WO2024041453A1

WO2024041453A1 - Communication method and related apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2024041453A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/113717
Authority: WO
Inventors: 罗之虎; 吴毅凌; 金哲
Original assignee: 华为技术有限公司
Priority date: 2022-08-26
Filing date: 2023-08-18
Publication date: 2024-02-29
Also published as: CN117675096A

Abstract

Disclosed in embodiments of the present application are a communication method and a related apparatus. The method comprises: generating a first signal, wherein the first signal is used for achieving at least one of the following functions: cell search, time synchronization, frequency synchronization, time tracking, frequency tracking, and measurement; and sending the first signal. In the embodiments of the present application, the reception of the first signal by means of envelope detection is supported. By sending the first signal of which the reception by means of envelope detection is supported, a receiving device receives the first signal by means of envelope detection, and uses the first signal to achieve at least one of the functions: cell search, time synchronization, frequency synchronization, time tracking, frequency tracking, and measurement, such that the power consumption can be reduced.

Description

Communication methods and related devices

This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on August 26, 2022, with application number 202211043601.1 and application title "Communication Method and Related Devices", the entire content of which is incorporated into this application by reference.

Technical field

The present application relates to the field of communication, and in particular to communication methods and related devices.

Background technique

With the popularization of 5G new radio (NR) system, machine-type communication (MTC) and Internet of things (IoT) communications, more and more IoT devices have been deployed in people's lives. in life. For example: smart water meters, shared bicycles, smart cities, environmental monitoring, smart homes, forest fire prevention and other devices targeting sensing and data collection, etc. In the future, IoT devices will be ubiquitous and may be embedded in every piece of clothing, every package, and every key. Almost all offline items will be online enabled by IoT technology. But at the same time, due to the wide distribution range and large number of IoT devices, the process of realizing the interconnection of everything has also brought many challenges to the industry. The first one is the power supply problem. Currently, IoT is still mainly driven by operators, and IoT modules need to use standard cellular protocols to communicate with base stations. Since the base station needs to cover as large an area as possible, the IoT module needs to be able to communicate even when it is far away from the base station. This means that IoT devices still need to consume up to 30mA of current during wireless communication, so the current IoT module A higher-capacity battery is still required to work, which also makes it difficult to reduce the size of the IoT module and increases the cost of the IoT device.

In addition, some low-power terminals play an important role in IoT applications such as medical care, smart homes, industrial sensors, and wearable devices. However, due to the limited size of such terminals, if you want to extend the operating time of these terminals, it is difficult to achieve it by increasing the battery capacity. To extend the battery life of the terminal, the power consumption of wireless communication needs to be reduced. Among them, the radio transceiver is one of the most power-consuming components. Therefore, it is necessary to study how to reduce the power consumption of the radio transceiver on the terminal.

Contents of the invention

The embodiments of the present application disclose a communication method and related devices, which can reduce the power consumption of the terminal.

In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, which method includes: generating a first signal, the first signal being used to implement at least one of the following functions: cell search, time synchronization, frequency synchronization, time tracking, frequency Tracking, measuring (eg channel measurement); sending the first signal. Optionally, the first signal supports reception through envelope detection. In other words, each signal in the first signal adopts a modulation method that supports envelope detection. The first signal can be regarded as a signal specially designed for a low-power receiver to implement at least one function of cell search, time synchronization, frequency synchronization, time tracking, frequency tracking, and measurement. In this application, the low-power receiver can use an envelope detector to complete the down-conversion operation and obtain the baseband signal. In other words, in this application, the low-power receiver does not use a voltage-controlled oscillator that can provide an accurate local oscillator signal. In this application, the first signal may be called a Beacon signal, or a synchronization signal, or a synchronized broadcast signal, or a reference signal, etc., which is not limited in this application.

In the embodiment of the present application, the first signal is sent so that the receiving device receives the first signal and uses the first signal to implement at least one of the functions of cell search, time synchronization, frequency synchronization, time tracking, frequency tracking, and measurement. , can reduce power consumption.

In a possible implementation, the first signal supports reception in a non-coherent manner, or the first signal supports frequency conversion from radio frequency or intermediate frequency to baseband in a non-coherent manner. For example, a non-coherent approach could be envelope detection.

In this implementation, the first signal supports reception in a non-coherent manner, or the first signal supports frequency conversion from radio frequency or intermediate frequency to baseband in a non-coherent manner; so that the receiving device uses a low-power receiver to successfully receive the first signal. signal, which can reduce power consumption.

In a possible implementation, the modulation method of the first signal is on-off keying (OOK), amplitude shift keying (ASK), or frequency-shift keying (ASK). keying, FSK). Amplitude keying is also called amplitude shift keying.

In this implementation, the modulation mode of the first signal is any one of OOK, ASK, and FSK, so that the receiving device can successfully receive the first signal using a low-power receiver and reduce power consumption.

In a possible implementation, the first signal includes a second signal and/or a third signal, the second signal is a preamble signal or a primary synchronization signal, and the third signal is a secondary synchronization signal (secondary synchronization signal). signal, SSS) or physical broadcast channel (physical broadcast channel, PBCH).

In this implementation, the first signal includes a second signal and/or a third signal to implement any one of the functions of cell search, time synchronization, frequency synchronization, time tracking, frequency tracking, and measurement.

In a possible implementation, the first signal includes the second signal and the third signal, the second signal is generated by a base sequence through repetition or spread spectrum, and the third signal The starting time domain position is determined based on the end position of the maximum time domain length supported by the second signal.

In this implementation, the starting time domain position of the third signal is determined based on the end position of the maximum time domain length supported by the second signal, which can avoid inconsistent understanding of the time domain end position of the second signal between the sending device and the receiving device. problem in order to receive the third signal correctly.

In a possible implementation, the third signal is used to indicate the number of repetitions of the second signal, the coverage level corresponding to the second signal, the spreading factor corresponding to the second signal, the third signal At least one of the time domain lengths of the two signals.

In this implementation, it is further ensured that the sending device and the receiving device have consistent understandings of the time domain end position of the second signal.

In a possible implementation, the first signal includes a second signal and a third signal, the second signal is used to achieve time synchronization or frequency synchronization, and the third signal carries at least one of the following: identification information , period information, the first frame number, the first superframe number, the first period index, the second period index, the identification information is the cell identification or the identification of the sending device, and the period information is the time when the sending device sends the first signal. period, the first frame number is the frame number of one of the multiple frames occupied by the first signal, the first superframe number is the superframe number of the superframe where the first signal is located, and the first A period index is the index of the period of the first signal within a superframe, and the second period index is the index of the paging cycle where the first signal is located within a superframe or paging time window.

In this implementation, the third signal carries at least one of the following: identification information, period information, first frame number, first superframe number, first period index, and second period index; so that the receiving device can obtain the corresponding parameters.

In a possible implementation, the second signal carries no information.

Before the receiving device (which may be called a receiving device) communicates with the sending device (which may be called a sending device), it needs to obtain time and/or frequency synchronization through the second signal. Therefore, the second signal can be considered as the first step in establishing communication between the receiving device and the sending device. At this time, the time and frequency of the receiving device and the sending device are not synchronized, and the receiving device needs to perform relevant operations within a larger time and frequency range. , to correctly detect the second signal. In order to reduce the complexity of the receiving device detecting the second signal, the second signal may not carry information. After the receiving device uses the second signal to obtain time and/or frequency synchronization, it no longer needs to perform correlation operations within a larger time and frequency range. , there is no detection complexity problem at this time. In this implementation, the second signal does not carry information. After using the second signal to obtain time and/or frequency synchronization, it is no longer necessary to perform relevant operations within a larger time and frequency range. At this time, there is no problem of detection complexity. .

In a possible implementation, the third signal includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the first signal includes or does not include the downlink data. In other words, the first indication information is used to indicate whether downlink data is included after the end position of the third signal. Alternatively, the downlink data includes second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate that the first signal includes or does not include the third signal.

In this implementation, the receiving device can be enabled to accurately distinguish whether there is overlap in the time domain between the first signal and the downlink data. In other words, the receiving device is allowed to accurately distinguish whether the first signal includes downlink data.

In a possible implementation, the first signal includes a second signal, a third signal and downlink data, the second signal is a preamble signal or a main synchronization signal, and the third signal is a secondary synchronization signal SSS or PBCH, the third signal serves as the preamble signal of the downlink data. The third signal serving as the preamble signal of the downlink data may be replaced by: the preamble signal of the downlink data serving as the main synchronization signal. When the first signal and the downlink data overlap in the time domain, the first signal and the downlink data may be multiplexed together. The third signal serves as a preamble signal for downlink data, which can save the overhead of the preamble signal. In other words, the third signal serves as a preamble signal for downlink data, which can save the overhead of the second signal.

In this implementation, the third signal serves as the preamble signal of downlink data, which can save the overhead of the preamble signal.

In a possible implementation, the third signal is in a sequence form, such as SSS, and the sequence of the third signal is used to indicate that the first signal includes or does not include the third signal. It can be understood that the third signal indicates whether the first signal has downlink data through different sequences.

In this implementation, the sequence of the third signal is used to indicate whether the first signal includes or does not include the third signal, which allows the receiving device to accurately distinguish whether there is overlap between the first signal and the downlink data in the time domain.

In a possible implementation, the third signal is in a coded and modulated data form, and a different status value of a field in the third signal indicates whether the first signal has downlink data. That is to say, when the third signal is in the form of coded and modulated data, such as PBCH, different status values in a field can be used to indicate whether there is downlink data.

In this implementation, a different status value of a field in the third signal indicates whether the first signal has downlink data, which can make the connection The receiving device accurately distinguishes whether there is overlap in the time domain between the first signal and the downlink data.

In a possible implementation, the bandwidth of the guard band of the first signal is greater than or equal to the bandwidth of the guard band of the downlink data.

If a low-power receiver adopts an indefinite IF structure, the frequency deviation of the ring oscillator that provides the local oscillator signal will be large. In order to ensure that the receiving device correctly receives the first signal, larger guard bands need to be reserved on both sides of the first signal. After the receiving device receives the first signal and completes frequency calibration (including frequency deviation estimation and compensation) based on the first signal, the frequency offset of the ring oscillator is improved. At this time, a smaller guard band can be used for the downlink data to improve to spectrum resource utilization.

In a possible implementation, the sending of the first signal includes: sending a plurality of the first signals on multiple frequency units or multiple time domain units, and any of the multiple first signals Two correspond to different coverage levels, repetition levels or spreading factors. The multiple first signals are used by the receiving device to determine the measurement quantity. The measurement quantity is the lowest coverage level of the first signal when the preset conditions are met. , the minimum number of repetitions or the minimum spreading factor. It should be noted that in the expression of multiple first signals, the first signal refers generally. The multiple first signals meet the signal characteristics in any claim, but are not the same signal. For example, the modulation modes of the plurality of first signals are all OOK or FSK, and any two of the plurality of first signals correspond to different coverage levels, repetition levels, or spreading factors.

In this implementation, multiple first signals are sent on multiple frequency units or multiple time domain units, so that the receiving device determines the measurement quantity based on the multiple first signals.

In a possible implementation, the sending of the first signal includes: sending the first signal according to the highest coverage level, the maximum number of repetitions or the maximum spreading factor; the first signal is used by the receiving device to determine Measurement quantity, the measurement quantity is the lowest coverage level, the minimum number of repetitions or the minimum spreading factor of the first signal when the preset conditions are met.

In this implementation, the first signal is sent according to the highest coverage level, the maximum number of repetitions, or the maximum spreading factor, so that the receiving device determines the measurement quantity based on the first signal.

In a possible implementation, the preset condition is that the receiving device correctly detects the first signal, or the preset condition is that the receiving device correctly detects the first signal under a preset configuration assumption. A signal, or the preset condition is that the first indicator is less than or equal to a threshold under a preset configuration assumption, and the first indicator is at least one of the following: the block error rate of the first signal, the first signal The packet error rate, the missed detection rate of the first signal, the false detection rate of the first signal, and the false alarm rate of the first signal.

In this implementation, the measurement quantity can be accurately determined based on the first signal through the preset conditions.

In a possible implementation, before generating the first signal, the method further includes: determining the format of the second signal according to its own load situation or resource occupation situation.

Considering that distances between different receiving devices and sending devices are different and channel conditions are different, the second signal may adopt different formats, and second signals in different formats respectively correspond to different channel conditions. Alternatively, the second signals in different formats respectively correspond to different coverage levels. Alternatively, the second signals in different formats respectively correspond to different repetition levels. The second signals in different formats may be sequences of different lengths. Alternatively, the second signals in different formats may be the same sequence with different repetition times. Alternatively, the second signals in different formats have different spreading factors under the same sequence.

In this implementation, the format of the second signal to be sent is determined according to its own load situation or resource occupancy situation, so as to meet the needs of different communication scenarios.

In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving first capability information from the receiving device; the first capability information may include at least one of the following: whether to support energy harvesting and whether to support a low-power receiver , whether to support backscatter communication; communicating with the receiving device according to the first capability information.

In this implementation, communication is performed based on the first capability information from the receiving device, which can improve communication quality.

In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving first capability information from the receiving device, the first capability information indicating that the receiving device supports a low-power receiver; and generating the first signal includes: according to The first capability information generates the first signal.

In this implementation method, the first signal is generated according to the first capability information; power consumption can be reduced.

In a second aspect, embodiments of the present application provide another communication method, which method includes: receiving a first signal; using the first signal to implement at least one of the following functions: cell search, time synchronization, frequency synchronization, time tracking, frequency tracking, measurements (e.g. channel measurements). Optionally, the first signal is received through envelope detection. The execution subject of the communication method of the second aspect is the receiving device. Optionally, the communication method of the second aspect is executed by a sending device that has a traditional receiver and a low-power receiver, but currently only the low-power receiver is on and the traditional receiver is off. Optionally, the execution subject of the communication method of the second aspect is a receiving device that only has a low-power receiver. It should be understood that the receiving device can implement the communication method of the second aspect through a low-power receiver in order to reduce power consumption.

In the embodiment of the present application, the first signal is received and the first signal is used to implement at least one of the functions of cell search, time synchronization, frequency synchronization, time tracking, frequency tracking, and measurement, thereby reducing power consumption.

In a possible implementation, the first signal supports reception in a non-coherent manner, or the first signal supports reception in a non-coherent manner. Coherent methods convert from RF or IF to baseband. For example, a non-coherent approach could be envelope detection. Receiving the first signal may include: receiving the first signal in a non-coherent manner, or converting the first signal from radio frequency or intermediate frequency to baseband in a non-coherent manner. In other words, a low-power receiver is used to receive the first signal.

In a possible implementation, the first signal includes a second signal and/or a third signal, the second signal is a preamble signal or a primary synchronization signal, and the third signal is a secondary synchronization signal SSS or a physical Broadcast channel PBCH.

In this implementation, the first signal includes a second signal and/or a third signal, and the first signal can be used to implement any one of the functions of cell search, time synchronization, frequency synchronization, time tracking, frequency tracking, and measurement.

In this implementation, the third signal carries at least one of the following: identification information, period information, first frame number, first superframe number, first period index, and second period index; the receiving device can according to the third signal Get the corresponding parameters.

In a possible implementation, the second signal carries no information.

In this implementation, the second signal does not carry information. After the receiving device uses the second signal to obtain time and/or frequency synchronization, it no longer needs to perform related operations within a larger time and frequency range. At this time, there is no detection complexity. The problem.

In a possible implementation, the third signal includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the first signal includes or does not include the downlink data, or the downlink data includes Second indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate whether the first signal includes or does not include the third signal.

In this implementation, the receiving device can accurately distinguish whether the first signal and the downlink data overlap in the time domain. In other words, the receiving device can accurately distinguish whether the first signal includes downlink data.

In a possible implementation, the first signal includes a second signal, a third signal and downlink data, the second signal is a preamble signal or a main synchronization signal, and the third signal is a secondary synchronization signal SSS or PBCH, the third signal serves as the preamble signal of the downlink data.

In a possible implementation, the third signal is in a sequence form, such as SSS, and the sequence of the third signal is used to indicate that the first signal includes or does not include the third signal.

In this implementation, the sequence of the third signal is used to indicate whether the first signal includes or does not include the third signal, and the receiving device can accurately distinguish whether there is overlap between the first signal and the downlink data in the time domain.

In a possible implementation, the third signal is in a coded and modulated data form, and a different status value of a field in the third signal indicates whether the first signal has downlink data.

In this implementation, a different status value of a field in the third signal indicates whether the first signal has downlink data, and the receiving device can Accurately distinguish whether there is overlap in the time domain between the first signal and the downlink data.

In a possible implementation, receiving the first signal includes: receiving multiple first signals on multiple frequency units or multiple time domain units, and any of the multiple first signals The two correspond to different coverage levels, repetition levels or spreading factors; when the preset conditions are met, the lowest coverage level, minimum number of repetitions or minimum spreading factor of the first signal is used as the measurement quantity.

In this implementation, multiple first signals are received on multiple frequency units or multiple time domain units, and when preset conditions are met, the lowest coverage level, minimum number of repetitions, or minimum spreading factor of the first signal As a measured quantity; a measured quantity can be accurately determined.

In a possible implementation, the first signal is sent by the sending device according to the highest coverage level, the maximum number of repetitions or the maximum spreading factor; the receiving the first signal includes: when a preset condition is met, The lowest coverage level, minimum number of repetitions or minimum spreading factor of the first signal is used as the measurement quantity.

In this implementation manner, when the preset conditions are met, the lowest coverage level, the minimum number of repetitions, or the minimum spreading factor of the first signal is used as the measurement quantity, so that the receiving device can implement channel measurement.

In a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending first capability information to the sending device, where the first capability information may include at least one of the following: whether to support energy harvesting, whether to support a low-power receiver, Whether to support backscatter communication.

In this implementation, the first capability information is sent to the sending device to facilitate better communication with the sending device.

In a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending first capability information to the sending device, where the first capability information indicates that the receiving device supports a low-power receiver.

In this implementation, the first capability information is sent to the sending device in order to save power consumption.

One possible way is that the maximum upstream bandwidth supported by the receiving device does not exceed X1.

Another possible way is that the maximum downstream bandwidth supported by the receiving device does not exceed Y1.

One possible way is that the number of transmitting antennas supported by the receiving device does not exceed X2.

Another possible way is that the number of branches of the transmitting antenna supported by the receiving device does not exceed X3.

Another possible way is that the number of receiving antennas supported by the receiving device does not exceed Y2.

Another possible way is that the number of branches of the transmitting antenna supported by the receiving device does not exceed Y3.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which has the function of implementing the behavior in the method embodiment of the first aspect. The communication device (sending device) may be a communication device, a component of the communication device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the communication device. . The functions of the communication device can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions. In a possible implementation, the communication device includes a processing module and a transceiver module, wherein: the processing module is used to generate a first signal, and the first signal is used to implement at least one of the following functions: cell search; Time synchronization, frequency synchronization, time tracking, frequency tracking, and measurement; the transceiver module is used to send the first signal.

In a possible implementation, the transceiver module is specifically configured to send multiple first signals on multiple frequency units or multiple time domain units, and any two of the multiple first signals Corresponding to different coverage levels, repetition levels or spreading factors, the plurality of first signals are used by the receiving device to determine measurement quantities. The measurement quantities are the lowest coverage level and minimum coverage level of the first signals when preset conditions are met. Number of repetitions or minimum spreading factor.

In a possible implementation, the transceiver module is specifically configured to send the first signal according to the highest coverage level, the maximum number of repetitions or the maximum spreading factor; the first signal is used by the receiving device to determine the measurement quantity , the measurement quantity is the lowest coverage level, the minimum number of repetitions or the minimum spreading factor of the first signal when the preset conditions are met.

In a possible implementation, the processing module is further configured to determine the format of the second signal according to its own load or resource occupancy.

Possible implementations of the communication device of the third aspect may be referred to various possible implementations of the first aspect.

Regarding the technical effects brought about by various possible implementations of the third aspect, reference may be made to the introduction of the first aspect or the technical effects of various possible implementations of the first aspect.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which has the function of implementing the behavior in the method embodiment of the second aspect. The communication device (sending device) may be a communication device, a component of the communication device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the communication device. . The functions of the communication device can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions. In a possible implementation, the communication device includes a processing module and a transceiver module, wherein: the transceiver module is used to receive a first signal; the processing module is used to use the first signal to implement at least one of the following functions : Cell search, time synchronization, frequency synchronization, time tracking, frequency tracking, measurement.

In a possible implementation, the transceiver module is specifically configured to receive multiple first signals on multiple frequency units or multiple time domain units, and any two of the multiple first signals Corresponding to different coverage levels, repetition levels or spreading factors; the processing module is also used to use the lowest coverage level, the minimum number of repetitions or the minimum spreading factor of the first signal when the preset conditions are met as a measurement quantity.

In a possible implementation, the first signal is sent by the sending device according to the highest coverage level, the maximum number of repetitions or the maximum spreading factor; the processing module is also configured to: when the preset conditions are met, the The lowest coverage level, minimum number of repetitions or minimum spreading factor of the first signal is used as the measurement quantity.

Possible implementations of the communication device of the fourth aspect may be referred to various possible implementations of the second aspect.

Regarding the technical effects brought about by various possible implementations of the fourth aspect, reference may be made to the introduction of the second aspect or the technical effects of various possible implementations of the second aspect.

In a fifth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide another communication device. The communication device includes a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory. The memory is used to store programs or instructions. When the program or instructions are executed by the processor, The communication device is caused to perform the method shown in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or the communication device is caused to perform the method shown in the above-mentioned second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

In the embodiment of the present application, during the execution of the above method, the process of sending information (or signals) in the above method can be understood as a process of outputting information based on instructions of the processor. In outputting information, the processor outputs the information to the transceiver for transmission by the transceiver. After the information is output by the processor, it may also need to undergo other processing before reaching the transceiver. Similarly, when the processor receives incoming information, the transceiver receives the information and feeds it into the processor. Furthermore, after the transceiver receives the information, the information may need to undergo other processing before being input to the processor.

For the sending and/or receiving operations involved in the processor, if there is no special explanation, or if it does not conflict with its actual role or internal logic in the relevant description, it can be generally understood as the instruction output based on the processor. .

During the implementation process, the above-mentioned processor may be a processor specifically designed to perform these methods, or may be a processor that executes computer instructions in a memory to perform these methods, such as a general-purpose processor. For example, the processor may also be configured to execute a program stored in the memory. When the program is executed, the communication device performs the method shown in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

In a possible implementation, the memory is located outside the communication device. In a possible implementation, the memory is located within the above communication device.

In a possible implementation, the processor and the memory may be integrated into one device, that is, the processor and the memory may be integrated together.

In a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a transceiver, which is used to receive signals or send signals, etc.

In a sixth aspect, the present application provides another communication device. The communication device includes a processing circuit and an interface circuit. The interface circuit is used to obtain data or output data; the processing circuit is used to perform the above-mentioned first aspect or any of the first aspects. The method shown in the possible implementation manner, or, perform the method shown in the above second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium. A computer program is stored in the computer-readable storage medium. The computer program includes program instructions. When executed, the program instructions cause the computer to perform the above-mentioned first aspect or the third aspect. The method shown in any possible implementation manner of one aspect, or the method shown in any possible implementation manner of the second aspect or the second aspect is performed.

In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes a computer program. The computer program includes program instructions. When executed, the program instructions cause the computer to perform the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible method of the first aspect. Implement the method shown in the method, or perform the method shown in the above second aspect or any possible implementation method of the second aspect.

In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, including the communication device described in the above third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect, and the communication device described in the above fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect. Communication device.

In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a chip, including a processor and a communication interface. The processor reads instructions stored in the memory through the communication interface and executes any one of the above-mentioned first aspect to the above-mentioned sixth aspect. The method shown in the aspect, or perform the method shown in the above second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

Description of drawings

In order to more clearly explain the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the background technology, the drawings required to be used in the embodiments or the background technology of the present application will be described below.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a low-power receiver based on a radio frequency tuning structure;

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a low-power receiver based on an indefinite IF structure;

Figure 3 is an example of a schematic structural diagram of an SSB;

Figure 4 is an example of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 5 is a flow chart of a communication interaction method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of a first signal provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of another first signal provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of another first signal provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a Beacon signal indicating a frame number provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a Beacon period index provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of time domain multiplexing of Beacon signals and downlink data provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of frequency domain resources of a Beacon signal provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 13 is an interaction flow chart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 14 is an example of a measurement mechanism based on Beacon signals provided by the embodiment of the present application;

Figure 15 is an example of another measurement mechanism based on Beacon signals provided by the embodiment of the present application;

Figure 16 is an interaction flow chart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 17 is an example of another measurement mechanism based on Beacon signals provided by the embodiment of the present application;

Figure 18 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1800 provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 19 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device 190 provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 20 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device 200 provided by an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed ways

The terms "first" and "second" in the description, claims, and drawings of this application are only used to distinguish different objects, but are not used to describe a specific sequence. Furthermore, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product or equipment that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally also includes unlisted steps or units, or optional It also includes other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products or equipment.

Reference herein to "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearances of this phrase in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Those skilled in the art will understand, both explicitly and implicitly, that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

The terms used in the following embodiments of the present application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present application. As used in the specification and appended claims of this application, the singular expressions "a", "an", "said", "above", "the" and "the" are intended to also Plural expressions are included unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term "and/or" as used in this application refers to and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more of the listed items. For example, "A and/or B" can mean: only A exists, only B exists, and both A and B exist simultaneously, where A and B can be singular or plural. The term "plurality" as used in this application means two or more.

It can be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, "A corresponds to B" means that A and B have a corresponding relationship, and B can be determined based on A. However, it should also be understood that determining (or generating) B according to (or based on) A does not mean only determining (or generating) B according to (or based on) A. It can also be determined according to (or based on) A and/or other information. or generate)B.

As mentioned in the background technology section, some low-power terminals are used in IoT applications such as medical care, smart homes, industrial sensors, and wearable devices. plays an important role. However, due to the limited size of such terminals, if you want to extend the operating time of these terminals, it is difficult to achieve it by increasing the battery capacity. To extend the battery life of the terminal, the power consumption of wireless communication needs to be reduced. Among them, the radio transceiver is one of the most power-consuming components. Therefore, it is necessary to study how to reduce the power consumption of the radio transceiver on the terminal.

In the standard discussion of the 3GPP Release-18 version, low power consumption research has been the focus of most companies. Focusing on low-power research, 3GPP has approved two research projects, one is the study on low-power Wake-up Signal and Receiver for NR (Study on low-power Wake-up Signal and Receiver for NR). For specific project approval documents, see RP- 213645. The other is Study on Ambient power-enabled Internet of Things (Study on Ambient power-enabled Internet of Things). For specific project approval documents, see S1-220192. The above research focuses on low-power IoT and low-power wearable device scenarios, but it does not exclude the application of low-power technical solutions to smartphones, smart watches, smart glasses, etc. that have low power consumption requirements.

Since the communication solution provided by this application involves traditional receivers and low-power receivers, the existing traditional receivers and low-power receivers will be introduced below.

traditional receiver

Traditional receiver (or traditional receiver) architectures include superheterodyne receivers, zero-IF receivers and low-IF receivers. These traditional receiver solutions are often used in scenarios that require high signal quality and transmission rate. In addition, due to the complexity of the signal modulation method, traditional receivers need to use some high-performance and high-precision module circuits, such as high-gain and high-linearity low-noise amplifiers, high-linearity mixers, and high-precision local oscillator signals. Voltage controlled oscillator, etc. In order to improve circuit performance, the power consumption of traditional receivers cannot be reduced.

low power receiver

Low-power receivers have strict power consumption limits, such as less than 1mW. By using amplitude modulation and envelope detection, low-power receivers can avoid the need for power-hungry RF modules. For example, low-power receivers do not need to use high-linearity mixers, voltage-controlled oscillators that can provide accurate local oscillator signals, etc., so they can achieve lower power consumption levels.

According to research, low-power receivers can adopt the following structure:

Radio frequency tuning structure: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a low-power receiver based on radio frequency tuning structure. The low-power receiver in Figure 1 mainly includes three parts: radio frequency amplifier, envelope detector and baseband amplifier. Referring to Figure 1, low-power receivers may also include RF filters. Since the envelope detector is a nonlinear device and has large noise, in order to correctly demodulate the received signal, a radio frequency amplifier needs to be added in front of the envelope detector to improve the system sensitivity.

Indeterminate IF structure: Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a low-power receiver based on an indefinite IF structure. The low-power receiver in Figure 2 mainly includes three parts: a ring oscillator, an intermediate frequency amplifier and an envelope detector. The RF signal is first converted into a lower frequency intermediate frequency signal through a mixer, and then the intermediate frequency signal is amplified through an intermediate frequency amplifier, and then an envelope detector is used to demodulate and output a baseband signal. Referring to Figure 2, a low-power receiver may also include RF filters, mixers, baseband amplifiers, etc. A mixer is used in a low-power receiver based on an indefinite IF structure, and a local oscillator signal needs to be provided for it. The local oscillator signal is generated through a ring oscillator because its structure is simple and its power consumption is low. However, the frequency deviation generated by the ring oscillator is large and will change within a certain range. The frequency generated by the ring oscillator and the intermediate frequency obtained after mixing the radio frequency signal are uncertain. Therefore, the structure of the receiver is called an indefinite intermediate frequency. structure. Since the frequency of the local oscillator signal generated by the ring oscillator is not accurate and changes with time and temperature, additional frequency calibration circuits may be needed to calibrate the frequency of the wake-up oscillator, as shown in the dotted box in Figure 2.

It can be seen from the above low-power receivers that both structures of low-power receivers use envelope detectors to complete the final down-conversion operation to obtain baseband signals. Both structures of low-power receivers do not use voltage-controlled oscillators that can provide accurate local oscillator signals.

The following introduces the existing technology solutions for completing cell search, time synchronization, frequency synchronization, time tracking, frequency tracking, and measurement.

In the existing technology, terminal equipment that supports the standard features of NR Release 17 and the standard features of previous versions (releases) can complete at least one of the following functions through the synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SS/PBCH block, SSB) in NR : Cell search, time tracking, frequency tracking, measurement. Cell search is a process in which a terminal device obtains time and frequency synchronization with a cell and detects the physical layer cell identity of the cell. The purpose of measurement is for mobility management, cell selection, cell reselection, etc.

An SSB includes primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS) and physical broadcast channel (PBCH). Figure 3 is an example of a schematic structural diagram of an SSB. Referring to Figure 3, in the time domain (time domain), one SSB occupies four consecutive orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; in the frequency domain (frequency domain), one SSB occupies There are 240 consecutive subcarriers, and these 240 subcarriers are numbered from 0 to 239 in order of increasing frequency. Among them, the first OFDM symbol from the left carries the PSS, the subcarriers numbered 0, 1,...,55,183,184,...,239 are set to 0, the subcarriers numbered 56, 57,...,182 are the subcarriers occupied by the PSS ; The 2nd and 4th OFDM symbols from the left carry PBCH, and every 4 consecutive subcarriers have a DMRS corresponding to PBCH; the 3rd OFDM symbol from the left carries SSS and PBCH, numbered 56, 57 ,...,182 subcarriers are set to SSS, subcarriers numbered 0, 1,...,47, 192, 193,...,239 are PBCH, and the remaining subcarriers are set to 0.

The PSS and SSS sequences in SSB use a modulation method similar to binary phase shift keying (BPSK). The modulation method of PBCH is quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK). For details on SSB signal generation and resource mapping, please refer to 3GPP TS 38.211V15.8.0. To save space, we will not go into details here.

In the existing technology, the PSS and SSS sequences in the SSB and the PBCH do not support reception through envelope detection and can only be received through coherent reception. The key to coherent reception is that the receiver is required to recover a coherent carrier that is strictly synchronized with the frequency of the modulated carrier; the receiver uses a mixer to multiply the radio frequency signal and the coherent carrier and obtain the baseband signal after processing. In order to obtain a coherent carrier that is strictly synchronized with the frequency of the modulating carrier, the receiver requires a voltage-controlled oscillator that can provide an accurate local oscillator signal. In other words, the terminal equipment is required to use a traditional receiver.

In order to meet the needs of extremely low power consumption, low-power receivers cannot provide an oscillator with an accurate local oscillator signal, that is, they do not use a voltage-controlled oscillator that can provide an accurate local oscillator signal. Therefore, for terminal equipment that has a traditional receiver and a low-power receiver, but currently only the low-power receiver is on and the traditional receiver is off, or a terminal equipment that only has a low-power receiver, it is impossible to Complete at least one of the following functions through NR's existing SSB: obtaining initial access, time synchronization, frequency synchronization, time tracking, frequency tracking, and measurement.

The embodiments of the present application may be applied to wireless local area network systems such as Internet of Things (IoT) networks, Vehicle to X (V2X), and Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). Of course, the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to other possible communication systems, such as long term evolution (long term evolution, LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (time division) system duplex (TDD), universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), global interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, fifth generation (5th generation, 5G) communication system, and future Sixth generation (6th generation, 6G) communication system, etc. The embodiments of the present application can also be applied to other communication systems, as long as there are entities in the communication system that can send information, and there are other entities in the communication system that can receive information.

The above-mentioned communication systems applicable to the present application are only examples. The communication systems applicable to the present application are not limited to these and will be explained uniformly here, and will not be described in detail below.

Figure 4 is an example of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 4, base station #1, base station #2, and terminal #1 to terminal #8 form a communication system. In this communication system, base station #1 transmits information to one or more terminals among terminal #1 to terminal #6. Base station #1 sends information to one or more of terminal #7 and terminal #8 through base station #2. In addition, terminal #4 to terminal #6 also form a communication system. In this communication system, terminal #5 can send information to one or more terminals among terminal #4 and terminal #6. Base station #2, terminal #7 and terminal #8 also form a communication system. In this communication system, base station #2 can send information to one or more terminals among terminal #7 and terminal #8.

Base station: A base station is an entity on the network side that is used to send or receive signals. A base station can be any device that has wireless transceiver functions and can communicate with terminal equipment, such as a radio access network (RAN) node that connects terminal equipment to a wireless network. Currently, some examples of RAN nodes include: transmission reception point (TRP), evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), home base station (e.g., home base station) evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), base band unit (BBU), WiFi access point (AP), integrated access and backhaul (IAB), satellite, wireless Man-machine etc. There may be different names under different communication modes. For example, the base station of LTE is called eNodeB, and the base station of NR is called gNB. The base station may be a macro base station, a micro base station, a pico base station, a small base station, a femto base station, or a pole station. A base station may be a base station that supports the reception of data transmitted via transmit communications. The base station may be a base station that supports sending wake-up signals.

Terminal (can be called terminal equipment): The terminal can be a device with wireless transceiver functions. The terminal can communicate with one or more core network (CN) devices (or core devices) via access network equipment (or access equipment) in the radio access network (RAN). . Access network equipment can be base stations, WiFi access points, TRPs, etc. The terminal may be a terminal device that supports a wake-up receiver, or a terminal device that does not support a wake-up receiver. The end device may be an end device that supports reflective communication, such as a tag. In the embodiment of this application, the terminal may also be called user equipment (UE), which may be a mobile phone (mobile phone), a mobile station (MS), a tablet computer (pad), a computer with wireless transceiver functions, Virtual reality (VR) terminal equipment, augmented reality (AR) terminal equipment, wireless terminal equipment in industrial control (industrial control), wireless terminal equipment in self-driving (self driving), telemedicine ( Wireless terminal equipment in remote medical, wireless terminal equipment in smart grid, wireless terminal equipment in transportation safety, wireless terminal equipment in smart city, smart home ) in wireless terminal equipment, subscriber unit (subscriber unit), cellular phone (cellular phone), wireless data card, personal digital assistant (personal digital assistant, PDA) computer, tablet computer, laptop computer (laptop computer), Machine type communication (MTC) terminal equipment, drones, etc. Terminal devices may include various handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to wireless modems. Optional , the terminal device can be a handheld device (handset) with wireless communication function, a terminal device in the Internet of Things or the Internet of Vehicles, any form of terminal device in the communication system evolved after 5G and 5G, etc. This application does not limited.

The embodiment of the present application mainly designs a signal. A terminal device with only a low-power receiver or only a low-power receiver in an on state (or working state) can use this signal to complete at least one function: cell search, Time synchronization, frequency synchronization, time tracking, frequency tracking, measurement.

This application provides a communication solution for a terminal device that only has a low-power receiver or only has a low-power receiver that is on (or in a working state) to use a newly designed signal to complete at least one of the above functions. The communication solution provided by the embodiment of the present application will be introduced below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 5 is a flow chart of a communication interaction method provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 5, the method includes:

501. The sending device generates the first signal.

The first signal is used to implement at least one of the following functions: cell search, time synchronization, frequency synchronization, time tracking, frequency tracking, and measurement. In this application, the first signal may be called a Beacon signal, or a synchronization signal, or a synchronized broadcast signal, or a reference signal, etc., which is not limited in the embodiment of this application. The first signal supports reception by the receiving device using a low-power receiver. That is to say, the receiving device can successfully receive the first signal by using the low-power receiver.

In a possible implementation, before generating the first signal, the sending device receives first capability information from the receiving device, where the first capability information indicates that the receiving device supports a low-power receiver. A possible implementation of step 501 is as follows: generate a first signal according to the first capability information. In this implementation, the first signal is generated according to the first capability information, which can save power consumption and enable the receiving device to successfully receive the first signal.

In a possible implementation, the first signal supports reception in a non-coherent manner, or the first signal supports frequency conversion from radio frequency or intermediate frequency to baseband in a non-coherent manner. For example, the non-coherent method may be envelope detection, that is, each signal in the first signal adopts a modulation method that supports envelope detection. Optionally, the first signal supports reception through envelope detection. For example, the modulation mode of the first signal is any one of OOK, ASK, and FSK. The receiving device may receive the first signal in a non-coherent manner. Alternatively, the receiving device may non-coherently convert the first signal from radio frequency or intermediate frequency to baseband. The first signal can be regarded as a signal specially designed for a low-power receiver to implement at least one of the functions of cell search, time synchronization, frequency synchronization, time tracking, frequency tracking, and measurement. The receiving device can take advantage of the low-power consumption. The receiver successfully receives the first signal. In this application, the low-power receiver can use an envelope detector to complete the down-conversion operation and obtain the baseband signal. In other words, in this application, the low-power receiver does not use a voltage-controlled oscillator that can provide an accurate local oscillator signal. In this implementation, the first signal supports reception in a non-coherent manner, or the first signal supports frequency conversion from radio frequency or intermediate frequency to baseband in a non-coherent manner; so that the receiving device uses a low-power receiver to successfully receive the first signal. signal, which can reduce power consumption.

In a possible implementation, the first signal includes a second signal and/or a third signal, the second signal is a preamble signal (preamble) or PSS, and the third signal is an SSS or PBCH. Both the second signal and the second signal support reception through envelope detection. In this application, the Beacon signal refers to the first signal. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of a first signal provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 6, the Beacon signal includes signal 1 and signal 2, where the Beacon signal refers to the first signal, signal 1 represents the second signal, and signal 2 represents the third signal. Signal 1 can be called Preamble or PSS, and signal 2 Can be called SSS or PBCH. In the following, signal 1 represents the second signal and signal 2 represents the third signal. Signal 1 and Signal 2 can be transmitted continuously or discontinuously in the time domain. Taking into account the different distances between different receiving devices and sending devices, the channel conditions are different. Signal 1 can be in different formats. Signals 1 in different formats respectively correspond to different channel conditions. Alternatively, signals 1 in different formats correspond to different coverage levels respectively. Alternatively, signals 1 in different formats respectively correspond to different repetition levels. Signal 1 in different formats can be sequences of different lengths. Alternatively, different formats of signal 1 can be different numbers of repetitions of the same sequence. Alternatively, signals 1 in different formats have different spreading factors under the same sequence. The sending device can determine the format of the signal 1 it sends based on its own load or resource occupancy. In this implementation, the first signal includes a second signal and/or a third signal to implement any one of the functions of cell search, time synchronization, frequency synchronization, time tracking, frequency tracking, and measurement.

In a possible implementation, the first signal includes the second signal (ie, signal 1) and the third signal (ie, signal 2). The second signal consists of a base sequence through repetition or expansion. The signal is generated in a frequency manner, and the starting time domain position of the third signal is determined based on the end position of the maximum time domain length supported by the second signal. Optionally, signal 2 indicates the number of repetitions of signal 1, or the coverage level corresponding to signal 1, or the spreading factor of signal 1, or the time domain length of signal 1. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of another first signal provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 7, signal 1 is generated by repeating the base sequence. The maximum number of repetitions supported by signal 1 is 4. The maximum time domain length supported by signal 1 is the time domain occupied by the sequence generated by the base sequence according to the number of repetitions 4. length. The technical gain is to avoid the problem of inconsistent understanding between the sending device and the receiving device regarding the end position of the time domain of signal 1, which in turn leads to the problem of being unable to correctly receive signal 2. For example, taking Figure 7 as an example, the sending device sends signal 1 according to the repetition number 4, and the actual end position of signal 1 is the end position corresponding to the base sequence of repetition number #3 in Figure 7. However, if the channel condition of the receiving device is good at this time and signal 1 is detected after only receiving the base sequence of repetition number #0 in Figure 7, the receiving device may think that the end position of signal 1 is the base sequence of repetition number #0. The end position corresponding to the sequence, the sending device and The receiving device has inconsistent understanding of the end position of signal 1 in the time domain. At this time, if the receiving device starts to receive signal 2 according to the end position of the base sequence of repetition number #0, signal 2 cannot be received correctly. If the starting time domain position of the agreed signal 2 is determined based on the end position of the maximum time domain length supported by the signal 1, the above problem can be avoided, and the third signal can be received correctly.

502. The sending device sends the first signal to the receiving device.

Correspondingly, the receiving device receives the first signal from the sending device. In a possible implementation, the receiving device only has a low-power receiver, and the receiving device uses the low-power receiver to receive the first signal. In a possible implementation, the receiving device has a traditional receiver and a low-power receiver, but currently only the low-power receiver is on, while the traditional receiver is off; the receiving device uses the low-power receiver to The machine receives the first signal. Low-power receivers can use envelope detectors to complete the final down-conversion operation to obtain baseband signals. The low-power receiver deployed in the receiving device can be the receiver shown in Figure 1, or the receiver shown in Figure 2, or other low-power receivers that use an envelope detector to complete the final down-conversion operation. machine.

Before communicating with the sending device, the receiving device needs to obtain time and/or frequency synchronization through signal 1. Therefore, signal 1 can be considered as the first step in establishing communication between the receiving device and the sending device. At this time, the time and frequency of the receiving device and the sending device are not synchronized, and the receiving device needs to perform relevant operations within a larger time and frequency range to correctly detect the signal 1. In order to reduce the complexity of detecting signal 1 by the receiving device, signal 1 may not carry information. After the receiving device uses signal 1 to obtain time and/or frequency synchronization, it no longer needs to perform related operations within a larger time and frequency range, so there is no Question about detection complexity. If the Beacon includes Signal 1 and Signal 2, the basic parameters of communication can be carried through Signal 2, including at least one of the following: network identification, Beacon cycle, frame number, superframe number, Beacon cycle index, and paging cycle index. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the frame structure of another first signal provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 8, the first signal (i.e., the Beacon signal in Figure 8) includes signal 1 and signal 2. Signal 2 content example 1, signal 2 content example 2, and signal 2 content example 3 show that signal 3 may carry Three examples of basic parameters of communication; Signal 2 content example 1 shows that signal 2 carries the network identification, Beacon period, frame number, and superframe number; Signal 2 content example 2 shows that signal 2 carries the network identification, Beacon period, Frame number; Signal 2 content example 3 shows that signal 2 carries the network identification, Beacon cycle, and paging cycle index. The basic parameters of communication carried by signal 2 are introduced below.

Network identity: The network identity can be a cell identity or an identity of the sending device.

Beacon period: Before the receiving device receives the Beacon signal, it can assume that the Beacon period is a default value, and the default value can be agreed upon. After receiving the Beacon signal, the receiving device can receive the Beacon signal according to the Beacon period indicated in the Beacon signal. It should be noted that for terminal equipment with a traditional receiver and a low-power receiver as the receiving device, before receiving the beacon signal, the receiving device can obtain the Beacon cycle from the sending device through the traditional receiver. In addition, the receiving device in this scenario can obtain at least one of the following from the sending device through a traditional receiver: the frequency domain resource location indication information of the Beacon signal, and the presence or absence of the Beacon signal.

Frame number: The length of a frame is 10ms. The frame number ranges from 0 to 1023. When the Beacon signal occupies multiple frames in the time domain, the frame number indicated by the Beacon signal is used to indicate the frame number of the frame where the starting time position of the Beacon signal is located, or the frame number indicated by the Beacon signal is used to indicate the end of the Beacon signal. The frame number of the frame where the time position is located, or the frame number indicated by the Beacon signal is used to indicate the frame number of a specific frame among the multiple frames occupied by the Beacon signal. The position of the specific frame can be agreed upon. The Beacon signal may indicate the complete frame number, or the Beacon signal may indicate the high-order bits of the signal frame number. For example, the number of bits used to indicate the frame number in the Beacon signal is bit, Y is the low-order bit of the frame number, and the sum of X and Y is greater than or equal to 10. For example, the duration of a Beacon cycle is 640ms, which contains 64 frames. 64 is expressed in binary and the number of bits it occupies is 6, which corresponds to the low-order bit of the frame number. The number of bits used in Beacon to indicate the frame number is 4, which corresponds to the high-order bit of the frame number, and the sum of 6 and 4 is equal to 10. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a Beacon signal indicating a frame number provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 9, in Example 1, 10 bits indicate at least the complete frame number, that is, the Beacon signal indicates the complete frame number; in Example 2, 4 bits indicate the frame number, that is, the starting frame number, and 6 bits indicate that the duration of a Beacon cycle includes number of frames. Assume that the 4 bits in the Beacon signal indicate that the frame number is 4, the 6 bits indicate that the number of frames included in one Beacon cycle is 64, and the frame numbers indicated by the Beacon signal are 4 to 67.

Beacon cycle index: The Beacon cycle index is the index of the Beacon cycle within a superframe. The index of the Beacon cycle within a superframe starts from 0. The duration of a superframe is 10240ms, and a superframe can include 1024 frames. Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a Beacon period index provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 10, the index of the Beacon cycle within a superframe starts from 0, and signal 2 indicates the Beacon cycle index.

Superframe number: The duration of a superframe is 10240ms, and a superframe can include 1024 frames. The Beacon signal indicates the superframe number of the superframe in which the Beacon is located. The Beacon signal may indicate the complete superframe number, or the Beacon signal may indicate the high bits of the superframe number.

Paging (paging) cycle (cycle) index: paging cycle can be called paging discontinuous reception (discontinuous reception, DRX) cycle (cycle), or it is called DRX cycle, and will be described as paging cycle later. For terminal equipment with a traditional receiver and a low-power receiver as the receiving device, before receiving the beacon signal, the receiving device can obtain the paging configuration from the sending device through the traditional receiver. Set parameters. The paging cycle can be the default paging cycle. Alternatively, the paging DRX cycle may be a terminal equipment specific (UE specific) paging cycle. Alternatively, the paging DRX cycle may be a terminal equipment specific (UE specific) extended paging cycle. Alternatively, the paging DRX cycle may be the minimum value of the default paging cycle and the UE specific paging cycle. Alternatively, the paging DRX cycle may be the minimum value of the default paging cycle and the UE specific extended paging cycle. The extended paging cycle can also be called eDRX cycle. The default paging cycle is configured by the sending device through system messages. The UE specific paging cycle or UE specific extended paging cycle is notified by the sending device through UE specific signaling. The paging cycle index indicated in the Beacon signal is the index of the paging cycle where the Beacon signal is located within a superframe, where the duration of a superframe is 10240ms. Alternatively, the paging cycle index indicated in the Beacon signal is the index of the paging cycle in which the Beacon signal is located within a paging time window (paging time window). The above index can start from 0. The configuration parameters of the paging time window are configured by the transmitting device or the core network device.

In a possible implementation, the first signal includes a second signal (ie, signal 2) and a third signal (ie, signal 2), the second signal is used to achieve time synchronization or frequency synchronization, and the third signal is used to achieve time synchronization or frequency synchronization. The three signals carry at least one of the following: identification information, period information, first frame number, first superframe number, first period index, and second period index. The identification information is a cell identification or an identification of a sending device. The cell identity or the identity of the sending device can be regarded as the network identity carried by signal 2. The period information is the period during which the sending device sends the first signal. The period information can be the Beacon period carried by signal 2. The first frame number is the frame number of one of the multiple frames occupied by the first signal, that is, the frame number carried by signal 2. The first superframe number is the superframe number of the superframe in which the first signal is located, that is, the superframe number carried by signal 2. The first period index (i.e., Beacon period index) is an index of the period of the first signal within a superframe, and the second period index (i.e., paging period index) is an index within a superframe or paging time window. The index of the paging cycle in which the first signal occurs. In this implementation, the third signal carries at least one of the following: identification information, period information, first frame number, first superframe number, first period index, and second period index; so that the receiving device can obtain the corresponding parameters.

503. The receiving device uses the first signal to implement at least one function among cell search, time synchronization, frequency synchronization, time tracking, frequency tracking, and measurement.

The receiving device may utilize the second signal in the first signal to achieve time synchronization and/or frequency synchronization. Optionally, the first signal includes a second signal and a third signal, the second signal is PSS, and the third signal is SSS or PBCH; the receiving device uses the first signal to implement cell search, time synchronization, frequency synchronization, time tracking, frequency At least one function in tracking and measurement.

In the embodiment of the present application, the first signal is sent to the receiving device, and the receiving device uses the first signal to implement at least one of cell search, time synchronization, frequency synchronization, time tracking, frequency tracking, and measurement, which can reduce power consumption.

In order to improve the utilization of spectrum resources, this application provides a multiplexing design of Beacon signals and data, reducing the overhead of signal 1. The following introduces the multiplexing design of Beacon signals and data provided by the embodiment of this application.

In the time domain, when the Beacon signal and the downlink data overlap in the time domain, the Beacon signal and the downlink data can be multiplexed together. Beacon signals can include Signal 1 and Signal 2. In the embodiment of this application, asynchronous communication is considered. When downlink data is transmitted, a preamble signal is required before the downlink data. The preamble signal can have the same format as signal 1 in Beacon. When the Beacon signal and downlink data overlap in the time domain, multiplexing the Beacon signal and the downlink data together can save the overhead of the preamble signal. In other words, when the Beacon signal and downlink data overlap in the time domain, multiplexing the Beacon signal and the downlink data together can save the overhead of signal 1. Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of time domain multiplexing of Beacon signals and downlink data provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 11, the Beacon signal includes Signal 1 and Signal 2. When the downlink data is transmitted, a preamble signal, namely Signal 1, is required before the downlink data. When the Beacon signal and the downlink data overlap in the time domain, the Beacon signal and the downlink data overlap. The data is multiplexed together to obtain a signal including preamble (i.e. signal 1), signal 2 and downlink data. There may be no overlap between the Beacon signal and the downlink data in the time domain. In order to distinguish between no overlap in the time domain and overlap in the time domain, signal 2 may include an indication of whether there is downlink data. Alternatively, the downlink data may include an indication of whether signal 2 is present. When signal 2 is in sequence form, such as SSS, different sequences can be used to indicate whether there is downlink data. When signal 2 is in the form of coded and modulated data, such as PBCH, different status values in a field can be used to indicate whether there is downlink data.

In a possible implementation, the first signal includes a second signal (signal 1), a third signal (signal 2) and downlink data, the second signal is a preamble signal or a main synchronization signal, and the third signal The third signal is the secondary synchronization signal SSS or PBCH, and the third signal serves as the preamble signal of the downlink data. In this implementation, the third signal serves as the preamble signal of downlink data, which can save the overhead of the preamble signal. In other words, save the cost of the second signal. Optionally, the third signal includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the first signal includes or does not include the downlink data, or the downlink data includes second indication information, The second indication information is used to indicate whether the first signal includes or does not include the third signal. The third signal is in the form of coded and modulated data, and a different status value of a field in the third signal indicates whether the first signal has downlink data. That is to say, when the third signal is in the form of coded and modulated data, such as PBCH, different status values in a field can be used to indicate whether there is downlink data. Optionally, the third signal is in a sequence form, such as SSS, and the sequence of the third signal is used to indicate whether the first signal includes or does not include the third signal. Reasonable Solution: The third signal indicates whether the first signal has downlink data through different sequences.

In the frequency domain, the bandwidth of the guard band of the Beacon signal is greater than or equal to the bandwidth of the guard band of the downlink data. If a low-power receiver adopts an indefinite IF structure, the frequency deviation of the ring oscillator that provides the local oscillator signal will be large. In order to ensure that the receiving device correctly receives the Beacon signal, larger protective bands need to be reserved on both sides of the Beacon signal. After the receiving device receives the Beacon signal and completes frequency calibration (including frequency deviation estimation and compensation) based on the Beacon signal, the frequency offset of the ring oscillator is improved. At this time, a smaller guard band can be used for downlink data to improve spectrum resource utilization. Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of frequency domain resources of a Beacon signal provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 12, before frequency calibration, the ratio of the frequency offset of the ring oscillator to the carrier frequency is several hundred ppm (x100ppm in Figure 12). Taking the carrier frequency of 900MHz as an example, the frequency offset corresponding to 100ppm is 90kHz, the frequency offset value is after frequency calibration, the ratio of the frequency offset of the ring oscillator to the carrier frequency is tens of ppm (x10ppm in Figure 12). Taking the carrier frequency as 900MHz as an example, the corresponding frequency offset of 10ppm is 9kHz.

The multiplexing design of Beacon signals and data provided by the embodiment of this application can reduce the overhead of signal 1.

For scenarios where the receiving device uses a low-power receiver, the receiving device ultimately receives the Beacon signal through envelope detection and obtains the envelope of the Beacon signal; then, digitally samples the envelope of the Beacon signal and uses it with the receiver The amplitude or energy threshold set by the device is compared to determine whether the received signal is 1 or 0, or whether the received signal is +1 or -1. Of course, the receiving device can also determine whether the received signal is 1 or 0 according to other implementation methods, or determine whether the received signal is +1 or -1, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of this application. In this way, the signal obtained by the receiving device is a binary sequence, that is, a sequence composed of elements 0 and 1, or a sequence composed of elements +1 and -1. Binary sequences cannot obtain measurements that describe channel conditions like reference signal receiving power (RSRP) or signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) in NR systems. So how does this binary sequence obtain measurement results? The embodiments of this application provide a measurement mechanism based on Beacon signals, so that low-power receivers can obtain channel quality based on Beacon signals. The measurement mechanism based on the Beacon signal provided by the embodiment of the present application is introduced below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 13 is an interaction flow chart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 13, the method includes:

1301. The sending device sends multiple first signals on multiple frequency units or multiple time domain units.

Correspondingly, the receiving device receives multiple first signals sent by the sending device on multiple frequency units or multiple time domain units. The time-frequency resources occupied by any two of the plurality of first signals do not overlap. Any two of the plurality of first signals correspond to different coverage levels, repetition levels or spreading factors. It should be noted that in the expression of multiple first signals, the first signal refers generally. The multiple first signals have some same signal characteristics, but are not the same signal. For example, the modulation modes of the plurality of first signals are all OOK or FSK, and the plurality of first signals are used to implement the same function. Any two of the plurality of first signals correspond to different coverage levels, repetition levels or expansion levels. frequency factor.

Figure 14 is an example of a measurement mechanism based on Beacon signals provided by the embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 14, the sending device sends multiple Beacon signals on multiple frequency units. Referring to Figure 14, the first signal sent on frequency unit 2 corresponds to coverage level 0, the first signal sent on frequency unit 1 corresponds to coverage level 1, and the first signal sent on frequency unit 0 corresponds to coverage level 2. Figure 15 is an example of another measurement mechanism based on Beacon signals provided by the embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 15, the sending device sends multiple Beacon signals in multiple time units; the first signal sent in time unit 0 corresponds to coverage level 2, the first signal sent in time unit 1 corresponds to coverage level 1, and the first signal sent in time unit 2 corresponds to coverage level 1. The first signal sent corresponds to coverage level 0. The plurality of first signals are used by the receiving device to determine channel quality, and the channel quality corresponds to the lowest coverage level, minimum number of repetitions or minimum expansion of the first signal when the receiving device correctly detects the first signal. frequency factor. In this application, the repetition level may be referred to as the number of repetitions.

1302. Based on the multiple first signals from the sending device, the receiving device uses the lowest coverage level, the minimum number of repetitions, or the minimum spreading factor of the first signal when the preset conditions are met as a measurement quantity.

The measurement quantity is used to describe the channel conditions (or channel quality) between the receiving device and the transmitting device. The measurement quantity may be, for example, reference signal received power (RSRP), signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), etc. Taking the lowest coverage level, minimum number of repetitions or minimum spreading factor of the first signal when the preset conditions are met as a measurement quantity can be understood as: taking the plurality of first signals that meet the preset conditions and correspond to the lowest coverage level, minimum The coverage level, the number of repetitions, or the spreading factor corresponding to the first signal with the minimum spreading factor is used as the measurement quantity.

In a possible implementation, the preset condition is that the receiving device correctly detects the first signal, or the preset condition is that the receiving device correctly detects the first signal under a preset configuration assumption. A signal, or the preset condition is that the first indicator is less than or equal to a threshold under a preset configuration assumption, and the first indicator is at least one of the following: the block error rate of the first signal, the first signal The packet error rate, the missed detection rate of the first signal, the false detection rate of the first signal, and the false alarm rate of the first signal. The preset configuration hypothesis may be at least one of the following: a preset transmitting antenna configuration, a preset receiving antenna configuration, a preset period, and a preset number of receptions. The above thresholds can be agreed upon or configured according to actual needs, and are not limited here.

In a possible implementation, the channel condition (or channel quality) between the receiving device and the sending device can be expressed as: the lowest coverage level of the Beacon signal when the receiving device can correctly detect the Beacon signal, or the lowest repetition level , or, the lowest spreading factor. The relative positions of each frequency unit used by the sending device to send beacon signals can be agreed upon to avoid blind detection of different frequency units by the receiving device. Optionally, the receiving device determines the channel quality based on the lowest coverage level, minimum number of repetitions, or minimum spreading factor of the first signal when the first signal is correctly detected.

Optionally, the receiving device determines the measurement quantity based on whether it detects the Beacon signal of the corresponding coverage level. Taking Figure 14 as an example, there are three coverage levels, namely coverage level 0, coverage level 1 and coverage level 2. Coverage level 0 indicates the best channel quality, and coverage level 2 indicates the worst channel quality. If the receiving device can correctly detect the Beacon signal of coverage level 2, but cannot correctly detect the Beacon signal of coverage level 1 and coverage level 0, the receiving device determines that the measurement quantity is coverage level 2. If the receiving device can correctly detect the Beacon signal of coverage level 1, but cannot correctly detect the Beacon signal of coverage level 0, the receiving device determines that the measurement quantity is coverage level 1. If the receiving device can correctly detect the Beacon signal of coverage level 0, the receiving device determines that the measurement quantity is coverage level 0.

Optionally, the receiving device determines the measurement quantity based on whether it detects the Beacon signal of the corresponding repetitive level. For example, multiple (for example, 3) first signals sent by the sending device correspond to three repetition levels, namely repetition level 0, repetition level 1 and repetition level 2. Repeat level 0 indicates the best channel quality, while repetition level 2 indicates the worst channel quality. If the receiving device can correctly detect the Beacon signal of repetition level 2, but cannot correctly detect the Beacon signal of repetition level 1 and repetition level 0, the receiving device determines that the measured quantity is repetition level 2. If the receiving device can correctly detect the Beacon signal of repetition level 1, but cannot correctly detect the Beacon signal of repetition level 0, the receiving device determines that the measured quantity is repetition level 1. If the receiving device can correctly detect the Beacon signal with repetition level 0, the receiving device determines that the measured quantity is repetition level 0.

Optionally, the receiving device determines the measurement quantity based on whether it detects the Beacon signal with the corresponding spreading factor. For example, multiple (for example, 3) first signals sent by the sending device correspond to three spreading factors, namely spreading factor 0, spreading factor 1 and spreading factor 2. A spreading factor of 0 indicates the best channel quality, and a spreading factor of 2 indicates the worst channel quality. If the receiving device can correctly detect the Beacon signal with spreading factor 2, but cannot correctly detect the Beacon signal with spreading factor 1 and 0, the receiving device determines that the measured quantity is spreading factor 2. If the receiving device can correctly detect a Beacon signal with a spreading factor of 1, but cannot correctly detect a Beacon signal with a spreading factor of 0, the receiving device determines that the measured quantity is a spreading factor of 1. If the receiving device can correctly detect the Beacon signal with spreading factor 0, the receiving device determines that the measured quantity is spreading factor 0.

In the embodiment of the present application, the sending device sends multiple first signals on multiple frequency units or multiple time domain units, and the receiving device determines the measurement with the sending device based on the multiple first signals from the sending device; This enables low-power receivers to obtain measurement quantities based on Beacon signals.

Figure 16 is an interaction flow chart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 16, the method includes:

1601. The sending device sends the first signal according to the highest coverage level, the maximum number of repetitions, or the maximum spreading factor.

Correspondingly, the receiving device receives the first signal from the sending device. The receiving device receives the first signal from the sending device using a low-power receiver.

In a possible implementation, the first signal supports reception in a non-coherent manner, or the first signal supports frequency conversion from radio frequency or intermediate frequency to baseband in a non-coherent manner. For example, the non-coherent method may be envelope detection, that is, each signal in the first signal adopts a modulation method that supports envelope detection. Optionally, the first signal supports reception through envelope detection. For example, the modulation mode of the first signal is any one of OOK, ASK, and FSK. The receiving device may receive the first signal in a non-coherent manner. Alternatively, the receiving device may non-coherently convert the first signal from radio frequency or intermediate frequency to baseband.

1602. When the receiving device meets the preset conditions, the lowest coverage level, the minimum number of repetitions, or the minimum spreading factor of the first signal is used as the measurement quantity.

In a possible implementation, the preset condition is that the receiving device correctly detects the first signal, or the preset condition is that the receiving device correctly detects the first signal under a preset configuration assumption. A signal, or the preset condition is that the first indicator is less than or equal to a threshold under a preset configuration assumption, and the first indicator is at least one of the following: the block error rate of the first signal, the first signal The packet error rate, the missed detection rate of the first signal, the false detection rate of the first signal, and the false alarm rate of the first signal. In this implementation, the measurement quantity can be accurately determined based on the first signal through the preset conditions.

In a possible implementation, the channel quality between the receiving device and the sending device can be expressed as: when the receiving device can correctly detect the Beacon signal, the lowest coverage level of the Beacon signal, or the lowest repetition level, or the lowest spread spectrum factor. Figure 17 is an example of another measurement mechanism based on Beacon signals provided by the embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 17, the Beacon signal contains 4 repetitions. Channel quality can be the minimum number of repetitions of the Beacon signal when the Beacon signal can be correctly detected by the receiving device.

Optionally, the sending device sends the first signal according to the highest coverage level; when the receiving device correctly detects the first signal, the first signal The lowest coverage level determines the measurement quantity. For example, the measurement quantity can be the lowest coverage level of the Beacon signal when the Beacon signal can be correctly detected by the receiving device. If the receiving device can correctly detect the Beacon signal with spreading factor 2, but cannot correctly detect the Beacon signal with spreading factor 1 and 0, the receiving device determines that the measured quantity is spreading factor 2. For example, the first signal sent by the sending device corresponds to coverage level 2. Coverage level 0 indicates the best channel quality, and coverage level 2 indicates the worst channel quality. If the minimum coverage level when the receiving device can correctly detect the Beacon signal is coverage level 2, the receiving device determines that the measurement quantity is coverage level 2. If the minimum coverage level when the receiving device can correctly detect the Beacon signal is coverage level 1, the receiving device determines that the measurement quantity is coverage level 1.

Optionally, the sending device sends the first signal according to the maximum number of repetitions; the receiving device determines the measurement quantity according to the minimum number of repetitions of the first signal when the first signal is correctly detected. For example, the measurement quantity can be the minimum repetition level of the Beacon signal when the receiving device can correctly detect the Beacon signal. For example, the first signal sent by the sending device corresponds to the repetition number 3. A repetition number of 0 indicates the best channel quality, and a repetition number of 3 indicates the worst channel quality. If the minimum number of repetitions when the receiving device can correctly detect the Beacon signal is the number of repetitions 2, the receiving device determines that the measurement quantity is the number of repetitions 2. If the minimum number of repetitions when the receiving device can correctly detect the Beacon signal is the number of repetitions 1, the receiving device determines that the measurement quantity is the number of repetitions 1.

Optionally, the sending device sends the first signal according to the maximum spreading factor; the receiving device determines the measurement quantity based on the minimum spreading factor of the first signal when the first signal is correctly detected. For example, the measurement quantity can be the minimum spreading factor of the Beacon signal when the receiving device can correctly detect the Beacon signal. For example, the first signal sent by the sending device corresponds to a spreading factor of 2. A spreading factor of 0 indicates the best channel quality, and a spreading factor of 2 indicates the worst channel quality. If the minimum spreading factor when the receiving device can correctly detect the Beacon signal is spreading factor 1, the receiving device determines that the measured quantity is spreading factor 1. If the minimum spreading factor when the receiving device can correctly detect the Beacon signal is spreading factor 0, the receiving device determines that the measured quantity is spreading factor 0.

In the embodiment of the present application, the measurement quantity is determined based on the lowest coverage level, the minimum number of repetitions or the minimum spreading factor of the first signal when the first signal is correctly detected, so that the receiving device that receives the first signal through a low-power receiver can achieve Channel measurement enables low-power receivers to obtain channel quality based on Beacon signals.

For all embodiments of this application, optionally, the receiving device may send the first capability information to the sending device.

Accordingly, the sending device may receive the first capability information from the receiving device.

The first capability information may include at least one of the following: whether to support energy harvesting, whether to support a low-power receiver, and whether to support backscatter communication.

In one possible way, the first capability information includes that the receiving device supports energy harvesting.

Wherein, the receiving device supports energy collection may mean that the receiving device supports autonomously acquiring energy from the environment and can convert the energy into electrical energy. Wherein, the source of the energy may include at least one of the following: light, radio waves, temperature difference, vibration, motion, salinity gradient, wind, and current.

It should be understood that the benefit of energy harvesting is to replace batteries to power devices or replenish battery energy, thereby extending the service life of the device. The receiving device can provide the energy generated through energy harvesting to its own signal processing or data storage circuit to maintain normal working conditions.

In another possible way, the first capability information includes that the receiving device supports a low-power receiver.

It should be understood that low-power receivers can avoid using RF modules with large power consumption, such as high-linearity mixers, voltage-controlled oscillators that can provide accurate local oscillator signals, etc. Therefore, low-power receivers can achieve higher performance. Low power consumption level.

Wherein, the receiving device supports a low-power receiver may mean that the receiving device supports receiving signals in a non-coherent receiving manner.

Illustratively, the signal may be a signal from a transmitting device.

For example, the non-coherent receiving method may be envelope detection, differential demodulation, etc.

For example, when the non-coherent receiving method is envelope detection, the envelope detection can rectify the received high-frequency or intermediate-frequency signal through half-wave or full-wave rectification to obtain the envelope or amplitude line of the low-frequency original signal.

In this way, the receiving device can receive the signal using envelope detection to obtain the envelope of the original signal. After the receiving device digitally samples the envelope of the original signal, it can be compared with the amplitude or energy threshold set by the receiving device to determine whether the received signal is 1 or 0. It should be understood that the receiving device can also determine whether the received signal is 1 or 0 according to other methods, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

Among them, the receiving device supporting a low-power receiver may mean that the receiving device has a low-power receiver, or the receiving device has both a low-power receiver and a traditional receiver.

It should be understood that traditional receivers are different from low-power receivers. The receiver architecture of traditional receivers can be superheterodyne, zero-IF or low-IF, and can support coherent reception. Traditional receivers need to use some high-performance and high-precision module circuits to ensure receiver performance, such as high-gain and high-linearity low-noise amplifiers, high-linearity mixers, and voltage-controlled oscillators that can provide accurate local oscillator signals. etc., these module circuits have higher power consumption, and within a certain period of time, the power consumption of traditional receivers is higher than that of low-power receivers.

It should also be understood that when the receiving device has both a low-power receiver and a traditional receiver, the receiving device can achieve energy saving by turning off the traditional receiver and turning on the low-power receiver.

It should also be understood that when the receiving device has both a low-power receiver and a traditional receiver, the receiving device can receive the wake-up signal through the low-power receiver and trigger the turn-on of the traditional receiver through the wake-up signal. The wake-up signal may be sent by the sending device.

In another possible way, the first capability information includes that the receiving device supports backscatter communication.

Among them, the receiving device supporting backscatter communication may mean that the receiving device supports sending information to the sending device without an actively transmitting radio frequency link; or, the receiving device supporting backscatter communication may mean that the receiving device supports sending information when it has An actively transmitting radio frequency link sends information to the sending device without being turned on, that is, the receiving device mainly relies on an excitation device other than the sending device or a continuous carrier emitted by the sending device for modulation.

For example, the receiving device can reflect part or all of the incident carrier waves by adjusting the impedance of the antenna of the receiving device; for another example, the receiving device can adjust the impedance of the antenna of the receiving device so as not to reflect the incident carrier waves; for another example, the receiving device can absorb The energy of the incident carrier wave.

In this way, the receiving device can modulate the digital information onto the incident carrier wave by adjusting the impedance of its own antenna and send it to the transmitting device.

Optionally, the maximum bandwidth supported by the receiving device is limited.

For example, X1 may be a specific value. For example, X1 can be 20MHz, or X1 can be 5MHz, or X1 can be 3MHz, or X1 can be 1.4MHz, or X1 can be 1MHz, or X1 can be 720kHz, or X1 can be 540kHz, or X1 can be 360kHz, Or X1 can be 180kHz.

For example, X1 may be the bandwidth occupied by K1 resource blocks, and K1 is a positive integer. For example, K1 may be a positive integer less than or equal to 11, or K1 may be a positive integer less than or equal to 25, or K1 may be a positive integer less than or equal to 51, or K1 may be a positive integer less than or equal to 106.

For example, Y1 may be a specific value. For example, Y1 can be 20MHz, or Y1 can be 5MHz, or Y1 can be 3MHz, or Y1 can be 1.4MHz, or Y1 can be 1MHz, or Y1 can be 720kHz, or Y1 can be 540kHz, or Y1 can be 360kHz, Or Y1 can be 180kHz.

For example, Y1 may be the bandwidth occupied by K2 resource blocks, and K2 is a positive integer. For example, K2 may be a positive integer less than or equal to 11, or K2 may be a positive integer less than or equal to 25, or K2 may be a positive integer less than or equal to 51, or K2 may be a positive integer less than or equal to 106.

Optionally, the maximum uplink bandwidth supported by the receiving device is less than or equal to the maximum downlink bandwidth supported by the receiving device.

Optionally, the number of transmitting and/or receiving antennas supported by the receiving device is limited.

For example, X2 may be a specific value. For example, X2 could be 1, or X2 could be 2, or X2 could be 4.

For example, X3 may be a specific value. For example, X3 could be 1, or X3 could be 2, or X3 could be 4.

For example, Y2 may be a specific value. For example, Y2 could be 1, or Y2 could be 2, or Y2 could be 4.

For example, Y3 may be a specific value. For example, Y3 could be 1, or Y3 could be 2, or Y3 could be 4.

Optionally, the number of transmitting antennas supported by the receiving device is greater than or equal to the number of receiving antennas supported by the receiving device.

Optionally, the number of branches of the transmitting antenna supported by the receiving device is greater than or equal to the number of branches of the receiving antenna supported by the receiving device.

It should be understood that "the number of branches of the receiving antenna" can be expressed as "the number of radio frequency channels of the receiving antenna", or it can also be expressed as "the number of radio frequency chains of the receiving antenna". "The number of branches of the transmitting antenna" can be expressed as "the number of radio frequency channels of the transmitting antenna", or it can also be expressed as "the number of radio frequency chains of the transmitting antenna".

Optionally, the receiving device cannot simultaneously receive downlink and transmit uplink on the serving cell with the paired spectrum.

The following describes the structure of a communication device that can implement the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 18 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1800 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1800 may correspond to the functions or steps implemented by the sending device in each of the above method embodiments, and may also correspond to the functions or steps implemented by the receiving device in each of the above method embodiments. The communication device may include a processing module 1810 and a transceiver module 1820. Optionally, a storage unit may also be included, which may be used to store instructions (code or programs) and/or data. The processing module 1810 and the transceiver module 1820 can be connected to the storage unit Meta-coupling, for example, the processing module 1810 can read the instructions (code or program) and/or data in the storage unit to implement the corresponding method. Each of the above units can be set up independently or partially or fully integrated. For example, the transceiver module 1820 may include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module can be a transmitter, and the receiving module can be a receiver. The entity corresponding to the transceiver module 1820 may be a transceiver or a communication interface.

In some possible implementations, the communication device 1800 can correspondingly implement the behaviors and functions of the sending device in the above method embodiments. For example, the communication device 1800 may be a sending device, or may be a component (such as a chip or a circuit) used in the sending device. The transceiver module 1820 may, for example, be used to perform all receiving or sending operations performed by the sending device in the embodiments of FIG. 5, FIG. 13, and FIG. 16, such as step 502 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, and step 502 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 13. Step 1301 in the embodiment, step 1601 in the embodiment shown in Figure 16, and/or other processes used to support the techniques described herein. The processing module 1810 is configured to perform all operations performed by the sending device in the embodiments of FIG. 5, FIG. 13, and FIG. 16 except for the sending and receiving operations, such as step 501 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5.

In some possible implementations, the communication device 1800 can correspondingly implement the behaviors and functions of the receiving device in the above method embodiments. For example, the communication device 1800 may be a receiving device, or may be a component (such as a chip or circuit) used in the receiving device. The transceiver module 1820 may, for example, be used to perform all receiving or sending operations performed by the receiving device in the embodiments of FIG. 5, FIG. 13, and FIG. 16, such as step 502 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, step 502 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 13 Step 1301 in the embodiment, step 1601 in the embodiment shown in Figure 16, and/or other processes used to support the techniques described herein. The processing module 1810 is used to perform all operations performed by the receiving device except for the sending and receiving operations, such as step 503 in the embodiment shown in Figure 5, step 1302 in the embodiment shown in Figure 13, and step 1302 in the embodiment shown in Figure 16 Step 1602 in the embodiment.

Figure 19 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device 190 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication device in FIG. 19 may be the above-mentioned sending device or the above-mentioned receiving device.

As shown in FIG. 19 , the communication device 190 includes at least one processor 1910 and a transceiver 1920 .

In some embodiments of the present application, the processor 1910 and the transceiver 1920 may be used to perform functions or operations performed by the transmitting device, and the like. The transceiver 1920 performs, for example, all receiving or transmitting operations performed by the transmitting device in the embodiments of FIG. 5, FIG. 13, and FIG. 16. The processor 1910 is, for example, configured to perform all operations performed by the sending device in the embodiments of FIG. 5, FIG. 13, and FIG. 16 except for the sending and receiving operations.

In some embodiments of the present application, the processor 1910 and the transceiver 1920 may be used to perform functions or operations performed by the receiving device, and the like. The transceiver 1920 performs, for example, all receiving or transmitting operations performed by the receiving device in the embodiments of FIG. 5, FIG. 13, and FIG. 16. The processor 1910 is configured to perform all operations performed by the receiving device except for transceiver operations.

Transceiver 1920 is used to communicate with other devices/devices over transmission media. The processor 1910 uses the transceiver 1920 to send and receive data and/or signaling, and is used to implement the method in the above method embodiment. The processor 1910 can implement the function of the processing module 1810, and the transceiver 1920 can implement the function of the transceiver module 1820.

Optionally, the transceiver 1920 may include a radio frequency circuit and an antenna. The radio frequency circuit is mainly used for conversion of baseband signals and radio frequency signals and processing of radio frequency signals. Antennas are mainly used to send and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input and output devices, such as touch screens, display screens, keyboards, etc., are mainly used to receive data input by users and output data to users.

Optionally, the communication device 190 may also include at least one memory 1930 for storing program instructions and/or data. Memory 1930 and processor 1910 are coupled. The coupling in the embodiment of this application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units or modules, which may be in electrical, mechanical or other forms, and is used for information interaction between devices, units or modules. The processor 1910 may cooperate with the memory 1930. Processor 1910 may execute program instructions stored in memory 1930. At least one of the at least one memory may be included in the processor.

When the communication device 190 is turned on, the processor 1910 can read the software program in the memory 1930, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be sent wirelessly, the processor 1910 performs baseband processing on the data to be sent, and then outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal and then sends the radio frequency signal out in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1910. The processor 1910 converts the baseband signal into data and performs processing on the data. deal with.

In another implementation, the above-mentioned radio frequency circuit and antenna can be arranged independently of the processor that performs baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuit and antenna can be arranged remotely and independently of the communication device.

The specific connection medium between the above-mentioned transceiver 1920, processor 1910 and memory 1930 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. In the embodiment of the present application, the memory 1930, the processor 1910 and the transceiver 1920 are connected through a bus 1940 in Figure 19. The bus is represented by a thick line in Figure 19. The connection methods between other components are only schematically explained. , is not limited. The bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of presentation, only one thick line is used in Figure 19, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

In the embodiment of this application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component, which may implement or Execute each method, step and logical block diagram disclosed in the embodiment of this application. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the methods disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly implemented by a hardware processor for execution, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

Figure 20 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device 200 provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 20 , the communication device shown in FIG. 20 includes a logic circuit 2001 and an interface 2002 . The processing module 1810 in Figure 18 can be implemented by the logic circuit 2001, and the transceiver module 1820 in Figure 18 can be implemented by the interface 2002. Among them, the logic circuit 2001 can be a chip, a processing circuit, an integrated circuit or a system on chip (SoC) chip, etc., and the interface 2002 can be a communication interface, an input-output interface, etc. In the embodiment of the present application, the logic circuit and the interface may also be coupled to each other. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific connection methods of the logic circuits and interfaces.

In some embodiments of the present application, the logic circuit and interface may be used to perform the functions or operations performed by the above-mentioned sending device, etc.

In some embodiments of the present application, the logic circuit and interface may be used to perform the functions or operations performed by the above-mentioned receiving device, etc.

This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method of the above embodiments.

This application also provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes instructions or computer programs. When the instructions or computer programs are run on a computer, the methods in the above embodiments are executed.

This application also provides a communication system, including the above-mentioned sending device and the above-mentioned receiving device.

The above are only specific embodiments of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application. should be covered by the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this application should be subject to the protection scope of the above claims.

Claims

A communication method, characterized by including:

Generate a first signal, the first signal is used to implement at least one of the following functions: cell search, time synchronization, frequency synchronization, time tracking, frequency tracking, and measurement;

Send the first signal.
The method of claim 1, wherein the first signal includes a second signal and/or a third signal, the second signal is a pilot signal or a primary synchronization signal, and the third signal is a secondary synchronization signal. Signal SSS or Physical Broadcast Channel PBCH.
The method of claim 2, wherein the first signal includes the second signal and the third signal, and the second signal is generated by a base sequence through repetition or spread spectrum, so The starting time domain position of the third signal is determined based on the end position of the maximum time domain length supported by the second signal.
The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the third signal is used to indicate the number of repetitions of the second signal, the coverage level corresponding to the second signal, and the spreading factor corresponding to the second signal. , at least one of the time domain lengths of the second signal.
The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the first signal includes a second signal and a third signal, the second signal is used to achieve time synchronization or frequency synchronization, and the third signal carries at least one of the following Items: identification information, period information, first frame number, first superframe number, first period index, second period index, the identification information is the cell identifier or the identifier of the sending device, and the period information is the sending device sending the The period of the first signal, the first frame number is the frame number of one of the multiple frames occupied by the first signal, and the first superframe number is the superframe number of the superframe in which the first signal is located. , the first cycle index is the index of the cycle of the first signal within a superframe, and the second cycle index is the index of the paging cycle where the first signal is located within a superframe or paging time window. .
The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the third signal includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the first signal includes or does not include the downlink data.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the first signal includes a second signal, a third signal and downlink data, the second signal is a pilot signal or a main synchronization signal, and the The third signal is the secondary synchronization signal SSS or PBCH, and the third signal serves as the preamble signal of the downlink data.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that said sending the first signal includes:

Multiple first signals are sent on multiple frequency units or multiple time domain units, any two of the multiple first signals correspond to different coverage levels, repetition levels or spreading factors, and the multiple first signals The first signal is used by the receiving device to determine a measurement quantity, which is the lowest coverage level, minimum number of repetitions, or minimum spreading factor of the first signal when preset conditions are met.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that said sending the first signal includes:

The first signal is sent according to the highest coverage level, the maximum number of repetitions or the maximum spreading factor; the first signal is used by the receiving device to determine the measurement quantity, and the measurement quantity is the first signal when the preset conditions are met. The minimum coverage level, minimum number of repetitions or minimum spreading factor.
The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the preset condition is that the receiving device correctly detects the first signal, or the preset condition is that the receiving device assumes a preset configuration. Correctly detect the first signal, or the preset condition is a preset configuration assuming that the first indicator is less than or equal to a threshold, and the first indicator is at least one of the following: the block error rate of the first signal , the packet error rate of the first signal, the missed detection rate of the first signal, the false detection rate of the first signal, and the false alarm rate of the first signal.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the bandwidth of the guard band of the first signal is greater than or equal to the bandwidth of the guard band of downlink data.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the modulation mode of the first signal is any one of on-off keying OOK, amplitude keying ASK, and frequency shift keying FSK.
A communication method, characterized by including:

receive the first signal;

The first signal is used to realize at least one of the following functions: cell search, time synchronization, frequency synchronization, time tracking, frequency tracking, and measurement.
The method of claim 13, wherein the first signal includes a second signal and/or a third signal, the second signal is a pilot signal or a primary synchronization signal, and the third signal is a secondary synchronization signal. Signal SSS or Physical Broadcast Channel PBCH.
The method of claim 14, wherein the first signal includes the second signal and the third signal, and the second signal is generated by a base sequence through repetition or spread spectrum, so The starting time domain position of the third signal is determined based on the end position of the maximum time domain length supported by the second signal.
The method according to claim 15, characterized in that the third signal is used to indicate the number of repetitions of the second signal, the coverage level corresponding to the second signal, and the spreading factor corresponding to the second signal. , at least one of the time domain lengths of the second signal.
The method according to claim 13, characterized in that the first signal includes a second signal and a third signal, the second signal is used to achieve time synchronization or frequency synchronization, and the third signal carries at least one of the following Items: identification information, period information, first frame number, first superframe number, first period index, second period index, the identification information is the cell identifier or the identifier of the sending device, and the period information is the sending device sending the The period of the first signal, the first frame number is the frame number of one of the multiple frames occupied by the first signal, and the first superframe number is the superframe number of the superframe in which the first signal is located. , the first cycle index is the index of the cycle of the first signal within a superframe, and the second cycle index is the index of the paging cycle where the first signal is located within a superframe or paging time window. .
The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that the third signal includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the first signal includes or does not include the downlink data.
The method according to claim 18, characterized in that the first signal includes a second signal, a third signal and downlink data, the second signal is a preamble signal or a main synchronization signal, and the third signal is an auxiliary signal. Synchronization signal SSS or PBCH, the third signal serves as the preamble signal of the downlink data.
The method according to any one of claims 13 to 19, wherein receiving the first signal includes:

Receive multiple first signals on multiple frequency units or multiple time domain units, any two of the multiple first signals corresponding to different coverage levels, repetition levels or spreading factors;

When the preset conditions are met, the lowest coverage level, minimum number of repetitions or minimum spreading factor of the first signal is used as the measurement quantity.
The method according to any one of claims 13 to 19, characterized in that the first signal is sent by the sending device according to the highest coverage level, the maximum number of repetitions or the maximum spreading factor; the receiving the first signal include:

When the preset conditions are met, the lowest coverage level, minimum number of repetitions or minimum spreading factor of the first signal is used as the measurement quantity.
The method according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that the preset condition is that the receiving device correctly detects the first signal, or the preset condition is that the receiving device assumes a preset configuration. Correctly detect the first signal, or the preset condition is a preset configuration assuming that the first indicator is less than or equal to a threshold, and the first indicator is at least one of the following: the block error rate of the first signal , the packet error rate of the first signal, the missed detection rate of the first signal, the false detection rate of the first signal, and the false alarm rate of the first signal.
The method according to any one of claims 13 to 22, characterized in that the bandwidth of the guard band of the first signal is greater than or equal to the bandwidth of the guard band of downlink data.
The method according to any one of claims 13 to 23, characterized in that the modulation mode of the first signal is OOK, ASK, Any of FSK.
A communication device, characterized by comprising a module or unit for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.
A communication device, characterized by comprising a module or unit for implementing the method according to any one of claims 13 to 24.
A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that a computer program is stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program includes program instructions. When executed, the program instructions cause the computer to execute the instructions in claims 1 to 12. The method of any one of claims 13 to 24, or when the program instructions are executed, the computer performs the method of any one of claims 13 to 24.
A communication device, characterized by comprising a processor, the processor being configured to, when executing instructions, cause the communication device to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, or, The communication device is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 13 to 24.
A chip, characterized in that the chip includes a processor and a communication interface, the processor reads instructions stored in the memory through the communication interface, and executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, Alternatively, a method as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 24 is performed.