WO2025246852A1 - Communication method and related apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a communication method and a related apparatus, which effectively avoid interference from a transmitted carrier signal with an uplink signal transmitted from another terminal. The method comprises: a network device transmitting first information to a first communication apparatus, wherein the first information is used for indicating frequency domain locations of N subcarriers, N being a positive integer; and correspondingly, the first communication apparatus receiving the first information from the network device, and transmitting on the N subcarriers a first carrier signal of a second communication apparatus to the second communication apparatus, wherein the first carrier signal is a signal that does not carry modulated information.

Description

Communication methods and related devices

This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410709566.5, filed on May 31, 2024, entitled "Communication Method and Related Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and related apparatus.

Background Technology

Ambient-internet of things (A-IoT) includes device A or device B, which modulates uplink information onto the received high-frequency carrier signal and reflects it to achieve uplink communication.

Currently, in scenarios where device A or device B communicates with a network device, device A or device B receives a carrier signal from the network device, modulates the received carrier signal at its frequency, and then backscatters the modulated signal to achieve uplink transmission. However, in this method, the frequency at which the network device transmits the carrier signal is the same as the frequency at which it receives the uplink signal, resulting in co-channel interference and limiting the uplink transmission coverage distance of device A or device B.

To address the aforementioned interference issues, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), in release R-19A-IoT, proposed adding a terminal device to assist in transmitting carrier signals in scenarios where device A or device B communicates with network devices. For example, the network device instructs the terminal device to transmit carrier signals on a different frequency band than the downlink communication frequency band, to avoid the backscattered signal from device A or device B occupying the same frequency band as the downlink signal transmitted by the network device. However, if the network device instructs the terminal device to transmit carrier signals in the uplink frequency band, the carrier signals transmitted by the terminal device in the uplink band may interfere with the uplink signals transmitted by other terminals.

Summary of the Invention

This application provides a communication method and related apparatus to avoid interference of carrier signals sent by terminal devices to other uplink signals.

Firstly, this application provides a communication method applicable to a first communication device. For example, the communication device may be a terminal device, or a component configured in the terminal device (such as a chip, chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal device's functions; this application does not limit this. For ease of understanding and explanation, the method will be described below using a terminal as an example of a communication device.

For example, the method includes: receiving first information from a network device, the first information indicating the frequency domain positions of N subcarriers, where N is a positive integer; and transmitting a first carrier signal of the second communication device to the second communication device on the N subcarriers, the first carrier signal being a signal that does not carry modulation information.

The first carrier signal is the carrier signal carried or used by the second communication device when sending a signal to the first communication device or network device. Alternatively, the first signal is used by the second communication device to send uplink information to the first communication device or network device.

Based on this technical solution, the first communication device determines the frequency domain positions of the N subcarriers by receiving first information from the network device indicating the frequency domain positions of the N subcarriers, and transmits carrier signals for backscattering by the second communication device at the frequency domain positions of the N subcarriers. In this way, the device can modulate the information to be transmitted on the N subcarriers. Since the N subcarriers are orthogonal to the subcarriers of NR OFDM, the first carrier signal transmitted on the N subcarriers can effectively reduce the interference to the NR uplink OFDM signal.

In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first information is used to indicate the frequency domain location of N subcarriers, including: the first information is used to indicate the N subcarriers in M resource blocks (RBs), where M is a positive integer.

Optionally, the first information includes the indexes of the M RBs and/or the indexes of one or more subcarriers in each RB.

Optionally, the first information includes the subcarrier indices of the N subcarriers in the M RBs.

In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving second information, the second information being used to indicate the M RBs.

Optionally, the N subcarriers are predefined subcarriers in the first RB, and the first information and the second information are the same information. Based on this, the overhead of air interface resources can be effectively reduced.

Optionally, when N equals 1, the N subcarriers are the subcarriers mapped by the channel grid frequency in the first RB.

In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second information is used to indicate the frequency domain position of the M RBs, including: the second information is used to indicate the frequency domain position of the M RBs in the first bandwidth part (BWP).

The first BWP is configured to transmit a first carrier signal.

In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first information is used to indicate the frequency domain positions of N subcarriers, including: the first information is used to indicate the N subcarriers in the first BWP.

Optionally, the first information includes the indexes of the N subcarriers in the first BWP.

In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving third information, the third information being used to activate the first BWP.

Optionally, the N subcarriers are predefined subcarriers in the first BWP, and the third information is the same as the first information.

Optionally, the M RBs are predefined RBs in the first BWP, and the third information is the same as the second information.

It can be understood that when the M RBs are RBs predefined in the first BWP and the N subcarriers are subcarriers predefined in the M RBs, the third information, the second information, and the first information are the same information.

Optionally, the third information includes an identifier of the first BWP, or the third information indicates that the first BWP is used to transmit the first carrier signal.

In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving fourth information, the fourth information being used to configure at least one BWP, the at least one BWP including the first BWP.

In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the at least one BWP further includes a second BWP, which is a BWP for uplink transmission or an initial uplink BWP.

Optionally, the second BWP may include one or more BWPs.

In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate that the first frequency band is different from the second frequency band, the first carrier signal is located in the first frequency band, and the second frequency band is the frequency band in which the first communication device sends information to the network device.

In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving sixth information, the sixth information being used to indicate one or more of the following: the frequency band number of the first frequency band, the absolute frequency point number corresponding to the first frequency band, or the frequency difference between the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

The first carrier signal is located in the first frequency band, which can be replaced by: the N subcarriers being located in the first frequency band, or by: the first BWP being located in the first frequency band, or by: the M RBs being located in the first frequency band.

Optionally, the method further includes: receiving uplink information from a second communication device on the N subcarriers, the uplink information being carried on the first carrier signal.

Secondly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to a third communication device. For example, the third communication device may be a network device, or a component configured within the network device (such as a chip, chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device; this application does not limit this. For ease of understanding and explanation, the method will be described below using a network device as an example of a communication device.

For example, the method further includes: the first information is used to indicate the frequency domain position of N subcarriers, the N subcarriers are used to carry a first carrier signal of the second communication device, the first carrier signal is a signal that does not carry modulation information, and N is a positive integer.

Based on this technical solution, the network device sends first information indicating the frequency domain positions of N subcarriers to the first communication device, so that the first communication device can determine the frequency domain positions of the N subcarriers carrying the first carrier signal. In this way, the second communication device can transmit the first carrier signal on the N subcarriers. Since the N subcarriers are orthogonal to the subcarriers of NR OFDM, the first carrier signal transmitted on the N subcarriers can effectively reduce the interference to the NR uplink OFDM signal.

In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, uplink information from a second communication device is received on the N subcarriers, the uplink information being carried on a first carrier signal.

For a description of the first carrier signal, please refer to the first aspect; it will not be repeated here.

In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first information is used to indicate the frequency domain position of N subcarriers, including: the first information is used to indicate the frequency domain position of the N subcarriers among M RBs, where M is a positive integer.

In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending second information, the second information being used to indicate the M RBs.

In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the second information is used to indicate the frequency domain location of the M RBs, including: the second information is used to indicate the frequency domain location of the M RBs in the first portion bandwidth BWP.

In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first information is used to indicate the frequency domain position of the N subcarriers, including: the first information is used to indicate the frequency domain position of the N subcarriers in the first BWP.

In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending third information, the third information being used to activate the first BWP.

In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending fourth information, the fourth information configuring at least one BWP, the at least one BWP including the first BWP.

In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the at least one BWP further includes a second BWP, which is a BWP for uplink transmission or an initial uplink BWP.

In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate that the first frequency band is different from the second frequency band, the first carrier signal is located in the first frequency band, and the second frequency band is the frequency band in which the network device receives information from the first communication device.

In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: receiving sixth information, the sixth information being used to indicate one or more of the following: the frequency band number of the first frequency band, the absolute frequency point number corresponding to the first frequency band, or the frequency difference between the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

For a description of the first to fifth pieces of information, please refer to the first aspect; it will not be repeated here.

In conjunction with the first and second aspects, in certain implementations of the first and second aspects, the first information is carried on the frequency domain resource allocation field of the first downlink control information (DCI), and the format of the first DCI is any one of the following: format 0_0, format 0_1, or a proprietary DCI format indicating the transmission of the first carrier signal.

When the DCI format is 0_0 or 0_1, the reserved status of the existing or present fields in the DCI indicates whether it is a DCI for transmitting the first carrier signal. When the reserved status of the existing or present fields in the DCI indicates that it is a DCI for transmitting the carrier signal, the frequency domain resource allocation field in the DCI indicates the frequency domain positions of the N subcarriers in the first carrier signal. When the DCI is a proprietary DCI format indicating the transmission of the first carrier signal, the existing fields in the DCI indicate that the current DCI is a proprietary DCI field indicating the transmission of the first carrier signal, and the frequency domain resource allocation field in the DCI indicates the frequency domain positions of the N subcarriers in the first carrier signal.

Thirdly, this application provides a communication device, including modules or units for implementing the methods of any of the above aspects and any possible implementations of any of the above aspects. It should be understood that each module or unit can implement its corresponding function by executing a computer program.

Fourthly, this application provides a communication device including a processor, the processor being configured to perform the methods described in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations of any of the above aspects.

The apparatus may further include a memory for storing instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, which, when executing the instructions stored in the memory, can implement the methods described in the foregoing aspects.

The device may also include a communication interface for communicating with other devices. For example, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module or other type of communication interface.

Fifthly, this application provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting the implementation of the functions involved in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations of any of the above aspects, such as receiving or processing data and/or information involved in the above methods.

In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory for storing program instructions and data, which may be located within or outside the processor.

The chip system can consist of chips or include chips and other discrete components.

Sixthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium including a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to implement the methods in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations of any of the above aspects.

In a seventh aspect, this application provides a computer program product comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run, causes a computer to perform the methods described in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations of any of the above aspects.

Eighthly, this application provides a communication system including the aforementioned terminal device and network device. The terminal device is used to execute the methods described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof; the network device is used to execute the methods described in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

Optionally, the communication system may also include a second communication device.

It should be understood that the third to eighth aspects of this application correspond to the technical solutions of the first or second aspects of this application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation are similar, and will not be repeated here.

Attached Figure Description

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication architecture provided in an embodiment of this application;

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the method provided in the embodiments of this application;

Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram of the device provided in an embodiment of this application;

Figure 5 is another schematic block diagram of the device provided in the embodiments of this application.

Detailed Implementation

The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the following points are explained first:

First, in the embodiments of this application, the use of prefixes such as "first" and "second" is merely for the purpose of distinguishing and describing different things belonging to the same name category, and does not constrain the order, size, or quantity of things. For example, "first communication device" and "second communication device" are simply different devices, and do not limit the number of logical units or the relationship of priority; as another example, "first information" and "second information" are simply different information, and there is no temporal sequence, size, or priority relationship between them.

Second, in the embodiments of this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send first information to a communication device" can be understood as the destination of the first information being the first communication device, which may include direct transmission via the air interface or indirect transmission via the air interface by other units or modules. "Receive second information from a network device" can be understood as the source of the second information being the network device, which may include direct reception from the network device via the air interface or indirect reception from the network device via the air interface by other units or modules. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

In other words, sending and receiving can be done between devices, such as between a network device and a first communication device; or it can be done within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within a device via a bus, wiring, or interface.

Third, for ease of understanding, this document provides several examples of message structures, such as radio resource control (RRC) messages and system information block (SIB) messages. The positions, names, and data types of the fields shown in these examples are merely illustrative and should not constitute any limitation on this application.

Furthermore, RRC messages and SIBs are merely examples, and these messages can be replaced by other signaling. This application does not limit the names of the signaling.

Fourth, in the embodiments of this application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more. "And/or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and/or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character "/" generally indicates an "or" relationship between the preceding and following related objects, but it does not exclude the possibility of indicating an "and" relationship. The specific meaning can be understood in conjunction with the context. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c; a and b; a and c; b and c; or a and b and c. Here, a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

Fifth, in the embodiments of this application, "instruction" can include direct instruction and indirect instruction, as well as explicit instruction and implicit instruction. The information indicated by a certain piece of information (the first information described below) is called the information to be instructed. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly indicate the information to be instructed by indicating other information, where there is a correlation between the other information and the information to be instructed; or it can only indicate a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts of the information to be indicated are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol predefined) arrangement order of various pieces of information, thereby reducing the instruction overhead to a certain extent. This application does not limit the specific method of instruction.

It is understandable that, for the sender of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to indicate the information to be indicated, and for the receiver of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to determine the information to be indicated.

Sixth, in the embodiments of this application, descriptions such as "when," "under the circumstances," "if," and "if" all refer to the fact that the device (e.g., network device or terminal device) will make corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances. They are not time limits, nor do they require the device (e.g., network device or terminal device) to make a judgment action when implementing it, nor do they mean that there are other limitations.

Seventh, the predefined terms in this application can be understood as: definition, pre-defined, storage, pre-storage, pre-negotiation, pre-configuration, solidification, or pre-firing.

The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, sidelink (SL) communication systems, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication systems, 5th Generation (5G) mobile communication systems or new radio access technology (NR), satellite communication systems, etc. Among them, 5G mobile communication systems can include non-standalone (NSA) and/or standalone (SA) networks.

The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication systems. This application does not limit the application in this regard.

The terminology used in the embodiments of this application will be described below.

1. Network equipment.

The network device in this application is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, such as a radio access network (RAN) device, used to provide wireless communication services and to allow terminal devices to access the wireless network. The RAN device can be a node in the RAN, referred to as a RAN node.

In one possible scenario, a RAN node can be a base station (BS), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a home evolved NodeB (or home Node B, HNB), a Wi-Fi access point (AP), a mobile switching center, a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a next-generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, or a base station in a future mobile communication system. A RAN node can also be a device that performs base station functions in device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication systems, and internet-to-things (IoT) communication systems. RAN nodes can also be RAN nodes in non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), meaning they can be deployed on high-altitude platforms or satellites. RAN nodes can be macro base stations, micro base stations, indoor stations, relay nodes, donor nodes, or radio controllers in cloud radio access networks (CRAN) or nodes in open radio access networks (O-RAN or ORAN). Optionally, RAN nodes can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, in V2X technology, RAN nodes can be roadside units (RSUs). Of course, RAN nodes can also be nodes in the core network.

In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with each RAN node performing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs). CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in the ORAN system, CU can also be called open CU (O-CU), DU can also be called open DU (O-DU), CU-CP can also be called open CU-CP (O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called open CU-UP (O-CU-UP), and RU can also be called open RU (O-RU).

Any one of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU units can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules. That is, the wireless access network device in this application can be a virtualized device, for example, implemented through general-purpose hardware and instantiated virtualization functions, or dedicated hardware and instantiated virtualization functions. The general-purpose hardware can be a server, such as a cloud server.

2. Terminal equipment.

The terminal equipment in this application has the ability to transmit carrier signals. The terminal equipment may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user device.

Terminal devices can be devices that provide voice/data connectivity to users, such as handheld devices with wireless connectivity, in-vehicle devices, etc. Currently, some examples of terminal devices include: mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities (such as laptops, PDAs, etc.), mobile internet devices (MIDs), virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, drones, wireless terminals in remote medical care, wireless terminals in smart grids, and transportation safety devices. Wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, in-vehicle devices, wearable devices, terminal devices in 5G networks, or terminal devices in future evolved public land mobile networks (PLMNs), etc.

Wearable devices, also known as wearable smart devices, are a general term for devices that utilize wearable technology to intelligently design and develop everyday wearables, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not merely hardware devices; they achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly defined, wearable smart devices include those with comprehensive functions, large sizes, and the ability to perform complete or partial functions without relying on a smartphone, such as smartwatches or smart glasses. They also include devices focused on a specific application function that require the use of other devices, such as smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

Furthermore, terminal devices can also be terminal devices within an IoT system. IoT is a crucial component of future information technology development, its main technological characteristic being the connection of objects to networks via communication technologies, thereby achieving intelligent networks that enable human-machine and machine-to-machine interconnection. IoT technology, through technologies such as narrowband (NB), can achieve massive connectivity, deep coverage, and low terminal power consumption.

In addition, terminal devices may also include sensors such as smart printers, train detectors, and gas stations. Their main functions include collecting data (for some terminal devices), receiving control information and downlink data from network devices, and sending electromagnetic waves to transmit uplink data to network devices.

The terminal device in this application can be a virtualized device, for example, implemented through general-purpose hardware and instantiated virtualization functions, or dedicated hardware and instantiated virtualization functions. The general-purpose hardware can be a server, such as a cloud server.

It should be understood that this application does not limit the specific form of wireless access network equipment and terminal equipment.

3. Tags.

The labels include device A, device B, and device C. Device A can also be called a passive label, a passive tag, or other names; device B can also be called a semi-passive label, a semi-passive tag, or other names; and device C can also be called an active label, a tag with active activity, or other names.

4. Device A.

Device A has a target power consumption of 1–10 microwatts (μW) to enable backscatter uplink signal transmission. That is, device A cannot actively generate high-frequency carrier signals; it can only achieve uplink communication by reflecting the received high-frequency carrier signal, modulating the modulation information onto the received high-frequency carrier signal, and then reflecting it.

5. Device B.

Device C has a target power consumption of approximately 100μW, enabling backscattered uplink signal transmission. That is, device B cannot actively generate a high-frequency carrier signal; it can only achieve uplink communication by reflecting the received high-frequency carrier signal, modulating the modulation information onto the received high-frequency carrier signal, and then reflecting it.

However, compared to device A, device C may enable larger capacitors and an inverting amplifier, thus significantly increasing power consumption compared to device A.

6. Device C.

Device C has the ability to actively generate high-frequency carrier signals, eliminating the need for uplink transmission via reflected carrier signals and enabling autonomous uplink transmission. Compared to existing narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) terminals (power consumption approximately 100mW) and enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) terminals, Device C has significantly lower cost and power consumption.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication architecture provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the architecture 100 includes a tag 110 and a network device 120. Wireless communication is possible between the tag 110 and the network device 120. The tag 110 is a passive or semi-passive tag. Since passive and semi-passive tags enable backscatter uplink communication, the tag 110 needs to receive a carrier signal from the network device 120, modulate the received carrier signal at its frequency, and backscatter the modulated signal to achieve uplink transmission. In other words, under this uplink transmission method, the frequency of the carrier signal transmitted by the network device 120 is the same as the frequency of the uplink signal received from the tag 110, thus causing co-channel interference.

To address the aforementioned interference issues, 3GPP proposed in R19 A-IoT to add intermediate nodes, such as terminal devices, to assist in transmitting carrier signals in scenarios where device A or device B communicates with network devices.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 200 applicable to the method provided in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 2, the communication system 200 includes a network device 210, a terminal device 220, and a passive or semi-passive tag 230. The network device 210 and the terminal device 220 can perform uplink and downlink transmissions, as can the network device 210 and the tag 230 (the tag 230 includes passive or semi-passive tags), and the terminal device 220 and the tag 230 can also perform uplink and downlink transmissions.

In the scenario shown in Figure 2, when a network device needs to achieve uplink and downlink communication with a passive or semi-passive tag, the network device can instruct the terminal device to send a carrier signal to the passive or semi-passive tag to solve the co-channel interference problem in scenario 100. For example, the network device can instruct the terminal device to send a carrier signal on a different frequency band than the downlink communication frequency band to avoid the backscattered signal from device A or device B being in the same frequency band as the downlink signal from the network device. For instance, the network device instructs the terminal device to send a carrier signal in the uplink (UL) band of frequency division duplexing (FDD), and the network device sends a downlink signal to device A or device B in the downlink (DL) band of FDD. In this case, the backscattered signal from device A or device B is located in the UL band of FDD, avoiding interference from the transmitted DL signal to the uplink receiver. However, in this method, the carrier wave (CW) signal transmitted by the terminal device in the UL band may interfere with the signals transmitted by other NR uplink terminals.

In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method and related apparatus. In this method, by indicating one or more subcarriers to carry a carrier signal, the carrier signal can be located at the position of an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier, thereby keeping the carrier signal orthogonal to the uplink signal transmitted by other NR terminals in OFDM subcarrier orthogonalization. Subcarrier orthogonalization can effectively reduce the interference of the carrier signal on the NR uplink signal.

The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method 300 provided in an embodiment of this application. It should be understood that the method provided in this application can be applied to the network architecture shown in Figure 2, but the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. For example, the first communication device in Figure 3 can be the terminal device in Figure 2, i.e., an intermediate node, used to transmit carrier signals; the second communication device in Figure 3 can be the tag in Figure 2, i.e., a device capable of backscattering for uplink communication.

The flowchart shown in Figure 3 illustrates the method from the perspective of device interaction, but this application does not limit the subject implementing the method. For example, the network device in Figure 3 can be replaced by a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the implementation of the method on the network device, or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the network device. The first communication device in Figure 3 can be replaced by a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the implementation of the method on the first communication device, or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first communication device. The second communication device in Figure 3 can be replaced by a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the implementation of the method on the second communication device, or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the second communication device.

As shown in Figure 3, method 300 may include steps S301 and S302. The steps in method 300 are described in detail below.

S301, the network device sends first information to the first communication device, the first information indicating the frequency domain positions of N subcarriers, where N is a positive integer. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the first information from the network device.

In this application, subcarriers may also be replaced by resource elements (REs) or frequency domain resource elements.

The N subcarriers are orthogonal to each other and are OFDM subcarriers.

Optionally, the N subcarriers can be subcarriers in one or more Resource Blocks (RBs). That is, the network device can determine the N subcarriers based on network-side instructions or predefined rules, provided that one or more RBs have been determined. Here, a Resource Block (RB) can be replaced with a Physical Resource Block (PRB).

Optionally, the N subcarriers can be subcarriers in one or more BWPs. That is, the network device can determine the N subcarriers according to the instructions of the network side or predefined rules when one or more BWPs are determined.

Optionally, N equals 1.

Optionally, N is greater than or equal to 2, and the frequency domain positions of the N subcarriers can be continuous or discontinuous. For example, the number of subcarriers spaced between any two adjacent subcarriers in the N subcarriers is the same. For instance, each pair of adjacent subcarriers in the N subcarriers may be spaced by p subcarriers, where p is a predefined value, or a value greater than a predefined value.

This first information can be carried in radio resource control (RRC), medium access control (MAC) signaling, or downlink control information (DCI).

S302, the first communication device transmits a first carrier signal of the second communication device to the second communication device on N subcarriers. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the first carrier signal of the second communication device from the first communication device.

The first carrier signal is a signal that does not carry modulation information. Alternatively, the first carrier signal is an unmodulated sine wave signal or an unmodulated multi-tone signal, meaning a signal occupying multiple subcarriers. Alternatively, the first carrier signal is used for backscattering by the second communication device. Alternatively, the first carrier signal is used by the second communication device to transmit device-to-reader (D2R) signals, where the reader/writer can be understood as the aforementioned second communication device or network device.

The first carrier signal is the carrier signal carried or used by the second communication device when sending a signal to the first communication device or network device. Alternatively, the first signal is used by the second communication device to send uplink information to the first communication device or network device.

Optionally, the second communication device transmits uplink information on N subcarriers corresponding to the first carrier signal; or, the second communication device performs information modulation on the first carrier signal, the modulated signal is the first signal, and transmits the first signal.

In this embodiment, the first communication device receives first information from the network device indicating the frequency domain positions of N subcarriers to determine the frequency domain positions of the N subcarriers, and transmits a first carrier signal for backscattering by the second communication device at the frequency domain positions of the N subcarriers. In this way, the device can modulate the information to be transmitted on the N subcarriers. Since the N subcarriers are orthogonal to the subcarriers of NR OFDM, the first carrier signal transmitted on the N subcarriers can effectively reduce the interference to the NR uplink OFDM signal.

One possible implementation is that the N subcarriers are N subcarriers in one or more RBs.

Optionally, the first information is used to indicate the frequency domain position of the N subcarriers, including: the first information is used to indicate the frequency domain position of the N subcarriers among the M RBs, where M is a positive integer.

It can be understood that the frequency domain position continuity of N subcarriers can mean that the subcarrier indices of the N subcarriers are continuous, and the frequency domain position discontinuity of N subcarriers can mean that the subcarrier indices of the N subcarriers are discontinuous. For example, the difference between the subcarrier indices of every two adjacent subcarriers in the N subcarriers is the same, or in other words, the number of subcarriers between every two adjacent subcarriers in the N subcarriers is the same.

The frequency domain position of N subcarriers refers to the subcarrier index of each of the N subcarriers in the M RBs, or the subcarrier index of the start or end subcarrier in the N subcarriers in the M RBs, or the number of subcarriers offset from the start or end subcarrier in the N subcarriers in the M RBs, or the number of subcarriers offset from the start or end subcarrier in the N subcarriers in the M RBs, or the relative index of the N subcarriers in the set of all N subcarriers in the M RBs.

The M RBs can be 1 RB in the frequency domain, and their frequency domain positions can be continuous or discontinuous. For example, in a discontinuous distribution of M RBs, the number of RBs between any two adjacent RBs in the frequency domain is the same. For instance, the interval between any two adjacent RBs in the M RBs may be q RBs, where q is a predefined value, or a value greater than a predefined value.

If we assume that the M RBs contain m (m is a positive integer) subcarriers, these m subcarriers can be numbered consecutively, meaning the (i+1)th subcarrier is numbered i, or its index is i. Here, i is an integer greater than or equal to 0 and less than m. Thus, this initial information can indicate the N subcarriers within the M RBs using either their index or offset.

For example, when N is greater than 1, the frequency domain positions of the N subcarriers are the index of the first subcarrier among the M RBs and N offsets. Thus, the first communication device can determine the N subcarriers from the M RBs based on the N offsets and the index of the first subcarrier. The first subcarrier can be any one of the multiple subcarriers included in the M RBs, and the N offsets can be the differences between the indices of the N subcarriers and the index of the first subcarrier.

Assume that each of the M subcarrier blocks (RBs) comprises n (n is a positive integer) subcarriers, and the n subcarriers within each RB are numbered consecutively. Taking an RB as an example, the (j+1)th subcarrier in that RB is numbered j, or its index is j. Here, j is an integer greater than or equal to 0 and less than n. Thus, this initial information can indicate the N subcarriers in the M RBs through the RB index and the subcarrier indexes within each RB.

For example, the first information may include the index of each of the M RBs and/or the index of one or more subcarriers in each RB. For instance, if the first information includes the index of each of the M RBs and the index of one or more subcarriers in each RB, the first communication device can determine an RB based on the index of each RB and determine N subcarriers based on the index of one or more subcarriers in each RB. For example, if the first information includes the index of each of the M RBs, the first communication device can determine an RB based on the index of each RB and determine N subcarriers based on one or more predefined subcarriers in each RB. As another example, if the first information includes the index of one or more subcarriers in each of the M RBs, the first communication device can determine the M RBs based on the predefined index of the M RBs and determine N subcarriers based on the index of one or more subcarriers in each RB.

Optionally, the method 300 further includes: the network device sending second information to the first communication device, the second information indicating the frequency domain positions of the M RBs. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the second information from the network device.

This second piece of information can be carried in RRC signaling, MAC signaling, or DCI.

It is understood that the M RBs can be located in the first BWP, which is one of one or more BWPs configured to transmit the first carrier signal.

Optionally, the aforementioned N subcarriers are predefined subcarriers among the M RBs. In this case, the first information and the second information are the same information, that is, the network device implicitly indicates the N subcarriers by indicating the M RBs.

Optionally, when N equals 1, the N subcarriers can be subcarriers mapped from the channel raster frequencies of the M RBs. The channel raster frequency refers to the radio frequency reference frequency on the channel raster.

For example, the subcarriers of the channel grid frequency mapping in M RBs can be determined as follows: when M is even and N equals 1, the index of the RB containing the subcarrier is... The index of these N subcarriers is index 0, meaning that the subcarrier is the first subcarrier of its respective RB; when M is odd and N equals 1, the index of the RB containing this subcarrier is... The subcarrier's index is index 6, meaning it is the 7th subcarrier in its RB. This indicates rounding down to the nearest integer.

Optionally, the second information is used to indicate the frequency domain location of the M RBs, including: the second information is used to indicate the frequency domain location of the M RBs in the first BWP.

The first BWP can be one of one or more BWPs.

It can be understood that the frequency domain position continuity of M RBs can mean that the RB indices of the M RBs are continuous, and the frequency domain position discontinuity of M RBs can mean that the RB indices of the M RBs are discontinuous. For example, the difference between the RB indices of every two adjacent RBs in the M RBs is the same, or in other words, the number of RBs between every two adjacent RBs in the M RBs is the same.

The frequency domain position of the M RBs refers to the RB index of the M RBs in the first BWP, or the RB index of the start or end RB of the M RBs in the first BWP, or the offset of the RB index of the M RBs in the first BWP relative to the start RB in the first BWP, or the offset of the RB index of the start or end RB of the M RBs in the first BWP relative to the start or end RB in the first BWP, or the relative index of the M RBs in the set of all M RBs in the first BWP.

For example, the second information can indicate the M RBs by the offset of the M RBs in the first BWP or by the index of the M RBs.

For example, the first information includes M offsets, which can be the differences between the indices of the M subcarriers (RBs) and the index of the first RB. The first RB can be any one of the multiple RBs included in the first BWP, for example, the first RB is the starting RB in the first BWP. Thus, the first communication device can determine the M subcarriers from the first BWP based on the M offsets and the index of the first RB. Optionally, the first information may also include the index of the first RB.

Another possible implementation is that the N subcarriers are the N subcarriers in the first BWP. Here, the first BWP is one of one or more BWPs configured to transmit the first carrier signal.

The frequency domain position of the N subcarriers refers to the subcarrier index of the N subcarriers in the first BWP, or the number of offset subcarriers of the subcarriers in the first BWP relative to the starting subcarrier, or the relative index of the N subcarriers in the set of all N subcarriers in the first BWP.

Optionally, the first information is used to indicate the frequency domain position of the N subcarriers, including: the first information is used to indicate the frequency domain position of the N subcarriers in the first BWP.

For example, the first information can indicate the N subcarriers by the index of the N subcarriers in the first BWP or by the offset of the N subcarriers.

Optionally, the first information includes the indexes of N subcarriers or the first information includes the offsets of N subcarriers.

Optionally, the method 300 further includes: the network device sending third information to the first communication device, the third information being used to activate the first BWP, or the third information being used to activate the first BWP among one or more configured BWPs for transmitting the first carrier signal.

This third piece of information can be carried in RRC signaling, MAC signaling, or DCI signaling.

Optionally, the aforementioned N subcarriers can be N predefined subcarriers in the first BWP. In this case, the first information and the third information are the same information, that is, the network device implicitly indicates the N subcarriers by indicating the activation of the first BWP.

Optionally, when N equals 1, the N subcarriers can be subcarriers mapped by the channel grid frequency of all RBs in the first BWP, or, in other words, subcarriers mapped by the channel grid frequency of the first BWP.

For example, assume that the number of all RBs in the first BWP is L (L is a positive integer). The subcarriers of the channel grid frequency mapping in the L RBs can be determined as follows: when L is even and N equals 1, the index of the RB containing the subcarrier is... The index of this subcarrier is index 0, which means it is one subcarrier in the RB it belongs to; when L is odd and N equals 1, the index of the RB it belongs to is... The index of this subcarrier is index 6, which is the 7th subcarrier of the RB containing the N subcarriers.

Optionally, the aforementioned M RBs can be M RBs predefined in the first BWP. In this case, the second information and the third information are the same information, that is, the network device implicitly indicates the M RBs by indicating the activation of the first BWP.

For example, after the network device sends third information to the first communication device to activate the first BWP, the first communication device can determine the first BWP based on the third information. Since the M RBs are predefined M RBs in the first BWP, after determining the first BWP, the first communication device does not need to receive other information indicating the frequency domain positions of the M RBs, but can directly determine the frequency domain positions of the M RBs in the first BWP based on predefined rules. Therefore, this method of determining the M RBs based on the third information and predefined rules can be considered as the network device implicitly indicating the M RBs by indicating the activation of the first BWP.

It can be understood that when the above N subcarriers are N predefined subcarriers among M RBs, and M RBs are RBs predefined in the first BWP, the third information, the second information, and the first information are the same information. That is, the network device implicitly indicates M RBs by indicating the activation of the first BWP, and then implicitly indicates N subcarriers.

Optionally, the method 300 further includes: the network device sending fourth information to the first communication device, the fourth information being used to configure at least one BWP, the at least one BWP including a first BWP, the first BWP being a BWP for transmitting a first carrier signal. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the fourth information from the network device.

The at least one BWP may also include a second BWP, which may be a BWP for uplink transmission or an initial uplink BWP, and the second BWP may include one or more BWPs.

This fourth piece of information can be carried in RRC signaling or MAC signaling.

Optionally, the fourth information may include one or more of the following: the starting frequency of each BWP in at least one BWP, the starting RB of each BWP in at least one BWP, the frequency offset or RB offset of each BWP in at least one BWP relative to the starting frequency of its frequency band, the starting frequency position of its carrier (which may be referred to as Point A), the bandwidth of each BWP in at least one BWP, or the ending frequency of each BWP in at least one BWP.

For example, when the network device configures multiple BWPs (including the first BWP) for the first communication device, the network device can activate the first BWP by indicating the identity (ID) of the first BWP; or, when the network device configures only the first BWP for the first communication device, the network device can activate the first BWP by indicating the transmission of a first carrier signal; or, when the network device configures multiple BWPs for the first communication device (including the first BWP), the network device can activate the first BWP by indicating the transmission of a first carrier signal.

For example, when the third information is carried in the DCI, the BWP ID field in the DCI can be used to indicate the BWP ID of multiple BWPs used to transmit the first carrier signal, or a proprietary field in the DCI can be used to indicate on which BWP the first carrier signal is transmitted.

For example, the seventh information is carried in the DCI, which indicates whether the BWP indicated in the DCI is a BWP that transmits the first carrier signal or indicates whether the first carrier signal is transmitted. Optionally, the seventh information is 1 bit.

Optionally, the method 300 further includes: the network device sending fifth information to the first communication device, the fifth information indicating whether the first frequency band is the same as or different from the second frequency band, that the first carrier signal is located in the first frequency band, and that the second frequency band is the frequency band in which the first communication device sends a signal to the network device, or that the second frequency band is the frequency band in which the network device sends a signal to the first communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the fifth information from the network device.

The fifth message can be carried in an RRC message, MAC message, or SIB message; for example, the fifth message can be carried in SIB1.

Optionally, when the fifth information indicates that the first frequency band and the second frequency point are different, the method 300 further includes: the network device sending sixth information to the first communication device, the sixth information indicating one or more of the following: the frequency band number of the first frequency band, the absolute frequency point number corresponding to the first frequency band, the frequency difference between the first frequency band and the second frequency band, the uplink frequency band of the frequency band number of the first frequency band, or the downlink frequency band of the frequency band number of the first frequency band. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the sixth information from the network device.

This sixth message can be carried in an RRC message, MAC message, or SIB message; for example, the fifth message can be carried in SIB1.

It is understandable that the network device can send the sixth information to the first communication device without sending the fifth information (i.e., the fifth information is omitted), so that the first communication device can determine that the first frequency band is different from the second frequency band through the sixth information.

For example, supplementary uplink (SUL) information such as frequency band, subcarrier spacing (SCS), carrier start frequency position, and carrier bandwidth can be configured in the RRC message or SIB message, or specific information such as band, SCS, carrier start frequency position, and carrier bandwidth can be configured for A-IoT. Alternatively, the SUL can be configured in the RRC message or SIB message for transmitting the first carrier signal or for Ambient IoT-specific information such as frequency band, subcarrier spacing (SCS), carrier start frequency position, and carrier bandwidth.

Here, a carrier can be a frequency domain resource in the first frequency band or the second frequency band, and a carrier can be associated with a cell. The aforementioned first BWP can be a frequency domain resource in the carrier.

The DCI indicates whether the terminal device transmits the first carrier signal on the SUL carrier or frequency band; 1) The first method uses the UL/SUL indicator field in the DCI. There is a field in the DCI that indicates whether the UL/SUL field in the DCI transmits the first carrier signal on the UL or SUL carrier; 2) The second method has a specific UL/SUL indicator for A-IoT field in the DCI, which indicates whether the terminal device transmits the first carrier signal on the SUL carrier; 3) The specific DCI format includes a specific UL/SUL indicator for A-IoT field, which indicates whether the terminal device transmits the first carrier signal on the SUL carrier.

Optionally, the first information is carried in the frequency domain resource allocation field of the DCI, and the format of the first DCI is any of the following: format 0_0, format 0_1, or a proprietary DCI format indicating the transmission of the first carrier signal.

Optionally, when the DCI format is format 0_0 or 0_1, the reserved status of the existing field in the DCI indicates whether it is a DCI for transmitting the first carrier signal. When the reserved status of the existing field in the DCI indicates that it is a DCI for transmitting the carrier signal, the frequency domain resource allocation field in the DCI indicates the frequency domain position of the N subcarriers in the first carrier signal. When the DCI is a proprietary DCI format indicating the transmission of the first carrier signal, the existing field in the DCI indicates that the current DCI is a proprietary DCI field indicating the transmission of the first carrier signal, and the frequency domain resource allocation field in the DCI indicates the frequency domain position of the N subcarriers in the first carrier signal.

Alternatively, the N subcarriers may also be located at the upper or lower boundary of the second frequency band, or at the guard band of the second frequency band.

Alternatively, the N subcarriers may be spaced X subcarriers apart from the subcarriers configured for uplink communication with other NR terminals. The value of X is greater than a first predefined value. In other words, the N subcarriers can be located away from the subcarriers configured for uplink communication with other NR terminals.

Based on this, interference to other uplink signals of NR can be effectively avoided when the first carrier signal undergoes power boosting and there are leakage and tailing effects in the spectrum.

The method provided by the embodiments of this application has been described in detail above with reference to Figures 1 to 3. The apparatus provided by the implementation of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 4 and 5.

Figures 4 and 5 are schematic diagrams of possible apparatuses provided in embodiments of this application. These apparatuses can be used to implement the functions of the first communication device or network device in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram of the device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 4, the device 400 includes a receiving module 410 and a transmitting module 420. Optionally, the device 400 may also include a processing module 430.

One possible design is that the device 400 is used to implement the function of the first communication device in the method embodiment shown in FIG3 above.

For example, the receiving module 410 is configured to: receive first information from the network device, the first information being used to indicate the frequency domain positions of N subcarriers, where N is a positive integer; and the transmitting module 420 is configured to: transmit a first carrier signal of the second communication device to the second communication device on the N subcarriers, wherein the first carrier signal is a signal that does not carry modulation information.

Optionally, the receiving module 410 is further configured to: receive second information, the second information being used to indicate the M RBs.

Optionally, the receiving module 410 is further configured to: receive third information, the third information being used to activate the first BWP.

Optionally, the receiving module 410 is further configured to: receive fourth information, the fourth information being used to configure at least one BWP, the at least one BWP including the first BWP.

Optionally, the receiving module 410 is further configured to: receive fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate that the first frequency band is different from the second frequency band, the first carrier signal is located in the first frequency band, and the second frequency band is the frequency band in which the first communication device sends information to the network device.

Optionally, the receiving module 410 is further configured to: receive sixth information, the sixth information being used to indicate one or more of the following: the frequency band number of the first frequency band, the absolute frequency point number corresponding to the first frequency band, or the frequency difference between the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

A more detailed description of the above-mentioned transmitting module 410 and receiving module 420 can be obtained directly from the relevant description in the embodiment shown in Figure 3, and will not be repeated here.

Another possible design is that the device 400 is used to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG3 above.

For example, the processing module 430 is configured to: generate first information, the first information being used to indicate the frequency domain positions of N subcarriers, where N is a positive integer; and the sending module 420 is configured to: send the first information to the first communication device.

Optionally, the sending module 420 is further configured to: send second information, the second information being used to indicate the M RBs.

Optionally, the sending module 420 is further configured to: send third information, the third information being used to activate the first BWP.

Optionally, the sending module 420 is further configured to: send fourth information, the fourth information configuring at least one BWP, the at least one BWP including the first BWP.

Optionally, the transmitting module 420 is further configured to: transmit fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate that the first frequency band is different from the second frequency band, the first carrier signal is located in the first frequency band, and the second frequency band is the frequency band in which the network device receives information from the first communication device.

Optionally, the sending module 420 is further configured to: send sixth information, the sixth information being used to indicate one or more of the following: the frequency band number of the first frequency band, the absolute frequency point number corresponding to the first frequency band, or the frequency difference between the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

A more detailed description of the transceiver module 410 and the processing module 420 can be obtained directly from the relevant description in the embodiment shown in Figure 3, and will not be repeated here.

It should be noted that device 400 may include a transmitting module but not a receiving module. Alternatively, device 400 may include a receiving module but not a transmitting module. Specifically, it depends on whether the above-described scheme executed by device 400 includes both transmitting and receiving actions. It is understood that because device 400 has communication capabilities, it can also be called a communication device.

Figure 5 is another schematic block diagram of the device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 5, the device 500 includes one or more processors 510. The processor 510 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor, etc. For example, it may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control the device (e.g., terminal device, network device, or chip, etc.), execute software programs, and process data of the software programs.

Optionally, in one design, processor 510 may include a program (also referred to as code or instructions) that can be executed on processor 510, causing device 500 to perform the methods performed by the first communication device or network device in the above method embodiments. In yet another possible design, device 500 includes circuitry (not shown in FIG. 5) for implementing the functions of the first communication device or network device in the above method embodiments.

For example, processor 510 can be used to execute computer programs or instructions in memory to implement the steps performed by the first communication device or network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG3.

Optionally, the device 500 may include one or more memories 520 storing programs (sometimes referred to as code or instructions) that can be run on the processor 510, causing the device 500 to perform the methods executed by the first communication device or network device in the above embodiments.

Optionally, the processor 510 and/or memory 520 may also store data. The processor and memory may be configured separately or integrated together.

Optionally, the device 500 may further include a communication interface 530. The processor 510, sometimes referred to as a processing unit, controls the device (e.g., a first communication device or network device). The communication interface 530, sometimes referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver, is used to implement the transceiver function of the device.

Optionally, the device 500 also includes a communication interface 530. The processor 510 and the communication interface 530 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the communication interface 530 can be a transceiver or an input/output interface.

It is understandable that since device 500 has communication capabilities, it can also be called a communication device.

When device 500 is used to implement the method of FIG3, processor 510 is used to execute the functions of the aforementioned processing unit, and communication interface 530 is used to execute the functions of the aforementioned sending module and receiving module. Whether communication interface 530 is used for sending or receiving depends on whether the scheme executed by device 500 is used to perform a sending action or a receiving action.

It is understood that when the device 500 is a first communication device or network device, the communication interface 530 can be a transceiver, specifically including a transmitter and a receiver, with the transmitter used to send signals and the receiver used to receive signals. When the device 500 is a chip applied to the first communication device or network device, the communication interface 530 can be an input/output circuit, wherein the input circuit can be used for receiving and the output interface can be used for sending.

It should be noted that the above method embodiments can be applied to a processor, or implemented by a processor. A processor may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by software instructions.

The processors mentioned above can be general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. General-purpose processors can be microprocessors or any conventional processor.

The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software modules can reside in mature storage media in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

The memory in this application embodiment can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or it can include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

This application also provides a computer-readable medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a computer, implements the functions of the above-described method embodiments.

This application also provides a computer program product containing instructions, which, when executed by a computer, implements the functions of the above-described method embodiments.

This application also provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned first communication device and network equipment.

Optionally, the communication system further includes the aforementioned second communication device.

The methods provided in the above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, they can be implemented, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product may include one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated, in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access 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 (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic disk), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)).

Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, essentially, or the part that contributes to existing technology, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory, random access memory, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims (26)

A communication method, characterized in that it is applied to a first communication device, the method comprising: Receive first information from the network device, the first information being used to indicate the frequency domain positions of N subcarriers, where N is a positive integer; The first carrier signal of the second communication device is transmitted to the second communication device on the N subcarriers. The first carrier signal is a signal that does not carry modulation information. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first information is used to indicate the frequency domain positions of the N subcarriers, comprising: The first information is used to indicate the frequency domain position of the N subcarriers in the M RBs, where M is a positive integer. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the method further comprises: Receive second information, which is used to indicate the frequency domain location of the M RBs. According to the method of claim 3, the second information is used to indicate the frequency domain positions of the M RBs, including: The second information is used to indicate the frequency domain location of the M RBs in the first bandwidth BWP. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first information is used to indicate the frequency domain positions of the N subcarriers, comprising: The first information is used to indicate the frequency domain positions of the N subcarriers in the first BWP. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the method further comprises: Receive third information, which is used to activate the first BWP. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that the method further comprises: Receive fourth information, the fourth information being used to configure at least one BWP, the at least one BWP including the first BWP. The method according to claim 7, wherein the at least one BWP further includes a second BWP, the second BWP being a BWP for uplink transmission or an initial uplink BWP. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the method further comprises: The system receives a fifth piece of information, which indicates that the first frequency band is different from the second frequency band, the first carrier signal is located in the first frequency band, and the second frequency band is the frequency band in which the first communication device sends a signal to the network device. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the method further comprises: Receive sixth information, which indicates one or more of the following: the frequency band number of the first frequency band, the absolute frequency point number corresponding to the first frequency band, or the frequency difference between the first frequency band and the second frequency band. A communication method, characterized in that it is applied to a network device, the method comprising: Generate first information, which is used to indicate the frequency domain position of N subcarriers, the N subcarriers being used to carry the first carrier signal of the second communication device, the first carrier signal being a signal that does not carry modulation information, and N being a positive integer; The first information is sent to the first communication device. The method according to claim 11, wherein the first information is used to indicate the frequency domain positions of the N subcarriers, comprising: The first information is used to indicate the frequency domain position of the N subcarriers in the M RBs, where M is a positive integer. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that the method further comprises: Send a second message, which indicates the frequency domain location of the M RBs. The method according to claim 13, wherein the second information is used to indicate the frequency domain positions of the M RBs, comprising: The second information is used to indicate the frequency domain location of the M RBs in the first bandwidth BWP. The method according to claim 11, wherein the first information is used to indicate the frequency domain positions of the N subcarriers, comprising: The first information is used to indicate the frequency domain positions of the N subcarriers in the first BWP. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that the method further comprises: Send a third message, which is used to activate the first BWP. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that the method further comprises: Send a fourth message, the fourth message configuring at least one BWP, the at least one BWP including the first BWP. The method according to claim 17, wherein the at least one BWP further includes a second BWP, the second BWP being a BWP for uplink transmission or an initial uplink BWP. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 18, characterized in that the method further comprises: Send a fifth message, which indicates that the first frequency band is different from the second frequency band, the first carrier signal is located in the first frequency band, and the second frequency band is the frequency band in which the network device receives the signal from the first communication device. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 19, characterized in that the method further comprises: Send a sixth message, which indicates one or more of the following: the frequency band number of the first frequency band, the absolute frequency point number corresponding to the first frequency band, or the frequency difference between the first frequency band and the second frequency band. A communication device, characterized in that it includes a module for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, or includes a module for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 11 to 20. A communication device, characterized in that it includes a processor for causing the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, or to cause the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 11 to 20, by executing a computer program and/or by logic circuitry. The apparatus according to claim 22 is characterized in that it further includes a memory for storing a computer program and/or a configuration file of the logic circuit. The apparatus according to claim 22 or 23 is characterized in that it further includes a communication interface for inputting and/or outputting signals. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, characterized in that, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method of any one of claims 1 to 10 is executed, or the method of any one of claims 11 to 20 is executed. A computer program product, characterized in that it includes a computer program, wherein when the computer program is run, the method of any one of claims 1 to 10 is executed, or the method of any one of claims 11 to 20 is executed.