WO2025161814A1 - Communication method and related apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and a communication apparatus, applied to the technical field of communications. In the technical solution provided by the present application, a terminal reports to a network device the strength of one or more energy in an environment where the terminal is located, and the network device can send an energy charging signal to the terminal on the basis of the strength of one or more energy in the environment where the terminal is located. When the network device sends the energy charging signal, the strength of one or more energy in the environment where the terminal is located is taken into account, such that resource allocation of the energy charging signal can be more reasonable, thereby saving energy charging resources of the network device.

Description

Communication method and related device

This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on January 30, 2024, with application number 202410133374.4 and application name “Communication Methods and Related Devices”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application.

Technical Field

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

Background Art

With the development of wireless networks and the evolution of business needs, a vast number of Internet of Things (IoT) nodes are now present in these networks. IoT nodes are typically small and cannot carry large-capacity batteries, resulting in short standby life. Wireless energy transfer (WPT) through base stations is one important approach to addressing the short battery life of IoT nodes.

In the technical solution of implementing WPT through base stations to solve the short battery life of IoT nodes, the base station sends a wireless signal. After the IoT node receives the wireless signal sent by the base station, it can obtain the energy in the wireless signal to charge the battery.

However, the energy consumption of base stations is relatively high, so how to reduce the energy consumption of base stations is a problem that needs to be solved.

Summary of the Invention

The present application provides a communication method, a communication device, and a communication system, which help save energy consumed by network equipment to charge terminals.

In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which includes: sending first information to a network device, where the first information indicates a first intensity, and the first intensity is the intensity of at least one energy in the environment where the terminal is located; and receiving a charging signal sent by the network device based on the first information.

The method may be executed by a terminal or a communication device applied in the terminal, or it can be said that the method may be applied to the terminal.

In this method, an indication of the intensity of one or more energies in the environment where the terminal is located is sent to the network device, which helps the network device to know the intensity of energy that the terminal can obtain from the environment, thereby helping the network device to determine a charging signal with appropriate power based on the intensity of the environmental energy, and further helping to reduce the energy consumption of the network device in charging the terminal.

In some possible implementations of the method, the at least one energy may include at least one of the following energies: wireless radio frequency energy, light energy, thermal energy, or vibration energy.

Regarding the first information indicating the intensity of the at least one energy, in some possible implementations, the first information may include at least one piece of energy information, each piece of energy information corresponding one-to-one to the at least one energy, and each piece of energy information in the at least one piece of energy information indicating the intensity of the corresponding energy. In other words, the intensity of each type of energy is indicated separately.

Each type of energy is indicated separately, so that network devices can clearly know the intensity of each type of energy, thereby knowing the intensity distribution of each type of energy, predicting the energy arrival time in advance, and optimizing resource scheduling.

Regarding the first information indicating the intensity of the at least one energy, in some other possible implementations, the first information indicates the total intensity of all types of energy in the at least one energy. Indicating the total intensity can reduce the amount of reported information, shorten transmission time, and save power.

In some possible implementations of the method, the first information further indicates a duration of the at least one energy. This implementation helps the network device accurately determine the charging power that the at least one energy can provide to the terminal based on the duration of the at least one energy, thereby helping the network device accurately determine a charging signal with appropriate power, thereby helping to reduce energy consumption of the network device charging the terminal.

Regarding the first information indicating the duration of the at least one energy, in some possible implementations, the first information may include at least one duration information, each of which corresponds one-to-one to the at least one energy, and each of which indicates the duration of the corresponding energy. In other words, the duration of each energy is indicated separately.

The duration of each energy is indicated separately, so that network devices can clearly know the duration of the intensity of each energy, thereby knowing the intensity distribution of each energy over time, predicting the energy arrival time in advance, and optimizing resource scheduling.

Regarding the first information indicating the duration of the at least one type of energy, in some other possible implementations, the first information indicates a duration for all types of energy in the at least one type of energy.

For example, the duration indicated by the first information may be the duration of the energy with the highest intensity among the at least one energy, may be the shortest duration among the durations corresponding to the at least one energy, may be the average duration of the durations corresponding to the at least one energy, or may be the total duration of the energy type with the highest intensity among the at least one energy.

In some possible implementations of this method, the first information further indicates the type of each energy in the at least one energy source. This facilitates network devices to optimize the scheduling of charging resources. For example, since vibration energy dissipates easily, more charging resources can be pre-allocated. This also facilitates the temporal distribution of network devices or each energy type, allowing for early prediction of energy arrival times and optimized resource scheduling.

In some possible implementations of the method, the first information indicates both a duration of the at least one energy and a type of each energy in the at least one energy.

If the at least one type of energy includes radio frequency energy, in some possible implementations of the method, the first information also indicates the frequency band of the radio frequency energy. This helps the network device understand the temporal distribution of energy at each different frequency point, predict the energy arrival time in advance, and optimize resource scheduling.

In the case where the first information also indicates the frequency band of the radio frequency energy, in some possible implementations, the first information may indicate the total intensity of the radio frequency energy of all frequency bands, or the first information may indicate the intensity of the radio frequency energy of each frequency band separately.

The separate indication of the RF energy intensity in each frequency band allows network devices to clearly understand the intensity of each type of energy, thereby understanding the intensity distribution of RF energy in each frequency band, predicting the energy arrival time in advance, and optimizing resource scheduling.

Indicating the total intensity of radio frequency energy in multiple frequency bands can reduce the amount of reported information, shorten transmission time, and save power.

In some possible implementations of the method, before sending the first information to the network device, the method further includes: receiving second information from the network device, where the second information is used to determine resources for collecting environmental energy by the terminal.

Optionally, at the resource indicated by the second information where the terminal collects ambient energy, the network device does not send a signal. In this way, the ambient energy collected by the terminal at this resource does not include the radio frequency energy sent by the network device. This prevents the radio frequency energy reported by the terminal from including the radio frequency energy provided by the network device, thereby helping the network device accurately understand the energy that the environment can provide to the terminal, and further helping the network device accurately determine the energy it needs to provide to the terminal.

For example, the resource includes a time domain resource, and the network device does not send a signal on all or part of the frequency domain resources at the time domain resource.

For another example, the resource includes a time domain resource and a frequency domain resource, and the network device does not send a signal at the time domain resource and the frequency domain resource.

Regarding the resources used by a terminal to collect ambient energy, in some possible implementations, these resources may include multiple time-domain resources, with different time-domain resources corresponding to different frequency-domain resources. In this implementation, because different time-domain resources correspond to different frequency-domain resources, the network device will not transmit signals for different periods of time on different frequency-domain resources. Alternatively, the network device will be able to transmit signals on at least some of the frequency-domain resources within each of these time-domain resources. Therefore, the accurate ambient energy collection by the terminal will not affect the network device's communications.

In some possible implementations of the method, before receiving the second information from the network device, the method further includes: sending third information to the network device, where the third information is used to instruct the terminal to request the network device to perform radio frequency energy measurement.

That is, the terminal informs the network device that the terminal needs to perform radio frequency energy measurement, so that the network device can configure resources for the terminal to collect environmental energy.

Optionally, the third information may also be understood as being used to instruct the terminal to request the network device to perform environmental energy measurement, or the third information may also be understood as being used to request the terminal to collect resources for environmental energy.

Regarding the third information, in some possible implementations, the third information also indicates the operating frequency band of the terminal. This helps to avoid the network device configuring invalid resources for collecting ambient energy for the terminal and avoids waste of signaling overhead.

In some possible implementations of the method, the method further includes: sending fourth information to the network device, the fourth information indicating a second intensity, the second intensity being the intensity of at least one energy in the environment where the terminal is located, and the measurement period of the second intensity being after the measurement period of the first intensity.

That is, the terminal can update the energy intensity in its environment to the network device, which helps the network device determine a charging signal that can meet the terminal charging needs and save energy consumption of the network device based on the updated intensity.

In some possible implementations of the method, the fourth information indicates the second intensity, including: the fourth information indicates a difference between the second intensity and the first intensity.

In this implementation, the fourth information informs the network device of the second strength by indicating the difference between the second strength and the first strength. Compared with directly indicating the second strength, since the difference is smaller than the second strength, signaling overhead can be saved.

In some possible implementations of the method, sending the fourth information to the network device includes sending the fourth information to the network device when the absolute value of the difference between the second intensity and the first intensity is greater than or equal to a threshold. In other words, when the absolute value of the difference between the second intensity and the first intensity is less than the threshold, not sending the fourth information to the network device.

In some possible implementations of the method, the method further includes: receiving fifth information from a network device, where the fifth information is used to configure the threshold.

The threshold determines the frequency of feedback. A higher threshold reduces the frequency of feedback, which can save terminal energy, but also reduces the real-time nature of environmental energy updates. Configuring a threshold on network devices adjusts the frequency of environmental energy updates, ensuring a balanced and relatively efficient balance between the real-time nature of environmental energy updates and the energy consumption of terminal feedback. For example, the threshold can be raised when environmental energy fluctuations are small, and lowered when fluctuations are large.

In some possible implementations of the method, resources used to send the fourth information are preconfigured or predefined.

In some possible implementations of the method, the method further includes receiving sixth information from the network device, the sixth information indicating that charging has ended. This allows the terminal to stop reporting ambient energy information to the network device based on the sixth information, thereby avoiding wasted signaling overhead. Furthermore, the terminal can free up resources previously allocated for reporting ambient energy information for other purposes, thereby improving resource utilization.

In some possible implementations of the method, the method further includes: sending seventh information to the network device, the seventh information indicating that charging is complete. In this way, the network device can free up resources allocated for reporting environmental energy information for other purposes, thereby improving resource utilization.

In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, comprising: receiving first information from a terminal, the first information indicating a first intensity, the first intensity being the intensity of at least one energy in the environment where the terminal is located; and sending a charging signal to the terminal according to the first information.

The method can be executed by a network device or a communication device applied in the network device. In other words, the method can be applied to the network device.

In this method, the network device obtains the intensity of one or more energies in the environment where the terminal is located, which helps the network device to obtain the intensity of energy that the terminal can obtain from the environment, thereby helping the network device to determine a charging signal with appropriate power based on the intensity of the environmental energy, and further helping to reduce the energy consumption of the network device in charging the terminal.

In some possible implementations of the method, the at least one energy may include at least one of the following energies: wireless radio frequency energy, light energy, thermal energy, or vibration energy.

In some possible implementations of the method, the first information further indicates a duration and/or type of the at least one energy.

In some possible implementations of the method, the at least one type of energy includes radio frequency energy, wherein the first information further indicates a frequency band of the radio frequency energy.

In some possible implementations of the method, before receiving the first information from the terminal, the method further includes: sending second information to the terminal, where the second information is used to determine resources for the terminal to collect environmental energy.

In some possible implementations of the method, before sending the second information to the terminal, the method further includes: receiving third information from the terminal, where the third information is used to instruct the terminal to request the network device to perform radio frequency energy measurement.

In some possible implementations of the method, the third information further indicates an operating frequency band of the terminal.

In some possible implementations of the method, the resources used by the terminal to collect ambient energy include multiple time domain resources, and different time domain resources in the multiple time domain resources correspond to different frequency domain resources.

In some possible implementations of the method, the method further includes: receiving fourth information from the terminal, the fourth information indicating a second intensity, the second intensity being the intensity of at least one energy in the environment where the terminal is located, and the measurement period of the second intensity being after the measurement period of the first intensity.

In some possible implementations of the method, the fourth information indicates the second intensity, including: the fourth information indicates a difference between the second intensity and the first intensity.

In some possible implementations of the method, an absolute value of a difference between the second intensity and the first intensity is greater than or equal to a threshold.

In some possible implementations of the method, the method further includes: sending fifth information to the terminal, where the fifth information is used to configure the threshold.

In some possible implementations of the method, resources used to receive the fourth information are preconfigured or predefined.

In some possible implementations of the method, the method further includes: sending sixth information to the terminal, the sixth information indicating that charging is completed; or receiving seventh information from the terminal, the sixth information indicating that charging is completed.

In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication device. The communication device may include a module corresponding to each of the methods/operations/steps/actions described in the first aspect, and the module may be implemented as a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

In one design, the apparatus may include a processing module and a communication module. The communication module is configured to perform the sending and receiving actions performed by the terminal or communication device in the method described in the first aspect above, and the processing module is configured to perform the processing-related actions performed by the terminal or communication device in the method described in the first aspect above.

In one design, the device may be a terminal, or a device, module, circuit or chip configured in the terminal, or a device that can be used in conjunction with the terminal.

In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication device. The communication device may include a module corresponding to each of the methods/operations/steps/actions described in the second aspect, and the module may be implemented as a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

In one design, the apparatus may include a processing module and a communication module. The communication module is configured to perform the sending and receiving actions performed by the network device or communication device in the method described in the second aspect above, and the processing module is configured to perform the processing-related actions performed by the network device or communication device in the method described in the second aspect above.

In one design, the device may be a network device, or a device, module, circuit or chip configured and arranged in the network device, or a device that can be used in conjunction with the network device.

In a fifth aspect, a device is provided, comprising a processor and a storage medium, wherein the storage medium stores instructions, which, when executed by the processor, enable the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect to be implemented, or enable the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect to be implemented.

In a sixth aspect, a device is provided, comprising a processing circuit, wherein the processing circuit is used to process data and/or information so that a method as in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect is implemented, or a method as in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect is implemented.

The processing circuit may include one or more processors, or all or part of the circuitry in one or more processors for processing functions.

In one design, the device may be a terminal, or a device, module, circuit or chip configured in the terminal, or a device that can be used in conjunction with the terminal.

In one design, the device may be a network device, or a device, module, circuit or chip configured and arranged in the network device, or a device that can be used in conjunction with the network device.

Optionally, the device may also include a memory for storing programs or instructions, and the processor is used to run the programs or instructions so that the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect is implemented, or the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect is implemented.

Optionally, the device may further include the transceiver circuit, or an input/output interface.

In the seventh aspect, a chip is provided, comprising a processing circuit, wherein the processing circuit is used to run a program or instruction so that the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect is implemented, or the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect is implemented.

Optionally, the chip may further include a memory for storing programs or instructions.

Optionally, the chip may further include a transceiver circuit, or an input/output interface.

In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium includes instructions, which, when executed by a processor, enable the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect to be implemented, or enable the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect to be implemented.

In the ninth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes computer program code or instructions. When the computer program code or instructions are executed, the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect is implemented, or the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect is implemented.

In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes a combination of one or more of the following devices: a communication device that executes the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or a communication device that executes the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG3 is an exemplary flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG4 is an exemplary flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG5 is an exemplary flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG6 is an exemplary diagram of resources for collecting environmental energy intensity according to one embodiment of the present application;

FIG7 is an exemplary flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG8 is an exemplary diagram of resources for updating environmental energy intensity information according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG9 is an exemplary flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG10 is an exemplary flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG11 is an exemplary structural diagram of a communication device of the present application;

FIG12 is another exemplary structural diagram of the communication device of the present application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

To facilitate the clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, the words "first" and "second" are used to distinguish between identical or similar items with substantially the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art will understand that the words "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the words "first" and "second" do not necessarily mean different.

It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described in this application as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

In the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more" refers to two or more. "And/or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and/or B can represent: the existence of A alone, the existence of A and B at the same time, and the existence of B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character "/" generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

The embodiments of this application primarily describe the methods provided by the embodiments of this application using a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) as an example, but this should not limit this application in any way. Based on the same concept, the methods provided by this application can also be applied to other communication networks such as ZigBee, long-range radio (Lora), Bluetooth (BT), and wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi).

The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as fifth-generation (5G) or new radio (NR) systems, long-term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, wireless local area network (WLAN) systems, satellite communication systems, future communication systems such as sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication systems, or a fusion system of multiple systems. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), and Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems or other communication systems.

The terminal device involved in the embodiments of the present application can also be called a terminal, which can be a device with wireless transceiver function, which can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water surface (such as ships, etc.); it can also be deployed in the air (for example, on airplanes, balloons and satellites, etc.). The terminal device can be a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE includes a handheld device, vehicle-mounted device, wearable device or computing device with wireless communication function. Exemplarily, the UE can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer or a computer with wireless transceiver function. The terminal device can also be a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in unmanned driving, a wireless terminal in telemedicine, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, etc.

A terminal device can be a device that provides voice/data, for example, a handheld device with wireless connection function, a vehicle-mounted device, etc. At present, some examples of terminals are: mobile phones, tablet computers, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocols (SIPs), etc. The present invention relates to a wireless communication protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a customer premises equipment (CPE), a fixed wireless access (FWA), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network or a terminal device in a public land mobile network (PLMN) to be evolved in the future, a device in a Zigbee network, a device in a Lora network, a Bluetooth slave (BT slave), a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) slave, a Wi-Fi station (STA), and the like. The embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

A terminal device can also be a terminal device in an IoT system, also known as an IoT node. IoT is an important component of the future development of information technology. Its main technical feature is to connect objects to the network through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network that interconnects people and machines, and things and things. Connections can be achieved through broadband or narrowband technology. IoT technology, for example, can achieve massive connections, deep coverage, and terminal power saving through narrowband (NB) technology. IoT technologies include reflective communication technology, spread spectrum technology, ultra-wideband (UWB), etc., which will not be elaborated here.

In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the functions of the terminal may be a terminal; or it may be a device capable of supporting the terminal to implement the functions, such as a chip system, which may be installed in the terminal. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices. In the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the functions of the terminal is a terminal, and the terminal is a UE as an example to describe the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application.

The network devices involved in the embodiments of the present application include radio access network (RAN) devices, which can also be called access network devices. The radio access network devices in the present application are devices with wireless transceiver functions. The radio access network devices can provide wireless communication function services and can connect terminal devices to wireless networks. Radio access network or network device. The network devices in the embodiments of the present application can refer to radio access network (RAN) nodes (or devices) used in cellular networks (or mobile networks) to connect terminal devices to wireless networks, and can also be zigbee base stations, master Bluetooth (BT master), master low-energy Bluetooth (BLE master), Lora base stations, and Wi-Fi access points.

An example of a RAN device in the present application is a base station (BS), which can be a device deployed in a wireless access network that can communicate wirelessly with a terminal. Among them, a base station may have various forms, such as a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay station, and an access point. Exemplarily, the base station involved in the embodiments of the present application can be a base station in 5G or an evolved base station (Evolved Node B, eNB) in LTE, wherein the base station in 5G can also be called a transmission reception point (TRP) or a 5G base station (Next-Generation Node B, gNB).

In the embodiments of the present application, the apparatus for implementing the function of a network device may be a network device; or it may be a device capable of supporting the network device in implementing the function, such as a chip system, which may be installed in the network device. In the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are described by assuming that the apparatus for implementing the function of a network device is a network device, and that the network device is a base station.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to the methods of embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 1 , communication system 100 may include at least one network device, such as network device 110 shown in Figure 1 ; communication system 100 may also include at least one terminal device, such as terminal device 120 and terminal device 130 shown in Figure 1 .

The network device 110 and the terminal device 120 and the terminal device 130 may communicate via a wireless link. The communication devices in the communication system, for example, the network device 110 and the terminal device 120 and the terminal device 130 may communicate via a multi-antenna technology.

As an example, a single network device may transmit data or control signaling to a single or multiple terminal devices, and/or multiple network devices may simultaneously transmit data or control signaling for a single terminal device.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of another communication system applicable to the method of an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2, the terminal device includes a processor 211, a memory 212, and a transceiver 213. The transceiver 213 includes a transmitter 2131, a receiver 2132, and an antenna 2133. The network device includes a processor 221, a memory 222, and a transceiver 223. The transceiver 223 includes a transmitter 2231, a receiver 2232, and an antenna 2233.

The processor 211 , the memory 212 , and the transceiver 213 communicate with each other through an internal connection path, and the processor 221 , the memory 222 , and the transceiver 223 communicate with each other through an internal connection path.

Receiver 2132 may be configured to receive control information via antenna 2133, and transmitter 2131 may be configured to send feedback information to the network device via antenna 2133. Transmitter 2231 may be configured to send control information to the terminal device via antenna 2233, and receiver 2232 may be configured to receive feedback information sent by the terminal device via antenna 2233.

In some possible scenarios, the network device in FIG. 2 may only have an uplink receiving function but not a downlink sending function.

It should be noted that Figures 1 and 2 are simplified schematic diagrams for ease of understanding. In actual applications, the communication system may include multiple network devices and multiple terminal devices. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the number of network devices and terminal devices included in the communication system.

Figure 3 is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3 , the method may include S310 and S320.

S310: The terminal sends first information to the network device, where the first information indicates a first intensity, which is the intensity of at least one type of energy in the environment where the terminal is located. Correspondingly, the network device receives the first information from the terminal.

S320: The network device sends a charging signal to the terminal according to the first information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the charging signal from the network device.

In this method, the terminal sends an indication of the intensity of one or more energies in the environment where the terminal is located to the network device, so that the network device can know the intensity of energy that the terminal can obtain from the environment, and thus the network device can determine a charging signal with appropriate power based on the intensity of the environmental energy, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the network device in charging the terminal.

In the embodiment of the present application, the energy in the environment where the terminal is located can be understood as the energy that the terminal can obtain from the environment, which can be called ambient energy (ambient energy, ambient energy harvesting, or energy harvesting), and the first information can be called ambient energy information.

In the embodiment of the present application, the intensity of energy may also be referred to as the power intensity of energy.

In some implementations, the at least one energy may include at least one of the following energies: radio frequency energy, light energy, thermal energy, or vibration energy. The radio frequency energy may be referred to as radio frequency energy.

The at least one energy may include one type of energy or multiple types of energy.

In some implementations, the at least one energy may include several types of energy that are predefined or preconfigured.

For example, the at least one energy includes one type of energy, such as radio frequency energy, ambient light energy, vibration energy, or thermal energy. In this case, an example of the content included in the first information is as follows: "Intensity: -20dBm." This indicates that the terminal can collect energy intensity from the environment of -20dBm.

When the at least one energy includes multiple energies, in some implementations, the first information may indicate the intensity of each energy individually, or may indicate the total intensity of the multiple energies.

When the at least one energy source includes two energy sources, such as radio frequency energy and light energy, the first information may separately indicate the intensity of each energy source. For example, the first information may include "Intensity: -20dBm; Intensity: 20dBm." This indicates that the terminal can collect two energy sources from the environment, one with an intensity of -20dBm and the other with an intensity of 20dBm.

When the at least one energy includes multiple energies, such as radio frequency energy and light energy, the first information may indicate the total intensity of the multiple energies. For example, the first information may include "Intensity: 10 dBm," indicating that the total intensity of the two energies that the terminal can collect from the environment is 10 dBm.

In some implementations of this embodiment, the first information may further indicate the duration of the at least one energy, which may also be referred to as duration.

Optionally, the duration of each type of energy in the at least one type of energy may be indicated separately, or the first information may indicate one duration for all types of energy in the at least one type of energy.

For example, the duration indicated by the first information may be the duration of the energy with the highest intensity among the at least one energy, may be the shortest duration among the durations corresponding to the at least one energy, may be the average duration of the durations corresponding to the at least one energy, or may be the total duration of the energy type with the highest intensity among the at least one energy.

For example, if the at least one energy source includes one type of energy, such as radio frequency energy or light energy, the first information may include the following: "Intensity: -20dBm, Duration: 1s," where "s" represents the time unit "seconds." This indicates that the energy intensity of the energy source that the terminal can collect from the environment is -20dBm and has been present for 1 second.

For example, if the at least one energy source includes multiple energy sources and the first information separately indicates the intensity and duration of each energy source, the first information may include the following: "Intensity: -20dBm, Duration: 1s; Intensity: 20dBm, Duration: 2s." This indicates that, among the multiple energy sources that the terminal can collect from the environment, one has an intensity of -20dBm and has been present for 1 second, and another has an intensity of 20dBm and has been present for 2 seconds.

For example, if the at least one energy source includes multiple energy sources and the first information jointly indicates the intensity and duration of these multiple energy sources, the first information may include the following: "Intensity: 10dBm, Duration: 1s." This indicates that the total intensity of the multiple energy sources that the terminal can collect from the environment is 10dBm and has been present for 1 second.

In some implementations of this embodiment, the first information may further indicate the type of each energy in the at least one energy. The type of energy may also be referred to as a category or classification of energy.

Taking the at least one energy including one type of energy as an example, the first information may include the following content: "Intensity: -20dBm, Type: RF energy." This indicates that RF energy exists in the environment, and the energy intensity is -20dBm.

Taking the at least one energy including one type of energy as an example, the first information may include the following content: “Intensity: 20 dBm, Type: Light Energy”, which indicates that there is a light source in the environment, and the energy intensity of the light source is 20 dBm.

For example, if the at least one energy source includes multiple energy sources and the first information separately indicates the intensity and type of each energy source, the first information may include the following: "Intensity: -20dBm, Type: RF Energy; Intensity: 20dBm, Type: Light Energy." This indicates that the terminal can collect both RF energy and light energy from the environment, with the RF energy intensity being -20dBm and the light energy intensity being 20dBm.

For example, if the at least one energy source includes multiple energy sources and the first information jointly indicates the intensities and types of the multiple energy sources, the first information may include the following: "Intensity: 10dBm, Type: RF energy, light energy." This indicates that the terminal can collect RF energy and light energy from the environment, and the total intensity of the RF energy and light energy is 10dBm.

In some implementations of this embodiment, the first information indicates the intensity, duration, and type of each energy of the at least one energy.

For example, if the at least one energy includes one type of energy, the first information may include the following: "Intensity: -20dBm, Duration: 1s, Type: RF Energy." This indicates that RF energy exists in the environment, with an energy intensity of -20dBm and has been present for 1 second.

For example, if the at least one energy includes one type of energy, the first information may include the following content: "Intensity: 20 dBm, Duration: 1 s; Type: Light Energy." This indicates that there is a light source in the environment, the energy intensity of the light source is 20 dBm, and it has been present for 1 second.

For example, if the at least one energy source includes multiple energy sources and the first information separately indicates the intensity and type of each energy source, the first information may include the following: "Intensity: -20dBm, Duration: 1s; Type: RF Energy; Intensity: 20dBm, Duration: 1s; Type: Light Energy." This indicates that the terminal can collect RF energy and light energy from the environment, with the RF energy intensity being -20dBm and lasting for 1 second, and the light energy intensity being 20dBm and lasting for 1 second.

Assuming that the at least one energy source includes multiple energy sources, the first information jointly indicates the intensities of the multiple energy sources. For example, the duration and type of the energy source might include the following: "Intensity: 10dBm, Duration: 1s, Type: RF energy, Light energy." This indicates that the terminal can collect RF energy and light energy from the environment, and the total intensity of the RF energy and light energy is 10dBm, which has been present for 1 second.

In some implementations of this embodiment, when the at least one type of energy indicated by the first information includes radio frequency energy, the first information may further indicate a frequency band of the radio frequency energy.

As an example, the first information may include the following content: “Intensity: -20 dBm, Frequency Band: 800-900 MHz.” This indicates that radio frequency energy in the frequency band of 800 MHz to 900 MHz exists in the environment, and the energy intensity is -20 dBm.

As another example, the first information may include the following content: "Intensity: -20dBm, Duration: 1s, Frequency Band: 800-900MHz." This indicates that radio frequency energy in the frequency band of 800MHz to 900MHz exists in the environment, with an energy intensity of -20dBm and has been present for 1 second.

As another example, the first information may include the following: "Intensity: -20dBm, Duration: 1s, Frequency Band: 800-900MHz, Type: RF; Intensity: 20dBm, Duration: 1s, Type: Light." This indicates that RF energy in the 800MHz to 900MHz frequency band is present in the environment, with an energy intensity of -20dBm and has been present for 1 second; and that light energy is also present in the environment, with an energy intensity of 20dBm and has been present for 1 second.

As another example, the first information may include the following: "Intensity 10 dBm, Duration: 1 second, Type: RF, Light, Frequency Band: 800-900 MHz." This indicates that an energy source exists in the environment, the intensity of the energy source is 10 dBm, and the energy source includes light and RF energy of 800-900 MHz, which has been present for 1 second.

In some implementations of this embodiment, the first information may be carried in a charging request, where the charging request is used to request charging from the network device.

In some implementations of this embodiment, the network device may calculate the transmission power of the charging signal based on the first information. For example, the transmission power of the charging signal is greater than or equal to the difference between the charging power required by the terminal and the intensity of the ambient energy indicated by the first information.

In some implementations of this embodiment, the terminal may also report at least one of the following information to the network device: remaining power, maximum energy storage power, desired charging power, or terminal location information. This information may be referred to as charging auxiliary information, or simply auxiliary information.

In some implementations, the auxiliary information and the first information may be carried in the same message, for example, in a charging request.

After receiving the information reported by the terminal, the network device can determine the sending power of the charging signal based on the information and the first information. For example, after receiving the remaining power and the ambient energy intensity, the network device can calculate the power of the sending charging signal.

An example calculation method is as follows: the initial required power of the charging signal is calculated based on the remaining power, and the ambient energy intensity is subtracted from the initial required power to obtain the charging signal power. This shows that network devices, knowing the ambient energy intensity, can save network device resources and only need to compensate for a portion of the energy shortfall.

Among them, if the first information indicates the total intensity of at least one energy, the ambient energy intensity subtracted from the initial required power may be the total intensity; if the first information separately indicates the intensity of each energy in the at least one energy, the ambient energy intensity subtracted from the initial required power may be the sum of the intensities of all energies in the at least one energy.

In some implementations of this embodiment, the terminal may measure the intensity of radio frequency energy in the environment through an antenna.

In some implementations of this embodiment, the terminal may measure the intensity of light energy in the current environment through a solar panel.

In some implementations of this embodiment, the charging signal may be a wireless radio frequency signal dedicated to providing charging power.

In some implementations of this embodiment, the terminal may measure the intensity of vibration energy in the current environment through the electrical signal converted by the vibration absorber.

In some implementations of this embodiment, the terminal may measure the intensity of thermal energy in the current environment by converting the thermal energy into an electrical signal through thermoelectric materials.

Fig. 4 is a flow chart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. As shown in Fig. 4 , the method may include S410, S415 and S420.

S410: The terminal sends first information to a network device, where the first information indicates a first intensity, which is the intensity of at least one type of energy in the environment where the terminal is located. Correspondingly, the network device receives the first information from the terminal.

This step may refer to S310 and will not be described again here.

S415: The network device sends charging configuration information to the terminal, where the charging configuration information indicates the charging duration and/or charging frequency of the terminal.

The charging time may be an estimated or preconfigured charging time, which may also be referred to as a charging duration; and the charging frequency may be frequency band information of a charging signal.

S420: The network device sends a charging signal to the terminal according to the first information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the charging signal from the network device.

This step can be referred to S320 and will not be repeated here.

Some technical effects of this method can refer to the technical effects of the method shown in Figure 3. In addition, the network device indicates the charging time to the terminal, which is beneficial for the terminal to plan the time for the next charging request; the network device indicates the charging frequency to the terminal, which is beneficial for the terminal to adjust the frequency matching range of hardware such as antennas and rectifiers; thereby making charging more efficient, thereby reducing charging time and saving base station resources.

In some implementations of this embodiment, the charging configuration information indicating the charging duration of the terminal may include: the charging configuration information includes time domain resource information and/or frequency domain resource information allocated for the charging signal. In this implementation, the terminal may estimate the charging duration based on the time domain resource information and may determine the charging frequency range based on the frequency domain resource information.

It can be understood that the method shown in FIG. 4 may further include one or more steps other than S310 and S320 in the method shown in FIG. 3 .

Fig. 5 is a flow chart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. As shown in Fig. 5 , the method may include S508, S510, and S520.

S508: The network device sends second information to the terminal, where the second information is used to determine the resources for the terminal to collect environmental energy. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the second information from the network device.

The resource from which the terminal collects ambient energy may satisfy the following characteristics: the network device does not send a signal on the resource.

S510: The terminal sends first information to a network device, where the first information indicates a first intensity, which is the intensity of at least one type of energy in the environment where the terminal is located. Correspondingly, the network device receives the first information from the terminal.

This step may refer to S310 and will not be described again here.

S520: The network device sends a charging signal to the terminal according to the first information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the charging signal from the network device.

This step can be referred to S320 and will not be repeated here.

Some technical effects of this method can refer to the technical effects of the method shown in Figure 3. In addition, this method helps to prevent the energy intensity collected by the terminal from being interfered with by the intensity of the radio frequency signal of the network device, thereby improving the accuracy of the intensity of the ambient energy collected by the terminal, and further better saving the resource energy consumption of the network device.

In some implementations, the resources from which the terminal collects ambient energy do not include resources in which the network device transmits signals across the entire operating frequency band of the terminal. Alternatively, the network device does not transmit signals on some or all of the frequency domain resources within some time domain resources, and the second information indicates the time-frequency resources and the frequency domain resources. The terminal collects ambient energy information at the resources indicated by the second information.

In some implementations of this embodiment, the resources used by the terminal to collect ambient energy include multiple time domain resources, where different time domain resources correspond to different frequency domain resources. In other words, the network device disables different frequency bands in different time domain resources. This can reduce the impact of ambient energy measurement or collection on network device services other than charging services.

For example, if a terminal's energy collection frequency range is large, disabling all frequency bands during certain time slots can severely impact other network services. Therefore, a time-frequency resource pattern is necessary to ensure that the terminal can measure ambient energy across different frequency bands in a time-division manner. This time-frequency resource pattern can be adjusted based on the terminal's energy collection frequency band.

Figure 6 shows an example of a time-frequency resource pattern. In Figure 6, from the frequency domain, one grid can be a frequency band; from the time domain, one grid can be a time slot.

As shown in Figure 6, a portion of the frequency band is closed in different time slots, and the terminal can measure in sequence according to the configuration, and finally obtain the total ambient RF energy intensity.

It is understandable that the above-mentioned time-frequency resource pattern is only an example. When the network equipment does not have much business, you can also choose to turn off all frequency bands in some time slots. Or, when the energy collection frequency band range of the terminal is relatively small, you can turn off the relevant frequency bands in one or several time slots.

Some implementations of this embodiment may further include S506, where the terminal sends third information to the network device, where the third information is used to instruct the terminal to request the network device to perform radio frequency energy measurement. Alternatively, the third information is used to request the terminal to collect resources for ambient energy, or the third information is a radio frequency energy measurement request, or the third information is used to inform the network device that "the terminal needs to measure ambient energy" or "the terminal needs to measure ambient radio frequency energy."

In this implementation, the network device may send the second information to the terminal based on the third information.

Some implementations of this embodiment may further include S504, where the terminal indicates an operating frequency band of the terminal to the network device. For example, the operating frequency band may be an operating frequency band of a rectifier and/or antenna circuit of the terminal, or may be a frequency band at which the terminal collects radio frequency energy.

Optionally, the terminal indicates its working frequency band to the network device when it needs to measure environmental energy; it can also report its working frequency band to the network device when it accesses the network device, for example, the terminal carries the working frequency band information in the message reporting the terminal capabilities.

When the terminal indicates its working frequency band to the network device when it needs to measure environmental energy, in some implementations, the indication information of the working frequency band and the third information can be carried in the same message, or the third information also includes the indication information of the terminal's working frequency band.

It can be understood that in some implementations of this embodiment, S504 and S506 may be included at the same time, or only one of them may be included.

It can be understood that the method shown in FIG. 5 may further include one or more steps other than S410 and S420 in the method shown in FIG. 4 .

Due to the randomness of ambient energy, the ambient energy may suddenly increase or decrease during the charging process. At this time, it is necessary to adjust the power intensity of the charging signal in a timely manner. In some embodiments of the present application, the network device can dynamically adjust the charging resources during the charging process. In particular, the network device can adjust the charging resources in a timely manner according to the changes in the ambient energy, thereby achieving more flexible charging resource adjustment and more efficiently saving the charging resources of the network device.

Fig. 7 is a flow chart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. As shown in Fig. 7 , the method may include S710, S720, S730, and S740.

S710: The terminal sends first information to a network device, where the first information indicates a first intensity, which is the intensity of at least one type of energy in the environment where the terminal is located. Accordingly, the network device receives the first information from the terminal.

This step may refer to S310 and will not be described again here.

S720: The network device sends a charging signal to the terminal according to the first information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the charging signal from the network device.

This step can be referred to S320 and will not be described again here.

S730: The terminal sends fourth information to the network device, where the fourth information indicates a second intensity, where the second intensity is the intensity of at least one type of energy in the environment where the terminal is located. Accordingly, the network device receives the fourth information from the terminal.

This step may refer to S310, for example, the first intensity in S310 is replaced by the first intensity, and the first information therein is replaced by the fourth information.

S740: The network device sends a charging signal to the terminal according to the second information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the charging signal from the network device.

This step may refer to S320, for example, replacing the first information in S320 with the fourth information.

In this method, the terminal updates the energy intensity of its environment to the network device, and the network device can adjust the charging resources in time according to the changes in the environmental energy, thereby achieving more flexible charging resource adjustment and more efficiently saving the charging resources of the network device.

In this embodiment, the time when the terminal collects the first intensity can be called the first time, and the time when the terminal collects the second intensity can be called the second time. The second time can be located after the first time.

In some implementations of this embodiment, the resources used to transmit the fourth information can be interspersed with the time-frequency resources used to transmit the charging signal sent by the network device based on the first information. Figure 8 is an exemplary diagram of time-frequency resources for updating environmental energy information according to an embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, the resources used to transmit the fourth information may be predetermined by the communication protocol, or may be predefined between the network device and the terminal, or may be configured by the network device to the terminal through information.

When the network device configures resources for transmitting the fourth information to the terminal through information, in some implementations, the network device may configure the resources for transmitting the fourth information in the configuration information for first configuring the transmission resources of the charging signal for the terminal.

For a frequency division duplexing (FDD) system, in some implementations, the uplink resources used to transmit the fourth information and the charging resources may be in the same time slot.

For time division duplexing (TDD) systems, in some implementations, charging resources and uplink resources are in different time slots.

When the fourth information indicates the second strength, in some implementations, the fourth information may indicate a difference between the second strength and the first strength, thereby reducing transmission overhead.

As an example, if the first intensity is 10 dBm and the second intensity is 5 dBm, then an example of the fourth information is “Intensity: -5 dB”, which means that the current ambient energy is 5 dB less, indicating that the ambient energy has become weaker.

As another example, if the first intensity is 10 dBm and the second intensity is 5 dBm, then an example of the fourth information is “Intensity: 5 dB.” This means that the current ambient energy has increased by 5 dB, indicating that the ambient energy has become stronger.

In this embodiment, S710 and S720 can be collectively referred to as one environmental energy reporting phase, and S730 and S720 can be collectively referred to as one environmental energy reporting phase. In a charging process between a terminal and a network device, the first environmental energy reporting phase is referred to as the initial phase, and subsequent environmental energy reporting phases are referred to as update phases.

In an implementation manner in which the fourth information may indicate a difference between the second strength and the first strength, the network device may determine whether the current strength is an absolute strength value or a relative strength difference according to whether it is the first phase or the update phase.

In some implementations of this embodiment, during the update phase, the terminal may report the fourth information only if the absolute value of the difference between the second intensity and the first intensity is greater than or equal to a threshold. Alternatively, the terminal may not report the fourth information if the absolute value of the difference between the second intensity and the first intensity is less than the threshold.

In some implementations, the threshold may be agreed upon between the network device and the terminal.

As an example, when a terminal accesses a network device, the network device can configure the threshold through a radio resource control (RRC) message.

As another example, after the terminal sends a charging request to the network device, the network device configures the threshold value via a downlink message. For example, the threshold value and the charging configuration information may be sent to the terminal in the same message.

The terminal reports the fourth information only when the absolute value of the difference between the second intensity and the first intensity is greater than or equal to the threshold, which can implicitly inform the network device of the current environmental energy change.

As an example, the network device and the terminal agree that the terminal will report the environmental energy only when the energy change is greater than 5dB or less than -5dB. This can save the terminal's power and reduce the complexity of interaction.

For example, the environmental energy intensity in the initial phase is 10 dBm, and the environmental energy intensity in the update phase is 3 dBm. Then the energy change is -7 dBm. The energy change is less than the -5 dB threshold and should be reported to the network device.

It can be understood that the method shown in FIG. 7 may further include one or more steps other than S510 and S520 in the method shown in FIG. 5 .

Figure 9 is a flow chart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 9 , the method may include S910 , S920 , S930 , and S940 .

S910: The terminal sends first information to a network device, where the first information indicates a first intensity, which is the intensity of at least one type of energy in the environment where the terminal is located. Correspondingly, the network device receives the first information from the terminal.

This step may refer to S310 and will not be described again here.

S920: The network device sends a charging signal to the terminal according to the first information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the charging signal from the network device.

This step can be referred to S320 and will not be described again here.

S930: The terminal sends fourth information to the network device, where the fourth information indicates a second intensity, where the second intensity is the intensity of at least one type of energy in the environment where the terminal is located. Accordingly, the network device receives the fourth information from the terminal.

This step may refer to S310, for example, the first intensity in S310 is replaced by the first intensity, and the first information therein is replaced by the fourth information.

S940: The network device sends sixth information to the terminal, where the sixth information indicates that charging is completed.

In this embodiment, the network device receives the updated environmental energy information and can make further decisions. If it finds that the current environmental energy is very strong and the network device no longer needs to actively charge, it can send a termination message to the terminal to end the charging process, thereby saving the network device's charging resources.

It is understood that the method shown in Figure 9 may also include one or more steps other than S710, S720, and S730 in the method shown in Figure 7. For example, if the second strength is less than or equal to the strength threshold, the network device may execute S740.

Figure 10 is a flow chart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 10 , the method may include S1010, S1020, and S1030.

S1010: A terminal sends first information to a network device, where the first information indicates a first intensity, which is the intensity of at least one type of energy in an environment where the terminal is located. Accordingly, the network device receives the first information from the terminal.

This step may refer to S310 and will not be described again here.

S1020: The network device sends a charging signal to the terminal according to the first information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the charging signal from the network device.

This step can be referred to S320 and will not be described again here.

S1030: The terminal sends seventh information to the network device, where the seventh information indicates that charging is completed.

In this embodiment, if the terminal finds that the current environmental energy is very strong and the network device no longer needs to be charged, it can send a message to terminate charging to the network device to end the process, thereby saving charging resources of the network device.

It can be understood that the method shown in FIG. 10 may further include one or more steps other than S910 , S920 and S930 in the method shown in FIG. 9 .

It should be understood that, in this application, indication includes direct indication (also known as explicit indication) and implicit indication. Direct indication of information A refers to including information A; implicit indication of information A refers to indicating information A through the correspondence between information A and information B and the direct indication of information B. The correspondence between information A and information B can be predefined, pre-stored, pre-burned, or pre-configured.

It should be understood that, in this application, information C is used to determine information D, which includes both information D being determined solely based on information C and information D being determined based on information C and other information. Furthermore, information C can also be used to determine information D indirectly, for example, where information D is determined based on information E, and information E is determined based on information C.

In addition, in each embodiment of the present application, "device A sends information A to device B" can be understood as the destination of the information A or the intermediate device in the transmission path between the destination and the device B, which may include directly or indirectly sending information to device B. "Device B receives information A from device A" can be understood as the source of the information A or the intermediate device in the transmission path between the source and the device A, which may include directly or indirectly receiving information from device A. The information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination of the information, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood similarly and will not be elaborated here.

This application also provides a communication device that can be installed in a terminal or used in conjunction with a terminal to enable the terminal to implement the functions implemented by the terminal in any of the aforementioned embodiments. For example, the device can be a chip system. A chip system can be composed of a chip or can include a chip and other discrete components. In another example, the device can be a computer program product.

This application also provides another communication device that can be installed in or used in conjunction with a network device to enable the network device to implement the functions implemented by the network device in any of the aforementioned embodiments. For example, the device can be a chip system. A chip system can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete components. In another example, the device can be a computer program product.

FIG11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG11 , the device 1100 may include a processing module 1101 and a communication module 1102 .

As a first example, the apparatus 1100 can be used to implement the communication method implemented by the terminal in the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, or 10. For example, the processing module 1101 is used to perform the processing-related steps such as determination and judgment performed by the terminal in the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, or 10, and the communication module 1102 is used to implement the sending and/or receiving steps performed by the terminal in the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, or 10.

As a second example, the apparatus 1100 can be used to implement the communication method implemented by the network device in the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, or 10. For example, the processing module 1101 is used to implement the processing-related steps such as determination and judgment performed by the network device in the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, or 10, and the communication module 1102 is used to implement the sending and/or receiving steps performed by the network device in the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, or 10.

Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in yet another embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 12, the device 1200 includes a processing circuit 1201 and a communication circuit 1202. The processing circuit 1201 and the communication circuit 1202 are coupled to each other.

It can be understood that the processing circuit may be one or more processors, or may be all or part of the circuits of the processing functions in one or more processors.

It is understandable that the communication circuit 1202 may be a transceiver or an input/output interface.

Optionally, the apparatus 1200 may further include a memory 1203 for storing instructions executed by the processing circuit 1201 or storing input data required by the processing circuit 1201 to run instructions or storing data generated after the processing circuit 1201 runs instructions.

It is understandable that the memory 1203 may be located outside the processing circuit 1201 , or inside the processing circuit 1201 .

As an example, the processing circuit 1201 is used to implement the functions of the processing module 1101 , and the communication circuit 1202 is used to implement the functions of the communication module 1102 .

As an example, the apparatus 1200 may be a terminal, or a chip used in a terminal.

When device 1200 is a terminal, the communication circuit can be a transceiver; when device 1200 is a chip, the communication circuit can be an input/output circuit, a bus, a pin or other type of communication interface, wherein the input circuit in the input/output circuit can be used for receiving and the output interface can be used for sending.

As another example, the apparatus 1200 may be a network device, or a chip used in a network device.

When device 1200 is a network device, the communication circuit can be a transceiver; when device 1200 is a chip, the communication circuit can be an input/output circuit, a bus, a pin or other type of communication interface, wherein the input circuit in the input/output circuit can be used for receiving and the output interface can be used for sending.

Some embodiments of the present application also provide a computer-readable storage medium, which includes computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed on a processor, the method implemented by the terminal and/or network device in any of the above embodiments can be implemented.

In some embodiments of the present application, a communication system is also provided, which can implement the method implemented by the terminal and the network device in any of the above embodiments.

It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be the following devices or all or part of the circuitry in the following devices for processing functions: a central processing unit (CPU), other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an erasable programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, a register, a hard disk, a mobile hard disk, a CD-ROM or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a network device or a terminal device. Of course, the processor and the storage medium can also be present in a network device or a terminal device as discrete components.

In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are performed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions may be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; an optical medium, such as a digital video disk; or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive.

In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and/or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

It is understood that the various numbers used in the embodiments of this application are merely for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not necessarily imply a specific order of execution; the order of execution of the processes should be determined by their functions and inherent logic.

Claims (30)

A communication method, characterized in that the method comprises: Sending first information to a network device, where the first information indicates a first intensity, where the first intensity is an intensity of at least one energy in an environment where the terminal is located; Receive a charging signal sent by the network device based on the first information. The method according to claim 1 is characterized in that the first information also indicates the duration and/or type of the at least one energy. The method according to claim 1 or 2 is characterized in that the at least one energy includes radio frequency energy, wherein the first information further indicates a frequency band of the radio frequency energy. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that before sending the first information to the network device, the method further comprises: Second information is received from the network device, where the second information is used to determine resources for collecting environmental energy by the terminal. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that before receiving the second information from the network device, the method further comprises: Sending third information to the network device, where the third information is used to instruct the terminal to request the network device to perform radio frequency energy measurement. The method according to claim 4 or 5 is characterized in that the third information also indicates the operating frequency band of the terminal. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 6 is characterized in that the resources used by the terminal to collect environmental energy include multiple time domain resources, and different time domain resources among the multiple time domain resources correspond to different frequency domain resources. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: Fourth information is sent to the network device, where the fourth information indicates a second intensity, where the second intensity is an intensity of at least one energy in an environment where the terminal is located, and a measurement period of the second intensity is after a measurement period of the first intensity. The method according to claim 8, wherein the fourth information indicates the second intensity, comprising: the fourth information indicates a difference between the second intensity and the first intensity. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the sending the fourth information to the network device comprises: When the absolute value of the difference between the second strength and the first strength is greater than or equal to a threshold, fourth information is sent to the network device. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: Fifth information is received from the network device, where the fifth information is used to configure the threshold. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that the resources used to send the fourth information are preconfigured or predefined. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising: receiving sixth information from the network device, the sixth information indicating that charging is completed; or Sending seventh information to the network device, where the seventh information indicates that charging is completed. A communication method, characterized in that the method comprises: receiving first information from a terminal, where the first information indicates a first intensity, where the first intensity is an intensity of at least one type of energy in an environment where the terminal is located; A charging signal is sent to the terminal according to the first information. The method according to claim 14 is characterized in that the first information also indicates the duration and/or type of the at least one energy. The method according to claim 14 or 15 is characterized in that the at least one energy includes radio frequency energy, and wherein the first information further indicates a frequency band of the radio frequency energy. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, characterized in that before receiving the first information from the terminal, the method further comprises: Second information is sent to the terminal, where the second information is used to determine resources for the terminal to collect environmental energy. The method according to claim 17, wherein before sending the second information to the terminal, the method further comprises: Receive third information from the terminal, where the third information is used to instruct the terminal to request the network device to perform radio frequency energy measurement. The method according to claim 17 or 18 is characterized in that the third information also indicates the operating frequency band of the terminal. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 19 is characterized in that the resources used by the terminal to collect environmental energy include multiple time domain resources, and different time domain resources among the multiple time domain resources correspond to different frequency domain resources. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 20, further comprising: Fourth information is received from the terminal, where the fourth information indicates a second intensity, where the second intensity is an intensity of at least one energy in an environment where the terminal is located, and a measurement period of the second intensity is after a measurement period of the first intensity. The method according to claim 21 is characterized in that the fourth information indicates the second intensity, including: the fourth information indicates the difference between the second intensity and the first intensity. The method according to claim 21 or 22 is characterized in that the absolute value of the difference between the second intensity and the first intensity is greater than or equal to a threshold. The method according to claim 23, further comprising: Sending fifth information to the terminal, where the fifth information is used to configure the threshold. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 24 is characterized in that the resources used to receive the fourth information are preconfigured or predefined. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 25, further comprising: Sending sixth information to the terminal, wherein the sixth information indicates that charging is completed; or Seventh information is received from the terminal, wherein the sixth information indicates that charging is completed. A communication device, characterized by comprising a functional module for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 26. A communication device, characterized by comprising a processing circuit, wherein the processing circuit is used to execute program instructions to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 26. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that the computer-readable storage medium stores program code for computer execution, wherein the program code includes instructions for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 26. A computer program product, characterized in that the computer program product comprises instructions for implementing the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 26.