CN116743192A

CN116743192A - Communication method and electronic equipment

Info

Publication number: CN116743192A
Application number: CN202210205168.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 汪明月; 韩重阳
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-03-02
Filing date: 2022-03-02
Publication date: 2023-09-12
Also published as: WO2023165358A1

Abstract

The communication method and the electronic device can solve the problem of low communication efficiency or low reliability of the electronic device, and can be applied to the electronic device in a communication system. The electronic equipment comprises a first communication module and a second communication module, wherein the working channel of the first communication module is a first channel, the first channel is in a first frequency band, the working channel of the second communication module is a second channel, and the second channel is in a second frequency band. The communication method comprises the following steps: when the working channel of the second communication module is unavailable or the channel quality is lower than the channel quality threshold, setting the working channel of the first channel of the second communication module as the first channel. The first channels of the first communication module and the second communication module communicate jointly over the first channel.

Description

Communication method and electronic equipment

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a communication method and an electronic device.

Background

In a wireless local area network (wireless local area network, WLAN), electronic devices, such as terminal devices or network devices, may communicate based on different frequency bands, such as a 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) band, a 5GHz band, or a 6GHz band. In particular, the electronic device may include a plurality of communication modules, each of which may include one or more channels, with the operating channels of each communication module being in different frequency bands. When the electronic device has a data transmission requirement, each communication module of the electronic device can compete for a channel on a corresponding working frequency band, and data can be transmitted on the channel based on the channel of the communication module.

However, in the above-described scheme, each communication module can only transmit data on the same operating frequency band based on a fixed number of channels that have been set.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a communication method and electronic equipment, which can increase the number of channels working on a working channel of a communication module, thereby improving the communication effect.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the application adopts the following technical scheme:

in a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The communication method is applied to the electronic equipment. The electronic equipment comprises a first communication module and a second communication module, wherein a working channel of the first communication module is a first channel, the first channel is in a first frequency band, a working channel of the second communication module is a second channel, and the second channel is in a second frequency band. The communication method comprises the following steps: when the working channel of the second communication module is unavailable or the channel quality is lower than the channel quality threshold, setting the working channel of the first channel of the second communication module as the first channel. The first channels of the first communication module and the second communication module communicate jointly over the first channel.

Based on the communication method provided in the first aspect, the electronic device may set the working channel of the first channel of the second communication module as the first channel according to the state of the working channel of the second communication module, where the working channel of the second communication module is unavailable or the channel quality is lower than the channel quality threshold, and enable the first channel of the first communication module and the first channel of the second communication module to perform joint communication on the first channel, so that more channels can work on the working channel of the first communication module, thereby improving the communication effect.

In one possible design, the joint communication may be a MIMO mode communication or the joint communication may be a beamforming mode communication. Thus, when the joint communication is a MIMO communication, the number of space-time streams for transmitting data on the first channel can be increased, and the transmission rate can be increased, thereby improving the communication efficiency. And, the receiving diversity gain can be obtained, and the signal to noise ratio of the first channel is improved, thereby improving the communication reliability. When the joint communication is a communication in a beam forming mode, the energy concentration of a beam for transmitting data on the first channel can be improved, and the coverage performance can be improved, thereby improving the communication efficiency.

In one possible design, the first electronic device may further include a third communication module, where an operating channel of the third communication module is a third channel, and the third channel is in a third frequency band. In this case, the communication method provided in the first aspect may further include: and setting the working channel of the second communication module as a third channel when the working channel of the second communication module is unavailable or the channel quality is lower than the channel quality threshold. The third communication module and the second channel of the second communication module perform joint communication on the third channel. In this way, when the working channel of the second communication module is unavailable or the channel quality is lower than the channel quality threshold, the second channel of the second communication module can be reassigned to the first communication module and the third communication module, so that the number of space-time streams of the first channel is increased or the energy concentration degree on the first channel is improved, and the number of space-time streams of the third channel is increased or the energy concentration degree of beams on the third channel is improved, and therefore the communication efficiency of a plurality of communication modules, such as the first communication module and the third communication module, can be considered.

In a second aspect, an electronic device is provided, where the electronic device includes a control circuit, a first communication module, and a second communication module, where an operating channel of the first communication module is a first channel, the first channel is in a first frequency band, an operating channel of the second communication module is a second channel, and the second channel is in a second frequency band. And the control circuit is used for setting the working channel of the first channel of the second communication module as the first channel when the working channel of the second communication module is unavailable or the channel quality is lower than the channel quality threshold value. And the transceiver module is used for carrying out joint communication on the first channel through the first channels of the first communication module and the second communication module.

In one possible design, the joint communication is a MIMO communication or a beamforming communication.

In one possible design, the electronic device further includes a third communication module, where the operating channel of the third communication module is a third channel, and the third channel is in a third frequency band. The control circuit is further configured to set the working channel of the second communication module to a third channel when the working channel of the second communication module is unavailable or the channel quality is below a channel quality threshold. And the transceiver module is also used for carrying out joint communication on a third channel through the third communication module and a second channel of the second communication module.

In addition, the technical effects of the communication method described in the second aspect may refer to the technical effects of the communication method described in the first aspect, and are not described herein.

Alternatively, the transceiver module may include a receiving module and a transmitting module. The transceiver module is configured to implement the transmitting function and the receiving function of the electronic device according to the second aspect.

In a third aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes: a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to execute a computer program stored in the memory, to cause the communication device to perform the communication method according to any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect.

In one possible design, the communication device according to the third aspect may further comprise a transceiver. The transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver may be for use in a communication device according to the third aspect to communicate with other communication devices.

In the present application, the communication apparatus according to the third aspect may be the electronic device according to the first aspect, or a chip (system) or other part or component that may be provided in the electronic device, or an apparatus including the electronic device.

In a fourth aspect, there is provided a communication apparatus comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store a computer program which, when executed by the processor, causes the communication device to perform the communication method according to any one of the implementations of the first aspect.

In one possible configuration, the communication device according to the fourth aspect may further comprise a transceiver. The transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver may be used for the communication device of the fourth aspect to communicate with other communication devices.

In the present application, the communication apparatus according to the fourth aspect may be the electronic device according to the first aspect, or a chip (system) or other part or component that may be provided in the electronic device, or an apparatus including the electronic device.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided a communication apparatus comprising: a processor; the processor is configured to execute the communication method according to any implementation manner of the first aspect according to the computer program after being coupled to the memory and reading the computer program in the memory.

In one possible configuration, the communication device according to the fifth aspect may further comprise a transceiver, which may be the first communication module or the second communication module. The transceiver may be for use in a communication device according to the fifth aspect to communicate with other communication devices.

In the present application, the communication apparatus according to the fifth aspect may be the electronic device according to the first aspect, or a chip (system) or other part or component that may be provided in the electronic device, or an apparatus including the electronic device.

Further, the technical effects of the communication apparatus according to the third aspect to the fifth aspect may refer to the technical effects of the communication method according to the first aspect, and are not described herein.

In a sixth aspect, a communication system is provided. The communication system includes one or more electronic devices.

In a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer readable storage medium comprising: computer programs or instructions; the computer program or instructions, when run on an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the communication method according to any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect.

In an eighth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program or instructions which, when run on an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the communication method according to any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a transmitting and receiving channel according to an embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a transmitting-receiving channel according to a second embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a architecture of the communication system provided in fig. 3 according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a second architecture of the communication system provided in fig. 3 according to the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a third architecture of the communication system provided in fig. 3 according to the embodiment of the present application;

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

fig. 8 is a second flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

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

Detailed Description

Technical terms related to the embodiments of the present application will be first described below.

The frequency band refers to a range of frequencies for electronic device communication, such as a 2.4GHz band, a 5GHz band, a 6GHz band, and the like. The 5GHz band is sometimes divided into a 5GHz high frequency band (high band) and a 5GHz low frequency band (low band). The 5GHz high frequency band and the 5GHz low frequency band may also be considered as different frequency bands.

A transmit receive path (transmit and receive channel, TRX), referred to as a path, may be used to transmit signals and receive signals. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a channel structure. As shown in fig. 1, the transmit-receive channel includes: an antenna (Ant), a front-end circuit connected to the antenna, a radio frequency circuit connected to the front-end circuit and a local oscillator (hereinafter referred to as "local oscillator"), a first analog front-end (AFE) connected to the radio frequency circuit, a first digital front-end (DFE) connected to the first analog front-end, a second radio frequency front-end connected to the radio frequency circuit, and a second digital front-end connected to the second radio frequency front-end.

The antenna may be used to receive or transmit signals in different frequency bands, such as a 2.4GHz band, a 5GHz band, or a 6GHz band. The front-end circuit may include front-end modules (FEM) corresponding to the respective frequency bands supported by the channel. For example, if the channel supports 2.4GHz band, 5GHz band, or 6GHz band, the front-end circuit may include a front-end module corresponding to the 2.4GHz band, a front-end module corresponding to the 5GHz band, and a front-end module corresponding to the 6GHz band. Each front-end module may be configured to amplify a radio frequency signal received or a radio frequency channel transmitted over a corresponding frequency band. In addition, the front-end module can also be used for detecting the power of the radio frequency signal, controlling the radio frequency signal and the like.

The radio frequency circuit comprises a first radio frequency unit and a second radio frequency unit, wherein, alternatively, the first radio frequency unit is used for carrying out up-conversion processing on an intermediate frequency (intermedium frequency, IF) analog signal from the first analog front end to obtain a radio frequency signal. The second radio frequency unit is used for performing down-conversion on the radio frequency signal from the front-end module to obtain an intermediate frequency analog signal. The first radio frequency unit or the first radio frequency unit may include a front end module corresponding to a frequency band supported by the channel. For example, the channel supports a 2.4GHz band, a 5GHz band, or a 6GHz band, and the first radio frequency unit may include a sub-radio frequency unit corresponding to the 2.4GHz band and a sub-radio frequency unit corresponding to the 5GHz band/6 GHz band, and the second radio frequency unit may include a sub-radio frequency unit corresponding to the 2.4GHz band and a sub-radio frequency unit corresponding to the 5GHz band/6 GHz band.

It can be understood that in the first radio frequency unit, the 5GHz band and the 6GHz band may each correspond to one sub-radio frequency unit. In the second radio frequency unit, the 5GHz frequency band and the 6GHz frequency band may each correspond to one sub-radio frequency unit.

The first analog front end is used for converting the intermediate frequency digital signal from the first digital front end into an intermediate frequency analog signal.

The first digital front end is used for up-converting a baseband signal from a baseband to obtain an intermediate frequency digital signal.

The second analog front end is used for processing the intermediate frequency analog signal from the radio frequency circuit to obtain an intermediate frequency digital signal.

The second digital front end is used for processing the intermediate frequency digital signal from the second analog front end to obtain a baseband signal.

The front-end circuit may be connected to the antenna through a coupler (coupler) (not shown in fig. 1) and a diplexer (diplexer) (not shown in fig. 1) which are sequentially connected. The first rf unit and the first analog front end may be connected through a multiplexer (multiplexor), and the second rf unit and the second analog front end may be connected through a multiplexer. For example, the first rf unit and the second rf unit are both connected to a first multiplexer, the first multiplexer is connected to a second multiplexer, and the second multiplexer is connected to a first analog front end and a second analog front end, respectively.

For each transmitting and receiving channel, the working channel of the transmitting and receiving channel can be set by switching the working states of the front-end modules corresponding to different frequency bands in the first radio frequency unit, the second radio frequency unit and the front-end circuit.

For example, in the initial state, the working channel of the radio frequency circuit is located in the 2.4GHz frequency band, at this time, the sub radio frequency unit corresponding to the 2.4GHz frequency band in the first radio frequency unit works, the sub radio frequency unit corresponding to the 2.4GHz frequency band in the second radio frequency unit works, the sub radio frequency unit corresponding to the 5GHz frequency band/6 GHz frequency band in the first radio frequency unit does not work, and the sub radio frequency unit corresponding to the 5GHz frequency band/6 GHz frequency band in the second radio frequency unit does not work. In the front-end circuit, a front-end module corresponding to the 2.4GHz frequency band works, and a front-end module corresponding to the 5GHz frequency band and a front-end module corresponding to the 6GHz frequency band do not work. If the working channel of the channel is set to be 5GHz, the sub radio frequency units corresponding to the 2.4GHz frequency band in the first radio frequency unit can be controlled to be not operated, the sub radio frequency units corresponding to the 2.4GHz frequency band in the second radio frequency unit are not operated, the sub radio frequency units corresponding to the 5GHz frequency band/6 GHz frequency band in the first radio frequency unit are operated, and the sub radio frequency units corresponding to the 5GHz frequency band/6 GHz frequency band in the second radio frequency unit are operated. In the front-end circuit, a front-end module corresponding to the 2.4GHz frequency band works, a front-end module corresponding to the 5GHz frequency band works, and a front-end module corresponding to the 6GHz frequency band does not work. When the channel works, a signal corresponding to the frequency of the frequency band where the working channel is located can be provided by controlling the working state of a local oscillator (local oscillator). For example, if each frequency band supported by the channel may correspond to one local oscillator, the local oscillator corresponding to the frequency band where the working channel of the channel is located may be controlled to operate, and the other local oscillators do not operate. For example, the channel supports 2.4GHz band, 5GHz band or 6GHz band, and the working channel of the channel is 5G, so that the local oscillators corresponding to the 5GHz band can work, and the local oscillators corresponding to the 2.4GHz band and the 6GHz band do not work. Or if each frequency band can correspond to different frequency division modes, the frequency division mode corresponding to the frequency band where the working channel is located is adopted to divide the frequency of the signal generated by the local oscillator. For example, the 2.4GHz band, the 5GHz band and the 6GHz band all correspond to the same local oscillator, and when the working channel of the channel is 5GHz, a frequency division mode corresponding to the 5GHz band is adopted.

It will be appreciated that there may be a plurality of the above-described channels in an electronic device, as will be described below in connection with fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a channel structure according to a second embodiment of the present application. The architecture shown in fig. 2 includes a system chip, a radio frequency chip, and hardware circuitry. The system on a chip comprises a controller, a baseband, a first digital front end D11 to a first digital front end D13, and a second digital front end D21 to a second digital front end D23. The system chip includes radio frequency circuits R1 to R3, and the hardware circuits include front-end circuits F1 to F3, diplexers Du1 to Du, and antennas Ant1 to Ant3. In the structure shown in fig. 2, three channels are included from the first channel to the third channel. Wherein the first channel comprises: the digital front-end D11, the second digital front-end D21, the first analog front-end A11, the second analog front-end A21, the first multiplexer M11, the second multiplexer M21, the radio frequency circuit R1, the front-end circuit F1, the duplexer Du1 and the antenna Ant1. The second channel includes: the digital front-end D12, the second digital front-end D22, the first analog front-end A12, the second analog front-end A22, the first multiplexer M12, the second multiplexer M22, the radio frequency circuit R2, the front-end circuit F2, the duplexer Du2 and the antenna Ant2. The third channel includes: the digital front-end D13, the second digital front-end D23, the first analog front-end A13, the second analog front-end A23, the first multiplexer M13, the second multiplexer M23, the radio frequency circuit R3, the front-end circuit F3, the duplexer Du3 and the antenna Ant3.

Among them, the system chip is also called a system on chip (SoC). The controller on the system chip can control the setting process of the working channel of the channel. The controller is configured to provide signals for setting the operating channel and other control signals to be transferred to the second interface circuit via the first interface circuit.

The controller may be a digital signal processor (digital signal processing, DSP). A radio frequency chip, which may also be referred to as a radio frequency integrated circuit (radio frequency integrated circuit, RFIC). It is understood that the radio frequency chip may also be integrated with the system chip.

In the following embodiments, unless otherwise specified, channels refer to both transmission and reception channels.

A communication module, comprising a structure of one or more transmit receive channels, may be used to receive signals or transmit signals. A network allocation vector (network allocation vector, NAV), an indicator maintained by each electronic device, such as a station, for a period of time during which transmissions on the wireless medium are not initiated by the electronic device, and which is unaffected by the status of whether the wireless medium is busy as perceived by the electronic device channel assessment function. In a wireless local area network (wireless local area network, WLAN), using a NAV may avoid electronic devices using a channel to transmit data if the channel is occupied by other electronic devices, thereby reducing collisions between electronic devices.

The technical scheme of the application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application may be applied to various communication systems, such as WLAN systems, bluetooth (blue) communication systems, 4th generation (4th generation,4G) mobile communication systems, such as long term evolution (long term evolution, LTE) systems, fifth generation (5th generation,5G) mobile communication systems, such as New Radio (NR) systems, and future communication systems, such as sixth generation (6th generation,6G) mobile communication systems, etc. It can be appreciated that the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application may also be applied to other communication systems capable of communicating over multiple frequency bands.

The present application will present various aspects, embodiments, or features about a system that may include a plurality of devices, components, modules, etc. It is to be understood and appreciated that the various systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc. and/or may not include all of the devices, components, modules etc. discussed in connection with the figures. Furthermore, combinations of these schemes may also be used.

The network architecture and the service scenario described in the embodiments of the present application are for more clearly describing the technical solution of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present application. With the evolution of network architecture and the appearance of new service scenes, the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the application is also applicable to similar technical problems.

To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, a communication system suitable for use in the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the communication system shown in fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a communication system to which the communication method according to the embodiment of the present application is applicable.

As shown in fig. 3, the communication system includes a plurality of electronic devices, wherein the plurality of electronic devices includes a network device 310 and a terminal device 320. Wherein the network device 310 may be wirelessly connected with the terminal device 320.

The network device is a device located at the network side of the communication system and having a wireless transceiver function or a chip system arranged on the device. The network devices include, but are not limited to: an Access Point (AP) in a WLAN system, such as a home gateway, router, switch, etc. having WLAN functions.

The terminal equipment is a terminal which is accessed into the communication system and has a wireless receiving and transmitting function or a chip system which can be arranged on the terminal. The terminal device may also be referred to as an access terminal (access terminal), a subscriber unit (user unit), a subscriber station (user station), a mobile station (mobile station), a remote station (far station), a remote terminal (remote terminal), a mobile device (mobile device), a user terminal (user terminal), a terminal (terminal), a wireless communication device (wireless communication equipment), a user agent (user agent), or a user equipment (user device). The terminal device in the embodiment of the present application may be a mobile phone (mobile phone), a tablet (pad) computer, a computer with a wireless transceiving function, a Virtual Reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (augmented reality, AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control (industrial control), a wireless terminal in remote medical (remote medical), a wireless terminal in smart grid (smart grid), a wireless terminal in transportation security (transportation safety), a wireless terminal in smart city (smart home), a wireless terminal in smart home (smart home), or the like. Vehicle-mounted terminals, RSUs with terminal functions, and the like. The terminal device of the present application may be a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle-mounted component, a vehicle-mounted chip, or a vehicle-mounted unit that is built in a vehicle as one or more components or units, and the vehicle may implement the communication method provided by the present application through the built-in vehicle-mounted module, vehicle-mounted component, vehicle-mounted chip, or vehicle-mounted unit.

The network device, or the terminal device shown in fig. 3 may include one or more communication modules, where a communication module may correspond to one or more channels, and an operating channel of a channel may be configured as one of multiple channels, and a channel corresponds to one operating frequency band. The network device may communicate with the terminal device via respective channels. For example, in one example, the network device may include a plurality of communication modules, and the terminal device includes a communication module, where the network device may communicate with the plurality of terminal devices through channels corresponding to the plurality of communication modules. In particular, this example may be seen with reference to FIG. 4. In yet another example, the terminal device may include a plurality of communication modules, and the terminal device communicates with the plurality of network devices through channels corresponding to the plurality of communication modules. In particular, this example may be seen with reference to FIG. 5. In yet another example, the network device may include a plurality of communication modules, and the terminal device includes a plurality of communication modules, and communication between the network device and the terminal device is performed through a plurality of channels. Specifically, this example can be seen with reference to fig. 6.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system shown in fig. 3. As shown in fig. 4, the communication system shown in fig. 4 includes a network device 410, a terminal device 420, and a terminal device 430. The network device 410 includes a first communication module 411 and a second communication module 412, where an operating channel of the first communication module 411 is a first channel, and the first channel is in a first frequency band. The working channel of the second communication module 412 is a second channel, which is in a second frequency band. The operating channel of the terminal device 420 coincides with the operating channel of the first communication module 411 and the operating channel of the terminal device 430 coincides with the operating channel of the second communication module 412. A wireless link (link) may be established between the first communication module 411 and the terminal device 420; a wireless link may be established between the second communication module 412 and the terminal device 430.

Optionally, the network device 410 may further include a third communication module 413, where an operating channel of the third communication module 413 is a third channel, and the third channel is in a third frequency band. In this case, the communication system shown in fig. 4 may further include a terminal device 440, and an operation channel of the terminal device 440 coincides with an operation channel of the third communication module 413. A wireless link may be established between the third communication module 413 and the terminal device 440.

Illustratively, in the network device 410 shown in fig. 4, the operating channel of the first communication module 411 may be in the 2.4GHz band, and the operating channel of the second communication module 412 may be in the 6GHz band. The operating channel of terminal device 420 may be in the 2.4GHz band and the operating channel of terminal device 430 may be in the 6GHz band. The operating channel of the third communication module 413 may be in the 5GHz band and the operating channel of the terminal device 440 may be in the 5GHz band.

The first communication module 411, the second communication module 412, the third communication module 413, and the terminal device 420 described above all include one or more channels to the terminal device 440.

Fig. 5 is a second schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system shown in fig. 3. As shown in fig. 5, the communication system shown in fig. 5 includes a network device 510, a network device 520, and a terminal device 540. The terminal device 540 includes a first communication module 541 and a second communication module 542, where an operating channel of the first communication module 541 is a first channel, the first channel is in a first frequency band, an operating channel of the second communication module 542 is a second channel, and the second channel is in a second frequency band. The operating channel of the network device 510 coincides with the operating channel of the first communication module 541 and the operating channel of the network device 520 coincides with the operating channel of the second communication module 542. A wireless link may be established between the first communication module 541 and the network device 510; a wireless link may be established between the second communication module 542 and the network device 520.

Optionally, the terminal device 540 may further include a third communication module 543, where an operating channel of the third communication module 543 is a third channel, and the third channel is in a third frequency band. In this case, the communication system shown in fig. 5 may further include a network device 530, an operation channel of the network device 530 corresponds to an operation channel of the third communication module 543, and a wireless link may be established between the third communication module 543 and the network device 530.

Illustratively, the operating channel of the first communication module 541 of the terminal device 540 in fig. 5 may be in the 2.4GHz band, and the operating channel of the second communication module 542 may be in the 6GHz band. The operating channel of network device 510 may be in the 2.4GHz band and the operating channel of network device 520 may be in the 6GHz band. The operating channel of the third communication module 543 may be in the 5GHz band, and the operating channel of the network device 530 may be in the 5GHz band.

The first communication module 541, the second communication module 542, the third communication module 543, and the network devices 510 to 530 each include one or more channels.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system shown in fig. 3. As shown in fig. 6, a network device 610 and a terminal device 620 are included in the communication system shown in fig. 6. The network device 610 includes a first communication module 611 and a second communication module 612, where an operation channel of the first communication module 611 is a first channel, the first channel is in a first frequency band, an operation channel of the second communication module 612 is a second channel, and the second channel is in a second frequency band. The terminal device 620 includes a first communication module 621 and a second communication module 622, where an operation channel of the first communication module 621 is a first channel, the first channel is in a first frequency band, an operation channel of the second communication module 622 is a second channel, and the second channel is in a second frequency band.

A wireless link may be established between the first communication module 611 and the first communication module 621. A wireless link may be established between the second communication module 612 and the second communication module 622.

Optionally, the network device 610 may further include a third communication module 613. The working channel of the third communication module 613 is a third channel, and the third channel is in a third frequency band. The terminal device 620 may further include a third communication module 623, where the working channel of the third communication module 623 is a third channel, and the third channel is in a third frequency band. A wireless link may be established between the third communication module 613 and the third communication module 623.

Illustratively, the operating channel of the first communication module 611 of the network device 610 in fig. 6 may be in the 2.4GHz band, and the operating channel of the second communication module 612 of the network device 610 may be in the 6GHz band. The operation channel of the first communication module 621 of the terminal device 620 may be in the 2.4GHz band, and the operation channel of the second communication module 622 of the terminal device 620 may be in the 6GHz band. The operating channel of the third communication module 613 may be in the 5GHz band and the operating channel of the third communication module 623 may be in the 5GHz band.

The first communication module 611, the second communication module 612, the third communication module 613, the first communication module 621, the second communication module 622, and the third communication module 623 each include one or more channels.

In addition, the frequency band in the embodiment of the present application may further include a high frequency band (high band) of 5GHz and/or a low frequency band (low band) of 5 GHz. That is, the operating channel of the terminal device, the operating channel of the network device, the operating channel of the communication module on the terminal device, or the operating channel of the communication module on the network device may also be in the high frequency band of 5GHz and/or in the low frequency band of 5 GHz.

For ease of understanding, the following embodiments are described by taking a frequency band of 2.4GHz, 5GHz, or 6GHz as an example, and the frequency band is a 5GHz high frequency band, or a 5GHz low frequency band, which is similar to the frequency band of 2.4GHz, 5GHz, or 6 GHz.

The communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application may be applied to the electronic device shown in fig. 3, such as a network device or a terminal device, and specific implementation may refer to the following method embodiments, which are not described herein again. It should be noted that the solution in the embodiment of the present application may also be applied to other communication systems, and the corresponding names may also be replaced by names of corresponding functions in other communication systems. It should be appreciated that fig. 3 is a simplified schematic diagram that is merely exemplary for ease of understanding, and that other electronic devices, such as network devices, and/or other terminal devices, may also be included in the communication system, which are not shown in fig. 3.

The following first briefly describes a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication method provided by the embodiment of the application can be applied to the electronic equipment with a plurality of communication modules, such as any one of the network equipment or the terminal equipment with the first communication module and the second communication module in the figures 4 to 6. Fig. 7 is a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 7, the communication method includes: s701, setting the working channel of the first channel of the second communication module as the working channel of the first communication module in the case where the working channel of the second communication module is unavailable or the channel quality is poor. S702, the first communication module and the second channel of the second communication module jointly communicate on the first channel. Thereby increasing the number of channels on the first channel for transmitting data, and improving the communication effect.

The following describes a communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application in detail by taking different implementation manners of a communication system as an example with reference to fig. 8 to fig. 9.

Fig. 8 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication method may be applied to a network device in the communication system shown in fig. 4 or fig. 6, or a terminal device in the communication system shown in fig. 5 or fig. 6.

For easy understanding, the following specifically describes a communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application, taking a network device in fig. 4 as an example.

The communication method shown in fig. 8 includes:

s801, when the operation channel of the second communication module is unavailable, the operation channel of the first channel of the second communication module is set as the first channel.

For example, the working channel of the second communication module may refer to a current working channel of the second communication module, and the working channel of the second communication module may refer to a channel used by the second communication module to receive data or transmit data. The first channel may be all channels of the second communication module, or the first channel may be a part of all channels of the second communication module.

In the embodiment of the application, the working channel of the second communication module is unavailable, which may be that the second communication module fails to compete for the working channel, or that the second communication module does not have a data transmission requirement or a data receiving requirement.

In one possible embodiment, it may be determined whether the operating channel of the second communication module is available according to one or more of the following: NAV, scheduling information, or channel contention information.

The network allocation vector is used for indicating the state of the working channel corresponding to the communication module and the duration of the busy state of the working channel corresponding to the communication module, namely the waiting duration of the communication module. Illustratively, if the NAV of the second communication module is greater than 0, the operating channel of the second communication module is not available. Illustratively, the NAV may be updated with a request to send (RST)/Clear To Send (CTS) mechanism. For example, the second communication module may receive an RTS frame, where the RTS frame carries a duration that the working channel of the second communication module is occupied by other devices, in which case the second communication module may update the NVA according to the duration that the channel in the RST is occupied.

For another example, after detecting PPDUs sent by other electronic devices, the electronic device may parse a field (field) of information (SIG) in the PPDUs, so as to obtain a duration of time that the other electronic devices occupy channels, and further update NAVs on the electronic devices.

The scheduling information is used for indicating whether the second communication module has a number to send or information related to the channel competition result, such as whether the second communication module competes for a channel or whether other electronic devices compete for the channel. If the scheduling information indicates that the channel is not contended for the second communication module, the working channel of the second communication module is not available. Or if the scheduling information indicates that the other electronic equipment competes to the working channel of the second communication module, the working channel of the second communication module is not available. For example, the scheduling information may be determined according to a request to send (RST)/Clear To Send (CTS) mechanism. For example, the second communication module may receive an RTS frame, where the RTS frame carries a duration that the working channel of the second communication module is occupied by other devices, in which case the scheduling information may indicate that the second communication module does not contend for the channel, or that other electronic devices contend for the channel.

For another example, the electronic device may parse a Signal (SIG) field (field) in the PPDU after detecting the PPDU sent by the other electronic device, so as to obtain a duration of time that the other electronic device occupies a channel, where in this case, the scheduling information may indicate that the second communication module does not compete for the channel, or that the other electronic device competes for the channel.

For another example, if the NAV corresponding to the second communication module is not 0, the scheduling information may indicate that the second communication module does not compete for the channel, or that other electronic devices compete for the channel.

The scheduling information may also be referred to as channel contention information.

The channel contention information is used to indicate information related to a channel contention result, such as an identification of a device that successfully contends for the channel, and in addition, the channel contention information may be used to indicate a TXOP of a device that contends for the channel. If the channel contention information indicates that the working channel of the second communication module is occupied by other network devices or terminal devices, the working channel of the second communication module is not available.

In S801, the operation channel of the first channel of the second communication module is set as the first channel, that is, the operation channel of the first channel of the second communication module is kept identical to the operation channel of the first communication module.

In some possible designs, the working channel of the first channel of the second communication module may be set in combination with the occupiable duration of the working channel of the first communication module, the waiting duration of the second communication module, and the duration of the resetting working channel of the channel (the switching duration Ts). For example, at time t1, the duration of the first communication module occupying the first channel is Ta, the waiting duration of the second communication module is Tb, the switching time threshold of the working channel of the first channel is Tc, and if Ta > Tc, tb is greater than or equal to Tc, the working channel of the first channel of the second communication module may be set as the first channel. The switching time threshold Tc may be determined according to the switching time period Ts. For example, after setting the working channel of the first communication module to the first channel, the working channel of the first channel may be switched back to the second channel, in which case the switching time threshold Tc may be set to be greater than twice the switching time period Ts to avoid the working channel of the first channel of the second communication module affecting the communication of the second communication module.

S802, the first communication module and the first channel of the second communication module perform joint communication on the first channel.

Illustratively, the joint communication may be a multiple-input multiple-output (multiple input multiple output, MIMO) mode of communication, or the joint communication may be a beam forming mode of communication. That is, S802, the first channels of the first communication module and the second communication module perform joint communication on the first channel, may include: the channel of the first communication module and the first channel of the second communication module may transmit data in a multiple-input multiple-output manner on the first channel. Alternatively, the channel of the first communication module and the first channel of the second communication module may transmit data on the first channel in a beam-formed manner.

Thus, when the joint communication is a MIMO communication, the number of space-time streams for transmitting data on the first channel can be increased, and the transmission rate can be increased, thereby improving the communication efficiency. And, the receiving diversity gain can be obtained, and the signal to noise ratio of the first channel is improved, thereby improving the communication reliability. When the joint communication is a communication in a beam forming mode, the energy concentration of a beam for transmitting data on the first channel can be improved, and the coverage performance can be improved, thereby improving the communication efficiency.

It should be understood that, in the embodiment of the present application, when the above S801 or the above S802 are performed, the working channel of the first communication module, that is, the first channel is available, that is, the first communication module may transmit data on the first channel.

In a possible design, based on the foregoing embodiment, the second communication module may further include a second channel, and the network device may further include a third communication module, where an operating channel of the third communication module is a third channel, and the third channel is in a third frequency band. In this case, the communication method shown in fig. 8 may further include step 1 and step 2.

Step 1, when the working channel of the second communication module is unavailable, setting the working channel of the first channel of the second communication module as a first channel, and setting the working channel of the second communication module as a third channel.

Wherein the second channel is one or more channels of the second communication module except the first channel. It can be appreciated that the channels of the second communication module may further include other channels besides the first channel and the second channel, such as a third channel, a fourth channel, and the like, which are not described herein.

For the specific implementation of step 1, reference may be made to the specific implementation of step S801, which is not described herein.

In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following further describes the principle of setting a channel in conjunction with the network device including the first communication module, the second communication module, and the third communication module.

For example, the first communication module and the third communication module compete for the channel and transmit data, and if the working channel of the second communication module is not available in the network device, the working channel of the first channel of the second communication module may be set as the working channel of the first communication module, that is, the first channel. Alternatively, the operating channel of the second communication module may also be set as the operating channel of the third communication module, i.e. the third channel.

For example, if the number of channels of the second communication module is C, the occupiable duration of the working channel of the first communication module is Ta, the occupiable duration of the working channel of the third communication module is Td, the waiting duration of the second communication module is Tb, and the switching time threshold is Tc. If Tb-Ta > Tc and Tb-Td < Tc, then the operating channels of all channels of the second communication module may be set to the first channel. If Tb-Ta < Tc and Tb-Td > Tc, the operating channels of all channels of the second communication module may be set to the third channel. If Tb-Ta > Tc and Tb-Td > Tc, the operating channel of the first channel (C1) of the second communication module may be set to the first channel and the operating channel of the second channel (C2) may be set to the third channel. Wherein, C1, C2 and C are positive integers, and C1+C2 is less than or equal to C.

It will be appreciated that if Tb-Ta > Tc and Tb-Td > Tc, the operating channel of the second communication module may not be changed.

And 2, carrying out joint communication on a third channel by the third communication module and a second channel of the second communication module.

Illustratively, some or all of the channels of the third communication module and the second channel of the second communication module communicate jointly over the third channel.

For the specific implementation of step 2, reference may be made to the specific implementation of S802 described above, which is not repeated here.

It should be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, when performing the above step 1 or step 2, the working channel of the third communication module, such as the third channel, is available, that is, the third communication module may transmit data on the third channel.

In this way, when the working channel of the second communication module is unavailable or the channel quality is lower than the channel quality threshold, the second channel of the second communication module can be reassigned to the first communication module and the third communication module, so that the number of space-time streams of the first channel is increased or the energy concentration degree on the first channel is improved, and the number of space-time streams of the third channel is increased or the energy concentration degree of beams on the third channel is improved, and therefore the communication efficiency of a plurality of communication modules, such as the first communication module and the third communication module, can be considered.

It is to be understood that the communication method provided in this embodiment may also be applied to a terminal device in the communication system shown in fig. 5, or a network device in the communication system shown in fig. 6, or a terminal device in the communication system shown in fig. 6.

If the communication method shown in fig. 8 is applied to the terminal device in fig. 5, the implementation of the communication method shown in fig. 8 is similar to the principle that the network device in fig. 4 implements the communication method shown in fig. 8, and will not be described herein.

If the communication method shown in fig. 8 is applied to the network device in fig. 6, a plurality of links are established between the terminal device in fig. 6 and the network device in fig. 6, and the transceiving states of the plurality of links are consistent, and when the network device receives data, the step S702 of performing joint communication on the first channel by the first communication module and the first channel of the second communication module may include: the first channels of the first and second communication modules may receive data in a multiple-input multiple-output manner on the first channel, or the first channels of the first and second communication modules may receive data in a beam-forming manner on the first channel.

If the communication method shown in fig. 8 is applied to the network device in fig. 6, a plurality of links are established between the terminal device in fig. 6 and the network device in fig. 6, and the transceiving states of the plurality of links are consistent, when the network device sends data, the implementation of the communication method shown in fig. 8 is similar to the principle that the network device in fig. 4 implements the communication method shown in fig. 8, and will not be repeated here.

If the communication method shown in fig. 8 is applied to the terminal device in fig. 6, the principle implementation of the communication method shown in fig. 8 is similar to that of the network device in fig. 4 to implement the communication method shown in fig. 8, and will not be repeated here.

In the embodiment of the present application, in some scenarios, the first communication module, the second communication module, or the third communication module may also be interchanged.

Based on the communication method shown in fig. 8, the electronic device may set the working channel of the first channel of the second communication module as the first channel according to the state of the working channel of the second communication module, where the working channel of the second communication module is unavailable or the channel quality is lower than the channel quality threshold, and make the first communication module and the first channel of the second communication module perform joint communication on the first channel, so that more channels can work on the working channel of the first communication module, thereby improving the communication effect.

In addition, in the communication system shown in fig. 6, if the network device establishes a plurality of links with the terminal device for communication, the transceiving states of the plurality of links are consistent, and the data of the same user is transmitted (i.e. the same transmitting and receiving scenario), after setting the working channel of the channel of one communication module of the electronic device as the working channel of another communication module, the served user is still unchanged, and the data transmission of other users is not affected. Therefore, in addition to the communication using the communication method shown in fig. 8, the communication system architecture shown in fig. 6 may set the working channel of the second communication module to the working channel of the first communication module when the channel quality is lower than the channel quality threshold, so as to perform joint communication, that is, the communication method shown in fig. 9 below is used.

The co-transmitting and co-receiving scenario is illustrated below in connection with fig. 6. For example, a link is established between a first communication module of the network device and a first communication module of the terminal device, a link is established between a second communication module of the network device and a second communication module of the terminal device, the first communication module of the network device transmits data to the first communication module of the terminal device, the second communication module of the network device also transmits data to the second communication module of the terminal device, and the third communication module of the network device also transmits data to the third communication module of the terminal device. Or the first communication module of the terminal equipment sends data to the first communication module of the network equipment, the second communication module of the terminal equipment also sends data to the second communication module of the network equipment, and the third communication module of the terminal equipment also sends data to the third communication module of the network equipment.

Fig. 9 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

The following takes the network device in fig. 6 as an example, and specifically describes the communication method provided in fig. 9 according to the embodiment of the present application.

S901, when the channel quality of the working channel of the second communication module is lower than the channel quality threshold, setting the working channel of the first channel of the second communication module as the first channel.

The channel quality of the working channel of the second communication module is illustrated below in connection with a specific scenario.

The channel quality of the operating channel of the second communication module of the terminal device is illustratively related to the distance between the terminal device and the center point of the cell coverage area of the network device. For example, if the initial position of the terminal device is located in a cell (cell) coverage area of the network device, if the terminal device moves in a direction away from a central position of the cell coverage area of the network device, the channel quality of the channel will gradually deteriorate, and the specific change process is: when the initial position is reached, the channel quality of the working channel is higher than the channel quality threshold, and then, the channel quality of the working channel is reduced and gradually equal to the channel quality threshold along with the movement of the terminal equipment, and finally, the channel quality of the working channel is lower than the channel quality threshold.

The higher the frequency band of the working channel of the terminal equipment is, the faster the channel quality of the working channel of the terminal equipment is reduced in the process that the terminal equipment is far away from the central position of the cell coverage area of the network equipment. Conversely, the lower the frequency band of the working channel of the terminal device, the slower the channel quality of the working channel of the terminal device decreases in the process that the terminal device is far from the central position of the cell coverage area of the network device. For example, for a channel in the 2.4GHz band, a channel in the 5GHz band, or a channel in the 6GHz band, when the transmission conditions corresponding to the 2.4GHz band, the 5GHz band, or the 6GHz band are the same (for example, the number of transmitting antennas in the 2.4G band, the 5GHz band, and the 6GHz band are the same, and the transmitting power is P), in the process that the terminal device moves to a center position away from the cell, the order of decreasing the channel quality to the channel quality threshold is in turn: channel quality of channels in the 6GHz band, channel quality of channels in the 5GHz band, channel quality of channels in the 2.4GHz band.

In some possible embodiments, the following may be used: signal to interference plus noise ratio (signal to interference plus noise ratio, SINR), and/or bit error rate, such as bit error rate of media protocol data units (media protocol data unit, MPDUs), determines channel quality. The channel quality is described below in connection with different indicators.

In one mode, the channel quality of the second communication module is determined in combination with the SINR.

In the first case, if the SINR of the first channel is greater than or equal to the snr threshold, and the SINR of the second channel is less than or equal to the snr threshold, the channel quality of the working channel of the second communication module is lower than the channel quality threshold.

And if the SINR of the first channel is smaller than the signal-to-noise ratio threshold, the SINR of the second channel is smaller than the signal-to-noise ratio threshold, and the SINR of the second channel is smaller than or equal to the SINR of the first channel, the channel quality of the working channel of the second communication module is lower than the channel quality threshold.

And in a second mode, judging the channel quality of the second communication module by combining the error rate.

And thirdly, if the error rate on the first channel is smaller than or equal to the error rate threshold value, and the error rate on the second channel is larger than or equal to the error rate threshold value, the channel quality of the working channel of the second communication module is lower than the channel quality threshold value.

And fourthly, if the error rate on the first channel is greater than the error rate threshold value and the error rate on the second channel is greater than or equal to the error rate of the MPDU on the first channel, the channel quality of the working channel of the second communication module is lower than the channel quality threshold value.

Illustratively, the value of the signal-to-noise ratio threshold may be determined according to the actual situation. For example, the signal-to-noise ratio threshold may be: 3dB or 10dB. The value range of the bit error rate threshold value can be determined according to the actual scene. For example, the error rate may be any value from 50% to 0%.

In the second aspect, the above-described method may be used when the modulation order is lower than the modulation order threshold, for example, 2 nd order, that is, the error rate is the ratio of the error codes when the modulation order is lower than the modulation order threshold.

In other possible embodiments, the channel quality may also be determined based on the signal strength. The implementation of determining the channel quality according to the signal strength is similar to the first or second mode, and will not be described here again.

In S901, the principle of setting the working channel of the first channel of the second communication module as the first channel is similar to that in S801 of the communication method shown in fig. 8, and the principle of setting the working channel of the first channel of the second communication module as the first channel is not repeated here.

S902, the first channels of the first communication module and the second communication module perform joint communication on the first channel.

Illustratively, the channel of the first communication module and the first channel of the second communication module communicate jointly over the first channel.

Regarding the implementation of step S902, the implementation of step S802 may be performed with reference to the network device in fig. 5, which is not described herein.

It should be understood that, in the embodiment of the present application, when performing the above S901 or the above S902, an operating channel of the first communication module, such as the first channel, is available, that is, the first communication module may transmit data on the first channel.

In some possible designs, the network device may further include a third communication module, where the working channel of the third communication module is a third channel, and the third channel is in a third frequency band. In this case, the communication method provided in fig. 9 may further include step 3 and step 4.

And 3, setting the working channel of the second communication module as a third channel when the working channel of the second communication module is unavailable or the channel quality is lower than a channel quality threshold.

Wherein the second channel is one or more channels of the second communication module except the first communication module.

The implementation regarding step 3 may correspond to the implementation of reference S901. In this case, in the above case one, the third communication module further needs to satisfy: the SINR of the third channel is greater than or equal to the signal-to-noise threshold.

In the second case, the third communication module further needs to satisfy: the SINR of the third channel is less than the signal-to-noise ratio threshold and the SINR of the second channel is less than or equal to the SINR of the third channel.

In the third case, the third communication module further satisfies: the bit error rate of the third channel is less than or equal to the bit error rate threshold.

In the fourth case, the third communication module further satisfies: the bit error rate of the third channel is greater than the bit error rate threshold, and the bit error rate of the second channel is greater than or equal to the bit error rate of the third channel.

In order to facilitate understanding of the solution of this embodiment, the principle of setting a channel when the network device includes the third communication module is described below in conjunction with bit error rate examples.

The error rate is described below in connection with MPDUs. In the communication system shown in fig. 6, a network device transmits a physical layer protocol data unit (physical protocol data unit, PPDU) to a terminal device, one PPDU may carry one or more MPDUs, and MPDUs may carry data. The terminal device receives the PPDU from the network device and transmits a feedback message, such as acknowledgement (acknowledgment ACK) message, or block acknowledgement (block acknowledgment, BA) message, to the network device. If the network device cannot receive the feedback information sent by the terminal device, the MPDU in the PPDU receives errors, or one cyclic redundancy check (cyclic redundancy check, CRC) of the feedback information received by the network device receives errors, and the MPDU corresponding to the cyclic redundancy check in the PPDU receives errors. As such, error rate = number of MPDUs in reception error in M PPDUs/total number of MPDUs in M PPDUs, where M is the number of PPDUs. For example, M may be 10. In the embodiment of the application, M can also be other values, and the value of M can be determined according to specific scenes.

If the channel quality threshold is Y, the error rate of the first communication module is R1, the error rate of the second communication module is R2, and the error rate of the third communication module is R3. If R1 is less than or equal to Y, R3 is less than or equal to Y, and R2 is greater than Y, setting the working channel of the first channel of the second communication module as the first channel, or setting the working channel of the second communication module as the third channel. Alternatively, the first channel in the second communication module may be set as the first channel and the second channel may be set as the third channel.

And if R1, R2 and R3 are all larger than Y and R2 in R1 to R3 is the smallest, setting the working channel of the first channel of the second communication module as the working channel of the first communication module. The operating channel of the second communication module may also be set as the operating channel of the third communication module. Or, the working channel of the first channel of the second communication module is set as the first channel, and the working channel of the second channel is set as the third channel.

It will be appreciated that after resetting the working channels of the first and second channels, the channels may also be reset again in either way one or two. For example, if the working channel of the first channel is set as the first channel, and the error rate on the first channel is less than or equal to the error rate threshold after the working channel of the second channel is set as the third channel, and the error rate on the third channel is still higher than the error rate threshold, the working channel of the channels (such as the channels of the second channel and the third communication module) of the working channel as the third channel may be set as the first channel again.

If R2 and R3 are both greater than Y and R1 is less than Y, the working channel of the second communication module may be set as the first channel, and the working channel of the third communication module may be set as the first channel.

And 4, the third communication module and the second channel of the second communication module jointly communicate on the third channel.

The implementation manner of step 4 may correspond to the implementation manner of step 2, and will not be described herein.

It should be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, when performing the above step 3 or step 4, the working channel of the third communication module, that is, the third channel is available, that is, the third communication module may transmit data on the third channel.

In this way, when the working channel of the second communication module is unavailable or the channel quality is lower than the channel quality threshold, the second channel of the second communication module can be reassigned to the first communication module and the third communication module, so that the space-time flow of the first channel is increased or the energy concentration on the first channel is improved, the space-time flow of the third channel is increased or the power of the wave beam on the third channel is improved, and the communication efficiency of a plurality of communication modules, such as the first communication module and the third communication module, can be considered.

It will be appreciated that the method shown in fig. 9 may also be applied to a terminal device. Regarding the manner in which the terminal device implements the communication method shown in fig. 9, reference may be made to a specific implementation manner in which the network device implements the communication method shown in fig. 9, which is not described herein. The technical effects of the communication method shown in fig. 9 may refer to the technical effects of the communication method shown in fig. 8, and will not be described herein.

The communication method shown in fig. 9 may also be applied to a bluetooth communication system, a 4G mobile communication system, a 5G mobile communication system, and a future communication system, and the specific implementation of the communication method shown in fig. 9, the 4G mobile communication system, the 5G mobile communication system, and the future communication system may refer to the specific implementation of fig. 9, and will not be described herein.

The communication method provided by the embodiment of the application is described in detail above with reference to fig. 7 to 9. A communication apparatus for performing the communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below with reference to fig. 10. The communication means may be an electronic device, such as a terminal device or a network device, in any of the method embodiments of fig. 7 to 9.

It will be appreciated that the communication device, in order to achieve the above-described functions, comprises corresponding hardware structures and/or software modules performing the respective 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 communication device according to the embodiment of the method, for example, each functional module can be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated in one processing module. The integrated modules may be implemented in hardware or in software functional modules. The division of the modules in the embodiment of the application is schematic, only one logic function is divided, and other division modes can be adopted in actual implementation.

Fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 10, the communication apparatus 1000 includes: a control circuit 1001, a first communication module 1002, and a second communication module 1003. The working channel of the first communication module 1002 is a first channel, the first channel is in a first frequency band, the working channel of the second communication module 1003 is a second channel, and the second channel is in a second frequency band. For convenience of explanation, fig. 10 shows only major components of the communication apparatus.

In some embodiments, the communication apparatus 1000 may be adapted to be used in the communication system shown in fig. 3 to perform the functions of the electronic device in the communication method shown in any of the embodiments of fig. 7 to 9.

Wherein the control circuit 1001 is configured to set an operation channel of a first channel of the second communication module 1003 to be the first channel when the operation channel of the second communication module 1003 is unavailable or the channel quality is lower than a channel quality threshold.

Control circuit 1001 for joint communication over said first channel via a first channel of said first communication module 1002 and said second communication module 1003.

The first communication module 1002 may also be referred to as a first transceiver module, and the second communication module 1003 may also be referred to as a second transceiver module.

The first communication module and the second communication module may also be referred to as transceivers.

It is to be appreciated that the control circuit 1001 involved in the communication device 1000 may be implemented by a processor or processor-related circuit component, which may be a processor or processing unit, or a digital signal processor (digital signal processing, DSP); the first communication module 1002 may be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit component, which may be a transceiver or a transceiver unit. The second communication module 1003 may be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit component and may be a transceiver or a transceiver unit.

In addition, the technical effects of the communication apparatus 1000 may refer to the technical effects of the communication method shown in any one of fig. 7 to 9, and will not be described herein.

The above embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware (e.g., circuitry), firmware, or any other combination. When implemented in software, the above-described embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product comprises one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer program are loaded or executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in accordance with embodiments of the present application are produced in whole or in part. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable apparatus. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website site, computer, server, or data center to another website site, computer, server, or data center by wired (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. that contains one or more sets of available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium. The semiconductor medium may be a solid state disk.

It should be understood that the term "and/or" is merely an association relationship describing the associated object, and means that three relationships may exist, for example, a and/or B may mean: there are three cases, a alone, a and B together, and B alone, wherein a, B may be singular or plural. In addition, the character "/" herein generally indicates that the associated object is an "or" relationship, but may also indicate an "and/or" relationship, and may be understood by referring to the context.

In the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "a plurality" means two or more. "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 single or plural.

It should be understood that, in various embodiments of the present application, the sequence numbers of the foregoing processes do not mean the order of execution, and the order of execution of the processes should be determined by the functions and internal logic thereof, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, or combinations of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software 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.

It will be clear to those skilled in the art that, for convenience and brevity of description, specific working procedures of the above-described systems, apparatuses and units may refer to corresponding procedures in the foregoing method embodiments, and are not repeated herein.

In the several embodiments provided by the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices, and methods may be implemented in other manners. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative, e.g., the division of the units is merely a logical function division, and there may be additional divisions when actually implemented, e.g., multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted or not performed. Alternatively, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed with each other may be an indirect coupling or communication connection via some interfaces, devices or units, which may be in electrical, mechanical or other form.

The units described as separate units may or may not be physically separate, and units shown as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

In addition, each functional 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 foregoing is merely illustrative of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art will readily recognize that variations or substitutions are within the scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. The communication method is characterized by being applied to electronic equipment, wherein the electronic equipment comprises a first communication module and a second communication module, a working channel of the first communication module is a first channel, the first channel is in a first frequency band, a working channel of the second communication module is a second channel, and the second channel is in a second frequency band;

Setting an operating channel of a first channel of the second communication module as the first channel when the operating channel of the second communication module is unavailable or the channel quality is lower than a channel quality threshold;

the first communication module and the first channel of the second communication module perform joint communication on the first channel.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein the joint communication is a MIMO communication or a beamforming communication.

3. The communication method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the electronic device further comprises a third communication module, and the operating channel of the third communication module is a third channel, and the third channel is in a third frequency band;

the communication method further includes:

setting an operating channel of a second channel of the second communication module to the third channel when the operating channel of the second communication module is unavailable or the channel quality is below the channel quality threshold;

the third communication module and the second channel of the second communication module perform joint communication on the third channel.

4. The electronic equipment is characterized by comprising a control circuit, a first communication module and a second communication module, wherein the working channel of the first communication module is a first channel, the first channel is in a first frequency band, the working channel of the second communication module is a second channel, and the second channel is in a second frequency band;

The control circuit is configured to set an operation channel of a first channel of the second communication module to be the first channel when the operation channel of the second communication module is unavailable or the channel quality is lower than a channel quality threshold;

the control circuit is further configured to perform joint communication on the first channel through the first channels of the first communication module and the second communication module.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the joint communication is a MIMO mode communication or a beamforming mode communication.

6. The electronic device of claim 4 or 5, further comprising a third communication module, wherein the operating channel of the third communication module is a third channel, the third channel being in a third frequency band;

the control circuit is further configured to set an operating channel of a second channel of the second communication module to the third channel when the operating channel of the second communication module is unavailable or the channel quality is lower than the channel quality threshold;

the transceiver module is further configured to perform joint communication on the third channel through the third communication module and the second channel of the second communication module.

7. A communication device, comprising: a processor coupled to the memory;

the processor configured to execute a computer program stored in the memory to cause the communication apparatus to perform the communication method according to any one of claims 1-3.

8. A communication device comprising a processor and a transceiver for information interaction between the communication device and other communication devices, the processor executing program instructions for performing the communication method of any of claims 1-3.

9. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that the computer-readable storage medium comprises a computer program or instructions which, when run on an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the communication method according to any of claims 1-3.

10. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising: computer program or instructions which, when run on an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the communication method according to any of claims 1-3.