VEJLGAARD BENNY (DK)
SVENDSEN SIMON (DK)
KIILERICH PRATAS NUNO MANUEL (DK)
| US20180031674A1 | 2018-02-01 | |||
| US20180252809A1 | 2018-09-06 | |||
| US20160124075A1 | 2016-05-05 |
| CLAIMS 1. An apparatus comprising means configured to: generate at least a first radar signal, the first radar signal being based on resources selected by the apparatus, wherein the resources are shared with a plurality of other apparatuses; transmit the first radar signal; detect at least one signal comprising at least one reflected first radar signal; and determine a position of at least one object based on the detected at least one reflected first radar signal. 2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the resources comprise an orthogonal cover code matrix and a set of constant amplitude zero autocorrelation sequences. 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the means configured to generate the first radar signal comprises means configured to: select, from the orthogonal cover code matrix, a first orthogonal cover code for the first radar signal; and select, from the set of constant amplitude zero autocorrelation sequences, a first sequence for the first radar signal. 4. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the means configured to determine the position of the at least one object based on the detected at least one signal comprises means configured to: perform a first cross-correlation of the at least one signal and the first radar signal; determine, for the first cross-correlation, at least one delay value and a respective received power at each respective at least one delay value; and determine a distance of the at least one object based on the determined at least one delay value and the respective received power at the respective delay value for the first cross-correlation. 5. The apparatus of any preceding claim, comprising means configured to generate a second radar signal based on resources selected by the apparatus, the second radar signal being different to the first radar signal. 6. The apparatus of claim 5, comprising means configured to transmit the second radar signal. 7. The apparatus of any of claims 5 to 6, wherein the at least one signal comprises at least one reflected second radar signal. 8. The apparatus of any of claims 5 to 7, comprising means configured to determine the position of the at least one object based on the detected at least one reflected radar signal and the detected at least one reflected second radar signal. 9. The apparatus of any of claims 5 to 8 when dependent on claim 3, wherein the means configured to generate the second radar signal comprises means configured to: select, from the orthogonal cover code matrix, a second orthogonal cover code for the second radar signal; and select, from the set of constant amplitude zero autocorrelation sequences, a second sequence for the second radar signal, wherein the second orthogonal cover code is different to the first orthogonal cover code and/or the second sequence is different to the first sequence. 10. The apparatus of any of claims 5 to 11 , wherein the means configured to determine the position of the at least one object based on the detected at least one signal comprises means configured to: perform a second cross-correlation of the at least one signal and the second radar signal; determine, for the second cross-correlation, at least one delay value and a respective received power at each respective at least one delay value; and determine a distance of the at least one object based on the determined at least one delay value and the respective received power at the respective delay value for the second cross-correlation. 1 1 . The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the means configured to determine the position of the at least one object is configured to determine the position of the at least one object based on a comparison of the at least one delay value and the received power of the first cross-correlation with the at least one delay value and the received power of the second cross-correlation. 12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 1 , wherein the means configured to determine the position of the at least one object comprises means configured to determine a difference in the comparison being greater than a threshold amount indicates another user equipment using the first and/or second radar signal. 13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, comprising means configured to generate a different first and/or second radar signal based on the comparison being greater than the threshold amount. 14. The apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising means configured to transmit, to a network node, an indication of the position of the at least one object. 15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the indication of the position of the at least one object comprises an object map. 16. The apparatus of any of claims 4 to 15, comprising means configured to determine the position of the at least one object based on the respective delay value. 17. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the apparatus comprises means configured to form one or more transmitting and/or receiving beams, wherein each of the respective one or more transmitting and/or receiving beams is associated with a direction with respect to the apparatus. 18. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the means configured to transmit comprises at least one first antenna, and the means configured to detect comprises at least one second antenna, the at least one first antenna being different to the at least one second antenna. 19. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the first radar signal comprises an indication of a transmitted power level of the first radar signal, and wherein the reflected first radar signal comprises the indication of the transmitted power level. 20. The apparatus of any preceding claim, comprises means configured to determine the transmitted power level of the first radar signal based on an indication comprised in the detected at least one signal 21. The apparatus as claimed in any of claims 15 to 20, comprising means configured to provide an indication to a user indicating the presence of the at least one object based on the object map. 22. The apparatus as claimed in any of claims 15 to 10, comprising means configured to control motion of a device based on the object map. 23. The apparatus as claimed in any of claims 15 to 21 , comprising means configured to detect a user gesture based on the detected at least one reflected first radar signal. 24. An apparatus comprising means configured to: receive, from a user equipment, an object map, the object map comprising at least one position of an object relative to the user equipment, wherein the object map is generated by the user equipment based on resources selected by the user equipment, wherein the resources are shared with a plurality of other apparatuses. 25. An apparatus as claimed in claim 24, comprising means configured to control a beam alignment between the network node and the user equipment based on the object map. 26. The apparatus as claimed in any of claims 24 to 25, wherein the apparatus comprises: means configured to determine that at least one object is located in a first beam path between the network node and the user equipment; and wherein the means configured to control the beam alignment is configured to adjust the beam alignment from the first beam path to a second beam path, wherein attenuation of the beam caused by the at least one object is less in the second beam path than the first beam path. 27. An apparatus comprising at least one memory and at least one processor, the at least one memory storing computer executable instructions which, when run by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: generate at least a first radar signal, the first radar signal being based on resources selected by the apparatus, wherein the resources are shared with a plurality of other apparatuses; transmit the first radar signal; detect at least one signal comprising at least one reflected first radar signal; and determine a position of at least one object based on the detected at least one reflected first radar signal. 28. An apparatus comprising at least one memory and at least one processor, the at least one memory storing computer executable instructions which, when run by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: receive, from a user equipment, an object map, the object map comprising at least one position of an object relative to the user equipment, wherein the object map is generated by the user equipment based on resources selected by the user equipment, wherein the resources are shared with a plurality of other apparatuses. 29. A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions for causing an apparatus to: generate at least a first radar signal, the first radar signal being based on resources selected by the apparatus, wherein the resources are shared with a plurality of other apparatuses; transmit the first radar signal; detect at least one signal comprising at least one reflected first radar signal; and determine a position of at least one object based on the detected at least one reflected first radar signal. 30. A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions for causing an apparatus to: receive, from a user equipment, an object map, the object map comprising at least one position of an object relative to the user equipment, wherein the object map is generated by the user equipment based on resources selected by the user equipment, wherein the resources are shared with a plurality of other apparatuses. 31. A method comprising: generating at least a first radar signal, the first radar signal being based on resources selected by the apparatus, wherein the resources are shared with a plurality of other apparatuses; transmitting the first radar signal; detecting at least one signal comprising at least one reflected first radar signal; and determining a position of at least one object based on the detected at least one reflected first radar signal. 32. A method comprising: receiving, from a user equipment, an object map, the object map comprising at least one position of an object relative to the user equipment, wherein the object map is generated by the user equipment based on resources selected by the user equipment, wherein the resources are shared with a plurality of other apparatuses. 5 |
SYSTEMS
TECHNICAL FIELD
This disclosure relates to communications, and more particularly to an apparatus, method and computer program in a wireless communication system. More particularly the present invention relates to an apparatus, method and computer program product for providing radar detection capability. BACKGROUND
Since introduction of fourth generation (4G) services in wireless communication systems, increasing interest has been paid to the next, or fifth generation (5G) standard. 5G may also be referred to as a New Radio (NR) network.
NR networks may provide operating frequencies up to 52.6GHz. These frequencies may be conducive to providing additional functionalities, such as radar, where a device and/or the gNB can sweep their surrounding environment for physical obstacles. This capability may provide numerous applications, such as but not limited to the detection of nearby soft-tissues for transmission power (EIRP) backoff, surveying of the surrounding environment to optimize beam alignment procedures, enabling collision avoidance mechanisms in virtual reality/augmented reality, vehicle- to-any use cases, and detecting user interaction gestures, among many other applications.
Radar capabilities require the transmission and reception of sounding signals. If no gNB-driven coordination mechanism is in place, this procedure may generate interference in the transmission phase, which may be observed in the system during the reception phase. Such situation may arise, for example, when a user equipment UE is in idle, out of a gNB coverage area, or is in RRC-inactive state.
Furthermore, even when the UE is under coordination by the gNB (i.e. in RRC- connected state) but not actively transmitting then it may be desirable that the UE is able to take advantage of radar/ranging capabilities without having to request resources to the network. Therefore, for radar capabilities to be feasible in a multi-user environment context without network coordination, it may be necessary to have a suitable a radio resource procedure in place. SUMMARY
According to a first aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising means configured to generate at least a first radar signal, the first radar signal being based on resources selected by the apparatus, wherein the resources are shared with a plurality of other apparatuses; transmit the first radar signal; detect at least one signal comprising at least one reflected first radar signal; and determine a position of at least one object based on the detected at least one reflected first radar signal.
The resources may comprise an orthogonal cover code matrix and a set of constant amplitude zero autocorrelation sequences.
The means configured to generate the first radar signal may comprise means configured to: select, from the orthogonal cover code matrix, a first orthogonal cover code for the first radar signal; and select, from the set of constant amplitude zero autocorrelation sequences, a first sequence for the first radar signal.
The means configured to determine the position of the at least one object based on the detected at least one signal may comprise means configured to: perform a first cross-correlation of the at least one signal and the first radar signal; determine, for the first cross-correlation, at least one delay value and a respective received power at each respective at least one delay value; and determine a distance of the at least one object based on the determined at least one delay value and the respective received power at the respective delay value for the first cross-correlation.
The apparatus may comprise means configured to generate a second radar signal based on resources selected by the apparatus, the second radar signal being different to the first radar signal.
The apparatus may comprise means configured to transmit the second radar signal.
The at least one signal may comprise at least one reflected second radar signal.
The apparatus may comprise means configured to determine the position of the at least one object based on the detected at least one reflected radar signal and the detected at least one reflected second radar signal.
The means configured to generate the second radar signal may comprise means configured to: select, from an orthogonal cover code matrix, a second orthogonal cover code for the second radar signal; and select, from a set of constant amplitude zero autocorrelation sequences, a second sequence for the second radar signal, wherein the second orthogonal cover code is different to the first orthogonal cover code and/or the second sequence is different to the first sequence.
The means configured to determine the position of the at least one object based on the detected at least one signal may comprise means configured to: perform a second cross-correlation of the at least one signal and the second radar signal; determine, for the second cross-correlation, at least one delay value and a respective received power at each respective at least one delay value; and determine a distance of the at least one object based on the determined at least one delay value and the respective received power at the respective delay value for the second cross- correlation.
The means configured to determine the position of the at least one object may comprise means configured to determine the position of the at least one object based on a comparison of the at least one delay value and the received power of the first cross-correlation with the at least one delay value and the received power of the second cross-correlation.
The means configured to determine the position of the at least one object may comprise means configured to determine a difference in the comparison being greater than a threshold amount indicates another user equipment using the first and/or second radar signal.
The apparatus may comprise means configured to generate a different first and/or second radar signal based on the comparison being greater than the threshold amount.
The apparatus may comprise means configured to transmit, to a network node, an indication of the position of the at least one object.
The indication of the position of the at least one object may comprise an object map.
The apparatus may comprise means configured to determine the position of the at least one object based on the respective delay value.
The apparatus may comprise means configured to form one or more transmitting and/or receiving beams, wherein each of the respective one or more transmitting and/or receiving beams is associated with a direction with respect to the apparatus. The means configured to transmit may comprise at least one first antenna, and the means configured to detect comprises at least one second antenna, the at least one first antenna being different to the at least one second antenna.
The first radar signal may comprise an indication of a transmitted power level of the first radar signal, and the reflected first radar signal may comprise the indication of the transmitted power level.
The apparatus may comprise means configured to determine the transmitted power level of the first radar signal based on an indication comprised in the detected at least one signal.
The apparatus may comprise means configured to: determine a proximity between soft tissue and the user equipment based on the object map; and reduce transmission power of wireless transmissions from the apparatus based on the determination of the proximity.
The apparatus may comprise means configured to provide an indication to a user indicating the presence of the at least one object based on the object map.
The apparatus may comprise means configured to control motion of a device based on the object map.
The apparatus may comprise means configured to detect a user gesture based on the detected at least one reflected first radar signal.
According to a second aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising means configured to: receive, from a user equipment, an object map, the object map comprising at least one position of an object relative to the user equipment, wherein the object map is generated by the user equipment based on resources selected by the user equipment, wherein the resources are shared with a plurality of other apparatuses.
The apparatus may comprise means configured to control a beam alignment between the network node and the user equipment based on the object map.
The apparatus may comprise: means configured to determine that at least one object is located in a first beam path between the network node and the user equipment; and wherein the means configured to control the beam alignment is configured to adjust the beam alignment from the first beam path to a second beam path, wherein attenuation of the beam caused by the at least one object is less in the second beam path than the first beam path. According to a third aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one memory and at least one processor, the at least one memory storing computer executable instructions which, when run by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: generate at least a first radar signal, the first radar signal being based on resources selected by the apparatus, wherein the resources are shared with a plurality of other apparatuses; transmit the first radar signal; detect at least one signal comprising at least one reflected first radar signal; and determine a position of at least one object based on the detected at least one reflected first radar signal.
The resources may comprise an orthogonal cover code matrix and a set of constant amplitude zero autocorrelation sequences.
The being caused to generate the first radar signal may comprise the apparatus being caused to: select, from the orthogonal cover code matrix, a first orthogonal cover code for the first radar signal; and select, from the set of constant amplitude zero autocorrelation sequences, a first sequence for the first radar signal.
The apparatus being caused to determine the position of the at least one object based on the detected at least one signal may comprise the apparatus being caused to: perform a first cross-correlation of the at least one signal and the first radar signal; determine, for the first cross-correlation, at least one delay value and a respective received power at each respective at least one delay value; and determine a distance of the at least one object based on the determined at least one delay value and the respective received power at the respective delay value for the first cross-correlation.
The apparatus may be caused to generate a second radar signal based on resources selected by the apparatus, the second radar signal being different to the first radar signal.
The apparatus may be caused to transmit the second radar signal.
The at least one signal may comprise at least one reflected second radar signal.
The apparatus may be caused to determine the position of the at least one object based on the detected at least one reflected radar signal and the detected at least one reflected second radar signal.
The apparatus being caused generate the second radar signal may comprise the apparatus being caused to: select, from an orthogonal cover code matrix, a second orthogonal cover code for the second radar signal; and select, from a set of constant amplitude zero autocorrelation sequences, a second sequence for the second radar signal, wherein the second orthogonal cover code is different to the first orthogonal cover code and/or the second sequence is different to the first sequence.
The apparatus being caused to determine the position of the at least one object based on the detected at least one signal may comprise the apparatus being caused to: perform a second cross-correlation of the at least one signal and the second radar signal; determine, for the second cross-correlation, at least one delay value and a respective received power at each respective at least one delay value; and determine a distance of the at least one object based on the determined at least one delay value and the respective received power at the respective delay value for the second cross correlation.
The apparatus being caused to determine the position of the at least one object may comprise the apparatus being caused to determine the position of the at least one object based on a comparison of the at least one delay value and the received power of the first cross-correlation with the at least one delay value and the received power of the second cross-correlation.
The apparatus being caused to determine the position of the at least one object may comprise the apparatus being caused to determine a difference in the comparison being greater than a threshold amount indicates another user equipment using the first and/or second radar signal.
The apparatus may be caused to generate a different first and/or second radar signal based on the comparison being greater than the threshold amount.
The apparatus may be caused to transmit, to a network node, an indication of the position of the at least one object.
The indication of the position of the at least one object may comprise an object map.
The apparatus may be caused to determine the position of the at least one object based on the respective delay value.
The apparatus may be caused to form one or more transmitting and/or receiving beams, wherein each of the respective one or more transmitting and/or receiving beams is associated with a direction with respect to the apparatus.
The apparatus may be caused to transmit utilizing at least one first antenna, and the apparatus may be caused to detect utilizing at least one second antenna, the at least one first antenna being different to the at least one second antenna. The first radar signal may comprise an indication of a transmitted power level of the first radar signal, and the reflected first radar signal may comprise the indication of the transmitted power level.
The apparatus may be caused to determine the transmitted power level of the first radar signal based on an indication comprised in the detected at least one signal.
The apparatus be caused: determine a proximity between soft tissue and the user equipment based on the object map; and reduce transmission power of wireless transmissions from the apparatus based on the determination of the proximity.
The apparatus may be caused to provide an indication to a user indicating the presence of the at least one object based on the object map.
The apparatus may be caused to control motion of a device based on the object map.
The apparatus may be caused to detect a user gesture based on the detected at least one reflected first radar signal.
According to a fourth aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one memory and at least one processor, the at least one memory storing computer executable instructions which, when run by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: receive, from a user equipment, an object map, the object map comprising at least one position of an object relative to the user equipment, wherein the object map is generated by the user equipment based on resources selected by the user equipment, wherein the resources are shared with a plurality of other apparatuses.
The apparatus may be caused to control a beam alignment between the network node and the user equipment based on the object map.
The apparatus may be caused to determine that at least one object is located in a first beam path between the network node and the user equipment; and wherein the means configured to control the beam alignment is configured to adjust the beam alignment from the first beam path to a second beam path, wherein attenuation of the beam caused by the at least one object is less in the second beam path than the first beam path.
According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising computer executable instructions for causing an apparatus to: generate at least a first radar signal, the first radar signal being based on resources selected by the apparatus, wherein the resources are shared with a plurality of other apparatuses; transmit the first radar signal; detect at least one signal comprising at least one reflected first radar signal; and determine a position of at least one object based on the detected at least one reflected first radar signal.
The resources may comprise an orthogonal cover code matrix and a set of constant amplitude zero autocorrelation sequences.
The being caused to generate the first radar signal may comprise the apparatus being caused to: select, from the orthogonal cover code matrix, a first orthogonal cover code for the first radar signal; and select, from the set of constant amplitude zero autocorrelation sequences, a first sequence for the first radar signal.
The apparatus being caused to determine the position of the at least one object based on the detected at least one signal may comprise the apparatus being caused to: perform a first cross-correlation of the at least one signal and the first radar signal; determine, for the first cross-correlation, at least one delay value and a respective received power at each respective at least one delay value; and determine a distance of the at least one object based on the determined at least one delay value and the respective received power at the respective delay value for the first cross-correlation.
The apparatus may be caused to generate a second radar signal based on resources selected by the apparatus, the second radar signal being different to the first radar signal.
The apparatus may be caused to transmit the second radar signal.
The at least one signal may comprise at least one reflected second radar signal.
The apparatus may be caused to determine the position of the at least one object based on the detected at least one reflected radar signal and the detected at least one reflected second radar signal.
The apparatus being caused generate the second radar signal may comprise the apparatus being caused to: select, from an orthogonal cover code matrix, a second orthogonal cover code for the second radar signal; and select, from a set of constant amplitude zero autocorrelation sequences, a second sequence for the second radar signal, wherein the second orthogonal cover code is different to the first orthogonal cover code and/or the second sequence is different to the first sequence.
The apparatus being caused to determine the position of the at least one object based on the detected at least one signal may comprise the apparatus being caused to: perform a second cross-correlation of the at least one signal and the second radar signal; determine, for the second cross-correlation, at least one delay value and a respective received power at each respective at least one delay value; and determine a distance of the at least one object based on the determined at least one delay value and the respective received power at the respective delay value for the second cross correlation.
The apparatus being caused to determine the position of the at least one object may comprise the apparatus being caused to determine the position of the at least one object based on a comparison of the at least one delay value and the received power of the first cross-correlation with the at least one delay value and the received power of the second cross-correlation.
The apparatus being caused to determine the position of the at least one object may comprise the apparatus being caused to determine a difference in the comparison being greater than a threshold amount indicates another user equipment using the first and/or second radar signal.
The apparatus may be caused to generate a different first and/or second radar signal based on the comparison being greater than the threshold amount.
The apparatus may be caused to transmit, to a network node, an indication of the position of the at least one object.
The indication of the position of the at least one object may comprise an object map.
The apparatus may be caused to determine the position of the at least one object based on the respective delay value.
The apparatus may be caused to form one or more transmitting and/or receiving beams, wherein each of the respective one or more transmitting and/or receiving beams is associated with a direction with respect to the apparatus.
The apparatus may be caused to transmit utilizing at least one first antenna, and the apparatus may be caused to detect utilizing at least one second antenna, the at least one first antenna being different to the at least one second antenna.
The first radar signal may comprise an indication of a transmitted power level of the first radar signal, and the reflected first radar signal may comprise the indication of the transmitted power level.
The apparatus may be caused to determine the transmitted power level of the first radar signal based on an indication comprised in the detected at least one signal. The apparatus be caused: determine a proximity between soft tissue and the user equipment based on the object map; and reduce transmission power of wireless transmissions from the apparatus based on the determination of the proximity.
The apparatus may be caused to provide an indication to a user indicating the presence of the at least one object based on the object map.
The apparatus may be caused to control motion of a device based on the object map.
The apparatus may be caused to detect a user gesture based on the detected at least one reflected first radar signal.
According to a sixth aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising computer executable instructions for causing an apparatus to: receive, from a user equipment, an object map, the object map comprising at least one position of an object relative to the user equipment, wherein the object map is generated by the user equipment based on resources selected by the user equipment, wherein the resources are shared with a plurality of other apparatuses.
The apparatus may be caused to control a beam alignment between the network node and the user equipment based on the object map.
The apparatus may be caused to determine that at least one object is located in a first beam path between the network node and the user equipment; and wherein the means configured to control the beam alignment is configured to adjust the beam alignment from the first beam path to a second beam path, wherein attenuation of the beam caused by the at least one object is less in the second beam path than the first beam path.
According to a seventh aspect, there is provided a method comprising: generating at least a first radar signal, the first radar signal being based on resources selected by the apparatus, wherein the resources are shared with a plurality of other apparatuses; transmitting the first radar signal; detecting at least one signal comprising at least one reflected first radar signal; and determining a position of at least one object based on the detected at least one reflected first radar signal.
The resources may comprise an orthogonal cover code matrix and a set of constant amplitude zero autocorrelation sequences.
Generate the first radar signal may comprise selecting, from the orthogonal cover code matrix, a first orthogonal cover code for the first radar signal; and selecting, from the set of constant amplitude zero autocorrelation sequences, a first sequence for the first radar signal.
Determining the position of the at least one object based on the detected at least one signal may comprise: performing a first cross-correlation of the at least one signal and the first radar signal; determining, for the first cross-correlation, at least one delay value and a respective received power at each respective at least one delay value; and determining a distance of the at least one object based on the determined at least one delay value and the respective received power at the respective delay value for the first cross-correlation.
The method may comprise generating a second radar signal based on resources selected by the apparatus, the second radar signal being different to the first radar signal.
The method may comprise transmitting the second radar signal.
The at least one signal may comprise at least one reflected second radar signal.
The method may comprise determining the position of the at least one object based on the detected at least one reflected radar signal and the detected at least one reflected second radar signal.
Generating the second radar signal may comprise: selecting, from an orthogonal cover code matrix, a second orthogonal cover code for the second radar signal; and selecting, from a set of constant amplitude zero autocorrelation sequences, a second sequence for the second radar signal, wherein the second orthogonal cover code is different to the first orthogonal cover code and/or the second sequence is different to the first sequence.
Determining the position of the at least one object based on the detected at least one signal may comprise: performing a second cross-correlation of the at least one signal and the second radar signal; determining, for the second cross-correlation, at least one delay value and a respective received power at each respective at least one delay value; and determining a distance of the at least one object based on the determined at least one delay value and the respective received power at the respective delay value for the second cross-correlation.
Determining the position of the at least one object may comprise determining the position of the at least one object based on a comparison of the at least one delay value and the received power of the first cross-correlation with the at least one delay value and the received power of the second cross-correlation. Determining the position of the at least one object may comprise determining a difference in the comparison being greater than a threshold amount indicating another user equipment using the first and/or second radar signal.
The method may comprise generating a different first and/or second radar signal based on the comparison being greater than the threshold amount.
The method may comprise transmitting, to a network node, an indication of the position of the at least one object.
The indication of the position of the at least one object may comprise an object map.
The method may comprise determining the position of the at least one object based on the respective delay value.
The method may comprise forming one or more transmitting and/or receiving beams, wherein each of the respective one or more transmitting and/or receiving beams is associated with a direction with respect to the apparatus.
The transmitting may comprise transmitting utilizing at least one first antenna, and the detecting may comprise utilizing at least one second antenna, the at least one first antenna being different to the at least one second antenna.
The first radar signal may comprise an indication of a transmitted power level of the first radar signal, and the reflected first radar signal may comprise the indication of the transmitted power level.
The method may comprise determining the transmitted power level of the first radar signal based on an indication comprised in the detected at least one signal.
The method may comprise determining a proximity between soft tissue and the user equipment based on the object map; and reducing transmission power of wireless transmissions from the apparatus based on the determination of the proximity.
The method may comprise providing an indication to a user indicating the presence of the at least one object based on the object map.
The method may comprise controlling motion of a device based on the object map.
The method may comprise detecting a user gesture based on the detected at least one reflected first radar signal.
According to an eighth aspect, there is provided a method comprising: receiving, from a user equipment, an object map, the object map comprising at least one position of an object relative to the user equipment, wherein the object map is generated by the user equipment based on resources selected by the user equipment, wherein the resources are shared with a plurality of other apparatuses.
The method may comprise controlling a beam alignment between the network node and the user equipment based on the object map.
The method may comprise: determining that at least one object is located in a first beam path between the network node and the user equipment; and wherein controlling the beam alignment comprises adjusting the beam alignment from the first beam path to a second beam path, wherein attenuation of the beam caused by the at least one object is less in the second beam path than the first beam path.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Having thus described some example embodiments of the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
Figure 1 is a representation of an exemplary cross-correlation for a single radar signal;
Figure 2 is a simplified representation of one exemplary scenario showing radar signal transmission;
Figure 3 is a representation of an exemplary cross-correlation for the example shown in Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a simplified representation of a second exemplary scenario showing radar signal transmission;
Figure 5 is a representation of an exemplary cross-correlation for the example shown in Figure 4;
Figure 6 is a method according to some example embodiments; and
Figure 7 is a method according to some example embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Some example embodiments of the present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all example embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed, various embodiments of the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the example embodiments set forth herein; rather, these example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
Example embodiments of the present application provide an apparatus, method and computer program product for enabling radar-based object detection at a user equipment.
In general, the operation of a radar application can be summarized as follows: a user equipment, UE, transmits a radar detection signal, receives a reflection of the transmitted signal, and determines a location of an object based on a time offset between the transmission of the radar detection signal and the receiving of the reflected signal.
However, when there are multiple UEs within the same geographic area, there may be interference between the radar detection signals if the UEs are not coordinated by a central entity such as the gNB. That is to say, when a UE is inactive, idle or out of coverage of the gNB, then the above method cannot be straightforwardly applied anymore. That is because the UE may have no means of generating UE-specific radar signals, nor any information about when, how and for how long to send and listen for the radar signal. Therefore, without coordination from the gNB, there may be collision between radar signals transmitted by a plurality of UEs.
Furthermore, even when the UE is in RRC Connected mode and the UE is not actively transmitting (i.e. it does not have an ongoing downlink or uplink transmission), then prior to transmitting a scheduling request, the UE may not be assigned any SRS. In this situation, the UE might still need to make use of the radar capabilities. If radar capabilities require network coordination, and if the number of UEs is high enough, then this can lead to unnecessary signalling overhead to coordinate the SRS between UEs. As such, even in RRC Connected state it is desirable to have a low signalling overhead solution that permits multi-user radar/ranging coexistence.
Some example embodiments may address these technical challenges.
In some example embodiments there is provided an apparatus comprising means configured to:
generate at least a first radar signal, the first radar signal being based on resources selected by the apparatus, wherein the resources are shared with a plurality of other apparatuses;
transmit the first radar signal; detect at least one signal comprising at least one reflected first radar signal; and
determine a position of at least one object based on the detected at least one reflected radar signal.
In some example embodiments, the apparatus may comprise a user equipment, UE. As used throughout this application, the terms apparatus and UE may be used synonymously. It should be understood that many different devices may comprise a UE or apparatus as described herein, such as but not limited to a mobile telephone, tablet, PDA, drone, vehicle etc.
In some example embodiments, the UE may comprise means configured to generate the first radar signal using a common pool of resources that is shared among a plurality of UEs.
The common pool of resources may comprise a shared orthogonal cover code, OCC, matrix of size B. The OCC matrix is common to the plurality of UEs - that is to say, all UEs know the size B of OCC matrix O and an algorithm to generate the OCC matrix O. It should be understood that any suitable matrix may be implemented, such as but not limited to a Walsh-Hadamard matrix.
The common pool of resources may also comprise a shared set of constant- amplitude zero autocorrelation, CAZAC, sequences. Each UE of the plurality of UEs have a mechanism for generating the same set of CAZAC sequences. It should be understood that any suitable set of CAZAC sequences may be used, such as but not limited to Zadoff-Chu sequences of length L and roots r e R {r 1 ... , r A }, where the length and roots are known to all of the plurality of UEs.
In some example embodiments, the UE may comprise means configured to generate the common pool of resources. That is to say, the UE may comprise means configured to generate the OCC matrix. The OCC matrix of size B, may be generated based on any suitable algorithm. In some example embodiments the UE may comprise means configured to generate the set of CAZAC sequences.
In some example embodiments, the UE may comprise means configured to generate the first radar signal based on a first orthogonal cover code selected from the shared OCC matrix, and a first CAZAC sequence selected from the shared set of CAZAC sequences. In some example embodiments, the UE may comprise means configured to generate a second radar signal using a second orthogonal cover code selected from the shared OCC matrix, and a second CAZAC sequence selected from the shared set of CAZAC sequences. When generating a second radar signal, the first orthogonal cover code may be different to the second orthogonal cover code, and/or the first CAZAC sequence may be different to the second CAZAC sequence, such that the first radar signal is different from the second radar signal.
In some example embodiments, the UE may comprise means configured to select the first orthogonal cover code, and first CAZAC sequence from the common pool of resources at random. When generating the second radar signal, the second orthogonal cover code and second CAZAC code may also be selected at random.
Having generated the radar signal(s), the UE may then transmit the radar signal(s).
In some example embodiments, where the UE comprise means configured to generate the first and second radar signals, the UE may comprise means configured to transmit the first radar signal and the second radar signal consecutively. In other example embodiments, the UE may comprise means configured to transmit the first radar signal and the second radar signal simultaneously. The first radar signal and the second radar signal may be transmitted for a predetermined time duration. For example, the predetermined time duration may be 4.5 ps, which is corresponds to the OFDM symbol duration with a sub-carrier spacing of 240 kHz.
In some example embodiments, the UE may be a multi-antenna device. For example, the UE may comprise N antennas or antenna panels, where N is greater than one. The UE may comprise means configured to select T antennas to transmit the first radar signal and the second radar signal, where T is less than N.
Having transmitted the radar signal(s), the UE then listens for reflected signals. Where the UE comprises N antennas or antenna panels and transmits the radar signal(s) using T of the N antennas, the UE may listen for reflected signals with P = N - T antennas.
In some example embodiments, the UE may comprise means configured to detect at least one signal. The at least one signal may comprise at least one reflected radar signal. Where there are multiple objects in the local environment, there may be multiple reflected signals. Therefore, the UE may comprise means configured to detect at least one signal comprising at least one reflected first radar signal.
Where a first and second radar signal are transmitted, the UE may comprise means configured to detect at least one signal comprising a reflected first radar signal and a reflected second radar signal, where each reflected signal corresponds to a reflection of each of the transmitted signals.
If the distance from the UE to an object is distance d, the time delay d for the radar signal to travel from the UE to the object is given by d = ^, where c is the speed of light. The round-trip time for the radar signal to travel from the UE to the object, and then be reflected and travel back from the object to the UE, is therefore 2 d = .
If the UE transmits the radar signal for a duration of T, it therefore follows that, in order to the UE to ensure that the object is detected, the UE must listen for reflected signals for a duration accommodating for the round-tip time delay to ensure that the radar signal has time to complete the round trip. That is to say, the UE must listen for a duration
The listening time period TR may be selected based upon a minimum desired detection distance d min that defines a minimum distance at which an object may be located from which reflected radar signals may be detectable by the UE, and a maximum desired detection distance d ma x that defines a maximum distance at which an object may be located from which reflected radar signals may be detectable by the UE. That is to say, TR may be selected according to the following expression:
2d min 2d max
+ T £ T R £ + T
c c
Having detected the at least one reflected first radar signal, the UE may then determine a distance from the UE to an object from which the reflection occurred.
In some example embodiments, the UE may comprise means configured to perform a cross-correlation between the transmitted radar signal and the at least one signal comprising the one or more reflections of that radar signal. The UE may comprise means configured to determine the energy of the detected reflected radar signals at respective time instants. The UE may comprise means configured to determine one or more energy peaks at a respective one or more time intervals. Each energy peak may correspond to a reflection from an object in the local environment of the UE.
The UE may comprise means configured to determine, for each energy peak in the cross-correlation, a respective received power and time delay.
A representation of an exemplary cross-correlation for a single radar signal is shown in Figure 1 , where a first energy peak 102 and a second energy peaks 104 are shown. The first energy peak 102 may correspond to the detected radar signal emitted by a first antenna of the UE and detected without reflection by a second antenna of the UE. The second energy peak 104 may correspond to a radar signal that has been transmitted by the UE, reflected off an object in the local environment of the UE and then detected by the UE.
The time delays 106a and 106b may be used to determine the relative distance between the UE and the source of the detected signal component. In the case of delay 106a, the UE may determine that the corresponding distance equates to the distance between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna, and therefore determine that the peak 102 is associated with the radar signal emitted by the UE and detected without reflection. The UE may subsequently ignore the energy peak 102 when determining objects in the vicinity of the UE.
The UE may perform the cross-correlation for each radar signal being transmitted. That is to say, when the UE generates and transmits the first radar signal and the second radar signal, the UE may perform a first cross-correlation of the first radar signal and the detected signal, and a second cross-correlation between the second radar signal and the detected signal. The UE may then determine a respective power and time delay for each energy peak in the first cross-correlation and the second cross-correlation.
The UE may then use the respective power and time delay values derived from a cross-correlation to determine the presence of an object in the local environment, and a relative distance between the object and the UE.
In some example embodiments, the UE may comprise means configured to generate a list comprising the respective power and time delay values for each radar signal. In the case where the first radar signal and second radar signal are emitted, and also where the first and second radar signals are emitted consecutively, the time delay values of the second radar signal may be shifted with respect to the first radar signal by an amount indicated by time_shift as shown below in Table 1.
Table 1 - example delay and power values for two reflected radar signals offset in time by time_shift In some example embodiments, the UE may comprise means configured to compare the list for the first radar signal and the list for the second radar signal to determine a position of at least one object. For example, if an entry in the list for the first radar signal is sufficiently similar to a corresponding entry in the list for the second radar signal, then the UE may determine the position of an object. Any suitable means may be used to determine whether two entries are sufficiently similar, such as but not limited to a mean squared error being below a threshold value.
For example, the UE may comprise means configured to determine that the entry (delay_1 , power_1 ) in the list for the first radar signal is sufficiently similar to the entry (delay_1 + time_shift, power_1 ) in the list for the second radar signal, and therefore that there is an object at a distance d corresponding to delay_1 x c, where c is the speed of light.
Flowever, if an entry in the list for the first radar signal is not sufficiently similar to a corresponding entry in the list for the second radar signal - i.e. the entries are sufficiently different - the UE may comprise means configured to determine that there has been some interference with one of the first radar signal and the second radar signal. Interference may, for example, be caused by one or more other UEs utilizing the same OCC and CAZAC sequence for a radar signal originating from the one or more other UEs.
In some example embodiments, if the UE comprise means configured to determine that another UE is utilizing the same resources for radar signal transmission, then the UE may comprise means configured to select new resources for radar signal transmission. In some example embodiments, the UE may disregard any object information determined using radar resources for which the UE has determined that another UE is utilizing the same resources for radar signal transmission, as these results may not be valid. In the case where two or more radar signals are generated and transmitted by the UE, the UE may comprise means configured to determine one of the radar signals as being the radar signal with which interference has occurred, and subsequently discard object information determined using that determined radar signal.
A simplified representation of one non-limiting example scenario is shown in Figure 2, where a UE 200 and objects 202 and 204 are present. The UE emits a first radar signal 206a which reflects off the objects 202 and 204. The UE then detects a signal comprising the reflected first radar signal 206b from the first object and the reflected first radar signal 206c from the second object during an observation window. The observation window may comprise a time period during which the UE is able to detect incoming signals comprising the reflected radar signals.
The signal received at the UE may comprise three components - a first component y1 corresponding to the signal emitted by a first antenna of the UE and detected by a second antenna of the UE without reflection; a second component y2 corresponding to the signal emitted by the UE and reflected by object 202 before being detected by the UE, and a third component y3 corresponding to the signal emitted by the UE and reflected by object 204 before being detected by the UE.
The UE may therefore detect a signal y = y1 + y2 + y3, within the observation window. It should be understood that the arrival time of each signal component may be dependent on the distance from the UE to the source of that signal component. In some non-limiting example scenarios, each of the signal components may arrive at different times within the observation window.
The UE may then perform a cross-correlation of the signal y with the first radar signal to determine three energy peaks corresponding to each of the signal components.
A representation of an exemplary cross-correlation for the example shown in Figure 2 is shown in Figure 3.
As the distance from the first antenna to the second antenna is the shortest distance, the first peak 300 may correspond to the signal component y1 . The distance from the UE to object 202 is less than the distance from the UE to the object 204. As such, reflections from object 202 will be received before reflections from object 204, and as such the second peak 302 may correspond to signal component y2, and the third peak 304 may correspond to signal component y3. Furthermore, as the radar signal has travelled further for each successive signal component being detected, the respective power of each of the peaks 300, 302, 304, decreases due to increased attenuation resulting from the longer distance travelled for each signal component.
The UE may then determine, from the time delay values corresponding to each of the identified peaks 300, 302, 304, a respective distance value.
In a second representation of an example scenario, shown in Figure 4, one of the objects 204 has been replaced by a second UE 404. Second UE 404 also emits a radar signal that is identical to the radar signal emitted by the first UE 400. As with the previous example UE 400 detects the transmitted signal emitted directly from the transmitting antenna, without reflection, as signal component y1. UE 400 also detects signal component y2, which corresponds to the radar signal emitted by UE 400, reflected by object 202, and detected by UE 400 (not shown in Figure 4).
Similarly, UE 400 detects signal component y4, which corresponds to the radar signal emitted by UE 400, reflected by UE 404, and detected by UE 400 (not shown in Figure 4).
Flowever, as UE 404 is using the same radar signal as UE 400, then UE 400 may also detect signal components resulting from the emission of the radar signal from UE 404. That is to say, UE 400 may also detect signal component y5 corresponding to the radar signal 406 emitted directly from UE 404 and detected at UE 400 without reflection. UE 400 may also detect signal y6 corresponding to the radar signal 408a, 408b emitted from UE 400 and reflected by object 202, and detected at UE 400.
UE X therefore detects a signal y corresponding to the direct and reflected signals from both UE 400 and UE 404. In this example, UE 400 receives signal y = y1 + y2 + y4 + y5 + y6 .
UE 400 may then perform a cross-correlation of signal y with the radar signal emitted by UE 400. A representation of an exemplary cross-correlation for the example shown in Figure 4 is shown in Figure 5.
As can be seen in Figure 5, there may be five peaks 500, 502, 504, 506, 508 corresponding to each of the signal components. Each peak has an associated time delay 500a, 502a, 504a, 506a, 508a.
As with the case in Figures 2 and 3, the distance from the first antenna to the second antenna of UE 400 is the shortest distance. As such, the first peak 500 may correspond to the signal component y1.
If the distance between UE 400 and UE 404 is less than twice the distance from UE 400 to object 202, then radar signals emitted from UE 404 will arrive at UE 400 before radar signals emitted by UE 400 have been reflected by object 202 and arrived back at UE 400. As such, the second peak 502 may correspond to signal component y5.
If the distance from the UE 400 to object 202 and back to UE 400 is less than the distance from the UE 400 to UE 404 and back to UE 400, and also less than the distance from UE 404 to object 202 and then to UE 400, the third peak 504 may correspond to signal component y2. If the distance from UE 404 to object 202 and then to UE 400 is less than the distance from UE 400 to UE 404 and back to UE 400, then the fourth peak 506 may correspond to signal component y6.
The final peak 508 may correspond to signal component y4, as this corresponds to the signal component having the longest distance to travel from UE 400 to UE 404 and back to UE 400.
UE 400 may subsequently generate a list comprising the power of each of peaks 500-508 and the respective time delays 500a-508a. From this list, UE 400 may determine a distance from the UE 400 to each’’object” corresponding to the time delays to each of the peaks.
UE 400 may, however, be unaware that UE 404 is in the local environment and broadcasting a radar signal using the same resources as UE 400. Having determined five peaks, UE 400 may determine that there are 4’’objects” in the local environment (having excluded the peak resulting from the direct emission and reception at UE 400), each located at a distance corresponding to a time delay of each respective peak. However, in reality there are only 2 objects, with 2’’objects” being determined as a result of radar signals emitted by UE 404.
In some example embodiments, UE 400 may compare the determined power and time delay values in the generated list to determine whether any of the received signal components is likely to have originated from another UE broadcasting a radar signal using the same resources.
In some example embodiments, UE 400 may determine that the time delay value for peak 502, corresponding to signal component y5, is at half the time delay value for peak 508, corresponding to signal component y4. Furthermore, in some example embodiments, UE 400 may determine that the power of peak 502 is double the power of peak 508. Assuming that UE 400 and UE 404 are configured to transmit the radar signal at the same power level, then UE 400 may determine that the peak 502 corresponds to a direct (i.e. un-reflected) radar signal transmission from the object that caused the reflection that produced the signal component represented by peak 508, as the radar signal has travelled twice the distance and been attenuated twice as much. In some example embodiments, an indication of the transmitted power level of a radar signal may be comprised in the radar signal. As such, the reflected radar signal may also comprise the indication of the transmitted power. In some example embodiments, the UE may determine the transmitted power level of a radar signal from the indication comprised in the reflected radar signal.
Therefore, in some example embodiments, UE 400 may be able to determine other active UEs broadcasting radar signals in the same local area as UE 400 using the same resources for radar signal transmission as UE 400.
In some example embodiments, where UE 400 broadcasts a first radar signal and a second radar signal, the list of peaks may be different for the first radar signal and the second radar signal if UE 404 is broadcasting a radar signal using the same resources as the first radar signal but not the second radar signal. In some example embodiments, UE 400 may compare the list of peaks for the cross-correlation of the first radar signal with the list of peaks for the cross-correlation of the second radar signal, and determine that there is a sufficiently significant difference between the two lists, and therefore determine that another UE is utilizing the same resources for radar signal transmission.
If the UE determines that another UE is utilizing the same resources for radar signal transmission, then the UE may select new resources for radar signal transmission. In some example embodiments, the UE may disregard any object information determined using radar resources for which the UE has determined that another UE is utilizing the same resources for radar signal transmission, as these results may not be valid.
In some example embodiments, the UE may comprise means configured to form one or more beams for detecting the at least one signal comprising the reflected radar signals using one or more antennas. Where P = N - T antennas are used for detecting the reflected radar signals, P’ receiving beams may be formed. Additionally or alternatively, the N antennas used to transmitting the radar signal or radar signals may also be beam formed. By forming beams in a given direction, directional information relating to reflections of the radar signal(s) from one or more objects may be determined. In some example embodiments, the UE may comprise means configured to perform the steps of detecting the signal comprising the reflected radar signal(s) and performing cross-correlation(s) of the respective radar signal(s) to determine a distance to one or more objects for each beam and each beam direction. In this way, the UE may determine both a distance and a direction to one or more objects relative to the UE, and therefore determine a relative position of one or more objects relative to the UE. In some example embodiments, the UE may comprise means configured to transmit a report to the gNB. The report may comprise a list of object positions determined by the UE. Where the UE determines the list of object positions when the UE is outside of a gNB coverage area, the UE may transmit the list when the UE re enters the gNB coverage area. In some example embodiments, the report transmitted to the gNB may comprise an object map.
In some example embodiments, the UE may comprise means configured to determine a proximity between soft tissue and the user equipment based on the object map. The UE may comprise means configured to subsequently reduce a transmission power of wireless transmissions from the apparatus based on the determination of the proximity.
In some example embodiments, the UE may comprise means configured to provide an indication to a user indicating the presence of the at least one object based on the object map. For example, a user may be utilizing the UE in an augmented reality, AR, or virtual reality, VR, mode of operation. As such, the user may be less aware of their surroundings. The UE may therefore use the abovementioned means to determine the presence of at least one object, and indicate to the user the presence of the at least one object such that the user is not surprised by the at least one object and/or allows the user to more easily avoid colliding with the at least one object.
In some example embodiments, the UE may comprise means configured to control motion of a device based on the object map. For example, the device may be a drone or autonomous vehicle. The UE may control motion of the device based on the object map in order to avoid collision between the device and at least one object indicated by the object map.
In some example embodiments, the UE may comprise means configured to detect a user gesture based on the detected at least one reflected first radar signal. For example, the first radar signal may be reflected by a user’s hand or arm when the user performs a gesture. The UE may receive the reflected first radar signal, and from this determine motion of the hand or arm as the user gesture. The UE may comprise means for performing certain actions based on the determined gesture. For example, the UE may increase a music volume based on determining a certain type of gesture. It should be understood that any suitable user gesture may be determined, and should not be limited to motion of hands and/or arms. Furthermore, any suitable action may be performed by the UE in response to detecting the user gesture via the reflected radar signal.
In some example embodiments, a gNB may comprise means configured to receive, from a user equipment, report. The report may comprise the object map. The object map may comprise at least one position of an object relative to the user equipment. The object map may be generated by the user equipment based on resources selected by the user equipment, wherein the resources are shared with a plurality of other apparatuses, as discussed previously.
In some example embodiments, the gNB may comprise means configured to control a beam alignment between the network node and the user equipment based on the object map. For example, the gNB may determine that at least one object is located in a first beam path between the network node and the user equipment based on the object map. The gNB may subsequently adjust the beam alignment from the first beam path to a second beam path. Attenuation of the beam caused by the at least one object may be less in the second beam path than the first beam path. As such, some example embodiments may allow the gNB to reconfigure the beam alignment based on the object map to avoid interference and/or attenuation of communications between the gNB and the UE.
In some example embodiments, the gNB may comprise means configured to share the object map with one or more UEs other than the UE from which the gNB received the object map. In some example embodiments, the gNB may comprise means configured to combine a first object map received from a first UE with a second object map received from a second UE. Based on a position of the first UE and the second UE, and the first object map and the second object map, the gNB may generate a map of the surroundings of the gNB.
A summary of a method according to some example embodiments is shown in Figure 6.
In step 600, the UE selects a transmission and reception scheme for transmitting and receiving radar signals. In some example embodiments, this may comprise selecting one or more antennas to act as transmitting antennas, and one or more other antennas to act as receiving antennas.
In step 602, the UE may generate one or more radar signals.
In step 604, the UE may transmit the one or more radar signals using the transmission scheme determined at step 600. In step 606, the UE may receive a signal at the receiving antennas determined in step 600. The received signal may comprise one or more reflected radar signals, the reflected radar signals comprising reflections of the transmitted radar signal reflected by an object in the local environment.
In step 608, the UE may determine at least one distance to at least one object in the local environment based on the received signal.
In step 610, the UE may transmit an indication of the distance/position of the one or more objects in the local environment to the gNB. In some example embodiments, the indication may comprise the object map.
A method according to some example embodiments is shown in Figure 7.
In step 700, the UE may select a transmission scheme and reception scheme for radar signals as described previously.
In step 702, the UE may generate a first radar signal and a second radar signal.
In some example embodiments, this may comprise generating 702a a common pool of resources. That is to say, the UE may generate an OCC matrix and the set of CAZAC sequences, wherein the OCC matrix and the set of CAZAC sequences are shared with a plurality of other UEs.
The UE may then select 702b the orthogonal cover code and CAZAC sequence from the common pool of resources that is shared among a plurality of UEs. The selection may be done randomly.
The UE may then generate 702c a first radar signal based on a first orthogonal cover code and a first CAZAC sequence, and generate a second radar signal based on a second orthogonal cover code and a second CAZAC sequence. In some example embodiments, the first radar signal is based on a first orthogonal cover code and a first CAZAC sequence, and the second radar signal is based on a second orthogonal cover code and a second CAZAC sequence, where the first orthogonal cover code is different to the second orthogonal cover code and/or the first CAZAC sequence is different to the second CAZAC sequence.
In step 704, the UE may transmit the first and second radar signals.
In step 706, the UE may receive a signal comprising at least one reflected first radar signal and at least one reflected second radar signal. In some example embodiments, the UE may generate one or more receiving beams in a particular direction when receiving the signal. The UE may, using the one or more receiving beams, receive the signal for a plurality of directions. In step 708, the UE may generate an object map for each receiving beam.
The UE may determine 708a at least one distance for each of the one or more receiving beams, where the at least one distance is at least one distance from the UE to a respective at least one object in a direction of a respective receiving beam. The UE may subsequently determine an object map comprising an indication of a position of the one or more objects relative to the UE.
The UE may determine 708b whether either of the first radar signal and the second radar signal have experienced interference due to another UE emitting a third radar signal that is identical to either the first or second radar signals. That is to say, the UE may determine if the at least one object comprises other UEs utilizing the same resources as the UE for radar signal generation.
The UE may correct 708c the object map based on the determination performed at step 708b. The UE may subsequently select new resources for radar signal generation.
In step 710, the UE may transmit the corrected object map to the gNB.
By providing an apparatus and method as described above, some example embodiments may provide an apparatus and method where a UE does not need to use dedicated slots for radar signal transmission and reception, as the UE may use disjointed sets of antennas for transmission and reception.
Furthermore, in some example embodiments, the UE does not require coordination from the gNB for radar signal generation. Instead, the UE may generate and transmit radar signals without gNB control, as described previously. Furthermore, as indicated above, the UE may determine whether collision with other UEs using the same radar signal resources has occurred, and subsequently change radar signal resources used without requiring coordination from the gNB.
Some example embodiments may therefore provide active radar cabaility for a UE without increasing gNB control signalling requirements.
One exemplary and non-limiting use case of an apparatus and method as described above may be for use in autonomous vehicles, where the vehicle is required to sense objects in its surroundings and navigate through its surroundings accordingly. For an autonomous vehicle to be able to travel freely anywhere, the vehicle should not be restricted by requiring access to a network node. Some example embodiments may allow an apparatus such as an autonomous vehicle the ability to sense objects in its surroundings using radar based techniques as described previously, without requiring coordination from a network node. Consequently, some example embodiments may enable new or enhanced functionality for an apparatus.
It should be understood that some example embodiments may be implemented by any suitable means. The means may, for example, comprise suitable circuitry configured to perform any of the abovementioned method.
As used herein, the term 'circuitry' refers to (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (e.g., implementations in analog circuitry and/or digital circuitry); (b) combinations of circuits and computer program product(s) comprising software and/or firmware instructions stored on one or more computer readable memories that work together to cause an apparatus to perform one or more functions described herein; and (c) circuits, such as, for example, a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that require software or firmware for operation even if the software or firmware is not physically present. This definition of 'circuitry' applies to all uses of this term herein, including in any claims. As a further example, as used herein, the term 'circuitry' also includes an implementation comprising one or more processors and/or portion(s) thereof and accompanying software and/or firmware. As another example, the term 'circuitry' as used herein also includes, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or applications processor integrated circuit for a mobile phone or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, other network device, and/or other computing device.
In some example embodiments, the apparatus may comprise at least one memory and at least one processor, the at least one memory storing computer code which, when run by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus to perform any of the method steps previously described.
In some example embodiments, there is provided at least one computer readable storage medium comprising computer code which, when run by at least one processor, causes an apparatus to perform any of the method steps previously described. As defined herein a "computer-readable storage medium," which refers to a non- transitory, physical storage medium (e.g., volatile or non-volatile memory device), can be differentiated from a "computer-readable transmission medium," which refers to an electromagnetic signal.
Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these embodiments pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific example embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings describe exemplary embodiments in the context of certain exemplary combinations of elements and/or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and/or functions other than those explicitly described above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
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