detection information includes the sensing result of at least one of sensing using a signal in the radio frequency band and sensing using a sensor device.

4. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes the method of transmitting the signal to the terminal device according to the detection information.

5. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes at least one of the resource allocation and beam management of the signal to be transmitted to the terminal device in accordance with the detection information.

6. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the control unit transmits a signal to the terminal device one or more times within one or more frames using beams with different beam widths and angles corresponding to the position of the terminal device included in the detection information.

7. The base station according to claim 6, wherein the control unit transmits the signal including information indicating the beam width.

8. The base station according to claim 7, wherein the control unit obtains reception information relating to the reception result of the signal from the terminal device and determines the beam width of the signal to be transmitted to the terminal device according to the reception information.

9. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs communication using the beam at the angle corresponding to the position included in the detection information, in response to at least one of the following: feedback from the terminal device, a request from the terminal device, acquisition of the detection information, and notification from another base station.

10. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the control unit notifies the terminal device that it will perform communication using the beam at the angle corresponding to the position included in the detection information.

11. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines whether or not to perform communication using the beam at the angle corresponding to the position included in the detection information, in accordance with the information about the terminal device obtained from the terminal device.

12. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines whether to continue communication in response to the reception status of the terminal device in communication using the beam at the angle corresponding to the position included in the detection information, and / or in response to a request from the terminal device.

13. The base station according to claim 12, wherein the control unit determines whether or not to continue the communication in response to the CSI report transmitted by the terminal device.

14. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines the handover of the terminal device using the detection information.

15. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the control unit, based on the detection information, detects an unconnected terminal device located within the cell, and transmits a signal to the terminal device using the beam at the angle corresponding to the detection information.

16. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the control unit acquires the detection information from the terminal device.

17. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the control unit generates the detection information using radio waves transmitted by the terminal device.

18. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the control unit transmits a signal using the beam in cooperation with other base stations.

19. A terminal device comprising: a communication unit that performs wireless communication with a base station using a beam; and a control unit that receives, via the communication unit, a downlink signal transmitted by the base station using the beam at an angle corresponding to the position of the detected information with respect to the position of the terminal device.

20. A communication system comprising: a terminal device; a base station that performs beam-based wireless communication with the terminal device, wherein the base station comprises: a communication unit that performs the wireless communication; and a control unit that acquires detection information regarding the position of the terminal device and transmits a downlink signal to the terminal device via the communication unit using the beam at an angle corresponding to the position.

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