Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

Provided are a communication method and apparatus. The method comprises: a first communication apparatus acquires at least one piece of information of at least one first node, the at least one piece of information comprising: information about whether the first node has a first processing capability for sensing data, information about connection conditions between the first node and a plurality of sensing nodes, or information about whether the first node serves as a sensing data processing node; wherein any first node is a node directly connected to the first communication apparatus, and the at least one first node either comprises a sensing node or does not comprise a sensing node; and on the basis of the at least one piece of information of the at least one first node, the first communication apparatus determines a sensing data processing node, the sensing data processing node belonging to the at least one first node. Thus, an appropriate node can be selected from among the at least one first node to serve as the sensing data processing node.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510388079.8, filed on March 28, 2025, entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0004] With technological advancements, the demand for perception-based network capabilities is gradually emerging. For example, in certain scenarios of smart cities and smart transportation, the need to acquire relative positions and angles between objects, as well as to perceive information such as the distance, speed, and shape of target objects, is becoming increasingly apparent.

[0005] One example of sensing is as follows: a transmitter sends a sensing signal, which is reflected by an object and reaches a receiver (the receiver and transmitter can be the same or different). The receiver determines the sensing data based on the received sensing signal. When there are multiple receivers, there will be multiple sets of sensing data. How to select the appropriate node to process multiple sets of sensing data is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and apparatus for selecting appropriate nodes to process multiple sets of sensing data.

[0007] Firstly, this application provides a communication method applied to a first communication device. For example, the first communication device can be a terminal device or a network device. The terminal device can be a terminal equipment, a communication module within a terminal equipment, or a processor, circuit, or chip responsible for communication functions within the terminal equipment (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip). It can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal equipment's functions. The network device can be a network equipment, a communication module within a network equipment, or a processor, circuit, or chip responsible for communication functions within a terminal equipment. It can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the network equipment's functions.

[0008] Taking the application of this method to a first communication device as an example, the method obtains at least one piece of information about at least one first node: information on whether the first node has the capability to process sensing data, information on the connection status of the first node with multiple sensing nodes, or information on whether the first node is a sensing data processing node; any first node is a node that has a direct connection with the first communication device, and at least one first node may include or exclude sensing nodes; the first communication node determines the sensing data processing node based on at least one piece of information about at least one first node, and the sensing data processing node belongs to at least one first node.

[0009] In this method, the first communication device obtains from a first node with which it has a direct connection information: whether it has the capability to process sensing data, information on its connection with multiple sensing nodes, and information on whether it is a sensing data processing node. Based on this information, a suitable node is selected from at least one first node as a sensing data processing node, which is used to process the sensing data of multiple sensing nodes.

[0010] For example, the first communication device can determine a sensing data processing node in a first node with the capability to process sensing data. The sensing data processing node can then perform a first processing on the sensing data. The first processing may be, for example, fusion processing or other processing, and may be applicable to different sensing data processing scenarios.

[0011] For example, the first communication device determines the sensing data processing node from among the first nodes whose connection conditions meet specific conditions. These specific conditions include, for example, that all nodes are connected, or have already established connections, or are able / allowed / permitted to establish connections; and that the communication connection quality between nodes meets quality requirements. In this way, multiple sensing nodes can directly send sensing data to the sensing data processing node without needing to be forwarded by other nodes, which can reduce the latency of sensing nodes sending sensing data to the sensing data processing node and improve sensing efficiency.

[0012] For example, the first communication device determines a sensing data processing node from among the first nodes that can serve as sensing data processing nodes. This first node can determine its own suitability as a sensing data processing node based on whether it possesses the capability to process sensing data and / or whether its connection with multiple sensing nodes meets specific conditions. By omitting these judgments, the first communication device can reduce the complexity of determining the sensing data processing node.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the first communication device acquires at least one piece of information from at least one first node, including: the first communication device sending a first message to at least one first node, the first message being used to discover a sensing data processing node; and receiving at least one piece of information from at least one first node.

[0014] In this implementation, obtaining at least one piece of information through a single message can save signaling overhead.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the first communication device determines the sensing data processing node based on at least one piece of information from at least one first node, including: the first communication device determines at least one candidate node based on whether at least one first node has a sensing data first processing capability; wherein any candidate node has a sensing data first processing capability, and at least one candidate node belongs to at least one first node; the first communication device determines the sensing data processing node based on the connection status between at least one candidate node and multiple sensing nodes, and the sensing data processing node belongs to at least one candidate node.

[0016] In this implementation, after the candidate nodes are identified, only the candidate nodes need to interact with the sensing nodes to obtain the connection status, thus avoiding unnecessary signaling interactions caused by all the first nodes interacting with the sensing nodes to obtain the connection status, thereby improving the efficiency of sensing.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the first communication device acquires information about the connection status of at least one first node with multiple sensing nodes, including: the first communication device acquires information about the connection status of at least one first node with multiple sensing nodes based on sensing requirements.

[0018] In this implementation, the first communication device can acquire the connection status between the first node and multiple sensing nodes based on sensing requirements. For example, sensing requirements may include sensing latency requirements, such as the communication latency between the sensing data processing node and the sensing nodes being less than a first threshold, or the sensing latency requirement being greater than a set level. In this case, the first communication device acquires the connection status between the first node and multiple sensing nodes. The first communication device expects the connection status between the sensing data processing node and multiple sensing nodes to meet a first condition (e.g., all nodes are connected, or all connections have been established, or all are able / allowed to establish connections; the communication connection quality between nodes meets quality requirements, etc.). Multiple sensing nodes can then directly send sensing data to the sensing data processing node without needing to be forwarded by other nodes, thus reducing the latency of sensing nodes sending sensing data to the sensing data processing node. Of course, in scenarios without sensing requirements, the first communication device can also acquire the connection status between the first node and multiple sensing nodes.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the first communication device determines the sensing data processing node based on at least one piece of information from at least one first node, including: the first communication device determines the sensing data processing node based on sensing requirements and at least one piece of information from at least one first node, wherein the at least one piece of information includes information on the connection status of the first node with multiple sensing nodes.

[0020] In this implementation, when the sensing requirement (e.g., sensing latency requirement) is high—for example, the sensing latency requirement is that the communication latency between the sensing data processing node and the sensing node is less than a first threshold, or the sensing latency requirement is greater than a set level—the first communication device determines the sensing data processing node based on the connection status between at least one first node and multiple sensing nodes. The first communication device expects the connection status between the sensing data processing node and multiple sensing nodes to satisfy a first condition, allowing multiple sensing nodes to directly send sensing data to the sensing data processing node without forwarding through other nodes, thus reducing the latency of sensing nodes sending sensing data to the sensing data processing node. If no sensing data processing node satisfies the first condition, any first node with sensing data processing capability can be selected as the sensing data processing node, or the sensing data processing node can be selected based on other information. Of course, in scenarios without sensing requirements, the first communication device can also determine the sensing data processing node based on the connection status between at least one first node and multiple sensing nodes.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the first communication device may also transmit information about the sensing data processing node. For example, the information about the sensing data processing node may include: identification information and / or address information of the sensing data processing node.

[0022] In this implementation, after identifying the sensing data processing node, the first communication device can inform multiple sensing nodes of the information of the sensing data processing node, so that each sensing node can identify which node is the sensing data processing node and send sensing data to that sensing data processing node; the first communication device can also inform the sensing data processing node that it is the sensing data processing node, so that the sensing data processing node can perform a first processing (e.g., fusion processing) on ​​the sensing data from multiple sensing nodes.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the first communication device may also receive sensing results from the sensing data processing node, which are obtained by the sensing data processing node performing a first processing (e.g., fusion processing) on ​​the sensing data from multiple sensing nodes.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the first communication device may also identify a second node (or replace it with a relay node or a collection node), which is used to send the sensing data of one or more sensing nodes to the sensing data processing node.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the first communication device may determine the second node based on the connection status of at least one first node with multiple sensing nodes, or the connection status of a sensing data processing node with multiple sensing nodes.

[0026] For example, the first communication device determines the second node based on the connection status between at least one first node (or sensing data processing node) and multiple sensing nodes, and a first condition; wherein the connection status information includes one or more of the following: whether a connection exists, and the quality of the communication connection; the first condition includes one or more of the following: all nodes are connected, or all have established connections, or all are able / can / allowed to establish connections; the quality of the communication connection between nodes meets quality requirements. For example, the quality requirements include, but are not limited to: the communication delay between nodes is less than or equal to a set delay threshold, and / or, the communication reliability between nodes is greater than or equal to a set reliability value or reliability level.

[0027] In this method, if the connection between the sensing data processing node and multiple sensing nodes meets a first condition, the sensing node can send the sensing data to the sensing data processing node. If the connection between the sensing data processing node and one or more of the multiple sensing nodes does not meet the first condition, the first communication device can further determine a second node (the second node can be replaced by a relay node or a collection node), through which the sensing node can send the sensing data to the sensing data processing node to improve the reliability of the sensing data transmission.

[0028] In one possible implementation, the first communication device may also transmit information about the second node. For example, the information about the second node includes, but is not limited to, the identification information and / or address information of the relay node.

[0029] In this implementation, the first communication device can send information about the second node to the sensing node. After receiving this information, the sensing node can determine which node is the relay node based on this information, so that the sensing data can be sent to that relay node subsequently. The first communication device can also send information about the second node to the second node, and the second node can determine itself as the relay node based on this indication information.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the second node is the first communication device, a sensing node, or one of the first nodes. When the relay node is the first communication device, the implementation is simple.

[0031] In one possible implementation, in a scenario where the second node is the first communication device, the first communication device can also receive first sensing data from multiple sensing nodes and send the first sensing data to the sensing data processing node.

[0032] In one possible implementation, at least one first node is multiple sensing nodes; determining a sensing data processing node based on at least one piece of information from at least one first node includes: determining at least one candidate node based on whether at least one first node possesses sensing data first processing capability; wherein any candidate node possesses sensing data first processing capability, and at least one candidate node belongs to at least one first node; obtaining a list of first nodes corresponding to at least one candidate node; wherein all nodes in the list of first nodes corresponding to any candidate node are connected to the candidate node, possess sensing data first processing capability, and belong to at least one first node; determining the sensing data processing node based on at least one candidate node, the list of first nodes corresponding to at least one candidate node, and / or multiple sensing nodes. For example, a sensing data processing node may simultaneously belong to at least one candidate node, the list of first nodes corresponding to at least one candidate node, and multiple sensing nodes.

[0033] Secondly, this application provides a communication method applied to a first node. For example, the first node can be a terminal device or a network device. The terminal device can be a terminal equipment, a communication module within a terminal equipment, or a processor, circuit, or chip responsible for communication functions within the terminal equipment (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip). It can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal equipment's functions. The network device can be a network equipment, a communication module within a network equipment, or a processor, circuit, or chip responsible for communication functions within a terminal equipment. It can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the network equipment's functions.

[0034] Taking the application of this method to the first node as an example: receiving a first message from the first communication device, the first message being used to discover the sensing data processing node; sending at least one piece of information to the first communication device: information on whether it has the first sensing data processing capability, information on the connection status with multiple sensing nodes, or information on whether it is a sensing data processing node; at least one piece of information is used by the first communication device to determine the sensing data processing node.

[0035] In this method, the first communication device obtains from a first node with which it has a direct connection information: whether it has the capability to process sensing data, information on its connection with multiple sensing nodes, and information on whether it is a sensing data processing node. Based on this information, a suitable node is selected from at least one first node as a sensing data processing node.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the first node can determine whether to act as a sensing data processing node based on whether the first node has the capability to process sensing data and / or the connection status of the first node with multiple sensing nodes.

[0037] In this implementation, when determining whether it can act as a sensing data processing node, the first node considers not only whether it has the first sensing data processing capability, but also the connection status between the first node and multiple sensing nodes. Thus, the first node sends an indication message to the first communication device indicating that it can act as a sensing data processing node. The first communication device can determine whether the first node can act as a sensing data processing node based on this indication message, without having to consider whether the first node has the first sensing data processing capability or the connection status between the first node and multiple sensing nodes, thereby reducing the implementation difficulty of the first communication device in determining the sensing data processing node.

[0038] In one possible implementation, the first node is a sensing node, which can also receive information from the sensing data processing node; and based on the information from the sensing data processing node, send sensing data to the sensing data processing node so that the sensing data processing node can perform a first processing on the sensing data.

[0039] In one possible implementation, the first node can send sensing data to the sensing data processing node via the second node. That is, the first node sends sensing data to the second node, so that the second node sends the sensing data to the sensing data processing node.

[0040] In this method, if the connection between the sensing data processing node and multiple sensing nodes meets a first condition, the sensing node can send the sensing data to the sensing data processing node. If the connection between the sensing data processing node and one or more of the multiple sensing nodes does not meet the first condition, the first communication device can further determine a second node (the second node can be replaced by a relay node or a collection node), through which the sensing node can send the sensing data to the sensing data processing node to improve the reliability of the sensing data transmission.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the first node can also receive information from the second node.

[0042] In one possible implementation, the second node is the first communication device, a sensing node, or one of the first nodes. When the relay node is the first communication device, the implementation is simple.

[0043] Thirdly, a communication device is provided. This communication device can be the first communication device described in the first aspect, possessing the functions of the first communication device. The communication device may be, for example, a functional module within the first communication device, such as a baseband device or a chip system. Alternatively, the communication device can be the first node described in the second aspect, possessing the functions of the first node. The communication device may be, for example, a functional module within the first node, such as a baseband device or a chip system.

[0044] In one optional implementation, the communication device includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device. In another optional implementation, the communication device includes a processing unit (sometimes also called a processing module) and a transceiver unit (sometimes also called a transceiver module). The transceiver unit is capable of both transmitting and receiving functions. When the transceiver unit performs the transmitting function, it can be called a transmitting unit (sometimes also called a transmitting module), and when it performs the receiving function, it can be called a receiving unit (sometimes also called a receiving module). The transmitting unit and the receiving unit can be the same functional module, which is called the transceiver unit and can perform both transmitting and receiving functions; or, the transmitting unit and the receiving unit can be different functional modules, and the transceiver unit is a collective term for these functional modules.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a storage unit (sometimes also called a storage module), and a processing unit is used to couple with the storage unit and execute programs or instructions in the storage unit to enable the communication device to perform the functions of the first communication device of the first aspect above, or to perform the functions of the first node of the second aspect above.

[0046] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, including an interface circuit and a processor, and optionally, a memory. The memory stores a computer program. The processor is coupled to the memory and the interface circuit. When the processor reads the computer program or instructions, it causes the communication device to execute any of the methods executed by the first communication device in the first aspect, or any of the methods executed by the first node in the second aspect. For example, the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices besides the communication device and transmit them to the processor, or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices besides the communication device. The processor, through logic circuits or execution code instructions, implements the methods executed by the first communication device in the first aspect, or the methods executed by the first node in the second aspect.

[0047] In one possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or chip system.

[0048] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, including a processor, and optionally, a memory; the processor and the memory are coupled; the memory is used to store computer programs or instructions; the processor is used to execute part or all of the computer programs or instructions in the memory, and when part or all of the computer programs or instructions are executed, it is used to implement the function of the first communication device in the first aspect above, or to implement the function of the first node in the second aspect above.

[0049] In one possible implementation, the apparatus may further include a transceiver for transmitting signals processed by the processor or receiving signals input to the processor. The transceiver may perform the transmitting or receiving actions performed by the first communication device in the first aspect, or the transmitting or receiving actions performed by the first node in the second aspect.

[0050] In one possible implementation, the processing unit in the third aspect can be implemented by a processor, the storage unit in the third aspect can be implemented by a memory, and the transceiver unit in the third aspect can be implemented by a transceiver.

[0051] In one possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or chip system.

[0052] A sixth aspect provides a communication system, the communication system including a first communication device as described in the first aspect and a first node as described in the second aspect. For example, the first communication device can be implemented using a communication device as described in the fourth or fifth aspect. For example, the first node can be implemented using a communication device as described in the fourth or fifth aspect.

[0053] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided for storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause any of the methods in the first aspect above to be implemented, or cause any of the methods in the second aspect above to be implemented.

[0054] Eighthly, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, causes any of the methods in the first aspect above to be implemented, or causes any of the methods in the second aspect above to be implemented. Attached Figure Description

[0055] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figures 2a, 2b and 2c are schematic diagrams of the sensing modes provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0057] Figures 3 to 8 are schematic flowcharts of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0058] Figures 9 and 10 are structural diagrams of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0059] The technical solutions of this application embodiment are applicable to integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) systems. An integrated sensing and communication system refers to a system that integrates communication and sensing, also known as a harmonized communication and sensing (HCS) system. The core idea of ​​integrated sensing and communication is to add sensing-related capabilities to the communication system, constructing capabilities such as target detection, tracking, and imaging, thus integrating communication and sensing capabilities into a single network. On one hand, the entire communication network can act as a giant sensor, with network elements sending and receiving wireless signals. Utilizing the transmission, reflection, and scattering of radio waves, it can better perceive and understand the physical world. By acquiring distance, speed, and angle information from wireless signals, it can provide a wide range of new services such as high-precision positioning, gesture capture, action recognition, detection and tracking of passive objects, imaging, and environmental reconstruction, realizing "network as a sensor." On the other hand, the high-precision positioning, imaging, and environmental reconstruction capabilities provided by sensing can help improve communication performance, such as more accurate beamforming, faster beam failure recovery, and lower overhead for terminal channel state information (CSI) tracking, realizing "sensing-assisted communication." Perception also involves observing and sampling the physical and biological worlds, creating a "new channel" connecting them to the digital world. Therefore, real-time network perception can replicate a parallel digital world within the physical world, which is crucial for realizing the concept of "digital twins" in the future.

[0060] The technical solution of this application can be applied to various wireless communication systems, including but not limited to fourth-generation (4G) mobile communication technology systems (also known as long term evolution (LTE) systems), fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication technology systems (also known as new radio (NR) systems), or future mobile communication systems, etc., without any specific limitations.

[0061] Furthermore, the technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to device-to-device (D2D) scenarios, such as NR-D2D scenarios, or to vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication scenarios, such as NR-V2X scenarios. For example, they can be used in fields such as intelligent driving, assisted driving, or intelligent connected vehicles. As another example, the technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to factory manufacturing scenarios.

[0062] Furthermore, the technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to scenarios including but not limited to: terrestrial cellular communication, non-terrestrial network (NTN), satellite communication, high altitude platform station (HAPS) communication, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) communication, and reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) communication.

[0063] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system applied in this application embodiment. The communication system 1000 shown in Figure 1 includes a wireless access network 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 also includes an Internet 300. The wireless access network 100 may include at least one network device (110a and 110b in Figure 1) and at least one terminal device (120a-120j in Figure 1). The terminal device is wirelessly connected to the network device, and the network device is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the core network 200. The core network device and the network device may be independent and different physical devices, or the functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the network device may be integrated on the same physical device, or a single physical device may integrate some of the functions of the core network device and some of the functions of the network device. Terminal devices and network devices can be interconnected via wired or wireless means. Figure 1 is only a schematic diagram; this communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in Figure 1.

[0064] The radio access network 100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 4G, 5G, or future mobile communication systems after 5G. The radio access network 100 can also be an open radio access network (open RAN, O-RAN, or ORAN) or a cloud radio access network (CRAN). The radio access network 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0065] Network devices are nodes in a radio access network (RAN), also known as access network devices or RAN nodes (or devices). Network devices help terminal devices achieve wireless access. Multiple network devices in the communication system 1000 can be nodes of the same type or different types.

[0066] In one possible scenario, network equipment can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP) or transmit / receive point (TP), a transmission point (TP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a next-generation base station in a future mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, an access point (AP) in a satellite, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, or network equipment in a mobile switching center non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication system. This means it can be deployed on high-altitude platforms or satellites. Network equipment can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Network equipment can also function as a base station in device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, drone communication, or machine-to-machine (M2M) communication. Optionally, network equipment can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in V2X technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0067] In another possible scenario, multiple network devices collaborate to assist terminal devices in achieving wireless access, with each network device performing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, network devices can be one or more of the following: a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). CUs and DUs can be separately configured (i.e., physically separate) or included simultaneously in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU); this application does not impose limitations on this. RUs can be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs). It is understood that network devices can be CU nodes, DU nodes, or devices comprising both CU and DU nodes. Furthermore, CUs can be classified as network devices in the access network (RAN) or as network devices in the core network (CN); this is not limited here. CU and DU can be understood as a logical functional division of a base station. Physically, CU and DU can be separate or deployed together; this application does not specifically limit this. One CU can connect to one DU, or multiple DUs can share one CU, which can save costs and facilitate network expansion.

[0068] A terminal device is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, capable of sending signals to or receiving signals from network devices. Terminal devices include, but are not limited to, terminal equipment, user equipment (UE), mobile stations, and mobile terminals. Terminal devices can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), the Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. Specifically, terminal devices can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, aircraft, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies or device forms used in the terminal devices.

[0069] Network devices and terminal devices can be fixed in location or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and artificial satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the network devices and terminal devices.

[0070] The roles of network devices and terminal devices can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1 can be configured as a mobile network device. For terminal devices 120j that access the wireless access network 100 via 120i, terminal device 120i is a network device; however, for network device 110a, 120i is a terminal device, meaning that 110a and 120i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate via a network device-to-network device interface protocol. In this case, relative to 110a, 120i is also a network device. Therefore, both network devices and terminal devices can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with network device functions, and 120a-120j in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with terminal device functions.

[0071] Communication between network devices and terminal devices, between network devices, and between terminal devices can be conducted using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously. Communication can be conducted using spectrum below 6 GHz, spectrum above 6 GHz, or both simultaneously. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0072] In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the network device can be executed by modules (such as chips) within the network device, or by a control subsystem that includes network device functions. This control subsystem, including network device functions, can be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. Similarly, the functions of the terminal device can be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) within the terminal device, or by a device that includes terminal device functions.

[0073] In this application, the base station sends downlink signals or downlink information to the terminal, with the downlink information carried on the downlink channel; the terminal sends uplink signals or uplink information to the base station, with the uplink information carried on the uplink channel. In order to communicate with the base station, the terminal needs to establish a radio connection with a cell controlled by the base station. The cell with which the terminal has established a radio connection is called the terminal's serving cell. When the terminal communicates with this serving cell, it is also subject to interference from signals from neighboring cells.

[0074] The following introduces the relevant content of perception:

[0075] (1) Perception: Perception can be understood as a technology that can acquire information about the characteristics of the environment and / or objects in the environment. The characteristics of objects in the environment include, but are not limited to, shape, size, direction, speed, position, height, angle, distance between objects, or relative motion. The working principle of perception is: the transmitting end sends a signal for perception (also called the sensing signal), and the receiving end receives the signal reflected by the sensing target (also called the echo signal). Based on the processing of the echo signal, the perception result can be obtained, such as speed, distance, shape, size, etc. The sensing target can also be called the target, the detected target, the perceived object, the object being detected, or the perceived target, etc., without limitation. The sensing target can be any tangible object in the environment that can reflect electromagnetic waves. For example, the sensing target can be a stationary object such as a building. Alternatively, the sensing target can also be a mobile object such as a vehicle, drone, or terminal device.

[0076] Perception can also be replaced by: sensing process, sensing operation, sensing detection, or detection processing.

[0077] (2) Sensing data: Sensing data, also known as sensing measurement data or ISAC data, can refer to the data obtained after processing the echo signal. The processing of the echo signal can involve multiple steps, and the data obtained from each processing step can be called sensing data. For example, the processing flow of the echo signal may include the following processing steps: (1) Performing operations such as symbol extraction and cyclic prefix removal on the echo signal to obtain the time domain data of the radar frame and separate in-phase (I / quadrature, IQ) data; (2) Performing time-frequency transformation, effective subcarrier extraction, signal estimation, and inverse fast fourier transform (IFFT) on the IQ data to obtain the range (R) spectrum; (3) Performing inter-symbol windowing and fast fourier transform on the R spectrum. (4) Perform FFT on the channel dimension of the RD spectrum to obtain the range / doppler / angle (RDA) spectrum; (5) Detect all valid point target information from the RD spectrum or RDA spectrum to obtain multiple data points. The set of these multiple data points is also called a point cloud. Each data point is used to represent a relative position or an absolute position relative to the sensing device; (6) Cluster the multiple data points to obtain the centroid of the real target.

[0078] Sensing data can represent one or more of the following: time delay, Doppler effect, angle, and intensity of a sampling point; it can also represent one or more of the following: position, distance, velocity, and intensity of a sampling point. For example, sensing data includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: IQ data, RD spectrum, RDA spectrum, distance / velocity (DV) spectrum, distance / velocity / angle (DVA) spectrum, range / velocity (RV) spectrum, range / velocity / angle (RVA) spectrum, set of coordinate points, point cloud, point cluster, cluster trace, centroid of a real target, etc.

[0079] (3) Perception Results: Perception results can refer to the results related to business functions and performance obtained based on the calculation and analysis of perception data. For example, perception results include the existence of the target to be perceived and some information about the target (such as speed, distance, angle, orientation, acceleration, position, movement trajectory, imaging results, facial expression, breathing / heart rate, etc.). Some perception results can also be regarded as perception data, such as speed and distance. The perception results also vary depending on the target being perceived. For example, if the target is air, the perception results include air quality and the composition of gases in the air; if the target is vehicles, the perception results include the number of vehicles, the position of vehicles, and the movement trajectory of vehicles. In addition, perception results can also be regarded as a type of perception data.

[0080] (4) Perception mode: spontaneous self-collection, spontaneous collection by others.

[0081] As shown in Figure 2a, in one sensing mode, the transmitting end sends a sensing signal, which is reflected onto other objects in the surrounding environment. The transmitting end then collects the reflected signal. In this mode, the transmitting and receiving ends are the same, and the transmitting end determines the sensing data or result based on the sensing signal. This sensing mode can be called a self-transmitting and self-receiving mode. Alternatively, in another mode, the transmitting and receiving ends are different, and the receiving end determines the sensing data or result based on the sensing signal. This sensing mode can also be called a self-transmitting and other-receiving mode. In the self-transmitting and other-receiving mode, the transmitting and receiving ends can interact, negotiating or informing each other of the transmission / reception time of the sensing signal, the location of the transmitting end, and the location of the receiving end, so that the receiving end can determine the sensing data or result based on the received sensing signal.

[0082] Figure 2b illustrates a self-initiated and self-receiving sensing scenario. UE1 executes the sensing task based on a request from an application (APP), a sensing requirement of UE1, or a sensing task received from the network side, or other unrestricted situations. The participating nodes include UE1 to UE4, all of which use a self-initiated and self-receiving mode for sensing, each determining its own set of sensing data. UE1 may also choose not to perform sensing; Figure 2b illustrates this using UE1 performing sensing as an example. It is assumed that UE1 and UE2 lack the ability to fuse multiple sets of sensing data, while UE3 and UE4 do. If UE3 is chosen to fuse multiple sets of sensing data, since there is no connection between UE3 and UE4, UE3 cannot directly send the sensing data to UE4. UE3 can first send the sensing data to UE1, which then sends it to UE4. If the amount of sensing data is large, UE1 consumes more resources, and the transmission latency is also higher, making this scenario unsuitable for sensing tasks with high latency requirements. Although both UE1 and UE2 are connected to other UEs participating in sensing, neither UE1 nor UE2 has the ability to fuse multiple sensing data. Therefore, neither UE1 nor UE2 can fuse multiple sensing data.

[0083] Figure 2c illustrates a self-initiated and self-received sensing scenario. UE1 executes a sensing task based on a request from the application (APP), a sensing requirement of UE1, or a sensing task received from the network side, or other unrestricted situations. The nodes participating in the sensing task include UE1 to UE7. UE1 to UE7 use a self-initiated and self-received sensing mode: UE1 and UE3 send, UE2 receives; UE5 sends, UE4 receives; UE7 sends, UE6 receives. UE1 may also choose not to perform sensing; Figure 2c illustrates this scenario with UE1 performing sensing as an example. It is assumed that UE4 lacks the ability to fuse multiple sensing data sets, while UE2 and UE6 do. If UE2 is chosen to fuse multiple sets of sensing data, since there is no connection between UE2 and UE6, UE6 cannot directly send the sensing data to UE2. UE6 can first send the sensing data to a UE directly connected to UE6 and UE2 (hereinafter referred to as UEa for ease of description), which will then send the sensing data to UE2. If the amount of sensing data is large, UEa will consume more resources and the transmission latency will be higher, making it unsuitable for sensing tasks with high latency requirements. Although UE4 is connected to UE2 and UE6, UE4 does not have the ability to fuse multiple sets of sensing data, therefore, UE4 cannot fuse multiple sets of sensing data.

[0084] The selection of nodes for fusing multiple sets of sensing data is an important consideration.

[0085] Based on this, this application proposes a communication method in which a first communication device acquires at least one piece of information about at least one first node: information on whether the first node possesses a first processing capability for sensing data (the first processing capability is, for example, fusion processing capability), information on the connection status of the first node with multiple sensing nodes, or information on whether the first node serves as a sensing data processing node; the first communication device determines a sensing data processing node based on the at least one piece of information about the at least one first node; wherein the sensing data processing node belongs to the at least one first node; wherein any first node is a node directly connected to the first communication device, and the at least one first node may or may not include sensing nodes. In this method, the first communication device acquires one or more of the following information from the first node with which it has a direct connection: whether it possesses a first processing capability for sensing data, information on the connection status with multiple sensing nodes, and information on whether it serves as a sensing data processing node; based on the one or more pieces of information, it selects a suitable node from the at least one first node as a sensing data processing node, and the sensing data processing node can process multiple sets of sensing data.

[0086] The relevant terms used in the embodiments of this application will be explained below. It should be noted that these explanations are for the purpose of making the embodiments of this application easier to understand, and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope of protection claimed by this application.

[0087] 1. First communication device:

[0088] The first communication device can be referred to as a consumer, a sensing consumer, or a sensing result consumer. The first communication device can be a terminal device or a network device. A terminal device can be a terminal equipment, a communication module within a terminal equipment, or a processor, circuit, or chip responsible for communication functions within a terminal equipment (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip). It can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal equipment's functions. A network device can be a network equipment, a communication module within a network equipment, or a processor, circuit, or chip responsible for communication functions within a terminal equipment. It can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the network equipment's functions. The first communication device can be a terminal equipment or a network equipment. At least one first node can include a terminal equipment and / or a network equipment.

[0089] Optionally, the first communication device does not have the capability to process the first sensed data; or the first communication device currently does not support the capability to process the first sensed data. The reason for not supporting the capability may be that it does not have the capability to process the first sensed data, or it has the capability to process the first sensed data but does not have sufficient resources (such as storage resources and / or computing resources) to process the sensed data.

[0090] 2. First node:

[0091] Any first node is a node that has a connection (e.g., a direct connection) with the first communication device. A direct connection refers to a direct connection (or communication connection) without any other node acting as a link. However, it is not excluded that one or more first nodes may not have a direct connection with the first communication device. At least one first node in this application (at least one first node in step 301) can be either a terminal device or a network device, or a plurality of first nodes may include both terminal devices and network devices. For a description of terminal devices and network devices, please refer to the preceding description; it will not be repeated here. For example, if both the first communication device and the first node are terminal devices, and there is a proximity communication (PC) connection (e.g., a PC-5 connection) between the first communication device and the first node, then a direct connection is considered to exist between the first communication device and the first node. Similarly, if both the first communication device and the first node are network devices, such as RAN nodes, and there is an Xn interface connection between the first communication device and the first node, then a direct connection is considered to exist between the first communication device and the first node. For example, if one of the first communication device and the first node is a terminal device and the other is a network device, and the first communication device and the first node have a Uu interface connection, then it is considered that the first communication device and the first node have a direct connection.

[0092] 3. Sensing Nodes:

[0093] A sensing node is a node that determines sensing data (in this embodiment, sensing data can be replaced by sensing results). For example, in the self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing mode of Figure 2a, the sensing node is both a transmitter and a receiver; in the self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing mode of Figure 2b, the sensing node includes at least a receiver, and optionally, may also include a transmitter. Multiple sensing nodes in this embodiment refer to sensing nodes participating in the same sensing task. The first communication device may or may not be a sensing node. Any sensing node has a connection with the first communication device, or a direct connection.

[0094] 4. The relationship between the first node and the sensing node:

[0095] One relationship is that at least one first node includes a sensing node.

[0096] For example, at least one first node in this application (e.g., at least one first node in step 301) includes: multiple sensing nodes (e.g., multiple sensing nodes in information b in step 301), and optionally, nodes other than the multiple sensing nodes (e.g., multiple sensing nodes in information b in step 301) that are connected or directly connected to the first communication device. For example, the multiple sensing nodes include nodes 1-3, and at least one first node includes nodes 1-3, or nodes 1-5. When applied to FIG. 2b, the multiple sensing nodes include UE1 to UE4, the first communication device is UE1, and at least one first node includes UE2 to UE4. Optionally, at least one first node may also include UEs not shown in FIG. 2b that are connected or directly connected to UE1. When applied to Figure 2c, multiple sensing nodes include UE2, UE4, and UE6, the first communication device is UE1, and at least one first node includes UE2, UE4, and UE6. Optionally, at least one first node may also include one or more UEs selected from UE3, UE5, and UE7. Optionally, at least one first node may also include UEs not shown in Figure 2b that have a connection or direct connection with UE1, such as UE8. Optionally, UE1, UE3, UE5, and UE7 in Figure 2c can also be sensing nodes, serving as sensing transmitters.

[0097] For example, at least one first node in this application (e.g., at least one first node in step 301) includes: some nodes among multiple sensing nodes (e.g., multiple sensing nodes in information b in step 301), and optionally, nodes other than the multiple sensing nodes (e.g., multiple sensing nodes in information b in step 301) that are connected or directly connected to the first communication device. For example, the multiple sensing nodes include nodes 1-3, and at least one first node includes node 1, or includes node 1 and node 4.

[0098] Another relationship is that at least one first node in this application (e.g., at least one first node in step 301) does not include multiple sensing nodes (e.g., multiple sensing nodes in information b in step 301). In other words, at least one first node does not include any of the sensing nodes in information b. For example, multiple sensing nodes include nodes 1-3, and at least one first node includes nodes 4 and 5.

[0099] 5. Sensing data processing node:

[0100] The sensing data processing node is used to process sensing data from multiple sensing nodes. For example, the sensing data processing node has the capability to process the first sensing data.

[0101] The sensing data processing node belongs to at least one first node of this application (e.g., at least one first node in step 301). The sensing data processing node may be one of the multiple sensing nodes of this application (e.g., multiple sensing nodes in information b in step 301), or it may not be any sensing node.

[0102] The “perceptual data processing node” in this application can be replaced with “perceptual fusion node”, or “perceptual data fusion node”, or “fusion node”, or “service node”, or “perceptual service node”, or “service terminal (e.g., server UE)”, or “perceptual service terminal (e.g., server UE)”.

[0103] 6. In this application, "instruction" or "for instruction" may include explicit instruction (or direct instruction) and implicit instruction (or indirect instruction). When describing information for instructing A, it may include whether the information explicitly instructs A or implicitly instructs A, but does not necessarily mean that the information carries A.

[0104] The indication methods involved in the embodiments of this application should be understood to cover various methods that enable the party to be indicated to obtain the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately. Moreover, the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be the same or different, without limitation.

[0105] In the embodiments of this application, "information" can be an explicit indication, that is, a direct indication through signaling, or obtained by combining other rules or parameters with parameters indicated by signaling, or by deduction. It can also be an implicit indication, that is, obtained based on rules or relationships, or based on other parameters, or by deduction. No limitation is imposed.

[0106] 7. In this application, communication between different devices can refer to direct communication between different devices (i.e., without the need for relaying or forwarding by other devices), or communication between different devices through other devices (i.e., requiring relaying or forwarding by other devices), or communication between a functional unit within a device and other devices through another functional unit. For example, "sending information to…(terminal)" can be understood as the destination of the information being the terminal, and may include sending information directly or indirectly to the terminal. "Receiving information from…(terminal)" can be understood as the source of the information being the terminal, and may include receiving information directly or indirectly from the terminal. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination ends, such as format changes, digital-to-analog conversion, amplification, filtering, etc., but the destination end can understand the valid information from the source end. Similar expressions in this application can be understood in a similar way, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0107] 8. The naming of each message / information in this application is only illustrative and limits the name of each message / information.

[0108] 9. In this application, the words "exemplarily," "for example," "for instance," and "example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. It should be understood that the examples in this application may also be implemented in other ways.

[0109] 10. In this application, "greater than or equal to" and "greater than" are interchangeable; and / or, "less than" and "less than or equal to" are interchangeable.

[0110] 11. In the embodiments of this application, "when," "if," and "if" all refer to the device taking corresponding actions under certain objective circumstances, and are not time-limited, nor do they require the device to perform a judgment action, nor do they imply any other limitations. Unless otherwise specified, "if" and "if" can be substituted, and "when" and "in the case of" can be substituted. "When" and "if" / "if" can be substituted.

[0111] 12. In the embodiments of this application, the number of nouns, unless otherwise specified, refers to "singular nouns or plural nouns," that is, "one or more." "At least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A or B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B means: A or B. Expressions such as "at least one of the following" or "one or more of them" refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c, or one or more of a, b, or c, means: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c. Each of a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0112] 13. In the embodiments of this application, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the size, content, order, timing, priority, or importance of the multiple objects. Furthermore, such names do not indicate differences in the content, sending / receiving end, sending order, size, application scenario, priority, or importance of the two pieces of information. Additionally, the numbering of steps in the various embodiments described in this application is only to distinguish different steps and is not used to limit the order of steps.

[0113] To better illustrate the embodiments of this application, the methods provided by the embodiments of this application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified below, the steps indicated by dashed lines in the accompanying drawings corresponding to the various embodiments of this application are optional steps. It should be noted that the technical details of the multiple embodiments provided in this application can be referenced to each other, each embodiment described below can exist independently, and multiple embodiments can also be combined with each other as an embodiment in the absence of logical errors.

[0114] Figure 3 is a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. In Figure 3, two first nodes are shown, one of which is a sensing data processing node. It can be understood that in practical applications, there may be only one first node, or there may be three or even more first nodes.

[0115] Step 301: The first communication device acquires at least one of the following pieces of information from at least one first node:

[0116] Information a) Whether the first node has the capability to process sensing data. In this application, "capability to process sensing data" can be replaced with "capability to process sensing data". In this application, "first processing" can be replaced with: fusion processing, or fusion of multi-source sensing data, or fusion processing of multi-source sensing data, etc.

[0117] Alternatively, information b, the connection status between the first node and multiple sensing nodes; the connection status between the first node and a sensing node includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: whether a connection exists (e.g., whether a direct connection exists), whether a connection can (or may, or is permitted) be established (e.g., establishing a PC-5 connection), and the quality of the communication connection (e.g., the communication latency between the first node and the sensing node, the communication reliability between the first node and the sensing node, the transmission bandwidth, the transmission rate, etc.); multiple sensing nodes refer to sensing nodes participating in the same sensing task.

[0118] Alternatively, information c, whether the first node can serve as (or "is allowed to serve as") a sensing data processing node.

[0119] It should be noted that the numbers a, b, and c above are for ease of description only and do not limit the importance, priority, order of acquisition, or order of use of the information.

[0120] Step 302: The first communication device determines the sensing data processing node based on at least one piece of information from at least one first node.

[0121] In this method, the first communication device obtains from a first node with which it has a direct connection information: whether it has the capability to process sensing data, information on its connection with multiple sensing nodes, and information on whether it is a sensing data processing node. Based on this information, a suitable node is selected from at least one of the first nodes as the sensing data processing node.

[0122] Optionally, before step 301, the following steps may also be performed: Step A: The first communication device has a need for sensing; or, the first communication device receives a message from the application layer, or APP, or network side, which is used to request sensing; optionally, the message includes a first identifier, which is used to identify this sensing, and the first identifier can be a sensing ID or a sensing task ID. The name of the message is sensing request message or other names. Step B: The first communication device determines that it does not have the first processing capability for sensing data; or the first communication device determines that it currently does not support the first processing capability for sensing data. The reason for not supporting it may be: it does not have the first processing capability for sensing data, or it has the first processing capability for sensing data, but does not have sufficient resources (such as storage resources and / or computing resources) to perform the first processing on the sensing data, and the first communication device cannot currently perform the first processing. In the above cases, the first communication device is triggered to determine the sensing data processing node, for example, the first communication device is triggered to execute step 301.

[0123] Optionally, before step 301, step C may be performed: the first communication device receives information from multiple sensing nodes (i.e., the multiple sensing nodes in information b) from the application layer, or the APP, or the network side. The information of the sensing nodes includes, but is not limited to, the identification information and / or address information of the sensing nodes. For example, the first communication device receives a list of sensing nodes (e.g., a sensing UE list), which includes information of multiple sensing nodes. When receiving information from multiple sensing nodes, the first communication device may also receive a first identifier, based on which the sensing task in which the multiple sensing nodes participate can be determined. Optionally, the information of the multiple sensing nodes (or the list of sensing nodes) is included in the message from the application layer, or the APP, or the network side mentioned in step A above, which is used to request sensing.

[0124] Optionally, before step 301, step D can also be performed: the first communication device receives a sensing request from the application layer, or the APP, or the network side; for ease of distinction, the sensing request received by the first communication device from the application layer, or the APP, or the network side is referred to as sensing request a, and the sensing request sent by the first communication device to the first node (hereinafter referred to as sensing request b) can be the same or different. Sensing request a includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: latency requirements (e.g., receiving the sensing result before the first time, or the time from the start of sensing to the determination of the sensing data fusion result is less than a set time threshold), sensing data measurement accuracy, first processing accuracy of sensing data, sensing area, sensing time, and sensing duration. When receiving sensing request a, the first communication device can also receive a first identifier, based on which sensing task the sensing request belongs to. Optionally, sensing request a is included in the sensing request message from the application layer, or the APP, or the network side mentioned in step A above. In addition, the term "perceived requirements" in this application can be replaced with "perceived requirements" or "perceived key performance indicators (KPIs)".

[0125] The following describes an example of the first communication device acquiring at least one piece of information from at least one first node in step 301. The numbering of the examples below is for ease of description only and does not limit the priority or importance of the examples. The process of the first communication device acquiring at least one piece of information from any first node is the same.

[0126] The first communication device can simultaneously acquire information a, information b, or information c; or simultaneously acquire two of information a, information b, or information c, while acquiring the other information separately; or acquire information a, information b, or information c separately.

[0127] Example 1: As shown in Figure 4, a flowchart of a communication method is presented. In Figure 4, three first nodes are drawn, one of which is a sensing node and the other is a sensing data processing node. It can be understood that in practical applications, there may be only one first node, or there may be two, four, or even more first nodes. There may be one, two, or even more sensing nodes. A sensing node may not belong to a first node or may belong to a first node.

[0128] Step 401: The first communication device sends a message to the first node; correspondingly, the first node receives the message.

[0129] For example, this message is used to discover sensing nodes and / or sensing data processing nodes. For instance, the message includes at least one of the following: discovery purpose, or discovery role, or indication information 1, which indicates the discovery of sensing nodes and / or sensing data processing nodes. For example, the discovery purpose, or discovery role, or indication information 1 is used to indicate the discovery of sensing nodes and / or sensing data processing nodes; as another example, the message includes a discovery purpose and a node role (or UE role), where the discovery purpose indicates the discovery of a node (or the discovery of a UE), and the node role includes sensing nodes and / or sensing data processing nodes. As yet another example, the message includes a discovery purpose and indication information 1, where the discovery purpose indicates the discovery of a node (or the discovery of a UE), and indication information 1 indicates that the node includes sensing nodes and / or sensing data processing nodes.

[0130] Optionally, the first communication device sends a sensing requirement b to the first node. For example, the message includes sensing requirement b, or the first communication device sends sensing requirement b to the first node through other messages. Sensing requirement b includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: the communication delay between the first node and the sensing node is less than a set threshold, the measurement accuracy of the sensing data, the first processing accuracy of the sensing data, the sensing area, the sensing time, the sensing duration, and the sensing delay. The first communication device can determine sensing requirement b based on sensing requirement a from the application layer, the APP, or the network side. Sensing requirement a and sensing requirement b can be the same or different; of course, sensing requirement b can be determined without considering sensing requirement a. The first node can determine whether it can act as a sensing node and / or a sensing data processing node based on this sensing requirement b.

[0131] Optionally, the message may include a first identifier, which may be a sensing ID or a sensing task ID.

[0132] For example, the message is named a discovery request message.

[0133] Optionally, before step 401, the steps described above that were performed before step 301 may also be performed, for example, one or more of steps A, B and D described above.

[0134] Step 401a: The first node determines one or more of the following: whether the first node can act as a sensing node, whether the first node can act as a sensing data processing node, first capability information related to acting as a sensing node, and second capability information related to acting as a sensing data processing node.

[0135] If the message in step 401 is used to discover a sensing node, the first node can determine whether it can act as a sensing node, and / or determine the first capability information of the first node, which is capability information related to acting as a sensing node; the first node informs the first communication device of this situation.

[0136] The following describes the process by which the first node determines whether it can act as a sensing node: After receiving the message from step 401, the first node can determine whether it can participate in the sensing task, i.e., whether it can act as a sensing node, based on its own capabilities. Optionally, the first node can also determine whether it can act as a sensing node based on one or more of the resource information or sensing requirements b.

[0137] One approach: If the first node has perception capabilities, it can participate in perception tasks and act as a perception node; if the first node does not have perception capabilities, it cannot participate in perception tasks and cannot act as a perception node.

[0138] Alternatively, a first node can only serve as a sensing node if it possesses sensing capabilities and meets other requirements; if a first node possesses sensing capabilities but does not meet other requirements, it cannot serve as a sensing node. These other requirements include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: resource requirements, or one or more of the sensing requirements b in step 401. For example, a resource requirement is that the first node's current resources, remaining resources, or available resources (resources such as computing resources and / or storage resources) can meet the resource requirements for serving as a sensing node (e.g., greater than or equal to a set threshold).

[0139] The first node can determine its first capability information based on one or more of the following: contract information, local configuration, or historical data. The first capability information includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: whether it has perception capabilities, resources used for perception execution (including computing resources, storage resources, etc.), and perception KPI capability information supported by the first node. The perception KPI capability information supported by the first node includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: perception accuracy supported by the first node (which can be understood as the measurement accuracy of the perception data), perception latency, and the area range of perception.

[0140] If the message in step 401 is used to discover a sensing data processing node, the first node can determine whether it can act as a sensing data processing node, and / or determine the second capability information of the first node, which is capability information related to acting as a sensing data processing node; the first node informs the first communication device of this situation.

[0141] The following describes the process by which the first node determines whether it can serve as a sensing data processing node: The first node can determine whether it can serve as a sensing data processing node based on its own capabilities; further optionally, the first node can also determine whether it can serve as a sensing data processing node based on one or more of the resource information or sensing requirements b.

[0142] In one approach, if the first node has the capability to process first-sensory data, then the first node can serve as a sensing data processing node; if the first node does not have the capability to process first-sensory data, then the first node cannot serve as a sensing data processing node.

[0143] In another approach, a first node can only serve as a sensing data processing node if it possesses the first sensing data processing capability and meets other requirements. If a first node possesses the first sensing data processing capability but does not meet other requirements, it cannot serve as a sensing data processing node. These other requirements include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: resource requirements, or one or more of the sensing requirements b in step 401. For example, a resource requirement is that the first node's current resources, remaining resources, or available resources (resources such as computing resources and / or storage resources) can meet the resource requirements for serving as a sensing data processing node (e.g., greater than or equal to a set threshold). In this approach, when determining whether it can serve as a sensing data processing node, the first node considers not only whether it possesses the first sensing data processing capability but also other requirements. Thus, when the first node sends an indication that it can serve as a sensing data processing node to the first communication device, the first communication device can determine that the first node can serve as a sensing data processing node based on this indication, without needing to consider whether the first node meets other requirements, thus reducing the implementation difficulty for the first communication device in determining the sensing data processing node.

[0144] The first node can determine the second capability information based on one or more of the following: contract information, local configuration, or historical data. The second capability information includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: whether it has the ability to process sensing data (first processing capability or computing capability), resource information for processing sensing data (including computing resources and storage resources), and capability information of the sensing data processing KPIs supported by the first node. The capability information of the sensing data processing KPIs supported by the first node includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: the precision of sensing data processing supported by the first node, the latency of sensing data processing, and the amount of data processed by sensing data.

[0145] Step 402: The first node sends one or more of the following to the first communication device: indication information A, indication information B, first capability information, and second capability information.

[0146] Specifically, indication information A indicates whether the first node can or cannot act as a sensing node; in other words, it indicates whether the first node can or cannot perform sensing. If the first node can perform sensing, then the first node can act as a sensing node; otherwise, the first node cannot act as a sensing node. Indication information B indicates whether the first node can or cannot act as a sensing data processing node. The first capability information refers to the capability information related to acting as a sensing node. The second capability information refers to the capability information related to acting as a sensing data processing node.

[0147] For example, if the first node determines that it has the capability to process first sensing data, it can send information about having the capability to process first sensing data to the first communication device; if the first node determines that it does not have the capability to process first sensing data, it can send information about not having the capability to process first sensing data to the first communication device; the first communication device determines whether the first node has the capability to process first sensing data based on the received capability information.

[0148] For example, when the first node determines that it does not have the capability to process the first sensing data, it does not need to send information about not having the capability to process the first sensing data to the first communication device. When the first node determines that it has the capability to process the first sensing data, it sends capability information about having the capability to process the first sensing data to the first communication device. The first communication device can determine whether the first node has the capability to process the first sensing data based on whether it receives the capability information.

[0149] Whether or not it possesses perception capabilities can also be implemented in a similar way, which will not be described in detail here.

[0150] In another possible implementation, one or more of the information described in step 402 above can be communicated to the first communication device via an announcement message, thus eliminating the need for the first communication device to send the message in step 401 to the first node.

[0151] Optionally, the message in step 402 includes a first identifier, which may be a sensing ID or a sensing task ID.

[0152] For example, the message in step 402 is named a discovery response message.

[0153] Step 403: The first communication device determines the sensing node and the candidate node.

[0154] The following describes the process by which the first communication device determines the sensing node:

[0155] The first communication device can determine whether the first node can act as a sensing node based on indication information A. For example, if the first node determines that it can act as a sensing node, it can send indication information indicating that it can act as a sensing node to the first communication device; if the first node determines that it cannot act as a sensing node, it can send indication information indicating that it cannot act as a sensing node to the first communication device. The first communication device determines whether the first node can act as a sensing node based on the received indication information. Alternatively, if the first node determines that it cannot act as a sensing node, it does not need to send indication information indicating that it cannot act as a sensing node to the first communication device; instead, if the first node determines that it can act as a sensing node, it sends indication information indicating that it can act as a sensing node to the first communication device. The first communication device can determine whether the first node can act as a sensing node based on whether it receives this indication information.

[0156] The first communication device can determine whether a first node can serve as a sensing node based on first capability information. This first capability information includes: capability information related to serving as a sensing node; the first capability information includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: whether it possesses sensing capabilities, resources used for sensing execution (including computing resources, storage resources, etc.), and sensing KPI capability information supported by the first node; wherein, the sensing KPI capability information supported by the first node includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: sensing accuracy supported by the first node (which can be understood as the measurement accuracy of the sensing data), sensing latency, and sensing area range. For example, if the first node possesses sensing capabilities, it can serve as a sensing node; if the first node does not possess sensing capabilities, it cannot serve as a sensing node. As another example, the first communication device can determine whether a first node can serve as a sensing node based on the first capability information and sensing requirement a (or sensing requirement b). For example, if the first node possesses sensing capabilities, and / or, the resources (including computing resources, storage resources, etc.) used by the first node for sensing execution meet sensing requirement a (or sensing requirement b), and / or, the sensing KPI capability information supported by the first node meets sensing requirement a (or sensing requirement b), then it can be determined that the first node can serve as a sensing node. If the resources used by the first node for perception execution satisfy perception requirement a (or perception requirement b), it can implicitly indicate that the first node has perception capabilities.

[0157] After determining whether a first node can serve as a sensing node, the first communication device determines one or more sensing nodes based on the ability of each first node to serve as a sensing node. The ability of a first node to serve as a sensing node can be understood as the node's capability, not necessarily its ultimate role as a sensing node (as mentioned in information b above). For example, the first communication device may use all first nodes capable of serving as sensing nodes as sensing nodes to participate in the sensing task, or it may select a subset of first nodes from among those capable of serving as sensing nodes. Optionally, the first communication device may also determine itself as a sensing node. This application does not limit the process by which the first communication device determines sensing nodes.

[0158] The following describes the process by which the first communication device determines candidate nodes:

[0159] The first communication device can determine whether the first node can act as a sensing data processing node based on the indication information B, i.e., it obtains the information c in step 301. For example, if the first node determines that it can act as a sensing data processing node, it can send indication information indicating that it can act as a sensing data processing node to the first communication device; if the first node determines that it cannot act as a sensing data processing node, it can send indication information indicating that it cannot act as a sensing data processing node to the first communication device. The first communication device determines whether the first node can act as a sensing data processing node based on the received indication information. Alternatively, if the first node determines that it cannot act as a sensing data processing node, it does not need to send indication information indicating that it cannot act as a sensing data processing node to the first communication device. Instead, if the first node determines that it can act as a sensing data processing node, it sends indication information indicating that it can act as a sensing data processing node to the first communication device. The first communication device can determine whether the first node can act as a sensing data processing node based on whether it receives this indication information.

[0160] The first communication device can determine whether a first node can serve as a sensing data processing node based on second capability information. This second capability information includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: whether it possesses sensing data processing capabilities (first processing capability, or computing capability), resource information for sensing data processing (including computing resources and storage resources), and capability information regarding the sensing data processing KPIs supported by the first node. The capability information regarding the sensing data processing KPIs supported by the first node includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: the sensing data processing accuracy supported by the first node, the sensing data processing latency, and the amount of data processed. For example, if the first node possesses sensing data processing capabilities, it can serve as a sensing data processing node; if the first node does not possess sensing data processing capabilities, it cannot serve as a sensing data processing node. As another example, the first communication device can determine whether a first node can serve as a sensing data processing node based on this second capability information and sensing requirement a (or sensing requirement b). For example, if the first node possesses the capability to process sensing data, and / or the resources (including computing resources and storage resources) used by the first node for sensing data processing meet sensing requirement a (or sensing requirement b), and / or the capability information of the sensing data processing KPIs supported by the first node meets sensing requirement a (or sensing requirement b), then it can be determined that the first node can serve as a sensing node. Here, the resource information for sensing data processing by the first node, specifically sensing requirement a (or sensing requirement b), can implicitly indicate that the first node possesses the capability to process sensing data.

[0161] After determining whether a first node can serve as a sensing data processing node, the first communication device may determine one or more candidate nodes based on whether each first node can serve as a sensing data processing node; for example, all or some of the first nodes that can serve as sensing data processing nodes may be determined as candidate nodes.

[0162] In the example of Figure 4, steps 401 to 403 simultaneously execute the discovery of the sensing node and the sensing data processing node. In other examples, the discovery of the sensing node and the discovery of the sensing data processing node can be executed separately, and the order is not limited. For example, step 401a: the first communication device sends a message to the first node; correspondingly, the first node receives the message, which is used to discover the sensing node; step 402a: the first node sends a message to the first communication device, which includes at least one of indication information A and first capability information; step 403a: the first communication device determines the sensing node based on at least one of indication information A and first capability information. For example, step 401b: the first communication device sends a message to the first node; correspondingly, the first node receives the message, which is used to discover the sensing data processing node; step 402b: the first node sends a message to the first communication device, which includes at least one of indication information B and second capability information; step 403b: the first communication device determines the sensing data processing node based on at least one of indication information B and second capability information. Refer to the preceding description for specific details. The messages used to discover sensing nodes and the messages used to discover sensing data processing nodes can be sent by the first communication device to the same nodes, for example, both nodes a, b, and c; or they can be sent by the first communication device to different nodes, for example, the message for discovering sensing nodes is sent to nodes a and b, and the message for discovering sensing data processing nodes is sent to nodes a and c. The indication information A, indication information B, first capability information, or second capability information in step 402 can be sent to the first communication device in different messages. In step 403, the order in which the first communication device determines the sensing nodes and candidate nodes is not limited.

[0163] Step 404: The first communication device sends a message to each candidate node; correspondingly, the candidate nodes receive the message.

[0164] Figure 4 illustrates this with two candidate nodes as an example.

[0165] For example, this message is used to obtain the connection status between a candidate node and multiple sensing nodes. For instance, the message may include indication information indicating the acquisition of the connection status between the candidate node and multiple sensing nodes; or, the message name may indicate the acquisition of the connection status between the candidate node and multiple sensing nodes.

[0166] For example, if the candidate node and multiple sensing nodes are all UEs, the message is named PC-5 request message.

[0167] Optionally, the message may also include information about multiple sensing nodes, or the first communication device may inform the candidate node of the information about multiple sensing nodes through other messages. The information about the sensing nodes includes, but is not limited to, the identification information and / or address information of the sensing nodes. The information about multiple sensing nodes can be represented in list form. Here, "information about multiple sensing nodes" refers to the information of multiple sensing nodes corresponding to the first identification / sensing task. If the first node can be at least one receiving end participating in the sensing task, then the information sent to the candidate node is that of at least one receiving end participating in the sensing task.

[0168] Optionally, the message may also include a first identifier, which may be a sensing ID or a sensing task ID.

[0169] The first communication device sends the message to the candidate node to obtain the connection status between the candidate node and multiple sensing nodes. Optionally, the message includes sensing requirement a, or sensing requirement b, or latency requirement between the sensing data processing node and the sensing node. For example, sensing requirement a or sensing requirement b includes a sensing latency requirement, such as the communication latency between the sensing data processing node and the sensing node being less than a first threshold, or the sensing latency requirement being greater than a set level. In this case, the first communication device obtains the connection status between the candidate node and multiple sensing nodes. The first communication device expects the connection status between the sensing data processing node and multiple sensing nodes to meet a first condition, so that multiple sensing nodes can directly send sensing data to the sensing data processing node without forwarding through other nodes, thus reducing the latency of sensing nodes sending sensing data to the sensing data processing node. Of course, in scenarios without sensing requirement a, sensing requirement b, and sensing latency requirement, the first communication device can also send the message to the candidate node to obtain the connection status between the candidate node and multiple sensing nodes.

[0170] The first condition includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: all nodes (e.g., sensing data processing nodes and sensing nodes) are connected, or have already established connections, or are able / may / permitted to establish connections; and the quality of communication connections between nodes (e.g., sensing data processing nodes and sensing nodes). For example, quality requirements include, but are not limited to: the communication latency between nodes (e.g., sensing data processing nodes and sensing nodes) is less than or equal to a set latency threshold, and / or, the communication reliability between nodes (e.g., sensing data processing nodes and sensing nodes) is greater than or equal to a set reliability value or reliability level.

[0171] Optionally, step 405a: The candidate node determines the connection status between the candidate node and multiple sensing nodes.

[0172] Candidate nodes can determine whether they have connections with multiple sensing nodes (e.g., direct connections) or whether they are able to (or can, or are permitted) establish connections; if connections already exist, they can further optionally determine the quality of their communication connections with each sensing node.

[0173] The following is an example of how a candidate node determines its connection with any sensing node:

[0174] For example, a candidate node can send a message to a sensing node. This message can be a PC-5 message, a discovery request message, a PC-5 request message, a PC-5 connection establishment request message, or other messages. This application does not limit the name and function of the message. When a candidate node receives a response message corresponding to this message from the sensing node, it can determine that there is a connection or direct connection between the candidate node and the sensing node. It is not necessary to establish a communication connection (such as a PC-5 connection) between the candidate node and the sensing node before considering that there is a connection or direct connection between the candidate node and the sensing node.

[0175] Step 405: The candidate node sends a message to the first communication device; correspondingly, the first communication device receives the message.

[0176] In one example, the message includes information about the connection status of the candidate node with multiple sensing nodes (corresponding to information b). For example, the message is named a PC-5 response message. The connection status between the first node and the sensing nodes includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: whether a connection exists or whether a direct connection exists, and the quality of the communication connection (e.g., communication latency between the first node and the sensing nodes, communication reliability between the first node and the sensing nodes).

[0177] In another example, the message includes an indication of whether or not it can function as a sensing data processing node.

[0178] Candidate nodes can determine whether they can serve as sensing data processing nodes based on their connection status with multiple sensing nodes. If the connection status of a candidate node with multiple sensing nodes meets a first condition, the candidate node can serve as a sensing data processing node, and can send an indication message to the first communication device indicating that it can serve as a sensing data processing node. If the connection status of a candidate node with multiple sensing nodes does not meet the first condition, the candidate node cannot serve as a sensing data processing node, and can send an indication message to the first communication device indicating that it cannot serve as a sensing data processing node. The first communication device can determine whether a candidate node can serve as a sensing data processing node (corresponding to information c) based on this indication message. The first condition includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: all nodes (candidate node and multiple sensing nodes) are connected, or all connections have been established, or all connections can / may / are permitted to be established; the quality of communication connections between nodes (candidate node and multiple sensing nodes). For example, quality requirements include, but are not limited to: the communication delay between nodes (candidate node and multiple sensing nodes) is less than or equal to a set delay threshold, and / or, the communication reliability between nodes (candidate node and multiple sensing nodes) is greater than or equal to a set reliability value or reliability level.

[0179] It should be noted that the indication information B in step 402 is also used to indicate whether or not it can be used as a sensing data processing node. When the first node determines the indication information B, it does not consider the connection between the first node (or candidate node) and multiple sensing nodes. However, in step 405, the first node determines the indication information that it can or cannot be used as a sensing data processing node based on the connection between the candidate node and multiple sensing nodes. Although both of these indication information indicate whether or not it can be used as a sensing data processing node, the judgment logic for generating the indication information is different.

[0180] Optionally, the message may include a first identifier, which may be a sensing ID or a sensing task ID.

[0181] At this point, the candidate node has obtained at least one piece of information from at least the first node, namely information a, information b, and information c. Next, the first communication device can determine the sensing data processing node.

[0182] Example 2: Figure 5 illustrates a flowchart of a communication method. In Figure 5, three first nodes are shown: one is a sensing node, and the other is a sensing data processing node. It can be understood that in practical applications, there can be only one first node, or there can be two, four, or even more first nodes. There can be one, two, or even more sensing nodes. A sensing node may or may not be a first node.

[0183] Step 501: The first communication device determines the multiple sensing nodes participating in the sensing task.

[0184] In one example, the application layer, or the app, or the network side sends information about multiple sensing nodes to the first communication device. The first communication device receives the information from the multiple sensing nodes in the application layer, or the app, or the network side, thereby enabling the first communication device to identify the multiple sensing nodes participating in the sensing task. These multiple sensing nodes can be represented in the form of a sensing node list.

[0185] In another example, the first communication device sends message 1 to at least one first node for discovering a sensing node; the first node sends message 2 to the first communication device for indicating whether the first node can act as a sensing node.

[0186] For example, message 1 may include at least one of the following: discovery purpose, discovery role, or indication information 2, which indicates the discovery of a sensing node. For example, the discovery purpose, discovery role, or indication information 2 may indicate the discovery of a sensing node. As another example, message 1 may include a discovery purpose and a node role (or UE role), where the discovery purpose indicates the discovery of a node (or the discovery of a UE), and the node role is a sensing node. As yet another example, the message may include a discovery purpose and indication information 2, where the discovery purpose indicates the discovery of a node (or the discovery of a UE), and the indication information 2 indicates that the node includes a sensing node.

[0187] Optionally, the first communication device sends a sensing requirement b to at least one first node, and the first node can determine whether it can act as a sensing node based on the sensing requirement b. For example, the message 1 includes the sensing requirement b, or the first communication device sends the sensing requirement b to at least one first node through other messages. The sensing requirement b includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: the measurement accuracy of the sensing data, the sensing area, the sensing time, the sensing duration, and the sensing latency. The first communication device can determine the sensing requirement b based on the sensing requirement a from the application layer, or the APP, or the network side. The sensing requirement a and the sensing requirement b can be the same or different; of course, the sensing requirement b can also be determined without considering the sensing requirement a.

[0188] For example, message 2 may include indication information indicating whether the first node can or cannot act as a sensing node, or whether the first node can or cannot perform sensing (e.g., if it can perform sensing, it can act as a sensing node; if it cannot perform sensing, it cannot act as a sensing node). Alternatively, the name of message 2 may indicate whether the first node can or cannot act as a sensing node, thus eliminating the need to include indication information in message 2.

[0189] Optionally, before sending message 1, the first communication device may perform the steps described above that were performed before step 301, such as performing steps A, B and D described above.

[0190] "Information on multiple sensing nodes" refers to the information on multiple sensing nodes corresponding to the first identifier / sensing task.

[0191] Optionally, message 1 may include a first identifier, and / or message 2 may include a first identifier. The first identifier may be a sensing ID or a sensing task ID.

[0192] For example, message 1 is named a discovery request message. Message 2 can be named a discovery response message.

[0193] This application does not limit the process for determining the multiple sensing nodes participating in the sensing. Furthermore, the first communication device may or may not be a sensing node.

[0194] Step 502: The first communication device sends a message to at least one first node; correspondingly, the first node receives the message from the first communication device.

[0195] In one example, the message is used to discover a sensing data processing node. For example, the message includes at least one of the following: discovery purpose, discovery role, or indication information 3, which indicates the discovery of a sensing data processing node. For example, the discovery purpose, discovery role, or indication information 3 indicates the discovery of a sensing data processing node. As another example, the message includes a discovery purpose and a node role (or UE role), where the discovery purpose indicates the discovery of a node (or a UE), and the node role is a sensing data processing node. As yet another example, the message includes a discovery purpose and indication information 3, where the discovery purpose indicates the discovery of a node (or a UE), and the indication information 3 indicates that the node includes a sensing data processing node. In step 501, since the first communication device has already identified the sensing node, the message in step 502 does not need to be used to discover the sensing node again. For example, the name of this message is a discovery request message.

[0196] In another example, the message is used to obtain information about the connectivity between a first node and multiple sensing nodes. For instance, the message may include indications to obtain information about the connectivity between the first node and multiple sensing nodes; or, the message name may indicate information about obtaining connectivity between nodes. For example, the message name could be "PC-5 request message."

[0197] In another example, the message is used to determine whether the first node possesses the capability to process sensing data. For instance, the message may include an indication that queries whether the first node possesses the capability to process sensing data.

[0198] Any two or all three examples mentioned in step 502 can also be used in combination.

[0199] Optionally, the message may include a first identifier, which may be a sensing ID or a sensing task ID.

[0200] Optionally, the first communication device sends a sensing requirement b to the first node. For example, the message includes sensing requirement b, or the first communication device sends sensing requirement b to the first node through other messages. Sensing requirement b includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: the communication delay between the first node and the sensing node is less than a set threshold, the first processing accuracy of the sensing data, the sensing area, the sensing time, the sensing duration, and the sensing delay. The first communication device can determine sensing requirement b based on sensing requirement a from the application layer, or the APP, or the network side. Sensing requirement a and sensing requirement b can be the same or different; of course, sensing requirement b can be determined without considering sensing requirement a. The first node can determine whether it can act as a sensing data processing node based on the sensing requirement b.

[0201] The first communication device can send a message to the first node to obtain the connection status between the first node and multiple sensing nodes based on sensing requirement a or sensing requirement b. Optionally, the message includes sensing requirement a, sensing requirement b, or latency requirement between the first node and the sensing nodes. For example, sensing requirement a or sensing requirement b includes a sensing latency requirement, such as the communication latency between the sensing data processing node and the sensing nodes being less than a first threshold, or the sensing latency requirement being greater than a set level. In this case, the first communication device obtains the connection status between the first node and multiple sensing nodes. The first communication device expects the connection status between the sensing data processing node and multiple sensing nodes to meet a first condition, so that multiple sensing nodes can directly send sensing data to the sensing data processing node without forwarding through other nodes, thus reducing the latency of sensing nodes sending sensing data to the sensing data processing node. Of course, in scenarios without sensing requirement a, sensing requirement b, and sensing latency requirement, the first communication device can also send a message to the first node to obtain the connection status between the first node and multiple sensing nodes. The first condition for the connection status between the sensing data processing node and the sensing node includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: all nodes (sensing data processing node and sensing node) are connected, or have already established connections, or are able / may / permitted to establish connections; the communication connection quality between the nodes (sensing data processing node and sensing node) meets quality requirements. For example, quality requirements include, but are not limited to: the communication latency between the nodes (sensing data processing node and sensing node) is less than or equal to a set latency threshold, and / or, the communication reliability between the nodes (sensing data processing node and sensing node) is greater than or equal to a set reliability value or reliability level.

[0202] Optionally, the message may also include information about multiple sensing nodes, or the first communication device may inform the candidate node of the information about multiple sensing nodes through other messages. The information about the sensing nodes includes, but is not limited to, the identification information and / or address information of the sensing nodes, and the information about multiple sensing nodes may be presented in the form of a list.

[0203] Optionally, the first node can be at least one receiver participating in the sensing task.

[0204] Optionally, before step 502, the first communication device may perform the steps described above that were performed before step 301, such as performing steps A, B and D described above.

[0205] Optionally, step 503a: The first node determines whether it can serve as a sensing data processing node.

[0206] For example, the first node can determine whether it can act as a sensing data processing node based on its own capabilities; further optionally, the first node can also determine whether it can act as a sensing data processing node based on resource information, connection status with multiple sensing nodes, or one or more of sensing requirements b.

[0207] For example, if the first node has the capability to process the first sense data, then the first node can serve as a sense data processing node; if the first node does not have the capability to process the first sense data, then the first node cannot serve as a sense data processing node.

[0208] For example, a first node can only serve as a sensing data processing node if it possesses the first sensing data processing capability and meets other requirements; if the first node possesses the first sensing data processing capability but does not meet other requirements, it cannot serve as a sensing data processing node. These other requirements include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: resource requirements, connection requirements with multiple sensing nodes, and one or more of the sensing requirements in step 502. In this method, when determining whether it can serve as a sensing data processing node, the first node considers not only whether it possesses the first sensing data processing capability but also other requirements. Thus, when the first node sends an indication that it can serve as a sensing data processing node to the first communication device, the first communication device can determine that the first node can serve as a sensing data processing node based on this indication, without needing to consider whether the first node meets other requirements, thus reducing the difficulty for the first communication device in determining the sensing data processing node.

[0209] For example, the resource requirement is that the current resources, remaining resources, or available resources of the first node (such as computing resources and / or storage resources) can meet the resource requirements of the sensing data processing node (e.g., greater than or equal to a set threshold).

[0210] For example, the requirements for the connection between the first node and multiple sensing nodes include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: the first node has a connection with all multiple sensing nodes, or all connections have been established, or all connections can / may / are permitted to be established; the communication connection quality between the first node and multiple sensing nodes, or the communication connection quality between the first node and some of the multiple sensing nodes, meets the quality requirements. For example, the quality requirements include, but are not limited to: the communication delay between the first node and the sensing nodes is less than or equal to a set delay threshold, and / or, the communication reliability between the first node and the sensing nodes is greater than or equal to a set reliability value or reliability level.

[0211] Optionally, step 503b: The first node determines the connection status between itself and multiple sensing nodes. This process can refer to the example described in step 405 where a candidate node determines the connection status between itself and multiple sensing nodes, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0212] Optionally, step 503c: The first node determines whether it has the capability to process the first sense data.

[0213] For example, the first node determines whether it has or does not have the ability to process perception data based on one or more of the contract information, local configuration, or historical data.

[0214] Steps 503a, 503b and 503c can be performed one or more of them, and the order in which they are performed is not restricted.

[0215] Step 504: The first node sends a message to the first communication device; correspondingly, the first communication device receives the message from the first communication device.

[0216] In one example, the message is used to indicate whether the first node can act as a sensing data processing node, and the first communication device obtains information (i.e., information c) based on the message regarding whether the first node can act as a sensing data processing node. For example, the message may include indication information indicating whether the first node can act as a sensing data processing node; or, for another example, if the message name indicates whether the first node can act as a sensing data processing node, then the message may not need to include the aforementioned indication information.

[0217] For example, the message is named a discovery response message.

[0218] In another example, the message is used to indicate the connection status between the first node and multiple sensing nodes. For example, the message includes indication information indicating the connection status between the first node and the multiple sensing nodes. For instance, the message is named PC-5 response message. Based on this message, the first communication device can obtain information about the connection status between the first node and the multiple sensing nodes (i.e., information b).

[0219] In another example, the message is used to indicate whether the first node possesses or lacks the capability to process sensing data. For instance, the message may include indication information indicating whether the first node possesses or lacks the capability to process sensing data; or, the message name may indicate whether the first node possesses or lacks the capability to process sensing data; or, if the first node lacks the capability to process sensing data, it may not reply to the first communication device with the message or indication information, but will only send the message or indication information to the first communication device when it possesses the capability. Based on this message, the first communication device can obtain information about whether the first node possesses the capability to process sensing data (i.e., information a).

[0220] At this point, the candidate node has obtained at least one piece of information from at least the first node, namely information a, information b, and information c. Next, the first communication device can determine the sensing data processing node.

[0221] If the connection between the first node and multiple sensing nodes is not considered during the interaction in steps 501 and 502, then after step 504, the first communication device can further determine candidate nodes based on the message content of step 504 and send messages to the candidate nodes to obtain the connection status between the candidate nodes and multiple sensing nodes. The first communication device can determine the first node that can serve as a sensing data processing node or the first node with the first sensing data processing capability in step 504 as a candidate node. The process by which the first communication device obtains the connection status between the candidate node and multiple sensing nodes from the candidate nodes can be referred to steps 404 and 405, and will not be described in detail here.

[0222] The following describes the process in step 302 where the first communication device determines the sensing data processing node based on at least one piece of information from at least one first node:

[0223] If at least one piece of information includes only information a and whether the first node has the capability to process sensing data, then the first communication device determines the sensing data processing node among the first nodes that have the capability to process sensing data. The sensing data processing node can perform the first processing on the sensing data. The first processing may be, for example, fusion processing or other processing, and may be applicable to different sensing data processing scenarios.

[0224] If at least one piece of information includes only information b, the connection status between the first node and multiple sensing nodes, then at least one first node is a node with the capability to process sensing data. The connection status between the first node and the sensing nodes includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: whether a connection exists (or whether a direct connection exists), and the quality of the communication connection (e.g., communication delay between the first node and the sensing nodes, communication reliability between the first node and the sensing nodes). The first communication device can determine the sensing data processing node from among the first nodes that are connected (or directly connected) to multiple sensing nodes, or the first communication device can determine the sensing data processing node from among the first nodes that are connected (or directly connected) to multiple sensing nodes and whose communication connection quality meets the quality requirements. For example, the first communication device maintains a first condition, and the first communication device determines the sensing data processing node from among the first nodes whose connection status meets the first condition. The first condition includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: all nodes (the first node and the sensing nodes) are connected, or all connections have been established, or all are able / may / permitted to establish connections; the quality of the communication connection between the nodes (the first node and the sensing nodes) meets the quality requirements. For example, quality requirements include, but are not limited to: communication latency between nodes (between the first node and the sensing node) being less than or equal to a set latency threshold, and / or communication reliability between nodes (between the first node and the sensing node) being greater than or equal to a set reliability value or reliability level. In this way, multiple sensing nodes can directly send sensing data to the sensing data processing node without needing to be forwarded by other nodes, reducing the latency of sensing nodes sending sensing data to the sensing data processing node and improving sensing efficiency.

[0225] If at least one piece of information includes only information c, and whether the first node is a sensing data processing node, then the first communication device determines the sensing data processing node from among the first nodes that can be used as sensing data processing nodes. The first node can determine its own ability to be a sensing data processing node based on whether it possesses the first sensing data processing capability, and / or whether its connection with multiple sensing nodes meets specific conditions. The first communication device omits these judgments, thus reducing the complexity of determining the sensing data processing node.

[0226] One possible implementation is that the first node can determine whether it can serve as a sensing data processing node based on whether it possesses the capability to process sensing data. For example, if the first node possesses the capability to process sensing data, it can serve as a sensing data processing node; if it does not possess this capability, it cannot serve as a sensing data processing node.

[0227] Another possible implementation is that the first node can determine whether it can serve as a sensing data processing node based on whether it possesses the capability to process sensing data and other requirements. A first node can only serve as a sensing data processing node if it possesses the capability to process sensing data and meets other requirements; if a first node possesses the capability to process sensing data but does not meet other requirements, it cannot serve as a sensing data processing node. These other requirements include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: resource requirements, connection requirements with multiple sensing nodes, and one or more of sensing requirements b. For specific details, please refer to the description in step 503, which will not be elaborated upon here.

[0228] If at least one piece of information includes: information a, whether the first node possesses the first capability to process sensing data, and information b, the connection status of the first node with multiple sensing nodes, the first communication device can determine the sensing data processing node among the first nodes that possess the first capability to process sensing data and whose connection status meets the first condition. The first condition includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: all nodes (the first node and the sensing nodes) are connected, or all connections have been established, or all are able / may / permitted to establish connections; the communication connection quality between the nodes (the first node and the sensing nodes) meets quality requirements. For example, quality requirements include, but are not limited to: the communication delay between the nodes (the first node and the sensing nodes) is less than or equal to a set delay threshold, and / or, the communication reliability between the nodes (the first node and the sensing nodes) is greater than or equal to a set reliability value or reliability level.

[0229] In one possible implementation, the first communication device determines at least one candidate node based on whether the at least one first node possesses the capability to process sensing data; wherein, if any one of the candidate nodes possesses the capability to process sensing data, the at least one candidate node belongs to the at least one first node; the first communication device then determines the sensing data processing node based on the connection status between the at least one candidate node and the plurality of sensing nodes, and the sensing data processing node belongs to the at least one candidate node. In this implementation, the first communication device first determines candidate nodes from the first nodes based on the capabilities of the first nodes, and then determines the sensing data processing node from the candidate nodes based on the connection status between the candidate nodes and the sensing nodes. In this implementation, after determining the candidate nodes, only the candidate nodes need to interact with the sensing nodes to obtain connection status, avoiding unnecessary signaling interactions caused by all first nodes interacting with the sensing nodes to obtain connection status, thus improving the efficiency of sensing.

[0230] If at least one piece of information includes: information a, whether the first node has the capability to process first sensing data, and information c, whether the first node is a sensing data processing node, the first communication device can determine the sensing data processing node from among the first nodes that have the capability to process first sensing data and can be used as sensing data processing nodes.

[0231] If at least one piece of information includes: information b, the connection status of the first node with multiple sensing nodes, and information c, whether the first node is a sensing data processing node, the first communication device can determine the sensing data processing node from the first nodes whose connection status meets the first condition and can be used as a sensing data processing node.

[0232] If at least one piece of information includes three items: information a, information b, and information c, the first communication device can determine the sensing data processing node from the first node that has the capability to process sensing data, meets the first condition in the connection situation, and can serve as a sensing data processing node.

[0233] In one possible implementation, the at least one piece of information obtained in step 301 includes information b: information on the connection status of the first node with multiple sensing nodes. Optionally, it also includes information a and / or information c. In another possible implementation of step 302, the first communication device can determine the sensing data processing node based on the sensing requirements and at least one piece of information of the at least one first node.

[0234] The sensing requirement can be either sensing requirement a or sensing requirement b as described above. Sensing requirement a and sensing requirement b can include latency requirements. For example, a latency requirement might be that the communication latency between the sensing data processing node and the sensing node is less than a first threshold, or that the sensing latency requirement is greater than a set level. In this case, the first communication device determines the sensing data processing node based on the connection status between at least one first node and multiple sensing nodes. The first communication device expects the connection status between the sensing data processing node and multiple sensing nodes to meet a first condition, allowing multiple sensing nodes to directly send sensing data to the sensing data processing node without forwarding through other nodes. This reduces the latency of sensing nodes sending sensing data to the sensing data processing node. If no sensing data processing node meets the first condition, any first node with the first sensing data processing capability can be selected as the sensing data processing node, or the sensing data processing node can be selected based on other information.

[0235] Of course, in scenarios where there is no perception requirement a, perception requirement b, and perception latency requirement, the first communication device can also determine the perception data processing node based on the connection status between at least one first node and multiple perception nodes (i.e., information b).

[0236] In another possible implementation, where the at least one piece of information acquired in step 301 includes information b: information on the connection status of the first node with multiple sensing nodes, and also includes information a and / or information c, the first communication device can determine the sensing data processing node based on the sensing requirements, information a, and / or information c, without needing to base it on information b. For example, when the latency requirement of the sensing requirement is low (e.g., the communication latency between the sensing data processing node and the sensing node is less than a second threshold (the second threshold is greater than the first threshold), or the sensing latency requirement does not need to be greater than a set level), the first communication device can determine the sensing data processing node based on whether the first node has the first sensing data processing capability. For example, any first node with the first sensing data processing capability can be selected as the sensing data processing node; there is no need to consider the connection status of the sensing data processing node with multiple sensing nodes.

[0237] The first condition includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: all nodes are connected, or all have established connections, or all are able / can / permitted to establish connections; the communication connection quality between nodes meets the quality requirements. For example, the quality requirements include, but are not limited to: the communication latency between nodes is less than or equal to a set latency threshold, and / or, the communication reliability between nodes is greater than or equal to a set reliability value or reliability level.

[0238] The following is another example of determining the sensing data processing node:

[0239] The "at least one first node" mentioned above refers to multiple sensing nodes, or "at least one first node" refers to some of the multiple sensing nodes.

[0240] A first communication device determines at least one candidate node based on whether at least one first node possesses the capability to process sensing data; wherein any candidate node possesses the capability to process sensing data, and at least one candidate node belongs to at least one first node. The first communication device obtains a list of first nodes corresponding to the at least one candidate node; wherein all nodes in the list of first nodes corresponding to any candidate node are connected to the candidate node, possess the capability to process sensing data, and belong to at least one first node. The first communication device determines a sensing data processing node based on the at least one candidate node and the list of first nodes corresponding to the at least one candidate node. For example, a sensing data processing node may simultaneously belong to at least one candidate node and the list of first nodes corresponding to at least one candidate node.

[0241] The following explanation is based on Figure 6:

[0242] Step 601: The first communication device acquires at least one piece of information from at least one first node. The specific process can be found in the preceding description, for example, referring to Figures 4 and 5, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0243] Step 602: The first communication device determines the candidate node list 1 based on at least one piece of information.

[0244] For ease of description, the list of candidate nodes determined by the first communication device is referred to as candidate node list 1.

[0245] Among them, any candidate node in candidate node list 1 has the first processing capability of perception data, and any candidate node belongs to the at least one first node.

[0246] For example, the first communication device determines a candidate node list 1 based on information about whether the first node has the capability to process sensing data; wherein the first node with the capability to process sensing data may belong to the candidate node list 1.

[0247] For example, the first communication device determines a candidate node list 1 based on information about whether the first node is a sensing data processing node; wherein the first node, which is a sensing data processing node, can belong to the candidate node list 1.

[0248] For ease of description, the nodes in candidate node list 1 will be referred to as candidate nodes W.

[0249] Step 603a: The first communication device may also send information about the sensing nodes (such as address information and / or identification information) to the candidate node W so that the candidate node W can know the sensing nodes participating in this sensing task.

[0250] Optionally, in step 603b: the first communication device sends a message to the candidate node W, and the candidate node W receives the message accordingly; the message is used to obtain the candidate node list of the candidate node W.

[0251] Step 603b is an optional step. For example, at least one of the first nodes in step 601 can determine its own list of candidate nodes and send it to the first communication device or make an announcement, without the first communication device having to perform step 603b.

[0252] Step 604: Candidate node W determines candidate node list 2.

[0253] For ease of description, the list of candidate nodes determined by candidate node W is called candidate node list 2.

[0254] Candidate node W can be determined based on whether the sensing node has the capability to process sensing data first, and the connection status of candidate node W with each sensing node, to form candidate node list 2. For example, sensing nodes that have the capability to process sensing data first and whose connection status with each sensing node meets the first condition are determined as nodes in candidate node list 2.

[0255] For example: The sensing nodes include UE1 to UE6; UE1 is the first communication device and does not have the first processing capability for sensing data; UE2 to UE6 all have the first processing capability for sensing data; the connection status of UE2 with each sensing node (UE1, UE3 to UE6) meets the first condition; the connection status of UE3 and UE4 meets the first condition (e.g., no connection exists); the connection status of UE5 with each sensing node (UE1 to UE4, UE6) meets the first condition; the connection status of UE6 with each sensing node (UE1 to UE5) meets the first condition.

[0256] The first communication device UE1 determines a candidate node list 1. The nodes in the candidate node list 1 must meet the following requirement: they have the capability to process first perception data. Therefore, the candidate node list 1 includes UE2-UE6.

[0257] Each node in candidate node list 1 determines its own corresponding candidate node list. The nodes in the candidate node list must meet the following conditions: they have the ability to process the first sense data, and their connection with each sense node satisfies the first condition.

[0258] UE2 determines candidate node list 2 as follows: Since the connection relationship between UE3 and UE4 does not meet the first condition, neither UE3 nor UE4 is a candidate node for UE2. The connection between UE5 and each sensing node meets the first condition, so UE5 can be a candidate node for UE2. The connection between UE6 and each sensing node meets the first condition, so UE6 can also be a candidate node for UE2. Therefore, candidate node list 2 determined by UE2 includes UE2, UE5, and UE6.

[0259] The candidate node list 2 determined by UE3 includes UE2, UE5 and UE6.

[0260] The candidate node list 2 determined by UE4 includes: UE2, UE5 and UE6.

[0261] The candidate node list 2 determined by UE5 includes: UE2, UE5 and UE6.

[0262] The candidate node list 2 determined by UE6 includes: UE2, UE5 and UE6.

[0263] Step 605: Candidate node W sends candidate node list 2 to the first communication device; correspondingly, the first communication device receives candidate node list 2.

[0264] Step 606: The first communication device determines the sensing data processing node based on candidate node list 1 and candidate node list 2.

[0265] For example, the intersection of candidate node list 1 and candidate node list 2 is taken, and the nodes in the intersection are determined as the perception data processing nodes. Using the above example again: the first communication device UE1 takes the intersection of candidate node list 1 and each of the candidate node lists 2, resulting in UE2, UE5, and UE6, and can select any one of UE2, UE5, and UE6 as the perception data processing node.

[0266] Alternatively, based on multiple sensing nodes, sensing data processing nodes can be determined. For example, the intersection of the sensing nodes, candidate node list 1, and candidate node list 2 can be taken, and the nodes in the intersection can be determined as sensing data processing nodes.

[0267] After identifying the sensing data processing node (i.e., step 302), the first communication device can inform multiple sensing nodes of the sensing data processing node's information, so that each sensing node can determine which node is the sensing data processing node and then send sensing data to that node. The first communication device can also inform the sensing data processing node that it is the sensing data processing node, so that the sensing data processing node can perform a first process (e.g., fusion processing) on ​​the sensing data from multiple sensing nodes. An example of this scenario is described below:

[0268] Figure 7 shows a flowchart of a communication method. In Figure 7, three first nodes are drawn, one of which is a sensing node and the other is a sensing data processing node. It can be understood that in practical applications, there may be only one first node, or there may be two, four or even more first nodes. There may be one, two or more sensing nodes. A sensing node may not belong to a first node or may belong to a first node.

[0269] Step 701: The first communication device acquires at least one piece of information from at least one first node. Step 701 can be referred to in the description of Step 301, Figures 4 and 5, and will not be repeated here.

[0270] Step 702: The first communication device determines the sensing data processing node based on at least one piece of information from at least one first node. Step 703 can be referred to the description of step 302, and will not be repeated here.

[0271] Step 703: The first communication device sends information about the sensing data processing node.

[0272] The information of the sensing data processing node includes, but is not limited to: the identification information and / or address information of the sensing data processing node (e.g., Internet Protocol (IP) address information).

[0273] For example, the first communication device sends information about the sensing data processing node to the sensing data processing node; upon receiving this information, the sensing data processing node determines that the information corresponds to itself, thus identifying itself as a sensing data processing node. Alternatively, the first communication device sends indication information to the sensing data processing node, indicating that the node is a sensing data processing node, allowing the sensing data processing node to identify itself as a sensing data processing node based on this indication information. Further optionally, the first communication device may also send a sensing task identifier (sensing ID) corresponding to the sensing data processing node (i.e., indicating in which sensing task the node is acting as a sensing data processing node), allowing the sensing data processing node to identify the corresponding sensing task based on the sensing task identifier.

[0274] For example, the first communication device sends information about the sensing data processing node to multiple sensing nodes. After receiving the information, the sensing nodes can determine which node is the sensing data processing node so that they can subsequently send sensing data to that sensing data processing node. Optionally, the first communication device can also send a sensing task identifier (sensing ID) corresponding to the sensing data processing node to the multiple sensing nodes. The sensing nodes can then determine the sensing task corresponding to that sensing data processing node based on the sensing task identifier.

[0275] Alternatively, the sensing data processing node can send its information to multiple sensing nodes without requiring the first communication device to do so. Further, optionally, the sensing data processing node can also send a sensing task identifier (sensing ID) to multiple sensing nodes.

[0276] The first communication device can send the aforementioned information (the information of the sensing data processing node, optionally including a sensing task identifier) ​​to the sensing data processing node and / or multiple sensing nodes via announcement messages, unicast messages, or broadcast messages. The sensing data processing node can send the aforementioned information (the information of the sensing data processing node, optionally including a sensing task identifier) ​​to multiple sensing nodes via announcement messages, unicast messages, or broadcast messages.

[0277] Step 704: Each sensing node sends sensing data to the sensing data processing node.

[0278] Each sensing node performs sensing tasks and acquires sensing data. For example, a sensing node may acquire sensing data using a self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing mode, where the sensing node is both the transmitter and receiver of sensing signals; or, for another example, a sensing node may acquire sensing data using a self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing mode, where the sensing node is the receiver of sensing signals.

[0279] After obtaining the sensing data, the sensing node sends the sensing data to the sensing data processing node. For example, the sensing node sends the sensing data to the sensing data processing node based on the information of the sensing data processing node in step 703.

[0280] In Figure 7, the first communication device may or may not be a sensing node. If the first communication device is a sensing node, it can send sensing data to the sensing data processing node; if the first communication device is not a sensing node, it does not need to send sensing data to the sensing data processing node.

[0281] Step 705: The sensing data processing node sends the sensing results to the first communication device; correspondingly, the first communication device receives the sensing results from the sensing data processing node.

[0282] The sensing data processing node performs a first processing (e.g., fusion processing) on ​​the sensing data from multiple sensing nodes to obtain a first processing sensing result, and sends it to a first communication device. Optionally, the first communication device sends the sensing result to the application layer, or an APP, or the network side.

[0283] The sensing result determined by the sensing data processing node can be called the "first processing result", or the "fusion sensing result", or the "multi-source sensing data fusion result", or the "multi-source sensing data fusion processing result".

[0284] In this example, the sensing node sends the sensing data directly to the sensing data processing node without needing to be forwarded by other nodes, which can reduce the latency of sensing data transmission.

[0285] If the connection between the sensing data processing node and multiple sensing nodes meets the first condition, the sensing node can send the sensing data to the sensing data processing node. If the connection between the sensing data processing node and one or more of the multiple sensing nodes does not meet the first condition, the first communication device can further determine a second node (the second node can be replaced by a relay node or a collection node), through which the sensing node can send the sensing data to the sensing data processing node to improve the reliability of the sensing data transmission. An example for this scenario is described below.

[0286] Figure 8 illustrates a flowchart of a communication method. Two first nodes are shown in Figure 8: one is a sensing node, and the other is a sensing data processing node. Another sensing node is also shown. It is understood that in practical applications, there can be only one first node, or there can be three, four, or even more first nodes. There can be one, two, or more sensing nodes, and sensing nodes may or may not be part of the first nodes. Furthermore, in the example in Figure 8, the first communication device is used as a relay node.

[0287] Step 801: The first communication device acquires at least one piece of information from at least one first node. For details, please refer to the description of step 301, which will not be repeated here.

[0288] Step 802: The first communication device determines the sensing data processing node based on at least one piece of information from at least one first node.

[0289] Step 803: The first communication device determines the relay node.

[0290] The relay node is used to send the sensing data of at least one sensing node to the sensing data processing node. That is, the relay node is connected to the sensing node and the sensing data processing node.

[0291] For example, if the sensing nodes include nodes 1-3, and the connection between the sensing data processing node and sensing nodes 1-3 all meet the first condition, then there is no need to additionally determine a relay node. If the connection between the sensing data processing node and one or more of the multiple sensing nodes does not meet the first condition, the first communication device may determine the corresponding relay node only for the sensing nodes that do not meet the first condition; or it may determine the corresponding relay node for all sensing nodes. The first condition includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: all nodes (the first node and the sensing nodes) are connected, or all connections have been established, or all connections can / may / are permitted to be established; the communication connection quality between the nodes (the first node and the sensing nodes) meets the quality requirements. For example, the quality requirements include, but are not limited to: the communication delay between the nodes (the first node and the sensing nodes) is less than or equal to a set delay threshold, and / or, the communication reliability between the nodes (the first node and the sensing nodes) is greater than or equal to a set reliability value or reliability level.

[0292] For example, the connection between the sensing data processing node and sensing node 1 meets the requirements, but the connection between the sensing data processing node and sensing nodes 2 and 3 does not. In one approach, the first communication device can determine the corresponding relay node for each of sensing nodes 1-3, and sensing nodes 1-3 directly send the sensing data to the relay node, which then sends the sensing data to the sensing data processing node. In another approach, the first communication device can determine the corresponding relay node for sensing nodes 2 and 3, but for sensing node 1, it is not necessary to determine its corresponding relay node; sensing node 1 can directly send the sensing data to the sensing data processing node. Furthermore, the corresponding relay nodes for sensing nodes 2 and 3 can be the same or different. That is, the relay nodes corresponding to multiple sensing nodes can be the same or different.

[0293] For any given sensing node, its corresponding relay node can be a first communication device, a specific sensing node, or one of at least one first node. Implementing the relay node as a first communication device simplifies the process.

[0294] The following is an example of how the first communication device determines the relay node:

[0295] Example 1: The first communication device determines the relay node based on the connection status between at least one first node and multiple sensing nodes; or, the first communication device determines the relay node based on the connection status between the sensing data processing node and multiple sensing nodes.

[0296] In this example, the first communication device does not need to consider sensing requirements a and b. The first communication device can preferentially select a first node whose connection meets the first condition as the sensing data processing node; if there is no first node that possesses both sensing data processing capability and whose connection with multiple sensing nodes meets the first condition, then the first node possessing sensing data processing capability is selected as the sensing data processing node. In this case, the first communication device can further determine a relay node. Therefore, if the connection between the sensing data processing node and at least one sensing node does not meet the first condition, or if the connection between at least one first node and at least one sensing node does not meet the first condition, the first communication device can determine a relay node. The first communication device can determine the corresponding relay node for sensing nodes whose connection does not meet the first condition, or it can determine the relay node for all sensing nodes.

[0297] Example 2: The first communication device determines a relay node based on sensing requirements. For example, sensing requirements include latency requirements. When the latency requirements are low (e.g., the communication latency between the sensing data processing node and the sensing node is less than a second threshold (the second threshold is greater than the first threshold), or the sensing latency requirements do not need to be greater than a set level), the first communication device can select a first node with sensing data processing capabilities as the sensing data processing node without considering the connection between at least one first node and multiple sensing nodes, and can also determine a relay node.

[0298] Example 3: The first communication device determines a relay node based on sensing requirements and information regarding the connection status of at least one first node with multiple sensing nodes. For example, when sensing latency requirements are high (e.g., the communication latency between the sensing data processing node and the sensing nodes is less than a first threshold, or the sensing latency requirement is greater than a set level), the first communication device can determine a relay node based on information regarding the connection status of at least one first node with multiple sensing nodes; or, the first communication device can determine a relay node based on information regarding the connection status of the sensing data processing node with multiple sensing nodes. For example, the first communication device preferentially selects a first node whose connection status meets a first condition as the sensing data processing node; if there is no first node that both possesses the first sensing data processing capability and whose connection status with multiple sensing nodes meets the first condition, then the first node possessing the first sensing data processing capability is selected as the sensing data processing node, and the first communication device can then determine a relay node. Therefore, if the connection between the sensing data processing node and at least one sensing node does not meet the first condition, or if the connection between at least one first node and at least one sensing node does not meet the first condition, the first communication device can determine a relay node. The first communication device can determine the corresponding relay node for the sensing node whose connection does not meet the first condition, or it can determine the relay node for all sensing nodes.

[0299] Step 804: The first communication device sends information about the sensing data processing node.

[0300] For example, the information of the sensing data processing node includes, but is not limited to: the identification information and / or address information of the sensing data processing node.

[0301] For example, the first communication device can send information about the sensing data processing node to the sensing data processing node, and optionally, it can also send a sensing task identifier.

[0302] Optionally, the first communication device may send information about the sensing data processing node to the sensing node; of course, the sensing node may also choose not to know the information about the sensing data processing node.

[0303] For details of step 804, please refer to step 703; they will not be elaborated upon here.

[0304] Step 805: The first communication device sends information about the relay node.

[0305] The information of the relay node includes, but is not limited to: the relay node's identification information and / or address information (such as IP address information).

[0306] For example, the first communication device sends relay node information to the relay node; upon receiving this information, the relay node determines that the information corresponds to itself and can then identify itself as a relay node. Alternatively, the first communication device sends indication information to the relay node, indicating that the node is a relay node, and the relay node can identify itself as a relay node based on this indication information. Further optionally, the first communication device can also send the relay node a sensing task identifier (sensing ID) corresponding to the relay node (that is, in which sensing task the node acts as a relay node), and the relay node can identify the sensing task corresponding to the relay node based on the sensing task identifier. Further optionally, the first communication device can also send the relay node its corresponding sensing node so that the relay node knows which sensing node's sensing data to forward.

[0307] For example, the first communication device sends relay node information to multiple sensing nodes. After receiving the information, the sensing nodes can determine which node is the relay node so that they can subsequently send sensing data to that relay node. Optionally, the first communication device can also send a sensing task identifier (sensing ID) corresponding to the relay node to the multiple sensing nodes. The sensing nodes can then determine the sensing task corresponding to the relay node based on the sensing task identifier.

[0308] The first communication device can send the aforementioned information to relay nodes and / or multiple sensing nodes via announcement messages, unicast messages, or broadcast messages (the information of the relay nodes may further include sensing task identifiers).

[0309] The order of steps 802, 803, 804 and 805 is not restricted.

[0310] Step 806: Each sensing node sends sensing data to the relay node.

[0311] Each sensing node performs sensing tasks and acquires sensing data. For example, a sensing node may acquire sensing data using a self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing mode, where the sensing node is both the transmitter and receiver of sensing signals; or, for another example, a sensing node may acquire sensing data using a self-transmitting and self-receiving sensing mode, where the sensing node is the receiver of sensing signals.

[0312] After obtaining the sensing data, the sensing node sends the sensing data to the relay node corresponding to the sensing node. For example, the sensing node sends the sensing data to the relay node based on the information of the relay node in step 805.

[0313] Step 807: The relay node sends sensing data to the sensing data processing node; correspondingly, the sensing data processing node receives the sensing data.

[0314] The relay node can send sensing data to the sensing data processing node based on the information of the sensing data processing node.

[0315] If multiple sensing nodes correspond to the same relay node, the relay node can send multiple sets of sensing data from multiple sensing nodes to the sensing data processing node in the same message, or in different messages. There are no restrictions on the sending method.

[0316] Step 808: The sensing data processing node sends the sensing results to the first communication device; correspondingly, the first communication device receives the sensing results from the sensing data processing node.

[0317] The data processing node performs a first processing (e.g., fusion processing) on ​​the sensing data from multiple sensing nodes to obtain a sensing result, which is then sent to the first communication device. Optionally, the first communication device sends the sensing result to the application layer, an app, or the network side.

[0318] The perception result determined by the perception data processing node can be called the "first processing result", or the "fusion perception result", or the "multi-source perception data fusion result", or the "multi-source perception data fusion processing result".

[0319] It is understood that, in order to achieve the functions in the above embodiments, the first communication device, the first node, the second node, etc., include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware, computer software, or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is executed in hardware, computer software, or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0320] Figures 9 and 10 are schematic diagrams of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the first communication device, the first node, the second node, etc. in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0321] As shown in Figure 9, the communication device 900 may include modules or units for implementing the methods described in the embodiments above. In one possible design, the communication device 900 includes a processing unit 910 and a transceiver unit 920. Optionally, the communication device 900 may further include a storage unit 930 for storing device program code and / or data.

[0322] The communication device 900 can be the first communication device in the above embodiments; for example, the first communication device is a terminal device, such as a terminal equipment, or a communication module in a terminal equipment, or a circuit, chip, or chip system in a terminal equipment responsible for communication functions. For example, the first communication device is a network device, such as a network device, or a communication module in a network device, or a circuit, chip, or chip system in a network device responsible for communication functions.

[0323] The transceiver unit 920 can perform the receiving and sending actions performed by the first communication device in the above method embodiment. The processing unit 910 can perform other actions besides the sending and receiving actions performed by the first communication device in the above method embodiment.

[0324] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 920 is configured to: acquire at least one piece of information about at least one first node: information on whether the first node has the capability to process sensing data, information on the connection status of the first node with multiple sensing nodes, or information on whether the first node can serve as a sensing data processing node; any one of the first nodes has a direct connection with the first communication device, and the at least one first node includes or does not include the sensing node; the processing unit 910 is configured to: determine a sensing data processing node based on the at least one piece of information about the at least one first node, wherein the sensing data processing node belongs to the at least one first node.

[0325] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 920 is configured to: send a first message to the at least one first node, the first message being used to discover the sensing data processing node; and receive the at least one piece of information from the at least one first node.

[0326] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 910 is configured to: determine at least one candidate node based on whether the at least one first node has a first sensing data processing capability; wherein any candidate node has a first sensing data processing capability and the at least one candidate node belongs to the at least one first node; and determine the sensing data processing node based on the connection status between the at least one candidate node and the plurality of sensing nodes, wherein the sensing data processing node belongs to the at least one candidate node.

[0327] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 920 is specifically used to: acquire information on the connection status of at least one first node with multiple sensing nodes based on sensing requirements.

[0328] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 910 is specifically configured to: determine a sensing data processing node based on sensing requirements and at least one piece of information of the at least one first node, wherein the at least one piece of information includes information on the connection status of the first node with multiple sensing nodes.

[0329] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 920 is further configured to: send information about the sensing data processing node.

[0330] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 920 is further configured to: receive a perception result from the perception data processing node, the perception result being obtained by the perception data processing node performing a first processing on the perception data of the plurality of perception nodes.

[0331] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 910 is further configured to: determine a second node, the second node being configured to send the sensing data of the plurality of sensing nodes to the sensing data processing node.

[0332] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 910 is specifically used to: determine a second node based on the connection status between the sensing data processing node and the plurality of sensing nodes.

[0333] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 910 is specifically used to: determine a second node based on the connection status between the sensing data processing node and the plurality of sensing nodes and a first condition; wherein the connection status between the sensing data processing node and a sensing node includes one or more of the following: whether a connection exists, and the quality of the communication connection; the first condition includes one or more of the following: the first condition includes one or more of the following: a connection exists between nodes, or the quality of the communication connection between nodes meets the quality requirements.

[0334] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 920 is further configured to: send information about the second node.

[0335] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 920 is further configured to: receive first sensing data from the plurality of sensing nodes; and send the first sensing data to the sensing data processing node.

[0336] The communication device 900 can be the first node in the above embodiments. For example, the first node can be a terminal device, such as a terminal equipment, a communication module in a terminal equipment, or a circuit, chip, or chip system in a terminal equipment that is responsible for communication functions. For example, the first node can be a network device, such as a network equipment, a communication module in a network equipment, or a circuit, chip, or chip system in a network equipment that is responsible for communication functions.

[0337] The transceiver unit 920 can perform the receiving and sending actions performed by the first node in the above method embodiment. The processing unit 910 can perform other actions besides the sending and receiving actions performed by the first node in the above method embodiment.

[0338] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 920 is configured to: receive a first message from a first communication device, the first message being used to discover a sensing data processing node; and send at least one piece of information to the first communication device: information on whether it possesses a first sensing data processing capability, information on its connection status with multiple sensing nodes, or information on whether it is a sensing data processing node; the at least one piece of information is used by the first communication device to determine the sensing data processing node.

[0339] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 910 is configured to: determine whether the first node is a sensing data processing node based on whether the first node has the capability to process sensing data and / or the connection status of the first node with multiple sensing nodes.

[0340] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 920 is further configured to: receive information from the sensing data processing node; and send sensing data to the sensing data processing node based on the information from the sensing data processing node.

[0341] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 920 is specifically used to: send the sensing data to the sensing data processing node through the second node; or, send the sensing data to the second node so that the second node sends the sensing data to the sensing data processing node.

[0342] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 920 is further configured to: receive information from the second node.

[0343] A more detailed description of the processing unit 910 and the transceiver unit 920 can be obtained directly from the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown in Figures 3 to 8, and will not be repeated here.

[0344] It is understood that the division of units in the above-described device is merely a logical functional division. One function can correspond to one functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional unit. In actual implementation, all or some units can be integrated onto a single physical entity, or distributed across different physical entities. Furthermore, the aforementioned functional units can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. Whether a function is executed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for specific applications, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0345] In one example, the functional unit in any of the above devices may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as: one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more central processing units (CPUs), one or more microcontroller units (MCUs), one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms.

[0346] In one example, storage unit 930 may include random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, and / or registers, etc. Processing unit 910 can be implemented by a processor, and transceiver unit 920 can be implemented by a transceiver.

[0347] As shown in Figure 10, the communication device 1000 includes a processor 1010 and an interface circuit 1020. The processor 1010 and the interface circuit 1020 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 1020 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1000 may also include a memory 1030 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1010, or storing input data required by the processor 1010 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 1010 executes instructions. Sometimes, the interface circuit 1020 can also be understood as part of the processor 1010, in which case the communication device 1000 includes the processor 1010.

[0348] When the communication device 1000 is used to implement the above-mentioned terminal device and network device method, the processor 1010 is used to implement the function of the above-mentioned processing unit 910, the interface circuit 1020 is used to implement the function of the above-mentioned transceiver unit 920, and the memory 1030 is used to implement the function of the above-mentioned storage unit 930.

[0349] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal device, the terminal device chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The terminal device chip receives information from a network device, which can be understood as the information being first received by other modules (such as an RF module or antenna) in the terminal device, and then sent to the terminal device chip by these modules. The terminal device chip sends information to a network device, which can be understood as the information being first sent to other modules (such as an RF module or antenna) in the terminal device, and then sent to the network device by these modules.

[0350] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a network device, the network device chip implements the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The network device chip receives information from the terminal device, which can be understood as the information being first received by other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the network device, and then sent to the network device chip by these modules. The network device chip sends information to the terminal device, which can be understood as the information being sent down to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the network device, and then sent to the terminal device by these modules. Here, the network device module can be the baseband chip of the network device, or a DU (Digital Unit) or other modules. The DU here can be a DU under the Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) architecture.

[0351] In this application, entity A sends information to entity B, either directly or indirectly through other entities. Similarly, entity B receives information from entity A, either directly or indirectly through other entities. Entities A and B can be network devices or terminal devices, or modules within network devices or terminal devices. The sending and receiving of information can be between network devices and terminal devices, between two network devices (e.g., CU and DU), or between different modules within a single device (e.g., a terminal device chip and other modules within the terminal device, or a network device chip and other modules within the network device).

[0352] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0353] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a computer, enables the computer to perform the aforementioned communication method. Alternatively, the computer program includes instructions for implementing the aforementioned communication method.

[0354] This application also provides a computer program product, including: computer program code, which, when run on a computer, enables the computer to execute the communication method provided above.

[0355] This application also provides a communication system, which includes at least two of the following: a first communication device for performing the above-described communication method, a first node, a second node, and a sensing node.

[0356] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Alternatively, the ASIC can reside in a base station or terminal. Of course, the processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the base station or terminal.

[0357] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed entirely or partially. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both types of storage media.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: Applied to a first communication device, comprising: Obtain at least one piece of information about at least one first node: information on whether the first node has the capability to process sensing data, information on the connection status of the first node with multiple sensing nodes, or information on whether the first node can act as a sensing data processing node; any one of the first nodes has a direct connection with the first communication device, and the at least one first node includes the sensing node or does not include the sensing node. Based on at least one piece of information from the at least one first node, a sensing data processing node is determined, wherein the sensing data processing node belongs to the at least one first node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The step of obtaining at least one piece of information from at least one of the first nodes includes: Send a first message to the at least one first node, the first message being used to discover the sensing data processing node; Receive the at least one piece of information from the at least one first node.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, Determining the sensing data processing node based on at least one piece of information from the at least one first node includes: Based on whether the at least one first node has the capability to process first sense data, at least one candidate node is determined; wherein, if any of the candidate nodes has the capability to process first sense data, the at least one candidate node belongs to the at least one first node; Based on the connection status between the at least one candidate node and the plurality of sensing nodes, the sensing data processing node is determined, and the sensing data processing node belongs to the at least one candidate node.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, Obtain information on the connection status between at least one first node and multiple sensing nodes, including: Based on sensing requirements, information on the connection status between at least one first node and multiple sensing nodes is obtained; and / or, Determining the sensing data processing node based on at least one piece of information from the at least one first node includes: Based on the sensing requirements and at least one piece of information from the at least one first node, a sensing data processing node is determined, wherein the at least one piece of information includes information on the connection status of the first node with multiple sensing nodes.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The sensing requirements include: sensing latency requirements.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, Also includes: Send information from the sensing data processing node.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein Also includes: The system receives perception results from the perception data processing node, which are obtained by the perception data processing node performing a first processing on the perception data from the plurality of perception nodes.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein Also includes: A second node is determined, which is used to send the sensing data from the plurality of sensing nodes to the sensing data processing node.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, Determining the second node includes: The second node is determined based on the connection status between the sensing data processing node and the multiple sensing nodes.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The step of determining the second node based on the connection status between the sensing data processing node and the plurality of sensing nodes includes: Based on the connection status between the sensing data processing node and the plurality of sensing nodes and the first condition, a second node is determined; wherein, the connection status between the sensing data processing node and a sensing node includes one or more of the following: whether a connection exists, and the quality of the communication connection; The first condition includes one or more of the following: There is a connection between the nodes, or the quality of the communication connection between the nodes meets the quality requirements.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein, Also includes: Send the information from the second node.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein, The second node is the first communication device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, Also includes: Receive first sensing data from the plurality of sensing nodes; The first sensing data is sent to the sensing data processing node.

14. The method of any one of claims 1-13, wherein, The at least one first node is the plurality of sensing nodes; Determining the sensing data processing node based on at least one piece of information from the at least one first node includes: Based on whether the at least one first node has the capability to process first sense data, at least one candidate node is determined; wherein, if any of the candidate nodes has the capability to process first sense data, the at least one candidate node belongs to the at least one first node; Obtain a first node list corresponding to the at least one candidate node; wherein, any node in the first node list corresponding to any candidate node is connected to the candidate node, has the ability to process sensing data, and belongs to the at least one first node; The perception data processing node is determined based on the at least one candidate node and the first node list corresponding to the at least one candidate node.

15. A method of communication, comprising: Applied to the first node, including: Receive a first message from a first communication device, the first message being used to discover a sensing data processing node; Send at least one piece of information to the first communication device: information on whether it has the capability to process sensing data, information on the connection status with multiple sensing nodes, or information on whether it is a sensing data processing node; the at least one piece of information is used by the first communication device to determine the sensing data processing node.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, Also includes: Based on whether the first node has the capability to process first sensed data and / or the connection status of the first node with multiple sensed nodes, it is determined whether the first node is to be used as a sensed data processing node.

17. The method of claim 15 or 16, wherein, Also includes: Receive information from the sensing data processing node; Based on the information from the sensing data processing node, sensing data is sent to the sensing data processing node.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, Sending the sensing data to the sensing data processing node includes: The sensing data is sent to the sensing data processing node through the second node.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein, Also includes: Receive information from the second node.

20. The method of claim 18 or 19, wherein, The second node is the first communication device.

21. A communications device, characterized by Includes modules for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1-14, or modules for performing the method as described in any one of claims 15-20.

22. A communications device, characterized by Including the processor; The processor is configured to execute some or all of the computer programs or instructions in the memory, and when the some or all of the computer programs or instructions are executed, to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-14, or to implement the method as described in any one of claims 15-20.

23. A communication system, characterized by The communication system includes: a first communication device that performs the method as described in any one of claims 1-14 and a first node that performs the method as described in any one of claims 15-20.

24. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium has stored therein a computer program or instructions which, when executed by the communication device, implement the method of any one of claims 1-14 or implement the method of any one of claims 15-20.

25. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product comprises computer instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the method of any one of claims 1-14 to be implemented or the method of any one of claims 15-20 to be implemented.

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