In this paper, we introduce a novel communication-assisted sensing (CAS) framework that explores the potential coordination gains offered by the integrated sensing and communication technique. The CAS system endows users with beyond-line-of-the-sight sensing capabilities, supported by a dual-functional base station that enables simultaneous sensing and communication. To delve into the system's fundamental limits, we characterize the information-theoretic framework of the CAS system in terms of rate-distortion theory. We reveal the achievable overall distortion between the target's state and the reconstructions at the end-user, referred to as the sensing quality of service, within a special case where the distortion metric is separable for sensing and communication processes. As a case study, we employ a typical application to demonstrate distortion minimization under the ISAC signaling strategy, showcasing the potential of CAS in enhancing sensing capabilities.

翻译：本文提出了一种新颖的通信辅助感知（CAS）框架，探索集成传感与通信技术所带来的潜在协同增益。CAS系统借助实现同步传感与通信的双功能基站，赋予用户超视距感知能力。为深入探究该系统的理论极限，我们基于率失真理论构建了CAS系统的信息论框架。在感知与通信过程的失真度量可分离的特殊情形下，揭示了目标状态与终端重建结果之间的可实现总体失真（即感知服务质量）。作为案例研究，我们采用典型应用场景，演示了ISAC信令策略下的失真最小化过程，充分展示了CAS在增强感知能力方面的潜力。