CN116981041A

CN116981041A - Communication method and related device

Info

Publication number: CN116981041A
Application number: CN202210434598.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 唐小伟; 范强; 娄崇
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-04-24
Filing date: 2022-04-24
Publication date: 2023-10-31

Abstract

The application provides a communication method and a related device, wherein a terminal device receives a first message from an access network device, the first message is used for requesting a first time difference, wherein the first time difference is the difference between the time when the terminal device receives a downlink reference signal and the time when the terminal device sends an uplink reference signal, and the first message also comprises time information of the first time difference; and the terminal equipment reports the first time difference according to the time information of the first time difference. By implementing the method, the measurement time of the first time difference reported by the terminal equipment is the time expected by the access network equipment, so that the first time difference and the second time difference for determining the round trip time delay are measured in the same time unit, the problem of overlarge error caused by the fact that the time differences measured by the access network equipment and the terminal equipment are not in the same time unit is avoided, the precision of time delay compensation can be improved, and the accuracy of time service is further improved.

Description

Communication method and related device

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a communications method and a related device.

Background

At present, round Time Trip (RTT) can be determined according to gNB _Rx-Tx And UE (user equipment) _Rx-Tx And (5) determining. The RTT refers to the sum of the time of the signal sent by the sender propagating to the receiver and the time of the message returned by the receiver to the sender. gNB _Rx-Tx Is received by the base stationDifference between time of uplink reference signal and time of downlink reference signal transmitted by base station, UE _Rx-Tx The difference between the time when the downlink reference signal is received for the terminal device and the time when the uplink reference signal is transmitted for the terminal device. That is, RTT is equal to gNB _Rx-Tx With UE _Rx-Tx And (3) summing. However, in the scenario of terminal equipment moving or asymmetric channels, because the terminal equipment measures the UE at different times _Rx-Tx Different, so it will cause the base station to be according to gNB _Rx-Tx And UE measuring at a certain time _Rx-Tx There is an error between the determined round trip delay and the actual round trip delay. Therefore, how to avoid the excessive error of the round trip delay is a technical problem to be solved in the current stage.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a communication method and a related device, which avoid the problem of overlarge error caused by the fact that the time difference measured by access network equipment and terminal equipment is not in the same time unit, thereby improving the precision of time delay compensation and further improving the accuracy of time service.

In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, the method being applied to a terminal device, the method comprising: receiving a first message from an access network device or a Centralized Unit (CU), where the first message is used to request a first time difference, where the first time difference is a difference between a time when a terminal device receives a downlink reference signal and a time when the terminal device sends an uplink reference signal, and the first message further includes time information of the first time difference; and reporting the first time difference according to the time information of the first time difference. It can be seen that in the above technical solution, the measurement time of the first time difference reported by the terminal device is the time expected by the access network device or the CU, so that the first time difference and the second time difference for determining the round trip delay are measured in the same time unit, and the problem of excessive error caused by the fact that the time differences measured by the access network device and the terminal device are not in the same time unit is avoided; or avoid the too big problem of error that the time difference that is measured because DU (DU) and terminal equipment are not in same time unit to can improve the precision of time delay compensation, and then improve the rate of accuracy of time service.

Optionally, with reference to the first aspect, reporting the first time difference according to time information of the first time difference includes: measuring a first time difference according to the time information of the first time difference; reporting the first time difference to an access network device or CU. It can be seen that, in the above technical solution, the time of the first time difference measured by the terminal device is the time expected by the access network device or the CU, so that the first time difference and the second time difference for determining the round trip delay are measured in the same time unit, and the problem of excessive error caused by the time difference measured by the access network device and the terminal device not being in the same time unit is avoided; or the problem of overlarge error caused by the fact that the time difference measured by the DU and the terminal equipment is not in the same time unit is avoided, so that the precision of time delay compensation can be improved, and the accuracy of time service is further improved.

Optionally, with reference to the first aspect, the time information of the first time difference includes a number of the first time unit and a frame number of a system frame where the first time unit is located, where the terminal device measures the first time difference in the first time unit.

Optionally, with reference to the first aspect, the time information of the first time difference includes a period and a start time, and measuring the first time difference according to the time information of the first time difference includes: the first time difference is measured in terms of period and start time. It can be seen that in the above technical solution, the measurement time of the first time difference reported by the terminal device is the time expected by the access network device or the CU, so that the first time difference and the second time difference for determining the round trip delay are measured in the same time unit, and the problem of excessive error caused by the fact that the time differences measured by the access network device and the terminal device are not in the same time unit is avoided; or the problem of overlarge error caused by the fact that the time difference measured by the DU and the terminal equipment is not in the same time unit is avoided, so that the precision of time delay compensation can be improved, and the accuracy of time service is further improved.

Optionally, with reference to the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving a first offset value and/or a second offset value from the access network device or the CU, wherein the first offset value is a periodic offset value, and the second offset value is an offset value of a starting time; the period and/or the start time are updated according to the first offset value and/or the second offset value. It can be seen that, by the first offset value and/or the second offset value, the time of the measurement time difference of the terminal device is the time expected by the access network device or the CU, so that the first time difference and the second time difference for determining the round trip delay are measured in the same time unit, and the problem of excessive error caused by the fact that the time differences measured by the access network device and the terminal device are not in the same time unit is avoided; or the problem of overlarge error caused by the fact that the time difference measured by the DU and the terminal equipment is not in the same time unit is avoided, so that the precision of time delay compensation can be improved, and the accuracy of time service is further improved.

In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, the method being applied to an access network device, the method comprising: the method comprises the steps that a first message is sent to terminal equipment, the first message is used for requesting a first time difference, the first time difference is a difference value between the time when the terminal equipment receives a downlink reference signal and the time when the terminal equipment sends an uplink reference signal, and the first message also comprises time information of the first time difference; receiving a first time difference reported by terminal equipment; determining a second time difference, wherein the second time difference is a difference value between the time when the access network equipment receives the uplink reference signal and the time when the access network equipment sends the downlink reference signal; the round trip delay is determined based on the first time difference and the second time difference.

Optionally, with reference to the second aspect, the time information of the first time difference includes a number of the first time unit and a frame number of a system frame in which the first time unit is located.

Optionally, in combination with the second aspect, the time information of the first time difference includes a period and a start time.

Optionally, with reference to the second aspect, the method further includes: and sending a first offset value and/or a second offset value to the terminal equipment, wherein the first offset value is a periodic offset value, and the second offset value is an offset value of the starting time.

In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, the method being applied to a CU, the method comprising: the method comprises the steps that a first message is sent to terminal equipment, the first message is used for requesting a first time difference, the first time difference is a difference value between the time when the terminal equipment receives a downlink reference signal and the time when the terminal equipment sends an uplink reference signal, and the first message also comprises time information of the first time difference; receiving a first time difference reported by terminal equipment; transmitting a second message to the DU, the second message being for requesting a second time difference, the second time difference being a difference between a time at which the DU receives the uplink reference signal and a time at which the DU transmits the downlink reference signal, the second message further including time information of the second time difference; receiving a second time difference reported by the DU; the round trip delay is determined based on the first time difference and the second time difference. It can be seen that the measurement time of the first time difference reported by the terminal device is the time expected by the CU, and meanwhile, the measurement time of the second time difference reported by the DU is the time expected by the CU, so that the first time difference and the second time difference for determining the round trip delay are measured in the same time unit, the problem of overlarge error caused by the fact that the time differences measured by the DU and the terminal device are not in the same time unit is avoided, and therefore, the precision of time delay compensation can be improved, and the accuracy of time service is improved.

Optionally, with reference to the third aspect, the time information of the first time difference includes a number of the first time unit and a frame number of a system frame in which the first time unit is located.

Optionally, with reference to the third aspect, the time information of the first time difference includes a period and a start time.

Optionally, with reference to the third aspect, the method further includes: and sending a first offset value and/or a second offset value to the terminal equipment, wherein the first offset value is a periodic offset value, and the second offset value is an offset value of the starting time. It can be seen that, by the first offset value and/or the second offset value, the time of the measurement time difference of the terminal device is the time expected by the CU, so that the first time difference and the second time difference for determining the round trip delay are measured in the same time unit, and the problem of excessive errors caused by the fact that the time difference measured by the DU and the terminal device is not in the same time unit is avoided, thereby improving the precision of time delay compensation, and further improving the accuracy of time service.

Optionally, with reference to the third aspect, the time information of the second time difference includes a number of the second time unit and a frame number of a system frame in which the second time unit is located.

Optionally, with reference to the third aspect, the time information of the second time difference includes a period and a start time.

Optionally, with reference to the third aspect, the method further includes: and transmitting a third offset value and/or a fourth offset value to the DU, wherein the third offset value is a periodic offset value, and the fourth offset value is an offset value of the starting time. It can be seen that, by the third offset value and/or the fourth offset value, the time of the DU measurement time difference is the time expected by the CU, so that the first time difference and the second time difference for determining the round trip delay are measured in the same time unit, and the problem of excessive errors caused by the fact that the time difference measured by the DU and the terminal device is not in the same time unit is avoided, so that the precision of delay compensation can be improved, and the accuracy of time service is improved.

In a fourth aspect, there is provided a communication method applied to a DU, the method comprising: receiving a second message from the CU, wherein the second message is used for requesting a second time difference, the second time difference is a difference value between the time when the DU receives the uplink reference signal and the time when the DU transmits the downlink reference signal, and the second message also comprises time information of the second time difference; and reporting the second time difference according to the time information of the second time difference.

Optionally, with reference to the fourth aspect, reporting the second time difference according to time information of the second time difference includes: measuring a second time difference according to the time information of the second time difference; and reporting the second time difference to the CU.

Optionally, with reference to the fourth aspect, the time information of the second time difference includes a number of the second time unit and a frame number of a system frame where the second time unit is located, where the DU measures the second time difference in the second time unit.

Optionally, with reference to the fourth aspect, the time information of the second time difference includes a period and a start time, and measuring the second time difference according to the time information of the second time difference includes: based on the period and the start time, a second time difference is measured.

Optionally, with reference to the fourth aspect, the method further includes: receiving a third offset value and/or a fourth offset value from the CU, wherein the third offset value is a periodic offset value, and the fourth offset value is an offset value of the starting time; the period and/or the start time are updated according to the third offset value and/or the fourth offset value.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided a communication device comprising means for performing the method of any of the first or second aspects or the third or fourth aspects.

In a sixth aspect, a communications apparatus is provided that includes a processor coupled to a memory having a computer program stored therein; the processor is configured to invoke a computer program in a memory to cause a communication device to perform the method according to any of the first or second or third or fourth aspects.

In one possible design, the communication device may be a chip or a device comprising a chip implementing the method in the first or second or third or fourth aspect.

In a seventh aspect, there is provided a communication device comprising a processor and interface circuitry for receiving signals from other communication devices than the communication device and transmitting signals from the processor to the processor or sending signals from the processor to other communication devices than the communication device, the processor being operable to implement the method of any of the first or second or third or fourth aspects by logic circuitry or executing code instructions.

In an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer readable storage medium having stored therein a computer program or instructions which, when executed by a computer, implement the method of any of the first or second or third or fourth aspects.

A ninth aspect provides a computer program product which, when read and executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any of the first or second or third or fourth aspects.

In a tenth aspect, there is provided a communication system comprising one or more of: an access network device performing the method of any of the first aspects, and a terminal device performing the method of any of the second aspects.

In an eleventh aspect, there is provided a communication system comprising one or more of: a terminal device performing the method of any of the second aspects, a CU performing the method of any of the third aspects, and a DU performing the method of any of the fourth aspects.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an infrastructure of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a flow chart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a flowchart of a communication method under CU-DU architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a flowchart of another communication method under CU-DU architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a flow chart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a simplified terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a simplified access network device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Wherein the terms "system" and "network" in embodiments of the application may be used interchangeably. Unless otherwise indicated, "/" indicates that the associated object is an "or" relationship, e.g., A/B may represent A or B; the "and/or" in the present application is merely an association relationship describing the association object, and indicates that three relationships may exist, for example, a and/or B may indicate: there are three cases, a alone, a and B together, and B alone, wherein a, B may be singular or plural. Also, in the description of the present application, unless otherwise indicated, "a plurality" means two or more than two. "at least one of" or the like means any combination of these items, including any combination of single item(s) or plural items(s). For example, at least one (one) of a, b, or c may represent: a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, wherein a, b, c may be one or more. In addition, in order to facilitate the clear description of the technical solution of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, the words "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish the network element from the same item or similar items having substantially the same effect. It will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that the words "first," "second," and the like do not limit the amount and order of execution, and that the words "first," "second," and the like do not necessarily differ.

Reference in the specification to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" or the like means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in one or more embodiments of the application. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," and the like in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, but mean "one or more but not all embodiments" unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless expressly specified otherwise.

The following detailed description is provided for further details of the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application, and it should be understood that the following description is only a specific embodiment of the present application, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application, and any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made on the basis of the technical solutions of the present application should be included in the scope of the present application.

In various embodiments of the application, where no special description or logic conflict exists, terms and/or descriptions between the various embodiments are consistent and may reference each other, and features of the various embodiments may be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logic.

1. Time cell

The time units may be subframes, slots, minislots, symbols, or the like.

2. Side Link (SL)

SL refers to: defined for direct communication between the terminal device and the terminal device. I.e. the link between the terminal device and the terminal device which communicates directly without forwarding through the base station.

3. Frame number of system frame

The frame number of the system frame may be simply referred to as a system frame number (system frame number, SFN). The system frame number is the number of the system radio frame. The numbering range of the SFN can be 0-1023, namely 1024 values of the SFN.

In one possible implementation, a system frame may include a plurality of subframes, one subframe may include a plurality of slots (slots), and one slot may include a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing, OFDM) symbols. The transmission direction of each OFDM symbol in one slot may be uplink, downlink, or flexible. The transmission direction of one OFDM symbol is flexible, which means that the OFDM symbol may be used for uplink, downlink, or no transmission.

4. Downlink reference signal

The downlink reference signals may be, for example, positioning reference signals (positioning reference signal, PRS) or tracking reference signals (tracking reference signal, TRS).

5. Uplink reference signal

The uplink reference signal may be, for example, a sounding reference signal (sounding reference signal, SRS).

It should be understood that the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application may be applied to a long term evolution (long term evolution, LTE) architecture, a fifth generation mobile communication technology (5th generation mobile networks,5G), a wireless local area network (wireless local area networks, WLAN) system, a V2X communication system, and so on. The technical solution of the embodiment of the application can also be applied to other future communication systems, such as 6G communication systems, etc., in which the functions may remain the same, but the names may change.

The following describes an infrastructure of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application. Referring to fig. 1, fig. 1 is an infrastructure of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 1, the communication system may include an access network device and one or more terminal devices in communication with the access network device. The terminal equipment can carry out SL communication. Fig. 1 is only a schematic diagram, and does not limit the applicable scenario of the technical solution provided by the present application.

The access network device is an entity on the network side for sending signals, or receiving signals, or sending signals and receiving signals. The access network device may be a means deployed in a radio access network (radio access network, RAN) to provide wireless communication functionality for the terminal device, e.g. may be a transmission reception point (transmission reception point, TRP), a base station, various forms of control nodes. Such as a network controller, a radio controller in a cloud radio access network (cloud radio access network, CRAN) scenario, etc. Specifically, the access network device may be a macro base station, a micro base station (also referred to as a small station), a relay station, an Access Point (AP), a radio network controller (radio network controller, RNC), a Node B (NB), a base station controller (base station controller, BSC), a base transceiver station (base transceiver station, BTS), a home base station (home evolved nodeB, or home node B, HNB), a baseBand unit (BBU), a transmission point (transmitting and receiving point, TRP), a transmitting point (transmitting point, TP), a mobile switching center), a satellite, an unmanned aerial vehicle, or the like, and may be an antenna panel of the base station. The control node may connect to a plurality of base stations and configure resources for a plurality of terminals covered by the plurality of base stations. In systems employing different radio access technologies, the names of base station capable devices may vary. For example, the present application may be a gNB in 5G, or a network side Device in a network after 5G, or an access network Device in a PLMN network of future evolution, or a Device-to-Device (D2D) communication, a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication, a Device that assumes a base station function in a car networking communication, or the like, and the specific name of the access network Device is not limited. In addition, the access network device may also include Distributed Units (DUs) and Centralized Units (CUs). The CU and the DU are connected through an F1 interface. The functional partitioning of CUs and DUs may be performed in terms of protocol stacks. In one possible implementation, radio resource control (radio resource control, RRC), packet data convergence protocol (packet data convergenceprotocol, PDCP) layer and service data adaptation (service data adaptation protocol, SDAP) layer may be deployed at the CU, and radio link layer control protocol (radioLink control, RLC), medium access control (media accesscontrol, MAC), physical layer (PHY) may be deployed at the DU. Accordingly, the CU has the processing capabilities of RRC, PDCP and SDAP. The DU has the processing power of RLC, MAC, and PHY. It should be noted that the above functional segmentation is only an example, and other segmentation manners are possible. For example, a CU includes RRC, PDCP, RLC and SDAP processing capabilities, and a DU has MAC and PHY processing capabilities. Also for example, a CU includes RRC, PDCP, RLC, SDAP and partial MAC (e.g., MAC header added) processing capabilities, and a DU has PHY and partial MAC (e.g., schedule) processing capabilities. The names of the CUs and DUs may vary, so long as the devices that can implement the above functions can be regarded as CUs and DUs in the present application.

The terminal device is an entity on the user side for receiving signals or transmitting signals or receiving signals and transmitting signals. The terminal device is configured to provide one or more of a voice service and a data connectivity service to a user. The terminal device may be a device that includes a radio transceiver function and may cooperate with the access network device to provide a communication service for a user. In particular, a terminal device may refer to a User Equipment (UE), an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user equipment. The terminal device may also be an unmanned aerial vehicle, an internet of things (internet of things, ioT) device, a Station (ST) in a WLAN, a cellular phone (cell phone), a smart phone (smart phone), a cordless phone, a wireless data card, a tablet, a session initiation protocol (session initiation protocol, SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (wireless local loop, WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (personal digital assistant, PDA) device, a laptop (lap computer), a machine type communication (machine type communication, MTC) terminal, a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device (also may be referred to as a wearable smart device), a Virtual Reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (augmented reality, AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in an industrial control (industrial control), a wireless terminal in an unmanned aerial vehicle (self-driving), a wireless terminal in a smart medical system (smart) terminal, a smart wireless terminal in a smart grid (smart home) terminal, a smart mobile wireless terminal, a smart wireless terminal in a home (smart phone), etc. The terminal device may also be a device-to-device (D2D) device, such as an electricity meter, water meter, etc. The terminal device may also be a terminal in a 5G system, or may be a terminal in a next generation communication system, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

Alternatively, each device in fig. 1 (for example, an access network device, a terminal device, etc.) may be implemented by one device, or may be implemented by a plurality of devices together, or may be a functional module in one device, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application. It will be appreciated that the above described functionality may be either a network element in a hardware device, a software function running on dedicated hardware, or a virtualized function instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

For example, each of the devices in fig. 1 may be implemented by the communication apparatus 200 in fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a hardware structure of a communication device applicable to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 200 comprises at least one processor 201, communication lines 202, a memory 203 and at least one communication interface 204.

The processor 201 may be a general purpose central processing unit (central processing unit, CPU), microprocessor, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of programs in accordance with aspects of the present application.

Communication line 202 may include a pathway to transfer information between the aforementioned components.

The communication interface 204 is any transceiver-like device (e.g., antenna, etc.) for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as ethernet, RAN, wireless local area network (wireless local area networks, WLAN), etc.

The memory 203 may be, but is not limited to, a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (random access memory, RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (compact disc read-only memory) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, blu-ray disc, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. The memory may be stand alone and be coupled to the processor via communication line 202. The memory may also be integrated with the processor. The memory provided by embodiments of the present application may generally have non-volatility.

The memory 203 is used for storing computer-executable instructions for executing the present application, and is controlled by the processor 201. The processor 201 is configured to execute computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 203 to implement the methods provided by the embodiments of the present application described below.

Alternatively, the computer-executable instructions in the embodiments of the present application may be referred to as application program codes, which are not particularly limited in the embodiments of the present application.

In one possible implementation, processor 201 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 of FIG. 2.

In one possible implementation, the communication device 200 may include multiple processors, such as the processor 201 and the processor 207 in fig. 2. Each of these processors may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or may be a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. A processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and/or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

In one possible implementation, the communications apparatus 200 can further include an output device 205 and an input device 206. The output device 205 communicates with the processor 201 and may display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device 205 may be a liquid crystal display (liquid crystal display, LCD), a light emitting diode (light emitting diode, LED) display device, a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) display device, or a projector (projector), or the like. The input device 206 is in communication with the processor 201 and may receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, the input device 206 may be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, a sensing device, or the like.

The communication apparatus 200 may be a general-purpose device or a special-purpose device. In a specific implementation, the communication apparatus 200 may be a desktop, a portable computer, a network server, a palm computer (personal digital assistant, PDA), a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wireless terminal device, an embedded device, or a device having a similar structure as in fig. 2. The embodiment of the present application is not limited to the type of communication device 200.

The communication method provided by the application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In a possible implementation manner, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application may be applied to a Uu port communication scenario or an SL interface communication scenario, and a Uu port communication scenario is taken as an example for illustration. It should be understood that, when the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application is applied to the SL interface communication scenario, the access network device in fig. 3 may be replaced by a terminal device.

Referring to fig. 3, fig. 3 is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 3, the method includes, but is not limited to, the steps of:

301. the access network device sends a first message to the terminal device, wherein the first message is used for requesting a first time difference, and the first message further comprises time information of the first time difference. The first time difference is a difference between a time when the terminal device receives the downlink reference signal and a time when the terminal device transmits the uplink reference signal.

Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first message from the access network device.

The first message may be an RRC message, such as an RRC setup response message.

Optionally, the time information of the first time difference includes, but is not limited to, the following examples:

example 1, the time information of the first time difference includes a number of the first time unit and a frame number of a system frame in which the first time unit is located. Illustratively, the first time unit may be a subframe, a slot, a minislot, a symbol, or the like.

Example 2, the time information of the first time difference includes a period and a start time. For example, the period is a system frame, and the start time is the first time slot of the system frame. For example, the period may be a measurement period and the start time may be a measurement start time.

Optionally, when the time information of the first time difference is example 2 of step 301, before step 301, the method may further include: the terminal device sends a request message to the access network device, and correspondingly, the access network device receives a request message from the terminal device, wherein the request message is used for requesting time information of the first time difference. Alternatively, the request message may be an RRC message, such as an RRC setup request message.

Optionally, after step 301, the method may further include: the terminal equipment sends a response message to the access network equipment, and correspondingly, the access network equipment receives the response message from the terminal equipment. Wherein the response message may indicate that the terminal device has received the time information of the first time difference. The response message may also indicate that the terminal device has established a connection between the terminal device and the access network device. Alternatively, the response message may be an RRC message, such as an RRC setup complete message.

302. And the terminal equipment reports the first time difference according to the time information of the first time difference.

Correspondingly, the access network equipment receives the first time difference reported by the terminal equipment.

Alternatively, when the time information of the first time difference is example 1 of step 301, the terminal device reports the first time difference measured in the first time unit. Optionally, in this manner, the act of the terminal device measuring the first time difference is independent of whether the first message in step 301 is received. For example, the terminal device may measure the first time difference according to configuration information issued in advance by the access network device, or the terminal device measures the first time difference according to a preset rule. That is, the terminal device has measured the first time difference over a plurality of time units (including the first time unit) before step 303; and after the terminal equipment receives the first message, selecting a first time difference measured in a first time unit from the measurement result, and reporting the first time difference to the access network equipment.

Alternatively, the terminal device measures the first time difference according to the time information of the first time difference included in any one of the examples in step 301, and reports the first time difference to the access network device. The terminal device sends a third message to the access network device, the third message indicating the first time difference.

Optionally, there is a case that the actual measurement time of the first time difference reported by the terminal device and the time indicated by the access network device in the first message have a certain error. In this case, the third message may further comprise time information for the terminal device to measure the first time difference, i.e. the third message may further comprise time information for the terminal device to actually measure the first time difference.

303. The access network device determines a second time difference. The second time difference is a difference between a time when the access network device receives the uplink reference signal and a time when the access network device sends the downlink reference signal.

It should be noted that, the execution sequence of step 303 and the execution sequence of step 301 and step 302 are not limited. For example, step 303 may precede step 301; step 303 may also follow step 301 and precede step 302; step 303 may also follow step 302.

Alternatively, step 303 may be understood as any one of the following ways.

In mode 1, the access network device measures a second time difference in the first time unit according to the number of the first time unit and the frame number of the system frame where the first time unit is located, so as to determine the second time difference.

Mode 2, the access network device measures a second time difference based on the period and the start time in example 2 of step 301, thereby determining the second time difference.

And 3, the access network equipment acquires a second time difference measured in the first time unit according to the number of the first time unit and the frame number of the system frame where the first time unit is positioned. It will be appreciated that in mode 3, the access network device has measured the second time difference over a plurality of time units (including the first time unit) prior to step 303.

304. The access network equipment determines the round trip delay according to the first time difference and the second time difference.

Wherein the round trip delay may be the sum of the first time difference and the second time difference.

Optionally, if the time information of the first time difference actually measured by the terminal device included in the third message reported by the terminal device in step 302 is different from the time information of the first time difference included in the first message, the access network device may execute step 301 again until the time information of the first time difference is the same.

Optionally, after step 304, the method further includes: the access network device determines a propagation delay offset (propagation delay compensation, PDC) from the round trip delay. Wherein the propagation delay compensation is one half of the round trip delay.

According to the technical scheme, the measurement time of the first time difference reported by the terminal equipment is the expected time of the access network equipment, so that the first time difference and the second time difference for determining the round trip delay are measured in the same time unit, the problem of overlarge error caused by the fact that the time differences measured by the access network equipment and the terminal equipment are not in the same time unit is avoided, the precision of time delay compensation can be improved, and the accuracy of time service is improved.

Referring to fig. 4, fig. 4 is a flow chart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 4, the method includes, but is not limited to, the steps of:

401. the access network device sends a first message to the terminal device, wherein the first message is used for requesting a first time difference, and the first message further comprises time information of the first time difference. The first time difference is a difference between a time when the terminal device receives the downlink reference signal and a time when the terminal device transmits the uplink reference signal.

Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first message from the access network device. Alternatively, the first message may be an RRC message, such as an RRC setup response message.

Wherein the time information of the first time difference includes a period and a start time. For example, the period is a system frame, and the start time is the first time slot of the system frame.

Optionally, before step 401, the method may further include: the terminal device sends a request message to the access network device, and correspondingly, the access network device receives a request message from the terminal device, wherein the request message is used for requesting time information of the first time difference. Alternatively, the request message may be an RRC message, such as an RRC setup request message.

Optionally, after step 401, the method may further include: the terminal equipment sends a response message to the access network equipment, and correspondingly, the access network equipment receives the response message from the terminal equipment. Wherein the response message may indicate that the terminal device has received the time information of the first time difference. The response message may also indicate that the terminal device has established a connection between the terminal device and the access network device. Alternatively, the response message may be an RRC message, such as an RRC setup complete message.

402. The terminal device receives the first offset value and/or the second offset value from the access network device.

Correspondingly, the access network equipment sends the first offset value and/or the second offset value to the terminal equipment.

The first offset value is a periodic offset value, and the second offset value is an offset value of the starting time. The first offset value is an offset value of a current measurement period of the first time difference and a last measurement period of the first time difference, and the second offset value is an offset value of a current measurement start time of the first time difference and a last measurement start time of the first time difference.

Alternatively, step 402 may be replaced with: the terminal device receives the first absolute value and/or the second absolute value from the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device sends the first absolute value and/or the second absolute value to the terminal device. The first absolute value is a measurement period of the first time difference reconfigured by the access network equipment, and the second absolute value is a measurement starting time of the first time difference reconfigured by the access network equipment.

403. The terminal device updates the period and/or the start time according to the first offset value and/or the second offset value. Or the terminal device updates the period and/or the start time according to the first absolute value and/or the second absolute value.

404. And the terminal equipment reports the first time difference according to the updated period and/or the updated starting time.

Alternatively, the terminal device may measure the first time difference in the updated period and/or the start time, and report the first time difference to the access network device. The terminal device sends a third message to the access network device, the third message indicating the first time difference.

Optionally, there is a case that a certain error exists between the actual measurement time of the first time difference reported by the terminal device and the time updated by the first offset value and/or the second offset value in step 402, or a certain error exists between the actual measurement time of the first time difference reported by the terminal device and the time updated by the first absolute value and/or the second absolute value in step 402. In this case, the third message may further comprise time information for the terminal device to measure the first time difference, i.e. the third message may further comprise time information for the terminal device to actually measure the first time difference.

405. The access network device determines a second time difference. The second time difference is a difference between a time when the access network device receives the uplink reference signal and a time when the access network device sends the downlink reference signal.

The access network device measures the second time difference, illustratively based on the updated period and/or the start time.

406. The access network equipment determines the round trip delay according to the first time difference and the second time difference.

Optionally, if the time information of the first time difference actually measured by the terminal device included in the third message reported by the terminal device in step 404 is different from the time information updated by the first offset value and/or the second offset value in step 402, or the time information of the first time difference actually measured by the terminal device included in the third message reported by the terminal device in step 404 is different from the time information updated by the first absolute value and/or the second absolute value in step 402, the access network device may re-execute step 401 until the time information is the same; alternatively, the terminal device may re-perform step 402 until the same.

According to the technical scheme, the time updated according to the first offset value and/or the second offset value, or the time updated according to the first absolute value and/or the second absolute value, enables the measurement time of the first time difference reported by the terminal equipment to be the time expected by the access network equipment, enables the first time difference and the second time difference used for determining the round trip time to be measured in the same time unit, avoids the problem of overlarge error caused by the fact that the time difference measured by the access network equipment and the terminal equipment is not in the same time unit, and can improve the precision of time delay compensation, and further improves the accuracy of time service.

Referring to fig. 5, fig. 5 is a flow chart of a communication method under CU-DU architecture according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 5, the method includes, but is not limited to, the steps of:

501. the CU sends a first message to the terminal device, wherein the first message is used for requesting a first time difference, and the first message further comprises time information of the first time difference.

Correspondingly, the terminal device receives a first message from the CU.

502. And the terminal equipment reports the first time difference according to the time information of the first time difference.

Correspondingly, the CU receives a first time difference reported by the terminal equipment.

In particular, the details of step 501 and step 502 may refer to step 301 and step 302, and only the access network devices in step 301 and step 302 need to be replaced by CUs.

503. The CU sends a second message to the DU requesting a second time difference, the second message further including time information of the second time difference.

Wherein the second message may be an RTT measurement initialization request message.

The second time difference is the difference between the time when the DU receives the uplink reference signal and the time when the DU transmits the downlink reference signal.

Optionally, the time information of the second time difference includes, but is not limited to, the following examples:

The time information of example 1, the second time difference, includes the number of the second time unit and the frame number of the system frame in which the second time unit is located. Illustratively, the second time unit may be a subframe, a slot, a minislot, a symbol, or the like.

The time information of example 2, the second time difference, includes a period and a start time. For example, the period is a system frame, and the start time is the first time slot of the system frame. Illustratively, the period is a measurement period and the start time is a measurement start time.

Optionally, after step 503, the method may further include: the DU sends a response message to the CU, and the CU receives the response message from the DU accordingly. Wherein the response message may indicate that the DU has received time information of the second time difference. The response message may initialize the response message for RTT measurements.

504. And the DU reports the second time difference according to the time information of the second time difference.

Correspondingly, the CU receives a second time difference reported by the DU.

Alternatively, when the time information of the second time difference is example 1 of step 503, the DU reports the second time difference measured at the second time unit. Optionally, in this manner, the act of the DU measuring the second time difference is independent of whether the second message in step 503 is received. For example, the DU may measure the second time difference according to configuration information issued in advance by the CU, or the DU measures the second time difference with a preset rule. That is, the DU has measured a second time difference over a plurality of time units (including a second time unit) prior to step 503; and after receiving the second message, the DU selects a second time difference measured in a second time unit from the measurement results, and reports the second time difference to the CU.

Alternatively, the DU measures the second time difference according to the time information of the second time difference included in any one of the examples of step 503 and reports the second time difference to the CU. Illustratively, the DU sends a fourth message to the CU, the fourth message indicating the second time difference.

Optionally, there is a case that the actual measurement time of the second time difference reported by the DU has a certain error with the time indicated by the CU in the second message. In this case, the fourth message may further include time information that the DU measures the second time difference, i.e., the fourth message further includes time information that the DU actually measures the second time difference.

505. The CU determines the round trip delay from the first time difference and the second time difference.

Optionally, if the time information of the first time difference actually measured by the terminal device included in the third message reported by the terminal device in step 502 is different from the time information of the second time difference actually measured by the DU included in the fourth message reported by the DU in step 505, the CU may execute step 501 and/or step 503 again until the time information of the second time difference is the same.

According to the technical scheme, the measurement time of the first time difference reported by the terminal equipment is the time expected by the CU, and the measurement time of the second time difference reported by the DU is the time expected by the CU, so that the first time difference and the second time difference for determining the round trip time delay are measured in the same time unit, the problem of overlarge error caused by the fact that the time difference measured by the DU and the terminal equipment is not in the same time unit is avoided, the precision of time delay compensation can be improved, and the accuracy of time service is improved.

Referring to fig. 6, fig. 6 is a flow chart of another communication method under CU-DU architecture according to an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 6, the method includes, but is not limited to, the steps of:

601. the CU sends a first message to the terminal device, wherein the first message is used for requesting a first time difference, and the first message further comprises time information of the first time difference.

Correspondingly, the terminal device receives a first message from the CU.

602. The terminal device receives the first offset value and/or the second offset value from the CU.

Correspondingly, the CU sends the first offset value and/or the second offset value to the terminal equipment.

603. The terminal device updates the period and/or the start time according to the first offset value and/or the second offset value. Or the terminal device updates the period and/or the start time according to the first absolute value and/or the second absolute value.

604. And the terminal equipment reports the first time difference according to the updated period and/or the starting time.

The details of steps 601 to 604 may refer to steps 401 to 404, respectively, and only the access network devices in steps 401 to 404 need to be replaced by CUs.

605. The CU sends a second message to the DU requesting a second time difference, the second message further including time information of the second time difference.

Accordingly, the DU receives the second message from the CU.

Step 605 may refer to step 503 in fig. 5, and is not described herein. The time information of the second time difference in step 605 may be example 2 of step 503 in fig. 5.

606. The DU receives the third offset value and/or the fourth offset value from the CU.

Accordingly, the CU sends the third offset value and/or the fourth offset value to the DU.

The third offset value is a periodic offset value, and the fourth offset value is an offset value of the starting time. The third offset value is an offset value of a measurement period of the second time difference, and the fourth offset value is an offset value of a measurement start time of the second time difference.

Alternatively, step 606 may be replaced with: the DU receives the third absolute value and/or the fourth absolute value from the CU. Accordingly, the CU sends the third absolute value and/or the fourth absolute value to the DU. Wherein the third absolute value is a measurement period of the second time difference reconfigured by the CU, and the fourth absolute value is a measurement start time of the second time difference reconfigured by the CU.

607. The DU updates the period and/or the start time according to the third offset value and/or the fourth offset value. Alternatively, the DU updates the period and/or start time based on the third absolute value and/or the fourth absolute value.

608. The DU reports the second time difference according to the updated period and/or the start time.

Correspondingly, the CU receives a second time difference reported by the DU.

Alternatively, the DU may measure the second time difference at the updated period and/or start time and report the second time difference to the CU. Illustratively, the DU sends a fourth message to the CU, the fourth message indicating the second time difference.

Optionally, the fourth message may further include time information for the DU to measure the second time difference, i.e. the fourth message further includes time information for the DU to actually measure the second time difference.

609. The CU determines the round trip delay from the first time difference and the second time difference.

Optionally, if the time information of the first time difference actually measured by the terminal device included in the third message reported by the terminal device in step 606 is different from the time information of the second time difference actually measured by the DU included in the fourth message reported by the DU in step 608, the CU may re-execute steps 602 and/or 606 until the time information of the second time difference is the same.

According to the technical scheme, the measurement time of the time difference reported by the terminal equipment and the DU is updated according to the offset value or the absolute value, so that the first time difference and the second time difference for determining the round trip time delay are measured in the same time unit, the problem of overlarge error caused by the fact that the time difference measured by the DU and the terminal equipment is not in the same time unit is avoided, the precision of time delay compensation can be improved, and the accuracy of time service is further improved.

Referring to fig. 7, fig. 7 is a flow chart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 7, the method includes, but is not limited to, the steps of:

701. the terminal device receives the second time difference from the access network device and the time information of the second time difference. The second time difference is a difference between a time when the access network device receives the uplink reference signal and a time when the access network device sends the downlink reference signal.

Correspondingly, the access network equipment sends the second time difference and the time information of the second time difference to the terminal equipment.

The time information of example 2, the second time difference, includes a period and a start time. For example, the period is a system frame, and the start time is the first time slot of the system frame.

Optionally, before step 701, the method may further include: the access network device determines a second time difference. Wherein the determination of the second time difference by the access network device may be understood as any of the following ways.

In mode 1, the access network device measures a second time difference in a second time unit according to the number of the second time unit and the frame number of the system frame where the second time unit is located.

Mode 2, the access network device measures a second time difference based on the period and the start time in example 2.

702. The terminal equipment determines the first time difference according to the time information of the second time difference. The first time difference is a difference between a time when the terminal device receives the downlink reference signal and a time when the terminal device transmits the uplink reference signal.

Alternatively, step 702 may be understood as any of the following.

In mode 1, the terminal device measures the first time difference in the second time unit according to the number of the second time unit and the frame number of the system frame where the second time unit is located.

Mode 2, terminal device measures a first time difference according to the period and start time in example 2.

And 3, the terminal equipment acquires the first time difference measured in the second time unit according to the number of the second time unit and the frame number of the system frame where the second time unit is positioned. It will be appreciated that in mode 3, the terminal device has measured the first time difference over a plurality of time units (including the second time unit) prior to step 701.

703. And the terminal equipment determines the round trip delay according to the first time difference and the second time difference.

According to the technical scheme, the time for measuring the first time difference by the terminal equipment is the time expected by the access network equipment, so that the first time difference and the second time difference for determining the round trip delay are measured in the same time unit, the problem of overlarge error caused by the fact that the time differences measured by the access network equipment and the terminal equipment are not in the same time unit is avoided, the time delay compensation precision can be improved, and the time service accuracy is improved.

The above description has mainly been presented for the solution provided by the present application from the point of interaction between the devices. It will be appreciated that the above-described implementation of the various devices to implement the above-described functions includes corresponding hardware structures and/or software modules that perform the various functions. Those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as hardware or combinations of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is implemented as hardware or computer software driven hardware depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

The embodiment of the application can divide the functional modules of the access network equipment or the terminal equipment or the DU or the CU according to the method example, for example, each functional module can be divided corresponding to each function, two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module, and the integrated modules can be realized in a form of hardware or a form of a software functional module. It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the division of the modules is schematic, which is merely a logic function division, and other division manners may be implemented in actual implementation.

In the case of using an integrated module, referring to fig. 8, fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 800 may be applied to the method shown in fig. 3 or fig. 4 or fig. 5 or fig. 6 or fig. 7, and as shown in fig. 8, the communication device 800 includes: a processing module 801 and a transceiver module 802. The processing module 801 may be one or more processors and the transceiver module 802 may be a transceiver or a communication interface. The communication means may be used for implementing the functions related to the terminal device or the access network device or the CU or DU in any of the above method embodiments or to the network element in any of the above method embodiments. The network element or network function may be either a network element in a hardware device, a software function running on dedicated hardware, or a virtualized function instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). Optionally, the communication device 800 may further comprise a storage module 803 for storing program code and data of the communication device 800.

When the communication device is used as a terminal device or as a chip applied in a terminal device, for example, the steps performed by the terminal device in the above-described method embodiments are performed. The transceiver module 802 is configured to support communication with an access network device or CU, etc., and is specifically configured to perform the actions of transmitting and/or receiving performed by a terminal device in fig. 3 or fig. 4 or fig. 5 or fig. 6 or fig. 7, e.g., to support the terminal device to perform one or more of steps 302, 402, etc., and/or other procedures of the techniques described herein. The processing module 801 may be used to support the communications apparatus 800 to perform processing actions in the method embodiments described above, e.g., support a terminal device to perform one or more of steps 403, 404, etc., and/or other procedures of the techniques described herein.

Illustratively, a transceiver module 802 for: receiving a first message from an access network device or a CU, wherein the first message is used for requesting a first time difference, the first time difference is a difference value between the time when a terminal device receives a downlink reference signal and the time when the terminal device sends an uplink reference signal, and the first message also comprises time information of the first time difference; and reporting the first time difference according to the time information of the first time difference.

When the communication device is an access network device or a chip applied in an access network device, for example, the steps performed by the access network device in the above-mentioned method embodiments are performed. The transceiver module 802 is configured to support communication with a terminal device or the like, and the transceiver module specifically performs the actions of transmitting and/or receiving performed by the access network device in fig. 3 or fig. 4 or fig. 7, e.g., supports the access network device to perform one or more of steps 301, 401, etc., and/or other processes of the techniques described herein. The processing module 801 may be used to support the communications apparatus 800 to perform processing actions in the method embodiments described above, e.g., support the access network device to perform one or more of steps 303, 405, etc., and/or other procedures of the techniques described herein.

Illustratively, a transceiver module 802 for: the method comprises the steps that a first message is sent to terminal equipment, the first message is used for requesting a first time difference, the first time difference is a difference value between the time when the terminal equipment receives a downlink reference signal and the time when the terminal equipment sends an uplink reference signal, and the first message also comprises time information of the first time difference; receiving a first time difference reported by terminal equipment; a processing module 801, configured to: determining a second time difference, wherein the second time difference is a difference value between the time when the access network equipment receives the uplink reference signal and the time when the access network equipment sends the downlink reference signal; the round trip delay is determined based on the first time difference and the second time difference.

When the communication device is a CU or a chip applied in a CU, for example, the steps performed by the CU in the above-described method embodiments are performed. The transceiver module 802 is used to support communication with a terminal device or DU or the like, and the transceiver module specifically performs the actions of transmitting and/or receiving performed by a CU in fig. 5 or 6, e.g., supports the CU to perform one or more of steps 501, 601, etc., and/or other processes of the techniques described herein. Processing module 801 may be used to support communications device 800 to perform processing actions in the method embodiments described above, e.g., support a CU to perform one or more of steps 505, 609, etc., and/or other processes of the techniques described herein.

Illustratively, a transceiver module 802 for: the method comprises the steps that a first message is sent to terminal equipment, the first message is used for requesting a first time difference, the first time difference is a difference value between the time when the terminal equipment receives a downlink reference signal and the time when the terminal equipment sends an uplink reference signal, and the first message also comprises time information of the first time difference; receiving a first time difference reported by terminal equipment; transmitting a second message to the DU, the second message being for requesting a second time difference, the second time difference being a difference between a time at which the DU receives the uplink reference signal and a time at which the DU transmits the downlink reference signal, the second message further including time information of the second time difference; receiving a second time difference reported by the DU; a processing module 801 is configured to determine a round trip delay according to the first time difference and the second time difference.

When the communication device is a DU or a chip applied in a DU, for example, and performs the steps performed by the DU in the above-described method embodiments. Transceiver module 802 is used to support communication with CUs and the like, which may specifically perform the actions of transmitting and/or receiving performed by DUs in fig. 5 or 6, e.g., support DUs to perform one or more of steps 504, 606, etc., and/or other processes of the techniques described herein. Processing module 801 may be used to support communications apparatus 800 to perform processing actions in the method embodiments described above, e.g., support DUs to perform one or more of steps 607, 608, etc., and/or other processes of the techniques described herein.

Illustratively, a transceiver module 802 for: receiving a second message from the CU, wherein the second message is used for requesting a second time difference, the second time difference is a difference value between the time when the DU receives the uplink reference signal and the time when the DU transmits the downlink reference signal, and the second message also comprises time information of the second time difference; and reporting the second time difference according to the time information of the second time difference.

In one possible implementation, when the terminal device or access network device or DU or CU is a chip, the transceiver module 802 may be a communication interface, pin or circuit, etc. The communication interface may be used to input data to be processed to the processor, and may output a processing result of the processor to the outside. In particular implementations, the communication interface may be a general purpose input output (general purpose input output, GPIO) interface that may be coupled to a plurality of peripheral devices (e.g., a display (LCD), a camera (cam), a Radio Frequency (RF) module, an antenna, etc.). The communication interface is connected with the processor through a bus.

The processing module 801 may be a processor that may execute computer-executable instructions stored by the storage module to cause the chip to perform the methods of the embodiments of fig. 3 or fig. 4 or fig. 5 or fig. 6 or fig. 7.

Further, the processor may include a controller, an operator, and a register. Illustratively, the controller is primarily responsible for instruction decoding and issues control signals for the operations to which the instructions correspond. The arithmetic unit is mainly responsible for performing fixed-point or floating-point arithmetic operations, shift operations, logic operations, and the like, and may also perform address operations and conversions. The register is mainly responsible for storing register operands, intermediate operation results and the like temporarily stored in the instruction execution process. In particular implementations, the hardware architecture of the processor may be an application specific integrated circuit (application specific integrated circuits, ASIC) architecture, a microprocessor (microprocessor without interlocked piped stages architecture, MIPS) architecture of an interlocking-free pipeline stage architecture, an advanced reduced instruction set machine (advanced RISC machines, ARM) architecture, or a network processor (network processor, NP) architecture, among others. The processor may be single-core or multi-core.

The memory module may be a memory module within the chip, such as a register, a cache, etc. The Memory module may also be a Memory module located outside the chip, such as a Read Only Memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a random access Memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), etc.

It should be noted that, the functions corresponding to the processor and the interface may be implemented by hardware design, or may be implemented by software design, or may be implemented by a combination of software and hardware, which is not limited herein.

Fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a simplified terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application. In fig. 9, the terminal device takes a mobile phone as an example, and as shown in fig. 9, the terminal device includes at least one processor, and may further include a radio frequency circuit, an antenna, and an input/output device. The processor may be used for processing communication protocols and communication data, controlling the terminal device, executing a software program, processing data of the software program, and the like. The terminal device may also comprise a memory for storing mainly software programs and data, which programs may be loaded into the memory at the time of shipment of the communication device or reloaded into the memory at a later time when needed. The radio frequency circuit is mainly used for converting a baseband signal and a radio frequency signal and processing the radio frequency signal. The antenna is mainly used for receiving and transmitting radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves, and is provided by the embodiment of the application. Input and output devices, such as touch screens, display screens, keyboards, etc., are mainly used for receiving data input by a user and outputting data to the user. It should be noted that some kinds of terminal apparatuses may not have an input/output device.

When data need to be sent, the processor carries out baseband processing on the data to be sent and then outputs a baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit, and the radio frequency circuit carries out radio frequency processing on the baseband signal and then sends the radio frequency signal outwards in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the terminal equipment, the radio frequency circuit receives a radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor, and the processor converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data. For ease of illustration, only one memory and processor is shown in fig. 9. In an actual end device product, there may be one or more processors and one or more memories. The memory may also be referred to as a storage medium or storage device, etc. The memory may be provided separately from the processor or may be integrated with the processor, as the embodiments of the application are not limited in this respect.

In the embodiment of the present application, the antenna and the radio frequency circuit having the transceiver function may be regarded as a receiving unit and a transmitting unit (may also be collectively referred to as a transceiver unit) of the terminal device, and the processor having the processing function may be regarded as a processing unit of the terminal device. As shown in fig. 9, the terminal device includes a receiving module 31, a processing module 32, and a transmitting module 33. The receiving module 31 may also be referred to as a receiver, a receiving circuit, etc., and the transmitting module 33 may also be referred to as a transmitter, a transmitting circuit, etc. The processing module 32 may also be referred to as a processor, processing board, processing device, etc.

For example, the processing module 32 is configured to perform the functions of the terminal device in the embodiment shown in fig. 3 or fig. 4 or fig. 5 or fig. 6 or fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a simplified access network device according to an embodiment of the present application. The access network device comprises a radio frequency signal transceiving and converting part and a baseband part 42, the radio frequency signal transceiving and converting part in turn comprising a receiving module 41 part and a transmitting module 43 part (which may also be collectively referred to as transceiving module). The radio frequency signal receiving and transmitting and converting part is mainly used for receiving and transmitting radio frequency signals and converting radio frequency signals and baseband signals; the baseband section 42 is mainly used for baseband processing, control of access network equipment, and the like. The receiving module 41 may also be referred to as a receiver, a receiving circuit, etc., and the transmitting module 43 may also be referred to as a transmitter, a transmitting circuit, etc. The baseband section 42 is typically a control center of the access network device, also referred to as a processing module, for performing the steps described above in connection with the access network device in fig. 3 or fig. 4 or fig. 7. See for details the description of the relevant parts above.

Baseband section 42 may include one or more boards, each of which may include one or more processors and one or more memories, the processors being configured to read and execute programs in the memories to implement baseband processing functions and control access to the network equipment. If there are multiple boards, the boards can be interconnected to increase processing power. As an alternative implementation manner, the multiple boards may share one or more processors, or the multiple boards may share one or more memories, or the multiple boards may share one or more processors at the same time.

For example, the sending module 43 is configured to perform the functions of the access network device in the embodiment shown in fig. 3 or fig. 4 or fig. 7.

The embodiment of the application also provides a communication device, which comprises a processor, wherein the processor is coupled with a memory, and a computer program is stored in the memory; the processor is configured to invoke the computer program in the memory to cause the communication device to perform the embodiments as shown in fig. 3 or fig. 4 or fig. 5 or fig. 6 or fig. 7.

The embodiment of the application also provides a communication device, which comprises a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used for receiving signals from other communication devices except the communication device and transmitting the signals to the processor or transmitting the signals from the processor to the other communication devices except the communication device, and the processor is used for realizing the embodiment shown in fig. 3 or fig. 4 or fig. 5 or fig. 6 or fig. 7 through logic circuits or executing code instructions.

Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a computer program or instructions which, when executed by a computer, implement the embodiments shown in fig. 3 or fig. 4 or fig. 5 or fig. 6 or fig. 7.

Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product which, when read and executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the embodiments shown in fig. 3 or fig. 4 or fig. 5 or fig. 6 or fig. 7.

The units described above as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and components shown as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed over a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the objectives of the embodiments of the present application. In addition, each network element unit in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units may be integrated in one unit. The integrated units may be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of software network element units.

The integrated units described above, if implemented in the form of software network element units and sold or used as stand-alone products, may be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present application may be a contributing part in essence, or all or part of the technical solution may be embodied in the form of a software product stored in a storage medium, including several instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a terminal device, a cloud server, or an access network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the above-mentioned method of the various embodiments of the present application. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: a U-disk, a removable hard disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a random access Memory (RAM, random Access Memory), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk, or other various media capable of storing program codes. While the application has been described with reference to certain preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and substitutions of equivalents may be made and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the application. Therefore, the protection scope of the application is subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, wherein the method is applied to a terminal device, the method comprising:

receiving a first message from an access network device, where the first message is used to request a first time difference, where the first time difference is a difference between a time when the terminal device receives a downlink reference signal and a time when the terminal device sends an uplink reference signal, and the first message further includes time information of the first time difference;

reporting the first time difference according to the time information of the first time difference.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein reporting the first time difference based on the time information of the first time difference comprises:

measuring the first time difference according to the time information of the first time difference;

and reporting the first time difference to the access network equipment.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the time information of the first time difference comprises a number of a first time unit and a frame number of a system frame in which the first time unit is located, wherein the terminal device measures the first time difference in the first time unit.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the time information of the first time difference comprises a period and a start time, and wherein the measuring the first time difference based on the time information of the first time difference comprises:

The first time difference is measured based on the period and the start time.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a first offset value and/or a second offset value from the access network device, wherein the first offset value is the offset value of the period, and the second offset value is the offset value of the starting time;

and updating the period and/or the starting time according to the first offset value and/or the second offset value.

6. A method of communication, the method being applied to an access network device, the method comprising:

a first message is sent to a terminal device, wherein the first message is used for requesting a first time difference, the first time difference is a difference value between the time when the terminal device receives a downlink reference signal and the time when the terminal device sends an uplink reference signal, and the first message also comprises time information of the first time difference;

receiving a first time difference reported by the terminal equipment;

determining a second time difference, wherein the second time difference is a difference value between the time when the access network equipment receives the uplink reference signal and the time when the access network equipment sends the downlink reference signal;

And determining the round trip delay according to the first time difference and the second time difference.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the time information of the first time difference comprises a number of a first time unit and a frame number of a system frame in which the first time unit is located.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the time information of the first time difference comprises a period and a start time.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

and sending a first offset value and/or a second offset value to the terminal equipment, wherein the first offset value is the offset value of the period, and the second offset value is the offset value of the starting time.

10. A communication device, characterized in that it comprises means for performing the method according to any of claims 1-9.

11. A communications apparatus comprising a processor coupled to a memory, the memory having a computer program stored therein; the processor is configured to invoke a computer program in the memory to cause the communication device to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 9.

12. A communication device comprising a processor and interface circuitry for receiving signals from other communication devices than the communication device and transmitting signals from the processor to the processor or sending signals from the processor to other communication devices than the communication device, the processor being configured to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 9 by logic circuitry or executing code instructions.

13. A computer readable storage medium, characterized in that the storage medium has stored therein a computer program or instructions which, when executed by a computer, implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 9.

14. A computer program product, characterized in that the computer is caused to perform the method according to any of claims 1 to 9 when the computer reads and executes the computer program product.