Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
DETAILED ACTION
a. Claims 1-20 in the present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, are being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
b. This is a first action on the merits based on Applicant’s claims submitted on 09/17/2024.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bayesteh et al. US Pub 2021/0286045 (hereinafter “Bayesteh”), and in view of Yerramalli et al. US Pub 2021/0250776 (hereinafter “Yerramalli”).
Regarding claim 1
Bayesteh discloses a sensing processing method (“Methods and apparatus are provided for integrated communication and sensing” [Abstract]), comprising:
obtaining, by a first device (e.g. “TRP 402” in Fig. 4; “Any or all of the EDs 110 and BS 170 may be sensing nodes (SeNs) in the system 100. Sensing nodes are network entities that perform sensing by transmitting and receiving sensing signals.” [0078]), a first indicator (“senses a reflection of the RF pulse signal reflected from an object in a passive phase of the sensing cycle” [0006]), wherein the first indicator comprises echo signal quality (i.e. “received reflection signal”; “The TRP 402 may determine properties of the UE 420 based on the received information pertaining to the reflection of the sensing signal 464.” [0169]) within a first sensing frame (“An example frame 370 is shown in FIG. 3D, in which the frame structure includes the symbol/slots of DDDSDDDSUUUU where S symbols/slots contain reference signals which are used for channel measurements at the UE side. In this case, the UE may need to know the sensing signal parameters including parameters for the frame structure, such as the sensing symbol/slot indices and sensing symbol/slot duration, waveform type, waveform parameters, pilot sequence and the like.” [0249]), and a sensing frame comprises a first slot for performing signal transmission and reception (“In case that sensing signal is used for only sensing (see S492A and S494A of FIG. 4C), signaling may include the frame structure including the ordering of U, D, and S symbols/slots, indices of S symbols/slots, duration of S symbols/slots compared to U/D symbols/slots (in absolute or relative scale), parameters of sensing signal including the bandwidth, numerology, frame structure including sensing cycle duration, number of subcycles in a cycle, configuration of each subcycle including duration of active/passive phases, sensing symbol/slot configuration, numerology, waveform type, waveform parameters including the pulse shape, sequence, time stretching factor and the like.” [0308]); and
determining, by the first device (e.g. “TRP 402” in Fig. 4), a duration of a first slot of the second sensing frame based on the first indicator (“An example frame 370 is shown in FIG. 3D, in which the frame structure includes the symbol/slots of DDDSDDDSUUUU where S symbols/slots contain reference signals which are used for channel measurements at the UE side. In this case, the UE may need to know the sensing signal parameters including parameters for the frame structure, such as the sensing symbol/slot indices and sensing symbol/slot duration, waveform type, waveform parameters, pilot sequence and the like.” [0249] and furthermore “In some embodiments, the configuration of the S symbols/slots can be different from the D and U symbols/slots. For example, as shown in the example frame 360 of FIG. 3C, the duration of the S symbols/slots can be chosen shorter than the duration of D or U symbols/slots. In some embodiments, S slots may be configured not to include synchronization (SYNCH) channel and/or basic broadcast channel. It can be understood that UE may not need to do blind control signal detection in S slots and may not transmit anything in S slots.” [0248]).
Bayesteh does not specifically teach a second sensing frame, the second sensing frame is a sensing frame following the first sensing frame.
In an analogous art, Yerramalli discloses in Fig. 7 a second sensing frame, the second sensing frame is a sensing frame following the first sensing frame (“Two exemplary frame periods 702 and 704 are shown in FIG. 7 for illustrating a frame-based access mode. Each frame period may have a fixed or predetermined duration. Each frame period includes a sensing period 706 (sensing interval) at the beginning of the frame and an idle period 708 at the end of the frame. If a transmitting device successfully gained access to the spectrum through spectrum sensing, the transmitting device may transmit a signal to a receiver in a time interval 710 between the sensing period 706 and idle period 708.” [0112]).
Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Bayesteh’s method for integrated communication and sensing, to include Yerramalli’s method of transmitting side sensing frame-based channel access in wireless communication, in order to facilitate the transmission of sensing frames (Yerramalli [0005]). Thus, a person of ordinary skill would have appreciated the ability to incorporate Yerramalli’s method of transmitting side sensing frame-based channel access in wireless communication into Bayesteh’s method for integrated communication and sensing since the claimed invention is merely a combination of old elements, and in the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable.
Regarding claim 2
Bayesteh, as modified by Yerramalli, previously discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein before the obtaining, by a first device, a first indicator, the method further comprises:
Bayesteh further discloses obtaining, by the first device (e.g. “TRP 402” in Fig. 4), target information (“Sensing refers to an operation to detect a target's range, velocity, and/or shape. Radar is a common example of sensing.” [0004]), wherein the target information comprises at least one of first information (“The air interface manager 300 is configured to manage and adjust the signal or operation parameters of the integrated sensing and communications system. These parameters can include: signal bandwidth, signal waveform, frame structure, or numerology, based on selected input parameters related to sensing and/or communications performance. Such input parameters include: the desired or required sensing resolution, distance range of sensing, communications throughput, transmission PAPR, velocity resolution of objects, communications reliability, network traffic (in terms of the number of users), available bandwidth for communications and/or sensing, frequency band, or the like.” [0102]) or capability information of a sensing node (“It has also been realized that to ensure efficient sensing, a minimum proportion of the reflected sensing signal should be received by the sensing node during the passive phase. The minimum proportion of received sensing signal should be sufficient to obtain the desired sensing parameters or information from the received reflection signal.” [0067]), and the first information comprises at least one of a sensing target region, a sensing object type, sensing quality of service (QoS), sensing prior information, or location information of the sensing node (“Radar sensing has been used for detecting a target's range (distance from the radar), velocity, and shape. For example, after a radar signal is transmitted, a reflection of that radar signal off of an object at a distance from the radar can be received and measured by the radar. Such reflection can indicate certain properties of the object, including its range, location, shape, and velocity. The range of the object can be determined based on the time-of-flight for the radar signal. The location of the object can be determined based on the range of the object and the direction that the radar signal was transmitted and received. For instance, beamforming can be used to transmit radar signals in different directions. The velocity or speed of the object can be determined based on a change in the object's position over time, or based on the Doppler shift of the received radar signal as can be understood by those skilled in the art.” [0035]; also [0102]); and
determining, by the first device (e.g. “TRP 402” in Fig. 4), an initial configuration based on the target information, wherein the initial configuration comprises at least one of the following: configuration information of a first slot, a duration of a second slot, or sensing frame arrangement (i.e. “frame structure”), wherein the second slot is a slot in a sensing frame for performing an operation other than signal transmission and reception (“In case that sensing signal is used for only sensing (see S492A and S494A of FIG. 4C), signaling may include the frame structure including the ordering of U, D, and S symbols/slots, indices of S symbols/slots, duration of S symbols/slots compared to U/D symbols/slots (in absolute or relative scale), parameters of sensing signal including the bandwidth, numerology, frame structure including sensing cycle duration, number of subcycles in a cycle, configuration of each subcycle including duration of active/passive phases, sensing symbol/slot configuration, numerology, waveform type, waveform parameters including the pulse shape, sequence, time stretching factor and the like.” [0308]).
Regarding claim 3
Bayesteh, as modified by Yerramalli, previously discloses the method according to claim 2,
Bayesteh further discloses wherein the configuration information of a first slot comprises at least one of the following: an initial duration of the first slot (“Non-limiting examples of frame structure options include: the number of symbols in the time slot, duration of each symbol, the number of time slots in the frame and the duration of each time slot (sometimes known as a transmission time interval, TTI, or a transmission time unit, TTU). The frame structure component 310 may also specify whether the time slot is a configurable multi-level TTI, a fixed TTI, or a configurable single-level TTI. The frame structure component 310 may further specify a co-existence mechanism for different frame structure configurations.” [0109]), an upper limit of the duration of the first slot, or a lower limit of the duration of the first slot (“The sensing signal may be further constructed or configured to address various technical problems that may arise. For example, a potential problem that may arise is that, for a given sensing bandwidth (BW) and frame structure based on pulse sensing, where t.sub.a may indicate the duration of the active phase in a particular subcycle, or the total duration of all active phases in all subcycles within a given cycle, i.e. t.sub.a=Σ.sub.i=1.sup.Mt.sub.a(i), how to configure the sensing signal s(t) to provide satisfactory or improved sensing performance, particularly range resolution, with a minimum out-of-band leakage or equivalently spectrum localization.” [0271]).
Regarding claim 4
Bayesteh, as modified by Yerramalli, previously discloses the method according to claim 3, wherein the determining, by the first device, an initial configuration based on the target information comprises at least one of the following:
Bayesteh further discloses determining, by the first device, the lower limit of the duration of the first slot based on a Doppler resolution requirement, wherein the Doppler resolution requirement is comprised in the sensing QoS (“It may further improve performance if the active (ON) phase and the passive (OFF) phase are repeated in each sensing cycle to provide more robust range and Doppler estimation. That is, signals are transmitted and sensed over a plurality of sensing cycles, and each sensing cycle includes a plurality of subcycles, where each subcycle includes an active phase and a passive phase.” [0068]);
determining, by the first device, the upper limit of the duration of the first slot based on the sensing object type (“In a second option, one or both of the lengths of the active and passive phases may vary over different subcycles or cycles.” [0071]); or determining, by the first device, the initial duration of the first slot based on at least one of the sensing object type or the sensing prior information (“In a first option, each of the active and passive phases has a fixed length of duration. That is, the duration of the active phases and the duration of the passive phases have the same or constant respective lengths over different subcycles or cycles. In some embodiments, the duration of the active phases and the duration of the passive phases have the same or constant respective lengths over different subcycles of a cycle, but are different over different cycles. The duration of the active phase and the duration of the passive phase may be the same or different, subject to the constraints discussed herein.” [0070]).
Regarding claim 5
Bayesteh, as modified by Yerramalli, previously discloses the method according to claim 4,
Bayesteh further discloses wherein the lower limit of the duration of the first slot is equal to a reciprocal of the Doppler resolution requirement (“Additional uses for these numerologies will be or become apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art. Of the four numerologies listed, those with 30 kHz and 60 kHz subcarrier spacing are more robust to Doppler spreading (fast moving conditions), because of the wider subcarrier spacing.” [0119]).
Regarding claim 6
Bayesteh, as modified by Yerramalli, previously discloses the method according to claim 4,
Bayesteh further discloses wherein the upper limit T1 of the duration of the first slot (“In case that sensing signal is used for only sensing (see S492A and S494A of FIG. 4C), signaling may include the frame structure including the ordering of U, D, and S symbols/slots, indices of S symbols/slots, duration of S symbols/slots compared to U/D symbols/slots (in absolute or relative scale), parameters of sensing signal including the bandwidth, numerology, frame structure including sensing cycle duration, number of subcycles in a cycle, configuration of each subcycle including duration of active/passive phases, sensing symbol/slot configuration, numerology, waveform type, waveform parameters including the pulse shape, sequence, time stretching factor and the like.” [0308]) satisfies at least one of the following:
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, wherein ΔR represents a distance change threshold of a sensing object within a first slot (“The sensed reflection of the RF pulse signal is at least a portion of the transmitted or reflected RF pulse signal, wherein the portion is equal to or greater than a threshold value for the object being within a sensing range of the electronic device.” [0039] and furthermore “The range resolution (ΔR) and velocity resolution (Δv) of radar sensing having the following respective lower limits: ΔR≥c.sub.0/2BW, Δv≥c.sub.0/2T.sub.wf.sub.c, where c.sub.0 denotes the speed of light.” [0059]), and Vmax represents a maximum value of a typical speed range of the sensing object (“The velocity or speed of the object can be determined based on a change in the object's position over time, or based on the Doppler shift of the received radar signal as can be understood by those skilled in the art.” [0035]);
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, wherein ∆Ø represents an angle change threshold of a sensing object within a first slot (“The information pertaining to the reflection of the sensing signal 464 may include the time that the reflection was received, the time-of-flight of the sensing signal (for example, if the TRP 406 knows when the sensing signal was transmitted), the carrier frequency of the reflected sensing signal, the angle of arrival of the reflected sensing signal, and the Doppler shift of the sensing signal (for example, if the TRP 406 knows the original carrier frequency of the sensing signal).” [0168]), R represents a distance of the sensing object (“sensing range” [0005]), and Vmax represents a maximum value of a typical speed range of the sensing object (“The velocity or speed of the object can be determined based on a change in the object's position over time, or based on the Doppler shift of the received radar signal as can be understood by those skilled in the art.” [0035]); or
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, wherein ∆v represents a speed change threshold of a sensing object within a first slot, and amax represents a maximum value of a typical acceleration range of the sensing object (“The range resolution (ΔR) and velocity resolution (Δv) of radar sensing having the following respective lower limits: ΔR≥c.sub.0/2BW, Δv≥c.sub.0/2T.sub.wf.sub.c, where c.sub.0 denotes the speed of light. Thus, increasing the bandwidth can improve the range resolution, and increasing the transmission time or carrier frequency can improve the velocity resolution.” [0059]).
Regarding claim 7
Bayesteh, as modified by Yerramalli, previously discloses the method according to claim 2, wherein the sensing frame arrangement comprises any one of the following:
Yerramalli further discloses in Fig. 7 a first arrangement, wherein the first arrangement is a serial arrangement between two adjacent sensing frames, such that a second slot of a third sensing frame does not overlap in time domain with a first slot of a fourth sensing frame, wherein the third sensing frame is a previous sensing frame of the fourth sensing frame (“Two exemplary frame periods 702 and 704 are shown in FIG. 7 for illustrating a frame-based access mode. Each frame period may have a fixed or predetermined duration. Each frame period includes a sensing period 706 (sensing interval) at the beginning of the frame and an idle period 708 at the end of the frame. If a transmitting device successfully gained access to the spectrum through spectrum sensing, the transmitting device may transmit a signal to a receiver in a time interval 710 between the sensing period 706 and idle period 708.” [0112]).
Regarding claim 8
Bayesteh, as modified by Yerramalli, previously discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the determining, by the first device, a duration of a first slot of the second sensing frame based on the first indicator comprises:
Bayesteh further discloses determining, by the first device, the duration of the first slot of the second sensing frame based on the first indicator, a first preset threshold, and a preset adjustment manner (“the pulse signal waveform is configured and structured so that the ratio of the duration of the active phase and the duration of the passive phase in a sensing cycle or subcycle is greater than a predetermined threshold ratio, and at least a predetermined proportion of the reflection reflected from targets within a given range is received by the radar.” [0040]; [0065]).
Regarding claim 9
Bayesteh, as modified by Yerramalli, previously discloses the method according to claim 8,
Bayesteh further discloses wherein the preset adjustment manner comprises any one of the following:
increasing or decreasing the duration of the first slot by a target ratio (“In one embodiment, the duration (t.sub.a) of the active phase and the duration (t.sub.p) of the passive phase in each subcycle may be selected so that the ratio of t.sub.a/t.sub.p is greater than a predetermined threshold ratio, and the pulse signal may also have a pulse structure selected to allow at least a predetermined proportion (α) of the reflected pulse signal to return to the sensing node during the passive phase when d.sub.min≤d≤d.sub.max. Generally, 0<α≤1. In some embodiments, 0<α<1. A smaller a will allow increased duty cycle, but if α is too small it may negatively affect the sensing performance. The value of a may represent the minimum proportion of a reflection received by the sensing node during the passive phase among all reflected signals. In some embodiments, the value of a may be selected so that the minimum proportion of any reflection received by the sensing node during the passive phase is still sufficient to provide effective and efficient sensing, or at least meet the minimum sensing requirements in the particular application.” [0065]);
Regarding claim 10
Bayesteh, as modified by Yerramalli, previously discloses the method according to claim 1,
Bayesteh further discloses wherein in a case that the first device (“The TRP 404 is a base station that receives an uplink (UL) signal 440 from the UE 414, and transmits a sensing signal 460 in the direction of the UE 410. The UL signal 440 is an example of a communication signal carrying data. Since the TRP 404 is involved in sensing, this TRP is considered to be both a sensing node (SeN) and a communication node.” [0140]) comprises a receiving device (i.e. “transceiver 202” in Fig. 2A; [0089]) in the sensing node, the obtaining, by a first device, a first indicator comprises:
receiving, by the first device (i.e. “TRP 406” in Fig. 4), a first signal (i.e. “sensing signal 464” in Fig. 4) based on a duration of a first slot of the first sensing frame to obtain echo data (“In an example, the sensing signal 464 may be reflected off of the UE 420 and be received by the TRP 406. It should be noted that a sensing signal might not physically reflect off of a UE, but may instead reflect off an object that is associated with the UE. For example, the sensing signal 464 may reflect off of a user or vehicle that is carrying the UE 420. The TRP 406 may determine certain properties of the UE 420 based on a reflection of the sensing signal 464, including the range, location, shape, and speed or velocity of the UE 420, for example. In some implementations, the TRP 406 may transmit information pertaining to the reflection of the sensing signal 464 to the TRP 402, or to any other network entity. The information pertaining to the reflection of the sensing signal 464 may include the time that the reflection was received, the time-of-flight of the sensing signal (for example, if the TRP 406 knows when the sensing signal was transmitted), the carrier frequency of the reflected sensing signal, the angle of arrival of the reflected sensing signal, and the Doppler shift of the sensing signal (for example, if the TRP 406 knows the original carrier frequency of the sensing signal). Other types of information pertaining to the reflection of a sensing signal are also contemplated.” [0168]);
determining, by the first device, a target sensing result based on the echo data (i.e. “received signal reflected from the target”), wherein the target sensing result satisfies: the target sensing result comprises result information indicating whether a sensing object is detected, and in a case that the sensing object is detected, the target sensing result further comprises the first indicator (“For example, if a target is 300 meters away, a delay between a received signal reflected from the target and the transmitted signal is 2 μs; hence, the duration of the active phase needs to be less than 2 μs to ensure the reflection from the target can be received by the sensing node in the passive phase. In reality, the constraint on pulse duration is more severe as there are reflectors and targets closer to the sensing node than 300 meters. Limiting the duration of the pulse may reduce the ability to integrate sensing with communications signals and equipment, which currently mainly utilizes OFDM waveforms. For example, in order to accommodate a cyclic prefix (CP), the symbol duration for OFDM transmissions may need to be much longer than 2 μs. A narrow-time sensing pulse can limit the accuracy of target velocity estimation” [0060]); and
determining, by the first device, the first indicator based on the target sensing result (“Example desired performance indicators may include target classification results and desired sensing quality. Performance indicators may include, for example, an indicator of the mobility of the target.” [0182]); or,
wherein in a case that the first device is a sensing function network element (“Sensing agents are nodes in a network that can assist in the sensing operation. These nodes can be stand-alone nodes dedicated to just sensing operations, or other nodes, for example transmit points (TPs) including transmit and receive points (TRPs) or UEs, which can perform both sensing operations and communication transmissions. In cases where the sensing agents are implemented as stand-alone nodes” [0055]) or a transmitting device (i.e. “transceiver 202” in Fig. 2A; [0089]) in the sensing node (“The TRP 404 is a base station that receives an uplink (UL) signal 440 from the UE 414, and transmits a sensing signal 460 in the direction of the UE 410. The UL signal 440 is an example of a communication signal carrying data. Since the TRP 404 is involved in sensing, this TRP is considered to be both a sensing node (SeN) and a communication node.” [0140]), before the obtaining, by a first device, a first indicator,
wherein the echo signal quality (i.e. “received signal reflected from the target”) comprises at least one of the following: echo signal power, signal to noise ratio of echo signal, signal to interference plus noise ratio of echo signal (“the signal is designed to achieve one or more of improved sensing performance, for example target positioning accuracy; and minimizing negative impact or effect, or interference, of sensing on other applications or functions performed by the sensing node or electronic device. For example, it may be desirable to reduce or minimize interference of sensing signal with adjacent communication bands, by minimizing the out-of-band sensing signal radiation.” [0046]), reference signal received power, or reference signal received quality (“The use of different numerologies can allow the air interface 190 to support coexistence of a diverse set of use cases having a wide range of quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as different levels of latency or reliability tolerance, as well as different bandwidth or signaling overhead requirements. In one example, the base station can signal to the ED an index representing a selected numerology, or a single parameter (e.g., subcarrier spacing) of the selected numerology. Based on this signaling, the ED may determine the parameters of the selected numerology from other information, such as a look-up table of candidate numerologies stored in memory.” [0126]).
Regarding claim 11
Bayesteh discloses a sensing processing method (“Methods and apparatus are provided for integrated communication and sensing” [Abstract]), comprising:
in a case that a first device (e.g. “TRP 402” in Fig. 4) adjusts a duration of a first slot based on a first indicator (“In case that sensing signal is used for only sensing (see S492A and S494A of FIG. 4C), signaling may include the frame structure including the ordering of U, D, and S symbols/slots, indices of S symbols/slots, duration of S symbols/slots compared to U/D symbols/slots (in absolute or relative scale), parameters of sensing signal including the bandwidth, numerology, frame structure including sensing cycle duration, number of subcycles in a cycle, configuration of each subcycle including duration of active/passive phases, sensing symbol/slot configuration, numerology, waveform type, waveform parameters including the pulse shape, sequence, time stretching factor and the like.” [0308]), receiving, by a second device (e.g. “UE 416” in Fig. 4), first indication information from the first device (“The TRP 402 is a base station that transmits a downlink (DL) signal 430 to the UE 416. The DL signal 430 is an example of a communication signal carrying data. The TRP 402 also transmits a sensing signal 464 in the direction of the UEs 418, 420.” [0139]), wherein the first indicator comprises echo signal quality (i.e. “received reflection signal”; “The TRP 402 may determine properties of the UE 420 based on the received information pertaining to the reflection of the sensing signal 464.” [0169]) within a first sensing frame, a sensing frame comprises a first slot for performing signal transmission and reception (“An example frame 370 is shown in FIG. 3D, in which the frame structure includes the symbol/slots of DDDSDDDSUUUU where S symbols/slots contain reference signals which are used for channel measurements at the UE side. In this case, the UE may need to know the sensing signal parameters including parameters for the frame structure, such as the sensing symbol/slot indices and sensing symbol/slot duration, waveform type, waveform parameters, pilot sequence and the like.” [0249]),
wherein in a case that the first device (e.g. “TRP 402” in Fig. 4) is a sensing function network element (“Sensing agents are nodes in a network that can assist in the sensing operation. These nodes can be stand-alone nodes dedicated to just sensing operations, or other nodes, for example transmit points (TPs) including transmit and receive points (TRPs) or UEs, which can perform both sensing operations and communication transmissions. In cases where the sensing agents are implemented as stand-alone nodes” [0055]), the second device comprises at least one of a receiving device (i.e. “transceiver 202” in Fig. 2A; [0089]) in a sensing node (“The TRP 404 is a base station that receives an uplink (UL) signal 440 from the UE 414, and transmits a sensing signal 460 in the direction of the UE 410. The UL signal 440 is an example of a communication signal carrying data. Since the TRP 404 is involved in sensing, this TRP is considered to be both a sensing node (SeN) and a communication node.” [0140]) or a transmitting device (i.e. “transceiver 202” in Fig. 2A; [0089]) in the sensing node; in a case that the first device (e.g. “TRP 402” in Fig. 4) is a receiving device in a sensing node, the second device (e.g. “UE 416” in Fig. 4) comprises at least one of a transmitting device (i.e. “transceiver 202” in Fig. 2A; [0089]) in the sensing node (“The TRP 404 is a base station that receives an uplink (UL) signal 440 from the UE 414, and transmits a sensing signal 460 in the direction of the UE 410. The UL signal 440 is an example of a communication signal carrying data. Since the TRP 404 is involved in sensing, this TRP is considered to be both a sensing node (SeN) and a communication node.” [0140]) or a sensing function network element (“Sensing agents are nodes in a network that can assist in the sensing operation. These nodes can be stand-alone nodes dedicated to just sensing operations, or other nodes, for example transmit points (TPs) including transmit and receive points (TRPs) or UEs, which can perform both sensing operations and communication transmissions. In cases where the sensing agents are implemented as stand-alone nodes” [0055]); and in a case that the first device (e.g. “TRP 402” in Fig. 4) is a transmitting device (i.e. “transceiver 202” in Fig. 2A; [0089]) in a sensing node, the second device (e.g. “UE 416” in Fig. 4) comprises at least one of a receiving device (i.e. “transceiver 202” in Fig. 2A; [0089]) in the sensing node (“The TRP 404 is a base station that receives an uplink (UL) signal 440 from the UE 414, and transmits a sensing signal 460 in the direction of the UE 410. The UL signal 440 is an example of a communication signal carrying data. Since the TRP 404 is involved in sensing, this TRP is considered to be both a sensing node (SeN) and a communication node.” [0140]) or a sensing function network element (“Sensing agents are nodes in a network that can assist in the sensing operation. These nodes can be stand-alone nodes dedicated to just sensing operations, or other nodes, for example transmit points (TPs) including transmit and receive points (TRPs) or UEs, which can perform both sensing operations and communication transmissions. In cases where the sensing agents are implemented as stand-alone nodes” [0055]).
Bayesteh does not specifically teach a second sensing frame, the second sensing frame is a sensing frame following the first sensing frame.
In an analogous art, Yerramalli discloses in Fig. 7 a second sensing frame, the second sensing frame is a sensing frame following the first sensing frame (“Two exemplary frame periods 702 and 704 are shown in FIG. 7 for illustrating a frame-based access mode. Each frame period may have a fixed or predetermined duration. Each frame period includes a sensing period 706 (sensing interval) at the beginning of the frame and an idle period 708 at the end of the frame. If a transmitting device successfully gained access to the spectrum through spectrum sensing, the transmitting device may transmit a signal to a receiver in a time interval 710 between the sensing period 706 and idle period 708.” [0112]).
Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Bayesteh’s method for integrated communication and sensing, to include Yerramalli’s method of transmitting side sensing frame-based channel access in wireless communication, in order to facilitate the transmission of sensing frames (Yerramalli [0005]). Thus, a person of ordinary skill would have appreciated the ability to incorporate Yerramalli’s method of transmitting side sensing frame-based channel access in wireless communication into Bayesteh’s method for integrated communication and sensing since the claimed invention is merely a combination of old elements, and in the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable.
Regarding claim 12
The method according to claim 11, wherein the method further comprises at least one of the following:
in a case that the second device comprises a transmitting device in a sensing node, transmitting, by the second device, a first signal based on an adjusted duration of the first slot; or
in a case that the second device comprises a receiving device in a sensing node, obtaining, by the second device, a first signal based on an adjusted duration of the first slot to obtain echo data; and transmitting second information to the first device or a sensing function network element, wherein the second information comprises echo data, an intermediate sensing result obtained by performing a first operation on the echo data, or a target sensing result obtained by performing a second operation on the echo data, wherein the echo data is data obtained by the receiving device in the sensing node performing a sensing task based on the duration of the first slot of the first sensing frame, the first operation is a partial operation of the second operation, the target sensing result satisfies: the target sensing result comprises result information indicating whether a sensing object is detected, and in a case that the sensing object is detected, the target sensing result further comprises the first indicator.
The scope and subject matter of method claim 12 are similar to the scope and subject matter as claimed in method claim 10. Therefore method claim 12 corresponds to method claim 10 and is rejected for the same reasons of obviousness as used in claim 10 rejection above.
Regarding claim 13
Bayesteh, as modified by Yerramalli, previously discloses the method according to claim 11, wherein before the receiving, by a second device, first indication information from the first device, the method further comprises:
Bayesteh further discloses receiving, by the second device, second indication information from the first device, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate an initial configuration, and the initial configuration comprises at least one of the following: configuration information of a first slot, a duration of a second slot (“the configuration of the S symbols/slots can be different from the D and U symbols/slots. For example, as shown in the example frame 360 of FIG. 3C, the duration of the S symbols/slots can be chosen shorter than the duration of D or U symbols/slots. In some embodiments, S slots may be configured not to include synchronization (SYNCH) channel and/or basic broadcast channel. It can be understood that UE may not need to do blind control signal detection in S slots and may not transmit anything in S slots.” [0248]), or sensing frame arrangement (“An example frame 370 is shown in FIG. 3D, in which the frame structure includes the symbol/slots of DDDSDDDSUUUU where S symbols/slots contain reference signals which are used for channel measurements at the UE side. In this case, the UE may need to know the sensing signal parameters including parameters for the frame structure, such as the sensing symbol/slot indices and sensing symbol/slot duration, waveform type, waveform parameters, pilot sequence and the like.” [0249], wherein the second slot is a slot in a sensing frame for performing an operation other than signal transmission and reception (“In some embodiments, the sensing signal is used only for a sensing purpose, as illustrated at S492A in FIG. 4C. In this case, the frame structure should be defined in such a way to reserve certain time slots for sensing-only. A non-limiting example is shown in FIG. 3B, in which the transmission frame 350 includes consecutive slots/symbols of UUUUSSSSSSDDDD, where U denotes the uplink slots or symbols, S denotes the sensing-only slots/symbols and D denotes the downlink slots/symbols.” [0247]).
Regarding claim 14
The method according to claim 13, wherein the configuration information of a first slot comprises at least one of the following: an initial duration of the first slot, an upper limit of the duration of the first slot, or a lower limit of the duration of the first slot.
The scope and subject matter of method claim 14 are similar to the scope and subject matter as claimed in method claim 3. Therefore method claim 14 corresponds to method claim 3 and is rejected for the same reasons of obviousness as used in claim 3 rejection above.
Regarding claim 15
The method according to claim 14, wherein the lower limit of the duration of the first slot is equal to a reciprocal of a Doppler resolution requirement, and the Doppler resolution requirement is comprised in the sensing QoS; or, wherein the upper limit T1 of the duration of the first slot satisfies at least one of the following:
PNG
media_image1.png
52
65
media_image1.png
Greyscale
, wherein ΔR represents a distance change threshold of a sensing object within a first slot, and Vmax represents a maximum value of a typical speed range of the sensing object;
PNG
media_image2.png
50
80
media_image2.png
Greyscale
, wherein Ư represents an angle change threshold of a sensing object within a first slot, R represents a distance of the sensing object, and Vmax represents a maximum value of a typical speed range of the sensing object; or
PNG
media_image3.png
50
70
media_image3.png
Greyscale
, wherein ∆v represents a speed change threshold of a sensing object within a first slot, and amax represents a maximum value of a typical acceleration range of the sensing object; or,
wherein the sensing frame arrangement comprises any one of the following: a first arrangement, wherein the first arrangement is a serial arrangement between two adjacent sensing frames, such that a second slot of a third sensing frame does not overlap in time domain with a first slot of a fourth sensing frame, wherein the third sensing frame is a previous sensing frame of the fourth sensing frame; or
a second arrangement, wherein the second arrangement is a parallel arrangement between two adjacent sensing frames, such that a second slot of a fifth sensing frame at least partially overlaps in time domain with a first slot of a sixth sensing frame, wherein the fifth sensing frame is a previous sensing frame of the sixth sensing frame.
The scope and subject matter of method claim 15 are similar to the scope and subject matter as claimed in method claims 6 and 7. Therefore method claim 15 corresponds to method claims 6 and 7 and is rejected for the same reasons of obviousness as used in claims 6 and 7 rejections above.
Regarding claim 16
Bayesteh discloses a communication device (“ED 110” in Fig. 2A; [0076]), comprising a processor (“processing unit 200” in Fig. 2A; [0091]) and a memory (“memory 208” in Fig. 2A; [0091]), wherein the memory stores a program or an instruction capable of running on the processor, wherein the program or instruction, when executed by the processor, causes the communication device to perform:
obtaining a first indicator, wherein the first indicator comprises echo signal quality within a first sensing frame or predicted echo signal quality within a second sensing frame, the second sensing frame is a sensing frame following the first sensing frame, and a sensing frame comprises a first slot for performing signal transmission and reception; and
determining a duration of a first slot of the second sensing frame based on the first indicator.
The scope and subject matter of apparatus claim 16 is drawn to the apparatus of using the corresponding method claimed in claim 1. Therefore apparatus claim 16 corresponds to method claim 1 and is rejected for the same reasons of obviousness as used in claim 1 rejection above.
Regarding claim 17
The communication device according to claim 16, wherein before obtaining a first indicator, the program or instruction, when executed by the processor, causes the communication device to further perform:
obtaining target information, wherein the target information comprises at least one of first information or capability information of a sensing node, and the first information comprises at least one of a sensing target region, a sensing object type, sensing quality of service (QoS), sensing prior information, or location information of the sensing node; and
determining an initial configuration based on the target information, wherein the initial configuration comprises at least one of the following: configuration information of a first slot, a duration of a second slot, or sensing frame arrangement, wherein the second slot is a slot in a sensing frame for performing an operation other than signal transmission and reception.
The scope and subject matter of apparatus claim 17 is drawn to the apparatus of using the corresponding method claimed in claim 2. Therefore apparatus claim 17 corresponds to method claim 2 and is rejected for the same reasons of obviousness as used in claim 2 rejection above.
Regarding claim 18
The communication device according to claim 17, wherein the configuration information of a first slot comprises at least one of the following: an initial duration of the first slot, an upper limit of the duration of the first slot, or a lower limit of the duration of the first slot.
The scope and subject matter of apparatus claim 18 is drawn to the apparatus of using the corresponding method claimed in claim 3. Therefore apparatus claim 18 corresponds to method claim 3 and is rejected for the same reasons of obviousness as used in claim 3 rejection above.
Regarding claim 19
The communication device according to claim 18, wherein when determining an initial configuration based on the target information, the program or instruction, when executed by the processor, causes the communication device to perform at least one of the following:
determining the lower limit of the duration of the first slot based on a Doppler resolution requirement, wherein the Doppler resolution requirement is comprised in the sensing QoS;
determining the upper limit of the duration of the first slot based on the sensing object type; or
determining the initial duration of the first slot based on at least one of the sensing object type or the sensing prior information.
The scope and subject matter of apparatus claim 19 is drawn to the apparatus of using the corresponding method claimed in claim 4. Therefore apparatus claim 19 corresponds to method claim 4 and is rejected for the same reasons of obviousness as used in claim 4 rejection above.
Regarding claim 20
Bayesteh discloses a communication device (“ED 110” in Fig. 2A; [0076]), comprising a processor (“processing unit 200” in Fig. 2A; [0091]) and a memory (“memory 208” in Fig. 2A; [0091]), wherein the memory stores a program or an instruction capable of running on the processor, and when the program or instruction is executed by the processor, the steps of the sensing processing method according to claim 11 are implemented.
The scope and subject matter of apparatus claim 20 is drawn to the apparatus of using the corresponding method claimed in claim 11. Therefore apparatus claim 20 corresponds to method claim 11 and is rejected for the same reasons of obviousness as used in claim 11 rejection above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHUONG M NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-8184. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10:00am - 6:30pm.
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/CHUONG M NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2411
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