WO2024060077A1

WO2024060077A1 - Method and apparatus for integrated sensing and communication

Info

Publication number: WO2024060077A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/120266
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lianhai WU; Jianfeng Wang; Haiming Wang; Luning Liu; Zhi YAN
Original assignee: Lenovo (Beijing) Limited
Priority date: 2022-09-21
Filing date: 2022-09-21
Publication date: 2024-03-28

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method and apparatus for integrated sensing and communication. According to some embodiments of the disclosure, a user equipment (UE) may receive, from an upper layer of the UE or a network node, a request to perform sensing in a target area; and perform a sensing task in response to the request to perform sensing in the target area.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INTEGRATED SENSING AND COMMUNICATION

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to communication technology, and more particularly to integrated sensing and communication in a wireless communication system.

BACKGROUND

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services, such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcasts, and so on. Wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power) . Examples of wireless communication systems may include fourth generation (4G) systems, such as long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth generation (5G) systems which may also be referred to as new radio (NR) systems.

Wireless sensing technologies aim to acquire information about a remote object and its characteristics without physically contacting it. The perception data of the object can be utilized for analysis, so that meaningful information about the object and its characteristics can be obtained. Radar is a widely used wireless sensing technology that uses radio waves to determine the distance (range) , angle, or instantaneous linear velocity of objects. There are other sensing technologies including non-radio frequency (RF) sensors, which have been used in other areas, e.g., time-of-flight (ToF) cameras, accelerometers, gyroscopes and Lidars.

Integrated sensing and communication may refer to that the sensing capabilities are provided by the same wireless communication system and infrastructure (e.g., 5G NR) as used for communication, and the sensing information could be derived from RF-based and/or non-RF based sensors. In general, it could involve scenarios of communication assisted sensing, for example, where a communication system (e.g., 5G system) provides sensing services or sensing assisted communication, or when the sensing information related to the communication channel or environment is used to improve the communication service of the communication system itself, or the sensing information can be used to assist radio resource management, interference mitigation, beam management, mobility, etc.

Mobile operators can also play an important role in providing the integrated sensing and communication (e.g., based on the 5G system) to customers, including, for example, the management and control of the 5G-based sensing services.

Therefore, it is desirable to introduce the integrated sensing and communication into a wireless communication system such as a 5G system.

SUMMARY

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a user equipment (UE) . The UE may include: a transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver. The processor may be configured to: receive, from an upper layer of the UE or a network node, a request to perform sensing in a target area; and perform a sensing task in response to the request to perform sensing.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a base station (BS) . The BS may include: a transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver. The processor may be configured to: receive, from a network node, a request for a sensing related service; and transmit, to at least one user equipment (UE) , a request to perform sensing in response to the request for the sensing related service; wherein the request for the sensing related service indicates at least one of the following: area information indicating a target area in which the sensing is to be performed; an accuracy requirement for the sensing related service; a total number of UEs performing sensing for the sensing related service; ID (s) of at least one UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; a speed threshold for a UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; a link quality threshold for a UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; or the number of UEs performing sensing for the sensing related service per a sub-area of the target area.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the area information indicates an ID of the target area or a list of cells covering the target area.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the total number of UEs is defined as the number of UEs per cell or per BS, or indicates as a value range, or indicates as a minimum number of UEs.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor is further configured to perform at least one of the following: transmitting an ID of a UE of the at least one UE which leaves the target area to the network node; receiving a leaving indication from the UE of the at least one UE; receiving a measurement result related to the sensing from the UE of the at least one UE; or transmitting the measurement result related to the sensing to the network node.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor is further configured to: in response to the number of connected UEs served by the BS fails to satisfy the request for the sensing related service, transmit a request for employing an inactive or idle UE to the network node; and receive a UE ID of the inactive or idle UE from the network node. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the request for employing an inactive or idle UE indicates the number of connected UEs served by the BS or the number of additional UEs required for satisfying the request for the sensing related service.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the network node is an access and mobility management function (AMF) or a sensing function (SF) .

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a network node. The network node may include: a transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver. The processor may be configured to: transmit, to a base station (BS) , a request for a sensing related service, wherein the request for the sensing related service indicates at least one of the following: area information indicating a target area in which the sensing is to be performed; an accuracy requirement for the sensing related service; a total number of UEs performing sensing for the sensing related service; ID (s) of at least one UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; a speed threshold for a UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; a link quality threshold for a UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; or the number of UEs performing sensing for the sensing related service per a sub-area of the target area; and receive, from the BS, a measurement result related to the sensing related service, an ID of a UE performing sensing for the sensing related service which leaves the target area, or both.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the network node is an access and mobility management function (AMF) . In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the network node is a sensing function (SF) , and the request for a sensing related service is transmitted to the BS via the AMF.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method performed by a UE. The method may include: receiving, from an upper layer of the UE or a network node, a request to perform sensing in a target area; and performing a sensing task in response to the request to perform sensing.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the sensing task includes at least one of the following: receiving a downlink (DL) reference signal (RS) for the sensing; reporting a measurement result related to the sensing; or transmitting an uplink (UL) RS for the sensing to a serving cell of the UE, a neighbor cell or both.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the request includes area information indicating the target area. The method further includes transiting to a connected state in response to the UE being in an inactive or idle state. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, transiting to the connected state includes performing cell reselection based on the area information. Performing the cell reselection based on the area information includes at least one of: selecting a suitable cell belonging to the target area for connection setup; or stopping transition from the inactive or idle state to a connected state in response to unable to find a suitable cell belonging to the target area.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, performing the sensing task includes performing the sensing task when the UE is in a connected state, an inactive state, or an idle state.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes performing at least one of the following when the UE leaves the target area: transiting from an inactive or idle state to a connected state in the case that the UE performs the sensing task in an inactive or idle state; transmitting a leaving indication to a base station (BS) ; or transmitting a measurement result related to the sensing to the BS.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the target area is a part of a cell or includes one or more than one cells.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes: receiving a handover command indicating a target cell; and in response to the target cell belonging to the target area, performing at least one of: keeping configuration associated with the sensing; or continuing performing the sensing task during the handover, after the handover, or both.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes: receiving a handover command indicating a target cell; and in response to the target cell not belonging to the target area, performing at least one of: releasing the configuration associated with the sensing; or stopping the sensing task.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the request includes area information indicating the target area. The method further includes selecting a suitable cell for reestablishment based on the area information in response to initiating a reestablishment procedure at the UE.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes in response to the suitable cell belonging to the target area, performing at least one of: keeping configuration associated with the sensing; or continuing performing the sensing task during the reestablishment, after the reestablishment, or both; or in response to the suitable cell not belonging to the target area, perform at least one of: releasing the configuration associated with the sensing; or stopping the sensing task.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, selecting the suitable cell for reestablishment based on the area information includes preferentially selecting a cell which belongs to the target area among a plurality of suitable cells for reestablishment.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the request indicates an ID of the target area or a list of cells covering the target area.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method performed by a BS. The method may include: receiving, from a network node, a request for a sensing related service; and transmitting, to at least one user equipment (UE) , a request to perform sensing in response to the request for the sensing related service; wherein the request for the sensing related service indicates at least one of the following: area information indicating a target area in which the sensing is to be performed; an accuracy requirement for the sensing related service; a total number of UEs performing sensing for the sensing related service; ID (s) of at least one UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; a speed threshold for a UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; a link quality threshold for a UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; or the number of UEs performing sensing for the sensing related service per a sub-area of the target area.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes at least one of the following: transmitting an ID of a UE of the at least one UE which leaves the target area to the network node; receiving a leaving indication from the UE of the at least one UE; receiving a measurement result related to the sensing from the UE of the at least one UE; or transmitting the measurement result related to the sensing to the network node.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes: in response to the number of connected UEs served by the BS fails to satisfy the request for the sensing related service, transmitting a request for employing an inactive or idle UE to the network node; and receiving a UE ID of the inactive or idle UE from the network node. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the request for employing an inactive or idle UE indicates the number of connected UEs served by the BS or the number of additional UEs required for satisfying the request for the sensing related service.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method performed by a network node. The method may include: transmitting, to a base station (BS) , a request for a sensing related service, wherein the request for the sensing related service indicates at least one of the following: area information indicating a target area in which the sensing is to be performed; an accuracy requirement for the sensing related service; a total number of UEs performing sensing for the sensing related service; ID (s) of at least one UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; a speed threshold for a UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; a link quality threshold for a UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; or the number of UEs performing sensing for the sensing related service per a sub-area of the target area; and receiving, from the BS, a measurement result related to the sensing related service, an ID of a UE performing sensing for the sensing related service which leaves the target area, or both.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the apparatus may include: at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions; at least one receiving circuitry; at least one transmitting circuitry; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, the at least one receiving circuitry and the at least one transmitting circuitry, wherein the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium and the computer executable instructions may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform a method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Embodiments of the present application provide a technical solution for integrated sensing and communication, which can facilitate and improve the implementation of various communication technologies.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to describe the manner in which the advantages and features of the disclosure can be obtained, a description of the disclosure is rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended drawings. These drawings depict only exemplary embodiments of the disclosure and are not therefore to be considered limiting of its scope.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary sensing procedure in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5-9 illustrate flow charts of exemplary procedures of integrated sensing and communication in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG 4A illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary procedure for positioning in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary apparatus in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description of the appended drawings is intended as a description of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present disclosure may be practiced. It should be understood that the same or equivalent functions may be accomplished by different embodiments that are intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. To facilitate understanding, embodiments are provided under a specific network architecture (s) and new service scenarios, such as the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) 5G (NR) , 3GPP long-term evolution (LTE) Release 8, and so on. It is contemplated that along with the developments of network architectures and new service scenarios, all embodiments in the present disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems; and moreover, the terminologies recited in the present disclosure may change, which should not affect the principles of the present disclosure.

With the development of communication technologies, a sensing function or sensing ability is proposed to be introduced to the 3GPP. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide solutions for enabling and improving integrated sensing and communication in a communication system. For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, a sensing related service may be requested and issued to entities in a communication system. A UE may perform sensing in response to the request. Enhancements on the interface between the UE, BS, and network node may be needed to enable the sensing function. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide signaling and procedures to enable and improve the integrated sensing and communication.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system 100 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 1, a wireless communication system 100 may include a base station (e.g., BS 102) and some UEs 101 (e.g., UEs 101A-101E) located within the coverage area 105 of BS 102. Although a specific number of UE 101 and BS 102 is depicted in FIG. 1, it is contemplated that any number of UEs and BSs may be included in the wireless communication system 100.

UE 101 may include computing devices, such as desktop computers, laptop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs) , tablet computers, smart televisions (e.g., televisions connected to the Internet) , set-top boxes, game consoles, security systems (including security cameras) , vehicle on-board computers, network devices (e.g., routers, switches, and modems) , or the like. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, UE 101 may include a portable wireless communication device, a smart phone, a cellular telephone, a flip phone, a device having a subscriber identity module, a personal computer, a selective call receiver, or any other device that is capable of sending and receiving communication signals on a wireless network. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, UE 101 includes wearable devices, such as smart watches, fitness bands, optical head-mounted displays, or the like. Moreover, UE 101 may be referred to as a subscriber unit, a mobile, a mobile station, a user, a terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a fixed terminal, a subscriber station, a user terminal, or a device, or described using other terminology used in the art. UE 101 may communicate with BS 102 via uplink (UL) communication signals.

UE 101 may be in one of the following states: an RRC-IDLE state, an RRC_CONNECTED state, or an RRC_INACTIVE state (also referred to as idle, connected, or inactive state, respectively) , at a given time. The specific characteristics of the RRC-IDLE state, RRC_CONNECTED state, and RRC_INACTIVE state are defined in 3GPP specifications.

BS 102 may be distributed over a geographic region. In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, BS 102 may also be referred to as an access point, an access terminal, a base, a base unit, a macro cell, a Node-B, an evolved Node B (eNB) , a gNB, a Home Node-B, a relay node, or a device, or described using other terminology used in the art. BS 102 is generally a part of a radio access network that may include one or more controllers communicably coupled to one or more corresponding BSs 102. BS 102 may communicate with UE 101 via downlink (DL) communication signals.

BS 102 may be in communication with a core network (not shown in FIG. 1) . The core network (CN) may include a plurality of network nodes, such as a mobility management entity (MME) (not shown in FIG. 1) or an access and mobility management function (AMF) (not shown in FIG. 1) . The CN may serve as gateways for the UEs to access a public switched telephone network (PSTN) and/or other networks (not shown in FIG. 1) . In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the CN may further include a sensing function (SF) which may be in communication with, for example, the AMF or location management function (LMF) .

The wireless communication system 100 may be compatible with any type of network that is capable of sending and receiving wireless communication signals. For example, the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with a wireless communication network, a cellular telephone network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) -based network, a code division multiple access (CDMA) -based network, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) -based network, an LTE network, a 3GPP-based network, a 3GPP 5G network, a satellite communications network, a high altitude platform network, and/or other communications networks.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with 5G NR of the 3GPP protocol. For example, BS 102 may transmit data using an orthogonal frequency division multiple (OFDM) modulation scheme on the DL and the UE 101 may transmit data on the UL using a discrete Fourier transform-spread-orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM) or cyclic prefix-OFDM (CP-OFDM) scheme. More generally, however, the wireless communication system 100 may implement some other open or proprietary communication protocols, for example, WiMAX, among other protocols.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, BS 102 and UE 101 may communicate using other communication protocols, such as the IEEE 802.11 family of wireless communication protocols. Further, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, BS 102 and UE 101 may communicate over licensed spectrums, whereas in some other embodiments, BS 102 and UE 101 may communicate over unlicensed spectrums. The present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the implementation of any particular wireless communication system architecture or protocol.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, BS 102 may want to sense a target (e.g., vehicle 103) in sensing area 106. For example, BS 102 may want to acquire the position, speed or lane occupying information of vehicle 103. This may also be referred to as “per-object sensing. ” In some embodiments of the present disclosure, BS 102 may want to sense the radio environment of sensing area 106. This may also be referred to as “per-area sensing. ” In some examples, BS 102 may select

UEs

101A and 101B to perform the sensing since

UEs

101A and 101B are within sensing area 106. UEs 101A and 101B may transmit corresponding signals to BS 102 for the sensing.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide various solutions to support integrated sensing and communication. More details on the embodiments of the present disclosure will be illustrated in the following text in combination with the appended drawings.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary sensing procedure 200 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Details described in all of the foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable for the embodiments shown in FIG. 2.

Procedure 200 illustrates a general sensing procedure. The procedure may be performed per a sensing area or per an object. Referring to FIG. 2, UE 201 and BS 202 may function as UE 101 and BS 102 shown in FIG. 1, respectively. AMF 207 may be in communication with SF 209 and BS 202. In some examples, SF 209 may or may not be in direct communication with BS 202. In some examples, SF 209 may be a part of an LMF.

In operation 211, AMF 207 may receive a sensing request from, for example, a sensing traffic requestor, for example, an application function (AF) or an internal network element (not shown in FIG. 2) . In response to receiving the request, AMF 207 may select a suitable SF (e.g., SF 209) according to, for example, the information of the target area or object. In operation 213, AMF 207 may transmit the sensing request to SF 209. In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, the sensing traffic requestor may directly transmit the sensing request to SF 209, which may then select a suitable AMF.

In response to receiving the request, SF 209 may determine the sensing manner to be employed. For example, in operation 215a, SF 209 may determine to employ a RAN-based sensing sub-procedure. For example, in operation 215b, SF 209 may determine to employ a UE-assisted sensing sub-procedure. For example, in operation 215c, SF 209 may determine to employ a UE-based sensing sub-procedure. It should be noted that the sensing sub-procedure may involve more than one BS and/or more than one UE.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when BS 202 and/or UE 201 are capable of performing a sensing operation (s) , a sensing response carrying a success indication may be transmitted to SF 209; otherwise, a sensing response carrying a failure indication may be transmitted to SF 209.

In operation 217, SF 209 may perform a sensing calculation based on the sensing measurements from BS 202 and may obtain a sensing result. In operation 219, SF 209 may transmit the sensing result to AMF 207. AMF 207 may transmit the sensing result to the sensing traffic requestor (e.g., the AF) . In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, SF 209 may transmit the sensing result to the sensing traffic requestor without AMF 207.

It should be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the sequence of the operations in exemplary procedure 200 may be changed and some of the operations in exemplary procedure 200 may be eliminated or modified, without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

Although embodiments of the present disclosure are described with respect to network nodes such as the AMF and SF, it is contemplated that other network nodes may be employed to perform the operations of the AMF and SF.

Various issues need to be solved during the sensing procedure. For example, what parameters should be included in a sensing request should be considered. For example, whether the number of UEs which perform the sensing should be indicated, how it should be indicated, which node decides such parameter should be considered. For example, solutions for a connected UE to perform the sensing are needed. For example, what is the impact on the cell reselection procedure when a UE transitions from an idle or inactive state to a connected state to perform the sensing task. For example, new UE behaviors may be required when a connected UE leaves the area in which the sensing is performed. For example, solutions for an idle or inactive UE to perform the sensing are needed. For example, new UE behaviors may be required when an idle or inactive UE leaves the area in which the sensing is performed. For example, the impact of a handover procedure on a UE performing the sensing task should be considered. For example, the impact of a reestablishment procedure on a UE performing the sensing task should be considered. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide solutions for handling the above issues. More details on the embodiments of the present disclosure will be illustrated in the following text in combination with the appended drawings.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary procedure 300 of integrated sensing and communication in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Details described in all of the foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable for the embodiments shown in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 3, UE 301 and BS 302 may respectively function as UE 101 and BS 102 shown in FIG. 1, or respectively function as UE 201 and BS 202 shown in FIG. 2. AMF 307 may be in communication with SF 309 and BS 302. In some examples, SF 309 may or may not be in direct communication with BS 302. AMF 307 and SF 309 may respectively function as AMF 207 and SF 209 shown in FIG. 2.

In operation 311 (denoted by dotted arrow as an option) , SF 309 may transmit a request for a sensing related service to AMF 307. In some embodiments, the request for the sensing related service may indicate at least one of the following: area information indicating a target area in which the sensing is to be performed; an accuracy requirement for the sensing related service; the total number of UEs (or the number of UEs) performing sensing for the sensing related service (denoted as “number #1” ) ; ID (s) of at least one UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; a speed threshold for a UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; a link quality threshold for a UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; or the number of UEs performing sensing for the sensing related service per a sub-area of the target area (denoted as “number #2” ) .

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the area information may indicate an ID of the target area or a list of cells covering the target area. Number #1 may refer to the number of UEs which is expected to perform measurement for the sensing service. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, number #1 may be defined as the number of UEs per cell or per BS. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, number #1 may be indicated as a value range (e.g., from the maximum value to the minimum) or a minimum number of UEs. The UE ID (s) in the request may refer to the UE (s) which is expected to perform measurement for the sensing service. The speed threshold and the link quality threshold can indicate whether a UE with a certain speed or certain link quality can be selected or not. Number #2 reflects the requirement for UE distribution. For example, the request may require that a certain number of UEs per unit area performs the sensing.

In response to receiving the request for the sensing related service, AMF 307 may transmit the request to BS 302 in operation 315. AMF 307 may transmit such request to one or more BSs.

Although in the example of FIG. 3, SF 309 determines the parameters in the request for the sensing related service and transmits the request to AMF 307, it is contemplated that AMF 307 may determine the parameters in some other embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, operation 311 may be omitted. AMF 307 may determine the information in the request for a sensing related service as defined above and then transmit the request to one or more BSs.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when a UE ID is included in the request, BS 302 may transmit a request to perform sensing to the UE with the UE ID. The request may include the configuration associated with the sensing. In some examples, the existence of such configuration may suggest the request to perform sensing.

For example, in the case that the UE is in a connected state, BS 302 may transmit a reconfiguration message or another message to the UE directly. The reconfiguration message may include the configuration of DL sensing reference signal (RS) , report configuration, or both. For example, in the case that the UE is in an idle or inactive state, BS 302 may first transmit a paging message to the UE. In response to receiving the paging message, the UE may transit to a connected state.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when number #1 is included in the request, BS 302 is expected to select one or more UEs to perform a sensing task. For example, BS 302 may select at least one UE in operation 317. The selection may be based on the request for the sensing related service. The selected UE may be in a connected, idle or inactive state. In some examples, the connected UE may be selected in priority.

For example, in the case that a connected UE (e.g., UE 301) is selected, BS 302 may transmit a request to perform sensing to UE 301 in operation 319. The request may include the configuration associated with the sensing. In some examples, the existence of such configuration may suggest the request to perform sensing. For example, BS 302 may transmit a reconfiguration message or another message to the UE. The reconfiguration message may include the configuration of DL sensing RS, report configuration, or both. For example, in the case that an idle or inactive UE is selected, BS 302 may first transmit a paging message to the selected UE such that it can transit to a connected state.

In some examples, the idle or inactive UE to be selected may be determined by the network. For example, in response to the number of connected UEs served by BS 302 fails to satisfy the request for the sensing related service, BS 302 may transmit a request for employing an inactive or idle UE to AMF 307 (not shown in FIG. 3) . For example, the number of connected UEs served by BS 302 may fail to satisfy number #1. For example, the number of connected UEs served by BS 302 that satisfies the speed threshold, the link quality threshold, or the distribution requirement may fail to satisfy number #1. In response to such request, AMF 307 may transmit the ID (s) of inactive or idle UE (s) to BS 302. BS 302 may page the corresponding UE (s) based on the UE ID (s) .

In some embodiments, the request for employing the inactive or idle UE may indicate the number of connected UEs served by the BS (e.g., the number of connected UEs that are selected or the total number of connected UEs served by the BS) . In some embodiments, the request for employing the inactive or idle UE may indicate the number of additional UEs required for satisfying the request for the sensing related service.

In response to receiving the request to perform sensing, a connected UE may perform a sensing task. An idle or inactive UE may perform a connection setup procedure first and then perform the sensing task in the connected state. As will be described later, a UE can perform a sensing task in the idle or inactive state. The sensing task may be performed based on the configuration associated with the sensing.

For example, still referring to FIG. 3, UE 301 may perform a sensing task in operation 321. The sensing task may include at least one of the following: receiving a DL RS for the sensing (e.g., from BS 302, a neighbor cell or both) ; reporting a measurement result related to the sensing (e.g., to BS 302) ; or transmitting a UL RS for the sensing (e.g., to BS 302, a neighbor cell or both) .

As stated above, in some embodiments, the network (e.g., a BS) may request an idle or inactive UE to transit to the connected state for sensing (e.g., via system information (SI) or paging message) . In response to receiving the request to perform sensing, the idle or inactive UE may perform a connection setup procedure to transit to the connected state for sensing.

In some embodiments, the area information indicating the target area may be indicated to the UE (e.g., the idle, inactive, or connected UE) in, for example, the request to perform sensing, the paging message, the SI, or the reconfiguration message.

In some embodiments, when the idle or inactive UE initiates the connection setup procedure, the UE may perform a cell reselection. In some embodiments, the cell reselection may be based on the area information. For example, the UE may consider the cell list or area indicated by the area information during the cell reselection. For example, in the case that at least one cell belonging to the target area (e.g., a cell within the target area or belongs to the indicated cell list) is a suitable cell, the UE should select one of the at least one cell. In the case that no suitable cell belonging to the target area can be found (e.g., no suitable cell is within the target area or belongs to the indicated cell list) , the UE may stop transition from the idle or inactive state to the connected state.

Still referring to FIG. 3, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, UE 301 may leave the target area and may inform BS 302 of its leaving. In some examples, the target area may be a part of a cell (e.g., the serving cell) . In some examples, the target area may include one or more than one cells.

For example, when UE 301 leaves the target area, UE 301 may transmit a leaving indication to BS 302 in operation 325. As stated above, a connected UE is configured to perform a measurement for the sensing within the target area. In some embodiments, UE 301 may also transmit the measurement result related to the sensing to BS 302 in operation 325. Put another way, the leaving of UE 301 may trigger the report of the measurement result related to the sensing.

In response to receiving the leaving indication, BS 302 may transmit the ID of UE 301 (i.e., the ID of the UE leaving the target area) to AMF 307 or SF 309. For example, BS 302 may transmit the UE ID to AMF 307 in operation 327. AMF 307 may transmit the UE ID to SF 309 in operation 329 (denoted by dotted arrow as an option) .

It should be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the sequence of the operations in exemplary procedure 300 may be changed and some of the operations in exemplary procedure 300 may be eliminated or modified, without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary procedure 400 of integrated sensing and communication in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Details described in all of the foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable for the embodiments shown in FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 4, UE 401 and BS 402 may respectively function as UE 101 and BS 102 shown in FIG. 1, or respectively function as UE 201 and BS 202 shown in FIG. 2, or respectively function as UE 301 and BS 302 shown in FIG. 3. AMF 407 may be in communication with SF 409 and BS 402. In some examples, SF 409 may or may not be in direct communication with BS 402. AMF 407 and SF 409 may respectively function as AMF 207 and SF 209 shown in FIG. 2, or respectively function as AMF 307 and SF 309 shown in FIG. 3.

In operation 411, UE 401 may have an RRC connection with BS 402 (i.e., serving BS of UE 401) . In some embodiments, UE 401 may report the capability related to the sensing function to BS 402 or AMF 407. The capability may include supporting reception of DL RS for sensing, supporting transmitting RS (e.g., a sounding RS (SRS) ) for sensing, and etc. In some embodiments, UE 401 may receive the capability of whether the network supports the sensing function or not.

In some embodiments, UE 401 may enter an idle or inactive state based on the configuration of BS 402. For example, BS 402 may transmit an RRC release message to UE 401. UE 401 may enter into the idle or inactive state in response to the reception of the RRC release message.

In operation 413 (denoted by dotted arrow as an option) , SF 409 may transmit a request for a sensing related service to AMF 407. In some embodiments, the descriptions with respect to operation 311 in FIG. 3 may apply to operation 413. The above descriptions with respect to the request for the sensing related service may also apply here. For example, in some embodiments, the request for the sensing related service may indicate at least one of the following: area information indicating a target area in which the sensing is to be performed; an accuracy requirement for the sensing related service; the total number of UEs (or the number of UEs) performing sensing for the sensing related service; ID (s) of at least one UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; a speed threshold for a UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; a link quality threshold for a UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; or the number of UEs performing sensing for the sensing related service per a sub-area of the target area. For example, in some embodiments, the area information may indicate an ID of the target area or a list of cells covering the target area.

In response to receiving the request for the sensing related service, AMF 407 may transmit the request to BS 402 in operation 415. AMF 407 may transmit such request to one or more BSs. In some embodiments, the descriptions with respect to operation 315 in FIG. 3 may apply to operation 415.

Although in the example of FIG. 4, SF 409 determines the parameters in the request for the sensing related service and transmits the request to AMF 407, it is contemplated that AMF 407 may determine the parameters in some other embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, operation 413 may be omitted. AMF 407 may determine the information in the request for a sensing related service as defined above and then transmit the request to one or more BSs.

In response to receiving the request for the sensing related service, BS 402 may transmit a request to perform sensing to at least one UE. The method for determining the at least one UE as described with respect to the previous text (e.g., FIG. 3) may apply here. The descriptions with respect to the request to perform sensing in the previous text may apply here.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a UE may be allowed to perform measurement for sensing in an idle or inactive state. For example, after a BS transmits a reconfiguration message to a UE, the BS may configure the UE to enter an idle or inactive state. In some examples, the reconfiguration message may include the configuration related to the sensing function. In some examples, the BS may configure the sensing information in a broadcast message.

For example, still referring to FIG. 4, BS 402 may transmit the request to perform sensing to UE 401, which is in an idle or inactive state, in operation 419. BS 402 may configure UE 401 (e.g., in the request message) to perform the measurement for sensing at the idle or inactive state. That is, UE 401 may perform the measurement for sensing while maintaining in the idle or inactive state (e.g., without transition to the connected state) . The configuration may include the area information (e.g., an area ID or a cell list) .

In operation 421, in response to receiving the request to perform sensing, UE 401 may perform the sensing task. The sensing task may be performed based on the configuration associated with the sensing. The definition of the sensing task as described above may apply here. For example, the sensing task may include at least one of the following: receiving DL RS for the sensing (e.g., from BS 402, a neighbor cell or both) ; reporting a measurement result related to the sensing; or transmitting UL RS for the sensing (e.g., to BS 402, a neighbor cell or both) .

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, UE 401 may leave the target area and may inform BS 402 of its leaving. In some examples, the target area may be a part of a cell (e.g., the serving cell) . In some examples, the target area may include one or more than one cells.

For example, when UE 401 leaves the target area, UE 401 may transit from the inactive or idle state to the connected state. Then, UE 401 may transmit a leaving indication to BS 402 in operation 425. In some embodiments, UE 401 may also transmit the measurement result related to the sensing to BS 402 in operation 425.

In response to receiving the leaving indication, BS 402 may transmit the ID of UE 401 (i.e., the ID of the UE leaving the target area) to AMF 407 or SF 409. For example, BS 402 may the UE ID to AMF 407 in operation 427. AMF 407 may transmit the UE ID to SF 409 in operation 429 (denoted by dotted arrow as an option) .

It should be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the sequence of the operations in exemplary procedure 400 may be changed and some of the operations in exemplary procedure 400 may be eliminated or modified, without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary procedure 500 of integrated sensing and communication in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Details described in all of the foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable for the embodiments shown in FIG. 5.

Referring to FIG. 5, UE 501 and BS 502 may respectively function as the UEs and BSs shown in FIGS. 1-4. AMF 507 may be in communication with SF 509 and BS 502. In some examples, SF 509 may or may not be in direct communication with BS 502. AMF 507 and SF 509 may respectively function as the AMFs and SFs shown in FIGS. 2-4.

In operation 511 (denoted by dotted arrow as an option) , SF 509 may transmit a request for a sensing related service to AMF 507. In some embodiments, the descriptions with respect to operation 311 in FIG. 3 and operation 413 in FIG. 4 may apply to operation 511. The above descriptions with respect to the request for the sensing related service may also apply here. For example, in some embodiments, the request for the sensing related service may indicate at least one of the following: area information indicating a target area in which the sensing is to be performed; an accuracy requirement for the sensing related service; the total number of UEs (or the number of UEs) performing sensing for the sensing related service; ID (s) of at least one UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; a speed threshold for a UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; a link quality threshold for a UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; or the number of UEs performing sensing for the sensing related service per a sub-area of the target area. For example, in some embodiments, the area information may indicate an ID of the target area or a list of cells covering the target area.

In response to receiving the request for the sensing related service, AMF 507 may transmit the request to BS 502 in operation 515. AMF 507 may transmit such request to one or more BSs. In some embodiments, the descriptions with respect to operation 315 in FIG. 3 and operation 415 in FIG. 4 may apply to operation 515.

Although in the example of FIG. 5, SF 509 determines the parameters in the request for the sensing related service and transmits the request to AMF 507, it is contemplated that AMF 507 may determine the parameters in some other embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, operation 511 may be omitted. AMF 507 may determine the information in the request for a sensing related service as defined above and then transmit the request to one or more BSs.

In response to receiving the request for the sensing related service, BS 502 may transmit a request to perform sensing to at least one UE. The method for determining the at least one UE as described with respect to the previous text may apply here. The descriptions with respect to the request to perform sensing in the previous text may apply here.

For example, referring to FIG. 5, BS 502 may transmit the request to perform sensing to UE 501 in operation 519. For example, the request may be transmitted via a reconfiguration message or another message. The reconfiguration message may include the configuration of DL sensing RS, report configuration, or both. The area information (e.g., an area ID or a cell list) may also be indicated to UE 501 (e.g., in the request or the reconfiguration message) .

In operation 521, in response to receiving the request to perform sensing, UE 501 may perform the sensing task. The sensing task may be performed based on the configuration associated with the sensing. The definition of the sensing task as described above may apply here. For example, the sensing task may include at least one of the following: receiving DL RS for the sensing (e.g., from BS 502, a neighbor cell or both) ; reporting a measurement result related to the sensing; or transmitting UL RS for the sensing (e.g., to BS 502, a neighbor cell or both) .

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in operation 525, UE 501 may receive a handover command indicating a target cell from BS 502.

In some embodiments, in response to the target cell belonging to the target area for sensing, UE 501 may perform at least one of: keeping the configuration associated with the sensing; or continuing performing the sensing task during the handover, after the handover, or both. For example, UE 501 may continue to keep the configuration associated with the sensing in its sensing layer and continue to perform the measurement for sensing during, after handover, or both. For example, the request to perform sensing may be received at the sensing layer of UE 501, which may request UE 501 (e.g., a lower layer) to perform the sensing task.

In some embodiments, in response to the target cell not belonging to the target area for sensing, UE 501 may perform at least one of: releasing the configuration associated with the sensing; or stopping the sensing task. For example, UE 501 may stop the measurement for sensing and release the configuration in the sensing layer.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the case that the target cell does not belong to the target area for sensing, BS 502 may inform AMF 507 or SF 509 of the UE’s leaving. For example, BS 502 may transmit the ID of UE 501 (i.e., the ID of the UE leaving the target area) to AMF 507 or SF 509. For example, BS 502 may the UE ID to AMF 507 in operation 527 (denoted by dotted arrow as an option) . AMF 507 may transmit the UE ID to SF 509 in operation 529 (denoted by dotted arrow as an option) .

It should be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the sequence of the operations in exemplary procedure 500 may be changed and some of the operations in exemplary procedure 500 may be eliminated or modified, without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary procedure 600 of integrated sensing and communication in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Details described in all of the foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable for the embodiments shown in FIG. 6.

Referring to FIG. 6, UE 601 and BS 602 may respectively function as the UEs and BSs shown in FIGS. 1-5. AMF 607 may be in communication with SF 609 and BS 602. In some examples, SF 609 may or may not be in direct communication with BS 602. AMF 607 and SF 609 may respectively function as the AMFs and SFs shown in FIGS. 2-5.

In operation 611 (denoted by dotted arrow as an option) , SF 609 may transmit a request for a sensing related service to AMF 607. In some embodiments, the descriptions with respect to operation 311 in FIG. 3, operation 413 in FIG. 4, and operation 511 in FIG. 5 may apply to operation 611. The above descriptions with respect to the request for the sensing related service may also apply here. For example, in some embodiments, the request for the sensing related service may indicate at least one of the following: area information indicating a target area in which the sensing is to be performed; an accuracy requirement for the sensing related service; the total number of UEs (or the number of UEs) performing sensing for the sensing related service; ID (s) of at least one UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; a speed threshold for a UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; a link quality threshold for a UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; or the number of UEs performing sensing for the sensing related service per a sub-area of the target area. For example, in some embodiments, the area information may indicate an ID of the target area or a list of cells covering the target area.

In response to receiving the request for the sensing related service, AMF 607 may transmit the request to BS 602 in operation 615. AMF 607 may transmit such request to one or more BSs. In some embodiments, the descriptions with respect to operation 315 in FIG. 3, operation 415 in FIG. 4 and operation 515 in FIG. 5 may apply to operation 615.

Although in the example of FIG. 6, SF 609 determines the parameters in the request for the sensing related service and transmits the request to AMF 607, it is contemplated that AMF 607 may determine the parameters in some other embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, operation 611 may be omitted. AMF 607 may determine the information in the request for a sensing related service as defined above and then transmit the request to one or more BSs.

In response to receiving the request for the sensing related service, BS 602 may transmit a request to perform sensing to at least one UE. The method for determining the at least one UE as described with respect to the previous text may apply here. The descriptions with respect to the request to perform sensing in the previous text may apply here.

For example, referring to FIG. 6, BS 602 may transmit the request to perform sensing to UE 601 in operation 619. For example, the request may be transmitted via a reconfiguration message or another message. The reconfiguration message may include the configuration of DL sensing RS, report configuration, or both. The area information (e.g., an area ID or a cell list) may also be indicated to UE 601.

In operation 621, in response to receiving the request to perform sensing, UE 601 may perform the sensing task. The sensing task may be performed based on the configuration associated with the sensing. The definition of the sensing task as described above may apply here. For example, the sensing task may include at least one of the following: receiving DL RS for the sensing (e.g., from BS 602, a neighbor cell or both) ; reporting a measurement result related to the sensing; or transmitting UL RS (e.g., the SRS) for the sensing (e.g., to BS 602, a neighbor cell or both) .

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, UE 601 may initiate a reestablishment procedure. For example, a radio link failure (RLF) may occur, for example, between UE 601 and BS 602. In response to the RLF, UE 601 may initiate a reestablishment procedure.

UE 601 may select a suitable cell for reestablishment in response to initiating the reestablishment procedure. In some embodiments, the selection may be based on the area information. For example, in the case that a plurality of cells are suitable for reestablishment during the cell selection, the suitable cell (s) among the plurality of cells belonging to the target area for sensing may be selected in priority.

In some embodiments, in response to the selected suitable cell belonging to the target area, UE 601 may perform at least one of: keeping configuration associated with the sensing; or continuing performing the sensing task during the reestablishment, after the reestablishment, or both. For example, UE 601 may continue to keep the configuration associated with the sensing in its sensing layer and continue to perform the measurement for sensing during, after the reestablishment, or both. For example, the request to perform sensing may be received at the sensing layer of UE 601, which may request a lower layer of UE 601 to perform the sensing task.

In some embodiments, in response to the selected suitable cell not belonging to the target area, UE 601 may perform at least one of: releasing the configuration associated with the sensing; or stopping the sensing task. For example, UE 601 may stop the measurement for sensing and release the configuration in the sensing layer.

It should be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the sequence of the operations in exemplary procedure 600 may be changed and some of the operations in exemplary procedure 600 may be eliminated or modified, without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary procedure 700 for integrated sensing and communication in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Details described in all of the foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable for the embodiments shown in FIG. 7. In some examples, the procedure may be performed by a UE.

Referring to FIG. 7, in operation 711, a UE may receive, from an upper layer (e.g., a sensing layer) of the UE or a network node, a request to perform sensing in a target area. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the request may indicate an ID of the target area or a list of cells covering the target area. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the network node may be an AMF or an SF.

In operation 713, the UE may perform a sensing task in response to the request. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the sensing task may include at least one of the following: receiving a DL RS for the sensing; reporting a measurement result related to the sensing; or transmitting a UL RS for the sensing to a serving cell of the UE, a neighbor cell or both. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, performing the sensing task may include performing the sensing task when the UE is in a connected state, an inactive state, or an idle state.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the request may include area information indicating the target area. The UE may transit to a connected state in response to the UE being in an inactive or idle state. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, transiting to the connected state may include performing cell reselection based on the area information. In some embodiments performing the cell reselection based on the area information may include at least one of: selecting a suitable cell belonging to the target area for connection setup; or stopping transition from the inactive or idle state to a connected state in response to unable to find a suitable cell belonging to the target area.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE may perform at least one of the following when the UE leaves the target area: transiting from an inactive or idle state to a connected state in the case that the UE performs the sensing task in an inactive or idle state; transmitting a leaving indication to a BS; or transmitting a measurement result related to the sensing to the BS.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the target area may be a part of a cell or includes one or more than one cells.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE may receive a handover command indicating a target cell. In some embodiments, in response to the target cell belonging to the target area, the UE may perform at least one of: keeping configuration associated with the sensing; or continuing performing the sensing task during the handover, after the handover, or both. In some embodiments, in response to the target cell not belonging to the target area, the UE may perform at least one of: releasing the configuration associated with the sensing; or stopping the sensing task.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the request may include area information indicating the target area. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE may select a suitable cell for reestablishment based on the area information in response to initiating a reestablishment procedure at the UE.

In some embodiments, in response to the suitable cell belonging to the target area, the UE may perform at least one of: keeping configuration associated with the sensing; or continuing performing the sensing task during the reestablishment, after the reestablishment, or both. In some embodiments, in response to the suitable cell not belonging to the target area, the UE may perform at least one of: releasing the configuration associated with the sensing; or stopping the sensing task.

In some embodiments, selecting the suitable cell for reestablishment based on the area information may include preferentially selecting a cell which belongs to the target area among a plurality of suitable cells for reestablishment.

It should be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the sequence of the operations in exemplary procedure 700 may be changed and some of the operations in exemplary procedure 700 may be eliminated or modified, without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary procedure 800 for integrated sensing and communication in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Details described in all of the foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable for the embodiments shown in FIG. 8. In some examples, the procedure may be performed by a BS.

Referring to FIG. 8, in operation 811, a BS may receive, from a network node, a request for a sensing related service. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the network node may be an AMF or an SF.

In operation 813, the BS may transmit, to at least one UE, a request to perform sensing in response to the request for the sensing related service.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the request for the sensing related service may indicate at least one of the following: area information indicating a target area in which the sensing is to be performed; an accuracy requirement for the sensing related service; a total number of UEs performing sensing for the sensing related service (e.g., number #1) ; ID (s) of at least one UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; a speed threshold for a UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; a link quality threshold for a UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; or the number of UEs performing sensing for the sensing related service per a sub-area of the target area (e.g., number #2) .

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the total number of UEs may be defined as the number of UEs per cell or per BS, or indicates as a value range, or indicates as a minimum number of UEs.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the BS may perform at least one of the following: transmitting an ID of a UE of the at least one UE which leaves the target area to the network node; receiving a leaving indication from the UE of the at least one UE; receiving a measurement result related to the sensing from the UE of the at least one UE; or transmitting the measurement result related to the sensing to the network node.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the BS may, in response to the number of connected UEs served by the BS fails to satisfy the request for the sensing related service, transmit a request for employing an inactive or idle UE to the network node. In some embodiments, the BS may receive a UE ID of the inactive or idle UE from the network node. In some embodiments, the request for employing an inactive or idle UE may indicate the number of connected UEs served by the BS or the number of additional UEs required for satisfying the request for the sensing related service.

It should be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the sequence of the operations in exemplary procedure 800 may be changed and some of the operations in exemplary procedure 800 may be eliminated or modified, without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary procedure 900 for integrated sensing and communication in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Details described in all of the foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable for the embodiments shown in FIG. 9. In some examples, the procedure may be performed by a network node.

Referring to FIG. 9, in operation 911, a network node may transmit, to a BS, a request for a sensing related service.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the area information may indicate an ID of the target area or a list of cells covering the target area. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the total number of UEs may be defined as the number of UEs per cell or per BS, or may indicate as a value range, or may indicate as a minimum number of UEs.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the network node may be an AMF.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the network node may be an SF. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the request for a sensing related service may be transmitted to the BS via the AMF.

In operation 913, the network node may receive, from the BS, a measurement result related to the sensing related service, an ID of a UE performing sensing for the sensing related service which leaves the target area, or both.

It should be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the sequence of the operations in exemplary procedure 900 may be changed and some of the operations in exemplary procedure 900 may be eliminated or modified, without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

The above embodiments and procedures are directed to the sensing function. It should be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that these embodiments and procedures can also be applied to a positioning case.

For example, the above embodiments and procedures can be reused for positioning by simply replacing the term “sensing” with the term “positioning. ” For instance, in the positioning case, a position-related measurement (s) instead of a sensing-related measurement (s) may be performed.

For example, the SF in the above embodiments and procedures may be replaced by another network node (e.g., location management function (LMF) ) . The LMF may transmit a request for positioning of a target device to an AMF. Alternatively, the AMF may determine the request for positioning. The AMF may transmit the request for positioning to one or more BS.

The LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) is terminated between a target device (a UE in the control-plane case or a secure user plane location (SUPL) enabled terminal (SET) in the user-plane case) and a positioning server (an LMF in the control-plane case or SUPL location platform (SLP) in the user-plane case) . It may use either the control-plane or user-plane protocols as underlying transport. LPP defined data structures for assistance data information are reused for supporting RRC broadcast of assistance data information which are embedded in positioning system information blocks (SIBs) . This enables broadcast assistance data using the same data structures which are used for point to point location. The LPP protocol data unit (PDU) is carried in a non-access stratum (NAS) PDU between the AMF and the UE.

The NR positioning protocol A (NRPPa) carries information between a next generation-radio access network (NG-RAN) node and the LMF. The NRPPa protocol is transparent to the AMF. The AMF routes the NRPPa PDUs transparently based on a routing ID corresponding to the involved LMF over the NG-control plane (NG-C) interface without knowledge of the involved NRPPa transaction. It carries the NRPPa PDUs over NG-C interface either in a UE associated mode or non-UE associated mode.

For example, procedure 400 in FIG. 4 can be applied to a positioning case, which is as shown in FIG. 4A. FIG. 4A illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary procedure 400A for positioning. Procedure 400A is similar to procedure 400, except that, for instance, SF 409 in FIG. 4 is replaced with LMF 405A in FIG. 4A. In FIG. 4A, AMF 407A may be in communication with LMF 405A. In some examples, LMF 405A may or may not be in direct communication with BS 402A. Description with respect to procedure 400 can be similarly applied to procedure 400A.

For example, in operation 411a, UE 401A may have an RRC connection with BS 402A (i.e., serving BS of UE 401A) . In some embodiments, UE 401A may report the capability related to the positioning function to BS 402A or AMF 407A. The capability may include supporting reception of DL RS for positioning, supporting transmitting RS for positioning, and etc. In some embodiments, UE 401A may receive the capability of whether the network supports the positioning function or not.

In some embodiments, UE 401A may enter an idle or inactive state based on the configuration of BS 402A. For example, BS 402A may transmit an RRC release message to UE 401A. UE 401A may enter into the idle or inactive state in response to the reception of the RRC release message.

In operation 413a (denoted by dotted arrow as an option) , LMF 405A may transmit a request for a positioning related service to AMF 407A. In some embodiments, the request for the positioning related service may indicate area information indicating a target area in which the positioning is to be performed. In some embodiments, the area information may indicate an ID of the target area or a list of cells covering the target area.

In response to receiving the request for the positioning related service, AMF 407A may transmit the request to BS 402A in operation 415a. AMF 407A may transmit such request to one or more BSs.

Although in the example of FIG. 4A, LMF 405A determines the request for the positioning related service and transmits the request to AMF 407A, it is contemplated that AMF 407A may determine the request in some other embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, operation 413a may be omitted. AMF 407A may determine the information in the request for a positioning related service and then transmit the request to one or more BSs.

In response to receiving the request for the positioning related service, BS 402A may transmit a request to perform positioning to at least one UE. The method for determining the at least one UE as previously described may apply here.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a UE may be allowed to perform measurement for positioning in an idle or inactive state. For example, after a BS transmits a reconfiguration message to a UE, the BS may configure the UE to enter an idle or inactive state. In some examples, the reconfiguration message may include the configuration related to the positioning function. In some examples, the BS may configure the positioning information in a broadcast message.

For example, still referring to FIG. 4A, BS 402A may transmit the request to perform positioning to UE 401A, which is in an idle or inactive state, in operation 419a. BS 402A may configure UE 401A (e.g., in the request message) to perform the measurement for positioning at the idle or inactive state. That is, UE 401A may perform the measurement for positioning while maintaining in the idle or inactive state (e.g., without transition to the connected state) . The configuration may include area information (e.g., an area ID or a cell list) indicating a target area in which the positioning is to be performed.

In operation 421a, in response to receiving the request to perform positioning, UE 401A may perform a positioning task. For example, the positioning task may include at least one of the following: receiving DL RS for the positioning (e.g., from BS 402A, a neighbor cell or both) ; reporting a measurement result related to the positioning; or transmitting UL RS for the positioning (e.g., to BS 402A, a neighbor cell or both) .

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, UE 401A may leave the target area and may inform BS 402A of its leaving. In some examples, the target area may be a part of a cell (e.g., the serving cell) . In some examples, the target area may include one or more than one cells.

For example, when UE 401A leaves the target area, UE 401A may transit from the inactive or idle state to the connected state. Then, UE 401A may transmit a leaving indication to BS 402A in operation 425a. In some embodiments, UE 401A may also transmit the measurement result related to the positioning to BS 402A in operation 425a.

In response to receiving the leaving indication, BS 402A may transmit the ID of UE 401A (i.e., the ID of the UE leaving the target area) to AMF 407A or LMF 405A. For example, BS 402A may the UE ID to AMF 407A in operation 427a. AMF 407A may transmit the UE ID to LMF 405A in operation 429a (denoted by dotted arrow as an option) .

It should be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the sequence of the operations in exemplary procedure 400A may be changed and some of the operations in exemplary procedure 400A may be eliminated or modified, without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary apparatus 1000 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 10, the apparatus 1000 may include at least one processor 1006 and at least one transceiver 1002 coupled to the processor 1006. The apparatus 1000 may be a UE, a BS, or a network node (e.g., an AMF, an SF, or an LMF) .

Although in this figure, elements such as the at least one transceiver 1002 and processor 1006 are described in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless a limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. In some embodiments of the present application, the transceiver 1002 may be divided into two devices, such as a receiving circuitry and a transmitting circuitry. In some embodiments of the present application, the apparatus 1000 may further include an input device, a memory, and/or other components.

In some embodiments of the present application, the apparatus 1000 may be a UE. The transceiver 1002 and the processor 1006 may interact with each other so as to perform the operations with respect to the UE described in FIGS. 1-9. In some embodiments of the present application, the apparatus 1000 may be a BS. The transceiver 1002 and the processor 1006 may interact with each other so as to perform the operations with respect to the BS described in FIGS. 1-9. In some embodiments of the present application, the apparatus 1000 may be a network node. The transceiver 1002 and the processor 1006 may interact with each other so as to perform the operations with respect to the network node described in FIGS. 1-9.

In some embodiments of the present application, the apparatus 1000 may further include at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the non-transitory computer-readable medium may have stored thereon computer-executable instructions to cause the processor 1006 to implement the method with respect to the UE as described above. For example, the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the processor 1006 interacting with transceiver 1002 to perform the operations with respect to the UE described in FIGS. 1-9.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the non-transitory computer-readable medium may have stored thereon computer-executable instructions to cause the processor 1006 to implement the method with respect to the BS as described above. For example, the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the processor 1006 interacting with transceiver 1002 to perform the operations with respect to the BS described in FIGS. 1-9.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the non-transitory computer-readable medium may have stored thereon computer-executable instructions to cause the processor 1006 to implement the method with respect to the network node as described above. For example, the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the processor 1006 interacting with transceiver 1002 to perform the operations with respect to the network node described in FIGS. 1-9.

Those having ordinary skill in the art would understand that the operations or steps of a method described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Additionally, in some aspects, the operations or steps of a method may reside as one or any combination or set of codes and/or instructions on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

While this disclosure has been described with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations may be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, various components of the embodiments may be interchanged, added, or substituted in other embodiments. Also, all of the elements of each figure are not necessary for the operation of the disclosed embodiments. For example, one of ordinary skill in the art of the disclosed embodiments would be enabled to make and use the teachings of the disclosure by simply employing the elements of the independent claims. Accordingly, embodiments of the disclosure as set forth herein are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

In this document, the terms "includes, " "including, " or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by "a, " "an, " or the like does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes the element. Also, the term "another" is defined as at least a second or more. The term "having" and the like, as used herein, are defined as "including. " Expressions such as "A and/or B" or "at least one of A and B" may include any and all combinations of words enumerated along with the expression. For instance, the expression "A and/or B" or "at least one of A and B" may include A, B, or both A and B. The wording "the first, " "the second" or the like is only used to clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application, but is not used to limit the substance of the present application.

Claims

A user equipment (UE) , comprising:

a transceiver; and

a processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to:

receive, from an upper layer of the UE or a network node, a request to perform sensing in a target area; and

perform a sensing task in response to the request to perform sensing.
The UE of Claim 1, wherein the sensing task comprises at least one of the following:

receiving a downlink (DL) reference signal (RS) for the sensing;

reporting a measurement result related to the sensing; or

transmitting an uplink (UL) RS for the sensing to a serving cell of the UE, a neighbor cell or both.
The UE of Claim 1, wherein the request includes area information indicating the target area; and

wherein the processor is further configured to transit to a connected state in response to the UE being in an inactive or idle state.
The UE of Claim 3, wherein transiting to the connected state comprises performing cell reselection based on the area information; and

wherein performing the cell reselection based on the area information comprises at least one of:

selecting a suitable cell belonging to the target area for connection setup; or

stopping transition from the inactive or idle state to a connected state in response to unable to find a suitable cell belonging to the target area.
The UE of Claim 1, wherein performing the sensing task comprises performing the sensing task when the UE is in a connected state, an inactive state, or an idle state.
The UE of Claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to perform at least one of the following when the UE leaves the target area:

transiting from an inactive or idle state to a connected state in the case that the UE performs the sensing task in an inactive or idle state;

transmitting a leaving indication to a base station (BS) ; or

transmitting a measurement result related to the sensing to the BS.
The UE of Claim 1 or 6, wherein the target area is a part of a cell or includes one or more than one cells.
The UE of Claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a handover command indicating a target cell; and

in response to the target cell belonging to the target area, perform at least one of:

keeping configuration associated with the sensing; or

continuing performing the sensing task during the handover, after the handover, or both.
The UE of Claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a handover command indicating a target cell; and

in response to the target cell not belonging to the target area, perform at least one of:

releasing the configuration associated with the sensing; or

stopping the sensing task.
The UE of Claim 1, wherein the request includes area information indicating the target area; and

wherein the processor is further configured to select a suitable cell for reestablishment based on the area information in response to initiating a reestablishment procedure at the UE.
The UE of Claim 10, wherein the processor further configured to:

in response to the suitable cell belonging to the target area, perform at least one of:

keeping configuration associated with the sensing; or

continuing performing the sensing task during the reestablishment, after the reestablishment, or both; or

in response to the suitable cell not belonging to the target area, perform at least one of:

releasing the configuration associated with the sensing; or

stopping the sensing task.
The UE of Claim 10, wherein selecting the suitable cell for reestablishment based on the area information comprises preferentially selecting a cell which belongs to the target area among a plurality of suitable cells for reestablishment.
The UE of Claim 1, wherein the request indicates an ID of the target area or a list of cells covering the target area.
The UE of Claim 1, wherein the network node is an access and mobility management function (AMF) or a sensing function (SF) .
A base station (BS) , comprising:

a transceiver; and

a processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to:

receive, from a network node, a request for a sensing related service; and

transmit, to at least one user equipment (UE) , a request to perform sensing in response to the request for the sensing related service;

wherein the request for the sensing related service indicates at least one of the following:

area information indicating a target area in which the sensing is to be performed;

an accuracy requirement for the sensing related service;

a total number of UEs performing sensing for the sensing related service;

ID(s) of at least one UE performing sensing for the sensing related service;

a speed threshold for a UE performing sensing for the sensing related service;

a link quality threshold for a UE performing sensing for the sensing related service; or

the number of UEs performing sensing for the sensing related service per a sub-area of the target area.