Method and apparatus for performing sensing job based on permission information

Abstract

According to an aspect, there is provided a method for execution by a network node. The method involves receiving a request for a sensing job involving a plurality of requested areas. The method also involves obtaining permission information for the sensing job. The method also involves initiating the sensing job with one or more other network nodes. The method also involves sending, in response to the request, a result of the sensing job in accordance with the permission information. Notably, the result that is sent includes, for each requested area that is permitted by the permission information, at least one measurement for one or more exposed serving areas corresponding to the requested area. In this way, privacy and consent can be enforced based on the permission information.

Description

[0001] P113400W001

[0002] - 1 -

[0003] METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PERFORMING SENSING JOB BASED ON PERMISSION INFORMATION

[0004] Related Application

[0005] [1] This patent application claims priority from US provisional patent application no. US 63 / 779,844 filed on March 28, 2025, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0006] Field of the Disclosure

[0007] [2] This disclosure relates to mobile communication systems, and more particularly to performing a sensing job in a mobile communication system.

[0008] Background

[0009] [3] None of the material in the background section should be interpreted to be Applicant’s admitted prior art.

[0010] [4] Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) is a technology that combines sensing (e.g. position tracking, environmental monitoring, etc.) and communication capabilities within a single system, enabling new applications by leveraging shared resources and functionalities. ISAC is planned to be part of the 6G standard, with preparation work ongoing in 3GPP release 19 (Pre-6G). Advanced 5G markets, such as the US, play a role in developing basic solutions and ecosystems on top of mobile networks.

[0011] [5] ISAC enables a new category of use cases for the location of objects such as drones, vehicles, humans and other animals by using wireless sensing. Wireless sensing is a technology enabler to acquire information about characteristics of an environment and / or objects within the environment, that uses radio frequency to determine a distance (range), an angle, or an instantaneous linear velocity of objects, etc. Figure 1 is a schematic of example categories of use cases for ISAC.

[0012] [6] A first category of use cases for ISAC includes detection of physical objects, including moving objects 101 and local environment 102. The detection ofP113400W001

[0013] - 2 -moving objects 101 can include objects in air (e.g. drone detection) or objects on ground (e.g. people counting, train track monitoring, intruder detection, etc.). Moving objects might be easier to detect due to doppler effect, and detecting flying objects may be especially easier due to less clutter. Mapping of the local environment 102 can include flooding detection, digital twin of local environment, immersive experiences, detection of structural damages, etc.

[0014] [7] A second category of use cases for ISAC includes sensing non-physical properties, such propagation properties 103 (e.g. weather monitoring, air quality monitoring, etc.), and RF interference 104 (e.g. for improving communication, threat detection such as jamming, detection of interference for spectrum sharing, etc).

[0015] [8] Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Report 22.837 entitled “Study on Integrated Sensing and Communication” version 19.4.0 dated June 28, 2024 (hereinafter “TR 22.837”) describes use cases and potential requirements for enhancement of a 5G system to provide sensing services addressing different target verticals / applications, e.g. autonomous / assisted driving, V2X, UAVs, 3D map reconstruction, smart city, smart home, factories, healthcare, maritime sector. Use cases focus on NR-based sensing, while some use cases might make use of information already available in EPC and E-UTRA (e.g. cell / UE measurements, location updates).

[0016] [9] The following is a list of example use cases in TR 22.837.

[0017] • 5.1 Use case of intruder detection in smart home

[0018] • 5.2 Use case on pedestrian / animal intrusion detection on a highway

[0019] • 5.3 Use case on rainfall monitoring

[0020] • 5.4 Use case on transparent sensing use case

[0021] • 5.5 Use case on sensing for flooding in smart cities

[0022] • 5.6 Use case on intruder detection in surroundings of smart home

[0023] • 5.7 Use case on sensing for railway intrusion detection

[0024] • 5.8 Use case on sensing assisted automotive maneuver and navigation

[0025] • 5.9 Use case on AGV detection and tracking in factories

[0026] • 5.10 Use case on UAV flight trajectory tracing

[0027] • 5.11 Use case on sensing at crossroads with / without obstacleP113400W001

[0028] - 3 - • 5.12 Use case on Network assisted sensing to avoid UAV collision

[0029] • 5.13 Use case on sensing for UAV intrusion detection

[0030] • 5.14 Use case on sensing for tourist spot traffic management

[0031] • 5.15 Use case on contactless sleep monitoring service

[0032] • 5.16 Use case on Protection of Sensing Information

[0033] • 5.17 Use case on health monitoring at home

[0034] • 5.18 Use case on service continuity of unobtrusive health monitoring

[0035] • 5.19 Use case on sensor groups

[0036] • 5.20 Use case of sensing for parking space determination

[0037] • 5.21 Use case of seamless XR streaming

[0038] • 5.22 Use case of UAVs / vehicles / pedestrians detection near smart grid equipment

[0039] • 5.23 Use case on AMR collision avoidance in smart factories

[0040] • 5.24 Use case on roaming for sensing service of sports monitoring

[0041] • 5.25 Use Case on immersive experience based on sensing

[0042] • 5.26 Use case on accurate sensing for automotive maneuvering and navigation service

[0043] • 5.27 Use case public safety search and rescue or apprehend

[0044] • 5.28 Use case on vehicles sensing for ADAS

[0045] • 5.29 Use case on coarse gesture recognition for application navigation and immersive interaction.

[0046] • 5.30 Use case on sensing for automotive manoeuvring and navigation service when not served by RAN

[0047] • 5.31 Use case on blind spot detection

[0048] • 5.32 Use case of integrated sensing and positioning in factory hall

[0049]

[0010] Figure 2 is a schematic of varying methods for sensing. For a monostatic sensing system 201, the same node is used as transmitter and receiver, for example using radar technology. Full-duplex operation may be needed, or “blind zone” around TX node. A bistatic sensing system 202 can avoid self-interference by using different nodes as transmitters and receivers. Tight synchronization may be needed with line of sight to multiple nodes, and “blind zone” around TX / RX line. A multistatic sensingP113400W001

[0050] - 4 -system 203 is an extension to the bistatic sensing system by combining multiple bistatic sensing links.

[0051]

[0011] Further example details of ISAC and use cases are provided in the following documents which are incorporated by reference:

[0052] • Erik Ekudden & Yossi Cohen entitled “Integrated Sensing and Communication unlocks spatial location of objects” dated June 20, 2024 accessible at https: / / www.ericsson.com / en / blog / 2024 / 6 / integrated-sensing-and- communication.

[0053] • Hakan Andersson Y entitled “Joint communication and sensing in 6G networks” dated October 25, 2021 accessible at https: / / www.ericsson.com / en / blog / 2021 / 10 / joint-sensing-and-communication- 6g.

[0054] • Robert Baldemair entitled “Integrated Sensing and Communication” dated June 19, 2024 accessible at https: / / www.ericsson.com / en / blog / 2024 / 6 / integrated- sensing-and-communication.

[0055] Summary of the Disclosure

[0056]

[0012] Although there are many use cases for ISAC, there is currently a lack of privacy framework. This can lead to problems. For example, there may be use cases where an owner of a sensing location (e.g., own apartment) doesn’t want anyone, or selected apps only, to allow a sensing job to occur. ISAC may not allow an apartment owner or landlord to deny sensing jobs inside their own property. There is currently no way to decide the feature support level in general, but specifically with regards to the consent logic, inside the Sensing Core Functionality. It is an object of some embodiments to address or mitigate some or all of these privacy and consent issues.

[0057]

[0013] Some embodiments disclosed herein use a new set of area definitions for sensing which can make it possible to base consent agreements upon, and / or make it possible to enforce privacy agreements and / or regulations on. Some embodiments disclosed herein enable a feature capability exchange between the functions inside a Sensing Core. Some embodiments disclosed herein utilize whitelist and / or blacklist for sensing tasks in general and per AF in specific. Some embodiments disclosed herein make it possible to enforce privacy regulations in a specified geographical area.P113400W001

[0058] - 5 -

[0014] This document describes Sensing Core Functionalities and interaction with 6G-RAN and especially a 6G-NB. The architecture is equally applicable to NG-RAN and gNB.

[0059]

[0015] According to an aspect, there is provided a method for execution by a network node. The method involves receiving a request for a sensing job involving a plurality of requested areas. The method also involves obtaining permission information for the sensing job. The method also involves initiating the sensing job with one or more other network nodes.

[0060]

[0016] The method also involves sending, in response to the request, a result of the sensing job in accordance with the permission information. Notably, the result that is sent includes, for each requested area that is permitted by the permission information, at least one measurement for one or more exposed serving areas corresponding to the requested area.

[0061]

[0017] In this way, privacy and consent can be enforced based on the permission information. Specifically, the result that is returned does not include measurements for any exposed serving areas corresponding to any requested areas that are not permitted by the permission information. Due to the possibility that consent is not given for an area requested, there may be areas that does not get any result (but rather gets rejected).

[0062]

[0018] In some embodiments, the network node determines which other network nodes to involve with the sensing job based on which of the requested areas are permitted according to the permission information. Thus, initiating the sensing job involves initiating the sensing job with only those other network nodes that are to be involved based on the permission information, and the result that is sent in response to the request is based on what is returned from the sensing job.

[0063]

[0019] In other embodiments, the network node determines which other network nodes to involve with the sensing job based on the requested areas regardless of the permission information. Thus, initiating the sensing job involves initiating the sensing job with all of those other network nodes that are to be involved based on the requestedP113400W001

[0064] - 6 -areas, but the result that is sent in response to the request is a subset of what is returned from the sensing job in accordance with the permission information.

[0065]

[0020] In some implementations, the requested areas are geo-coordinate areas. In some implementations, the permission information includes a whitelist of geocoordinate areas that are permitted and / or a blacklist of geo-coordinate areas that are not permitted. Other implementations are possible.

[0066]

[0021] In some implementations, the method involves sending, to a repository node (NRF), a query including geo-coordinate areas that are permitted according to the permission information. Furthermore, the method involves receiving, from the NRF, identification of one or more Sensing Request Handler (SRH) nodes having serving sensing areas that cover the permitted geo-coordinate areas. In this way, the initiating of the sensing job can involve initiating the sensing job with the identified SRH nodes. Other implementations are possible.

[0067]

[0022] In some implementations, obtaining the permission information involves sending, to a consent manager, a permission request, and receiving, from the consent manager, the permission information. In some implementations, the permission information is specific to an application function identifier associated with the request, such that different application functions have different geo-coordinate areas that are permitted or not permitted for sensing jobs.

[0068]

[0023] In some embodiments, the network node is an exposure node, the request is received from an application function node, and each of the other network nodes is a Sensing Request Handler (SRH) node. In other embodiments, the network node is a Sensing Request Handler (SRH) node, the request is received from an exposure node, and each of the other network nodes is a Sensing Unit Controller (SUC) node.

[0069]

[0024] According to another aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium having recorded thereon statements and instructions that, when executed by a processor of a network node, configure the network node to implement a method as summarized above.

[0070]

[0025] According to another aspect, there is provided a network node. The exposure node has a network interface configured to communicate with other networkP113400W001

[0071] - 7 -nodes, and control circuitry coupled to the network interface. The control circuitry is configured to receive, over the network interface, a request for a sensing job involving a plurality of requested areas. The control circuitry is also configured to obtain permission information for the sensing job. The control circuitry is also configured to initiate the sensing job with one or more other network nodes.

[0072]

[0026] The control circuitry is also configured to send, over the network interface in response to the request, a result of the sensing job in accordance with the permission information. Notably, the result that is sent includes, for each requested area that is permitted by the permission information, at least one measurement for one or more exposed serving areas corresponding to the requested area.

[0073]

[0027] In this way, privacy and consent can be enforced based on the permission information. Specifically, the result that is returned does not include measurements for any exposed serving areas corresponding to any requested areas that are not permitted by the permission information. Due to the possibility that consent is not given for an area requested, there may be areas that does not get any result (but rather gets rejected).

[0074]

[0028] In some implementations, the control circuitry is also configured to implement a method as summarized above.

[0075]

[0029] According to another aspect, there is provided a method for execution by a consent manager. The method involves receiving, from a network node, a permission request for a sensing job involving a plurality of requested areas. The method also involves sending, to the network node, permission information for the sensing job.

[0076]

[0030] In some implementations, the permission information is defined by a user via a portal. In some implementations, the permission information is specific to an application function identifier associated with the request, such that different application functions have different geo-coordinate areas that are permitted or not permitted for sensing jobs.

[0077]

[0031] In some implementations, the requested areas are geo-coordinate areas. In some implementations, the permission information includes a whitelist of geo-P113400W001

[0078] - 8 -coordinate areas that are permitted and / or a blacklist of geo-coordinate areas that are not permitted. Other implementations are possible.

[0079]

[0032] According to another aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium having recorded thereon statements and instructions that, when executed by a processor of a consent manager, configure the consent manager to implement a method as summarized above.

[0080]

[0033] According to another aspect, there is provided a consent manager. The consent manager has a network interface configured to communicate with other network nodes, and control circuitry coupled to the network interface. The control circuitry is configured to receive, from a network node over the network interface, a permission request for a sensing job involving a plurality of requested areas. The control circuitry is also configured to send, to the network node over the network interface, permission information for the sensing job.

[0081]

[0034] In some implementations, the control circuitry is also configured to implement a method as summarized above.

[0082]

[0035] Other aspects and features of the present disclosure will become apparent, to those ordinarily skilled in the art, upon review of the following description of the various embodiments of the disclosure.

[0083] Brief Description of the Drawings

[0084]

[0036] Embodiments will now be described with reference to the attached drawings in which:

[0085] Figure 1 is a schematic of sensing definition and categories of use cases for I SAC;

[0086] Figure 2 is a schematic of varying methods for sensing;

[0087] Figure 3 is a schematic showing example target sensing areas;

[0088] Figure 4 is a schematic showing example details of primary and secondary SLICs;P113400W001

[0089] - 9 - Figure 5 is a schematic showing an external exposure Application Programming Interface (API);

[0090] Figure 6 is a block diagram of a communication system, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure;

[0091] Figure 7 is a sequence drawings of a method of performing a sensing job based on permission information, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure;

[0092] Figure 8 is a schematic showing area handling;

[0093] Figure 9 is a flowchart of another method of performing a sensing job based on permission information;

[0094] Figure 10 is a flowchart of a method of consent handling based on a geocoordinate area;

[0095] Figure 11 is a flowchart of another method of consent handling based on a geo-coordinate area;

[0096] Figure 12 is a schematic of an example cellular communications system in which some embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0097] Figures 13A and 13B are block diagrams of a wireless communication system represented as a 5G network architecture in which some embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0098] Figures 14 and 16 are block diagrams of a radio access node according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0099] Figure 15 is a block diagram that illustrates a virtualized embodiment of a radio access node according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and Figures 17 and 18 are block diagrams of a wireless communication device.

[0100] Detailed Description of Embodiments

[0101]

[0037] It should be understood at the outset that although illustrative implementations of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure are provided below, the disclosed systems and / or methods may be implemented using any number of techniques. The disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrativeP113400W001

[0102] - 10 -implementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below, including the exemplary designs and implementations illustrated and described herein, but may be modified within the scope of the appended embodiment along with their full scope of equivalents.

[0103] Introduction

[0104]

[0038] Figure 3 is a schematic showing example target sensing areas 301-303. A Sensing Core Controller (SCC) can determine a target sensing area per sensing request. The SCC can use a Sensing Unit Controller (SUC) for a target area 301. The SCC can use a primary and secondary SUC I Sensing RAN Controller (SRC) for a target sensing area 302. The SCC can use serval SUCs I sensing SRC in sequence or in parallel for a target area 303. Note that sensing results from different SUCs may involve fusion processing.

[0105]

[0039] Figure 4 is a schematic showing example details of primary and secondary SUCs 401-402. The primary SUC 401 is part of a first NB 403 while the secondary SUC 402 is part of a second NB 404. Each SUC 401-402 is coupled to a Sensing Unit (SU) 405-406 and a sensing processing function (SPF) 407-408. A RAN Sensing Request Handler (SRH) 409 and a Core SRH 410 are coupled to the primary SUC 401 of the first NB 403. The SPF 408 that is coupled to the secondary SUC 402 of the second NB 404 provides results either to RAN UC SPF 411 or to core UC SPF 412 depending on use case. The SRH 409-410 can include a target sensing area into a request. A sensing result can be produced by the SPFs 407-408 of the NBs 403-404 and provided to a Core UC SPF 410. Note that the use of assisting UE implies use of AMF, UDM and UUSF, which are not shown for brevity.

[0106]

[0040] Note the following example definitions for various terms:

[0107] • “Sensing request” is what is sent by the client (via exposure) to the SRH.

[0108] • “Sensing measurement request” is what is sent by the SRH to the SUC.

[0109] • “Target sensing area” is a geographical area specified in the sensing request.

[0110] For one-off or periodic sensing request this may be stationary for the duration of the entire sensing process - or can be updated by the Sensing Client. For tracking requests, the target sensing area may be updated by the Sensing Control Plane as the detected object moves within the coverage area of the BS’s cells or based on a new sensing request from client. Note that the target sensingP113400W001

[0111] - 11 - area is not expressed as tracking areas. Target sensing area can be two or three dimensional geo-coordinates.

[0112] • “Geofencing” is an ability to create a virtual fence or imaginary boundary on a specific geographic area. After you create the boundary, you can set alerts to notify you when a device moves into or out of the boundary.

[0113]

[0041] Figure 5 is a schematic showing an external exposure Application Programming Interface (API). At step 501, an Application Function (AF) sends a request including a Geographical Area in which a sensing job shall be initiated. The Geographical Area (map positions, need Exposure to resolve into understandable values i.e. , Sensing Area) could be pre-agreed between the CSP and the external AF, i.e., both parties know which area it is about OR the AF could provide Geo-Coordinates that the CSP later need to resolve to Target Sensing Area(s). The request can also include an AF identifier, a sensing type (which UC), a measurement time (opt. time window), an action (start / stop), a report interval (conditional, only if action == start), and source URI (address to the AF, for the result).

[0114]

[0042] This request is normally received (possibly via aggregators) to the API GW inside the CSP domain. The API GW may authenticate the AF before it forwards the sensing job initiation (including the Area in which the job is requested) to e.g., a NEF, Network Exposure Function, (or similar function) at step 502. The NEF assigns an external transaction ID and can reply to the request, e.g. 200 OK and ExtResultld. The NEF can also map the area in which the job is requested to the Target Sensing Area(s) in order to send the sensing job request to the correct Core (or RAN) SRH instance at step 503. The sensing job request can include an area identification (sensing area), a sensing type (which UC), a report interval (conditional, only if action == start), a source URI (address of Exposure GW for the result). The Core SRH assigns the internal transaction ID and can reply to the request, e.g. 200 OK and IntResultld.

[0115]

[0043] At step 504, the Core UC SPF sends to the Exposure (Using Source URI as target address, may be send to SCC): IntResultld, area information (sensing area), time information, and sensing result.P113400W001

[0116] - 12 -

[0044] At step 505, the Exposure sends to the AF (Notification, Sensing Client maps from Internal to External Transaction Id): ExtResultld, area information (Optional), time information (optional), and sensing result.

[0117]

[0045] Referring now to Figure 6, shown is a block diagram of a communication system 600, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. The communication system 600 has UEs 660a-c capable of accessing a network 602, which might for example be a 5G network (e.g. 5G Advanced), a 6G network, or some other network. Further example details of the network 602 are provided below under the section “Additional Details” in context of 5G technology, although it is to be understood that embodiments of the disclosure are applicable to 6G networks. The network 602 has several network nodes including a first network node 610, a requesting node 620, a consent management node 630, other network nodes 650a-c, and may have other nodes not as well that are not shown.

[0118]

[0046] The first network node 610 has a network interface 615 configured to communicate with other nodes of the communication system 600, a computer readable medium (CRM) 619, and control circuitry 616 coupled to the network interface 615 and the CRM 619. In some implementations, the control circuitry 616 includes a processor 617 that executes software, which can stem from a memory 618. However, other implementations are possible and are within the scope of this disclosure. The first network node 610 can have additional components, but these are not shown for simplicity.

[0119]

[0047] The requesting node 620, the consent management node 630, and the other network nodes 650a-c can have similar components as the first network node 610. For example, the consent management node 630 can have control circuitry 363 (including a processor 637 and memory 638), a network interface 635 and a CRM 639.

[0120]

[0048] The control circuitry 616 of the first network node 610 and the control circuitry 363 of the consent management node 630 implement a method of performing a sensing job based on permission information. Such method will be described below with reference to Figure 7. Although the method of Figure 6 is described below with reference to the communication system 600 shown in Figure 6, it is to be understoodP113400W001

[0121] - 13 -that the method of Figure 7 is applicable to other communication systems. In general, the method of Figure 7 is applicable to any appropriately configured communication system.

[0122]

[0049] At step 701, the network node 610 receives a request for a sensing job involving a plurality of requested areas. The request originates from the requesting node.

[0123]

[0050] At steps 702 and 703, the network node 610 obtains permission information for the sensing job. In some implementations, the permission information is obtained from the consent management node via request and response as shown. However, other ways to obtain the permission information are possible, including ways in which no request is made.

[0124]

[0051] In some implementations, the network node 610 determines permitted areas at step 704. The network node 610 can decide which of the requested areas are permitted according to the permission information. In some implementations, the network node 610 then determines which other network nodes 650a-c to involve with the sensing job based on which of the requested areas are permitted according to the permission information. In the illustrated example, only the first two other network nodes 650a-b are involved, while the last other network node 650c is not involved.

[0125]

[0052] At step 705, the network node 610 initiates the sensing job. In some implementations, as shown in the illustrated example, the sensing job is initiated with only those other network nodes 650a-b that are to be involved based on the permission information. In other implementations, the sensing job is initiated with all of the other network nodes 650a-c regardless of the permission information.

[0126]

[0053] After the sensing operation is performed at step 706, the network node 610 receives results of the sensing at step 707. Then, at step 708, the network node 610 can respond to the sensing request by sending a result of the sensing job in accordance with the permission information. Notably, the result that is sent includes, for each requested area that is permitted by the permission information, at least one measurement for one or more exposed serving areas corresponding to the requested area.P113400W001

[0127] - 14 -

[0054] In this way, privacy and consent can be enforced based on the permission information. Specifically, the result that is returned does not include measurements for any exposed serving areas corresponding to any requested areas that are not permitted by the permission information. Due to the possibility that consent is not given for an area requested, there may be areas that does not get any result (but rather gets rejected).

[0128]

[0055] The result that is sent at step 708 is based on what is returned from the sensing job at step 707. The result that is sent at step 708 can include all of the data that is returned from the sensing job at step 707, particularly when only the first two other network nodes 650a-b are involved. Alternatively, in the event that all of the other network nodes 650a-c are involved regardless of the permission information, the result that is sent at step 708 can include a subset of what is returned from the sensing job at step 707, in accordance with the permission information. In the event that the permission information has changed at some time between the start of the process and step 707, the subset of what is returned from the sensing job at step 708 can account for that change.

[0129]

[0056] In some implementations, the requested areas are geo-coordinate areas. In some implementations, the permission information includes a whitelist of geocoordinate areas that are permitted and / or a blacklist of geo-coordinate areas that are not permitted. Other implementations are possible.

[0130]

[0057] In some embodiments, the network node 610 is an exposure node, the requesting node is an application function node, and each of the other network nodes 650a-650c is a Sensing Request Handler (SRH) node. An example of such embodiment is described later with reference to Figure 10.

[0131]

[0058] In other embodiments, the network node 610 is a Sensing Request Handler (SRH) node, the requesting node is an exposure node, and each of the other network nodes 650a-650c is a Sensing Unit Controller (SUC) node. An example of such embodiment is described later with reference to Figure 11.

[0132]

[0059] According to another embodiment of the disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory CRM having recorded thereon statements and instructions that, whenP113400W001

[0133] - 15 - executed by the processor 617 of the first network node 610, implement a method as described herein. The non-transitory computer readable medium can be the memory 618 and / or the CRM 619 of the first network node 610 shown in Figure 6, or some other non-transitory CRM.

[0134]

[0060] According to another embodiment of the disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory CRM having recorded thereon statements and instructions that, when executed by the processor 637 of the consent management node 630, implement a method as described herein. The non-transitory computer readable medium can be the memory 638 and / or the CRM 639 of the consent management node 630 shown in Figure 6, or some other non-transitory CRM.

[0135]

[0061] Examples of a non-transitory CRM include memory, an SSD (Solid State Drive), a hard disk drive, a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Video Disc), a BD (Blu- ray Disc), a memory stick, etc. Other non-transitory CRMs are also possible.

[0136]

[0062] The illustrated examples described herein focus on software implementations. However, other implementations are possible and are within the scope of this disclosure. Other implementations can include additional or alternative hardware components, such as any appropriately configured FPGA (Field- Programmable Gate Array), ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), and / or microcontroller, for example. Thus, the control circuitry 616 of the first network node 614 and the control circuitry 636 of the consent management node 630 can instead be implemented with any suitable combination of hardware, software and / or firmware.

[0137]

[0063] Further example details are provided in the following sections. It is to be understood that the following sections are very specific and are provided merely for exemplary purposes, such that other implementations are possible and within the scope of the disclosure.

[0138]

[0139]

[0064] Note the following example definitions for various terms:

[0140] • “Sil Area” is an area where an Sil can be used for sensing measurement, i.e. , the area a certain Sil “covers”. This area may be a 2D or 3D representation.P113400W001

[0141] - 16 - • “SUC Area” is an area controlled by a certain SUC, i.e., the area in which the SUC is in direct control of one or more SUs.

[0142] • “Serving Sensing Area” is an area for which a certain SRH can handle a sensing job / task. The area may be described as a geographical area (in 2D or 3D) or even be represented by a geographical point representing, e.g., its deployment location or a point in the area where it can handle a sensing job / task.

[0143] • “Target Sensing Area” is an area targeted for a certain sensing measurement.

[0144] Typically used between the sensing workflow manager (SRH) and the sensing unit coordinator (SUC).

[0145] • “Exposed Serving Sensing Area” is a pre-determined area used in the exposure interface with external sensing clients, e.g., to be used in SLAs with sensing clients. This area may or may not be based on the network-internal Serving Sensing Areas.

[0146]

[0065] Figure 8 is a schematic showing area handling. Sensing area management could result in what is shown in Figure 8. The SRH has registered (or is configured) in the exposure layer during design time. Added in this disclosure is a feature capability exchange: during the registration phase the SRH may provide its feature support capability in its NFProfile, i.e., the support for whitelist and / or blacklist logic (or none).

[0147]

[0066] Figure 9 is a flowchart of another method of performing a sensing job based on permission information.

[0148]

[0067] At step 901 , an AF requests a sensing job on a specific Geolocation, using Geo-coordinates or, if used, one or more Exposed Serving Sensing Areas as input.

[0149]

[0068] At step 902, unless the SRH has registered (or is configured) in the exposure layer during deployment time, the NRF (or an alternative registry) is requested to provide a suitable SRH using the geo-coordinates as input key.

[0150]

[0069] At step 903, the NRF (or other registry function) uses the input from the exposure layer and returns the SRHs which Serving Sensing Area(s) cover / best matches the requested geo-coordination area. Alternatively, the NRF (or an alternativeP113400W001

[0151] - 17 -registry) could return a list of SRHs together with their Serving Sensing Areas and let the Exposure layer choose the SRH.

[0152]

[0070] At step 904, the Exposure function forwards the request to the SRH(s) that fits the request including the original geo-coordinates provided by the AF. The SRH can use the received geo-coordinates to find SUC(s) that can control sensing measurements in respective area(s) defined by the geo-coordinates, either based on local information or querying a registry (described above). The SRH maps / transforms the geo-coordinates of the Target Sensing Area(s) used towards the selected SUC(s).

[0153]

[0071] At step 905, the SRH sends a sensing measurement request to the SUC(s) that fits the request, including the Target Sensing Area(s).

[0154]

[0072] At step 906, the target Sensing Area sent to a SUC may be larger than the SUC Area, triggering the SUC to make use of a Secondary SUC.

[0155]

[0073] At step 907, the SUC(s) selects the SU(s) that fits the request) and configures these SU(s) for sensing measurement. This may include communicating with secondary SUC(s) as described herein and in step 906 above.

[0156]

[0074] To add the consent perspective the following outcome is expected IF consent management is interjected between step 901 and 902 above.

[0157]

[0075] Figure 10 is a flowchart of a method of consent handling based on a geocoordinate area. It is to be understood that this flowchart is very specific and that other implementations are possible.

[0158]

[0076] Pre-requisite: The Consent Manager has been configured to provide either blacklist of addresses / geo-coordinates that should be excluded from sensing tasks, alternatively it could be a whitelist that allows sensing tasks. The consent could be per AF, Application Function. It could be possible for a “homeowner” to give or block consent via a portal which then could either use exposure APIs or direct connection towards a database. There may be checks and authentication of the initial API invoker and some cross reference so that one can only block “own” address and not anyone else.P113400W001

[0159] - 18 -

[0077] At step 1001 , an external Sensing request received from an AF (via an API GW and possibly an Aggregator) including the requested geo-coordinate area(s) for the sensing job {a, b, c}.

[0160]

[0078] At step 1002, the Exposure function contacts the consent management, including the AF identifier, to retrieve any sensing job blacklisted geo-coordinates {b, d, x, y}. It is optional if this blacklist should be per AF (using the AF Identifier for per AF filtering) or not but for the sake of this example it’s included. Once the result is received to the Exposure function, an allowed geo-coordinate area(s) is constructed for the sensing job {a, b, c} - {b, d, x, y} {a, b, c} {a, c}. Due to the blacklisted geocoordinates, the sensing job is {a, c}.

[0161]

[0079] At step 1003, the Exposure function contacts the NRF using the allowed geo-coordinate area(s), {a, c}, and as a result SRH a and SRH b are returned, optionally including the full serving sensing area for each SRH. Note that no result for SRH c is retuned because SRH c includes geo-coordinate area b which is blacklisted.

[0162]

[0163] This result could optionally be kept in a cache in the Exposure layer OR be used at SRH re-selection in case of SRH failure.

[0164]

[0080] Note that the steps “1002” and “1003” could be swapped, i.e., the Exposure layer would contact the NRF using the requested geo-coordinate area(s) {a, b, c}. The requested geo-coordinate area(s) {a, b, c} would then be limited to the allowed geo-coordinate area(s) {a, c} after interaction with the consent management function. Swapping steps “1002“ and “1003” may involve the Exposure Layer to use the allowed geo-coordinate area(s) {a, c} to match with the SRHs provided by the NRF.

[0165]

[0081] At step 1004, the Exposure function contacts one or more SRHs, including the allowed geo-coordinate area(s) {a, c}.

[0166]

[0082] At step 1005, the SRHs contacts one or more SLICs, including the allowed geo-coordinate area(s) {a, c}. For IPR completeness the SRH may also include something similar to a blocked geo-coordinate area(s) to the SUC(s).P113400W001

[0167] - 19 -

[0083] At step 1006, the SLICs contacts the Sils to start the sensing job, using the allowed geo-coordinate area(s) for target Sil selection.

[0168]

[0084] For a system that does not make use of the Secondary SUC solution, the SRHs can work with area list that filter away any “non-supported area”. Either prefiltered by the Exposure function when sending the request to the SRH, or by the SRH itself.

[0169]

[0085] Figure 11 is a flowchart of another method of consent handling based on a geo-coordinate area. It is to be understood that this flowchart is very specific and that other implementations are possible.

[0170]

[0086] Pre-requisite: The Consent Manager has been configured to provide either blacklist of addresses / geo-coordinates that should be excluded from sensing tasks, alternatively it could be a whitelist that allows sensing tasks. The consent could be per AF, Application Function. It could be possible for a “homeowner” to give or block consent via a portal which then could either use exposure APIs or direct connection towards a database. There may be checks and authentication of the initial API invoker and some cross reference so that one can only block “own” address and not anyone else.

[0171]

[0087] At step 1101, External Sensing request received from an AF (via an API GW and possibly an Aggregator) including the requested geo-coordinate area(s) for the sensing job {a, b, c}.

[0172]

[0088] At step 1102, The Exposure function contacts the NRF using the requested geo-coordinate area(s), {a, b, c}, and as a result SRH a, SRH b, and SRH c are returned, optionally including the full serving sensing area for each SRH.

[0173]

[0174] This result could optionally be kept in a cache in the Exposure layer OR be used at SRH re-selection in case of SRH failure.P113400W001

[0175] - 20 -

[0089] At step 1103, the Exposure function contacts one or more SRHs, including the requested geo-coordinate area(s) {a, b, c} as well as the AF identifier. Either the Exposure function provides all requested geo-coordinate area(s) to all SRHs.

[0176]

[0090] At step 1104, the SRHs contacts the consent management to retrieve any sensing job blacklisted geo-coordinates {b, d, x, y}.

[0177]

[0091] Once the result is received to the SRHs, an allowed geo-coordinate area is constructed for the sensing job in each SRH, i.e. , only the non-blacklisted ones out of the requested remain, i.e., {a, c}. It is optional if this blacklist should be per AF (using the AF Identifier for per AF filtering) or not.

[0178]

[0092] If there is no remaining area for an SRH, the request is rejected towards the Exposure function.

[0179]

[0093] At step 1105, the SRHs contacts one or more SLICs, including the allowed geo-coordinate area(s) {a, c}. For IPR completeness the SRH may also include something similar to a blocked geo-coordinate area(s) to the SUC(s).

[0180]

[0094] At step 1106, the SLICs contacts the Sils to start the sensing job, using the allowed geo-coordinate area(s) for target Sil selection.

[0181]

[0095] For a system that does not make use of the Secondary SUC solution, the SRHs can work with area list that filter away any “non-supported area”. Either prefiltered by the Exposure function when sending the request to the SRH, or by the SRH itself.

[0182] Additional Details

[0183]

[0096] Additional details are provided below with reference to Figures 12 through 18. It is to be understood that these details are very specific for exemplary purposes only.

[0184]

[0097] Figure 12 illustrates one example of a cellular communications system 1200 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. In the embodiments described herein, the cellular communications system 1200 is a 5GS including a NG-RAN (Next Generation RAN) and a 5GC (5G Core). In this example,P113400W001

[0185] - 21 -the RAN includes base stations 1202-1 and 1202-2, which in the 5GS include NR base stations (gNBs) and optionally next generation eNBs (ng-eNBs) (e.g., LTE RAN nodes connected to the 5GC), controlling corresponding (macro) cells 1204-1 and 1204-2. The base stations 1202-1 and 1202-2 are generally referred to herein collectively as base stations 1202 and individually as base station 1202. Likewise, the (macro) cells 1204-1 and 1204-2 are generally referred to herein collectively as (macro) cells 1204 and individually as (macro) cell 1204.

[0186]

[0098] The RAN may also include a number of low power nodes 1206-1 through 1206-4 controlling corresponding small cells 1208-1 through 1208-4. The low power nodes 1206-1 through 1206-4 can be small base stations (such as pico or femto base stations) or RRHs (Remote Radio Heads), or the like. Notably, while not illustrated, one or more of the small cells 1208-1 through 1208-4 may alternatively be provided by the base stations 1202. The low power nodes 1206-1 through 1206-4 are generally referred to herein collectively as low power nodes 506 and individually as low power node 1206. Likewise, the small cells 1208-1 through 1208-4 are generally referred to herein collectively as small cells 1208 and individually as small cell 1208.

[0187]

[0099] The cellular communications system 1200 also includes a core network 1210, which in the 5GS is referred to as the 5GC. The base stations 1202 (and optionally the low power nodes 1206) are connected to the core network 1210.

[0188]

[0100] The base stations 1202 and the low power nodes 1206 provide service to wireless communication devices 1212-1 through 1212-5 in the corresponding cells 1204 and 1208. The wireless communication devices 1212-1 through 1212-5 are generally referred to herein collectively as wireless communication devices 1212 and individually as wireless communication device 1212. In the following description, the wireless communication devices 1212 are oftentimes UEs, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0189]

[0101] Referring now to Figure 13A, shown is a block diagram of a wireless communication system represented as a 5G network architecture composed of core NFs (Network Functions), where interaction between any two NFs is represented by a point-to-point reference point / interface. Figure 13A can be viewed as one particular implementation of the system 1200 of Figure 12.P113400W001

[0190] - 22 -

[0102] Seen from the access side the 5G network architecture shown in Figure 13A includes a plurality of UEs 1313 connected to either a RAN 1307 or an (Access Network) as well as an AMF 1300. Typically, the R(AN) 1307 comprises base stations, e.g. such as eNBs or gNBs or similar. Seen from the core network side, the 5GC NFs shown in Figure 13A include a NSSF 1302, an ALISF 1304, a UDM 1306, the AMF 1300, a SMF 1308, a PCF 1310, and an AF (Application Function) 1312.

[0191]

[0103] Reference point representations of the 5G network architecture are used to develop detailed call flows in the normative standardization. The N1 reference point is defined to carry signaling between the UE 1313 and AMF 1300. The reference points for connecting between the AN 1307 and AMF 1300 and between the AN 1307 and UPF 1314 are defined as N2 and N3, respectively. There is a reference point, N11, between the AMF 1300 and SMF 1308, which implies that the SMF 1308 is at least partly controlled by the AMF 1300. N4 is used by the SMF 1308 and UPF 1314 so that the UPF 1314 can be set using the control signal generated by the SMF 1308, and the UPF 1314 can report its state to the SMF 1308. N9 is the reference point for the connection between different UPFs 1314, and N14 is the reference point connecting between different AMFs 1300, respectively. N15 and N7 are defined since the PCF 1310 applies policy to the AMF 1300 and SMF 1308, respectively. N12 is utilized for the AMF 1300 to perform authentication of the UE 1313. N8 and N10 are defined because the subscription data of the UE 1313 is utilized for the AMF 1300 and SMF 1308.

[0192]

[0104] The 5GC network aims at separating UP and CP. The UP carries user traffic while the CP carries signaling in the network. In Figure 13A, the UPF 1314 is in the UP and all other NFs, i.e., the AMF 1300, SMF 1308, PCF 1310, AF 1312, NSSF 1302, AUSF 1304, and UDM 1306, are in the CP. Separating the UP and CP guarantees each plane resource to be scaled independently. It also allows UPFs to be deployed separately from CP functions in a distributed fashion. In this architecture, UPFs may be deployed very close to UEs to shorten the RTT (Round Trip Time) between UEs and data network for some applications involving low latency.

[0193]

[0105] The core 5G network architecture is composed of modularized functions. For example, the AMF 1300 and SMF 1308 are independent functions in the CP. Separated AMF 1300 and SMF 1308 allow independent evolution and scaling. OtherP113400WQ01

[0194] - 23 - CP functions like the PCF 1310 and ALISF 1304 can be separated as shown in Figure 13A. Modularized function design enables the 5GC network to support various services flexibly.

[0195]

[0106] Each NF interacts with another NF directly. It is possible to use intermediate functions to route messages from one NF to another NF. In the CP, a set of interactions between two NFs is defined as service so that its reuse is possible. This service enables support for modularity. The UP supports interactions such as forwarding operations between different UPFs.

[0196]

[0107] Referring now to Figure 13B, shown is a block diagram of a 5G network architecture using service-based interfaces between the NFs in the CP, instead of the point-to-point reference points / interfaces used in the 5G network architecture of Figure 13A. However, the NFs described above with reference to Figure 13B correspond to the NFs shown in Figure 13A. The service(s) etc. that a NF provides to other authorized NFs can be exposed to the authorized NFs through the service-based interface. In Figure 13B, the service based interfaces are indicated by the letter “N” followed by the name of the NF, e.g. Namf for the service based interface of the AMF 1300 and Nsmf for the service based interface of the SMF 1308, etc. The NEF 1303 and the NRF 1301 in Figure 13B are not shown in Figure 13A discussed above. However, it should be clarified that all NFs depicted in Figure 13A can interact with the NEF 1303 and the NRF 1301 of Figure 13B as necessary, though not explicitly indicated in Figure 13A.

[0197]

[0108] Some properties of the NFs shown in Figures 13A and 13B may be described in the following manner. The AMF 1300 provides UE-based authentication, authorization, mobility management, etc. A UE 1313 even using multiple access technologies is basically connected to a single AMF 1300 because the AMF 1300 is independent of the access technologies. The SMF 1308 is responsible for session management and allocates IP (Internet Protocol) addresses to UEs. It also selects and controls the UPF 1314 for data transfer. If a UE 1313 has multiple sessions, different SMFs 1308 may be allocated to each session to manage them individually and possibly provide different functionalities per session. The AF 1312 provides information on the packet flow to the PCF 1310 responsible for policy control in order to support QoS. Based on the information, the PCF 1310 determines policies about mobility and sessionP113400W001

[0198] -24 -management to make the AMF 1300 and SMF 1308 operate properly. The ALISF 1304 supports authentication function for UEs or similar and thus stores data for authentication of UEs or similar while the UDM 1306 stores subscription data of the UE 1313. The DN (Data Network), not part of the 5GC network, provides Internet access or operator services and similar.

[0199]

[0109] An NF may be implemented either as a network element on a dedicated hardware, as a software instance running on a dedicated hardware, or as a virtualized function instantiated on an appropriate platform, e.g., a cloud infrastructure.

[0200]

[0110] Figure 14 is a schematic block diagram of a radio access node 1400 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Optional features are represented by dashed boxes. The radio access node 1400 may be, for example, a base station 1202 or 1206 or a network node that implements all or part of the functionality of the base station 1202 or gNB described herein. As illustrated, the radio access node 1400 includes a control system 1402 that includes one or more processors 1404 (e.g., CPUs (Central Processing Units), ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), and / or the like), memory 1406, and a network interface 1408. The one or more processors 1404 are also referred to herein as processing circuitry. In addition, the radio access node 1400 may include one or more radio units 1410 that each includes one or more transmitters 1412 and one or more receivers 1414 coupled to one or more antennas 1416. The radio units 1410 may be referred to or be part of radio interface circuitry. In some embodiments, the radio unit(s) 1410 is external to the control system 1402 and connected to the control system 1402 via, e.g., a wired connection (e.g., an optical cable). However, in some other embodiments, the radio unit(s) 1410 and potentially the antenna(s) 1416 are integrated together with the control system 1402. The one or more processors 1404 operate to provide one or more functions of a radio access node 1400 as described herein. In some embodiments, the function(s) are implemented in software that is stored, e.g., in the memory 1406 and executed by the one or more processors 1404.

[0201]

[0111] Figure 15 is a schematic block diagram that illustrates a virtualized embodiment of the radio access node 1400 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. This discussion is equally applicable to other types of networkP113400W001

[0202] - 25 -nodes. Further, other types of network nodes may have similar virtualized architectures. Again, optional features are represented by dashed boxes.

[0203]

[0112] As used herein, a “virtualized” radio access node is an implementation of the radio access node 1400 in which at least a portion of the functionality of the radio access node 1400 is implemented as a virtual component(s) (e.g., via a virtual machine(s) executing on a physical processing node(s) in a network(s)). As illustrated, in this example, the radio access node 1400 may include the control system 1402 and / or the one or more radio units 1410, as described above. The control system 1402 may be connected to the radio unit(s) 1410 via, for example, an optical cable or the like. The radio access node 1400 includes one or more processing nodes 1500 coupled to or included as part of a network(s) 1502. If present, the control system 1402 or the radio unit(s) 1410 are connected to the processing node(s) 1500 via the network 1502. Each processing node 1500 includes one or more processors 1504 (e.g., CPUs, ASICs, FPGAs, and / or the like), memory 1506, and a network interface 1508.

[0204]

[0113] In this example, functions 1510 of the radio access node 1400 described herein are implemented at the one or more processing nodes 1500 or distributed across the one or more processing nodes 1500 and the control system 1402 and / or the radio unit(s) 1410 in any desired manner. In some particular embodiments, some or all of the functions 1510 of the radio access node 1400 described herein are implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines implemented in a virtual environment(s) hosted by the processing node(s) 1500. As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, additional signaling or communication between the processing node(s) 1500 and the control system 1402 is used in order to carry out at least some of the desired functions 1510. Notably, in some embodiments, the control system 1402 may not be included, in which case the radio unit(s) 1510 communicates directly with the processing node(s) 1500 via an appropriate network interface(s).

[0205]

[0114] In some embodiments, a computer program including instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to carry out the functionality of radio access node 1400 ora node (e.g., a processing node 1500) implementing one or more of the functions 1510 of the radio access node 1400 in a virtual environment according to any of the embodiments described herein is provided. In some embodiments, a carrier comprising the aforementioned computer programP113400W001

[0206] - 26 -product is provided. The carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal, or a computer readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer readable medium such as memory).

[0207]

[0115] Figure 16 is a schematic block diagram of the radio access node 1400 according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. The radio access node 1400 includes one or more modules 1600, each of which is implemented in software. The module(s) 1600 provide the functionality of the radio access node 1400 described herein. This discussion is equally applicable to the processing node 1500 of Figure 15 where the modules 1600 may be implemented at one of the processing nodes 1500 or distributed across multiple processing nodes 1500 and / or distributed across the processing node(s) 1500 and the control system 1402.

[0208]

[0116] Figure 17 is a schematic block diagram of a wireless communication device 1700 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the wireless communication device 1700 includes one or more processors 1702 (e.g., CPUs, ASICs, FPGAs, and / or the like), memory 1704, and one or more transceivers 1706 each including one or more transmitters 1708 and one or more receivers 1710 coupled to one or more antennas 1712. The transceiver(s) 1706 includes radio-front end circuitry connected to the antenna(s) 1712 that is configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna(s) 1712 and the processor(s) 1702, as will be appreciated by on of ordinary skill in the art. The processors 1702 are also referred to herein as processing circuitry. The transceivers 1706 are also referred to herein as radio circuitry. In some embodiments, the functionality of the wireless communication device 1700 described above may be fully or partially implemented in software that is, e.g., stored in the memory 1704 and executed by the processor(s) 1702. Note that the wireless communication device 1700 may include additional components not illustrated in Figure 17 such as, e.g., one or more user interface components (e.g., an input / output interface including a display, buttons, a touch screen, a microphone, a speaker(s), and / or the like and / or any other components for allowing input of information into the wireless communication device 1700 and / or allowing output of information from the wireless communication device 1700), a power supply (e.g., a battery and associated power circuitry), etc.P113400W001

[0209] - 27 -

[0117] In some embodiments, a computer program including instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to carry out the functionality of the wireless communication device 1700 according to any of the embodiments described herein is provided. In some embodiments, a carrier comprising the aforementioned computer program product is provided. The carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal, or a computer readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer readable medium such as memory).

[0210]

[0118] Figure 18 is a schematic block diagram of the wireless communication device 1700 according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. The wireless communication device 1700 includes one or more modules 1800, each of which is implemented in software. The module(s) 1800 provide the functionality of the wireless communication device 1700 described herein.

[0211]

[0119] Any appropriate steps, methods, features, functions, or benefits disclosed herein may be performed through one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual apparatuses. Each virtual apparatus may comprise a number of these functional units. These functional units may be implemented via processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessor or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include DSPs (Digital Signal Processor), special-purpose digital logic, and the like. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or several types of memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. Program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communications protocols as well as instructions for carrying out one or more of the techniques described herein. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to cause the respective functional unit to perform corresponding functions according one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0212]

[0120] While processes in the figures may show a particular order of operations performed by certain embodiments of the present disclosure, it should be understood that such order is exemplary (e.g., alternative embodiments may perform the operations in a different order, combine certain operations, overlap certain operations, etc.).P113400W001

[0213] -28 -

[0121] Numerous modifications and variations of the present disclosure are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended embodiments, the disclosure may be practised otherwise than as specifically described herein.

Claims

P113400W001- 29 - Claims:

1. A method for execution by a network node (610), comprising:receiving (701) a request for a sensing job involving a plurality of requested areas;obtaining (703) permission information for the sensing job;initiating (705a-b) the sensing job with one or more other network nodes; andsending (708), in response to the request, a result of the sensing job in accordance with the permission information;wherein the result that is sent includes, for each requested area that is permitted by the permission information, at least one measurement for one or more exposed serving areas corresponding to the requested area.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising:determining (704) which other network nodes to involve with the sensing job based on which of the requested areas are permitted according to the permission information;wherein initiating the sensing job comprises initiating the sensing job with only those other network nodes that are to be involved based on the permission information, and wherein the result that is sent in response to the request is based on what is returned from the sensing job.

3. The method of claim 1 , comprising:determining (704) which other network nodes to involve with the sensing job based on the requested areas regardless of the permission information;wherein initiating the sensing job comprises initiating the sensing job with all of those other network nodes that are to be involved based on the requested areas,P113400W001- 30 -and wherein the result that is sent in response to the request is a subset of what is returned from the sensing job in accordance with the permission information.

4. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the requested areas are geo-coordinate areas.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the permission information comprises a whitelist of geo-coordinate areas that are permitted.

6. The method of claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the permission information comprises a blacklist of geo-coordinate areas that are not permitted.

7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising:sending (902, 1003), to a repository node (NRF), a query including geocoordinate areas that are permitted according to the permission information; andreceiving (902, 1003), from the NRF, identification of one or more Sensing Request Handler (SRH) nodes having serving sensing areas that cover the permitted geo-coordinate areas;wherein initiating the sensing job comprises initiating the sensing job with the identified SRH nodes.

8. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein obtaining the permission information comprises:sending (702, 1002, 1004), to a consent manager, a permission request; andreceiving (703, 1002, 1004), from the consent manager, the permission information.

9. The method of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the permission information is specific to an application function identifier associated with the request, such that different application functions have different geo-coordinate areas that are permitted or not permitted for sensing jobs.P113400W001- 31 - 10. The method of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the network node comprises an exposure node, the request is received from an application function node, and each of the other network nodes comprises a Sensing Request Handler (SRH) node.

11. The method of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the network node comprises a Sensing Request Handler (SRH) node, the request is received from an exposure node, and each of the other network nodes comprises a Sensing Unit Controller (SUC) node.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium having recorded thereon statements and instructions that, when executed by a processor of a network node, configure the network node to implement a method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. A network node, comprising:a network interface configured to communicate with other network nodes;control circuitry coupled to the network interface and configured to:receive, over the network interface, a request for a sensing job involving a plurality of requested areas;obtain permission information for the sensing job;initiate the sensing job with one or more other network nodes; andsend, over the network interface in response to the request, a result of the sensing job in accordance with the permission information;wherein the result that is sent includes, for each requested area that is permitted by the permission information, at least one measurement for one or more exposed serving areas corresponding to the requested area.

14. The network node of claim 13, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to implement a method according to any one of claims 2 to 11.P113400W001- 32 - 15. A method for execution by a consent management node, comprising:receiving (702), from a network node, a permission request for a sensing job involving a plurality of requested areas; andsending (703), to the network node, permission information for the sensing job.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the permission information is defined by a user via a portal.

17. The method of claim 15 or claim 16, wherein the requested areas are geocoordinate areas.

18. The method of claim 15 or claim 16, wherein the permission information comprises a whitelist of geo-coordinate areas that are permitted.

19. The method of any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the permission information comprises a blacklist of geo-coordinate areas that are not permitted.

20. The method of any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein the permission information is specific to an application function identifier associated with the request, such that different application functions have different geo-coordinate areas that are permitted or not permitted for sensing jobs.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium having recorded thereon statements and instructions that, when executed by a processor of a consent management node, configure the consent manager to implement a method according to any one of claims 15 to 20.

22. A consent management node (630), comprising:a network interface (635) configured to communicate with other network nodes;control circuitry (636) coupled to the network interface and configured to:P113400W001- 33 - receive, from a network node over the network interface, a permission request for a sensing job involving a plurality of requested areas; andsend, to the network node over the network interface, permission information for the sensing job.

23. The consent manager of claim 22, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to implement a method according to any one of claims 16 to 20.

Images