WO2025137968A1

WO2025137968A1 - Devices and methods for sensing service management

Info

Publication number: WO2025137968A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/142523
Authority: WO
Inventors: You Li; Gang Wang
Original assignee: NEC Corp
Current assignee: NEC Corp
Priority date: 2023-12-27
Filing date: 2023-12-27
Publication date: 2025-07-03
Anticipated expiration: 2026-06-27

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for sensing service management. In the solution, a terminal device receives, from a network device, sensing service information indicating at least one sensing service on a control channel between the network device and the terminal device or in a paging message. The terminal device performs at least one of the following: obtaining a configuration of the at least one sensing service, or providing information related to the at least one sensing service to an application layer. As such, the network device can request a terminal device to provide a sensing service in an efficient way.

Description

DEVICES AND METHODS FOR SENSING SERVICE MANAGEMENT

FIELDS

Example embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of communication techniques and in particular, to devices and methods for sensing service management.

BACKGROUND

Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) is a technology that combines sensing and communication. This integration can lead to significant improvements in efficiency, performance, and capabilities compared to traditional systems where sensing and communication are handled separately.

In an ISAC system, the same hardware components (like antennas, transceivers, etc. ) may be used for both sensing and communication tasks. This can reduce the size, weight, and power consumption of the system, making it more suitable for applications like wireless sensor networks, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, autonomous vehicles, and more.

The sensing function in an ISAC system may involve various types of sensors, including radar, lidar, cameras, and others, to detect and measure physical properties of the environment. The communication function may involve transmitting and receiving data, enabling the system to interact with other devices or systems.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect, there is provided a terminal device comprising: a processor configured to cause the terminal device to: receive, from a network device, sensing service information indicating at least one sensing service on a control channel between the network device and the terminal device or in a paging message; and perform at least one of the following: obtaining a configuration of the at least one sensing service, or providing information related to the at least one sensing service to an application layer.

In a second aspect, there is provided a network device comprising: a processor configured to cause the network device to: receive, from a sensing function device, trigger information for at least one sensing service; and transmit, to a terminal device, sensing service information indicating the at least one sensing service on a control channel between the network device and the terminal device or in a paging message.

In a third aspect, there is provided a sensing function device comprising: a processor configured to cause the sensing function device to: transmit, to a network device, trigger information for at least one sensing service, to cause the network device to transmit, to a terminal device, sensing service information indicating the at least one sensing service on a control channel between the network device and the terminal device or in a paging message.

In a fourth aspect, there is provided a communication method performed by a terminal device. The method comprises: receiving, from the network device, sensing service information indicating at least one sensing service on a control channel between the network device and the terminal device or in a paging message; and performing at least one of the following: obtaining a configuration of the at least one sensing service, or providing information related to the at least one sensing service to an application layer.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided a communication method performed by a network device. The method comprises: receiving, from a sensing function device, trigger information for at least one sensing service; and transmitting, to a terminal device, sensing service information indicating the at least one sensing service on a control channel between the network device and the terminal device or in a paging message.

In a sixth aspect, there is provided a communication method performed by a sensing function device. The method comprises: transmitting, to a network device, trigger information for at least one sensing service, to cause the network device to transmit, to a terminal device, sensing service information indicating the at least one sensing service on a control channel between the network device and the terminal device or in a paging message.

In a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed on at least one processor, causing the at least one processor to carry out the method according to the fourth, fifth, or sixth aspect.

Other features of the present disclosure will become easily comprehensible through the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Through the more detailed description of some example embodiments of the present disclosure in the accompanying drawings, the above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented;

FIG. 2 illustrate schematic diagrams of example sensing modes in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a signaling flow of sensing service management in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a terminal device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a sensing function device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 7 illustrates a simplified block diagram of an apparatus that is suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Principle of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It is to be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without suggesting any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. Embodiments described herein can be implemented in various manners other than the ones described below.

In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skills in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

As used herein, the term ‘terminal device’ refers to any device having wireless or wired communication capabilities. Examples of the terminal device include, but not limited to, user equipment (UE) , personal computers, desktops, mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) , portable computers, tablets, wearable devices, internet of things (IoT) devices, Ultra-reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC) devices, Internet of Everything (IoE) devices, machine type communication (MTC) devices, devices on vehicle for V2X communication where X means pedestrian, vehicle, or infrastructure/network, devices for Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) , Space borne vehicles or Air borne vehicles in Non-terrestrial networks (NTN) including Satellites and High Altitude Platforms (HAPs) encompassing Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) , eXtended Reality (XR) devices including different types of realities such as Augmented Reality (AR) , Mixed Reality (MR) and Virtual Reality (VR) , the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) commonly known as a drone which is an aircraft without any human pilot, devices on high speed train (HST) , or image capture devices such as digital cameras, sensors, gaming devices, music storage and playback appliances, or Internet appliances enabling wireless or wired Internet access and browsing and the like. The ‘terminal device’ can further has ‘multicast/broadcast’ feature, to support public safety and mission critical, V2X applications, transparent IPv4/IPv6 multicast delivery, IPTV, smart TV, radio services, software delivery over wireless, group communications and IoT applications. It may also incorporate one or multiple Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) as known as Multi-SIM. The term “terminal device” can be used interchangeably with a UE, a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile terminal, a user terminal or a wireless device.

The term “network device” refers to a device which is capable of providing or hosting a cell or coverage where terminal devices can communicate. Examples of a network device include, but not limited to, a Node B (NodeB or NB) , an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB) , a next generation NodeB (gNB) , a transmission reception point (TRP) , a remote radio unit (RRU) , a radio head (RH) , a remote radio head (RRH) , an IAB node, a low power node such as a femto node, a pico node, a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) , and the like.

The terminal device or the network device may have Artificial intelligence (AI) or Machine learning capability. It generally includes a model which has been trained from numerous collected data for a specific function, and can be used to predict some information.

The terminal or the network device may work on several frequency ranges, e.g., FR1 (e.g., 450 MHz to 6000 MHz) , FR2 (e.g., 24.25GHz to 52.6GHz) , frequency band larger than 100 GHz as well as Tera Hertz (THz) . It can further work on licensed/unlicensed/shared spectrum. The terminal device may have more than one connection with the network devices under Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) application scenario. The terminal device or the network device can work on full duplex, flexible duplex and cross division duplex modes.

The embodiments of the present disclosure may be performed in test equipment, e.g., signal generator, signal analyzer, spectrum analyzer, network analyzer, test terminal device, test network device, channel emulator. In some embodiments, the terminal device may be connected with a first network device and a second network device. One of the first network device and the second network device may be a master node and the other one may be a secondary node. The first network device and the second network device may use different radio access technologies (RATs) . In some embodiments, the first network device may be a first RAT device and the second network device may be a second RAT device. In some embodiments, the first RAT device is eNB and the second RAT device is gNB. Information related with different RATs may be transmitted to the terminal device from at least one of the first network device or the second network device. In some embodiments, first information may be transmitted to the terminal device from the first network device and second information may be transmitted to the terminal device from the second network device directly or via the first network device. In some embodiments, information related with configuration for the terminal device configured by the second network device may be transmitted from the second network device via the first network device. Information related with reconfiguration for the terminal device configured by the second network device may be transmitted to the terminal device from the second network device directly or via the first network device.

As used herein, the singular forms ‘a’ , ‘an’ and ‘the’ are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term ‘includes’ and its variants are to be read as open terms that mean ‘includes, but is not limited to. ’ The term ‘based on’ is to be read as ‘at least in part based on. ’ The term ‘one embodiment’ and ‘an embodiment’ are to be read as ‘at least one embodiment. ’ The term ‘another embodiment’ is to be read as ‘at least one other embodiment. ’ The terms ‘first, ’ ‘second, ’ and the like may refer to different or same objects. Other definitions, explicit and implicit, may be included below.

In some examples, values, procedures, or apparatus are referred to as ‘best, ’ ‘lowest, ’ ‘highest, ’ ‘minimum, ’ ‘maximum, ’ or the like. It will be appreciated that such descriptions are intended to indicate that a selection among many used functional alternatives can be made, and such selections need not be better, smaller, higher, or otherwise preferable to other selections.

As used herein, the term “resource, ” “transmission resource, ” “uplink resource, ” or “downlink resource” may refer to any resource for performing a communication, such as a resource in time domain, a resource in frequency domain, a resource in space domain, a resource in code domain, or any other resource enabling a communication, and the like. In the following, unless explicitly stated, a resource in both frequency domain and time domain will be used as an example of a transmission resource for describing some example embodiments of the present disclosure. It is noted that example embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

As used herein, unless stated explicitly, performing a step “in response to A” does not indicate that the step is performed immediately after “A” occurs and one or more intervening steps may be included.

As used herein, a sensing transmitter is the entity that sends out the sensing signal which the sensing service will use in its operation. A Sensing transmitter is an NR RAN node or a UE. A sensing transmitter can be located in the same or different entity as the Sensing receiver.

As used herein, a sensing receiver is an entity that receives the sensing signal which the sensing service will use in its operation. A sensing receiver is an NR RAN node or a UE. A sensing receiver can be located in the same or different entity as the Sensing transmitter.

As used herein, sensing measurement data is data collected about radio/wireless signals impacted (e.g. reflected, refracted, diffracted) by an object or environment of interest for sensing purposes.

As used herein, a sensing result is processed 3GPP sensing data requested by a service consumer.

In some cases, terminal devices, such as UEs, may enter RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE state to save power. When a network device, for example, gNB, needs them to participate in/provide sensing service (e.g., to receive sensing signal or to transmit sensing signal) , there may be a problem about how to notify these UEs to provide sensing service. Moreover, how to indicate the specific sensing service also needs to be solved.

To solve the above and other potential problems, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution in which a terminal device receives, from a network device, sensing service information indicating at least one sensing service on a control channel between the network device and the terminal device or in a paging message. The terminal device performs at least one of the following: obtaining a configuration of the at least one sensing service, or providing information related to the at least one sensing service to an application layer. In this way, the network device can request a terminal device which for example in RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE state to provide a sensing service.

Principles and implementations of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the figures.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example communication environment 100 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. The communication environment 100 shows a transportation scenario where sensing technologies are needed. As illustrated, to support smart transportation and/or autonomous driving, one or more of network devices 120-1, 120-2 (which are collectively referred to as “network device 120” in some embodiments) , terminal devices 110-1, 110-2 (which are collectively referred to as “terminal device 110” in some embodiments) , and vehicles 104-1, 104-2 are equipped with sensing technologies, to sense the traffic conditions. Accurate sensing results are important to enable the safe and reliable control of the vehicles and to avoid accidents in the environment. One or more of the network devices 120-1, 120-2, terminal devices 110-1, 110-2, and vehicles 104-1, 104-2 may transmit signals for sensing certain objects in the environment. One or more of the network devices 120-1, 120-2, terminal devices 110-1, 110-2, and vehicles 104-1, 104-2 may collect measurement results of the sensing signals for use in the smart transportation and/or autonomous driving.

In some example embodiments, the network devices 120-1, 120-2 and the terminal devices 110-1, 110-2 are in a radio access network (RAN) . The terminal devices 110-1, 110-2 may communicate with the network device (s) 120-1 and/or the network device 120-2. The network devices 120-1, 120-2 may communicatively connect with a core network (CN) which comprises a sensing function device 130. The CN may further connect with one or more third-party applications 108. The third-party applications 108 may include one or more applications which support the smart transportation and/or autonomous driving, such as the map service provider, the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) management platform, and the like. In some example embodiments, the vehicles 104-1, 104-2 may comprise communication devices which communicatively connect to the network devices 120-1, 120-2 or directly communicate with the third-party applications 108.

In the sensing scenario of smart transportation, the purposes of the sensing may include, but are not limited to, dynamic map (large area) for automatic driving, assisted driving, and road management based on the dynamic map; vehicle trajectory tracking; illegal driving (e.g. occupying the emergency lane, speeding) .

In addition to the smart transportation, there are many other sensing scenarios, such as unmanned aerial vehicle and indoor health. In the sensing scenario of unmanned aerial vehicle, the purposes of the sensing may include, but are not limited to, dynamic map (large area) such as automatic driving, assisted driving, route management based on a dynamic map; UAV trajectory tracking; space intrusion, route correction (such as UAV driving out of the air route, speeding, entering the no-fly zone) ; dynamic map (UE centered) : autonomous flying, assisted flying, and the like. In the sensing scenario of indoor health, the purposes of the sensing may include, but are not limited to, abnormal behavior detection (e.g., fall, sedentary, abnormal posture) ; detection of body indicators (e.g. respiration, heartbeat) ; smart control (control of the home based on human position and behavior, such as turning on lights) .

As shown in FIG. 1, the network device 120 may communicate with the sensing function device 130 and may notify the terminal device 110 whether to perform one or more sensing services or perform which sensing service (s) . In some example embodiments, the network device 120 may collect the measurement result (s) of transmitted signal (s) and provide it to the sensing function device 130.

The sensing function device 130 may determine a sensing result based on the received measurement result (s) . The sensing result may be used for various purposes depending on the actual use cases. For example, in the use cases of smart transportation and/or autonomous driving, the sensing result may be used to provide driving warning or assistant driving information to the vehicles.

The sensing function device 130 may be any suitable types of devices which can receive measurement results of the signals and provide the sensing result. In some examples, the sensing function device 130 may include or be implemented as a CN function or entity in the CN or a network device in the RAN. Although the term “sensing function device” is used herein, it may be interchangeably used with any other terms.

The signal transmitted for sensing (sometimes referred to as “sensing signal” ) may include any suitable types of signals, including but not limited to, Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) , Channel-State-Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) , Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) , DeModulation Reference Signal (DMRS) , Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) , communication signal such as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) signal, specific sensing signal (s) , or any other signal.

A measurement result of a sensing signal for sensing may include the final sensing result such as the target distance, speed, dynamic maps, Reference Signal Received Power (RSPR) , Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) , channel information etc., intermediate results such as point cloud information based on the sensing measurement, preliminary results such as delay spread spectrum, Doppler spectrum and other information, and/or raw measurements of the signal such as the in-phase/quadrature (I/Q) stream, or the like. The type of the measurement result may be flexibly configured for different use cases.

A sensing result may include any desired information that can be derived from the measurement result (s) of the sensing signal (s) . As some examples, the sensing result may include a distance of a target, a size of the target, a velocity of the target, a position of the target, a moving direction of the target, a surrounding environment of the target, real-time map, or the like.

The communications in the communication environment 100 may conform to any suitable standards including, but not limited to, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) , Long Term Evolution (LTE) , LTE-Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) , New Radio (NR) , Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) , Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) , GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN) , Machine Type Communication (MTC) and the like. The embodiments of the present disclosure may be performed according to any generation communication protocols either currently known or to be developed in the future. Examples of the communication protocols include, but not limited to, the first generation (1G) , the second generation (2G) , 2.5G, 2.75G, the third generation (3G) , the fourth generation (4G) , 4.5G, the fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, 5.5G, 5G-Advanced networks, or the sixth generation (6G) networks.

It is to be understood that the number of devices and their connections shown in FIG. 1 are only for the purpose of illustration without suggesting any limitation. The communication environment 100 may include any suitable number of devices configured to implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure. Although not shown, it would be appreciated that one or more additional devices may be located in the cell, and one or more additional cells may be deployed in the communication environment. It is noted that although illustrated as a network device, the network device may be another device than a network device. Although illustrated as a terminal device, the terminal device may be other device than a terminal device, such as a positioning reference unit (PRU) .

FIG. 2 illustrates schematic diagrams of six example sensing modes in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown, in Sensing Mode (A) 200, a sensing signal for sensing a target 230 is transmitted by a network device 210 and received or measured by the network device 210 itself. In Sensing Mode (B) 201, a sensing signal for sensing the target 230 is transmitted by the network device 210 and received or measured by another network device 212. In Sensing Mode (C) 202, a sensing signal for sensing the target 230 is transmitted by the network device 210 and received or measured by a terminal device 220.

In Sensing Mode (D) 203, a sensing signal for sensing the target 230 is transmitted by the terminal device 220 and received or measured by the terminal device 220 itself. In Sensing Mode (E) 204, a sensing signal for sensing the target 230 is transmitted by the terminal device 220 and received or measured by the network device 210. In Sensing Mode (F) 205, a sensing signal for sensing the target 230 is transmitted by the terminal device 220 and received or measured by another terminal device 222.

It would be appreciated that the sensing modes illustrated in FIG. 2 are examples only and there may be many other sensing modes. It would be appreciated that more than one second communication device may be involved in a sensing service. It can be seen from the sensing modes in FIG. 2 that there may be various combinations of the devices which are to measure a sensing signal.

Reference is made to FIG. 3, which illustrates a signaling flow 300 of sensing service management in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purposes of discussion, the signaling flow 300 will be discussed with reference to FIG. 1, for example, by using the terminal device 110, the network device 120 and the sensing function device 130.

In the signaling flow 300, the sensing function device 130 transmits (310) trigger information for at least one sensing service to the network device 120, to cause the network device 120 to transmit, to a terminal device 110, sensing service information indicating the at least one sensing service on a control channel between the network device and the terminal device or in a paging message.

The trigger information may include information about the at least one sensing service to be performed. For example, the trigger information may include, but not limited to, whether the at least one sensing service is to be performed, an identification of the at least one sensing service, a type of the at least one sensing service, a list of sensing function identifications of terminal devices to perform the sensing service, a list of network identifications of terminal devices to perform the sensing service, or other suitable information.

In some embodiments, a sensing function identification of a terminal device is associated with a network identification of the terminal device at the network device or the sensing function device.

In an implementation, the network device 120 (e.g., a gNB) may be triggered by the sensing function (SF) device 130 to send the sensing service information by using the paging message or the control channel, such as downlink control information (DCI) or PDCCH for paging. It is to be understood that paging message is just an example of the broadcast or group-cast channel, rather than suggest any limitations. That is the network device 120 may send the sensing service information in broadcast or group-cast channel or message. The trigger information may include one or more sensing function identification, e.g., sensing service identities (IDs) . In addition, or alternatively, the trigger information may include a list of UE IDs in SF (or UE SF IDs ) to join the sensing service. Either the gNB or the CN may map UE SF IDs to RAN IDs/CN IDs, or associate UE SF IDs with RAN IDs/CN IDs. Additionally, or alternatively, the trigger information may include a list of UE IDs (in RAN or CN) to join the sensing service. In some cases, the sensing function device 130 may associate UE SF IDs with RAN IDs/CN IDs.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, a RAN ID may include a variety of identities, such a Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI) , Inactive Network Temporary Identifier (I-RNTI) , Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (TMSI) , 5G S-Temporary Mobile Subscription Identifier (5G-S-TMSI) , and/or the like.

The network device 120, upon receiving (315) the trigger information from the sensing function device 130, transmits (320) the sensing service information to the terminal device 110. The terminal device 110, upon receiving (325) the sensing service information from the network device 120, performs (330) a corresponding act, for example, but not limited to, obtaining a configuration of the at least one sensing service, and/or providing information related to the at least one sensing service to an application layer.

In some embodiments, the configuration of the at least one sensing service may include, for example, but not limited to:

1) time and/or frequency resources for receiving or transmitting a sensing service or a sensing signal,

2) modulation and coding methods to generate the sensing signal for the sensing service,

3) a format of the sensing signal for the sensing service, such as the type and/or the length of the sequence to generate the sensing signal, the type receiver to receive or detect the sensing signal.

In some example embodiments, the sensing service information may indicate whether the at least one sensing service is to be performed. Alternatively, or in addition, the sensing service information may indicate an identification of the at least one sensing service, and/or a type of the at least one sensing service. Additionally, the sensing service information may also indicate a configuration of the at least one sensing service.

The sensing service information may be indicated in various ways. Paging allows the network to reach terminal devices (e.g., UEs) in a RRC idle (i.e., RRC_IDLE) state or in RRC inactive (RRC_INACTIVE) state through paging messages, and to notify UEs in RRC_IDLE, RRC_INACTIVE and RRC_CONNECTED state of system information change and ETWS/CMAS indications through Short Messages. Both a paging messages and a short message are addressed with P-RNTI on PDCCH, but while the former is sent on Paging Control Channel (PCCH) , the latter is sent over PDCCH directly. That is, the short message is carried in DCI which is included in PDCCH addressed with P-RNTI. And the paging message is transmitted in PDSCH scheduled by the same DCI.

The following information is transmitted by means of the DCI format 1_0 with CRC scrambled by P-RNTI.

Short Messages Indicator may be indicated by 2 bits according to Table 1.

Table 1

Short Messages may have a length of 8 bits and may be indicated by Table 2.

Table 2

In some example embodiments, the sensing service information may be indicated by one or more bits in a message on the control channel, for example, Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) . In some example implementations, one bit or a plurality of bits in the message on the control channel may indicate whether the at least one sensing service is to be performed. Alternatively, the plurality of bits may indicate an identification of the at least one sensing service or a type of the at least one sensing service. The identifications or the types of the sensing services may be indicated separately, for example, each type is indicated by one bit, or they may be indicated in combination, for example, by using a combination of several bits. In some example implementations, new DCI may be defined to indicate the sensing service information. Alternatively, a new message or new IE/field may be transmitted by the legacy DCI to indicate the sensing service information.

For example, one or more of the reserved bits 5 –8 in Table 2 may be used to indicate the sensing service information. Table 3 shows an example of 1 bit indication of sensing service. Specifically, in Table 3, Bit 5 is used to indicate the sensing service information. If Bit 5 is set to a predefined value, for example, 1, it indicates that a sensing service is to be performed. The sensing service may be preconfigured or predetermined and thus the identification or the type of the sensing service may be not indicated. If Bit 5 is set to another predefined value, for example 0, it indicates that no sensing service is to be performed. It is to be understood that the above predefined values are just illustrated for example. In alternative embodiments, if Bit 5 is set to 0, it may indicate that a sensing service is to be performed.

Table 3

Table 4 shows another example of two bits indication of sensing service. Specifically, in Table 4, Bit 5 and Bit 6 are used to indicate the sensing service information. If Bit 5 is set to a predefined value, for example, 1, it indicates that a sensing service#1 is to be performed. If Bit 6 is set to the predefined value, for example 1, it indicates that a sensing service#2 is to be performed. It is to be understood that the above discussion are just examples, Bit 5 and Bit 6 may indicate a certain sensing function in combination. For example, if Bit 5 and Bit 6 are “01” , it may indicate that a sensing service#1 is to be performed; if Bit 5 and Bit 6 are “10” , it may indicate that a sensing service#2 is to be performed; and if Bit 5 and Bit 6 are “11” , it may indicate that a sensing service#3. is to be performed.

Table 4

Alternatively, or in addition, the sensing service information may be indicated by one or more information elements or fields in the paging message. In some example implementations, an information element (referred to as “first information element” ) in the paging message may indicate whether the at least one sensing service is to be performed. In some other implementations, an information element (referred to as “second information element” ) in the paging message may indicate an identification or a type of the at least one sensing service. In some cases, there may be a plurality of sensing services, the identifications or the types of these sensing services may be listed in an order which corresponding to or is the same as the order of identifications of paged terminal device 110s. The paged terminal device 110s may be indicated by a further information element (referred to as “third information element” ) in the paging message.

In an implementation, the paging message may comprise only one cause value, which indicates that sensing service information. Alternatively, in another implementation, there may be multiple cause values in the paging message for carrying sensing service information about different sensing services. That is, for each paged terminal device, it may be indicated one or multiple cause values.

Alternatively, the current information element (IE) or field in the paging message may be reused, such as PagingRecordList-v1700 and PagingRecord-v1700. Or, a new IE/Field may be defined for the paging message, such as, PagingRecordList-v2000 and PagingRecord-v2000, or PagingRecordList-v2100 and PagingRecord-v2100, or SensingServiceIdentityList and SensingServiceIdentity. In this way, the network is enabled to select a specific UE to join the sensing service.

Table 5 shows an example of the IE/field of PagingRecordList-v1700 as discussed above. In the PagingRecordList-v1700, the IE/field of pagingCause-r17 includes “sensing” , which indicates that a sensing service is to be performed. As shown in Table 5, the IE/field of PagingCauseList may include a list of pagingCause-r17 to indicate multiple identifications of the sensing services to be performed. The maxNrofPageCause is the max number of paging cause that can be indicated to one terminal device, which may be an integer such as 8, 16 and so on.

Table 5

Table 6 shows another example of the IE/field of PagingRecordList-v1700. In this PagingRecordList-v1700, the IE/field of pagingCause-r17 includes either “voice” or “sensing-service 1” or “sensing-service 2” , which indicates the identifications of the sensing services to be performed. Similar to Table 5, the IE/field of PagingCauseList in Table 6 also includes a list of pagingCause-r17 to indicate multiple identifications of the sensing services to be performed. And maxNrofPageCause is the max number of paging cause that can be indicated to one terminal device. It may be an integer such as 8, 16 and so on.

Table 6

Table 7 shows an example of the IE/field of PagingRecordList-v2000. In the PagingRecord-v2000, the IE/field of pagingCause-r20 includes “sensing” , which indicates that a sensing service is to be performed.

Table 7

Table 8 shows another example of the IE/field of PagingRecordList-v2000. In this PagingRecordList-v2000, the IE/field of pagingCause-r20 includes either “sensing-service 1” or “sensing-service 2” , which indicates the identifications of the sensing services to be performed. The IE/field of PagingCauseList may include a list of pagingCause-r20 to indicate multiple identifications of the sensing services to be performed. And maxNrofPageCause is the max number of paging cause that can be indicated to one terminal device. It may be an integer such as 8, 16 and so on.

Table 8

Table 9 shows an example of the IE/field of SensingServiceList. In this SensingServiceList, the IE/field of SensingServiceIdentity includes either “sensing-service 1” or “sensing-service 2” , which indicates the identifications of the sensing services to be performed.. Alternatively, the IE/field of SensingServiceIdentityList may include a list of SensingServiceIdentity to indicate multiple identifications of the sensing services to be performed. And maxNrofSensingServiceIdentity is the max number of sensing service Identity that can be indicated to one terminal device.

Table 9

In some embodiments, if the network device 120 transmits a paging messaging including pagingRecordList-v2000 and/or SensingServiceList, as shown in the above Tables 7, 8 and 9, it may include the same number of entries, and listed in the same order, as in pagingRecordList (i.e. without suffix) . Each terminal device 110 (e.g., UE) may be indicated at least one sensing service. In these embodiments, each UE-identity included in the paging record may have its own indication of sensing service.

In alternative embodiments, the sensing service information may be indicated via a new IE/Field of sensing service Identity (SSI) in the paging message. For example, there may be only one sensing service. In another example, there may be a plurality of sensing services, which may be indicated by a plurality of cause values. Table 10 shows an example of sensing service Identity (SSI) .

Table 10

Upon receiving (325) the sensing service information, the terminal device 110 may apply the configuration of the at least one sensing service indicated via the sensing service information. In some embodiments, the configuration may be pre-configured, or may be received via system information.

In addition to the above, in some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may perform a variety of acts associated with the sensing service (s) , for example, but not limited to, transmitting, measuring, monitoring, or receiving of a sensing signal related to the at least one sensing service. In some examples, applying the configuration of sensing service may mean transmitting a sensing signal, receiving a sensing signal, monitoring a sensing signal, measuring a sensing signal, and/or the like.

Alternatively, in some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may initiate a certain procedure to obtain the configuration of the at least one sensing service. In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may initiate a system information (SI) /system information block (SIB) request procedure or an on-demand SI/SIB request procedure to obtain one or more system information blocks related to the at least one sensing service. The network device 120, in response to the SI/SIB request procedure or the on-demand SI/SIB request procedure, may transmit, the configuration of the at least one sensing service in the one or more system information blocks. Thus, the terminal device 110 may obtain the configuration of the at least one sensing service from the one or more system information blocks. It is to be understood that, in embodiments of the present disclosure, the “SI/SIB request procedure” is sometimes referred to as “SI request procedure” and the “on-demand SI/SIB request procedure” is sometimes referred to as “on-demand SI request procedure” . That is, the “SI/SIB request procedure” is exchangeable with the “SI request procedure” , and the “on-demand SI/SIB request procedure” is exchangeable with the “on-demand SI request procedure” .

In some example embodiments, a plurality of sensing services are indicated in the sensing service information. In one example, configurations of all of these sensing services may be included in a single system information block. Alternatively, configurations of different sensing services may be included in respective system information blocks.

Additionally, in some embodiments, only the terminal device 110 capable of a sensing service or a specific or an exact sensing service may parse, analysis, read those bit (s) indicating the sensing service information.

In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may obtain the configuration of the at least one sensing service by initiating a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection setup procedure. For example, the terminal device 110 may initiate the RRC connection setup procedure by sending a RRC setup request which indicates the sensing service information, so as to obtain the configuration. As for the network device 120, it may receive, in the RRC connection setup procedure, the RRC setup request indicating the sensing service information.

Alternatively, the terminal device 110 may obtain the configuration of the at least one sensing service by initiating a RRC connection resumption procedure. For instance, the terminal device 110 may initiate the RRC connection resumption procedure by sending a RRC resume request which indicates the sensing service information, so as to obtain the configuration. As for the network device 120, it may receive, in a RRC connection resumption procedure, a RRC resume request indicating the sensing service information.

In some example embodiments, the paging message comprises sensing service information, without a paging cause. For example, the field of the paging cause may be used to carry the sensing service information. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the paging message comprises both the sensing service information and the paging cause. In this case, the sensing service information may be contained in a field other than that carry the paging cause.

In the case where the terminal device 110 initiates the RRC connection setup procedure, the RRC setup request sent in the RRC connection setup procedure may include both the sensing service information and the paging cause. In the case where the terminal device 110 initiates the RRC connection resumption procedure, the RRC resume request sent in the RRC connection resumption procedure may include both the sensing service information and the paging cause.

In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 provides information related to the at least one sensing service to an upper layer, e.g., the application layer, if one or more conditions are met. For example, the terminal device 110 may provide information related to the at least one sensing service to the application layer in response to at least one of the following: the terminal device 110 being capable of one of the at least one sensing service, the terminal device 110 being interested in or having joined one of the at least one sensing service, the application layer indicating that the terminal device 110 being capable of one of the at least one sensing service, the application layer indicating that the terminal device 110 is interested in or has joined of one of the at least one sensing service, the application layer indicating that a sensing service is supported or enabled, the application layer indicating that a specific sensing service is supported, the terminal device 110 being indicated in the paging message, or the terminal device 110 being in a RRC inactive state or in a RRC idle state.

The application layer refers to an upper layer above the RRC layer. For example, the application layer may be a Non Access Stratum (NAS) layer. The NAS layer is a functional layer running between a UE and the Core Network (CN) . The layer supports traffic and signalling messages between the CN and UE. As another example, the application layer may be a Sensing Function (SF) layer. The SF layer is a functional layer running between a UE and the SF device, which is in the core network or connected to the core network. It is to be understood that the NAS layer or SF layer is just an example of the application layer, rather than suggest any limitations. In embodiments of the present disclosure, the application layer may include any other suitable layer above the RRC layer.

In the above embodiments, the information related to the at least one sensing service may include, for example, but not limited to, whether the at least one sensing service is to be performed, an identification of the at least one sensing service, and/or a type of the at least one sensing service. In addition, in some embodiments, the information related to the at least one sensing service may further include an identification of the terminal device 110, an access type, a paging cause, and/or the like.

The application layer may determine whether the at least one sensing service is allowed and may provide an identification or a type of an allowed sensing service to the lower layer, e.g., the RRC layer. Accordingly, the terminal device 110 may obtain, from the application layer, information at least including the identification or the type of an allowed sensing service.

Now more details about the behaviors of the terminal device 110 (also referred to as “UE” sometimes in the following embodiments) are discussed.

In some embodiments, if the terminal device 110 (e.g., a UE) knows that the received sensing service information is directed to itself, for instance, based on the UE identity included in the received paging message, it may perform related behaviors. For example, in the case where the ue-Identity included in the PagingRecord matches the UE identity, such as the UE identity allocated by upper layers (e.g., NG-5G-S-TMSI) or the UE's stored full-RNTI (e.g., I-RNTI-Value) , the UE may perform one of the following behaviors.

In first option, the UE may apply the configuration of sensing/sensing service/sensing service type according to/indicated by the paging cause. In this option, the configuration of sensing may be pre-configured or received via system information. Applying the configuration of sensing service may mean at least one of performing the transmission of sensing signal, or performing the measurement/monitor/receiving of sensing signal.

In a second option, the UE may initial the SI request procedure/on-demand SI request procedure to acquire specific SIB (s) of sensing/sensing service/sensing service type according to the paging cause. Alternatively, for example, if the paging case indicates sensing-service 1, the UE may request a SIB according to it; if the paging case indicates sensing-service 2, the UE may request a SIB according to it.

In a third option, if the paging cause is set as sensing-service/sensing-service 1, or sensing-service2, the UE (in RRC_IDLE) may initiate the RRC connection setup procedure and set the cause value, such as EstablishmentCause, in RRCSetupRequest according to the received paging cause, or UE (in RRC_INACTIVE ) may initiate the RRC connection resumption procedure and set the cause value, such as resumeCause, in RRCResumeRequst according to the received paging cause. Additionally, the UE may initiate the RRC connection setup procedure if not preconfigured or received the configuration of the sensing service.

In an implementation, the cause value may be set as a sensing service. Alternatively, in another implementation, the cause value may be set as sensing-service 1, sensing-service2, etc..

Then the network device 120 (e.g., gNB) may determine whether to accept the UE or provide the configuration of sensing service accordingly.

In a fourth option where the UE is capable of sensing service, or the upper layers indicate the capable of sensing service, or the upper layers indicate the support of sensing service, or the upper layer indicate the support of a specific sensing service, the UE may forward the paging cause related to sensing-service/sensing-service 1, or sensing-service2 from the RRC layer to an upper layer (an application layer, e.g., the NAS layer) . Alternatively, the UE may forward the ue-Identity, accessType (if present) and paging cause (if determined) to the upper layers.

Additionally, the upper layer may trigger UE to initiate the RRC connection setup procedure/RRC connection resume procedure with proper cause value. For example, the cause value may be related to sensing service. Alternatively, the cause value may be set in accordance with the information received from upper layers. Then, the gNB may determine whether to accept the UE or provide the configuration of sensing accordingly.

In a fifth option, the UE may reuse legacy method to treat paging cause. This means no specific cause value for UE, since gNB may know the reason of RRC connection procedure or RRC resume procedure.

In a sixth option, the paging cause and sensing service cause may be sent to one UE simultaneously via the same paging message. And UE may indicate both causes in a RRCSetupRequest or a RRCResumeRequst. As to the RRCSetupRequest, the paging cause and sensing service cause may be indicated in establishmentCause and sensingCause. As to the RRCResumeRequst, the paging cause and sensing service cause may be indicated in resumeCause and sensingCause.

In some example embodiments, after receiving (325) the sensing service information from the network device 120, the terminal device 110 may perform (330) further act (s) if one or more conditions are met. For example, in response to that the terminal device 110 is capable or allowed of the at least one sensing service, the terminal device 110 may perform (330) the further act (s) . In another example, if the terminal device 110 has joined or interested in the at least one sensing service, the terminal device 110 may perform (330) the further act (s) . In a further example, if the terminal device 110 has been configured with the at least one sensing service, the terminal device 110 may perform (330) the further act (s) .

For each SSI include in the SensingServiceList, as shown in the example of Table 10, if the terminal device 110 (e.g., UE) is capable of the sensing service indicated by the SSI, or if the UE has joined the sensing service indicated by the SSI, or if the UE has been configured with the sensing service indicated by the SSI, the UE may perform the following acts.

In an example, the UE may apply the configuration of the sensing service indicated by the SSI.

Alternatively, the UE may initial the on-demand SI request procedure to acquire the SIB, for the configuration of sensing service indicated by the SSI. There may be one SIB for all SSIs, or several SIBs for different SSIs/different sensing services or different types of sensing services.

As a further alternatively, the UE (in RRC_IDLE state) may initiate the RRC connection setup procedure and set the cause value in RRCSetupRequest according to the received SSI, or the UE (in RRC_INACTIVE state ) may initiate the RRC connection resumption procedure and set the cause value in RRCResumeRequst according to the received SSI.

In a still further alternative embodiment, the UE may forward the SSI to the upper layer.

Additionally, if the ue-Identity included in any of the PagingRecord matches the UE identity, such as the UE identity allocated by upper layers or the UE’s stored full-RNTI. Additionally, if the UE is in RRC_INACTIVE state.

In some example embodiments, mapping information related to the sensing service information and one or more system information blocks is preconfigured or indicated in system information. Alternatively, or in addition, mapping information related to the sensing service information and the paging message is preconfigured or indicated in system information.

For example, the mapping information or a relationship of bit (s) or a sensing service cause or SSI to SIBs may be preconfigured, or indicated in system information, such as MIB (Master Information Block) or SIB1.

It is to be note that the network device 120 (e.g., gNB) may need different number of SIBs for the following reasons. For instance, the gNB may request or provide different sensing services at different time, or different gNBs may request or provide different sensing services.

In some example embodiments, the control channel may indicate the sensing service and the paging message may indicate the specific terminal device 110 (e.g., UE) , which in combination provide sensing service information to she specific UE. Specifically, in some embodiments, the sensing service information may be indicated by one or more bits in a message on the control channel, and the terminal device 110 may provide the sensing service information to the RRC layer and cause a first identification of the terminal device 110 to be compared with a second identification of a paged terminal device 110 indicated in the paging message at the RRC layer. If there is a match of the first identification and the second identification, the terminal device 110 may perform (330) the further acts, such as obtaining the configuration of the at least one sensing service, or providing information related to the at least one sensing service to the application layer.

Some detailed examples will be discussed below. For a RRC layer of the UE, if Bit x in a message (e.g., short message) on the control channel is set to 1 to indicate that a sensing service is to be performed, one or more determination may be made first. For example, whether the UE is capable of the sensing service indicated by Bit x, whether the UE has joined the sensing service indicated by the Bit x, or whether the UE has been configured with the sensing service indicated by the Bit x.

In some embodiments, if UE is capable of the sensing service indicated by Bit x, or if UE has joined the sensing service indicated by the Bit x, or if UE has been configured with the sensing service indicated by the Bit x, it may be determined whether the ue-Identity included in any of the PagingRecord matches the UE identity, or whether the UE is in RRC_INACTIVE state or in RRC_IDLE state.

If the ue-Identity included in any of the PagingRecord matches the UE identity, such as the UE identity allocated by upper layers or the UE ‘sstored full-RNTI, and additionally, if the UE is in RRC_INACTIVE or in RRC_IDLE state, the UE may apply the configuration of sensingservice indicated by the Bit x. Alternatively, the UE may initial the on-demand SI request procedure to acquire the SIB, for the configuration of sensing service according to the Bit x. There may be one SIB for all Bit x, or several SIBs for different Bit x.

Alternatively, the UE (in RRC_IDLE state) may initiate the RRC connection setup procedure and set the cause value in RRCSetupRequest according to the received Bit x, or UE (in RRC_INACTIVE state) may initiate the RRC connection resumption procedure and set the cause value in RRCResumeRequst according to the received Bit x.

As a further alternative, the UE may forward the SSI to the upper layer.

In the above embodiments, the RRC layer is indicated by lower layer, for example, physical (PHY) layer, with the Bit x corresponding to sensing/sensing service/sensing service type.

The RRC layer of the UE determines ID first, and then determine whether to perform sensing according to the indication from lower layer.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a communication method 400 implemented at a terminal device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 400 will be described from the perspective of the terminal device 110 in FIG. 1.

At block 410, the terminal device 110 receives, from the network device, sensing service information indicating at least one sensing service on a control channel between the network device and the terminal device or in a paging message.

At block 420, the terminal device 110 performs at least one of the following: obtaining a configuration of the at least one sensing service, or providing information related to the at least one sensing service to an application layer.

In some example embodiments, the sensing service information indicates at least one of the following: whether the at least one sensing service is to be performed, an identification of the at least one sensing service, or a type of the at least one sensing service.

In some example embodiments, the sensing service information is indicated by one or more bits in a message on the control channel, or wherein the sensing service information is indicated by one or more information elements or fields in the paging message.

In some example embodiments, one bit or a plurality of bits in the message on the control channel indicate whether the at least one sensing service is to be performed, or wherein the plurality of bits indicate an identification or a type of the at least one sensing service separately or in combination.

In some example embodiments, a first information element in the paging message indicates whether the at least one sensing service is to be performed, or wherein a second information element in the paging message indicates an identification or a type of the at least one sensing service, and the identification or the type of at least one sensing service corresponds to an identification of at least one paged terminal device indicated by a third information element in the paging message.

In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may apply the configuration of the at least one sensing service, wherein the configuration is pre-configured or received via system information.

In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may perform at least one of transmitting, measuring, monitoring, or receiving of a sensing signal related to the at least one sensing service.

In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may initiate a system information (SI) request procedure or an on-demand SI request procedure to obtain one or more system information blocks related to the at least one sensing service; and obtain the configuration of the at least one sensing service from the one or more system information blocks.

In some example embodiments, configurations of all of the at least one sensing service are comprised in a single system information block, or wherein configurations of different sensing services of the at least one sensing service are comprised in respective system information blocks.

In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may obtain the configuration of the at least one sensing service by initiating a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection setup procedure, wherein a RRC setup request in the RRC connection setup procedure indicates the sensing service information; or obtain the configuration of the at least one sensing service by initiating a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection resumption procedure, wherein a RRC resume request in the RRC connection resumption procedure indicates the sensing service information.

In some example embodiments, the paging message comprises both the sensing service information and a paging cause, and wherein the RRC setup request comprises both the sensing service information and the paging cause, or the RRC resume request comprises both the sensing service information and the paging cause.

In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may provide information related to the at least one sensing service to the application layer in response to at least one of the following: the terminal device being capable of one of the at least one sensing service, the application layer indicating that the terminal device being capable of one of the at least one sensing service, the application layer indicating that a sensing service is supported or enabled, the application layer indicating that a specific sensing service is supported, the terminal device being indicated in the paging message, or the terminal device being in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) inactive state or in a RRC idle state.

In some example embodiments, the information related to the at least one sensing service comprises at least one of: whether the at least one sensing service is to be performed, an identification of the at least one sensing service, or a type of the at least one sensing service.

In some example embodiments, the information related to the at least one sensing service further comprises at least one of: an identification of the terminal device, an access type, or a paging cause.

In some example embodiments, the terminal device110 may obtain, from the application layer, information at least comprising an identification or a type of an allowed sensing service.

In some example embodiments, the terminal device110 may perform at least one of obtaining the configuration of the at least one sensing service or providing the information related to the at least one sensing service in response to that: the terminal device is capable or allowed of the at least one sensing service, the terminal device has joined or interested in the at least one sensing service, or the terminal device has been configured with the at least one sensing service.

In some example embodiments, mapping information related to the sensing service information and one or more system information blocks is preconfigured or indicated in system information, or wherein mapping information related to the sensing service information and the paging message is preconfigured or indicated in system information.

In some example embodiments, the sensing service information is indicated by one or more bits in a message on the control channel, and the terminal device is further caused to: provide the sensing service information to a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer; cause a first identification of the terminal device to be compared with a second identification of a paged terminal device indicated in the paging message at the RRC layer; and in response to a match of the first identification and the second identification, perform at least one of obtaining the configuration of the at least one sensing service or providing the information related to the at least one sensing service.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a communication method 500 implemented at a network device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 500 will be described from the perspective of the network device 120 in FIG. 1.

At block 510, the network device 120 receives, from a sensing function device, trigger information for at least one sensing service.

At block 520, the network device 120 transmits, to a terminal device 110, sensing service information indicating the at least one sensing service on a control channel between the network device 120 and the terminal device 110 or in a paging message.

In some example embodiments, the network device 120 may in response to a system information (SI) request procedure or an on-demand SI request procedure, transmit, to the terminal device, the configuration of the at least one sensing service in the one or more system information blocks.

In some example embodiments, the network device is further caused to: receive, in a RRC connection setup procedure, a RRC setup request indicating the sensing service information; or receive, in a RRC connection resumption procedure, a RRC resume request indicating the sensing service information.

In some example embodiments, the trigger information comprise at least one of the following: whether the at least one sensing service is to be performed, an identification of the at least one sensing service, a type of the at least one sensing service, a list of sensing function identifications of terminal devices to perform the sensing service, or a list of network identifications of terminal devices to perform the sensing service.

In some example embodiments, a sensing function identification of a terminal device is associated with a network identification of the terminal device at the network device or the sensing function device.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a communication method 600 implemented at a sensing function device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 600 will be described from the perspective of the sensing function device 130 in FIG. 1.

At block 610, the sensing function device 130 transmits, to a network device 120, trigger information for at least one sensing service, to cause the network device to transmit, to a terminal device, sensing service information indicating the at least one sensing service on a control channel between the network device 120 and the terminal device 110 or in a paging message.

FIG. 7 is a simplified block diagram of a device 700 that is suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 700 can be considered as a further example implementation of any of the devices as shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, the device 700 can be implemented at or as at least a part of the terminal device 110, the network device 120 or the sensing function device 130.

As shown, the device 700 includes a processor 710, a memory 720 coupled to the processor 710, a suitable transceiver 740 coupled to the processor 710, and a communication interface coupled to the transceiver 740. The memory 720 stores at least a part of a program 730. The transceiver 740 may be for bidirectional communications or a unidirectional communication based on requirements. The transceiver 740 may include at least one of a transmitter 742 and a receiver 744. The transmitter 742 and the receiver 744 may be functional modules or physical entities. The transceiver 740 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, though in practice an Access Node mentioned in this application may have several ones. The communication interface may represent any interface that is necessary for communication with other network elements, such as X2/Xn interface for bidirectional communications between eNBs/gNBs, S1/NG interface for communication between a Mobility Management Entity (MME) /Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) /SGW/UPF and the eNB/gNB, Un interface for communication between the eNB/gNB and a relay node (RN) , or Uu interface for communication between the eNB/gNB and a terminal device.

The program 730 is assumed to include program instructions that, when executed by the associated processor 710, enable the device 700 to operate in accordance with the embodiments of the present disclosure, as discussed herein with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. The embodiments herein may be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 710 of the device 700, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 710 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure. Furthermore, a combination of the processor 710 and memory 720 may form processing means 750 adapted to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure.

The memory 720 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, semiconductor based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory, as non-limiting examples. While only one memory 720 is shown in the device 700, there may be several physically distinct memory modules in the device 700. The processor 710 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network, and may include one or more of general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on multicore processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The device 700 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock which synchronizes the main processor.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a terminal device comprising a circuitry is provided. The circuitry is configured to: receive, from the network device, sensing service information indicating at least one sensing service on a control channel between the network device and the terminal device or in a paging message; and perform at least one of the following: obtaining a configuration of the at least one sensing service, or providing information related to the at least one sensing service to an application layer. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the circuitry may be configured to perform any method implemented by the terminal device as discussed above.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a network device comprising a circuitry is provided. The circuitry is configured to: receive, from a sensing function device, trigger information for at least one sensing service; and transmit, to a terminal device, sensing service information indicating the at least one sensing service on a control channel between the network device and the terminal device or in a paging message. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the circuitry may be configured to perform any method implemented by the network device as discussed above.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a sensing function device comprising a circuitry is provided. The circuitry is configured to: transmit, to a network device, trigger information for at least one sensing service, to cause the network device to transmit, to a terminal device, sensing service information indicating the at least one sensing service on a control channel between the network device and the terminal device or in a paging message. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the circuitry may be configured to perform any method implemented by the sensing function device as discussed above.

The term “circuitry” used herein may refer to hardware circuits and/or combinations of hardware circuits and software. For example, the circuitry may be a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuits with software/firmware. As a further example, the circuitry may be any portions of hardware processors with software including digital signal processor (s) , software, and memory (ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a terminal device or a network device, to perform various functions. In a still further example, the circuitry may be hardware circuits and or processors, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, that requires software/firmware for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation. As used herein, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (s) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor (s) and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a terminal apparatus is provided. The terminal apparatus comprises means for receiving, from the network device, sensing service information indicating at least one sensing service on a control channel between the network device and the terminal device or in a paging message; and means for performing at least one of the following: means for obtaining a configuration of the at least one sensing service, or means for providing information related to the at least one sensing service to an application layer. In some embodiments, the first apparatus may comprise means for performing the respective operations of the method 400. In some example embodiments, the first apparatus may further comprise means for performing other operations in some example embodiments of the method 400. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a network apparatus is provided. The network apparatus comprises means for receiving, from a sensing function device, trigger information for at least one sensing service; and means for transmitting, to a terminal device, sensing service information indicating the at least one sensing service on a control channel between the network device and the terminal device or in a paging message. In some embodiments, the second apparatus may comprise means for performing the respective operations of the method 500. In some example embodiments, the second apparatus may further comprise means for performing other operations in some example embodiments of the method 500. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a sensing function apparatus is provided. The sensing function apparatus comprises means for transmitting, to a network device, trigger information for at least one sensing service, to cause the network device to transmit, to a terminal device, sensing service information indicating the at least one sensing service on a control channel between the network device and the terminal device or in a paging message. In some embodiments, the third apparatus may comprise means for performing the respective operations of the method 600. In some example embodiments, the third apparatus may further comprise means for performing other operations in some example embodiments of the method 600. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module.

In summary, embodiments of the present disclosure provide the following aspects.

In an aspect, it is proposed a terminal device comprising: a processor configured to cause the terminal device to: receive, from the network device, sensing service information indicating at least one sensing service on a control channel between the network device and the terminal device or in a paging message; and perform at least one of the following: obtaining a configuration of the at least one sensing service, or providing information related to the at least one sensing service to an application layer.

In some embodiments, the sensing service information indicates at least one of the following: whether the at least one sensing service is to be performed, an identification of the at least one sensing service, or a type of the at least one sensing service.

In some embodiments, the sensing service information is indicated by one or more bits in a message on the control channel, or wherein the sensing service information is indicated by one or more information elements or fields in the paging message.

In some embodiments, one bit or a plurality of bits in the message on the control channel indicate whether the at least one sensing service is to be performed, or wherein the plurality of bits indicate an identification or a type of the at least one sensing service separately or in combination.

In some embodiments, a first information element in the paging message indicates whether the at least one sensing service is to be performed, or wherein a second information element in the paging message indicates an identification or a type of the at least one sensing service, and the identification or the type of at least one sensing service corresponds to an identification of at least one paged terminal device indicated by a third information element in the paging message.

In some embodiments, the terminal device is further caused to: apply the configuration of the at least one sensing service, wherein the configuration is pre-configured or received via system information.

In some embodiments, the terminal device is further caused to: perform at least one of transmitting, measuring, monitoring, or receiving of a sensing signal related to the at least one sensing service.

In some embodiments, the terminal device is further caused to: initiate a system information (SI) request procedure or an on-demand SI request procedure to obtain one or more system information blocks related to the at least one sensing service; and obtain the configuration of the at least one sensing service from the one or more system information blocks.

In some embodiments, configurations of all of the at least one sensing service are comprised in a single system information block, or wherein configurations of different sensing services of the at least one sensing service are comprised in respective system information blocks.

In some embodiments, the terminal device is further caused to: obtain the configuration of the at least one sensing service by initiating a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection setup procedure, wherein a RRC setup request in the RRC connection setup procedure indicates the sensing service information; or obtain the configuration of the at least one sensing service by initiating a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection resumption procedure, wherein a RRC resume request in the RRC connection resumption procedure indicates the sensing service information.

In some embodiments, the paging message comprises both the sensing service information and a paging cause, and wherein the RRC setup request comprises both the sensing service information and the paging cause, or the RRC resume request comprises both the sensing service information and the paging cause.

In some embodiments, the terminal device is further caused to: provide information related to the at least one sensing service to the application layer in response to at least one of the following: the terminal device being capable of one of the at least one sensing service, the application layer indicating that the terminal device being capable of one of the at least one sensing service, the application layer indicating that a sensing service is supported or enabled, the application layer indicating that a specific sensing service is supported, the terminal device being indicated in the paging message, or the terminal device being in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) inactive state or in a RRC idle state.

In some embodiments, the information related to the at least one sensing service comprises at least one of: whether the at least one sensing service is to be performed, an identification of the at least one sensing service, or a type of the at least one sensing service,

In some embodiments, the information related to the at least one sensing service further comprises at least one of: an identification of the terminal device, an access type, or a paging cause.

In some embodiments, the terminal device is further caused to: obtain, from the application layer, information at least comprising an identification or a type of an allowed sensing service.

In some embodiments, the terminal device is further caused to: perform at least one of obtaining the configuration of the at least one sensing service or providing the information related to the at least one sensing service in response to that: the terminal device is capable or allowed of the at least one sensing service, the terminal device has joined or interested in the at least one sensing service, or the terminal device has been configured with the at least one sensing service.

In some embodiments, mapping information related to the sensing service information and one or more system information blocks is preconfigured or indicated in system information, or wherein mapping information related to the sensing service information and the paging message is preconfigured or indicated in system information.

In some embodiments, the sensing service information is indicated by one or more bits in a message on the control channel, and the terminal device is further caused to:provide the sensing service information to a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer; cause a first identification of the terminal device to be compared with a second identification of a paged terminal device indicated in the paging message at the RRC layer; and in response to a match of the first identification and the second identification, perform at least one of obtaining the configuration of the at least one sensing service or providing the information related to the at least one sensing service.

In an aspect, it is proposed a network device comprising: a processor configured to cause the network device to: receive, from a sensing function device, trigger information for at least one sensing service; and transmit, to a terminal device, sensing service information indicating the at least one sensing service on a control channel between the network device and the terminal device or in a paging message.

In some embodiments, the network device is further caused to: in response to a system information (SI) request procedure or an on-demand SI request procedure, transmit, to the terminal device, the configuration of the at least one sensing service in the one or more system information blocks.

In some embodiments, the network device is further caused to: receive, in a RRC connection setup procedure, a RRC setup request indicating the sensing service information; or receive, in a RRC connection resumption procedure, a RRC resume request indicating the sensing service information.

In some embodiments, the trigger information comprise at least one of the following: whether the at least one sensing service is to be performed, an identification of the at least one sensing service, a type of the at least one sensing service, a list of sensing function identifications of terminal devices to perform the sensing service, or a list of network identifications of terminal devices to perform the sensing service.

In an aspect, it is proposed a sensing function device comprising: a processor configured to cause the sensing function device to: transmit, to a network device, trigger information for at least one sensing service, to cause the network device to transmit, to a terminal device, sensing service information indicating the at least one sensing service on a control channel between the network device and the terminal device or in a paging message.

In an aspect, a terminal device comprises: at least one processor; and at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor and storing instructions thereon, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, causing the device to perform the method implemented by the terminal device discussed above.

In an aspect, a network device comprises: at least one processor; and at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor and storing instructions thereon, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, causing the device to perform the method implemented by the network device discussed above.

In an aspect, a sensing function device comprises: at least one processor; and at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor and storing instructions thereon, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, causing the device to perform the method implemented by the sensing function device discussed above.

In an aspect, a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed on at least one processor, causing the at least one processor to perform the method implemented by the terminal device discussed above.

In an aspect, a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed on at least one processor, causing the at least one processor to perform the method implemented by the network device discussed above.

In an aspect, a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed on at least one processor, causing the at least one processor to perform the method implemented by the sensing function device discussed above.

In an aspect, a computer program comprising instructions, the instructions, when executed on at least one processor, causing the at least one processor to perform the method implemented by the terminal device discussed above.

In an aspect, a computer program comprising instructions, the instructions, when executed on at least one processor, causing the at least one processor to perform the method implemented by the network device discussed above.

In an aspect, a computer program comprising instructions, the instructions, when executed on at least one processor, causing the at least one processor to perform the method implemented by the sensing function device discussed above.

Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representation, it will be appreciated that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor, to carry out the process or method as described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, or the like that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

Program code for carrying out methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program codes, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions/operations specified in the flowcharts and/or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may execute entirely on a machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

The above program code may be embodied on a machine readable medium, which may be any tangible medium that may contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine readable medium may be a machine readable signal medium or a machine readable storage medium. A machine readable medium may include but not limited to an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the machine readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM) , a read-only memory (ROM) , an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory) , an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) , an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

Further, while operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, while several specific implementation details are contained in the above discussions, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

A terminal device comprising:

a processor configured to cause the terminal device to:

receive, from a network device, sensing service information indicating at least one sensing service on a control channel between the network device and the terminal device or in a paging message; and

perform at least one of the following:

obtaining a configuration of the at least one sensing service, or

providing information related to the at least one sensing service to an application layer.
The device of claim 1, wherein the sensing service information indicates at least one of the following:

whether the at least one sensing service is to be performed,

an identification of the at least one sensing service, or

a type of the at least one sensing service.
The device of claim 1, wherein the sensing service information is indicated by one or more bits in a message on the control channel, or

wherein the sensing service information is indicated by one or more information elements or fields in the paging message.
The device of claim 3, wherein one bit or a plurality of bits in the message on the control channel indicate whether the at least one sensing service is to be performed, or

wherein the plurality of bits indicate an identification or a type of the at least one sensing service separately or in combination.
The device of claim 3, wherein a first information element in the paging message indicates whether the at least one sensing service is to be performed, or

wherein a second information element in the paging message indicates an identification or a type of the at least one sensing service, and the identification or the type of at least one sensing service corresponds to an identification of at least one paged terminal device indicated by a third information element in the paging message.
The device of claim 1, wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

apply the configuration of the at least one sensing service, wherein the configuration is pre-configured or received via system information.
The device of claim 6, wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

perform at least one of transmitting, measuring, monitoring, or receiving of a sensing signal related to the at least one sensing service.
The device of claim 1, wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

initiate a system information (SI) request procedure or an on-demand SI request procedure to obtain one or more system information blocks related to the at least one sensing service; and

obtain the configuration of the at least one sensing service from the one or more system information blocks.
The device of claim 8, wherein configurations of all of the at least one sensing service are comprised in a single system information block, or

wherein configurations of different sensing services of the at least one sensing service are comprised in respective system information blocks.
The device of claim 1, wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

obtain the configuration of the at least one sensing service by initiating a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection setup procedure, wherein a RRC setup request in the RRC connection setup procedure indicates the sensing service information; or

obtain the configuration of the at least one sensing service by initiating a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection resumption procedure, wherein a RRC resume request in the RRC connection resumption procedure indicates the sensing service information.
The device of claim 10, wherein the paging message comprises both the sensing service information and a paging cause, and

wherein the RRC setup request comprises both the sensing service information and the paging cause, or the RRC resume request comprises both the sensing service information and the paging cause.
The device of claim 1, wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

provide information related to the at least one sensing service to the application layer in response to at least one of the following:

the terminal device being capable of one of the at least one sensing service,

the application layer indicating that the terminal device being capable of one of the at least one sensing service,

the application layer indicating that a sensing service is supported or enabled,

the application layer indicating that a specific sensing service is supported,

the terminal device being indicated in the paging message, or

the terminal device being in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) inactive state or in a RRC idle state.
The device of claim 12, wherein the information related to the at least one sensing service comprises at least one of:

whether the at least one sensing service is to be performed,

an identification of the at least one sensing service, or

a type of the at least one sensing service.
The device of claim 13, wherein the information related to the at least one sensing service further comprises at least one of:

an identification of the terminal device,

an access type, or

a paging cause.
The device of any of claims 12 to 14, wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

obtain, from the application layer, information at least comprising an identification or a type of an allowed sensing service.
The device of any of claims 1 to 15, wherein the terminal device is further caused to:

perform at least one of obtaining the configuration of the at least one sensing service or providing the information related to the at least one sensing service in response to that:

the terminal device is capable or allowed of the at least one sensing service,

the terminal device has joined or interested in the at least one sensing service, or

the terminal device has been configured with the at least one sensing service.
The device of any of claims 1 to 16, wherein mapping information related to the sensing service information and one or more system information blocks is preconfigured or indicated in system information, or

wherein mapping information related to the sensing service information and the paging message is preconfigured or indicated in system information.
A network device comprising:

a processor configured to cause the network device to:

receive, from a sensing function device, trigger information for at least one sensing service; and

transmit, to a terminal device, sensing service information indicating the at least one sensing service on a control channel between the network device and the terminal device or in a paging message.
A sensing function device comprising:

a processor configured to cause the sensing function device to:

transmit, to a network device, trigger information for at least one sensing service, to cause the network device to transmit, to a terminal device, sensing service information indicating the at least one sensing service on a control channel between the network device and the terminal device or in a paging message.
The device of claim 19, wherein the trigger information comprise at least one of the following:

whether the at least one sensing service is to be performed,

an identification of the at least one sensing service,

a type of the at least one sensing service,

a list of sensing function identifications of terminal devices to perform the sensing service, or

a list of network identifications of terminal devices to perform the sensing service.