WO2024239712A1

WO2024239712A1 - Service continuity for sensing targrt

Info

Publication number: WO2024239712A1
Application number: PCT/CN2024/075296
Authority: WO
Inventors: Luning Liu; Haiming Wang; Lianhai WU; Jianfeng Wang
Original assignee: Lenovo Beijing Ltd
Current assignee: Lenovo Beijing Ltd
Priority date: 2024-02-01
Filing date: 2024-02-01
Publication date: 2024-11-28
Anticipated expiration: 2026-08-01

Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to apparatuses, processors, and methods for service continuity for sensing a target. In an aspect, if a sensing function (SF) determines that a target is to be out of sensing coverage of a first base station, the SF transmits, to a second base station, a first request related to service continuity for sensing the target. The SF receives, from the second base station, a first response to the first request. By implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure, the service continuity guarantee can be supported in network-based and UE-involved sensing scenarios in SF-controlled architecture.

Description

SERVICE CONTINUITY FOR SENSING TARGRT

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to wireless communications, and more specifically to apparatuses, processors, and methods for service continuity for sensing a target, especially for service continuity guarantee in an integrated sensing and communication system.

BACKGROUND

A wireless communications system may include one or multiple network communication devices, such as base stations, which may be otherwise known as an eNodeB (eNB) , a next-generation NodeB (gNB) , or other suitable terminology. Each network communication devices, such as a base station may support wireless communications for one or multiple user communication devices, which may be otherwise known as user equipment (UE) , or other suitable terminology. The wireless communications system may support wireless communications with one or multiple user communication devices by utilizing resources of the wireless communication system (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, slots, subframes, frames, or the like) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers) . Additionally, the wireless communications system may support wireless communications across various radio access technologies including third generation (3G) radio access technology, fourth generation (4G) radio access technology, fifth generation (5G) radio access technology, among other suitable radio access technologies beyond 5G (e.g., sixth generation (6G) ) .

Wireless sensing has long been a separate technology developed in parallel with mobile communication systems. Positioning may be the only sensing service that current mobile communication systems (for example, until 5G) could offer. General sensing will become a new function integrated into the 6G mobile communication system or other future communication systems. Sensing operations in various sensing and/or communication systems may need to be further improved to provide better sensing performance or other performance.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to methods, apparatuses, and systems that support service continuity for sensing a target, especially for service continuity guarantee in an integrated sensing and communication system.

In a first aspect of the solution, an apparatus for performing a sensing function (SF) comprises: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the apparatus to: based on determining that a target is to be out of sensing coverage of a first base station, transmit, to a second base station, a first request related to service continuity for sensing the target; and receive, from the second base station, a first response to the first request.

In some implementations of the apparatus described herein, wherein the processor is further configured to: transmit, to an access and mobility management function (AMF) , a second request for obtaining information related to one or more base stations, wherein the second request further indicates a required region for sensing the target; receive, from the AMF, a second response to the second request; and determine the second base station based on the information related to the one or more base stations.

In some implementations of the apparatus described herein, wherein the information related to the one or more base stations comprises at least one of the following: identifiers (IDs) of the one or more base stations; positions of the one or more base stations; types of the one or more base stations, wherein the types at least comprise a macro station or a micro station; or coverage areas of the one or more base stations.

In some implementations of the apparatus described herein, wherein the processor is further configured to: determine the second base station based on further information related to the one or more base stations, wherein the further information comprises at least one of the following: sensing capabilities of the one or more base stations; supported sensing modes of the one or more base stations; available sensing resources of the one or more base stations; or test results from the one or more base stations, wherein the one or more base stations are triggered by the apparatus to test sensing tasks for sensing the target, and the test results are compared to decide whether the one or more base stations are qualified for sensing the target.

In some implementations of the apparatus described herein, wherein the first request comprises information related to the target, and the information related to the target comprises at least one of the following: a velocity of the target; a moving direction of the target; a location of the target; or a size of the target.

In some implementations of the apparatus described herein, wherein the processor is further configured to: transmit, to the first base station, an updated information related to the target.

In some implementations of the apparatus described herein, wherein the first request comprises a sensing mode, and the processor is further configured to: in the case that the sensing mode comprises a collaborated mode, coordinate sensing configurations for the first base station and the second base station.

In some implementations of the apparatus described herein, wherein the processor is further configured to coordinate the sensing configurations by: receiving a first sensing configuration for the first base station from the first base station; and transmitting the first sensing configuration to the second base station.

In some implementations of the apparatus described herein, wherein the processor is further configured to coordinate the sensing configurations by: informing the first base station of the second base station and the sensing mode.

In some implementations of the apparatus described herein, wherein the processor is further configured to coordinate the sensing configurations by: receiving a first sensing configuration for the first base station from the first base station; receiving a second sensing configuration for the second base station from the second base station; determining a third sensing configuration for the first base station; determining a fourth sensing configuration for the second base station; and transmitting the third and fourth sensing configurations to the first and second base stations respectively.

In some implementations of the apparatus described herein, wherein the first response to the first request comprises an acceptance of sensing.

In some implementations of the apparatus described herein, wherein the first response to the first request comprises a rejection of sensing due to at least one of high work load, limited sensing resource, lack of sensing capability, or lack of sensing UE, and wherein the first response to the first request further comprises a rejection cause and assistance information including when the second base station is available or when a sensing UE is available.

In some implementations of the apparatus described herein, wherein the processor is further configured to: transmit sensing stop indication to other base stations when the target is within a sensing coverage of a sensing base station and a received quality of sensing reference signal (RS) from the sensing base station is higher than a configured or pre-configured threshold.

In some implementations of the apparatus described herein, wherein the first request comprises a requirement for sensing user equipment (UE) , and the requirement comprises at least one of the following: a preferred UE location; preferred UE mobility; expected UE sensing capability; or required UE location accuracy.

In some implementations of the apparatus described herein, wherein the first response to the first request comprises information related to one or more sensing UEs within a coverage of the second base station, and the information related to the one or more sensing UEs comprises at least one of the following: identifiers (IDs) of the one or more sensing UEs; sensing capabilities of the one or more sensing UEs; locations and associated location accuracies of the one or more sensing UEs; or mobilities of one or more sensing UEs.

In some implementations of the apparatus described herein, in the case that there is no available sensing UE, the first response to the first request indicates that there is no sensing UE and comprises assistance information including when a sensing UE is available.

In some implementations of the apparatus described herein, wherein the processor is further configured to: coordinate, based on the first response to the first request, sensing configurations for the first base station and a sensing UE within a coverage of the second base station.

In some implementations of the apparatus described herein, wherein the processor is further configured to coordinate the sensing configurations for the first base station and the sensing UE by: receiving a supported sensing configuration for the first base station from the first base station; receiving a supported sensing configuration for the sensing UE from the second base station; determining a sensing configuration for the first base station; determining a sensing configuration for the sensing UE; transmitting the sensing configuration for the first base station to the first base station; and transmitting the sensing configuration for the sensing UE to the sensing UE via the second base station.

In some implementations of the apparatus described herein, wherein the first response to the first request further comprises information related to one or more sensing UEs when the second base station accepts the first request, and the information related to the one or more sensing UEs comprises at least one of the following: identifiers (IDs) of the one or more sensing UEs; sensing capabilities of the one or more sensing UEs; locations and associated location accuracies of the one or more sensing UEs; or mobilities of one or more sensing UEs.

In a second aspect of the solution, a second base station comprises: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to: receive, via the transceiver and from a sensing function (SF) , a first request related to service continuity for sensing a target which is to be out of sensing coverage of a first base station; and transmit, via the transceiver and to the SF, a response to the first request.

In some implementations of the second base station described herein, wherein the first request comprises information related to the target, and the information related to the target comprises at least one of the following: a velocity of the target; a moving direction of the target; a location of the target; or a size of the target.

In some implementations of the second base station described herein, wherein the first request comprises a sensing mode, and the processor is further configured to: in the case that the sensing mode comprises a collaborated mode, coordinate sensing configurations for the first base station and the second base station.

In some implementations of the second base station described herein, wherein the processor is further configured to coordinate the sensing configurations by: receiving a first sensing configuration for the first base station from the SF.

In some implementations of the second base station described herein, wherein the processor is further configured to coordinate the sensing configurations by: receiving the first sensing configuration for the first base station from the first base station.

In some implementations of the second base station described herein, wherein the processor is further configured to coordinate the sensing configurations by: transmitting a second sensing configuration for the second base station to the SF; and receiving a fourth sensing configuration for the second base station determined by the SF from the SF.

In some implementations of the second base station described herein, wherein the response to the first request comprises an acceptance of sensing.

In some implementations of the second base station described herein, wherein the response to the first request comprises a rejection of sensing due to at least one of high work load, limited sensing resource, lack of sensing capability, or lack of sensing UE, and wherein the response to the first request further comprises a rejection cause and assistance information including when the second base station is available or when a sensing UE is available.

In some implementations of the second base station described herein, wherein the first request comprises a requirement for sensing user equipment (UE) , and the requirement comprises at least one of the following: a preferred UE location; preferred UE mobility; expected UE sensing capability; or required UE location accuracy.

In some implementations of the second base station described herein, wherein the response to the first request comprises information related to one or more sensing UEs within a coverage of the second base station, and the information related to the one or more sensing UEs comprises at least one of the following: identifiers (IDs) of the one or more sensing UEs; sensing capabilities of the one or more sensing UEs; locations and associated location accuracies of the one or more sensing UEs; or mobilities of one or more sensing UEs.

In some implementations of the second base station described herein, in the case that there is no available sensing UE, the response to the first request indicates that there is no sensing UE and comprises assistance information including when a sensing UE is available.

In some implementations of the second base station described herein, wherein the processor is further configured to: coordinate, based on the response to the first request, sensing configurations for the first base station and a sensing UE within a coverage of the second base station.

In some implementations of the second base station described herein, wherein the processor is further configured to coordinate the sensing configurations for the first base station and the sensing UE by: transmitting a supported sensing configuration for the sensing UE to the SF; receiving a sensing configuration for the sensing UE from the SF; and transmitting the sensing configuration for the sensing UE to the sensing UE.

In some implementations of the second base station described herein, wherein the response to the first request further comprises information related to one or more sensing UEs when the second base station accepts the first request, and the information related to the one or more sensing UEs comprises at least one of the following: identifiers (IDs) of the one or more sensing UEs; sensing capabilities of the one or more sensing UEs; locations and associated location accuracies of the one or more sensing UEs; or mobilities of one or more sensing UEs.

In a third aspect of the solution, an apparatus for performing an access and mobility management function (AMF) comprises: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the apparatus to: receive, from a sensing function (SF) , a request for obtaining information related to one or more base stations, wherein the request further indicates a required region for sensing a target; and transmit, to the SF, a response to the request.

In some implementations of the apparatus described herein, wherein the information related to the one or more base stations comprises at least one of the following: identifiers (IDs) of the one or more base stations; positions of the one or more base stations; types of the one or more base stations, wherein the types at least comprises a macro station or a micro station; or coverage areas of the one or more base stations.

In a fourth aspect of the solution, a first base station comprises: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to: perform coordination of sensing configurations between the first base station and a second base station or between the first base station and a sensing UE within a coverage of the second base station, wherein the sensing configurations are used for sensing a target which is to be out of sensing coverage of the first base station.

In some implementations of the first base station described herein, wherein the processor is further configured to perform coordination of sensing configurations between the first base station and the second base station by: transmitting a first sensing configuration for the first base station to a sensing function (SF) .

In some implementations of the first base station described herein, wherein the processor is further configured to perform coordination of sensing configurations between the first base station and the second base station by: being informed of the second base station and a sensing mode by a sensing function (SF) ; and transmitting a first sensing configuration for the first base station to a second base station.

In some implementations of the first base station described herein, wherein the processor is further configured to perform coordination of sensing configurations between the first base station and the second base station by: transmitting a first sensing configuration for the first base station to a sensing function (SF) ; and receiving a third sensing configuration for the first base station determined by the SF from the SF.

In some implementations of the first base station described herein, wherein the processor is further configured to perform coordination of sensing configurations between the first base station and the sensing UE within a coverage of the second base station by: transmitting a supported sensing configuration for the first base station to a sensing function (SF) ; and receiving a sensing configuration for the first base station determined by the SF from the SF.

In a fifth aspect of the solution, a processor for wireless communication comprises: at least one memory; and a controller coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the controller to: based on determining that a target is to be out of sensing coverage of a first base station, transmit, to a second base station, a first request related to service continuity for sensing the target; and receive, from the second base station, a first response to the first request.

In a sixth aspect of the solution, a processor for wireless communication comprises: at least one memory; and a controller coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the controller to: receive, from a sensing function (SF) , a first request related to service continuity for sensing a target which is to be out of sensing coverage of a first base station; and transmit, to the SF, a response to the first request.

In a seventh aspect of the solution, a processor for wireless communication comprises: at least one memory; and a controller coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the controller to: receive, from a sensing function (SF) , a request for obtaining information related to one or more base stations, wherein the request further indicates a required region for sensing a target; and transmit, to the SF, a response to the request.

In an eighth aspect of the solution, a processor for wireless communication comprises: at least one memory; and a controller coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the controller to: perform coordination of sensing configurations between a first base station and a second base station or between the first base station and a sensing UE within a coverage of the second base station, wherein the sensing configurations are used for sensing a target which is to be out of sensing coverage of the first base station.

In a ninth aspect of the solution, a method of performing a sensing function (SF) , the method comprises: based on determining that a target is to be out of sensing coverage of a first base station, transmitting, to a second base station, a first request related to service continuity for sensing the target; and receiving, from the second base station, a first response to the first request.

In a tenth aspect of the solution, a method performed by a second base station, the method comprises: receiving, from a sensing function (SF) , a first request related to service continuity for sensing a target which is to be out of sensing coverage of a first base station; and transmitting, to the SF, a response to the first request.

In a eleventh aspect of the solution, a method performed by an access and mobility management function (AMF) , the method comprises: receiving, from a sensing function (SF) , a request for obtaining information related to one or more base stations, wherein the request further indicates a required region for sensing a target; and transmitting, to the SF, a response to the request.

In a twelfth aspect of the solution, a method performed by a first base station, the method comprises: performing coordination of sensing configurations between the first base station and a second base station or between the first base station and a sensing UE within a coverage of the second base station, wherein the sensing configurations are used for sensing a target which is to be out of sensing coverage of the first base station.

It is to be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily comprehensible through the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system that supports service continuity guarantee in integrated sensing and communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate an example of network-based sensing scenario.

FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate an example of UE-involved sensing scenario.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example signalling procedure for service continuity guarantee in integrated sensing and communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example procedure for selecting, by a SF, one or multiple neighboring base stations for target sensing in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example procedure for starting/stopping, by a SF, one or multiple sensing modes for the selected base stations in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example procedure for collaborating, by first base station and UE in the coverage of second base station, to sense/track sensing target in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example procedure for triggering, by a SF, second base station to sense/track sensing target in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of device that support service continuity guarantee in integrated sensing and communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example of processor that support service continuity guarantee in integrated sensing and communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of a method that support service continuity guarantee in integrated sensing and communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 illustrates a flowchart of a method that support service continuity guarantee in integrated sensing and communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 illustrates a flowchart of a method that support service continuity guarantee in integrated sensing and communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 illustrates a flowchart of a method that support service continuity guarantee in integrated sensing and communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some 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. The disclosure described herein may 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.

References in the present disclosure to “one embodiment, ” “an example embodiment, ” “an embodiment, ” “some embodiments, ” and the like indicate that the embodiment (s) described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but it is not necessary that every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment (s) . Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

It shall be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” or the like may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, a first element could also be termed as a second element, and similarly, a second element could also be termed as a first element, without departing from the scope of embodiments. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. 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. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” , “comprising” , “has” , “having” , “includes” and/or “including” , when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and/or components etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and/or combinations thereof.

As used herein, the term “communication network” refers to a network following any suitable communication standards, such as, 5G NR, long term evolution (LTE) , LTE-advanced (LTE-A) , wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) , high-speed packet access (HSPA) , narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) , and so on. Further, the communications between a terminal device and a network device in the communication network may be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocols, including 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, and/or any other protocols either currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, there will also be future type communication technologies and systems in which the present disclosure may be embodied. It should not be seen as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the aforementioned systems.

As used herein, the term “network device” generally refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device can access the communication network and receive services therefrom. The network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP) , for example, a node B (NodeB or NB) , a radio access network (RAN) node, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB) , a NR NB (also referred to as a gNB) , a remote radio unit (RRU) , a radio header (RH) , an infrastructure device for a V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication, a transmission and reception point (TRP) , a reception point (RP) , a remote radio head (RRH) , a relay, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a low power node such as a femto BS, a pico BS, and so forth, depending on the applied terminology and technology.

As used herein, the term “terminal device” generally refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communications. By way of example rather than a limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE) , an end user device, a subscriber station (SS) , an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) , a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS) , or an access terminal (AT) . The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device such as a digital camera, a gaming terminal device, a music storage and playback appliance, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE) , laptop-mounted equipment (LME) , a USB dongle, a smart device, wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE) , an internet of things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD) , a vehicle, a drone, a medical device (for example, a remote surgery device) , an industrial device (for example, a robot and/or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and/or an automated processing chain contexts) , a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and/or industrial wireless networks, and the like. In the following description, the terms: “terminal device, ” “communication device, ” “terminal, ” “user equipment” and “UE, ” may be used interchangeably.

Aspects of the present disclosure are described in the context of a wireless communications system.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 100 that supports service continuity guarantee in integrated sensing and communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communications system 100 may include one or more network entities 102 (also referred to as network equipment (NE) ) , one or more UEs 104, a core network 106, and a packet data network 108. The wireless communications system 100 may support various radio access technologies. In some implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may be a 4G network, such as an LTE network or an LTE-advanced (LTE-A) network. In some other implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may be a 5G network, such as an NR network. In other implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may be a combination of a 4G network and a 5G network, or other suitable radio access technology including institute of electrical and electronics engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi) , IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX) , IEEE 802.20. The wireless communications system 100 may support radio access technologies beyond 5G. Additionally, the wireless communications system 100 may support technologies, such as time division multiple access (TDMA) , frequency division multiple access (FDMA) , or code division multiple access (CDMA) , etc.

The one or more network entities 102 may be dispersed throughout a geographic region to form the wireless communications system 100. One or more of the network entities 102 described herein may be or include or may be referred to as a network node, a base station, a network element, a radio access network (RAN) , a base transceiver station, an access point, a NodeB, an eNodeB (eNB) , a next-generation NodeB (gNB) , or other suitable terminology. A network entity 102 and a UE 104 may communicate via a communication link 110, which may be a wireless or wired connection. For example, a network entity 102 and a UE 104 may perform wireless communication (e.g., receive signaling, transmit signaling) over a Uu interface.

A network entity 102 may provide a geographic coverage area 112 for which the network entity 102 may support services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. ) for one or more UEs 104 within the geographic coverage area 112. For example, a network entity 102 and a UE 104 may support wireless communication of signals related to services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. ) according to one or multiple radio access technologies. In some implementations, a network entity 102 may be moveable, for example, a satellite associated with a non-terrestrial network. In some implementations, different geographic coverage areas 112 associated with the same or different radio access technologies may overlap, but the different geographic coverage areas 112 may be associated with different network entities 102. Information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

The one or more UEs 104 (such as UE 104-1 or UE 104-2) may be dispersed throughout a geographic region of the wireless communications system 100. A UE 104 may include or may be referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a remote unit, a handheld device, or a subscriber device, or some other suitable terminology. In some implementations, the UE 104 may be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client, among other examples. Additionally, or alternatively, the UE 104 may be referred to as an internet-of-things (IoT) device, an internet-of-everything (IoE) device, or machine-type communication (MTC) device, among other examples. In some implementations, a UE 104 may be stationary in the wireless communications system 100. In some other implementations, a UE 104 may be mobile in the wireless communications system 100.

The one or more UEs 104 may be devices in different forms or having different capabilities. Some examples of UEs 104 are illustrated in FIG. 1. A UE 104 may be capable of communicating with various types of devices, such as the network entities 102, other UEs 104, or network equipment (e.g., the core network 106, the packet data network 108, a relay device, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, or another network equipment) , as shown in FIG. 1. Additionally, or alternatively, a UE 104 may support communication with other network entities 102 or UEs 104, which may act as relays in the wireless communications system 100.

A UE 104 may also be able to support wireless communication directly with other UEs 104 over a communication link 114. For example, a UE 104 may support wireless communication directly with another UE 104 over a device-to-device (D2D) communication link. In some implementations, such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) deployments, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) deployments, or cellular-V2X deployments, the communication link 114 may be referred to as a sidelink. For example, a UE 104 may support wireless communication directly with another UE 104 over a PC5 interface.

A network entity 102 may support communications with the core network 106, or with another network entity 102, or both. For example, a network entity 102 may interface with the core network 106 through one or more backhaul links 116 (e.g., via an S1, N2, N2, or another network interface) . The network entities 102 may communicate with each other over the backhaul links 116 (e.g., via an X2, Xn, or another network interface) . In some implementations, the network entities 102 may communicate with each other directly (e.g., between the network entities 102) . In some other implementations, the network entities 102 may communicate with each other or indirectly (e.g., via the core network 106) . In some implementations, one or more network entities 102 may include subcomponents, such as an access network entity, which may be an example of an access node controller (ANC) . An ANC may communicate with the one or more UEs 104 through one or more other access network transmission entities, which may be referred to as a radio heads, smart radio heads, or transmission-reception points (TRPs) .

In some implementations, a network entity 102 may be configured in a disaggregated architecture, which may be configured to utilize a protocol stack physically or logically distributed among two or more network entities 102, such as an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open radio access network (O-RAN) (e.g., a network configuration sponsored by the O-RAN Alliance) , or a virtualized RAN (vRAN) (e.g., a cloud RAN (C-RAN) ) . For example, a network entity 102 may include one or more of a CU, a DU, a radio unit (RU) , a RAN intelligent controller (RIC) (e.g., a near-real time RIC (Near-RT RIC) , a non-real time RIC (Non-RT RIC) ) , a service management and orchestration (SMO) system, or any combination thereof.

An RU may also be referred to as a radio head, a smart radio head, a remote radio head (RRH) , a remote radio unit (RRU) , or a transmission reception point (TRP) . One or more components of the network entities 102 in a disaggregated RAN architecture may be co-located, or one or more components of the network entities 102 may be located in distributed locations (e.g., separate physical locations) . In some implementations, one or more network entities 102 of a disaggregated RAN architecture may be implemented as virtual units (e.g., a virtual CU (VCU) , a virtual DU (VDU) , a virtual RU (VRU) ) .

Split of functionality between a CU, a DU, and an RU may be flexible and may support different functionalities depending upon which functions (e.g., network layer functions, protocol layer functions, baseband functions, radio frequency functions, and any combinations thereof) are performed at a CU, a DU, or an RU. For example, a functional split of a protocol stack may be employed between a CU and a DU such that the CU may support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the DU may support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. In some implementations, the CU may host upper protocol layer (e.g., a layer 3 (L3) , a layer 2 (L2) ) functionality and signaling (e.g., radio resource control (RRC) , service data adaption protocol (SDAP) , packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) ) . The CU may be connected to one or more DUs or RUs, and the one or more DUs or RUs may host lower protocol layers, such as a layer 1 (L1) (e.g., physical (PHY) layer) or an L2 (e.g., radio link control (RLC) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer) functionality and signaling, and may each be at least partially controlled by the CU 160.

Additionally, or alternatively, a functional split of the protocol stack may be employed between a DU and an RU such that the DU may support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the RU may support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. The DU may support one or multiple different cells (e.g., via one or more RUs) . In some implementations, a functional split between a CU and a DU, or between a DU and an RU may be within a protocol layer (e.g., some functions for a protocol layer may be performed by one of a CU, a DU, or an RU, while other functions of the protocol layer are performed by a different one of the CU, the DU, or the RU) .

A CU may be functionally split further into CU control plane (CU-CP) and CU user plane (CU-UP) functions. A CU may be connected to one or more DUs via a midhaul communication link (e.g., F1, F1-c, F1-u) , and a DU may be connected to one or more RUs via a fronthaul communication link (e.g., open fronthaul (FH) interface) . In some implementations, a midhaul communication link or a fronthaul communication link may be implemented in accordance with an interface (e.g., a channel) between layers of a protocol stack supported by respective network entities 102 that are in communication via such communication links.

The core network 106 may support user authentication, access authorization, tracking, connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network 106 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) , or a 5G core (5GC) , which may include a control plane entity that manages access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME) , an access and mobility management functions (AMF) ) and a user plane entity that routes packets or interconnects to external networks (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW) , a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW) , or a user plane function (UPF) ) . In some implementations, the control plane entity may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions, such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management (e.g., data bearers, signal bearers, etc. ) for the one or more UEs 104 served by the one or more network entities 102 associated with the core network 106.

The core network 106 may communicate with the packet data network 108 over one or more backhaul links 116 (e.g., via an S1, N2, N2, or another network interface) . The packet data network 108 may include an application server 118. In some implementations, one or more UEs 104 may communicate with the application server 118. A UE 104 may establish a session (e.g., a protocol data unit (PDU) session, or the like) with the core network 106 via a network entity 102. The core network 106 may route traffic (e.g., control information, data, and the like) between the UE 104 and the application server 118 using the established session (e.g., the established PDU session) . The PDU session may be an example of a logical connection between the UE 104 and the core network 106 (e.g., one or more network functions of the core network 106) .

In the wireless communications system 100, the network entities 102 and the UEs 104 may use resources of the wireless communications system 100 (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, slots, subframes, frames, or the like) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers) ) to perform various operations (e.g., wireless communications) . In some implementations, the network entities 102 and the UEs 104 may support different resource structures. For example, the network entities 102 and the UEs 104 may support different frame structures. In some implementations, such as in 4G, the network entities 102 and the UEs 104 may support a single frame structure. In some other implementations, such as in 5G and among other suitable radio access technologies, the network entities 102 and the UEs 104 may support various frame structures (i.e., multiple frame structures) . The network entities 102 and the UEs 104 may support various frame structures based on one or more numerologies.

One or more numerologies may be supported in the wireless communications system 100, and a numerology may include a subcarrier spacing and a cyclic prefix. A first numerology (e.g., μ=0) may be associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. In some implementations, the first numerology (e.g., μ=0) associated with the first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) may utilize one slot per subframe. A second numerology (e.g., μ=1) may be associated with a second subcarrier spacing (e.g., 30 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A third numerology (e.g., μ=2) may be associated with a third subcarrier spacing (e.g., 60 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix or an extended cyclic prefix. A fourth numerology (e.g., μ=3) may be associated with a fourth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 120 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A fifth numerology (e.g., μ=4) may be associated with a fifth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 240 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix.

A time interval of a resource (e.g., a communication resource) may be organized according to frames (also referred to as radio frames) . Each frame may have a duration, for example, a 10 millisecond (ms) duration. In some implementations, each frame may include multiple subframes. For example, each frame may include 10 subframes, and each subframe may have a duration, for example, a 1 ms duration. In some implementations, each frame may have the same duration. In some implementations, each subframe of a frame may have the same duration.

Additionally or alternatively, a time interval of a resource (e.g., a communication resource) may be organized according to slots. For example, a subframe may include a number (e.g., quantity) of slots. The number of slots in each subframe may also depend on the one or more numerologies supported in the wireless communications system 100. For instance, the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth numerologies (i.e., μ=0, μ=1, μ=2, μ=3, μ=4) associated with respective subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz may utilize a single slot per subframe, two slots per subframe, four slots per subframe, eight slots per subframe, and 16 slots per subframe, respectively. Each slot may include a number (e.g., quantity) of symbols (e.g., OFDM symbols) . In some implementations, the number (e.g., quantity) of slots for a subframe may depend on a numerology. For a normal cyclic prefix, a slot may include 14 symbols. For an extended cyclic prefix (e.g., applicable for 60 kHz subcarrier spacing) , a slot may include 12 symbols. The relationship between the number of symbols per slot, the number of slots per subframe, and the number of slots per frame for a normal cyclic prefix and an extended cyclic prefix may depend on a numerology. It should be understood that reference to a first numerology (e.g., μ=0) associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) may be used interchangeably between subframes and slots.

In the wireless communications system 100, an electromagnetic (EM) spectrum may be split, based on frequency or wavelength, into various classes, frequency bands, frequency channels, etc. By way of example, the wireless communications system 100 may support one or multiple operating frequency bands, such as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz –7.125 GHz) , FR2 (24.25 GHz –52.6 GHz) , FR3 (7.125 GHz –24.25 GHz) , FR4 (52.6 GHz –114.25 GHz) , FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz –71 GHz) , and FR5 (114.25 GHz –300 GHz) . In some implementations, the network entities 102 and the UEs 104 may perform wireless communications over one or more of the operating frequency bands. In some implementations, FR1 may be used by the network entities 102 and the UEs 104, among other equipment or devices for cellular communications traffic (e.g., control information, data) . In some implementations, FR2 may be used by the network entities 102 and the UEs 104, among other equipment or devices for short-range, high data rate capabilities.

FR1 may be associated with one or multiple numerologies (e.g., at least three numerologies) . For example, FR1 may be associated with a first numerology (e.g., μ=0) , which includes 15 kHz subcarrier spacing; a second numerology (e.g., μ=1) , which includes 30 kHz subcarrier spacing; and a third numerology (e.g., μ=2) , which includes 60 kHz subcarrier spacing. FR2 may be associated with one or multiple numerologies (e.g., at least 2 numerologies) . For example, FR2 may be associated with a third numerology (e.g., μ=2) , which includes 60 kHz subcarrier spacing; and a fourth numerology (e.g., μ=3) , which includes 120 kHz subcarrier spacing.

In integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) , multiple use cases are related to intrusion detection and target tracking, e.g., pedestrian/animal intrusion detection on a highway, sensing for railway intrusion detection, sensing for UAV intrusion detection, etc. In view of its large coverage and fixed location, base station is suitable to act as the sensing node for the large area detection and long distance tracking use cases. In these use cases, sensing nodes (i.e., base stations, which may collaborate with sensing UE) detect sensing target with specific periodicity and configuration, once the sensing target is detected, the sensing node reports to the CN/server and tracks the sensing target with corresponding configuration until the sensing target moves out of the defined region, e.g., railway, highway, smart grid area, etc.

During the tracking of sensing targets, it is possible that sensing target moves out of the sensing coverage of current base station due to the mobility of target, leading to sensing node change. Different from legacy mobility issues with UE (e.g., handover) , the sensing target may be not a device and not support signal transmission and measurement. How to guarantee the service continuity when sensing node changes needs to be studied.

FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate an example of network-based sensing scenario, the network-based sensing can provide timely, continuous, accurate, and comprehensive sensing results. In network-based sensing scenario, only base station (s) may act as sensing node (s) without sensing UE involved. As illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2C, service continuity in network-based scenario is guaranteed. In FIG. 2A, gNB1 102-1 detects sensing target 210 and tracks its trajectory in its sensing coverage, and gNB2 102-2 may not track sensing target 210. In FIG. 2B, when sensing target 210 moves into the junction of gNB1 102-1 and gNB2 102-2, multiple sensing modes including collaborated mode (e.g., in the collaborated mode, gNB1 102-1 sends its RS configuration, and gNB2 102-2 receives its RS configuration) may be configured to guarantee the sensing performance and service continuity. In FIG. 2C, when sensing target 210 moves into the sensing coverage of gNB2 102-2, gNB1 102-1 may not track sensing target 210 anymore.

FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate an example of UE-involved sensing scenario. In UE-involved sensing scenario, UEs and gNBs may act as sensing nodes. As illustrated in FIGS. 3A-3C, service continuity in UE-involved scenario is guaranteed. In FIG. 3A, gNB1 102-1 and UE3 304-3 collaborate to detect and track sensing target 310, and gNB2 102-2, UE1 304-1, and UE2 304-2 may not track sensing target 310. In FIG. 3B, when sensing target 310 moves into the junction of gNB1 102-1 and gNB2 102-2, gNB1 102-1 cannot find a suitable sensing UE in its coverage (e.g., the location accuracy or sensing capability of UE1 304-1 cannot satisfy the requirement) , then gNB1 102-1 collaborates with UE2 304-2 in the coverage of gNB2 102-2 to track sensing target 310. In FIG. 3C, when sensing target 310 moves into the sensing coverage of gNB2 102-2, gNB2 102-2 is requested to collaborate with UE2 304-2 to track sensing target 310, and gNB1 102-1 and UE1 304-1 may not track sensing target 310 anymore.

Furthermore, in SF-controlled architecture, the SF in the core network (CN) can be used to compute sensing results based on the received measurement reports, coordinate sensing configuration for collaborated sensing modes, and determine whether/when to start/stop tracking function for neighboring base stations and which base stations to be selected. The service continuity guarantee issues of network-based and UE-involved sensing scenarios in SF-controlled architecture need to be studied.

Therefore, some embodiments of the present disclosure propose a solution to support service continuity for sensing a target, for example, for service continuity guarantee in integrated sensing and communication. In some embodiments of this solution, at a SF, based on determining that a target is to be out of sensing coverage of a first base station, a first request related to service continuity for sensing the target is transmitted to a second base station, and a first response to the first request is received from the second base station, By implementing the example embodiments of the present disclosure, the service continuity guarantee can be supported in network-based and UE-involved sensing scenarios in SF-controlled architecture.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example signalling procedure 400 for service continuity guarantee in integrated sensing and communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 4 in connection with FIGS. 5-8, generally, several phases may be defined, which include at least one of the following: neighbor determination phase, start phase, and configuration phase.

A first solution for service continuity guarantee in integrated sensing and communication relates to service continuity guarantee in network-based sensing scenario, where the second base station (s) (that is, neighboring base station (s) ) for target sensing may be determined when the sensing target moves into the edge area of the first base station (that is, current base station) . The example procedure illustrated in FIG. 6 mainly relates to the first solution.

Moreover, a second solution for service continuity guarantee in integrated sensing and communication relates to service continuity guarantee in UE-involved sensing scenario, where first base station and the UE in the coverage of second base station collaborate to sense/track sensing target when there’ re no suitable sensing UE in the coverage of first base station. The example procedure illustrated in FIG. 7 mainly relates to the second solution.

Furthermore, an additional solution for service continuity guarantee in integrated sensing and communication also relates to service continuity guarantee in UE- involved sensing scenario, where SF triggers second base station to sense/track the target when sensing target moves into the sensing coverage of second base station. The example procedure illustrated in FIG. 8 mainly relates to the additional solution.

During the start phase, as illustrated in FIG. 4, if a target is to be out of sensing coverage of a first base station 402-1, a SF 406 may transmit 430, to a second base station 402-2, a first request 432 related to service continuity for sensing the target. Accordingly, the second base station 402-2 may receive 434, from the SF 406, the first request 432 related to service continuity for sensing the target.

Thereafter, the second base station 402-2 may transmit 436, to the SF 406, a first response 438 to the first request 432. Accordingly, the SF 406 may receive 440, from the second base station 402-2, the first response 438 to the first request 432. Additionally or optionally, in some embodiments, in order to determine the second base station 402-2, the neighbor determination phase is usually carried out prior to the start phase.

During the neighbor determination phase, the SF 406 may transmit 410, to an access and mobility management function (AMF) 408, a second request 412 for obtaining information related to one or more base stations. The second request 412 further indicates a required region for sensing the target. Accordingly, the AMF 408 may receive 414, from the SF 406, the second request 412 for obtaining information related to one or more base stations.

Thereafter, the AMF 408 may transmit 416, to the SF 406, a second response 418 to the second request 412. Accordingly, the SF 406 may receive 420, from the AMF 408, the second response 418 to the second request 412. As a result, the SF 406 may determine 422 the second base station 402-2 based on the information related to the one or more base stations.

In some implementations, the information related to the one or more base stations comprises identifiers (IDs) of the one or more base stations, positions of the one or more base stations, or types of the one or more base stations. The types at least comprise a macro station or a micro station, or comprise coverage areas of the one or more base stations.

In some implementations, the SF 406 may determine the second base station 402-2 based on further information related to the one or more base stations. The further information comprises sensing capabilities of the one or more base stations, supported sensing modes of the one or more base stations, available sensing resources of the one or more base stations, or test results from the one or more base stations. The one or more base stations are triggered by the SF 406 to test sensing tasks for sensing the target, and the test results are compared to decide whether the one or more base stations are qualified for sensing the target.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example procedure 500 for selecting, by a SF, one or multiple neighboring base stations for target sensing in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure (that is, FIG. 5 mainly relates to the neighbor determination phase as mentioned above) .

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5 in connection with FIG. 6, the SF 506 may monitor the sensing performance from the current sensing base station 502-1 (e.g., based on the measurement report 601 as illustrated in FIG. 6) , and the SF 506 can evaluate the quality of the sensing data, e.g., via signal strength, or compute the sensing result based on the sensing data, to decide whether to trigger the following operations.

Thereafter, in order to select one or multiple neighboring base stations for target sensing, at 510, the SF 506 requests base station information from the AMF 508, and the request message also indicates the required region where base stations provide the service/coverage. At 520, the AMF 508 responses the base station information to the SF 506, and the base station information may include the ID, position, type (e.g., macro or micro station, where the micro station manages the small cells ) , coverage area of base stations. Based on the received base station information and the location and moving direction of sensing target, at 530, the SF 506 determines which candidate base stations 502 are selected for target sensing.

At 540, the SF 506 communicates with candidate base stations 502 to obtain their sensing capability, supported sensing mode, available sensing resource if there are interface (s) between the SF 506 and base stations 502. If there is not interface between the SF 506 and base station 502, the exchange will be transferred by the AMF 508. Optionally, the SF 506 may trigger the candidate base stations 502 to do the test sensing task for the target, the results are compared to decide whether they are qualified. At 550, based on the obtained information, the SF 506 may determine one or multiple base stations for target sensing in the start phase.

Additionally or alternatively, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 5 in connection with FIG. 7, the SF 506 may monitor the sensing performance from the current sensing base station 502-1 and sensing UE 104 within the coverage of second base station, and the SF 506 can evaluate the quality of the sensing data, e.g., via signal strength, or compute the sensing result based on the sensing data, to decide whether to trigger the following operations.

Thereafter, in order to select one or multiple neighboring base stations for target sensing, the SF 506 obtains neighboring base station information from the AMF 508, and the request message also indicates the required region where base stations provide service/coverage.

At 520, the AMF 508 responses the base station information to the SF 506, and the base station information may include the ID, position of base stations. Based on the received base station information and the location and moving direction of sensing target, at 530, the SF 506 determines which base stations to interact.

As mentioned above, the first solution for service continuity guarantee in integrated sensing and communication relates to service continuity guarantee in network-based sensing scenario, where neighboring base stations for target sensing may be determined when the sensing target moves into the edge area of current base station.

For the start phase of the first solution, referring back to FIG. 4, in some implementations, the first request 432 may comprise information related to the target, and the information related to the target may comprise a velocity of the target, a moving direction of the target, a location of the target, or a size of the target. Moreover, the SF 406 may transmit, to the first base station 402-1, an updated information related to the target.

Moreover, in some implementations, the first response 438 to the first request 432 may comprise an acceptance of sensing request. Alternatively, in some implementations, the first response 438 to the first request 432 may comprise a rejection of sensing request due to at least one of high workload, limited sensing resource, or lack of sensing capability. The first response 438 to the first request 432 further comprises a rejection cause and assistance information including when the second base station is available.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the sensing start request message 620 may also include the information of the target, e.g., velocity, moving direction, location, size, etc. Moreover, the updated information of the target may also be sent to the sensing base station 502-1 after sensing start request message, e.g., periodically, to enable sensing base station 502-1 configure more accurately for tracking the target.

The base stations 502-2 may accept or reject the sensing start request 620. For example, upon receiving the sensing start request message 620 from the SF 506, the base stations 502-2 send feedback response 630 (e.g., acceptance or rejection) to the SF 506. For example, the base station 502-2 may reject the request due to e.g., its high work load, limited sensing resource, lack of sensing capability, etc. The reject response may include the rejection cause and assistance information, e.g., when it can be available possibly.

As mentioned above, the second solution for service continuity guarantee in integrated sensing and communication relates to service continuity guarantee in UE-involved sensing scenario, where first base station and the UE in the coverage of second base station collaborate to sense/track sensing target when there’ re no suitable sensing UE in the coverage of first base station.

For the start phase of the second solution, referring back to FIG. 4, in some implementations, the first request 432 may comprise a requirement for sensing user equipment (UE) , and the requirement may comprise a preferred UE location, preferred UE mobility, expected UE sensing capability, or required UE location accuracy.

Moreover, the first response 438 to the first request 432 may comprise information related to one or more sensing UEs 404 within a coverage of the second base station 402-2, and the information related to the one or more sensing UEs 404 may comprise identifiers (IDs) of the one or more sensing UEs, sensing capabilities of the one or more sensing UEs, locations and associated location accuracies of the one or more sensing UEs, or mobilities of one or more sensing UEs.

In the case that there is no available sensing UE, the first response 438 to the first request 432 indicates that there is no sensing UE and may comprise assistance information including when a sensing UE is available. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the SF 506 obtains sensing UE information in the coverage of the selected neighboring base stations 502-2 by requesting sensing UE information from the selected neighboring base stations 502-2. The request message 710 indicates the requirements for sensing UE, e.g., preferred UE location and/or mobility, expected UE sensing capability, required UE location accuracy, etc.

Moreover, the selected neighboring base station 502-2 obtains sensing UE information 720 based on the requirement and sends sensing UE information 730 (e.g., UE ID, sensing capability, UE location and associated location accuracy, UE mobility, etc. ) to the SF 506. If the selected neighboring base station 502-2 selects the sensing UE 104, the selected neighboring base station 502-2 sends the selected sensing UE information to the SF 506.

Additionally or alternatively, if the SF 506 selects the sensing UE, the selected neighboring base station 502-2 sends the candidate sensing UE information to the SF 506, and the SF 506 determines the sensing UE 104 to be selected from the candidate sensing UE. Additionally or alternatively, if there is not available sensing UE, the selected base station 502-2 indicates no sensing UE to the SF 506, along with assistance information, e.g., when the sensing UE can be available possibly.

As mentioned above, the additional solution for service continuity guarantee in integrated sensing and communication also relates to service continuity guarantee in UE-involved sensing scenario, where SF triggers second base station to sense/track the target when sensing target moves into the sensing coverage of second base station.

For the start phase of the additional solution, referring back to FIG. 4, in some implementations, the first request 432 may comprise information related to the target, and the information related to the target may comprise a velocity of the target, a moving direction of the target, a location of the target, or a size of the target. Moreover, the SF 406 may transmit, to the first base station 402-1, an updated information related to the target.

Moreover, in some implementations, the first response 438 to the first request 432 may comprise an acceptance of sensing request. Alternatively, in some implementations, the first response 438 to the first request 432 may comprise a rejection of sensing request due to at least one of high work load, limited sensing resource, lack of sensing capability, or lack of sensing UE. The first response 438 to the first request 432 may further comprise a rejection cause and assistance information including when the second base station is available or when a sensing UE is available.

Moreover, the first response 438 to the first request 432 may further comprise information related to one or more sensing UEs 404 when the second base station 402-2 accepts the first request 432, and the information related to the one or more sensing UEs 404 may comprise identifiers (IDs) of the one or more sensing UEs, sensing capabilities of the one or more sensing UEs, locations and associated location accuracies of the one or more sensing UEs, or mobilities of one or more sensing UEs.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the sensing start request message 810 may also include the information of the target, e.g., velocity, moving direction, location, size, etc., which can be used for more accurate configuration. Moreover, the updated information of the target may also be sent to the sensing base station 502-1 after sensing start message 810, e.g., periodically, to enable sensing base station 502-1 configure more accurately for tracking the target.

The second base station 502-2 may response the sensing start request 810. For example, the response message 820 may indicate acceptance or rejection. For example, the second base station 502-2 rejects the SF 506 due to e.g., lack of available sensing UE, high work load, limited sensing resource, etc. The reject response may include the rejection cause and assistance information, e.g., when the base station or sensing UE can be available possibly. Alternatively, if the second base station 502-2 accepts the sensing start request 810, the response message 820 may also include the information of (candidate) sensing UEs.

During the configuration phase, coordination of sensing configurations may be performed between the first base station and the second base station or between the first base station and the sensing UE within the coverage of the second base station.

For the configuration phase of the first solution, referring back to FIG. 4, the first request 432 comprises a sensing mode, and in the case that the sensing mode comprises a collaborated mode, coordination of sensing configurations may be performed 450 between the first base station 402-1 and the second base station 402-2. In some implementations, the coordination of sensing configurations may be performed 450 by at least one of the following.

In some implementations, the SF 406 receives a first sensing configuration for the first base station from the first base station, and transmits the first sensing configuration to the second base station. In some implementations, the SF 406 informs the first base station of the second base station and the sensing mode, and the first base station transmits the first sensing configuration for the first base station to the second base station.

In some implementations, the SF 406 receives the first sensing configuration for the first base station from the first base station, receives the second sensing configuration for the second base station from the second base station, determines a third sensing configuration for the first base station, determines a fourth sensing configuration for the second base station, and transmits the third and fourth sensing configurations to the first and second base stations respectively. It should be noted that, for the first solution, the configuration phase could be carried out before the start phase, during the start phase, or after the start phase.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the sensing start request message 620 indicates the sensing modes and optionally associated sensing configurations. If the selected sensing modes include the collaborated sensing mode (e.g., first base station sends its RS configuration, and second base station receives its RS configuration) , the sensing configurations of collaborated base stations need to be coordinated at 610.

In option 1, the SF 506 obtains the configuration of first base station 502-1 and then sends it to the second base station 502-2, and second base station 502-2 coordinate its configuration to align with first base station 502-1. In option 2, the SF 506 informs first base station 502-1 of the selected neighboring base station (s) 502-2 and sensing mode, e.g., first base station sends its RS configuration, and second base station receives its RS configuration. Then the first base station 502-1 transmits the configuration to the second base station 502-2 via Xn interface and the second base station 502-2 coordinates its configuration to align with the first base station 502-1. In option 3, the SF 506 obtains available sensing configuration from the first base station 502-1 and the second base station 502-2, and determines configuration for them. Then the SF 506 sends the determined configuration to the first base station 502-1 and the second base station 502-2 respectively.

For the configuration phase of the second solution, referring back to FIG. 4, based on the first response 438 to the first request 432, coordination of sensing configurations may be performed 450 between the first base station 402-1 and the sensing UE 404 within a coverage of the second base station 402-2. In some implementations, the coordination of sensing configurations may be performed 450 by at least one of the following.

In some implementations, the SF 406 receives a supported sensing configuration for the first base station from the first base station, receives a supported sensing configuration for the sensing UE from the second base station, determines a sensing configuration for the first base station, determines a sensing configuration for the sensing UE, transmits the sensing configuration for the first base station to the first base station, and transmits the sensing configuration for the sensing UE to the sensing UE via the second base station.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, for sensing configuration coordination 740, the SF 506 obtains supported sensing configuration from first base station 502-1 (through 740A and 740C) , the SF 506 obtains supported sensing configuration of the selected sensing UE 104 from the selected neighboring base station 502-2 (if the SF 506 determines the sensing UE, the request message also indicates the ID of selected UE) (through 740B and 740D) . After determining the sensing configuration, the SF 506 sends the configuration to the first base station 502-1 (e.g., through 740E) , and sends the configuration to the sensing UE 104 via the selected neighboring base station 502-2 (e.g., through 740F and 740G) . Moreover, the SF 506 may compute sensing results based on the received measurement reports (750A and 750B) .

For the configuration phase of the additionally solution, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the sensing start request message 810 indicates the sensing modes and optionally associated sensing configurations. If the selected sensing mode is collaborated mode of base station and UE (e.g., second base station sends its RS configuration, and UE receives its RS configuration) , the SF 506 and/or the second base station 502-2 may obtain UE capability and select sensing UE at 830, and the SF 506 and/or the second base station 502-2 may provide sensing configuration (840B and/or 840A) for the selected UE 104.

Referring back to FIG. 4, in some implementations, the SF 406 may transmit sensing stop indication to other base stations when the target is within a sensing coverage of a sensing base station and a received quality of sensing reference signal (RS) from the sensing base station is higher than a configured or pre-configured threshold.

For the first solution, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the SF 506 informs base station (s) to stop sensing or stop specific sensing modes for tracking the target (e.g., through 650A and/or 650B) . For example, based on the measurement results (e.g., 640A and/or 640B) from the sensing base stations and QoS requirement, the SF 506 may inform one or multiple sensing base stations to stop sensing the target, or stop one or multiple sensing modes for sensing the target (e.g., through 650A and/or 650B) .

For example, based on the initial sensing reports from multiple base stations, the SF 506 may keep one most suitable base station by sending sensing stop indication (e.g., 650A and/or 650B) to other base stations if e.g., the target is in the sensing coverage of the base station, and the received quality of sensing RS is higher than a (pre) configured threshold. For example, the sensing stop indication message may include the sensing mode to be deactivated, the sensing configuration to be deactivated, etc.

For the additional solution, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the SF 506 may compute sensing results based on the received measurement reports (850A and 850B) . Based on the sensing results, the SF 506 may inform the first base station 502-1 to stop tracking the sensing target, and the sensing stop indication message 860 may indicate the sensing mode to be deactivated, the sensing configuration to be deactivated, etc.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a device 900 that support service continuity guarantee in integrated sensing and communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The device 900 may be an example of a UE 104-1 as described herein. The device 900 may support wireless communication with one or more network entities 102, UEs 104, or any combination thereof. The device 900 may include components for bi-directional communications including components for transmitting and receiving communications, such as a processor 902, a memory 904, a transceiver 906, and, optionally, an I/O controller 908. These components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces (e.g., buses) .

The processor 902, the memory 904, the transceiver 906, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of the present disclosure as described herein. For example, the processor 902, the memory 904, the transceiver 906, or various combinations or components thereof may support a method for performing one or more of the operations described herein.

In some implementations, the processor 902, the memory 904, the transceiver 906, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in communications management circuitry) . The hardware may include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP) , an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure. In some implementations, the processor 902 and the memory 904 coupled with the processor 902 may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., executing, by the processor 902, instructions stored in the memory 904) .

For example, the processor 902 may support wireless communication at the device 900 in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The processor 902 may be configured to operable to support means for, based on determining that a target is to be out of sensing coverage of a first base station, transmitting, to a second base station, a first request related to service continuity for sensing the target; and means for receiving, from the second base station, a first response to the first request.

The processor 902 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof) . In some implementations, the processor 902 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other implementations, a memory controller may be integrated into the processor 902. The processor 902 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 904) to cause the device 900 to perform various functions of the present disclosure.

The memory 904 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM) . The memory 904 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code including instructions that, when executed by the processor 902 cause the device 900 to perform various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or another type of memory. In some implementations, the code may not be directly executable by the processor 902 but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein. In some implementations, the memory 904 may include, among other things, a basic I/O system (BIOS) which may control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.

The I/O controller 908 may manage input and output signals for the device 900. The I/O controller 908 may also manage peripherals not integrated into the device M02. In some implementations, the I/O controller 908 may represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral. In some implementations, the I/O controller 908 may utilize an operating system such as or another known operating system. In some implementations, the I/O controller 908 may be implemented as part of a processor, such as the processor 906. In some implementations, a user may interact with the device 900 via the I/O controller 908 or via hardware components controlled by the I/O controller 908.

In some implementations, the device 900 may include a single antenna 910. However, in some other implementations, the device 900 may have more than one antenna 910 (i.e., multiple antennas) , including multiple antenna panels or antenna arrays, which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. The transceiver 906 may communicate bi-directionally, via the one or more antennas 910, wired, or wireless links as described herein. For example, the transceiver 906 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 906 may also include a modem to modulate the packets, to provide the modulated packets to one or more antennas 910 for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the one or more antennas 910. The transceiver 906 may include one or more transmit chains, one or more receive chains, or a combination thereof.

A transmit chain may be configured to generate and transmit signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) . The transmit chain may include at least one modulator for modulating data onto a carrier signal, preparing the signal for transmission over a wireless medium. The at least one modulator may be configured to support one or more techniques such as amplitude modulation (AM) , frequency modulation (FM) , or digital modulation schemes like phase-shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) . The transmit chain may also include at least one power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signal to an appropriate power level suitable for transmission over the wireless medium. The transmit chain may also include one or more antennas 910 for transmitting the amplified signal into the air or wireless medium.

A receive chain may be configured to receive signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) over a wireless medium. For example, the receive chain may include one or more antennas 910 for receive the signal over the air or wireless medium. The receive chain may include at least one amplifier (e.g., a low-noise amplifier (LNA) ) configured to amplify the received signal. The receive chain may include at least one demodulator configured to demodulate the receive signal and obtain the transmitted data by reversing the modulation technique applied during transmission of the signal. The receive chain may include at least one decoder for decoding the processing the demodulated signal to receive the transmitted data.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a processor 1000 that supports service continuity guarantee in integrated sensing and communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The processor 1000 may be an example of a processor configured to perform various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. The processor 1000 may include a controller 1002 configured to perform various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. The processor 1000 may optionally include at least one memory 1004, such as L1/L2/L3 cache. Additionally, or alternatively, the processor 1000 may optionally include one or more arithmetic-logic units (ALUs) 1000. One or more of these components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces (e.g., buses) .

The processor 1000 may be a processor chipset and include a protocol stack (e.g., a software stack) executed by the processor chipset to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, retrieving, transmitting, outputting, forwarding, storing, determining, identifying, accessing, writing, reading) in accordance with examples as described herein. The processor chipset may include one or more cores, one or more caches (e.g., memory local to or included in the processor chipset (e.g., the processor 1000) or other memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM) , read-only memory (ROM) , dynamic RAM (DRAM) , synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM) , static RAM (SRAM) , ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM) , magnetic RAM (MRAM) , resistive RAM (RRAM) , flash memory, phase change memory (PCM) , and others) .

The controller 1002 may be configured to manage and coordinate various operations (e.g., signaling, receiving, obtaining, retrieving, transmitting, outputting, forwarding, storing, determining, identifying, accessing, writing, reading) of the processor 1000 to cause the processor 1000 to support various operations of a base station in accordance with examples as described herein. For example, the controller 1002 may operate as a control unit of the processor 1000, generating control signals that manage the operation of various components of the processor 1000. These control signals include enabling or disabling functional units, selecting data paths, initiating memory access, and coordinating timing of operations.

The controller 1002 may be configured to fetch (e.g., obtain, retrieve, receive) instructions from the memory 1004 and determine subsequent instruction (s) to be executed to cause the processor 1000 to support various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. The controller 1002 may be configured to track memory address of instructions associated with the memory 1004. The controller 1002 may be configured to decode instructions to determine the operation to be performed and the operands involved. For example, the controller 1002 may be configured to interpret the instruction and determine control signals to be output to other components of the processor 1000 to cause the processor 1000 to support various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. Additionally, or alternatively, the controller 1002 may be configured to manage flow of data within the processor 1000. The controller 1002 may be configured to control transfer of data between registers, arithmetic logic units (ALUs) , and other functional units of the processor 1000.

The memory 1004 may include one or more caches (e.g., memory local to or included in the processor 1000 or other memory, such RAM, ROM, DRAM, SDRAM, SRAM, MRAM, flash memory, etc. In some implementation, the memory 1004 may reside within or on a processor chipset (e.g., local to the processor 1000) . In some other implementations, the memory 1004 may reside external to the processor chipset (e.g., remote to the processor 1000) .

The memory 1004 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code including instructions that, when executed by the processor 1000, cause the processor 1000 to perform various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or another type of memory. The controller 1002 and/or the processor 1000 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 1004 to cause the processor 1000 to perform various functions. For example, the processor 1000 and/or the controller 1002 may be coupled with or to the memory 1004, and the processor 1000, the controller 1002, and the memory 1004 may be configured to perform various functions described herein. In some examples, the processor 1000 may include multiple processors and the memory 1004 may include multiple memories. One or more of the multiple processors may be coupled with one or more of the multiple memories, which may, individually or collectively, be configured to perform various functions herein.

The one or more ALUs 1000 may be configured to support various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementation, the one or more ALUs 1000 may reside within or on a processor chipset (e.g., the processor 1000) . In some other implementations, the one or more ALUs 1000 may reside external to the processor chipset (e.g., the processor 1000) . One or more ALUs 1000 may perform one or more computations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division on data. For example, one or more ALUs 1000 may receive input operands and an operation code, which determines an operation to be executed. One or more ALUs 1000 be configured with a variety of logical and arithmetic circuits, including adders, subtractors, shifters, and logic gates, to process and manipulate the data according to the operation. Additionally, or alternatively, the one or more ALUs 1000 may support logical operations such as AND, OR, exclusive-OR (XOR) , not-OR (NOR) , and not-AND (NAND) , enabling the one or more ALUs 1000 to handle conditional operations, comparisons, and bitwise operations.

The processor 1000 may support wireless communication in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The processor 1000 may be configured to or operable to support means for, based on determining that a target is to be out of sensing coverage of a first base station, transmitting, to a second base station, a first request related to service continuity for sensing the target; and means for receiving, from the second base station, a first response to the first request.

FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of a method 1100 that supports service continuity guarantee in integrated sensing and communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1100 may be implemented by a device or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1100 may be performed by a sensing function (SF) 406 as described herein. In some implementations, the device may execute a set of instructions to control the function elements of the device to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the device may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.

At 1110, the method may include, based on determining that a target is to be out of sensing coverage of a first base station, transmitting, to a second base station, a first request related to service continuity for sensing the target. The operations of 1110 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1110 may be performed by a device as described with reference to FIG. 1.

At 1120, the method may include receiving, from the second base station, a first response to the first request. The operations of 1120 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1120 may be performed by a device as described with reference to FIG. 1.

FIG. 12 illustrates a flowchart of a method 1200 that supports service continuity guarantee in integrated sensing and communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1200 may be implemented by a device or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1200 may be performed by a second base station 402-2 as described herein. In some implementations, the device may execute a set of instructions to control the function elements of the device to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the device may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.

At 1210, the method may include receiving, from a sensing function (SF) , a first request related to service continuity for sensing a target which is to be out of sensing coverage of a first base station. The operations of 1210 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1210 may be performed by a device as described with reference to FIG. 1.

At 1220, the method may include transmitting, to the SF, a response to the first request. The operations of 1220 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1220 may be performed by a device as described with reference to FIG. 1.

FIG. 13 illustrates a flowchart of a method 1300 that supports service continuity guarantee in integrated sensing and communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1300 may be implemented by a device or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1300 may be performed by an access and mobility management function (AMF) 408 as described herein. In some implementations, the device may execute a set of instructions to control the function elements of the device to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the device may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.

At 1310, the method may include receiving, from a sensing function (SF) , a request for obtaining information related to one or more base stations. The request further indicates a required region for sensing a target. The operations of 1310 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1310 may be performed by a device as described with reference to FIG. 1.

At 1320, the method may include transmitting, to the SF, a response to the request. The operations of 1320 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1320 may be performed by a device as described with reference to FIG. 1.

FIG. 14 illustrates a flowchart of a method 1400 that supports service continuity guarantee in integrated sensing and communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1400 may be implemented by a device or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1400 may be performed by a first base station 402-1 as described herein. In some implementations, the device may execute a set of instructions to control the function elements of the device to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the device may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.

At 1410, the method may include performing coordination of sensing configurations between the first base station and a second base station or between the first base station and a sensing UE within a coverage of the second base station. The sensing configurations are used for sensing a target which is to be out of sensing coverage of the first base station. The operations of 1410 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1410 may be performed by a device as described with reference to FIG. 1.

It should be noted that the methods described herein describes possible implementations, and that the operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible. Further, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined.

The various illustrative blocks and components described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a CPU, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of the disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, functions described herein may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or combinations of any of these. Features implementing functions may also be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations.

Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A non-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. By way of example, non-transitory computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM) , flash memory, compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that may be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor.

As used herein, including in the claims, an article “a” before an element is unrestricted and understood to refer to “at least one” of those elements or “one or more” of those elements. The terms “a, ” “at least one, ” “one or more, ” and “at least one of one or more” may be interchangeable. As used herein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of” or “one or more of” or “one or both of” ) indicates an inclusive list such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C) . Also, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step that is described as “based on condition A” may be based on both a condition A and a condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on”shall be construed in the same manner as the phrase “based at least in part on. Further, as used herein, including in the claims, a “set” may include one or more elements.

The description herein is provided to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

An apparatus for performing a sensing function (SF) , comprising:

at least one memory; and

at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the apparatus to:

based on determining that a target is to be out of sensing coverage of a first base station, transmit, to a second base station, a first request related to service continuity for sensing the target; and

receive, from the second base station, a first response to the first request.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

transmit, to an access and mobility management function (AMF) , a second request for obtaining information related to one or more base stations, wherein the second request further indicates a required region for sensing the target;

receive, from the AMF, a second response to the second request; and

determine the second base station based on the information related to the one or more base stations.
The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the information related to the one or more base stations comprises at least one of the following:

identifiers (IDs) of the one or more base stations;

positions of the one or more base stations;

types of the one or more base stations, wherein the types at least comprise a macro station or a micro station; or

coverage areas of the one or more base stations.
The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine the second base station based on further information related to the one or more base stations, wherein the further information comprises at least one of the following:

sensing capabilities of the one or more base stations;

supported sensing modes of the one or more base stations;

available sensing resources of the one or more base stations; or

test results from the one or more base stations, wherein the one or more base stations are triggered by the apparatus to test sensing tasks for sensing the target, and the test results are compared to decide whether the one or more base stations are qualified for sensing the target.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first request comprises information related to the target, and the information related to the target comprises at least one of the following:

a velocity of the target;

a moving direction of the target;

a location of the target; or

a size of the target,

and wherein the processor is further configured to: transmit, to the first base station, an updated information related to the target.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first request comprises a sensing mode, and the processor is further configured to:

in the case that the sensing mode comprises a collaborated mode, coordinate sensing configurations for the first base station and the second base station.
The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to coordinate the sensing configurations by:

receiving a first sensing configuration for the first base station from the first base station; and

transmitting the first sensing configuration to the second base station.
The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to coordinate the sensing configurations by:

informing the first base station of the second base station and the sensing mode.
The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to coordinate the sensing configurations by:

receiving a first sensing configuration for the first base station from the first base station;

receiving a second sensing configuration for the second base station from the second base station;

determining a third sensing configuration for the first base station;

determining a fourth sensing configuration for the second base station; and

transmitting the third and fourth sensing configurations to the first and second base stations respectively.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first response to the first request comprises an acceptance of sensing,

and wherein the first response to the first request comprises a rejection of sensing due to at least one of high work load, limited sensing resource, lack of sensing capability, or lack of sensing UE,

and wherein the first response to the first request further comprises a rejection cause and assistance information including when the second base station is available or when a sensing UE is available.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

transmit sensing stop indication to other base stations when the target is within a sensing coverage of a sensing base station and a received quality of sensing reference signal (RS) from the sensing base station is higher than a configured or pre-configured threshold.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first request comprises a requirement for sensing user equipment (UE) , and the requirement comprises at least one of the following:

a preferred UE location;

preferred UE mobility;

expected UE sensing capability; or

required UE location accuracy.
The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to:

coordinate, based on the first response to the first request, sensing configurations for the first base station and a sensing UE within a coverage of the second base station.
The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to coordinate the sensing configurations for the first base station and the sensing UE by:

receiving a supported sensing configuration for the first base station from the first base station;

receiving a supported sensing configuration for the sensing UE from the second base station;

determining a sensing configuration for the first base station;

determining a sensing configuration for the sensing UE;

transmitting the sensing configuration for the first base station to the first base station; and

transmitting the sensing configuration for the sensing UE to the sensing UE via the second base station.
A second base station, comprising:

a processor; and

a transceiver coupled to the processor,

wherein the processor is configured to:

receive, via the transceiver and from a sensing function (SF) , a first request related to service continuity for sensing a target which is to be out of sensing coverage of a first base station; and

transmit, via the transceiver and to the SF, a response to the first request.
The second base station of claim 15, wherein the first request comprises information related to the target, and the information related to the target comprises at least one of the following:

a velocity of the target;

a moving direction of the target;

a location of the target; or

a size of the target.
The second base station of claim 16, wherein the response to the first request further comprises information related to one or more sensing UEs when the second base station accepts the first request, and the information related to the one or more sensing UEs comprises at least one of the following:

identifiers (IDs) of the one or more sensing UEs;

sensing capabilities of the one or more sensing UEs;

locations and associated location accuracies of the one or more sensing UEs; or

mobilities of one or more sensing UEs.
An apparatus for performing an access and mobility management function (AMF) , comprising:

at least one memory; and

at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the apparatus to:

receive, from a sensing function (SF) , a request for obtaining information related to one or more base stations, wherein the request further indicates a required region for sensing a target; and

transmit, to the SF, a response to the request.
A first base station, comprising:

a processor; and

a transceiver coupled to the processor,

wherein the processor is configured to:

perform coordination of sensing configurations between the first base station and a second base station or between the first base station and a sensing UE within a coverage of the second base station, wherein the sensing configurations are used for sensing a target which is to be out of sensing coverage of the first base station.
The first base station of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to perform coordination of sensing configurations between the first base station and the second base station by:

being informed of the second base station and a sensing mode by a sensing function (SF) ; and

transmitting a first sensing configuration for the first base station to a second base station.