CN117254893A

CN117254893A - Communication method and device

Info

Publication number: CN117254893A
Application number: CN202210882961.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王碧钗; 李雪茹
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-06-09
Filing date: 2022-07-26
Publication date: 2023-12-19

Abstract

The application relates to a communication method and device. The first device generates a first UWB frame and transmits the first UWB frame over a first channel. The first field of the first UWB frame comprises a first type of pilot symbols and the second field of the first UWB frame comprises a second type of pilot symbols, the first field being a first synchronization field within a synchronization header of the first UWB frame, the second type of pilot symbols being used to perform channel access or resource selection. The first type of pilot symbols have a first type of format and the second type of pilot symbols have a particular second type of format. The embodiment of the application additionally provides the pilot symbols for executing channel access or resource selection, the additionally provided pilot symbols have a specific format, and the device can determine whether the channel is busy by detecting the pilot symbols with the specific format without detecting the pilot symbols with excessive formats, so that the detection complexity of the pilot symbols can be reduced, and the power consumption of the device can be reduced.

Description

Communication method and device

Cross Reference to Related Applications

The present application claims priority from the chinese patent application filed on month 09 2022, to the chinese national intellectual property agency, application number 202210653486.3, application name "a UWB channel access method", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a communications method and apparatus.

Background

Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology can achieve high-precision positioning or data transmission by sending short pulses on the order of nanoseconds. To reduce interference between different devices, UWB devices may perform clear channel assessment (clear channel assessment, CCA) prior to transmitting signals, and may transmit if the channel is determined to be clear, otherwise may not transmit. Currently, 6 different CCA modes are defined, and the modes can be mainly divided into two main categories, one category is CCA based on energy detection, and the other category is CCA based on pilot detection.

In CCA based on pilot detection, a device performing CCA considers a channel busy and cannot access the channel if a pilot symbol (preamble symbol) from other UWB devices is detected. Pilot symbols are generated by pilot sequences, and the available pilot sequences in one channel may be in a larger format, e.g., as specified by existing protocols, each channel may support 2 sequences of length 31, 4 sequences of length 127, and 8 sequences of length 91. The UWB device needs to perform blind detection on pilot symbols of all formats when performing CCA, which is high in complexity and power consumption.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a communication method and device for reducing the detection complexity of pilot symbols and reducing the power consumption of equipment.

In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which may be performed by a first device, or by another device comprising the functionality of the first device, or by a chip system or other functional module capable of implementing the functionality of the first device, which chip system or functional module is for example provided in the first device. The first device is for example a network device or a terminal device. For example, the first device has UWB functionality. The method comprises the following steps: generating a first UWB frame, wherein a first field of the first UWB frame comprises a first type pilot symbol, a second field of the first UWB frame comprises a second type pilot symbol, the first field is a first synchronization field in a synchronization head of the first UWB frame, the second type pilot symbol is used for executing channel access or resource selection, the first type pilot symbol has a first type format, and the second type pilot symbol has a second type format; the first UWB frame is transmitted over a first channel.

In an embodiment of the present application, the first UWB frame generated by the first device may include a second type of pilot symbol, where the second type of pilot symbol is used to perform channel access or resource selection, and the second type of pilot symbol has a second type of format. E.g., there are other devices to perform channel access, e.g., perform CCA, the device can determine whether the channel is busy by detecting a second type of pilot symbol having a second type of format. The embodiment of the application additionally provides the pilot symbols for executing channel access or resource selection, the additionally provided pilot symbols have a specific format, and the device can determine whether the channel is busy by detecting the pilot symbols with the specific format without detecting the pilot symbols with excessive formats, so that the detection complexity of the pilot symbols can be reduced, and the power consumption of the device can be reduced.

In an alternative embodiment, the first type of pilot symbols are used for synchronization or ranging or channel estimation, or the first type of pilot symbols and the second type of pilot symbols are used for synchronization or ranging or channel estimation. For the receiving device of the first UWB frame, the second type pilot symbols may not be detected, but only the first type pilot symbols may be detected to perform synchronization, ranging, channel estimation, or the like, which is beneficial to reducing the detection complexity. Or the receiving device can detect the first pilot frequency symbol and the second pilot frequency symbol, so as to synchronize, range or estimate the channel according to the two pilot frequency symbols, which is beneficial to improving the accuracy of the processing result.

In an alternative embodiment, the first type of pilot symbols are not used to perform channel access or resource selection. In the embodiment of the application, the channel access or the resource selection is performed through the second type pilot symbols, the first type pilot symbols are not used for performing the channel access or the resource selection, and the first type pilot symbols do not need to be detected for the equipment for performing the channel access or the resource selection, so that the detection complexity can be reduced.

In an alternative embodiment, the second field is a second synchronization field within the synchronization header. The second field may be a second synchronization field in the synchronization header, and for a device performing channel access or resource selection, the second type pilot symbol may be detected as early as possible to improve the efficiency of channel access or resource selection.

In an alternative embodiment, the first UWB frame further comprises a physical header and/or physical payload comprising resource reservation information for indicating resources reserved by the first device. For example, the service performed by the first device is a periodic service, the first device may need to utilize periodic resources for transmission. The first device may reserve resources for one or more periods by means of the resource reservation information, so that it is not necessary to send a message for selecting resources separately for each resource, which is advantageous in terms of saving transmission overhead.

In an alternative embodiment, the synchronization header further comprises an SFD field, the SFD field comprising the second type pilot symbols. The first UWB frame includes resource reservation information, and the device performing the resource selection may perform the resource selection by obtaining the resource reservation information. The device detects the SFD field in addition to the second synchronization field within the synchronization header so that it can continue to detect the physical header and/or physical payload. For this purpose, the SFD field may also be made to include pilot symbols of the second type, the format of which is known to the device, so that the device can detect the SFD field by detecting the pilot symbols of the second type without having to detect the pilot symbols of the first type, which is advantageous for reducing the detection complexity of the device.

In an alternative embodiment, the second field includes a plurality of segments, and one or more pilot symbols of the second type are carried between adjacent segments in the plurality of segments, where the number of repetitions of the parameter of the pilot symbol of the second type between adjacent segments is a preset value. Optionally, the second field includes a physical header and/or a physical payload within the first UWB frame. For example, the second field may also be a physical header and/or a physical payload, and the synchronization header of the first UWB frame does not have to be changed. The device performing channel access or resource selection can also determine whether the channel is busy or determine unavailable resources by detecting pilot symbols of the second type within the physical header and/or physical payload.

In an alternative embodiment, the method further comprises: transmitting first configuration information, wherein the first configuration information is used for configuring parameters of the second type pilot symbols; or, negotiating with other devices to determine the parameters of the second type pilot symbols; or, the parameter of the second pilot symbol is a preset value. Alternatively, the second device is, for example, a receiving device (or, alternatively, a target receiving device) of the first UWB frame. The parameters of the second type of pilot symbols may be predefined, for example, a predefined preset value (for example, the preset value may be predefined by a protocol, or may be predefined by a communication system in which the first device is located, or may be predefined by a manufacturer of the first device, etc.), then for a plurality of devices, the duration of the second synchronization field of the transmitted UWB frame is consistent, then the receiving device of the UWB frame does not have to detect the second type of pilot symbols, but may determine the duration of the second synchronization field according to the parameters of the second type of pilot symbols to detect other fields; the device performing channel access or resource selection is then able to detect pilot symbols of the second type. Alternatively, the parameters of the second type pilot symbol may be configured by the first device, or the first device may negotiate with other devices, including, for example, the second device and/or the third device, or may not include the second device and the third device, etc.

In an alternative embodiment, the parameters of the second type of pilot symbols include the format of the second type of pilot symbols; or the parameters of the second type pilot symbols comprise the format of the second type pilot symbols and the repetition times of the second type pilot symbols; alternatively, the parameters of the second type pilot symbols include the format of the second type pilot symbols, the repetition number of the second type pilot symbols, and the interval between two adjacent second type pilot symbols. Wherein the format of the second type pilot symbols may for example indicate the value of each element comprised by the second type pilot symbols, and the order of the elements, i.e. the second type pilot symbols may be determined from the format of the second type pilot symbols. The number of repetitions of the second type pilot symbol is, for example, the number of repetitions of the second type pilot symbol in the second field and/or the number of repetitions of the second type pilot symbol in the other field. The second type pilot symbols may be distributed continuously or may be distributed discretely within the second field or other fields, and thus the parameters of the second type pilot symbols may include a spacing between two adjacent second type pilot symbols, e.g., as indicated by the length. In general, the format of the second type pilot symbols may be determined based on parameters of the second type pilot symbols, or both the format and the arrangement (e.g., number of repetitions or interval) of the second type pilot symbols may be determined.

In an alternative embodiment, the second type of pilot symbols are applicable to all UWB devices within the system in which the first device is located; or, the second type pilot symbols are applicable to a first type channel, and the first channel belongs to the first type channel; or, the second type pilot symbols are configured by a head-assembling device, and the head-assembling device is a management device in a communication group where the first device is located; or, the second type pilot symbol is determined by the first device negotiating with at least one device. The second pilot symbol may be configured in various manners, and is not limited in particular.

In an alternative embodiment, the pilot code used to generate the second type of pilot symbols is a ternary autocorrelation sequence, or an m-sequence. For example, the length of the ternary autocorrelation sequence may be 31, 91, 127, or the like. Alternatively, other existing sequences may be used as pilot codes for generating the second type pilot symbols, without limitation.

In a second aspect, there is provided another communication method executable by a third device, or by another device comprising the functions of the third device, or by a chip system or other functional module capable of implementing the functions of the third device, the chip system or functional module being for example provided in the third device. The third device is, for example, a network device or a terminal device. For example, the third device has UWB functionality. Optionally, the third device is a device performing channel access or resource selection. The method comprises the following steps: in the process of executing channel access or resource selection, detecting a first UWB frame from a first device in a first channel, wherein a first field of the first UWB frame comprises a first type of pilot symbols, a second field of the first UWB frame comprises a second type of pilot symbols, the first field is a first synchronization field in a synchronization head of the first UWB frame, the first type of pilot symbols have a first type of format, and the second type of pilot symbols have a second type of format; and determining the busy state of the first channel or determining the unavailable resource on the first channel according to the detection result of the second type pilot symbols in the second field.

In an alternative embodiment, the method further comprises: the busy state of the first channel is not determined from the first type pilot symbols, and the unavailable resources on the first channel are not determined from the first type pilot symbols.

In an alternative embodiment, determining the busy state of the first channel according to the detection result of the second type pilot symbol in the second field includes: if the energy of one pilot symbol of the second type in the second field is detected to be larger than a first threshold value, determining that the first channel is busy; or if the average energy of the plurality of pilot symbols of the second type in the second field is detected to be larger than a second threshold value, determining that the first channel is busy. Whether the channel is busy or not can be determined by detecting a pilot symbol of a second type, thereby improving efficiency; alternatively, whether the channel is busy may be determined by detecting a plurality of pilot symbols of the second type, so as to improve accuracy of the determination result.

In an alternative embodiment, the second field is a second synchronization field within a synchronization header of the first UWB frame.

In an alternative embodiment, determining the unavailable resource of the first channel according to the detection result of the second type pilot symbol in the second field includes: detecting the second type pilot symbols included in the SFD field in the synchronization header according to the detection result of the second type pilot symbols in the second synchronization field; decoding a physical header and/or a physical load included in the first UWB frame according to the detection result of the SFD field; acquiring resource reservation information included in the physical header and/or the physical load, wherein the resource reservation information is used for indicating resources reserved by the first device; and determining the reserved resource of the first equipment as the unavailable resource. This way of detecting decoding may be employed if the first UWB frame includes an SFD field.

In an alternative embodiment, determining the unavailable resource of the first channel according to the detection result of the second type pilot symbol in the second field includes: decoding a physical header and/or a physical load included in the first UWB frame according to a detection result of the second-type pilot symbols in the second synchronization field; acquiring resource reservation information included in the physical header and/or the physical load, wherein the resource reservation information is used for indicating resources reserved by the first device; and determining the reserved resource of the first equipment as the unavailable resource. This way of detecting decoding may be employed if the first UWB frame does not include an SFD field.

In an alternative embodiment, the synchronization header further comprises an SFD field, the SFD field comprising the second type pilot symbols.

In an alternative embodiment, the second field includes a physical header and/or physical payload within the first UWB frame.

In an alternative embodiment, the method further comprises: receiving first configuration information from the first device, wherein the first configuration information is used for configuring parameters of the second type pilot symbols; or, negotiating with the first device to determine parameters of the second type pilot symbols; or, the parameter of the second pilot symbol is a preset value.

In an alternative embodiment, the parameters of the second type of pilot symbols include the format of the second type of pilot symbols; or the parameters of the second type pilot symbols comprise the format of the second type pilot symbols and the repetition times of the second type pilot symbols; alternatively, the parameters of the second type pilot symbols include the format of the second type pilot symbols, the repetition number of the second type pilot symbols, and the interval between two adjacent second type pilot symbols.

In an alternative embodiment, the second type of pilot symbols are applicable to all UWB devices within the system in which the first device is located; or, the second type pilot symbols are applicable to a first type channel, and the first channel belongs to the first type channel; or, the second type pilot symbols are configured by a head-assembling device, and the head-assembling device is a management device in a communication group where the first device is located; or, the second type pilot symbol is determined by the first device negotiating with at least one device.

With regard to the technical effects brought about by the second aspect or some alternative embodiments, reference may be made to the description of the technical effects of the first aspect or corresponding embodiments.

In a third aspect, there is provided a further communication method executable by a second device, or by another device comprising the functionality of the second device, or by a chip system or other functional module capable of implementing the functionality of the second device, the chip system or functional module being for example provided in the second device. The second device is, for example, a network device or a terminal device. For example, the second device has UWB functionality. The method comprises the following steps: detecting a first UWB frame from a first device in a first channel, wherein a first field of the first UWB frame comprises a first type of pilot symbols, a second field of the first UWB frame comprises a second type of pilot symbols, the first field is a first synchronization field in a synchronization head of the first UWB frame, the second type of pilot symbols are used for executing channel access or resource selection, the first type of pilot symbols have a first type of format, and the second type of pilot symbols have a second type of format; and carrying out synchronization or ranging or channel estimation according to the first type pilot symbols, or carrying out synchronization or ranging or channel estimation according to the first type pilot symbols and the second type pilot symbols.

In an alternative embodiment, the second field is a second synchronization field within the synchronization header.

In an alternative embodiment, the method further comprises: and receiving second configuration information from the first device, wherein the second configuration information is used for configuring the first type pilot symbols or the second type pilot symbols to be included in an SFD field included in the synchronization header.

In an alternative embodiment, the second field includes a physical header and/or physical payload of the first UWB frame.

Regarding the technical effects brought about by the third aspect or various alternative embodiments, reference may be made to the description of the technical effects of the first aspect or corresponding embodiments.

In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device may be the first apparatus described in the first aspect, or a communication apparatus including the first apparatus, or a functional module in the first apparatus, for example, a baseband device or a chip system, etc. In an alternative implementation, the communication device includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device. In another alternative implementation, the communication device includes a processing unit (sometimes also referred to as a processing module) and a transceiver unit (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver module). The transceiver unit can realize a transmission function and a reception function, and may be referred to as a transmission unit (sometimes referred to as a transmission module) when the transceiver unit realizes the transmission function, and may be referred to as a reception unit (sometimes referred to as a reception module) when the transceiver unit realizes the reception function. The transmitting unit and the receiving unit may be the same functional module, which is called a transceiver unit, and which can implement a transmitting function and a receiving function; alternatively, the transmitting unit and the receiving unit may be different functional modules, and the transmitting and receiving unit is a generic term for these functional modules.

The processing unit is configured to generate a first UWB frame, where a first field of the first UWB frame includes a first type pilot symbol, and a second field of the first UWB frame includes a second type pilot symbol, where the first field is a first synchronization field in a synchronization header of the first UWB frame, and the second type pilot symbol is used to perform channel access or resource selection; the transceiver unit (or the transmitting unit) is configured to transmit the first UWB frame on a first channel.

In an alternative embodiment, the communication apparatus further comprises a storage unit (sometimes also referred to as a storage module), and the processing unit is configured to be coupled to the storage unit and execute a program or instructions in the storage unit, so as to enable the communication apparatus to perform the function of the first device described in the first aspect.

In a fifth aspect, another communication device is provided. The communication device may be the third apparatus described in the second aspect, or a communication apparatus including the third apparatus, or a functional module in the third apparatus, for example, a baseband device or a chip system, etc. The communication device comprises a processing unit (sometimes also referred to as processing module) and a transceiver unit (sometimes also referred to as transceiver module), the description of which may be referred to in relation to the fourth aspect.

Wherein the transceiver unit (or the receiving unit) is configured to detect, in a first channel, a first UWB frame from a first device in a process of performing channel access or resource selection, a first field of the first UWB frame including a first type of pilot symbol, and a second field of the first UWB frame including a second type of pilot symbol, the first field being a first synchronization field in a synchronization header of the first UWB frame; the processing unit is configured to determine a busy state of the first channel or determine an unavailable resource on the first channel according to a detection result of the second type pilot symbol in the second field.

In an alternative embodiment, the communication apparatus further comprises a storage unit (sometimes also referred to as a storage module), and the processing unit is configured to be coupled to the storage unit and execute a program or instructions in the storage unit, so as to enable the communication apparatus to perform the function of the third device according to the second aspect.

In a sixth aspect, a further communication device is provided. The communication device may be the second apparatus described in the third aspect, or a communication apparatus including the second apparatus, or a functional module in the second apparatus, for example, a baseband device or a chip system, etc. The communication device comprises a processing unit (sometimes also referred to as processing module) and a transceiver unit (sometimes also referred to as transceiver module), the description of which may be referred to in relation to the fourth aspect.

Wherein the transceiver unit (or the receiving unit) is configured to detect, in a first channel, a first UWB frame from a first device, where a first field of the first UWB frame includes a first type of pilot symbol, and a second field of the first UWB frame includes a second type of pilot symbol, where the first field is a first synchronization field in a synchronization header of the first UWB frame, and the second type of pilot symbol is used to perform channel access or resource selection; the processing unit is configured to perform synchronization or ranging or channel estimation according to the first type pilot symbol, or perform synchronization or ranging or channel estimation according to the first type pilot symbol and the second type pilot symbol.

In an alternative embodiment, the communication apparatus further comprises a storage unit (sometimes also referred to as a storage module), and the processing unit is configured to be coupled to the storage unit and execute a program or instructions in the storage unit, so as to enable the communication apparatus to perform the function of the second device according to the third aspect.

In a seventh aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which may be the first device, or a chip system for use in the first device; alternatively, the communication means may be the second device, or a chip or chip system for use in the second device; alternatively, the communication means may be the third device, or a chip or chip system for use in the third device. The communication device comprises a communication interface and a processor, and optionally a memory. Wherein the memory is configured to store a computer program, and the processor is coupled to the memory and the communication interface, and when the processor reads the computer program or instructions, the processor causes the communication apparatus to perform the method performed by the first device or the second device or the third device in the above aspects.

An eighth aspect provides a communication system comprising a first device for performing the communication method according to the first aspect and a second device for performing the communication method according to the third aspect.

Optionally, the communication system further comprises a third device, wherein the third device is configured to perform the communication method according to the second aspect.

A ninth aspect provides a computer readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions which, when executed, cause a method performed by a first device or a second device or a third device of the above aspects to be carried out.

In a tenth aspect, there is provided a computer program product containing instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the method of the above aspects to be carried out.

In an eleventh aspect, a chip system is provided, including a processor and an interface, where the processor is configured to invoke and execute instructions from the interface, so that the chip system implements the methods of the above aspects.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a pulse waveform transmitted by a UWB device;

FIGS. 2A-2D are schematic diagrams of several structures of UWB frames;

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a pilot symbol generation scheme;

FIG. 4 is another schematic diagram of a UWB frame;

fig. 5 is a schematic view of an application scenario in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7A and 7B are two schematic diagrams illustrating the location of the second synchronization field in the embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a second field in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 10 is a schematic view of yet another apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more apparent, the embodiments of the present application will be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the embodiments of the present application, the number of nouns, unless otherwise indicated, means "a singular noun or a plural noun", i.e. "one or more". "at least one" means one or more, and "a plurality" means two or more. "and/or", describes an association relationship of an association object, and indicates that there may be three relationships, for example, a and/or B, and may indicate: a alone, a and B together, and B alone, wherein a, B may be singular or plural. The character "/" generally indicates that the context-dependent object is an "or" relationship. For example, A/B, means: a or B. "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, represents: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c, wherein a, b, c may be single or plural.

The ordinal terms such as "first," "second," and the like in the embodiments of the present application are used for distinguishing a plurality of objects, and are not used to define a size, a content, an order, a timing, a priority, or an importance level of the plurality of objects. For example, the first period and the second period may be the same period or different periods, and the names do not indicate the duration, application scenario, priority, importance, or the like of the two periods. In addition, the numbers of the steps in the embodiments described in the present application are only for distinguishing different steps, and are not used for limiting the sequence of the steps. For example, S601 may occur before S602, or may occur after S602, or may also occur simultaneously with S602.

In the following, some terms or concepts in the embodiments of the present application are explained for easy understanding by those skilled in the art.

In this embodiment of the present application, the terminal device is a device with a wireless transceiver function, and may be a fixed device, a mobile device, a handheld device (for example, a mobile phone), a wearable device, an on-board device, or a wireless apparatus (for example, a communication module, a modem, or a chip system) built in the above device. The terminal device is used for connecting people, objects, machines and the like, and can be widely used in various scenes, including but not limited to the following scenes: cellular communication, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (vehicle to everything, V2X), machine-to-machine/machine-to-machine-type communications, M2M/MTC), internet of things (internet of things, ioT), virtual Reality (VR), augmented reality (augmented reality, AR), industrial control (industrial control), unmanned driving (self driving), remote medical (remote media), smart grid (smart grid), smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city (smart city), drone, robot, and other end devices. The terminal device may sometimes be referred to as a UE, a terminal, an access station, a UE station, a remote station, a wireless communication device, or a user equipment, among others. For convenience of description, in the embodiment of the present application, a UE is taken as an example to illustrate a terminal device.

The network device in the embodiment of the application comprises an access network device and/or a core network device, for example. The access network equipment is equipment with a wireless receiving and transmitting function and is used for communicating with the terminal equipment. The access network devices include, but are not limited to, base stations (base transceiver stations (base transceiver station, BTS), node B, eNodeB/eNB, or gNodeB/gNB), transceiver points (transmission reception point, TRP), base stations for subsequent evolution of the third generation partnership project (3rd generation partnership project,3GPP), access nodes in wireless fidelity (wireless fidelity, wi-Fi) systems, wireless relay nodes, wireless backhaul nodes, and the like. The base station may be: macro base station, micro base station, pico base station, small station, relay station, etc. Multiple base stations may support networks of the same access technology or may support networks of different access technologies. A base station may comprise one or more co-sited or non-co-sited transmission reception points. The access network device may also be a radio controller, a Centralized Unit (CU), and/or a Distributed Unit (DU) in the context of a cloud radio access network (cloud radio access network, CRAN). The access network device may also be a server or the like. For example, the network device in the vehicle-to-everything (vehicle to everything, V2X) technology may be a Road Side Unit (RSU). The following describes an access network device using a base station as an example. The base station may communicate with the terminal device or may communicate with the terminal device through the relay station. A terminal device may communicate with multiple base stations in different access technologies. The core network device is used for realizing the functions of mobile management, data processing, session management, policy and charging, etc. The names of devices implementing the core network function in the systems of different access technologies may be different, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this. Taking a 5G system as an example, the core network device includes: access and mobility management functions (access and mobility management function, AMF), session management functions (session management function, SMF), policy control functions (policy control function, PCF) or user plane functions (user plane function, UPF), etc.

In the embodiment of the present application, the communication device for implementing the function of the network device may be a network device, or may be a device capable of supporting the network device to implement the function, for example, a chip system, and the device may be installed in the network device. In the technical solution provided in the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the function of the network device is exemplified by the network device, and the technical solution provided in the embodiments of the present application is described.

Technical features related to embodiments of the present application are described below.

UWB technology can achieve high-precision positioning or data transmission by sending short pulses on the order of nanoseconds. In UWB communication systems, a transmitting device may transmit information to be transmitted carried on a pulse waveform. For example, for a pulse p (T) of duration T, in a binary phase shift keying (binary phase shift keying, BPSK) based modulation scheme, if the information bit is "1", p (T) can be sent; if the information bit is "0", then-p (t) may be sent. The receiving device can decide whether the corresponding information bit is "1" or "0" by detecting whether the amplitude of the received waveform is 1 or-1. Assuming that the information bit stream that the transmitting device needs to transmit is "11010", the transmitted pulse waveform may be as shown in fig. 1.

Referring to fig. 2A-2D, several structural diagrams of UWB frames are shown. The UWB physical layer frame structure may include one or more of the following: a synchronization header (synchronization header, SHR), a Physical Header (PHR), a physical payload (PHY payload), or a scrambling time stamp sequence (scrambled timestamp sequence, STS), etc. Wherein the physical load may also be referred to as physical load or physical layer traffic data units (PHY service data unit, PSDUs); the SHR may in turn include a Synchronization (SYNC) field and/or a start-of-frame delimiter (SFD) field, etc. Wherein SHR is mainly used for synchronization, channel estimation, ranging, etc. The PHR mainly carries information for decoding data carried by the physical payload. STS is mainly used for ranging, where ranging may also be described as positioning or sensing, etc., and embodiments of the present application are described by taking ranging as an example.

As shown in any of fig. 2A-2D, the SYNC field may include N _psym Repeated pilot symbols, e.g. with S _i And (3) representing. Referring additionally to fig. 3, a schematic representation of pilot symbols is generated. As can be seen from fig. 3, one pilot symbol S _i Can pass through a pilot code (preamble) C _i The generated pilot code is, for example, a sequence, which may also be referred to as a pilot code sequence or pilot sequence. Wherein the pilot code C _i Is of length K, also known as pilot code C _i Comprising K elements by code-coded in pilot frequency C _i L-1 zeros are inserted between adjacent two elements to generate pilot symbols S _i I.e. pilot symbols S _i Is l×k in length, and occupies a total of l×k chips (chips). L is an integer greater than or equal to 1, e.g., L may be determined based on multipath delay spread of the channel, etc. Wherein each chip has a length T _c Can be used to transmit a short pulse. For example, when the channel bandwidth is 500MHz, T _c =2ns. SFD field passable length N _SFD Spread spectrum code of (a)For pilot symbol S _i Spread spectrum is performed to generate the signal. The receiving device detects the pilot symbol S in the SYNC field from the transmitting device _i Synchronization, channel estimation, etc. may be implemented. For example, the receiving device may be localPilot symbol S _i And the pilot frequency symbol detection is realized by performing correlation operation on the received signal, and the reliability of detection can be ensured by utilizing the good autocorrelation characteristic of the pilot frequency sequence and the good cross-correlation characteristic between different pilot frequency sequences. The receiving device may determine the start position of the PHR or physical payload or STS by detecting the SFD field from the transmitting device, i.e. if the receiving device correctly detects the SFD field, it may consider that the SFD field is followed by the PHR or physical payload or STS, and after the SFD field is finished, it may start decoding the data carried by the PHR and/or physical payload, or start detecting STS. The SHR may be different in length and the UWB frame may be different in length under different parameter configurations.

In one aspect, different transmitting devices typically employ different pilot codes in order to reduce interference between the devices. If the cross-correlation between the pilot code employed by the target transmitting apparatus and the pilot code employed by the interfering transmitting apparatus is small, the target receiving apparatus can suppress the interference by performing a correlation operation of the received signal and the pilot code employed by the target transmitting apparatus. In general, the longer the sequences, the better the cross-correlation properties between different sequences, i.e. the easier it is to find a set of sequences with smaller cross-correlations. Thus, the format of the pilot symbols employed by the transmitting device may be adjusted according to channel conditions or interference conditions. For example, when the channel condition is good or when the interference is small, the length of the pilot code used to generate the pilot symbol may be short (e.g., a sequence of length 31 is used as the pilot code) to save the overhead of the pilot symbol; alternatively, when the channel condition is poor or when the interference is large, the length of the pilot code used to generate the pilot symbol may be long (e.g., a sequence of length 127 is used as the pilot code) to improve the cross-correlation property by the long sequence, thereby suppressing the interference better.

On the other hand, if different transmitting devices employ different pilot symbol formats, the target receiving device need to further decode the PHR and/or physical payload only when the pilot symbol format employed by the target transmitting device is detected, and does not need to decode the PHR and/or physical payload from all transmitting devices, so as to reduce decoding complexity of the receiving device.

To reduce interference between different devices, UWB devices may perform clear channel assessment (clear channel assessment, CCA) prior to transmission, and may transmit if the channel is found to be clear, otherwise, may not transmit. The IEEE 802.15.4/4z protocol defines 6 different CCA modes (modes), as follows:

(1) CCA mode 1: and (5) energy detection. If the energy of the signal received by the receiving device is greater than the energy detection threshold, the channel is considered busy, otherwise the channel is considered idle.

(2) CCA mode 2: and (5) carrier sensing. The channel is considered busy if the receiving device detects a signal that uses the same physical layer modulation and spreading characteristics as the receiving device, otherwise the channel is considered idle.

(3) CCA mode 3: carrier sensing and/or energy detection. If the receiving device detects a signal using the same physical layer modulation and spreading characteristics as the receiving device and/or the received energy of the signal is greater than the energy detection threshold, the channel is considered busy, otherwise the channel is considered idle.

(4) CCA mode 4: ALOHA. The channel is always considered idle.

(5) CCA mode 5: SHR-based pilot detection. If one pilot symbol is detected, the channel is considered busy, and if no pilot symbol is detected within time T, the channel is considered idle. Wherein T is greater than or equal to the sum of the maximum UWB frame duration and the Acknowledgement (ACK) feedback duration.

(6) CCA mode 6: pilot detection based on PHR or physical loading. If a pilot symbol is detected, the channel is considered busy. The physical layer frame structure for this mode 6 is shown in fig. 4. It can be seen that both the PHR and the physical payload are divided into segments, e.g., the segments that the PHR includes are referred to as PHR segments and the segments that the physical payload includes are referred to as physical payload segments. One pilot symbol can be inserted between two adjacent segments included in PHR and physical load, and the inserted pilot symbols are the same as those in SHR, for example S _i . PHR and physical loadThe duration of each segment included is predefined.

The six types of CCA above are roughly classified into two types of detection methods, one type is CCA based on energy detection, and the other type is CCA based on pilot detection. Wherein in CCA based on pilot detection, a device performing CCA needs to detect pilot symbols. As can be seen from the above description, pilot symbols are generated according to pilot sequences, and the available pilot sequences in one channel may be more in format, for example, the existing protocol specifies that each channel can support 2 sequences of length 31, 4 sequences of length 127, and 8 sequences of length 91. The UWB device needs to perform blind detection on pilot symbols of all formats when performing CCA, which is high in complexity and power consumption. Where the length of the sequence is a, it may be shown that the sequence includes a elements. For example, a sequence of length 31 indicates that the sequence includes 31 elements.

In view of this, a technical solution of the embodiments of the present application is provided. In this embodiment of the present application, the first UWB frame generated by the first device may additionally include a second type pilot symbol of a specific format, and when performing channel access or resource selection, other devices only need to detect the second type pilot symbol of the specific format, without blind detection of pilot symbols of other formats. For example, there are other devices to perform channel access, then the device can determine if the channel is busy by detecting pilot symbols of the second type. The embodiment of the application defines the format of the pilot symbol for executing channel access or resource selection, and the device can determine whether the channel is busy by detecting the pilot symbol of the format without detecting the pilot symbol of excessive format, thereby reducing the detection complexity of the pilot symbol and reducing the power consumption of the device.

Fig. 5 is an application scenario of the embodiment of the present application. Fig. 5 includes a first device, a second device, a third device, and a fourth device, e.g., all four devices are UWB devices. Where a device is said to be a UWB device if it has UWB functionality (e.g., a UWB chip is disposed within the device). Of course, the device may have other functions besides UWB functions, for example, a mobile phone may have UWB functions, but the mobile phone may also have a call function, etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The first device is the transmitting end of UWB signal 1, i.e. the first device may transmit UWB signal 1, e.g. UWB frames, which may be used for ranging, for example, or may also be used for other communication functions, which the embodiments of the present application do not limit. For example, a first device transmits the UWB signal 1 on a first channel, and the receiving end of the UWB signal 1 is a second device, so that the second device can receive the UWB signal 1. In addition, the third device is a device that performs detection, which may also be referred to as a detection device, for example, the third device is about to send a UWB signal, and by detecting that the busy state of the channel can be determined, the third device may also receive the UWB signal 1 to perform detection according to the UWB signal. If the third device determines that the first channel is idle or that resources are available on the first channel according to the detection result, the UWB signal 2 may be transmitted on the first channel; alternatively, UWB signal 2 is not transmitted for a while if the third device determines that the first channel is busy or that no resources are available on the first channel. For example, the first device is a network device or a terminal device; the second device is a network device or a terminal device; the third device is a network device or a terminal device.

The following describes the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the application with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the various embodiments of the present application, all optional steps are indicated by dashed lines in the corresponding drawings. In the following description, the method provided in the embodiments of the present application is applied to the network architecture shown in fig. 5 as an example. For example, the first device described in the embodiments of the present application is, for example, a first device in the network architecture shown in fig. 5, the second device described in the embodiments of the present application is, for example, a second device in the network architecture shown in fig. 5, and the third device described in the embodiments of the present application is, for example, a third device in the network architecture shown in fig. 5.

In various embodiments of the present application, channel access includes, for example, CCA, listen before talk (listen before talk, LBT), or carrier sense multiple access (carrier sense multiple access, CSMA) procedures. Hereinafter, CCA is mainly exemplified.

Referring to fig. 6, a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application is provided.

S601, the first device generates a first UWB frame.

Wherein the first UWB frame may include a first field including pilot symbols of a first type and a second field including pilot symbols of a second type. The first field is, for example, a synchronization field in SHR of the first UWB frame, which is, for example, referred to as a first synchronization field.

Alternatively, the second type of pilot symbols may be used to perform channel access or resource selection. The first type of pilot symbols may be used for one or more of synchronization, ranging, or channel estimation. In some embodiments, the second type pilot symbols may also be used for one or more of synchronization, ranging, or channel estimation, i.e., the first type pilot symbols and the second type pilot symbols may be used for one or more of synchronization, ranging, or channel estimation. The first type pilot symbols are not used for performing channel access, and are not used for performing resource selection, etc., i.e., the device performing detection (e.g., the third device) does not perform channel access according to the first type pilot symbols, and does not perform resource selection according to the first type pilot symbols, etc. Alternatively, the first type of pilot symbols are, for example, pilot symbols S as described above _i 。

Wherein the first type pilot symbols may have a first type format and the second type pilot symbols may have a second type format. The first type of format may be the same as the second type of format or may be different. The second type of format may be a relatively fixed format, e.g., the second type of format in a UWB signal transmitted multiple times by a first device or other transmitting device may all be the same format; while the first type of format may be a variable format, e.g. the first type of pilot symbols are e.g. the pilot symbols S described above _i As can be seen from the foregoing description, the format of the first type pilot symbols employed by the transmitting device may be adjusted according to the channel condition or interference condition. For example, the format of the first type used at this time between the first device and the second device may be the same or different from the format of the first type used next time, or the first device sends to the second deviceThe first type of format used by the UWB signals and the first type of format used by the UWB signals transmitted by the first device to other target receiving devices may be the same or different.

The format of the second type of pilot symbols (i.e., the second type of format) is, for example, predefined or determined by the first device negotiating with the at least one device. The at least one device may or may not include the second device and/or the third device; or may be configured by a cluster head device, which is a management device for managing other nodes within the communication group in which the first device is located. For example, the second type of pilot symbols may be applicable to all UWB devices within the communication system in which the first device is located, i.e., the second type of pilot symbols are set for the communication system. Alternatively, the second type pilot symbols may be applicable to the first type of channel, which may include one or more channels. For example, different types of channels may respectively correspond to respective pilot symbols for performing channel access or resource selection, and formats of pilot symbols corresponding to the different types of channels may be the same or different; alternatively, the second type of pilot symbols may be applicable to the first channel, e.g., different channels may each correspond to a respective pilot symbol for performing channel access or resource selection, and the pilot symbols corresponding to the different channels may be the same or different.

The format of a pilot symbol may indicate the pilot symbol or the pilot symbol may be determined based on the format of the pilot symbol. For example, the format of the pilot symbol may indicate the value of each element that the pilot symbol includes and indicate the arrangement of the individual elements that the pilot symbol includes. Optionally, the format of the pilot symbol may also indicate the number of elements that the pilot symbol includes, or indicate the length of the pilot symbol. Wherein the pilot symbols comprise the same number of elements as the length of the pilot symbols. For example, the second type pilot symbol is a sequence, and the format of the second type pilot symbol may indicate the value of each element included in the sequence and the arrangement of the elements included in the sequence.

Alternatively, the pilot code used to generate the second type of pilot symbols may be any sequence in the existing protocol. For example, the pilot code may be a ternary sequence, such as a sequence of length 31, or a sequence of length 91, or a sequence of length 127, etc., which has, for example, perfect periodic autocorrelation properties. Alternatively, the pilot code may be another sequence, for example, an m-sequence or the like having a good autocorrelation property.

In the embodiment of the present application, the second field has a plurality of different implementations, which are described by way of example below.

A. The second field is another synchronization field (meaning another synchronization field other than the first synchronization field) within the SHR of the first UWB frame, for example referred to as a second synchronization field.

Such an implementation may be employed, for example, if the third device performs channel access through CCA mode 5 described previously, e.g., performs CCA by detecting pilot symbols in SHRs from other devices; alternatively, such an implementation may be employed if the third device performs resource selection by detecting pilot symbols of the second type.

a. The third device performs channel access through CCA mode 5 as described previously.

Please refer to fig. 7A and 7B, which are two diagrams of a second synchronization field, wherein S ₀ Representing pilot symbols of the second type S _i Representing a first type of pilot symbol, SYNC1 represents a first synchronization field and SYNC2 represents a second synchronization field. In fig. 7A, the second synchronization field is located before the first synchronization field in SHR; in fig. 7B, the second synchronization field is located after the first synchronization field in SHR. That is, embodiments of the present application are not limited to the location of the second synchronization field. In addition, if the first UWB frame further includes an SFD field, the SFD field also includes pilot symbols, and in the embodiment of the present application, if the second field is a second synchronization field in SHR, the SFD field may include pilot symbols of the first type, or may also include pilot symbols of the second type. Alternatively, which type of pilot symbol is included in the SFD field may be predefined, or may be determined by the first device negotiating with the second device, or may be configured by the first device, e.g., the first device may send second configuration information to the second device to indicate the SFD field Including pilot symbols of the first type or pilot symbols of the second type. Optionally, if the SFD field includes a second type pilot symbol, the second configuration information may also indicate a number of repetitions of the second type pilot symbol within the SFD field, and/or indicate a spacing between two adjacent second type pilot symbols within the SFD field.

For the third device, channel access or resource selection, etc., may be performed by detecting pilot symbols of the second type. It may be considered that the third device has no detection requirement for the first type of pilot symbols, e.g., the third device may not have to detect the first type of pilot symbols; one or more of synchronization, ranging, or channel estimation may be performed by detecting pilot symbols of a first type for a second device, which may or may not detect for pilot symbols of a second type. Several detection modes of the second device are described below.

(1) A first detection mode of the second device.

For example, if the second synchronization field is located before the first synchronization field and the first UWB frame includes an SFD field that includes pilot symbols of the first type, the second device may not detect pilot symbols of the second type. For example, the second device may detect the first synchronization field by detecting the first type pilot symbols and determine the location of the SFD field. The position of the PHR or physical payload or STS field can be determined by detecting the first pilot symbol included in the SFD field, so as to complete the processing such as decoding the data. Such a format of the first UWB frame may reduce the detection complexity of the second device and may be more advantageously compatible with existing formats. Alternatively, in such a format of the first UWB frame, the second device may also detect the second type of pilot symbols, e.g., in accordance with parameters of the second type of pilot symbols, in a second synchronization field to perform one or more of synchronization, ranging, or channel estimation based on the first type of pilot symbols and the second type of pilot symbols. One or more of the processing such as synchronization, ranging or channel estimation is completed according to the first-type pilot symbols and the second-type pilot symbols, and the processing result can be more accurate due to the fact that the number of the reference pilot symbols is more.

(2) A second detection mode of the second device.

For example, if the second synchronization field is located before the first synchronization field and the first UWB frame includes an SFD field that includes a second type pilot symbol, the second device may detect the second type pilot symbol based on a parameter of the second type pilot symbol. For example, the second device may detect the first type pilot symbol first, synchronize according to the first type pilot symbol, determine the starting position of the first type pilot symbol and/or the second type pilot symbol, and then detect the second type pilot symbol included in the SFD field, and determine the position of the PHR, the physical payload, or the STS field, so as to complete processing such as decoding data. Or in this format of the first UWB frame, the second device may detect the second type pilot symbol from the beginning, where the second type pilot symbol may be detected in the second synchronization field, so that one or more of synchronization, ranging, or channel estimation may be performed according to the first type pilot symbol and the second type pilot symbol.

(3) Third detection mode of the second device.

For example, the second synchronization field may be located after the first synchronization field and the first UWB frame includes an SFD field that includes pilot symbols of the first type, then the second device may not detect pilot symbols of the second type. For example, the second device may detect the first type of pilot symbol first, where the first type of pilot symbol may be detected in the first synchronization field, and based on the detection, the location of the second synchronization field may be determined. The second device may determine an end position of the second synchronization field according to the parameters of the second type pilot symbol, so that a position of the SFD field may be determined accordingly. By detecting the first pilot symbols included in the SFD field, the second device can determine the position of the PHR or physical payload or STS field, thereby completing the processing such as decoding the data. Alternatively, in this format of the first UWB frame, the second device may detect the second type of pilot symbol, e.g., after detecting the first type of pilot symbol in the first synchronization field, may detect the second type of pilot symbol in the second synchronization field according to a parameter of the second type of pilot symbol, so as to perform one or more of synchronization, ranging, or channel estimation according to the first type of pilot symbol and the second type of pilot symbol.

(4) Fourth detection mode of the second device.

For example, the second synchronization field may be located after the first synchronization field and the first UWB frame may include an SFD field including the second type pilot symbol, and the second device may detect the second type pilot symbol based on a parameter of the second type pilot symbol. For example, the second device may detect the first type of pilot symbol first, where the first type of pilot symbol may be detected in the first synchronization field, and based on the detection, the location of the second synchronization field may be determined. The second device can determine the end position of the second synchronization field according to the parameters of the second pilot symbols, so that the position of the SFD field can be correspondingly determined; alternatively, the second device may detect the second type pilot symbols within the second synchronization field so that the location of the SFD field may be determined. And then through detecting the second type pilot symbols included in the SFD field, the second device can determine the PHR or the physical load or the position of the STS field, thereby finishing the processing such as decoding the data. In this format of the first UWB frame, if the second device does not perform detection on the second type pilot symbols in the second synchronization field, the second device may perform one or more of synchronization, ranging, or channel estimation based on the first type pilot symbols; alternatively, if the second device performs detection on the second type pilot symbols in the second synchronization field, the second device may perform one or more of synchronization, ranging, or channel estimation based on the first type pilot symbols, or the second device may perform one or more of synchronization, ranging, or channel estimation based on the first type pilot symbols and the second type pilot symbols.

Optionally, the parameters of the second type pilot symbols involved in the above various detection modes, for example, include (or indicate) the format of the second type pilot symbols; or includes (or indicates) the format of the second type pilot symbols and the number of repetitions of the second type pilot symbols; or includes (or indicates) the format of the second type pilot symbols, the number of repetitions of the second type pilot symbols, and the spacing of adjacent two second type pilot symbols. Wherein the number of repetitions of the second type of pilot symbol, for example, comprises the number of repetitions of the second type of pilot symbol in a second field (e.g., a second synchronization field), and/or comprises the number of repetitions of the second type of pilot symbol in other fields (e.g., SFD fields). Alternatively, the number of repetitions of the second type pilot symbol in other fields may be configured not by the parameter indication of the second type pilot symbol, but by other information, for example, by the second configuration information sent by the first device.

The second type pilot symbols may be distributed continuously or may be distributed discretely within the second field or other fields. Thus, the parameters of the second type pilot symbols may comprise the spacing of two adjacent second type pilot symbols. The interval may be expressed as a duration. If the second type pilot symbols are continuously distributed, the interval between two adjacent second type pilot symbols is 0; alternatively, if the second type pilot symbols are scattered, the interval between two adjacent second type pilot symbols is greater than 0. The intervals between two adjacent pilot symbols of the second type may be equal or may be unequal in different fields, and if unequal, may be configured by the parameters of the pilot symbols of the second type, respectively.

The parameters of the second type pilot symbols include the format of the second type pilot symbols, e.g., an index of the second type pilot symbols. For example, the second type pilot symbols of multiple formats can be preset, wherein each format of the second type pilot symbol corresponds to one index, and then by indicating one index, the second type pilot symbol can be uniquely indicated. The second device can determine the format of the second type pilot symbol based on the index.

Alternatively, the second-type pilot symbol parameters include a second-type pilot symbol format, such as a value of each element included in the second-type pilot symbol, and arrangement information of the elements. For example, the second type of pilot symbol is a sequence c, e.g., c ₁ ,c ₂ ,……,c _n I.e. the sequence c comprises n elements, c ₁ ～c _n The value of the n elements, n being a positive integer. Then secondThe pilot-like symbol format may include values of the n elements, and may include permutation information of the n elements, e.g., the permutation information may indicate c ₁ Arranged at c ₂ Before c ₂ Arranged at c ₃ Before, etc.

Alternatively, the parameters of the second type pilot symbols include the format of the second type pilot symbols, for example, information of the pilot code used to generate the second type pilot symbols, and the number of "0" s to be inserted between two adjacent elements of the pilot code. Wherein the information of the pilot code used for generating the pilot symbols of the second type, for example, is an index of the pilot code, and a pilot code can be uniquely determined according to the index. If a pilot code is determined, the values of the elements included in the pilot code and the arrangement of the elements are determined. Further combining the number of "0" s to be inserted between two adjacent elements of the pilot code, the value of each element included in the second type pilot symbol and the arrangement of the elements can be determined.

As just an example, the format of the second type pilot symbols may include other content, or may be otherwise indicated.

In the above several detection modes, the first UWB frame includes the SFD field as an example. If the first UWB frame does not include the SFD field, the second device may not detect the SFD field (the third device may not detect the SFD field), for example, the second device may determine the location of the PHR or physical payload or STS field according to the end location of the second synchronization field, thereby completing the processing such as decoding the data.

Optionally, the number of repetitions of the second type pilot symbol in the second synchronization field and/or the index of the second type pilot symbol in UWB frames transmitted by different devices may be the same or may be different.

In the above several detection manners, the second device may detect the second type pilot symbol according to the parameter of the second type pilot symbol, and then the second device may determine the parameter of the second type pilot symbol in advance. Optionally, the first device may send first configuration information, where the first configuration information may be used to configure parameters of the second type pilot symbol, and the receiving end of the first configuration information includes, for example, the second device and/or the third device. If the first device receives the first configuration information, the second device may determine parameters of the second type pilot symbols based on the first configuration information. Alternatively, the parameters of the second type pilot symbols may be determined by the first device negotiating with other devices, which may include the second device and/or a third device. If the other device comprises a second device, the second device can learn the negotiation result; if the other device does not include the second device, the first device may send parameters of the second type pilot symbol determined by negotiation to the second device. Alternatively, the parameters of the second type of pilot symbols may be preset values, which may be predefined by the protocol, for example.

Wherein the step of the first device sending the first configuration information to the second device, or the step of the first device negotiating with other devices to determine the parameters of the second type of pilot symbols, e.g. occurs before S601, or after S601.

The third device may detect the second type pilot symbol according to the parameter of the second type pilot symbol. The method for obtaining the parameters of the second type pilot symbol by the third device is similar to the method for obtaining the parameters of the second type pilot symbol by the third device, and the description of the method can be referred to the foregoing.

In addition, parameters of the first type pilot symbols may be configured by the first device to the second device, from which the second device may detect the first type pilot symbols. For example, the first device may configure the parameters of the first pilot symbol together through the first configuration information, or the first device may also send other configuration information to configure the parameters of the first pilot symbol, where the receiving end of the other configuration information may include the second device, or include the second device and the third device. Alternatively, the parameters of the first type pilot symbol may be determined by the first device negotiating with other devices, including, for example, the second device and/or the third device, or may not include the second device and the third device, etc. The parameters of the first type pilot symbols include, for example, a format of (or indicate) the first type pilot symbols; or includes (or indicates) the format of the first type pilot symbols and the number of repetitions of the first type pilot symbols; or includes (or indicates) the format of the first type pilot symbols, the number of repetitions of the first type pilot symbols, and the spacing of two adjacent first type pilot symbols. The number of repetitions of the first pilot symbol is, for example, the number of repetitions of the first pilot symbol in the first synchronization field. It should be noted that since the format of the first type pilot symbols is not fixed, i.e., the formats of the first type pilot symbols transmitted by the respective transmitting devices may be the same or different, the second device may detect the first type pilot symbols from the plurality of transmitting devices. The second device may determine therefrom pilot symbols of the first type from the first device by means of blind detection. For example, the second device may perform blind detection based on parameters of the first type pilot symbols to determine the first type pilot symbols from the first device.

b. The third device performs resource selection by detecting pilot symbols of the second type.

In an embodiment of the present application, the first UWB frame may include resource reservation information, for example, the resource reservation information is included in a PHR of the first UWB frame, or in a physical payload of the first UWB frame, for example, may be included in a medium access control (media access control, MAC) header of the first UWB frame, wherein the MAC header is carried in the physical payload. For example, the resource reservation information may indicate a time offset between the resources reserved by the first device and the current UWB frame (e.g., the first UWB frame) and a duration of the resources reserved by the first device. For another example, the resource reservation information may indicate a resource reservation period, i.e. the first device may reserve resources for one or more periods, wherein the location of the reserved resources by the first device in one period is e.g. the same as the location of the first UWB frame in the current period, and the duration of the reserved resources by the first device is e.g. predefined or may be the same as the duration of the first UWB frame.

The resource selection may also be referred to as resource exclusion, etc., to which it is understood that the third device may further detect the PHR or physical payload to obtain the resource reservation information if it detects the second type pilot symbols. The third device may determine the resources reserved by the first device according to the resource reservation information, so that the third device may determine the resources reserved by the first device as unavailable resources. Alternatively, the third device may determine that the resources reserved by the first device are unavailable resources according to the power or energy of the signal received from the first device. For example, if the power or energy of the pilot symbol received by the third device from the first device is greater than a first preset value, the third device determines that the resource reserved by the first device is an unavailable resource.

Alternatively, the second synchronization field may be located after the first synchronization field, for which reference may be continued to fig. 7B. If the second synchronization field is located before the first synchronization field, the third device needs to detect the first synchronization field after detecting the second synchronization field in order to detect the PHR and/or the physical load, that is, the third device needs to blindly detect the first type pilot symbols besides the second type pilot symbols, which is high in implementation complexity. Therefore, in order to reduce complexity, the second synchronization field may be located after the first synchronization field, and then the third device may learn the starting position of the PHR and/or the physical load by detecting the second pilot symbol in the second synchronization field, and then start to detect the PHR and/or the physical load, so that blind detection of the first pilot symbol in the first synchronization field is not required.

Alternatively, the SFD field may include a second type pilot symbol. Similarly, to detect the PHR, the third device may also need to detect the SFD field to determine the location of the PHR and/or physical load. If the SFD field includes pilot symbols of the first type, the third device again needs to blindly detect the pilot symbols of the first type. In order to reduce the detection complexity, the SFD field may be made to include a second type pilot symbol, and the third device may implement detection of the PHR and/or physical load by detecting the second type pilot symbol.

Similarly, the third device may detect the second type pilot symbol according to the parameter of the second type pilot symbol, which may be referred to the foregoing and will not be described in detail.

B. The second field includes the PHR and/or physical payload within the first UWB frame. Alternatively, the second field may comprise a field in the PHR and/or physical payload within the first UWB frame, or the second field may be included in the PHR and/or physical payload within the first UWB frame.

Such an implementation may be employed, for example, if the third device performs channel access through CCA mode 6 described previously, e.g., by detecting pilot symbols in PHR or physical payload from other devices.

The PHR and/or physical payload includes a plurality of fragments therein. For example, fragments included within a PHR may also be referred to as PHR fragments, and fragments included within a physical payload may also be referred to as physical payload fragments. A field for carrying pilot symbols may be included between adjacent segments within the PHR and/or physical payload, e.g., a field for carrying pilot symbols between adjacent segments may be referred to as a pilot field, and a plurality of pilot fields may be included within the PHR and/or physical payload, wherein each pilot field may carry one or more pilot symbols of a second type. For example, if the second field is deemed to be included in the PHR and/or physical payload within the first UWB frame, the second field may include all or part of the pilot field within the PHR and/or physical payload. In addition, the number of the second type pilot symbols carried by different pilot fields may be equal or unequal.

The second device, upon detecting the first UWB frame, may determine the spacing between adjacent segments based on the parameters of the second type pilot symbols in the pilot field, thereby enabling decoding of the content included in the segments. In this manner, the third device may detect the second field based on the parameters of the second type pilot symbol without having to decode the PHR. Reference is made to the foregoing for an introduction of parameters for pilot symbols of the second type. Wherein if the second field comprises a PHR and/or a physical payload (or the second field may comprise all or part of the pilot fields within the PHR and/or the physical payload), the parameters of the second type of pilot symbols comprise a number of repetitions of the second type of pilot symbols, e.g., the number of repetitions of the second type of pilot symbols within one of the pilot fields. The number of repetitions of the second type pilot symbol may be equal in different pilot fields.

Referring to FIG. 8, a diagram of a second field is shown, in which S ₀ Representing pilot symbols of the second type S _i Representing pilot symbols of a first type. Both PHR and physical payload include segments, pilot fields are included between adjacent segments, and one pilot field may include one or more S ₀ 。

For the third device, channel access may be achieved by detecting pilot symbols of the second type in pilot fields within the PHR and/or physical payload, e.g., a busy state of the channel may be determined. For the second device, since the parameters of the second type of pilot symbols within the pilot field are known, the spacing between adjacent segments can be determined, thereby enabling decoding of the content included within the PHR and/or physical payload segments.

Also in this manner, the second device may perform one or more of synchronization, ranging, or channel estimation by detecting the first type pilot symbols included in the synchronization field within the SHR. Reference is made to the description above regarding the configuration of the parameters of the pilot symbols of the first type.

S602, the first device transmits a first UWB frame over a first channel. Accordingly, the second device receives the first UWB frame over the first channel.

In addition, the third device may perform channel access or resource selection on the first channel, for example, if the third device desires to transmit a UWB signal on the first channel. For example, the third device may also detect the first UWB frame (e.g., the third device may detect the second type pilot symbols within the first UWB frame, or may detect the second type pilot symbols and the first type pilot symbols within the first UWB frame), and thus may also consider the third device to have received the first UWB frame in S602.

Alternatively, the first device may perform channel access or resource selection before transmitting the first UWB frame on the first channel, for example, the first device may perform channel access or resource selection by detecting pilot symbols of the second type from other devices on the first channel, and the specific process may refer to the execution process of the third device, which is not repeated.

S603, the second device performs one or more of synchronization, ranging, or channel estimation according to the first pilot symbols. Alternatively, the second device performs one or more of synchronization, ranging, or channel estimation based on the first type pilot symbols and the second type pilot symbols.

Reference is made to the description of S601 regarding the detection manner of the second device. From the foregoing, the second device can detect the first type pilot symbols and not detect the second type pilot symbols, thereby reducing the detection complexity and power consumption of the second device. Alternatively, the second device may also detect the second type pilot symbol and the first type pilot symbol, for example, the second device may use the first type pilot symbol and the second type pilot symbol to perform one or more of synchronization, ranging, channel estimation, and so on, so as to improve accuracy of a processing result.

S604, the third device determines the busy state of the first channel or determines the unavailable resource on the first channel according to the detection result of the second type pilot symbol in the second field. Alternatively, the third device determines the busy state of the first channel or determines the unavailable resources on the first channel based on the second type pilot symbols.

The detection manner of the third device may be referred to the description of S601. Wherein S603 may occur before S604, or after S604, or simultaneously with S604.

Optionally, the third device may detect energy of the second type pilot symbols to determine whether the first channel is busy or to determine unavailable resources on the first channel; alternatively, the third device may also detect the power of the second type pilot symbols (e.g., detect the received power of the second type pilot symbols by the third device) to determine whether the first channel is busy or to determine unavailable resources on the first channel. In the embodiment of the present application, the energy of the second type pilot symbol is taken as an example. If power is detected, the manner in which the channel is determined to be busy or the unavailable resources on the channel are determined is similar.

In the embodiment of the present application, if the third device performs channel access on the first channel, it may determine whether the first channel is busy according to the detection result of the second type pilot symbol. If a second type of pilot symbol within a second field (e.g., a second sync field, or PHR and/or physical payload) is detected and it is determined that the energy of the second type of pilot symbol is greater than a first threshold, it may be determined that the first channel is busy; alternatively, the third device may determine that the first channel is idle if the third device does not detect the second type of pilot symbols or if the second type of pilot symbols are less than or equal to the first threshold in spite of the detection of the second type of pilot symbols in the second field. In this case, the third device can determine whether the first channel is busy by detecting one pilot symbol of the second type, and it is unnecessary to detect too many pilot symbols of the second type, which is advantageous in reducing the complexity of detection.

Alternatively, the third device may determine that the first channel is busy if it is determined that the average energy of the plurality of second type pilot symbols within the detected second field is greater than the second threshold; alternatively, the third device may determine that the first channel is idle if the third device does not detect the second type pilot symbol or if the average energy of the plurality of second type pilot symbols is less than or equal to a second threshold despite the detection of the plurality of second type pilot symbols within the second field. The plurality of second type pilot symbols may be continuously detected second type pilot symbols or may be scattered second type pilot symbols. The first threshold value and the second threshold value may be equal or unequal. The average energy of the plurality of second-class pilot symbols is a relatively stable value, the current real state of the first channel can be reflected, whether the first channel is busy or not is determined by detecting the plurality of second-class pilot symbols, and the accuracy of a determination result can be improved.

Alternatively, the third device may determine that the first channel is busy if it is determined that the average energy of the one or more pilot symbols of the second type within the second field detected within the first time period is greater than a third threshold; alternatively, the third device may determine that the first channel is idle if the third device does not detect the second type pilot symbols within the first time period or the average energy of the one or more second type pilot symbols within the second field is less than or equal to a third threshold although the one or more second type pilot symbols are detected within the first time period. The plurality of second-type pilot symbols may be second-type pilot symbols that are continuously detected within the first time period, or may be scattered second-type pilot symbols. The one or more second type pilot symbols may be all or part of the second type pilot symbols detected during the first time period. The first duration may be preset, for example predefined by a protocol; alternatively, the duration may be determined by the third device. For example, the first duration is the duration of M pilot symbols. For another example, the first duration is a sum of a duration of M pilot symbols and a duration of 1 segment. The M pilot symbols are, for example, M pilot symbols of a first type or M pilot symbols of a second type, where M is a positive integer. The first threshold, the second threshold, and the third threshold may be equal to each other, or may be unequal to each other, or may be equal to either one or both of them.

The energy of the second type pilot symbol refers to the received energy of the third device for the second type pilot symbol, for example, the third device may detect the received power of the second type pilot symbol, and determine the received energy for the second type pilot symbol according to the received power and the receiving time. For example, the third device may detect the received power of the second type pilot symbol by detecting parameters such as the reference signal received power (reference signal received power, RSRP) or the reference signal received quality (reference signal receiving quality, RSRQ) of the second type pilot symbol.

In the embodiment of the present application, the third device may also perform resource selection on the first channel, where the format of the first UWB frame may refer to the description of the b mode in the a mode in S601. Then, the third device may detect the second type pilot symbol in the SFD field by a detection result of the second type pilot symbol in the second synchronization field. According to the detection result of the SFD field, the third device can decode the PHR of the first UWB frame, so that the resource reservation information included in the PHR can be obtained. Alternatively, if the resource reservation information is included in the physical payload, the third device may obtain the resource reservation information included in the physical payload by decoding the physical payload. The resource reservation information indicates resources reserved by the first device, e.g. the resources indicated by the resource reservation information are also located on the first channel, then the third device may determine that the resources reserved by the first device are not available resources, while the remaining resources other than the unavailable resources are e.g. available resources, and the third device may send UWB signals using the available resources.

It can be seen that if the third device is to perform channel access, it is sufficient to detect the second type pilot symbol to determine the busy state of the channel; and if resource selection is to be performed, it is necessary to detect PHR or physical load in addition to the second type pilot symbol. When the resource selection is performed, after detecting the second type pilot symbol, the third device may not determine whether the first channel is busy according to the second type pilot symbol, but continuously detect the PHR or the physical load, determine that the resource indicated by the resource reservation information is an unavailable resource, and the remaining resources are available resources. Or after detecting the second type pilot symbol, the third device may also determine whether the first channel is busy according to the second type pilot symbol, and in addition, the third device may also continue to detect the PHR or the physical load to obtain the resource reservation information. If the third device successfully decodes the resource reservation information and the third device determines that the first channel is busy according to the detection result of the second pilot symbol, the third device determines that the resource indicated by the resource reservation information is an unavailable resource and the rest of the resources are available resources; or if the third device fails to decode the resource reservation information and the third device determines that the first channel is busy according to the detection result of the second type pilot symbol, the third device determines that the first channel is busy and cannot continue to perform resource selection on the first channel; or if the third device fails to decode the resource reservation information and the third device determines that the first channel is idle according to the detection result of the second type pilot symbols, the third device considers that the first channel is idle, and the whole first channel is an available resource at the moment; or if the third device decodes the resource reservation information successfully, and the third device determines that the first channel is idle according to the detection result of the second pilot symbol, the third device determines that the resource indicated by the resource reservation information is an unavailable resource and the remaining resources are available resources, or the third device may consider that the first channel is idle.

The duration of the channel access or resource selection performed by the third device may be preset, for example, predefined by a protocol; alternatively, the duration may be determined by the third device. This time period is referred to as a second time period, for example, a time period of N pilot symbols, for example, a first type pilot symbol or a second type pilot symbol. N is a positive integer, for example n=8.

Alternatively, if the third device determines that the first channel is busy according to the channel access result, or determines that no resources are available on the first channel (or that resources are not available on the first channel) according to the resource selection result, the third device may not transmit the UWB signal on the first channel, e.g., the third device may reselect other channels. Alternatively, the third device may also randomly backoff for a period of time before performing channel access or resource selection again on the first channel. Alternatively, the third device may continue to detect on the first channel, or alternatively, perform channel access or resource selection, until the first channel is determined to be idle or until the first channel has resources available on the first channel, or until the number of attempts reaches a maximum number threshold.

In embodiments of the present application, the first UWB frame generated by the first device may include pilot symbols of a second type, which are used to perform channel access or resource selection. For example, the third device performs channel access or resource selection, the device can determine the busy state of the channel or determine available resources by detecting pilot symbols of the second type. The embodiment of the application specifies the format of the pilot symbol used for executing channel access or resource selection, and the device executing detection can determine whether the channel is busy by detecting the pilot symbol of the format without detecting the pilot symbol of excessive format, thereby reducing the detection complexity of the pilot symbol and the power consumption of the device. For a receiving device (such as a second device) of the first UWB frame, the second type pilot symbols are not detected, but only the first type pilot symbols are detected, so that the detection complexity and the power consumption can be reduced; or the second device may detect both the first type pilot symbols and the second type pilot symbols, so that one or more of synchronization, ranging, channel estimation, and other processes may be performed according to the first type pilot symbols and the second type pilot symbols, so as to improve accuracy of the processing result.

Fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus 900 may be the first device or circuitry of the first device in the embodiment shown in fig. 6, for implementing the method corresponding to the first device in the above method embodiment. Alternatively, the communication apparatus 900 may be the second device or the circuitry of the second device in the embodiment shown in fig. 6, for implementing the method corresponding to the second device in the above method embodiment. Alternatively, the communication apparatus 900 may be a third device or circuitry of the third device in the embodiment shown in fig. 6, for implementing a method corresponding to the third device in the above method embodiment. Specific functions can be seen from the description of the method embodiments described above. One type of circuitry is, for example, a chip system.

The communication device 900 comprises at least one processor 901. The processor 901 may be used for internal processing of the device, implementing certain control processing functions. Optionally, the processor 901 includes instructions. Alternatively, the processor 901 may store data. Alternatively, the different processors may be separate devices, may be located in different physical locations, and may be located on different integrated circuits. Alternatively, the different processors may be integrated in one or more processors, e.g., integrated on one or more integrated circuits.

Optionally, the communication device 900 includes one or more memories 903 to store instructions. Optionally, the memory 903 may also store data. The processor and the memory may be provided separately or may be integrated.

Optionally, the communication device 900 includes a communication line 902 and at least one communication interface 904. Among them, since the memory 903, the communication line 902, and the communication interface 904 are optional, they are all indicated by broken lines in fig. 9.

Optionally, the communication device 900 may also include a transceiver and/or an antenna. Wherein the transceiver may be used to transmit information to or receive information from other devices. The transceiver may be referred to as a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, an input-output interface, etc. for implementing the transceiver function of the communication device 900 through an antenna. Optionally, the transceiver comprises a transmitter (transmitter) and a receiver (receiver). Illustratively, a transmitter may be used to generate a radio frequency (radio frequency) signal from the baseband signal, and a receiver may be used to convert the radio frequency signal to the baseband signal.

Processor 901 may include a general purpose central processing unit (central processing unit, CPU), microprocessor, application specific integrated circuit (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 902 may include a pathway to transfer information between the aforementioned components.

The communication interface 904, uses any transceiver-like means for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as ethernet, radio access network (radio access network, RAN), wireless local area network (wireless local area networks, WLAN), wired access network, etc.

The memory 903 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 (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 903 may be separate and may be connected to the processor 901 via a communication line 902. Alternatively, the memory 903 may be integrated as the processor 901.

The memory 903 is used for storing computer-executable instructions for executing the embodiments of the present application, and is controlled by the processor 901 to execute the instructions. The processor 901 is configured to execute computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 903, thereby implementing steps performed by the first device according to the embodiment shown in fig. 6, or implementing steps performed by the second device according to the embodiment shown in fig. 6, or implementing steps performed by the third device according to the embodiment shown in fig. 6.

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

In a particular implementation, processor 901 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 of FIG. 9, as an embodiment.

In a particular implementation, as one embodiment, the communications apparatus 900 may include a plurality of processors, such as processor 901 and processor 905 in fig. 9. 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).

When the apparatus shown in fig. 9 is a chip, for example, a chip of a first device, or a chip of a second device, or a chip of a third device, the chip includes a processor 901 (may further include a processor 905), a communication line 902, a memory 903, and a communication interface 904. In particular, the communication interface 904 may be an input interface, a pin, or a circuit, etc. The memory 903 may be registers, caches, etc. The processor 901 and the processor 905 may be a general purpose CPU, microprocessor, ASIC, or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of programs in the communication method of any of the embodiments described above.

The embodiment of the application may divide the functional modules of the apparatus according to the above method example, for example, each functional module may be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The integrated modules may be implemented in hardware or in software functional modules. 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. For example, in the case of dividing each functional module into respective functional modules by corresponding respective functions, fig. 10 shows a schematic diagram of an apparatus, and the apparatus 1000 may be the first device or the second device or the third device, or a chip in the first device or a chip in the second device or a chip in the third device, which are involved in each of the above-described method embodiments. The apparatus 1000 comprises a transmitting unit 1001, a processing unit 1002 and a receiving unit 1003.

It should be understood that the apparatus 1000 may be used to implement the steps performed by the first device or the second device or the third device in the communication method according to the embodiment of the present application, and relevant features may refer to the embodiment shown in fig. 6 and will not be described herein.

Alternatively, the functions/implementation procedures of the transmission unit 1001, the reception unit 1003, and the processing unit 1002 in fig. 10 may be implemented by the processor 901 in fig. 9 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 903. Alternatively, the functions/implementation of the processing unit 1002 in fig. 10 may be implemented by the processor 901 in fig. 9 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 903, and the functions/implementation of the transmitting unit 1001 and the receiving unit 1003 in fig. 10 may be implemented by the communication interface 904 in fig. 9.

Alternatively, when the apparatus 1000 is a chip or a circuit, the functions/implementation procedures of the transmission unit 1001 and the reception unit 1003 may also be implemented by pins or circuits or the like.

The present application also provides a computer readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, implement a method performed by a first device or a second device or a third device in the foregoing method embodiments. Thus, the functions described in the above embodiments may be implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present application may be embodied in essence or contributing part or part of the technical solution 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 server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described in the embodiments of the present application. The storage medium includes: a usb disk, a removable hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk, etc.

The present application also provides a computer program product comprising: computer program code which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method performed by the first device or the second device or the third device in any of the method embodiments described above.

The embodiment of the application also provides a processing device, which comprises a processor and an interface; the processor is configured to perform a method performed by the first device or the second device or the third device according to any of the method embodiments described above.

In the above embodiments, it may be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When loaded and executed on a computer, produces a flow or function in accordance with embodiments of the present application, 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 or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another, for example, by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), or wireless (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 an integration of one or more available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a Solid State Disk (SSD)), or the like.

The various illustrative logical blocks and circuits described in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (digital signal processor, DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (application specific integrated circuit, ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (field-programmable gate array, FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the general purpose processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a digital signal processor core, or any other similar configuration.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in the embodiments of the present application may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software element executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software elements may be stored in RAM, flash memory, ROM, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), EEPROM, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. In an example, a storage medium may be coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC, which may reside in a terminal device. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside in different components in a terminal device.

These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The matters in the various embodiments of the present application may be referenced to each other in terms and/or descriptions consistent with each other and to each other in the absence of specific illustrations and logic conflicts between, the technical features of the different embodiments may be combined to form new embodiments based on the inherent logic relationships.

It is understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the first device and/or the second device and/or the third device may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments of the present application, these steps or operations are merely examples, and in the embodiments of the present application, other operations or variations of various operations may also be performed. Furthermore, the various steps may be performed in a different order presented in accordance with embodiments of the present application, and it is possible that not all of the operations in the embodiments of the present application may be performed.

Claims

1. A method of communication, applied to a first device, the method comprising:

generating a first Ultra Wideband (UWB) frame, wherein a first field of the first UWB frame comprises a first type of pilot symbols, a second field of the first UWB frame comprises a second type of pilot symbols, the first field is a first synchronization field in a synchronization head of the first UWB frame, the second type of pilot symbols are used for executing channel access or resource selection, the first type of pilot symbols have a first type of format, and the second type of pilot symbols have a second type of format;

the first UWB frame is transmitted over a first channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first type of pilot symbols are used for synchronization or ranging or channel estimation, or wherein the first type of pilot symbols and the second type of pilot symbols are used for synchronization or ranging or channel estimation.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first type of pilot symbols are not used for performing channel access and resource selection.

4. A method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the second field is a second synchronization field within the synchronization header.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first UWB frame further comprises a physical header and/or physical payload comprising resource reservation information indicating resources reserved by the first device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the synchronization header further comprises a start of frame delimiter, SFD, field comprising the second type pilot symbol.

7. A method according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein said second field comprises a plurality of segments, adjacent ones of said plurality of segments being arranged to carry one or more pilot symbols of said second type.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second field comprises a physical header and/or a physical payload within the first UWB frame.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising:

transmitting first configuration information, wherein the first configuration information is used for configuring parameters of the second type pilot symbols; or alternatively, the first and second heat exchangers may be,

negotiating with other equipment to determine parameters of the second type pilot symbols; or alternatively, the first and second heat exchangers may be,

the parameters of the second type pilot symbols are preset values.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second device is a target receiving device of the first UWB frame.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein,

the parameters of the second type pilot symbols comprise the format of the second type pilot symbols; or,

the parameters of the second type pilot symbols comprise the format of the second type pilot symbols and the repetition times of the second type pilot symbols; or,

the parameters of the second type pilot symbols comprise the format of the second type pilot symbols, the repetition times of the second type pilot symbols and the interval between two adjacent second type pilot symbols.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein,

the second type pilot symbols are applicable to all UWB devices in the system where the first device is located; or alternatively, the first and second heat exchangers may be,

the second type pilot symbols are applicable to a first type channel, and the first channel belongs to the first type channel; or alternatively, the first and second heat exchangers may be,

the second type pilot symbols are configured by head-assembling equipment, and the head-assembling equipment is management equipment in a communication group where the first equipment is located; or alternatively, the first and second heat exchangers may be,

the second type pilot symbols are determined by the first device negotiating with at least one device.

13. A method of communication, for use with a third device, the method comprising:

in the process of executing channel access or resource selection, detecting a first UWB frame from a first device in a first channel, wherein a first field of the first UWB frame comprises a first type of pilot symbols, a second field of the first UWB frame comprises a second type of pilot symbols, the first field is a first synchronization field in a synchronization head of the first UWB frame, the first type of pilot symbols have a first type of format, and the second type of pilot symbols have a second type of format;

and determining the busy state of the first channel or determining the unavailable resource on the first channel according to the detection result of the second type pilot symbols in the second field.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

the busy state of the first channel is not determined from the first type pilot symbols, and the unavailable resources on the first channel are not determined from the first type pilot symbols.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein determining the busy state of the first channel based on the detection of the second type pilot symbols in the second field comprises:

If the energy of one pilot symbol of the second type in the second field is detected to be larger than a first threshold value, determining that the first channel is busy; or alternatively, the first and second heat exchangers may be,

if the average energy of the plurality of pilot symbols of the second type in the second field is detected to be greater than a second threshold, the first channel is determined to be busy.

16. The method according to any of claims 13-15, wherein the second field is a second synchronization field within a synchronization header of the first UWB frame.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein determining the unavailable resources of the first channel based on the detection of the second type of pilot symbols in the second field comprises:

decoding a physical header and/or a physical load included in the first UWB frame according to a detection result of the second-type pilot symbols in the second synchronization field;

acquiring resource reservation information included in the physical header and/or the physical load, wherein the resource reservation information is used for indicating resources reserved by the first device;

and determining the reserved resource of the first equipment as the unavailable resource.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the synchronization header further comprises an SFD field comprising the second type pilot symbol.

19. The method according to any of claims 13-15, wherein the second field comprises a physical header and/or a physical payload within the first UWB frame.

20. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 19, further comprising:

receiving first configuration information from the first device, wherein the first configuration information is used for configuring parameters of the second type pilot symbols; or alternatively, the first and second heat exchangers may be,

negotiating with the first device to determine parameters of the second type pilot symbols; or alternatively, the first and second heat exchangers may be,

the parameters of the second type pilot symbols are preset values.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of determining the position of the probe is performed,

22. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 21, wherein,

23. A method of communication, for application to a second device, the method comprising:

detecting a first UWB frame from a first device in a first channel, wherein a first field of the first UWB frame comprises a first type of pilot symbols, a second field of the first UWB frame comprises a second type of pilot symbols, the first field is a first synchronization field in a synchronization head of the first UWB frame, the second type of pilot symbols are used for executing channel access or resource selection, the first type of pilot symbols have a first type of format, and the second type of pilot symbols have a second type of format;

and carrying out synchronization or ranging or channel estimation according to the first type pilot symbols, or carrying out synchronization or ranging or channel estimation according to the first type pilot symbols and the second type pilot symbols.

24. A communication device comprising a processor and a memory, the memory and the processor being coupled, the processor being configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1-12, or to perform the method of any one of claims 13-22, or to perform the method of claim 23.

25. A computer readable storage medium for storing a computer program which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 12 or causes the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 13 to 22 or causes the computer to perform the method of claim 23.

26. A chip system, the chip system comprising:

a processor and an interface from which the processor invokes and executes instructions, which when executed by the processor, implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 12, or implement the method of any one of claims 13 to 22, or implement the method of claim 23.

27. A computer program product, characterized in that the computer program product comprises a computer program which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to carry out the method of any one of claims 1 to 12 or causes the computer to carry out the method of any one of claims 13 to 22 or causes the computer to carry out the method of claim 23.